Have you all been
busy playing Samus Returns? The Remake of the original Metroid 2 for
GameBoy had me shackled to my 3DS screen for the whole weekend. I
think calling it just a remake doesn't do the end result justice.
Nintendo and Mercury Steam did more than that. They took the original
and build a completely new game on it's foundation. Not only did they
improve the graphics, but they added story, new areas and the amazing
melee counter feature. Metroid: Samus Returns truly is the ultimate
version of the original Metroid 2.
But this remake
has had me thinking. What other games of the past deserve the same
treatment?
There are lots of
Nintendo classics out there which were held back by the limitations
of their time. Not to say that they are bad games, but looking at
what they created out of Metroid 2 with Samus Returns it makes you
wonder what possibilities other titles hold.
We now live in the
world of remasters, HD remakes and ports, so seeing an actual remake,
built from the ground up, is an exciting prospect. And it's something
I would love to see more off.
5: Kid Icarus
The original Kid
Icarus often gets overlooked when talking about great Nintendo games.
It launched only a little more than four months after Metroid in
Japan and in the EU and US it even launched before Samus iconic first
adventure. Because it used the same basic formula it is often called
a clone, but even though the games might be similar tha doesn't
diminish the fact that Kid Icarus is an excellent title. Pit got a
little bit more atention in the past couple of years via his
inclusion in Smash Bros. and he even recieved a new title in 2012.
But after that the series once again went into hibernation.
A remake of the
first game would be a good way to gauge interest for a continuitation
of the series. The artstyle of Uprising could be used for that job
creating a familiar feel for anyone who played the 2012 entrance of
the series.
Kid Icarus would
also make sense because of it's genre. In recent times the
Metroidvania genre has grown in popularity thanks to excellent indie
titles like Hollow Knight. Because of that there is now a pretty big
demand for such games and as one of the pioneers of that genre Kid
Icarus would surely attract some attention. Also with all the
enhanced backstory that Uprising introduced adding new parts to the
original is definitely possible. And lastly with a release more than
30 years ago you can't accuse Nintendo of cashing in on the IP by
re-releasing a title from last year or so.
4: Links Awakening
You always
remember your first and have fond memories of it. That's why I'll
always consider Link's Awaking among my favourite Zelda titles. It
also helps that it is a damn good game. It's always amazing to see
how much the developers got onto the GameBoy. It's the full Zelda
experience with eight dungeons, side objectives and even a trading
sequence. Also it's definitely the most ''loose'' of all the Zelda
games with things like Goombas appearing as enemies or a Mario
lookalike turning into a Tanuki. Thins you wouldn't expect in a Zelda
title.
Of course being my
first Zelda title I will always have a soft spot for the original
Links Awakening. Especially when talking about the original German
translation and all the raunchy humor it contained, but by using the
Link between Worlds Engine and adapting the title for the 3DS you
could open up one of the darkest Zelda stories for a whole new
audience.
Unlike Kid Icarus
or Metroid Zeld doesn't need this remake. It's not a series that has
been slumbering for the past couple of years, but instead saw the
biggest release in franchise history earlier this year with Breath of
the Wild. But just like Breath of the Wild was a bold new step into a
completely new direction for the series, a remake for Links Awakening
could be a great and cost effective way to give players a more
traditional Zelda experience. Also it would allow one of the more
obscure Zelda titles to shine instead of A Link to the Past (which
would also be a great candidate for a remake)
3: Wario Land 4
This won't be the
only time we get to see Wario on this list, but more on that later.
He may have started as a villian, but Nintendo seemed to realize that
Marios greedy evil clone was the perfect anti-hero. And so the next
game after his first appearance in Mario Land 2 was in his own game
titled Wario Land. From this came a long and successfull series of
great Jump'n'Run games which, in my opinion, peaked with Wario Land 4
for the GameBoy Advance.
