Well folks, it’s time for another GamerSushi Top Six, where Anthony and I dissect the gaming world and come up with a list of six spectacular things. Why six? Because six sells. Our feature this week even has a holiday theme.
In the spirit of Independence Day, when us Americans threw off the shackles of tyranny by some other snooty country that nobody even remembers the name of, we have compiled a dream list of franchises that could be liberated from their current developers and sent to live with someone who will treat them in a way they’ve never been treated before.
6. Starfox: Freed by Factor 5
Starfox reached its peak with Starfox 64 and has been in a tailspin ever since. The ill-fated Starfox Adventures was met with lukewarm response and rightfully so. Fox belongs in his Arwing, not fetching crap for a bunch of kooky dinosaurs.
Enter Factor 5. These guys made some awesome Rogue Squadron games for the GameCube and N64, so I am sure they are familiar with the Wii already. Why not have them use their talent for creating intense flight combat to make the ultimate Starfox, complete with 4 player co-op? Oh, to dream…
5. Halo: Bailed Out by Bioware
Blasphemy, right? Even though Bungie has crafted remarkable console first person shooters with the Halo series, they seem to be missing out on one major component needed to create a masterpiece- story! Halo has one intricate and well honed mythology, but Bungie doesn’t seem to know how to tap into it and use it to its full potential. Master Chief is a wooden warrior at best, and none of the characters really resonate.
Throw in Bioware, some of the best storytellers in gaming, to tackle this huge franchise. They’ve already shown that they have a knack for epic tales, and they even know how to take care of other people’s intellectual property as if it were their own (KOTOR, anyone?). I’d love to see what a Halo game could do with a master storyteller at the helm.
4. God of War: Rescued by Kojima
God of War is an awesome game with an awesome story. But now that series is wrapping up, something new and fresh is needed. Why not let Hideo Kojima write the story and direct the cut-scenes for a God of War game?
Kojima’s stories are kind of fantastical anyway, so take them out of the real world and put them in a setting that could really handle some crazy-ass twists and revelations. Think of all the myths he could take on, like whats at the end of the rainbow? An evil leprechaun and a pot of gold that controls the minds of any who possess it! The possibilities are endless!
3. Sonic the Hedgehog: Resuscitated by Nintendo
For those of us that grew up on the Sega Master System, seeing the Sega logo play on Nintendo systems years later was quite the shocker. It seemed like sacrilege in the highest order, on par with spitting in the face of Zeus. However, perhaps handing over the reigns to Nintendo’s creative minds would do the blue hedgehog some good.
As we all know, the Sonic franchise has been in the crapper for years on end, which I find rather confusing. I mean, how hard can it be to make a kick-ass platformer that relies on speed and great level design? Nintendo seems to be the perfect fit to tackle a franchise like this, and if Super Smash Bros. Brawl is any indication, they already know how to handle the character.
2. Earthworm Jim: Liberated by Insomniac
Earthworm Jim was a promising series, with zany, off color humor and watercolor-esque visual style, I was looking forward to many fun installments in the coming years.. Sadly, it was not to be. The transition to 3-D games was difficult to make, as it was with many games.
So who better to introduce Jim and all the gang to a new generation than Insomniac, who bring you Ratchet and Resistance on a rotating basis? With their Pixar-like animation, wacky weapons and laugh out loud humor, I honestly think there is no company better suited to revive Earthworm Jim.
1. Legend of Zelda: Unshackled by Team Ico
We all love the Legend of Zelda games made by Miyamoto and his pals over at Nintendo. They’ve done an incredible job at making some of the most memorable and legendary games of all time, including Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. While all of the recent titles have been game of the year contenders as well, the series has been stuck on a merry-go-round since OoT, trying in vain to re-create its success.
Well what better way to stick some new life into this classic franchise than by letting the masterful folks at Team Ico take a stab at it? After the fantastical settings and thematic elements of Shadow of the Colossus and Ico, they have proven that they can give the Legend of Zelda the kind of gravitas that a series with its name deserves. Imagine the kind of sprawling, emotional tale they could infuse with their art style, and the familiar tropes that we’ve come to know and love with Link and company.
