The Red Snifit 04.29.08: MAKING THE OLD NEW AGAIN

Posted by Chris Scott on 04.29.2008

With reviving dead franchises being all the rage, the 411's Chris Scott looks at some of his favorte gaming franchises that he'd like to see get a makeover and be given a chance with a new generation of gamers. Also, as always, he also takes you into The Virtual Console Corral.



Welcome to another edition of The Red Snifit. I am your host; the Mike Adamle of the 411mania staff, Chris Scott. This weekend I relearned the same lesson I learn around this time every year: I shouldn't spend an entire weekend to watch the NFL Draft. Perhaps if I were a fan of the Ravens, a team that always makes entertaining moves to get their picks, it would be more interesting. Unluckily for me, my team, the Bengals, never seem to pick anyone I know and never make moves to make things interesting. It's JAMACAIN ME CRAZY! I guess I'll just have to wait until the season starts and place my bet on how many Bengals get arrested this year (I'll say 2); but enough of my bitchins' about the NFL, let's get the show on the road!

Last week, 2 gaming franchises from our 16-bit past have been given the green light to be revived onto next generation consoles. Interplay will bring back Earthworm Jim and Namco plans to bring back the Splatterhouse series. This week, we take a look at other franchises that could use a revival as we enter……..


Our Feature Presentation: MAKING THE OLD NEW AGAIN

Seeing how dusting off old forgotten franchises and making new games from them seem to be all the rage, here's a list of games that I'd like to see given the same treatment as the likes of Ninja Gaiden and the Nights series. Some of them have already been mentioned by other 411mania staff writers, some of them are just off-the-wall ideas that are in my head. You may agree, you may not, and I'm sure you have other games in mind that are more deserving; and that's ok. With all that said, let's get BIZZAY!


Startropics

Although the series wasn't overly popular by any stretch of the imagination, Startropics played like a marriage between Zelda and Dragon Warrior that had a western flare to it. You follow the adventures of ace pitcher Mike Jones (Mike who? MIKE JONES!) who sets off to save his uncle, but would later on save the world using his trusty yo-yo (a vastly underused weapon in gaming in my opinion) and his god given abilities to jump and throw very hard. Although the game itself didn't bring anything new to the table, the letter that came with the game is the added bonus that made the game stick with its fans. Just get it wet, and it'll supply you with a hidden code that you'll need to progress in the game in the future. I feel that tidbits like these is something I wish would come around more often in video games and would be a welcome bonus to the new casual gaming crowd.


Pilotwings

Ever since we were introduced to the motion sensor wonder we call the Wiimote, it seemed that a Pilotwings game would be perfect for the new control possibilities available on the Wii. Over a year after its release, we still haven't seen anything from the Nintendo camp about an addition to the Pilotwings franchise. Perhaps a Wii version of Pilotwings will be the "mystery release" that Nintendo has up it's sleeve for E3, but there's also speculation that it could be a new Kid Icarus, F-Zero, or even a new Kirby. This Wii would be the perfect springboard to bring Pilotwings back to the masses, and I hope it happens.



Little Nemo: Dream Master

It's not easy making licensed games based on movie or cartoons that don't suck; but Capcom had a knack for getting the formula right; and Little Nemo: Dream Master is a good example. It's your typical platformer, but by feeding certain animals, you can use their special abilities to help you to advance to the next level. The game had the imagination of kids in mind, and what kids don't want to make friends with friendly critters by feeding them sweets? A remake of Little Nemo would be perfect to release as a WiiWare title, but seeing how the motion picture tanked big time in the US, it's highly doubtful we'll ever see Little Nemo grace any video game again. What a shame!


Sub Terrania

Seeing how it seems only I has ever played this game, allow me to explain what make's it so special to me. Sub Terrania is a space adventure that instead of having you flying full speed ahead to blast as many baddies as possible, it sits you at the starting position, gives you a list of tasks to accomplish, and leaves you to figure out how and what order to do so. The game allows you to freely explore each level and move at your own pace. Unlike most other space shooters, fuel conservation becomes a factor. Some of the levels don't even require you to actually kill anything, but simply collect the POWs, collect the "Sub Module", and return to base. The free roaming in a space game is rare to find, and makes it a one-of-a-kind game on the Sega Genesis in my opinion. It's most likely never gonna happen, but a boy can dream.


Punch Out

It's been mentioned by my fellow 411 writers before, but it would make perfect sense for Nintendo to capitalize on the growing nostalgia for Punch Out. Let's face it; boxing games aren't exactly the bees' knees when it comes to sporting games. No matter how realistic or advanced EA Sports makes their annual boxing games, it's nothing compared to the charm that comes from pounding the crap out of the likes of King Hippo, Super Macho Man (Oooooh yeah!), and Soda Popinski. Why a new Punch Out hasn't at least graced the Nintendo DS by now baffles my fragile mind.



Seaman

Seeing how well non-games are selling (Nintendogs and Cooking Mama come to mind), it seems like a perfect situation for Sega to re-introduce their edgy man-faced fish to the gaming community. When it came to video game interaction in the late 90s/early 200s, Seaman took what the Tamagatchi craze brought to the table and matured it to the teenage audience. Although Nintendo, to a certain extent, tried to copy this formula (remember Hey You, Pikachu?), there's just something about a mutated man-fish asking you personal questions that's delightfully unique...........and a bit creepy.


Mario Paint

Being a die-hard fan of the SNES cult classic, I'm foaming at the mouth at the thought of an upgraded version on the Wii. With the Wiimote acting as the mouse on it's Internet Channel, it seems, in my mind, that the Wiimote would serve as an awesome controller to mimic the SNES Mouse. Imagine playing Gnat Attack using the nunchuck to control your swatter and shaking the Wiimote to swat at those vile insects. Wouldn't that rule? Add that to an updated version of everything else Mario Paint had to offer, and I smell a hit!





Although this week is pretty slim pickins, it's time to put on out cowboy hats as we enter………


The Virtual Console Corral!

Double Dragon (NES - 500 points)



Nintendo Says:
Double Dragon begins with Billy Lee's girlfriend, Marian, being kidnapped by a group called the Black Warriors. They demand to know the secrets of Billy's martial-arts style in exchange for his girlfriend. However, Billy won't stand for these underhanded tactics and decides to rescue her himself. Help him fight through city streets, buildings, jungles, temples and various other locations in a quest to find his girl. He'll gain experience by using different fighting techniques to obtain more hearts, which will unlock more powerful techniques to use against his enemies. Keep an eye out for crates, boulders, whips, bats, knives and even dynamite along the way, as Billy can also use them to annihilate opponents. Armed with his mysterious and powerful martial arts, help Billy pummel his way through an array of goons, gang members and other Black Warrior scum to free Marian from their clutches.


Nintendo MEANS to say:
The bad guys just took off with your girlfriend after punching her right in the stomach. Are you gonna let those douche bags get away? Roam the mean streets and put the beat down on those punks and get your girl back!

Hit or Miss: Hit. This game is a classic for anyone who grew up in the 8-bit era of gaming. For those who didn't, it's a prototypical beat-em-up. I recommend picking up this game if you're undecided; it's well worth the $5.00.

Only 1 game this week? Man I miss the good ol' 3 games per week formula. Good times!


That will do it for another edition of The Red Snifit. I'm Chris Scott, and I've got some major Double Dragon ass to kick!