A few days ago, Arkane Studio’s Prey released to critical acclaim, and although it was touted as a reboot of a 2006 game of the same name, you would be hard-pressed to understand why it’s not considered its own unrelated game. The 2006 game starred a Native American man who was kidnapped by aliens and fought his way through the mothership to defeat the alien queen, while the 2017 version stars an amnesiac, Chinese/German man or woman who lives on a space station and needs to prevent shapeshifting aliens from invading Earth. To call one a far cry from the other would be an understatement, yet Arkane’s Prey is still considered a reboot, one that is actually polished and enjoyable, which raises the question: what old video games should receive their own reboots? Here are ten games I think should be rebooted, or at the very least need a new sequel.
10. Duke Nukem
We waited forever for Duke Nukem Forever and it sucked. Once, Duke stood for something, and that something was kicking alien butt while spouting one-liners. The original Duke Nukem games — well, the Duke Nukem 3D games, anyway — were the epitome of fast-paced FPS games in the 90s; Duke Nukem 3D had a plethora of guns, only let players heal with limited health packs, and punished players who stood still. Modern FPS games limit players to two weapons, heal players after a few seconds of dodging bullets, and reward players who try to stay in one place. Duke Nukem Forever adopted modern FPS mechanics and suffered for it; it’s high time Duke Nukem returned to his roots with a reboot that plays the way a Duke Nukem game should play: old school.
9. Prince of Persia
Back in 1989, the first Prince of Persia game was a methodical platformer that required players to both take their time and run/jump as quickly as possible, while occasionally having to duel a guard. The first several Prince of Persia games were fairly popular, but the Sands of Time trilogy was the franchise’s magnum opus. The last Prince of Persia game, which took place in its own canon, was released back in 2008 and tried to combine the Sands of Time’s fluid and gravity-defying level exploration with the original’s one-on-one combat. Technology has improved since the the last several Prince of Persia games, which means that any Prince of Persia reboot would likely include beautiful and expansive levels that bends minds in creative ways.
8. BloodRayne
The first BloodRayne game had a simple premise: the femme fatale dhampir (half human, half vampire), Rayne, stopped Nazis from using a mystic artifact to win WW2, and the sequels continued Rayne’s story as she hunted down her fully-vampiric family. The plot of the BloodRayne franchise was ludicrous and would work well in a modern game, as the plot would help set it apart from games that try to be serious when they don’t need to be. The first two BloodRayne games were fancy hack and slash affairs that, while fun for their time, are slow by modern standards. Nowadays, hack and slash are fast and flashy, and few companies make hack and slash games better than PlatinumGames. The company’s experience in the hack and slash genre, especially with games that star femme fatales (e.g., Bayonetta’s Bayonetta, NieR: Automata’s 2B, etc.) in ludicrous stories, would it the ideal company to make a reboot.
7. Parasite Eve
Nobody expected Squaresoft, the king of the turn-based RPG, to create a survival horror game, let alone one with a novel premise, pun intended. Furthermore, Squaresoft organically implemented various RPG mechanics to set it apart from other survival horror games. Granted, the Parasite Eve franchise was light on scares, but its gameplay and story were second only to the kings of survival horror, Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil 2. If Square Enix were to reboot the franchise, it could probably create a truly terrifying experience, especially if it receives help from one of its subsidiary development studios.
6. Jade Empire
BioWare’s recent games haven’t really wowed audiences. Maybe the company lost a bit of creativity after focusing on too many Mass Effect and Dragon Age sequels; perhaps it’s time BioWare returned to one of its older titles, say, Jade Empire. The game was truly unique, as it was an action RPG that took place in a fantasy world inspired by ancient China and Chinese mythology. Well, ok, the game was also well realized and had fantastic writing and characters. The world of Jade Empire just begs to be explored, and thanks to modern technology, BioWare can make a reboot that is far more expansive and beautiful than the original version, but I would be happy with just a sequel.
5. Blood
DOOM inspired many FPS games, but back in the 90s, three games stood out among the rest: Duke Nukem, Shadow Warrior, and Blood. Each was influenced by a different genre of movie. Duke Nukem aped big-budged AAA action movies; Shadow Warrior was an homage kung-fu movies (although you probably never would have guessed given the copious amounts of guns), and Blood paid respects to slasher/horror films. Duke Nukem and Shadow Warrior have survived to the present day, but Blood has been left by the wayside, which is a shame since it was just as good as the others. If anything, Blood was actually stronger due to its higher difficulty level and a decent story that revolved around betrayal and revenge, which makes its lack of sequels all the more disappointing. With the right studio — preferably its original developer Monolith and/or current Shadow Warrior developer Flying Wild Hog — a Blood reboot could give the franchise the attention it deserves and remake it into the new king of FPS.