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There you have it, folks. This was just our dream wishlist for developers that we would like to see on some of our favorite franchises, new and old alike. Some notable exclusions were Mortal Kombat, Panzer Dragoon and Mutant League Football. Who do you think should tackle those franchises? And what do you think of the ones we threw out there? Go!
Great list! I’d be concerned with giving the Legend of Zelda franchise to Team Ico, though; they’re great at creating huge, hulking boss fights, but how many dungeons and/or other enemies were there in SoTC? Halo by Bioware, though…that would be enough to bring me back to the series.
why is it called legend of zelda when you play as some 1 called link?
[quote comment=”7435″]why is it called legend of zelda when you play as some 1 called link?[/quote]
because, as link, you save the princess you’re going to get laid with, Zelda.
[quote comment=”7435″]why is it called legend of zelda when you play as some 1 called link?[/quote]
Cause Zelda is the princess and the story usually involves her. The legend is about her and her fmaily, not Link.
My fanboy alarm went off when I saw Halo, and I strongly disagree about the points made about that, but despite that, I agree with everything.
Team Ico Zelda would be worth sacrificing a minor organ or two. Not so sure about God of War Kojima-style…I’m sure he’d whip up some crazy-ass mythological plot twists, but I could do without Kratos’s existential breakdown halfway through the game.
[quote comment=”7438″]My fanboy alarm went off when I saw Halo, and I strongly disagree about the points made about that, but despite that, I agree with everything.[/quote]
Well I’m a Halo fanboy myself. After reading the books though, I felt that Bungie has done a disservice to the story that they have. In addition, every game follows the exact same structure, plot-wise. Covenant, go save Johnson, Flood, rinse, repeat.
[quote comment=”7439″]Team Ico Zelda would be worth sacrificing a minor organ or two. Not so sure about God of War Kojima-style…I’m sure he’d whip up some crazy-ass mythological plot twists, but I could do without Kratos’s existential breakdown halfway through the game.[/quote]
You mean you wouldn’t want the level where Kratos runs around covering his junk while Zeus taunts him over the Codec? And I agree, a Team Ico Zelda would prompt me to donate limbs and a small fortune.
Bioware,picking up on Halo? Sure, that’s a good call… but it’s not the best option… You’re forgetting Valve. Valve really knows how to tell a story, how to make you feel responsible for everyone around you. Just look at Episode 2! It was a heartbreaking moment seeing Alyx crying over her dad’s dead body. Imagine what they can do with Halo! Epic things, I tell you! Epic!!
PS: By the way, when will the GS Community night begin?
That’s a very good point about Valve. They are gifted storytellers and knew how to make you feel like the focal point of this big universe.
As for the community night, hopefully soon. My original idea was going to be doing it after TLW ended, but my life has taken a sudden and super-busy turn.
I think we should hire a team of ninjas to free these games…lawyer ninjas.
Star Fox 64 was my favorite game on the N64 and one of my top 5 of all time. I was thinking about all the cool things they could do with the series on the Wii, like using the Wiimote as a joystick to fly the Arwing, etc…
I would love to see Legend of Zelda become something new and possibly epic-er, although I do think that Twilight Princess was the 2nd best Zelda. Ocarina of Time being first, of course.
About the Halo part, I just want to say: THANK YOU. I always thought that the Halo games had the potential to have good stories, but it always felt so…blah. Master Chief is one of the most iconic characters ever in gaming and I don’t know why, he’s so goddamn boring in the games that it’s so hard to give a real damn about him. I also feel rather cheated in the fact that if I want the true story of Halo, I have to buy the books.
Also, about that community night, you’ll post details about that on here, right? I’m not a member of the SFF forums or anything (god knows I couldn’t handle visiting yet another forum regularly), so I wouldn’t know if you didn’t.
I’d definitely like to see an epic Halo game by BioWare, and a Zelda game by Team Ico. (Project Zico?) As long as Epona’s controls weren’t as irritating as Agro’s controls in SotC, I’d be ecstatic.
The shadows are their home, litigation their weapon…Ninja Lawyers!
