Dream Sequel Collaborations
Sometimes, the touch of a new developer can turn a familiar series into something fresh again (Metroid Prime). Other times, new blood can really focus on what made a series great in the first place (Contra 4). And of course, there’s always the chance that they’ll completely miss the mark (Star Fox Adventures).
I’d like to take a moment to discuss some of the collaborations I’d like to see.
Strider Developed by Team Ninja
It should come as no surprise that Team Ninja knows how to handle ninjas. Not only do the Ninja Gaiden games showcase some fantastic combat, their execution of acrobatics is impeccable. A notable aspect of the Strider games is Hiryu’s ability to climb. In fact, Hiryu can even climb on the ceiling.
Of course, free range to climb on anything in a 3D space would make it hard to design levels. But if they allowed free climbing to only work on certain surfaces while allowing the general wall runs and wall jumps found in Ninja Gaiden to work on any surface, it could work.
As you progressed, you could unlock more robotic animals to summon for support in battle, as well as more abilities for them. Add some of the classic arcade powerups, such as the ability to shoot energy from your sword for a limited time, and you have a winning mix of old and new.
Cybernator (Assault Suits Valken) Developed by Wayforward
Cybernator is the first SNES game I ever owned, and an amazing one at that. It featured 16-point aiming (with the ability to aim lock), a large variety of upgradable weapons, and other sweet abilities like boosting and hovering.
It’s actually part of the Assault Suits series, which has been dormant for some time. I’d love to see it revived. I think Wayforward’s work on Contra 4 shows that they know how to make an excellent (and difficult) Run ‘n Gun game. And Cybernator was, in fact, quite difficult.
Breath of Fire Developed by Level-5
Capcom’s RPG series, Breath of Fire, has been sadly missing this generation. It was a series that boasted incredible sprite work and some really interesting art direction. Dragon Quarter took the series into 3D, but lost a lot of the series trademark style while doing so.
Enter Level-5. The team at Level-5 has shown that they really know how to bring colorful art styles, full of personality, into 3D. In fact, Level-5 did a better job with Akira Toriyama’s designs in Dragon Quest VIII on the PS2 than Mistwalker and Artoon did with Blue Dragon on the more powerful Xbox 360.
And of course, Level-5 has already started collaborating with Capcom now that the Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton crossover game has been revealed. Imagine turning into a dragon in glorious, Level-5 made, 3D versions of the interesting designs the series is known for.
Star Fox Developed by Treasure
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Nintendo need’s to hand over the Star Fox series to Treasure. Rare used the series to make the poor man’s Zelda, Namco made an “OK” entry that relied too much on all-range mode and on foot sections, and Q-Games basically revived the ambitious (but not particularly fun) canceled sequel, Star Fox 2.
Treasure already made two Star Fox games that are better than anything that came after Star Fox 64. I’m referring to Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Earth and its sequel Sin & Punishment: Star Successor. Sure, they technically have nothing to do with Star Fox, but from a gameplay standpoint they are more true to Star Fox than any of the recent entries. Oh also, both games are amazing.
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Those are just a few of the collaborative sequels I’d like to see. What developers would YOU like to see handling new entries in your favorite established series? Let us know in the comments!
Tags: Breath of Fire, Cybernator, game idea, game ideas, Level-5, Star Fox, strider, Team Ninja, Treasure, Wayforward
This entry was posted on Monday, November 22nd, 2010 at 5:00 am and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 22nd, 2010 at 11:25 am
Nick says:maybe they all make new ips instead, ahhhhhhh!
November 22nd, 2010 at 11:28 am
Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory says:maybe, but that’s not really what this post is about :/
November 22nd, 2010 at 11:08 pm
Nick says:very true. I just have a hard time “dreaming” about talented companies rehashing old products. Treasure makes shit-tons of good games, piles and piles, there’s no reason for them to go hump the corpse of Star Fox and get some money to fall out for Nintendo. The same can be said for Level 5. The sheer volume of quality original IP turns them picking up a capcom property just, well, sad. Who cares what Wayforward does, every game they make now is either a license or a sequel. Give ‘em Cybernator, they’ll do just as competent a job as they did on Contra 4 and the Despicable Me game. Not a prospect to dream about. And last but definitely the least, Team Ninja. They’re a piss-poor company that should have become a joke by now. 90% of their games are either the same derivative fighter over and over again, the same derivative action game over and over again, and one attempt at making over a long running franchise in the Team Ninja style. Now I know you liked Other M, that’s fine, but it was the least true to its source material and easily one of the most disappointing games for most fans. Why else make one of these intellectual re-hashes if not for blatant fan-service. Look at DKCR, it’s nothing but fan service and it’s amazing. Other M might as well be Bomberman: Act Zero if B:AZ hadn’t been developed by what passes for HudsonSoft nowadays.
So, in closing, wayforward can’t get any work other than this kind of no-thought rehashing, Level-5 and Treasure don’t deserve it, and Team Ninja only know how to make 2 games which they have made at least 10 times a piece. If this is your dream, it’s my nightmare.
November 22nd, 2010 at 11:26 pm
Jesse "Main Finger" Gregory says:I didn’t really expect such a strong reaction to posting a few “What If” scenarios. I guess I’m just sad to see Star Fox fall so far down in quality and Strider/BoF/Cybernator fall into obscurity.
I certainly am not against new IPs or anything. In fact, Vanquish is one of my top games this year.
As far as Other M, I think it’s a “decent” game, but it won’t make my top 10 (which is strange for a Metroid game).
If you’d like to hear me ramble about an idea for a new IP, feel free to read this post I wrote over a year ago:
http://www.wingdamage.com/game-idea-the-musical-arpg/
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:54 am
Nick says:yeah, I admit it’s not a fair reaction really. This is just a very sore subject for me personally. I have recently started listening to the MegaCast and the real, visceral dislike for every “what if MegaMan were in this genre” really put me in an odd head-space when reading this article. That and a combination of the entire “it is a blah blah game by definition” comment was so much to the contrary of how I feel. 50% of Star Fox games are terrible, that’s on the people that made them. It doesn’t denigrate the “brand” to have the last couple be the worst in the series and if a fellow gamer doesn’t know about how good the first 2 (and the lost second SNES game) are then it’s their loss. The same goes for Strider and the rest.
I am just personally having a hard time figuring out what the hell is going on with games right now.
November 23rd, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Dave "shaolinjesus" Corvin says:Nick, I see your point but the giddy 7 year old in me that dreamed of Ninja Turtles versus Transformers, only sees the positive potential so I’ve got 3 completely ridiculous that’ll never going to happen but would still be RAD:
The God of War team doing the next Star Wars Force Unleashed
Bioware doing a Shadowrun game
Suda 51 taking on Metal Gear Solid