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."

Comments

Shadowrun

[neglige]

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.

Seven Cities of Gold, Wasteland?

[Quinn]

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.

My list.

[ledow]

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.

Pirates! 2004

[BigDork1001]

Not supposedly, it is happening. Game Spot had an announcement about it a while back.

And over at Firaxis they have an announcment about it too.