With the re-emergence of the 90s PS1 classic “Abe’s Odyssey”
in the form of “New ‘N’ Tasty”, the potential for other classic game franchises
receiving a similar treatment will surely become a talking point within the
videogame industry. If “New ‘N’ Tasty” proves to be a success, it will hopefully
act as a call to arms other game developers to do the same thing.
In 2011 one of my favourite franchises – Mortal Kombat – received
the reboot treatment, and the result was a fantastic game, with a plethora of memorable
and iconic characters, plenty of fan service to lovers of the original arcade games
(recreated hidden treasures, fighting arenas, background extras), and a
full-length story mode. This last element was one of my favourite factors about
the game, as it told the Mortal Kombat story in accordance with the
pre-established series lore, before making some changes and leaving plenty of
intriguing possibilities open for the series to continue. The storyline of
Mortal Kombat is one of the main reasons why it is my personal favourite
fighting game franchise, but it was never really told that well until this game
was released. This particular reboot got everything right, and I really hope
that a follow-up will be released at some point. I would be genuinely
interested to see where the story would go from where it left off. Also, a
sequel would give the developers an opportunity to make amends for the
absolutely terrible “Mortal Kombat 4”. The reboot brought the franchise back to
life in the best possible way, and I really hope that Netherrealm Studios put
out a sequel soon.
The success of the Mortal Kombat reboot proved that there is
more to these projects than just nostalgia, because the franchises have
untapped potential, which the new technology would be able to facilitate. The
return of “Abe’s Odyssey” got me thinking about another favourite PS1
franchise: Crash Bandicoot. The original trilogy of Crash Bandicoot titles –
along with “Crash Team Racing” – were some of my favourite games of the 90s,
but after Naughty Dog left the franchise to other developers, things were never
the same. I am aware that the franchise still exists, but my interest in the
new titles is non-existent (mainly because all of the new games look terrible).
The original trilogy still holds up, and is as enjoyable as ever to play, but I
would still be interested to see those games revamped with modern technology, à
la “New ‘N’ Tasty” and then potentially followed up with something good. This
idea is probably less likely than other possibilities, because the franchise
has stuck around and reinvented itself (badly) over and over, so maybe it’s too
far gone by this stage. Nevertheless, I’m sure I’m not alone in my opinion
about this franchise, and how it used to be great.
The series that I would most like to see revamped though is
the “Legacy of Kain”. In my opinion, there has not been a videogame franchise
before or since that has even come close to the quality of storytelling shown
in the “Legacy of Kain” series. The game-play was not always the most exciting
aspect of the series (a lot of time was spent solving repetitive puzzles, or
fighting with implausibly strong human characters – in the case of “Soul Reaver
2”) but this is one of many things that the modern technology would be able to
remedy. The game-play, graphics and design could receive a dramatic overhaul, as
long as the story remained intact. I would love to play updated versions of “Blood
Omen” and “Soul Reaver”, with the capabilities of modern games at my
fingertips; I’d like to see the sequels to those games done better this time
(not many people remember “Blood Omen 2” with much fondness, because the story
wasn’t written by the same people); and I’d want to see an ending the overall
story this time. I am aware that this may never happen; it has been 10 years since
“Defiance” was released, and one of the principal voice actors, Tony Jay very
sadly passed away back in 2006; but the discovery of “New ‘N’ Tasty” got me
thinking that “Soul Reaver” could receive the same treatment. There was an
absolute tonne of content that was cut from the original “Soul Reaver” game,
which could potentially be put back in; maybe if the original voice demos of
Tony Jay were still available they could be re-used. There are so many
possibilities for that franchise, and I really hope that someone takes
advantage of them. If they don’t, then what we get instead are games like “Nosgoth”
– which allegedly takes place in the same world, except without any of the original
characters, storylines or settings, and will be released to the delight of
absolutely nobody!
Are there any classic game franchises that you would be
interested to see receive the “New ‘N’ Tasty” treatment? Please leave a
comment, as I’d be very interested to hear opinions on this topic.
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