Been a while.... aahhhhhhhhh. Sorry, had to let a breath out.
So, I'm pleased to see Sailor Moon is being revived, not just through paper, but on the DS. What a delight. It got me thinking... I know that Hollywood tends to do the same thing over and over, and the video game realm really is no different-is it bad? With a movie, I mean, you just watch it- whereas a video game, you get to experience it. Oh well, that's not the thesis.... what got me thinking was other video games I feel should be respirated and brought back to life- via the systems that are available to us now.
-For starters, since Sailor Moon is what got me thinking on this topic, let's start with her. Yes, it's weird anime stuff (I mean, in the SS movie, they were kidnapping children.... just weird stuff). But, that's not to say that Sailor Moon can't make the goods. For instance, her RPG game on the SNES, "Sailor Moon: Another Story". Thanks to gamers and fans alike, translations have been issued for this game, so the Western hemisphere can enjoy it. It's a pretty slick little RPG that let's you choose not only which senshi to have in you party, but their arrangement, as well as being able to fuse their powers to heal, harm and protect. I imagine seeing this on the 360/PS3/PSP/DS- any of those, would be beautiful, whether they did like a 3d deal, or a 2d art gimmick. Either way, we all win when the final package is a beautiful game filled with a wonderful, fun story (SM never really takes itself too seriously) and great animation. This would be a sure fire winner here for me!
-Urban Chaos. I feel D'Arci Stern DID NOT get a fair chance. If you were like me and suffered through this game, you somehow found it charming and engaging, in all it's splendor. I no longer look at it as suffering- I now look at it as "mastering". Yes, I've mastered Urban Chaos- I know how to wrangle the camera the right way I need to have it when I need to have it, I know not to sprint while by a ledge or on a platform with no rails.... I even know how to punch a badguy, backflip, slide him down and handcuff him, in one foul swoop. And I gotta say, it's pretty sweet to do. GTA and SR only let us see one side- the criminal. This game made you play as a cop- you got to run around town, question pedestrians- could even beat them up, cuff them, and search them! And, I feel, the city was pretty lively. Pretty much every mission had one main goal, and about 5-6 little side thingsthat you just happen to stumble upon. Also, hidden throughout the city on rooftops and in back alleys are power ups that make D'Arci stronger, which make you want to skulk the city, therefore activating these missions. On a systemnowadays, this would be THE ISHT! The game just needs better resoluted graphics and tighter controls. I felt the script and voice acting was on par. It was Tomb Raider in the city... This is a gem, and is #1 on my PSP games list, and would be a sure Pre-Order for me if they remade it for today.
-Super Adventure Island. I loved this game on the SNES. There was Mario, there was Link... and to me, there was Master Higgins. I felt the sequel was the strongest entry in the series... you got armor and weapon upgrades, and had a cute little map you floated around. Maybe people didn't like the chubby islander in a grass skirt, or maybe it was because I was living in Hawaii when I first played this game, but it always gives me fond memories, and is one of my favorite platformers. I'm very surprised that Hudson never brought it back, via the Wii or XBLA/PSN. I mean, it was never even on the GBA- and almost anything that was on the SNES got remade for GBA standards... This game rocked, and I think it would still be able to hold up to todays platfromers, as it wasn't too serious- just good ol' island fun!
-Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I've played every single BTVS game. I wish the PSX one actually went through, so I could have it on my PSP. I still have the EXACT same copy of the first copy of the XB game I got. I liked Chaos Bleeds, but for me, the first BTVS was the best, as well as the best TV/MOVIE BASED Video Game. This game is 100% Buffy. If Batman: Arkham City is the best Superhero game, Buffy would be the best TV show inspired game. Aside from Buffy and the Master, the show's cast reprises their role in game, and the fighting, as well as the dusting animation of the vampires, are taken straight from the show. I'd love to see Buffy continue in video games, as she just fits. The GBA title was okay, The DS title was cool and I was happy to see it (still have the game even though I don't own a DS). Honestly, I'd love to see them do like a Marvel Ultimate Alliance for the Buffyverse. Have Buffy, Kendra, Faith, and Kennedy on a team and call it "Slayerhood", where you get a bonus or something.... Buffy fans everywhere would jump for joyce at that... hehe.....
-Fighting Force. People either loved or hated this title. I am the ealier. I thought Fighting Force was a shoe-in for Streets of Rage. They fudged up with the 2nd one. The game didn't need a COMPLETE overhaul like that, it just really needed to be though out more. If they made this game for todays gamers, I would hope they would keep the four main characters and the beat 'em up feel, and even the 3d aspect. I thought it worked. You could hit in a full range. I would like to be able to maybe upgrade them- give them stats and a ishtton of moves that maybe could only be accessed via certain story points, or maybe limited to what skills you distribute. Fighting Force wasn't toally without hope, and I'd play this game WAYYYY before I'd Play SoR 2/3, and I love me some SoR!