(All credit goes to GGGmanlives for making a video that introduced me to this game.)
4. Siren
The Siren franchise is a lost gem of a survival horror, as it is one of the most terrifying and disturbing games I have ever seen. The various Siren games took place in poorly lit, derelict Japanese villages, each overrun with insane, zombie-like creatures that used to be human. At first, they only looked like pale humans who bleed out of every orifice, but as the games progressed, they mutated into horrific shapes that resembled their previous selves enough to make them even creepier than a monster that never was human. Furthermore, these creatures couldn’t be killed, only stunned, so players were encouraged to hide. Siren also let players see from the monsters’ perspective, which helped them hide but also terrified them whenever a monster so much as looked at their hiding spot. Since survival horror games are making a comeback, gamers would likely welcome a reboot of Siren with open arms.
3. Sam & Max
The Sam & Max games helped put Telltale Games on the map. Lately, Telltale has focused licensed story-driven games, and while they range from decent to great, they do not measure up from the sheer comedic brilliance that is Sam & Max. While a Sam & Max reboot could be a point and click adventure that hearkens back to the original Sam & Max games, including LucasArts’ Sam & Max: Hit the Road, Telltale’s current style would also work well and might even help tell a different kind of Sam & Max story, one that retains the comedy that made the franchise popular to begin with but balances it out with a seriousness that is synonymous with modern-day Telltale Games’s games.
2. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
These days, action RPGs are extremely popular, thanks in no small part to games such as The Witcher and Deus Ex. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines was based the tabletop RPG Vampire: The Masquerade and was praised for its writing and its plot. The game was released in an unfinished state, yet it still retains a cult following that has helped fix many of the glitches and bugs that were never ironed out during development. The rich lore of the Vampire: The Masquerade world begs for another game, and if a reboot is ever made, maybe this time the developers will be granted all the time they need.
1. Legacy of Kain
The Legacy of Kain franchise is one of the best game franchises ever, bar none. Its story, world, music, and characters were extraordinarily memorable, and the plot even delved into convoluted time-travel shenanigans without becoming overly confusing. Square Enix hired Climax Studios to work on a new entry in the franchise, Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun, but that game was cancelled before it was ever announced and was salvaged to make the now-defunct Nosgoth. The Legacy of Kain has an extremely large and devoted cult following, and to this day rumors of reboots, remakes, and remasters abound on the Internet. I have no doubt that a reboot of The Legacy of Kain will be critically acclaimed and well sell extremely well.
So, what games do you think need to receive reboots? Comment down below.
After many years of fans begging Square Enix to remaster Final Fantasy VII, they finally listened and did just that. There were numerous excuses as to why the game’s re-release had lagged behind the re-releases of both VII and IX, with the most common excuse being that the game’s original code was lost years ago. However, the company made it happen and the game is finally available for modern audiences to play on modern hardware today. We’re going to give you 5 reasons why you should do just that.
First time available on modern hardware
As we’ve already said, this is the first time that the game is available on modern hardware. While the game originally launched for PS1 back in 1999, it later got a PC port in 2000. That means that is has been a whopping 19 years since a new version of the game has been available for purchase, and that wait was a brutal one. However, it is finally over and you can now play this classic game on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch along with PC. If the lack of modern hardware support was stopping you from checking out, that excuse just got thrown out the window.
The visuals look better than ever
Thankfully, Square Enix did not just slap this port together quickly and throw it out there to shut everyone up. They did a terrific job of putting on a shiny new coat of paint for the game, with the character models in particular looking much better. While things like environment textures didn’t get quite the same amount of attention, this is nevertheless the best that the game has ever looked. It also helps that the game is simply beautiful from a design standpoint, with the game’s world being gorgeous to behold even though we’re dealing with the hardware limitations of 1999.
Quality of life improvements
While those who played the game 20 years ago will still be getting what is essentially the same experience, Square Enix did add some quality of life improvements to put it more in line with current JRPGs. These changes include the likes of increasing battle speed by 3 times, shutting off random encounters completely and even a cheat to give you max HP and limit breaks. While these may seem minor, these will go a long way to ease some of the tedium that many feel after some particularly long gaming sessions. Max HP and Limit Breaks will also make the incredibly tough Ultima and Omega Weapon boss fights a lot easier to deal with.
