The game industry mimics Hollywood in many ways, from series reboots like DmC: Devil May Cry and Tomb Raider to constant sequels like the Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed franchises.
Lately it seems Hollywood is remaking or rebooting everything including obscure cult classics like "Fright Night" and "Red Dawn." So maybe the game industry should do the same. There are quite a few games that either came out early in a console's developmental cycle or couldn't be truly realized on the hardware of its generation.
Here is our list of games that should get the reboot treatment on the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4.
3. Shinobi
SEGA's famed Ninja series has already seen a remake in 2002's Shinobi on PlayStation 2, but that game starred a new protagonist, Hotsuma and not the series' former ninja master Joe Musashi. While the 2002 game wasn't terrible, it just didn't feel like the original games in the series. I think it is time to remake the series with Musashi as its star. With Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden series starting to become a little bit stale, it is time to Musashi to return.
The developer of the last Shinobi game has now merged with Wow Entertainment and has been renamed as SEGA Wow. The new studio has worked on some less than stellar titles recently, but maybe the raw power of a next-gen console and a return to the Shinobi series could reinvigorate the developer.
2. Lair
Developer Factor 5 released Lair in 2007 exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The game let players take on the role of a dragon-riding knight of the fictional kingdom of Asylians. The game relies on Sony's Sixaxis motion controls in order to fly the dragon. Gamers tilt and lift the control to perform various flying maneuvers. Reviewers criticized the game's control system, but applauded it artwork, graphics and soundtrack.
A remake of Lair on the next generation of consoles could ditch the control scheme or at least make the motion control optional. I enjoyed the original control scheme, but also found myself wanting to just use the dual sticks of the PS3 controller. Another thing that would improve the game is better mission variety. There were way too many fly here and destroy a simple objective. It is definitely a game that should be explored on the next-gen.
1. Brute Force
Digital Anvils third-person squad-based shooter began as a PC game, but was turned into a first-party game when Microsoft bought the studio. The game released in 2003 for the original Xbox and received mixed reviews. Brute force featured a squad of four playable characters: Flint, a sniper, Brutus, a shock trooper, Tex, a heavy assault trooper, and Hawk, a scout. The game was originally suppose to be a tactically shooter where each member of the squad could be used to complete a specific objective, but instead was a simple action shooter.
Unfortunately Digital Anvil was disbanded in 2006, so the game will have to be developed by a new studio in the Microsoft stable. I would like to see this game return to its tactical roots with a greater emphasis on each member of the Brute Force team's capabilities. Maybe Halo 4 developer 343 Industries can pick the game series up as a side project.