Rumors are entertaining to hear and with E3 coming up there are plenty enough to make any gamer squeal, from DOOM making an appearance, to what Valve’s next title may be, and more. But the most interesting for Xbox owners is the news of Microsoft bringing back a long lost series and revamping it for the new generation with an atomic boom. Killer Instinct made a glorious return after so many years and thus maybe another will too.
Microsoft has had some great exclusives that have shamefully been lost and left in the basement like Norman Bate’s mum in Psycho. So I’m counting down the top ten long lost series that could make a tremendous and awesome return from the Microsoft Studios (We’ll save you the time of reading and use MS for short.
BRUTE FORCE
An awesome XBOX 3rd person shooter which featured four player squad gameplay and a giant lizard named Brutus. MS loves big co-op games such as Halo and Gears of War, but they’re always very simple in nature as you often just shoot, curb stomp or teabag your enemies. Imagine doing that with a giant lizard? Wouldn’t it be great to have four players working as a team and to harvest each other’s skills and traits in order to progress through a mission. Ok, it was mostly shooting but with a each player having their own skills and tactics allowing stealth and silent kills as an option. . . but mostly shooting. Hence, Brute Force. Still, fun game.
MECH ASSAULT
With the Titianfall series possibly heading over to Sony soon, the Xbox one needs a great Mech game. Not to mention that MS have a sweet spot for Mechs and maybe they can develop a Mech version of Tea bagging (sorry). But fighting with other players and NPCs in Giant Mech-suits is always fun and done in a Pacific Rim style could be an absolute winner!
CRACKDOWN
An insane 3rd person shooter with stupendous and extremely fun gameplay. With the improvement of tech in our consoles, we can allow for improved physics to create crazier and more dynamically innovated movements, actions and reaction and to have awesome particle effects to make some epic and intense destruction.
BANJO KAZOOIE
BLUE DRAGON AND LOST ODYSSEY
Ok, I cheated a little but both were pretty good games. A great term based, Japanese style RPG is needed for the Xbox one to define it as being more open to other genres than the typical ones we get all the time. But to also have a more diverse market and allow more people to be welcomed into the Xbox One family. It helped in 2007/08 with these titles and I’m sure it can again.
JADE EMPIRE
The original was a great action/adventure RPG with a unique style and setting compared to most others. Set in a fantasy style Japan, you build up a group of ultimate warriors all from different classes to take on an evil emperor. Filled with moral choices, multiple paths, mini games and epic battles, this was truly an RPG to define consoles. . . then it came to the PC. But it did influence the great Mass Effect and maybe something like this is needed again for RPGs.
SHADOW RUN
Long ago on the SNES there was a cult classic Western RPG inspired by the legendary board game and the movie Blade Runner. It was considered a flop due to poor sales and not appealing to the masses outside those who love D&D style gaming. MS purchased the rights and made a terrible FPS that was frankly insulting to the cult classic. Either a new RPG is needed as one was released last year by an indie company (which was pretty good). Or, to make a 3rd person RPG in the style of Watch Dogs or Assassin’s Creed.
Conker
The game with its protagonist is a drunken, druggie and sexually perverted squirrel all in the trappings of a kid’s game gone much less so. Well I think so but it’s not really for kids. Still a great childish game with adult humor would be warmly welcomed due to the vast popularity of many animated shows that focus on crude and adult humor. Again, for someone that’s a little fed up with just sheer bloody realistic violence and instead can enjoy some over the top style animated violence with a randy squirrel. Classic.
Perfect Dark
Now Rare, dear sweet Rare, such a pity about that last installment. Perfect Dark Zero really did its best to offer a lackluster FPS experience that felt way too camp, under developed and extremely bland. Even though it seemed to have the major qualities to make a timeless classic or something that defines the generation of FPS such as Golden Eye did. Nope. Next time, please make it better and more awesome like before. I’d rather play the retro version than Zero again.
BLACK AND WHITE
A wondrous and engrossing God game that’s touching, hilarious and pretty intense. Like the Sims but on a grander scale, Black and White allows total control over a civilisation and gives you the free will to make it prosper or fall. Peter Molyneux may have left MS, but the rights still remain and maybe it’s about time for its return.
Our Honorable Mentions:
Blinx the Time Sweeper
Voodoo Vince
Blood Wave
Grabbed by the Goulies
Lost and Found
What say you reader? What X-Box game of awesome do you want resurrected from the virtual grave? Share your hopes and dreams with us in the comments below!