Retro revival
What with Castle of Illusion and DuckTales getting shiny remakes, we've been getting all misty-eyed and nostalgic about classic games from our childhoods. Yes, it's great to see the Mouse and the Duck back in action, but we want more. Much more.
That's why each of the GamesRadar editors have suggested their personal picks for retro games that desperately need a glossy, HD make-over. Hey, maybe your favourite is in here, maybe it isn't. If not, let us know about it in the comments below. If we all shout loud enough maybe someone will take notice...
Sophia Tong wants more cooperative games like Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers
I've always loved couch co-op type games because it doesn't require two consoles and two copies of the game. My brother and I used to take turns playing Final Fantasy (he'd grind, I'd do story stuff) and Super Mario Bros., so when Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers came along, it was a completely new experience. We didn't have a lot of money growing up, so we had to choose very carefully what games we want. Chip 'n Dale was actually a rental, so in order to get our money's worth, we played non-stop for two days until we beat it.
Now that Capcom is resurrecting DuckTales, I feel like a Chip 'n Dale Rescue Ranger reboot wouldn't be entirely out of the question Either way, I was a big fan of the show and had so much fun tossing apples and crates at giant bulldogs in the game. That's what the game was about, right? It's been a long time.
Originally released on... NES, 1990
Andy Hartup thinks it's fowl that there are no plans for a Quackshot Quest remake
Youre remaking the wrong Donald Duck game! I shouted into my computer screen when the recent Ducktales remake was announced. For me, theres only one avian-based nostalgia trip I want to relive, and thats Quackshot. It was one of the first games I got for my MegaDrive, back when I was 11 years old, and I have unresolved issues with it...
Why? It was a game that I never finished. Despite absolutely loving Quackshots blend of platforming, exploration and quick-fire plunger action, I never beat the final boss. There was no save system in Quackshot, so I needed several hours to get from start to finish. Problem was, being a child, I was only allowed to use my MegaDrive for an hour or so at a time. So even if I held onto my lives, flew past Draculas castle, and skated through the sunken Viking boat, I simply couldnt play fast enough to beat the game. Give me a remake, though, and Ill smash Big Bad Petes gap-toothed grin off his face for good.
Originally released on... MegaDrive, 1991
Lorenzo Veloria wants to fight his shadow in a 2.5D Zelda 2 remake
Zelda games were basically my entire gaming childhood. I spent countless hours hunting down the pieces of the Triforce in the first game, though, many of those hours were repeating lost ground from my little brother's incessant need to "accidentally" delete my saves. But I didn't really care, as long as I got to play more Zelda. My one regret from my early gaming years was I never completely finished the side-scrolling sequel. A Zelda II remake would give me the chance, and the motivation to plow through the notoriously difficult Adventure of Link.
Unlike the charming art style of the first Zelda game, Zelda II's just looks dated. Call me shallow, but brand new 3D visuals behind the side-scrolling gameplay akin to Donkey Kong Country Returns are exactly what I need to get back into the game. There hasn't been a Zelda game like Adventure of Link since the original release, and it definitely deserves another chance to shine. Plus, incredibly challenging old-school action-style titles are all the rage right now. Let's bring back one of the classics.
Originally released on... NES, 1988
Henry Gilbert would cut bamboo all day for Bushido Blade HD
This barely even feels like classic to me because 1997 doesnt seem that long ago, but sadly for this aging nerd, I played Bushido Blade 16 years ago as a high school freshman. Back then me and my friends soaked in rematch after rematch of this inventive fighting game. It had no visible health bar or time limit, and sword fights continually ended with one hit kills. It made for some incredibly tense samurai battles, and while the deceptively simple combat holds up, the early PSOne graphics dont.
Square Enix has remade every Final Fantasy game known to man (twice), so its about time it reached a little deeper into its catalogue and gave a whole new generation a chance to spar online via unpredictable swashbuckling set in feudal Japan.
Originally released on... PlayStation, 1997
Hollander Cooper would kill for a Revenge of the Gator remake
I played the hell out of my Game Boy. Super Mario Land, Metroid II, Tetris--I nary left the house without that big, grey brick in my backpack. But one game took up more of my time than every other one combined: Revenge of the Gator. Those who remember it remember it fondly--the stellar music, the amazing bonus levels, the precise pinball action; and those who don't would do well to try to get their hands on it.