Triple Triad
The Final Fantasy series is known for having its fair share of enticing side quests and mini games, but there isn’t a single one that is as addicting as Triple Triad. The game is essentially a card game that is played on a 3×3 grid, and each card has a certain number on the top, bottom, left and right sides. You need to place your cards in a manner that the numbers on your cards are higher than your opponents, and seeing as your card can be attacked from four different sides this can be tricky. You’re able to challenge many different characters to a match throughout the course of the entire game, and doing so comes with plenty of nice rewards that will make your quest easier.
The game is awesome
While our previous points focused on specific elements of the game, this one is a simple fact that has been true since 1999: the game is awesome. Unfortunately, releasing immediately after Final Fantasy VII (a watershed moment for gaming) put it under a very cruel microscope, with many knee jerk reactions simply saying it “isn’t as good as VII.” However, in the years that have passed people have revisited the game, and the consensus has definitely changed. This adventure that Square created is unlike any other in the series, being host to an ambitious and bizarre plot filled with some of the best characters the series has ever seen. If you’ve played the game before then this is the perfect time to experience this masterpiece all over again, and if you haven’t then what are you waiting for?
2019 has been yet another good year for gaming so far, with several games releasing that will be big contenders for game of the year once the curtain closes. However, despite the year already being more than halfway over, there are still some huge titles on the horizon that are sure to make their own dents on the coming best-of lists. This article will list the 10 biggest games that are still coming in 2019.
Control
A new game from Remedy Entertainment is always highly-anticipated, and Control is no different. The game is an action-adventure game in the same style as Alan Wake or Quantum Break, but with a supernatural twist. Players will control Jesse Faden, who possesses a variety of supernatural abilities like telekinesis, levitation and more. She will be using her abilities in order to defeat an enemy known only as the Hiss, which has corrupted reality. Control launches for PS4, Xbox One and PC on August 27th.
Borderlands 3
It has been many years since the last game in the Borderlands series released, but the hiatus is finally coming to an end very soon. Those who have played previous games in the series will feel right at home with this game, as it’s once again a loot-driven FPS. The game will offer more zany characters and a charming and insane world to explore, all while dealing with new antagonists Troy and Tyreen Calypso along with their Children of the Vault cult. Borderlands 3 launches for PS4, Xbox One and PC on September 13th, with a Google Stadia port release date being TBA.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon series is returning soon with Breakpoint, which will serve as a continuation of previous game Wildlands. The game is set in an open world environment called Aurora, which is a fictional island in the Pacific Ocean. Players will control Lieutenant Colonel Anthony “Nomad” Perryman, who is a special forces operative that was sent to the island to investigate a series of disturbances in the area. Breakpoint launches for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 4th, with a Google Stadia port coming in November.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Each new installment in the Call of Duty series is always huge, but Modern Warfare’s release marks a first for the long-running franchise. It will be the first game in the series that is reimagining of a previous game in the series, taking 2004’s original game and updating its mechanics and themes to match today’s world. The game will still have some of the beats that the first game had, but will also incorporate lots of surprises to make it a fresh experience. Modern Warfare launches for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 25th.
The Outer Worlds
Obsidian Entertainment’s The Outer Worlds is one that will be very highly-anticipated for fans of Fallout: New Vegas, as this game serves as a sort of spiritual successor to that game. It will be an open world RPG that allows you to explore many unique areas crawling with plenty of deadly foes. Players will also be able to encounter and recruit NPCs as companions that have their own personal missions and stories to take part in. The Outer Worlds launches for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 25th, with a Switch port also being in the works.
Luigi’s Mansion 3
It seemed very unlikely that Luigi’s Mansion would become a recurring franchise for Nintendo following the original GameCube game, but here we are. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is coming to Switch, which also means it will be the first home console release since the original game back in 2003. This time the game is set in a haunted hotel rather than a mansion, and Luigi has some new tricks up his sleeves to take down all those ghosts. Luigi’s Mansion 3 will launch exclusively for Nintendo Switch on October 31st.
