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Five 16-Bit Games That Should Get 16-Bit Sequels
I always hoped Mega Man 9 would start a trend of sequels to classic games recreated in all their original pixelated glory. Plenty of independent developers have crafted original pixelated experiences inspired by the style of 16-bit Super Nintendo games, but my hope that more developers would craft games like Mega Man 9 and 10 based on their classic franchises never really met fruition. Here are some of the games I am still holding out hope will appear in a sequel, but in 16-bit form.
Contra III: Alien Wars
The Contra franchise has languished in the past few years without much hope that we will see a new entry, let alone one that will look more like Alien Wars than Shattered Soldier. In a recent episode of Replay while playing the Genesis' Contra: Hard Corps I even said I didn’t think I wanted a new Contra game. After some consideration though, I’ve changed my mind and decided I would like a new Contra experience, but I would prefer it to be pixelated.
Earthbound
The main reason I want another 16-bit Earthbound is because technically one already exists with Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance, which only released in Japan. A dedicated group of fans even translated the game from Japanese to English and offered its translation to Nintendo for free. I really want to play this game on my 3DS as a downloadable title, but I certainly wouldn’t say no to a brand new Earthbound if that were an option, but I would prefer it to be pixelated.
Final Fantasy
I never much got into the 3D Final Fantasy games, but I did play a lot of Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI on Super Nintendo (and later on Game Boy Advance). We’re all excited for Final Fantasy XV, but I would love to see a brand new 16-bit Final Fantasy. The nostalgic visuals would let a team focus on story, characters, and mechanics as opposed to how many belt buckles they could fit on a single character and high-quality cutscenes. It would make long-time fans of series very happy.
Square Enix flirted with the idea of a return to 16-bit Final Fantasy with videos covering Final Fantasy XIII and XIV, but those were just (admittedly very cool) promotional videos. Tim Turi wrote a whole feature clamoring for a return to classic Final Fantasy and I agree with all his points.
Super Metroid
3D Metroid is great. I think even Other M had some cool ideas and mechanics (that’s an idea for a separate feature), but nothing beats exploring a sprawling two-dimensional map. As I mentioned in the beginning of this feature, lots of independent developers have created fantastic Metroid-inspired games with pixelated visuals, but I would love to see a return to the series that started it all from the company that created it.
Mega Man X
One of my not-so-secret dream games that I bring up anytime anyone is willing to chat with me about the Mega Man X series is a 16-bit Mega Man X9. Eight animal-robot bosses, four capsules, four sub-tanks, and eight heart pieces crafted in 16-bit would make me very, very happy. On the occasions where I get to speak to Capcom for previews or features, I always make a point to pitch this game to whoever I am talking to. It hasn’t happened yet, but I am still holding out hope.
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