Problem is... it's pretty hard to do that. Since it hasn't seen a re-release (it might have been pushed to the Virtual Console in some regions, but not in the US) it's nearly impossible to find. That is, unless you still have a copy sitting on your desk at home, complete with the Game Genie sticker you put on it like, 17 years ago. Needless to say, it desperately needs an awesome HD version--I can't wait to knock that Gator off of the platforms and send him to his death.
Originally released on... Game Boy, 1990
David Houghton would go bananas for TimeSplitters 2 HD
Big, brash, brainy, beautiful and big (its really, really big, okay?), TS2 has more ideas in the first couple of hours of its campaign than most whole franchises have in their entire lifetime. Using a smart time-travel mechanic to allow every single level to look, feel and play completely differently (yet remaining unified under the brilliantly immediate, slick and speedy core-shooting), TimeSplitters 2 is one of the few games in the genre to be both genuinely funny and genuinely great throughout. If youre a film-fan, the beautifully pitched genre pastiches will make you weep with joy, with art and audio design positively begging for a cleaner, shinier treatment than last-gen could furnish. The Blade Runner aping NeoTokyo level alone justifies a full 1080P do-over.
And given TS2s way-ahead-of-its-time approach to multiplayer and bonus modes, with roughly nine billion game-modes, characters and unlockables, surely now is the time for online play and leaderboards to really do the games vision justice.
Lucas Sullivan wants to bean his buddies in a new Super Dodge Ball
Some gamers might associate the cutthroat physical activity known as "dodge ball" with the sensation of getting pegged directly in the junk with a rubber sphere. Or maybe that's just a tired old stereotype--I have no idea, because I was too busy playing Super Dodge Ball to care. This is one of the most unlikely spin-offs--a sports series with the characters and art style of classic beat-'em'-up River City Ransom--but the end result was truly magnificent. On this court, it's not enough to simply bop your opponent; you need to use gravity-defying super moves to KNOCK THEM THE F OUT.
Like an idiot, I haven't yet taken the time to track down and play the GBA and DS remakes (though I have played the stellar Neo Geo version to death). But a downloadable Super Dodge Ball with online multiplayer would be a dream come true, marrying the tense back-and-forth action of fighting games with the over-the-top ridiculousness of arcade sports and anime. What, I dream about Super Dodge Ball. Get over it.
Originally released on... Arcade, 1987
Justin Towell is revved up for a Virtua Racing remake
Virtua Racing was the trailblazer for almost every game we play today. It was the first fully-polygonal game to chuck 3D around at 60fps. It had racing cars, angular grid girls and an over-excited announcer. Sure, its flat-shaded visuals were instantly superseded by Ridge Racer and Daytona USA, but thats where things get interesting.
It hasnt aged. That flat-shaded visual look is now a distinct visual style and would only need HD resolution and more incidental details to make it look magnificent. Sure, the PS2 version was a decent recreation of the original, but the handling was too slidey. A tighter, super-deluxe Virtua Racing would be amazing if made today... and with graphics this simple, it would run on everything.
Originally released on... Arcade, 1992
Ryan Taljonick would sell the souls of his closest friends for a new, well-made Theme Park
As a kid, I loved taking trips to theme parks. Michigan's Adventure, Cedar Point, Six Flags--all were exciting playgrounds full of equally exciting rides. But once I got a taste of building my own amusement park in 1994's Theme Park on my Sega Genesis, I couldn't put it down. I spent hours planning my next park: what rides I would get, how I would place them to max out their queues, and how I would keep my customers happy.
Sure, games like Rollercoaster Tycoon were technically better (and definitely more complex), but they lacked the lighthearted charm that Bullfrog's park sim maintained. I'd love to get my hands on a new Theme Park--the DS version doesn't count, that game was far too restricting--if only to relive my glory days as a happiness manufacturer.
Originally released on... pretty much every non-handheld platform that existed in 1994
Oh my Cod
"What, no-one picked James Pond II: Robocod!" we hear you cry. Well, before you descend on the GamesRadar offices with burning torches to 'teach us a lesson', we'd like to suggest an alternative to outraged violence. Instead, why not tell us about your favourite retro games--the ones you'd love to see remade--in the comments below.
Oh, you're still here. Well, this is awkward... Er, why not check out some other great GamesRadar features like Classic Video Game Characters: Then And Now or this whopper of a feature on 123 Games With Untapped Franchise Potential.
