The lights are on
It’s been a long while since my last post (eight months and twenty five days, to be exact,) and I’d like to apologize. This is probably the best online community I’ve ever been a part of, and it needs active members to keep going strong. Many of you, such as Saint, find time to post quality blogs nearly every day, and while I can’t promise that, (seriously, how do you guys manage, anyway?) I will be posting every two weeks all throughout the next year.
With that glorious news out of the way, (I'm sure many of you have peed yourselves from sheer excitement) I'm creating this bonus blog in preparation for the coming year. It's a Christmas wish list, not of the existing games that I want, but a plea to developers to create the titles that should have been produced long ago, yet strangely never came to be. Note that a new installment in the Donkey Kong Country series would have been tops on this list were it not for the saving grace of Donkey Kong Country Returns, in which Retro Studios proved that a once great series of games can indeed be brought back to life years later. Anyways, without further ado, (and in no particular order), here is my new games wish list for 2011.
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Pokemon Trading Card Game 3DS
Old school Pokemon fans remember this game with a guilty glee. You had access to all of the official trading cards in the game, eight different gyms to defeat, and a main character who looked like a drug addicted hippie. What more could you possibly ask for? Okay, maybe a lot. The story is nearly non-existent, the game starts out really slow since you don’t have enough energy cards, and there’s an ungodly long tutorial in the beginning that cannot be skipped over. Despite all of those problems, this game should still be remade. Why? Because it was fun at the time, and it can be much improved for today’s standards. Add in all of the new pokemon. Put in a better story mode. Give us a protagonist who just said no. Add on internet battles and cool 3DS graphics with touch screen controls, and the new Pokemon TCG would be better than ever.
TimeSplitters 4
This one is just depressing. Free Radical Design, the studio responsible for the games development, announced that Time Splitters 4 would be released for all three systems, and shortly afterward fell into a state of bankruptcy. They were later bought out by Crytek, a PC first-person shooter developer; whether Times Splitters 4 is still in the works or not is largely unknown, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. It’s really a shame too, as the TimeSplitters series has a pretty large cult following with its wacky characters and unique side games. Besides, who doesn’t love playing as a gingerbread man who suggests you bite his crunchy brown ass?
Banjo Threeie
Admit it. The Banjo-Threeie cover for Gamecube looks really awesome. The Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts cover looks... well... special. And chunky. Who would’ve thought the same characters would look so much worse on next gen consoles? But I’m not going to complain about the duo’s botched facelifts, or even whine about what could’ve been had the pair stayed on Gamecube. I’m bothered by the lost adventure, the lack of a true follow-up to Banjo-Tooie. Nuts and Bolts strays far from the gameplay of the first two games of the series, and simply doesn’t feel like a proper successor. Hopefully Rare will be able to continue the series properly on the 360, as well as several of their other popular titles, such as Perfect Dark and Jet Force Gemini. Gauntlet Everyone loves a game where you can leave your brain at the door, mindlessly smashing through baddies and exploring bizarre places in an epic adventure, and no series does this better than Gauntlet. Admittedly, the series was more than a little dry in its arcade days, but it had come a long way. Dark Legacy was the last well known entry in the series, though in 2005 a much lesser known title, Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows, was released on the Playstation 2 and Xbox. Sadly, Midway games has since gone bankrupt, and I wouldn’t count on a new Gauntlet anytime soon.
Admit it. The Banjo-Threeie cover for Gamecube looks really awesome. The Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts cover looks... well... special. And chunky. Who would’ve thought the same characters would look so much worse on next gen consoles? But I’m not going to complain about the duo’s botched facelifts, or even whine about what could’ve been had the pair stayed on Gamecube. I’m bothered by the lost adventure, the lack of a true follow-up to Banjo-Tooie. Nuts and Bolts strays far from the gameplay of the first two games of the series, and simply doesn’t feel like a proper successor. Hopefully Rare will be able to continue the series properly on the 360, as well as several of their other popular titles, such as Perfect Dark and Jet Force Gemini.
Gauntlet
Everyone loves a game where you can leave your brain at the door, mindlessly smashing through baddies and exploring bizarre places in an epic adventure, and no series does this better than Gauntlet. Admittedly, the series was more than a little dry in its arcade days, but it had come a long way. Dark Legacy was the last well known entry in the series, though in 2005 a much lesser known title, Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows, was released on the Playstation 2 and Xbox. Sadly, Midway games has since gone bankrupt, and I wouldn’t count on a new Gauntlet anytime soon.