-Xena Warrior Princess. This game on the PSX was slick! She was fighting big assded cylops', Amazon's under a spell, pirates, Menataurs- Xena was doing it big WAY before Kratos was. And the combat was airtight, for a PSX game. Not only could Xena kick and slash (and mix the two), but she could backflip and cartwheel outta danger, as well as get upgrades! Also, her chakram is available as a means to disable threats, and it's a blast. You throw it, and you control where it goes. It's pretty cool when you pull chakram moves off like she did in the show (i.e., you throw it around a bad guy, and as it comes back, it kills 2 or 3). I think if Xena was brought to HD, this game would be pretty epic. And who doesn't love them some lesbians?
-Firday the 13th. Okay, I know what you're thinking, "Oh god, no!' But just hear me out- if they kept the EXACT formula from the NES version, but made it 3D... that game would be scary as **** Maybe not so much with the zombies, that may hinder the gameplay... but picture it- the game is comrpised of 3 or 5 days. When you start, it's day... as you're going through these empty ransacked cabins looking for supplies (or maybe lighting fireplaces, via the O.G.), you notice now the suns going down. At one point, you realize you're now thick in the night. Now this night doesn't end until you kill Jason for the first time (and like the O.G., each time you killed him ended a day survived at Camp Crystal Lake). I think he should still appear randomly, like he did in the NES version. Maybe you notcie him by the iconic Vorhees sound, or maybe you just notice the twigs snappping beneath his feet. You can fight him, but no longer like the Mike Tyson Punch Out formula everyone knows and hates. Now, instead, you have options, but they're very limited (albeit very realistic)- you're cornered in a cabin, and through a window, you see him walking around, hunting you. Do you run out, trying to get away from him, or do you hide in the shadows or under the beds? Do you push something in front of the door to barricade it, via RE5 syle, or do you try to widdle his health away with whatever weapon you have (just like O.G. again- knives, machetes, pitchforks, torches, etc), until he decides to retreat.... As much as people hated it back then, if this game was done now, and done correctly, it would scare the pants off audiences more than the movies do. Keep all the counselors from the first one and keep the switch-on-the-fly aspect, just have each counsler handle differently and maybe have them get upgrades... maybe even have weapon ****s. Keep the children in cabins you have to row to to get to. Keep his mother's head as the subboss. Lose the music. This game would be scary if they just had ambience and the twigs snapping under your feet- or jason's, if he's stalking you. If you got rid of the zombies, and just had Jason and his momma's head as a boss, it would probably be a lot better. Imagine a game where you only really have one enemy, but he's super hard to kill, and when he shows up, he scares the isht outta you. THIS would be a one of the most boss survival horror games! I'm thinking PSX's "Clock Tower", but not a point and click, and way more adrenaline fueled. Adding multiplayer would be sweetness, too. Think of being able to have one person get the dullards attention while you set up acrushing blow via enviornmental traps or something... and Multiplayer doesn't have to stop at co-op, etiher...Jason Vs. Counslers! One person's Jason, and powerful as hell, and has to stalk and kill the other counslers.... that would be an epic online game, I think.
-AND FINALLY.... Final Fantasy 7. I know there was that tech demo, and this is not, by anyway,new news when it comes to a revamped wishlisht, but Final Fantasy 7, in my eyes, isn't just an awesome video game- it's a beautiful entry into fiction/science fiction. The story and the envoironments are beautiful... and the Soundtrack is more catchy than Super Mario (is that even possible)? I think the series deserves it, and anybody that hasn't experienced it because it's an old game or an RPG really need to be reintorduced to it. And, this might be a shocker, but I would not recommend voice acting. Call it what you want, but I like what the guy who designed it said. He was qutoed to say that they wanted to leave these characters up to the imagination. If I had someone that sounded like Leon from RE4 (Emo, you KNOW Cloud's Emo), it would ruin it for me. Just enhance the graphics. Bring this beautiful fusion of story/gameplay back. And this means something, cos I'm not really an RPG fan. I don't just see this game as an RPG, I see it as a beautiful work of fiction (or science fiction... whichever....)
Again, these are just games from my mind that I think should get another chance on today's platfroms, as I think they have more staying power than the big companies give them credit for. Games suck, but sometimes they don't suck because they're lacking inspiration, just the hardware to flesh it out. The video games mentioned on this list have kept me playing through the years, to the day as of this writing- I imagine I'm not the only one out there who likes at least one of the games on this list. Now's a good time to be a gamer, as we are working diligantly in the business, both behind the scenes and out in front. And I fully trust gamers know what gamers want.
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