Series that I Want Resurrected

Publishers have been pushing old games on us with HD Remakes and digital re-releases. I think they are trying to find cheap ways to make a buck, but they should also be looking at potential games that still interest gamers. I want to run through a list of series and/or games that I want to make a return and bring something new to the table. It's time to get away from the same games that we continue to add a number to every two years or so. If new IP's aren't selling points to publishers, perhaps bringing back nostalgic games can do the trick.



Comix Zone

 I started reading comics when I was six years old. I grew fond of the artwork and storylines that were only held back by imagination and time-sensitive deadlines. It gave me an escape in a way no movie or TV show could. So when a game like Comix Zone was released, I was eager to see how they adapted a comic book feel in a game. Sadly I would never get to really know as it was a brutally hard game that I have never passed the second level. But the game had a beautiful look to it and the comic book feel of jumping between panels and choosing which way you wanted to go was a blast. And although there have been games to try and capture a similar feel, none have felt quite on par with the feeling Comix Zone gave me.




Mother/Earthbound

 Whenever I feel I can add the Mother series onto my list, I will do it. Earthbound is my favorite game of all time, and I am currently working my way through Mother 3. I tried the original Mother, and while I found the premise of the story intriguing, the enemies and random encounters killed my interest in finishing it. Luckily they made improvements on the encounter mechanic but kept the dark but light-hearted feel of the original. The setting, characters, mood and music all contributed to my love of the series and I am saddened that the US has really only had Earthbound to play with. I never purchased a N64, and part of it was...Earthbound 64 was never released. And while I know there's probably no chance of a new Mother game being released, I hold hopes that there's still potential to do it or even a re-release of the original games.

Chrono Trigger/Cross

There are very few RPG's that have had a lasting impact on players like Chrono Trigger. Even if you stripped away the time travel aspect, music, the number of endings, battle system, story, and the art style, you are still left with some of the best characters in any RPG, and some could argue, gaming in general. While Chrono Cross tried to live up to it's predecessor, it failed in many respects but still has a cult following among many gamers, myself included. Yet, there haven't been many games that I get lost into but the Chrono games pull it off with ease. Not only is the world itself large, but when you factor in the time travel, it expands it so much more. Chrono Trigger is considered to be one of the greatest RPG's of all time, and to a much lesser extent Chrono Cross as well, and adding to the Chrono fiction is something I thought Chrono Break would accomplish before it was swept back under the rug.






Destruction Derby

Before the Burnout series impressed gamers with it's fun and ridiculously good looking crash modes, Destruction Derby was the game that helped make car games fun again. Simulation games can be fun and all, and so can shooting missiles, but there's an inner joy I get when I can ram my car into other ones in a last-car-driving match. Despite it's terrible graphics and a difficulty I could never surpass, Destruction Derby gave me a car game I wanted. Don't make me race around in a circle for 3 laps. Put me in a coliseum and let me play chicken with the cars across from me. And although Burnout's crash mode is incredible, it doesn't satisfy me in the same way a new Destruction Derby game would.

Killer Instinct

Let me preface this by saying: I hate fighting games. Loathe them. If there's not an easy mode, I rarely can get past the second fighter. I'm terrible with combos, I'm awful with defense and counters, and I can not pull out special moves for the life of me. Despite my hesitation with fighters, I would leap all over a new Killer Instinct. The look of the characters and the characters themselves were only held back by the limited number of games they released. Even the music, which in fighters I would normally disregard, came with a CD entitled "Killer Cuts" which was surprisingly solid. The number of times I listened to "K.I. Feeling" is embarrassing. The recent resurgence of fighting games thanks to Street Fighter 4 made me believe we would see another Killer Instinct considering the last one was on the Nintendo 64. No such luck. Killer Instinct has not made a return and it baffles me the same way Darkstalkers fans are with a new release (or any release for that matter) of their games.