Luigi's Mansion 2
During the era in which Nintendo was obsessed with cleaning things, this gem appeared; it was a bit too short, but fun and original. I loved being able to explore the unknown, and it was great playing as Luigi for a change. The controls took a little getting used to as well, but I think the Wii would fix the problem nicely. In a desperate attempt to find replay value in this game, I’ve since tried to collect every single coin in the adventure, which involves constantly calculating your totals, entering and exiting the same room multiple times, and loud cursing when you’re forced to start over after losing a coin. (You’d think that last step is optional, but surprisingly it isn’t.) At any rate, the only cure for my obsessive compulsive insanity is a new entry in the Luigi’s Mansion series, through granted I’m not sure what it would be called. Luigi’s Hotel, anyone? Elite Beat Agents 2
During the era in which Nintendo was obsessed with cleaning things, this gem appeared; it was a bit too short, but fun and original. I loved being able to explore the unknown, and it was great playing as Luigi for a change. The controls took a little getting used to as well, but I think the Wii would fix the problem nicely. In a desperate attempt to find replay value in this game, I’ve since tried to collect every single coin in the adventure, which involves constantly calculating your totals, entering and exiting the same room multiple times, and loud cursing when you’re forced to start over after losing a coin. (You’d think that last step is optional, but surprisingly it isn’t.) At any rate, the only cure for my obsessive compulsive insanity is a new entry in the Luigi’s Mansion series, through granted I’m not sure what it would be called. Luigi’s Hotel, anyone?
Elite Beat Agents 2
You just got fired from your job. Your girlfriend has left you. Your neighbor Mr. Johnson has misplaced his heart medicine, and is now shaking about on the floor in front of you. What should you do in these situations? If you answered "Scream for help, waiting for three magical midgets to appear, literally singing and dancing my troubles away," you were absolutely correct! The only portable rhythm game I've been able to get into, Elite Beat Agents was awesome. The songs were basic yet catchy, and I was totally immersed in the light and energetic gameplay. A sequel would be great, as it could have fun new songs, and really benefit visually from being in 3D. Oh, and I was just kidding about the magical midgets... I tried that a few years ago and... well, lets just say things didn't turn out to well. Rest in peace, Mr. Johnson.
Psychonauts
Despite it's commercial difficulties, Psychonauts has been a cult favorite, and for good reason. It has one of the most creative concepts I've seen in a platformer, and the puzzles are challenging yet rarely ever too frustrating. I think a sequel would fair far better than the original title did, simply because it now has a fairly large fan base that would buy the game as soon as it was released. It'd also be great to see the various environments this game offers in next generation graphics. All in all, its a great game, and it'd be a crime not to give it the sequel fans crave. Pikmin 3 Good news! Nintendo has finally admitted to the development of Pikmin 3, the only series that rivals Pokemon in animal cruelty. In fact, I'd actually say it's worse than Pokemon, as Olimar could care less about befriending these creatures, oh no; he murders them for his own gain, personal profit, or even to cope with occasional bouts of boredom. But hey, is it really my fault that Nintendo has made animal cruelty so fun? This survival exploration game is purely addictive, and encourages strategy and caution as new monsters attack, creating excitement around every corner. We've already seen how beneficial Wii controls can be to this series through the remakes of the first two games; I'm just ready for a new adventure... In the meantime, where did my dog run off to...?
Despite it's commercial difficulties, Psychonauts has been a cult favorite, and for good reason. It has one of the most creative concepts I've seen in a platformer, and the puzzles are challenging yet rarely ever too frustrating. I think a sequel would fair far better than the original title did, simply because it now has a fairly large fan base that would buy the game as soon as it was released. It'd also be great to see the various environments this game offers in next generation graphics. All in all, its a great game, and it'd be a crime not to give it the sequel fans crave.
Pikmin 3
Good news! Nintendo has finally admitted to the development of Pikmin 3, the only series that rivals Pokemon in animal cruelty. In fact, I'd actually say it's worse than Pokemon, as Olimar could care less about befriending these creatures, oh no; he murders them for his own gain, personal profit, or even to cope with occasional bouts of boredom. But hey, is it really my fault that Nintendo has made animal cruelty so fun? This survival exploration game is purely addictive, and encourages strategy and caution as new monsters attack, creating excitement around every corner. We've already seen how beneficial Wii controls can be to this series through the remakes of the first two games; I'm just ready for a new adventure... In the meantime, where did my dog run off to...?
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So those are my overall picks for great games that deserved a sequel (or a more recent entry in the series) yet never got one. My friend would also slit his wrists if I didn't mention Legend of Dragoon (a nice RPG for Playstation that got unfairly overshadowed by Final Fantasy 7) and the desire for Starwars Battlefront 3; Since I don't have much experience with either of those games, I didn't make full entries for them on my list. What games would make your developer wish list?
Psychonauts, definitely! That game is freaking great, and it is a shame more people didn't play it! Everyone go get it on XBLA now!
I can think of a couple more, like Star Wars Battlefront III, which I still kind of have my fingers crossed for, but I agree with what your sayin' here.
good list
great list but an honest to God sequel to Shining Force is what I'm still pining for, that game was turn based strategy gold, that sadly got turned into really terrible action RPG's in the last console generation...
I was just wondering about Time Splitters 4 yesterday. The others were so fun, but were lacking on the campaign side of things. I was hoping for the wacky multiplayer, but with an engrossing campaign.
I got a promotional T-Shirt for the Sci-Fi action shooter "Advent Rising" when it came out, and on the back it says, "The Trilogy Begins". I played the first game and thought it was very good. It had the cliffhanger ending and I would like to see the other two be made to see what happens next. I don't know if the portable "Advent" game was ever released.
Hell yeah! Pikmin 3 will have a Hell of a time topping Pikmin 2 IMO.