Not only did this
title sport some of the most imaginative level designs of the series,
but also added several mechanics that truly created an unique
Jump'n'Run experience. The core of the Wario Land series has always
been the collection of different treasures and as many coins as you
you could. Even in the first this unlocked several endings in which
Wario either owned a Bird House or a full blown Planet at the end.
Wario Land 4 took this concept and build one of the best portable
Jump'n'Runs on this foundation.
Levels in Wario
Land 4 always consist of two parts. Your first goal is to find a
Keyghost, which will open the door to the next level. For this you
progress normally through the level, avoiding obstacles and
collecting hidden treasure. But there is a twist. The Ghost can only
be accessed after setting of a bomb, which will blow up the whole
level. So now your goal is to escapce as fast as you can. This makes
every level a mixture of exploration in the first part and a frantic
speed run back in the second.
Wario Land 4 also
offers a second quest like Hardmode, which is a rarity in most
Jump'n'Run games.
So with all this
in mind the game would be a welcome change of pace in todays market.
Also if they could use the artstyle of The Shake Dimension i could
die happily.
2: Donkey Kong
Land series
Now I may bend the
rules a little bit with this one, but hey it's my list after all.
When Rare introduced the World to the Donkey Kong Country games all
were blown away by the graphical power they showcased. Of course some
voices of dissent suggested that without the fancy graphics the games
wouldn't be half as good. So what did Rare do to prove them wrong?
They released the Donkey Kong Land series of games.
I think especially
the first deserves a mention. Because while 2 and 3 were heavily
inspired by their respective Country conterparts the first one was
truly his own game, even featuring a City as final world. The Story
was that Kranky, unsatisfied by DKs showcase in the first Country,
hired King K. Rool to steal all bananas again. Talk about a nonsense
plot. But the level design can't be disputed. It proved that Rare
could create great games, no matter the technical limitations.
Donkey Kong Land
still stands the test of time gameplay wise, but the yellowish
graphics on the first Gameboy really are hard to watch nowadays.
Reworking these titles for the 3DS, using the Donkey Kong Country
Returns 3D engine, or the Tropical Freeze one on the Swithc (one can
dream) would be a great way of giving us Fans some more Donkey Kong,
without involving Retro. (They should work on a differen project)
1: Super Mario Land 2: The Six Golden Coins
When I talked
about Wario Land 4 earlier I mentioned that he would appear once
again on this list. Most of you probably guessed that it would be
this title. Especially since I praised it loudly in another post of mine. But it's just a simple fact that Super
Mario Land 2 is this good. After the first adventure of the worlds
most favourite (Ex-)Plumber successfully transfered the Mario
experience onto the Handheld. Even though there were some hiccups.
Still it was a solid Mario game.
The sequel,
however, blew the first one out of the water in every aspect. Not
only the graphics got massively improved, but we also got a overworld
map and free level selection. Honestly the game much more seemed like
a portable Mario World than a sequel to the first one. Also it
featured some very unique enemies and levels, unlike anyhting seen
before and after in other Mario games.
I already
mentioned the worldmap. Unlike the one on Mario World, which still
was offering a straightforward progression path, the Island in Mario
Land 2 was completely open. What I mean by that is that you could
tackle each of the six worlds the game offered in any order you
wanted. Got stuck on a level in the Pumpkin Zone? Just head over to
the Turtle Zone and enjoy some excellent water action.
Generally speaking
Super Mario Land 2 offered an incredible ammound of diversity for a
GameBoy game. From szenery to mechanics. How often do you see Mario
wearing a space suit and jumping around on the moon with low gravity?
Or have him shrunk to microscopic Size and battle ants in their hive?
Mario Land 2 is
the perfect candidate for a Remake, not only because it is a great
game, but also an unique one. Something that hasn't been seen in the
Mario Universe since then. Also I want to see how the Jason Vorhees
Masks with knives in their heads look like after a graphical
overhaul.
So this was my
selection for five older Nintendo titles, which deserve the remake
treatment Samus Returns got. What games would you like to see getting
a complete graphical overhaul? Let me know in the comments
and as always
thanks for reading
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