Really, Factor 5 for Star Fox, especially after that digital turd that was Lair? They’re closed now anyways, but I think we can find Star Fox a better home. How about (crazy suggestion) DICE? Ninty always tried to push Star Fox out of the Arwing and into mechanized/infantry combat, so who better to deliver than DICE, masters of the digital battlefield? Sure, it might be a Battlefield re-skin, but it would feel better than anything Ninty could make at this point.
Halo has a fantastic universe, and the writer/ciminatic director (Joe Staten) wrote Contact Harvest, the best book of the series. Strange how they can’t transfer over to their own game, considering how Halo one now feels like an old school cult sci-fi movie. Actually, that’s not surprising, considering how much inspiration they got from Aliens. BioWare would do the story justice, but the shooting mechanics? We’ll see with ME2.
Kojima for God of War? Yeah, I can dig it as long as we don’t find out that Kratos’ blades are highly intelligent nanites, sent from the future to preserve the past.
Nintendo might be able to preform a Frankenstein on Sonic, but I’d rather see him laid to rest. My childhood hero deserves better than what he’s gotten.
Never played a Ratchet and Clank, but given what I’ve seen of the games, I think Insomniac can pull it off, despite Resistance one and two being kind of weak. Maybe give it over to the guys who did Trine and make a $20 game on Steam?
Number one is your money maker. Team Ico could give a Zelda game actual personality and emotion, something a lot of Nintendo franchises lack (except maybe Metroid). Even though Shadow of the Colossus used a similar mechanic to Zelda, I could see Zico being a great success.
[quote comment=”7445″]
Also, about that community night, you’ll post details about that on here, right? I’m not a member of the SFF forums or anything (god knows I couldn’t handle visiting yet another forum regularly), so I wouldn’t know if you didn’t.[/quote]
Yeah, it’ll for sure be here that we post about it. Lord knows what kind of rabble we’d get if we posted about it on SFF and not here.
[quote comment=”7447″]
Really, Factor 5 for Star Fox, especially after that digital turd that was Lair? [/quote]
I totally forgot about Lair. Dang, that’s a good point. But still, I don’t know if I could see the Battlefield dudes doing any better with it.
[quote comment=”7446″]I’d definitely like to see an epic Halo game by BioWare, and a Zelda game by Team Ico. (Project Zico?) [/quote]
Ha, same thought process on that one, eh?
[quote comment=”7450″][quote comment=”7445″]
I totally forgot about Lair. Dang, that’s a good point. But still, I don’t know if I could see the Battlefield dudes doing any better with it.[/quote]
Yeah, I know, but that was the first studio that came to my head. They proved with Mirror’s Edge that they can put out something different, and the Frostbite engine would look pretty sweet coupled with a Star Fox game.
I don’t give a crap about Lair! Rogue Leader and Rogue Squadron were awesome. One game does not a legacy make.
And Factor 5 closing is fine, since all this is a giant fantasy anyway.
I agree with pretty much everything you said in this, particularly about Halo. I think Rayman could do with liberation (Rayman: Raving Rabbids… come on) but I’m not sure who should do it. Maybe Insomniac.
[quote comment=”7452″]One game does not a legacy make.[/quote]
Good point. We should have John Romero make the next Half Life. He only made on real mistake, after all.
In all seriousness, though, Rogue Squadron definitely needs a sequel more than Star Fox, or at least I think so.
[quote comment=”7452″]One game does not a legacy make.[/quote]
Tell that to ET.
Star fox: I agree completely. Those games were epic.
Halo: I say have Halo 4 be a bioware/bungie product (like nintendo is doing right now with Metroid Other M.) Have Bioware work on the story, and have bungie do what they do best.
God of War: He can make good stories, I’ll give you that. As long as the cutscenes aren’t too long. After all, that’s been one complaint that many have had.
Sonic: But with smash, that wasn’t purely nintendo’s work. HAL/Sakurai did much of the work if I recall. Actually, I say we let them try their hand at a sonic game.
Earthworm: Well… eh, I’ll agree with you on this one.
Zelda: I’d say instead of full take over, do a team up again with Team Ico.