Death Stranding
If you’re looking for the most ambitious (and weirdest) game still coming in 2019, then look no further. Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding has perplexed gamers ever since its announcement, and each new trailer that releases just brings more and more questions to the table. It is Kojima’s first game since breaking up with Konami after the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phanton Pain (and the cancellation of Silent Hills), and it looks like Kojima has taken the newfound complete creative control to deliver something truly original. Death Stranding launches exclusively for PS4 on November 8th.
Pokemon Sword & Shield
At this point we all know what to expect from a new Pokemon game, and Sword and Shield seems poised to deliver even more cute creatures for players to capture and battle very soon. What sets Sword and Shield apart from its predecessors is that it will be the first home console release for the series, which is saying something considering the series has been around for over 20 years. Pokemon Sword & Shield launches exclusively for Switch on November 15th.
Shenmue III
If you’re a fan of Shenmue then nothing needs to be said for the inclusion of the upcoming third game on this list. Fans of the series have been waiting nearly two decades for a follow-up to the second game, and in just a couple of months that will finally be delivered to them. Brought to life thanks to an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign, the game continues the adventure of protagonist Ryo Hazuki as he hunts down his father’s killer. Shenmue III will launch for PS4 and PC on November 19th.
DOOM Eternal
id Software’s DOOM 2016 was one of the best FPS games to come along in years, so it’s a no-brainer that the follow-up would be on this list. Eternal is set to offer yet another intense FPS campaign for players to plunge into, while also offering a multiplayer component that greatly improves upon the last game’s underwhelming multiplayer mode. There will also be twice as many demon types than there was in the last game, meaning that the chaos level just got that much higher. DOOM Eternal launches for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia and PC on November 22nd.
Microsoft’s Xbox E3 2019 Press Conference has officially come to an end, and with it came plenty of big announcements to get excited about. Some new games were announced, whereas previously-announced games got new footage and/or release dates. In this article we’ve narrowed it all down to the 5 most exciting announcements.
New Xbox “Project Scarlett” Coming Holiday 2020
We’ve known for a while now that a new Xbox was in the works, but now we know when to expect it. Microsoft’s fourth console (which hopefully has a better official name than Xbox One did) will be a big step up from the previous console. Things like much faster load times, an AMD Processor that is four times more powerful than the Xbox One X, 8K Resolution and 120 FPS were all mentioned. A price and exact release date weren’t mentioned. It will also be launching with…
Halo Infinite Coming Holiday 2020, Launching On Both Xbox One and Project Scarlett
The wait for the next Halo game has been longer than ever before for series fans, and the announcement at E3 revealed that the wait will continue. Halo Infinite will not be launching until Holiday 2020, meaning it will have been 5 years since the previous game released with Halo 5. It will also be launching on Xbox One and Project Scarlett, meaning the new console will have a big launch title for fans to get pumped about.
Cyberpunk 2077 Coming April 2020, Stars Keanu Reeves
It’s hard to pick a game that people have been more excited about than Cyberpunk 2077, and after Microsoft’s press conference we’re even more excited. Not only is it coming in April of next year, but Keanu Reeves himself will be playing a “key” role in the game. Everything shown from the game has looked great so far, so hopefully it all pans out and we have another classic from CD Projekt RED come April 2020.
FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin Collaboration Elden Ring Announced
This one was actually leaked prior to the presentation, but Dark Souls developer FromSoftware and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin are collaborating on a new game. The game is called Elden Ring, and it will be a departure from the developer’s most recent games as it will be open world. Very little information on the game is known at this point, as it is still in the early stages of development.
Phantasy Star Online 2 Is Coming West
It took a very long time, but the popular MMORPG is finally coming west. The game is coming to Xbox One in a free-to-play form in Spring 2020, so the wait won’t be that much longer. “There will be no limitations on game experiences,”says Sega, because they want to “provide all players with a fair and exciting experience.”
- Gadgets10 years ago
Why the Nexus 7 is still a good tablet in 2015
- Mobile Devices10 years ago
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs Galaxy Note 5: is there room for improvement?
- Editorials10 years ago
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 – How bad updates prevent people from enjoying their phones
- Mobile Devices9 years ago
Nexus 5 2015 and Android M born to be together
- Gaming10 years ago
New Teaser For Five Nights At Freddy’s 4
- Mobile Devices9 years ago
Google not releasing Android M to Nexus 7
- Gadgets10 years ago
Moto G Android 5.0.2 Lollipop still has a memory leak bug
- Mobile Devices9 years ago
Nexus 7 2015: Huawei and Google changing the game