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Game Franchises From The Ashes
Thanks to Nintendojo for posting the latest in their series on classic games that deserve to get resurrected in updated form. The latest instalment picks out Combat for the Atari 2600, "...one of the first genuine 'deathmatch' games around", but earlier picks include Fortress of Narzod for the Vectrex, and Shadowrun for the SNES, of which the author says "...the style of this game, plus its rudimentary squad-based combat, makes this a natural for an upgrade."
Give me 3 Small Biplanes vs 1 Giant Plane anytime!!!
I always wondered why there never was a mainstream Shadowrun RPG. Certainly has the potential! And the success and quality of Baldurs Gate proved that RPGs are not dead and can sell well.
My cats ate my karma. They also wrote this comment.
Seven Cities of Gold was indeed an awesome game. Just recently I was yearning for something like that to pass the time. I recall blowing many hours sailing to the New World, slaughtering ungrateful savages, and searching for the titular septefecta of treasure troves.
I also role-played a successful expedition earning me a masturbation ritual with a saucy European lass as portrayed by a cheap second-hand OUI magazine centerfold. Yeah, those were some mighty funked up days.
Anyway, my own adolescent perversions aside, I did spy this single PC title on the list, so I know they included the PC, so where the hell is Wasteland? Maybe Fallout was considered an unofficial upgrade, but I still have high hopes of "Faran Brygo's" inXile snagging the rights and doing a proper remake of the greatest RPG of all time.
#19845
Is it just me or half half these games already been resurrect in the manner he describes but under different franchises? Yah, major props to Nintendodojo. Ho-Hum.
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I still miss the Microprose game 'Pirates!'
(Pirates Gold was such a shame)
"If you loved me, you`d all kill yourselves today"
Spider Jerusalem
...mention of Sword of the Samurai?? Come on now.
My list would include:
:-)
Gauntlet 1/2 (Arcade) - possibly from a 1st-person perspective, throwing axes/arrows at ghosts and goblins, giant dragons, death himself, thieves...
Hunter (Amiga) - A bit like an early version of GTA3 - you have a mission and you have to run around using any form of transport available to do it... the amiga version had bikes, boats, cars, planes, hang gliders, windsurfing, tanks, jeeps... all open to the player, who's free to do what he likes to complete the mission.
Software House (Spectrum) - A little known title where you run your own software house in the style of a football management game. Negotiate with authors, choose how to market the game, negotiate with high-street chains to get them to take stocks.
Stunt Island (PC) - Similar in vein to Hunter, you have completely free access to many vehicles and your job is to be a stuntman - Think what you could do with every vehicle imaginable and AI-controlled "partners" you can script to create the perfect stunt. If you haven't guessed, I like freedom in my games.
Kikstart 2 (Spectrum) - Create a bike course using simple building blocks then race split-screen against a pal. Multiply up with full Motocross Madness graphics and network multiplay.
XQuest 2 (PC) - Sorry... it's the last on my list and I just like XQuest. It's an old DOS game that still available online (google it) that's a smooth, simple variation of Crystal Quest for the Mac. I just want the author to update it!
Just my twopenn'th.
...even though remakes are unlikely, at least I got a list of good ROMs to find!
In the last part of the article, 3 games are listed, Combat, Pong, and Pac-Man. All three of which have have had remakes in the last 2 years. While they may not have been great games, its not like these franchises are languishing in obscurity.
Combat , Pong 3d and Pac-Man World 2.
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First of all, M.U.L.E should have been the first one on the list. I know there have been some re-makes, but it still deserves to be number one on the list, many things can be done without ruining the gameplay. (guns would of course ruin the game, but plenty else to do) All consoles needs this game.
Second, I see no text adventures. Plenty are still being made, but all are underground. I know this is aimed at console games, but Nintendo could easially bundle a bunch of games with a keyboard, and it would work. (plenty of free ones to start with, and I'm sure authors would like the chance to have their name on for a tiny royality for the rest)
I keep a C64 emulator around for this gem. You control a probe droid and have to reprogram a ship full of rogue droids. The main task is in a reprogramming contest. The contest is simple, flip switches by sending impulse down circuits. When time runs out, either you've flipped a majority and take control of the droid, or you lsoe and it's Game Over. This is complicated by having a limited number of pulses to fire, and by complications in the circuit diagram. It's pretty basic, but you never have any leisure to plan or study. Some droids you take over can just blast other robots - but your control burns out the droid you're riding in after a certain amount of time, so you can't blast your next ride.
Great game, simple concepts multplied into intense gameplay. It would have been a winner for GB or GB-Color. Paradroid Advance would probably be overdone and overcomplicated. I've beaten the damn thing maybe twice over the course of 15 years of (intermittent) gameplay.
Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
If they did remake it they should make it a little bit harder. Not only was the end easy but most of the game after you get the bomb de-activated is too easy. Shadowrun had the best blend of real time action with turn based leveling. It was also the best rpg , next to secret of mana, on the snes and it's still fun to play now.
And over at Firaxis they have an announcment about it too.
"Armed forces abroad are of little value unless there is prudent counsel at home" - Cicero
In the section devoted to the Hall of the Mountain King (the game), there's a big error. In the Hall of the Mountain King (the song) was not Wagner, nor was it in the Ring Cycle. It's Grieg, part of the Peer Gynt Suite.