I really agree with the Halo dream. Bungie = Awesome gameplay
Bioware = Awesome story
+ Valve = More Awesome?
Ah, independence. If only the remainder of Ireland could follow suit with America. Ah well. I’d love to see Kojima take on GoW, that’d be fun for us AND him! As a Halo-lore fan myself I’d love to see a plot in the games. Eddy 1 sentence wrap up says it all and made me wet myself with laughter. Gee, thanks Eddy.
Well, Nintendo let Team Ninja make Other M, so we’ll have to see how that goes.
Zelda by Team Ico? I always thought Majora’s Mask was better than Ocarina of Time, but that was just my opinion. I thought the new Zelda games are trying too much to recreate Ocarina of Time’s story, and it doesn’t play very well. Ocarina of Time was about Link obtaining rhe Master Sword, defeating Ganondorf, rescuing Zelda, and saving Hyrule. Majora’s Mask didn’t try to replicate that story, and focused on a quest Link set out for himself, not for Hyrule or Zelda. Wind Waker tied up loose ends with Ocarina of Time and gave players the chance to finish what the Hero of Time started. When Hyrule is destroyed and Tetra and Links et off to search for a new land, I expected a new epic story, one that doesn’t try to replicate Ocarina of Time’s story. But I got the story of Phantom Hourglass: something that tries to be something it’s not. It felt too familiar to enjoy. And there’s the concept of Zelda. In Wind Waker we get to see and interact with Tetra, allowing us to se the dynamic character of Zelda. In Twilight Princess we rarely get to see Zelda at all, usually only in a cutscene.
When playing Twilight Princess the scene was again Hyrule, so the story seemed to fit, even if it was redundant. I found myself spelunking for the sole purpose of finding new weapons to play with, not for the story. There wasn’t much story or character development between the typical four dungeon / temple cycle. Zelda appeared once, then the enxt time she gave up her spirit, and the third time we were forced to fight her. I was kinda hoping to actually hit Zelda with the Master sword as she swooped around with her sword, because I didn’t feel any emotional attachment to this Zelda. When she summoned the light arrows I was jealous and annoyed at the same time; I wanted something other than typical arrows or explosive arrows, but Zelda keeps them to herself. In Wind Waker you have the option to exit Ganon’s tower and run around with the arrows, like in Ocarina of Time. In Twilight Princess you have no option but to let Zelda shoot for you as you avoid Ganondorf’s own attacks. She comes out of nowhere with the second most powerful weapon and you get nothing. LINK saved the spirits from the twilight, not Zelda. So why do they repay HER with the light arrows? She isn’t the Hero, Link is. I only hope that Zelda Wii 2 will follow a different storyline than the traditional one, and feature more character development.
I hope Nintendo implements a great storyline, and somehow, another dungeon or something after the game is beat to encourage replay value. They did in A Link to the Past, and the Four Swords dungeon was a fun, albeit short, dungeon with a very challenging and fun boss.
I Concur with almost everything on this here Topic. Valve could be subsituted for Bioware on halo, they can tell a great story and have experince with the fps genere.
I belive the Sonic franchise should be handed over to 3d Realms,The (almost) developers of Duke Nukem Forever not that I think that they would make it better, Im hoping they will start a sonic game that will never be finished, Thus killing the series.
And Finally as an added bonus, Il throw in one of my own
0.The Warcraft franchise, Discharged By Bethesda.
The one thing I look for in ANY game of ANY genere is Lore and Backstory.Both Blizzard and Bethesda had games with great backstory, they both were consistent untill….World of Warcraft hit the scene. As more and more content was released more and more questions popped up in my head concerning the lore. It started with simple things like the placement of cites in contrast to earlier maps of Azeroth, this grew into larger problems, like the fact that technically nobody on the hoard faction should be able to become a warlock exept for undead.The contradictions grew even larger in time.
Bethesda knows how to keep there lore in check, Ive looked in depth for all the games and have not found a single contradiction. There exactly the thing that Warcraft needs right now to get its lore in check. I understand that Blizzard wanted to make WoW “casual” friendly, but they dont need to kill the lore to do that.
/rant