Game Franchises We Want Revamped

Alex Osborn:

1. Dark Cloud – Remember those two awesome Level-5 role-playing games that were super unique and incredibly innovative? Dark Cloud 2 was easily one of my favorite games of the PS2 era, and considering how densely populated that generation was with quality RPGs, that’s certainly saying something. Now that the team is virtually finished with Ni No Kuni, I’d really like to see them revisit the franchise. The jump from 1 to 2 was super dramatic in terms of both visual design and mechanics, so just imagine what they could do with newer hardware.

2. TimeSplitters – Crytek has been shattering the hopes and dreams of TimeSplitters fans for months now, but what if it all was just some elaborate hoax to really surprise gamers when they announce they’re rebooting the franchise? Yeah… probably not, but it’s unfortunate that we haven’t seen a new TimeSplitters title in so long. There’s no doubt that the tech-savvy minds Crytek could really do the franchise right with gorgeous visuals layered atop the series’ undeniable charm.

3. Jak and Daxter – Naughty Dog wrapped up the Jak and Daxter series quite nicely with the third game, but that hasn’t satiated my hunger for more of this dynamic duo. Sony Bend did a fantastic job with Uncharted on the Vita, so I’m willing to bet they’re more than capable of bringing this iconic platformer back to Sony’s home console. We’ve seen a few spinoffs in the form of portable experiences, but it’d be great if we could get a fresh new take on the universe with a revamp that explores perhaps another corner of the Jak and Daxter universe. A new trilogy perhaps?

Nick Michetti:

1. Parasite Eve – With series like Resident Evil and Dead Space offering some action-infused survival horror, seeing a franchise like Parasite Eve get a full-fledged reboot in a somewhat similar direction with some RPG elements would be nice. PSP title The 3rd Birthday was very action-oriented, but with some of the limitations of the PSP platform, a modern action title was a difficult fit. Parasite Eve should get its own console game that strives to maintain a balance between action, survival horror, and RPG mechanics, as PE is best when those elements are present in equal quantities. A next-gen visual boost for the game’s unique atmosphere of “infected” modern-day worlds would be nice, too.

2. Vectorman – Sega’s classic 2D action series once had a 3D console game in development, which might not have been the best direction for this style of game. With 2D revivals being very popular these days, why not bring back Vectorman with a 2D game that has 3D graphics? Both 2D and action games have come quite a long way since Vectorman‘s release — it’s easy to forget that Vectorman was a Genesis franchise that completely missed out on some of the biggest 2D games released during the PS1 era, let alone some of the big 2D PSN and XBLA games released this generation. A new, 2D Vectorman with modern-day polish would make plenty of Sega fans very happy.

3. EA’s Def Jam series – EA’s quality fighting/wrestling franchise that began with the fun Def Jam Vendetta and was followed up by the even better Def Jam: Fight For New York. The series was taken in kind of a different direction with Def Jam: Icon, and the series hasn’t had a new installment since. If EA still has control of the franchise, they should reach out to DJV & FFNY developer syn Sophia (formerly known as AKI, the developers of WWF No Mercy for the N64) and have them create a new installment in the style of the original games. Fans of the series still remember the games and undoubtedly would show up for a new title, especially if it had online multiplayer.

Vivas Kaul:

1. Final Fantasy – Remember when you used to look forward to the next installment in the hallowed RPG franchise? Yeah me either. The last couple of Final Fantasy games have been met with tepid responses from players and reviews that are often full of caveats. While it’s true that every installment is unique, the last few titles have actually been sequels or continuations of existing story lines. It also seems that Square Enix wants to do everything accept what its fans want. For years people have been clamoring for a remake of Final Fantasy 7 and, despite probably knowing how much of a cash cow that game would be for the company, they still haven’t made it. Given how convoluted several of the existing plot lines are, the larger amount of iteration as opposed to innovation with each successive installment, and the rather dumb, new emo aesthetic for the characters, I think it’s time for a reboot. Plus with that tech demo that was shown at E3 this year, supposedly running on next gen hardware, now would indeed be the time. C’mon Square Enix….give us Final Fantasy 0.

2. Chrono Trigger – Considering how many revisions the original Squaresoft classic from the SNES era has undergone since it’s inception, perhaps its time for a next gen take on Chrono Trigger. How cool would it be to zip through time portals with next gen graphics? What would the characters look like? Ah, the hell with it! Just remake the old 32-bit version, but this time bring back the original translation from the SNES and remake Chrono Cross with 32-bit graphics. Maybe they could create a parallel narrative of the two games and have Chrono and Serge’s respective stories take place in alternate dimensions. Square could also call up Zeboyd games and see if they could work in Penny Arcade into the revamped version of Chrono Trigger. I know, I know…it’ll never, ever happen. But for the record…I would play that game.

3. Armored Core – But Vivas, From Software already rebooted the Armored Core franchise with the release of their latest game, Armored Core V, didn’t they? Yes they did indeed, I say to you dear readers, but that game wasn’t really that great. Imagine what would happen if you got the guys that are making that free-to-play, mech-shooter, Hawken, and paired them with the dudes that made MechWarrior. In this example, let’s assume that you were able to wrestle the license away from From Software. At that point the only thing you would have to say is “Here’s the Armored Core franchise. Now make it better!” To further bolster my argument, I point you to the Metacritic page for From Software’s latest game, the reboot/revamp of the Steel Battalion series entitled Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, which recently came out for Kinect. Yeah…

What would you like to see revamped or rebooted? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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