Earlier this week, Sega’s Mike Hayes showed a rare but welcome respect for the past, admitting that his company had not treated some of its classic franchises as well as it should have. The more recent Sonic games and the dismal disappointment that was Golden Axe stand as hefty testament to this sad truth.
However, if Sega really is serious about giving its IP a serious revitalization, one can’t argue that there are still plenty of untapped classics that it could stand to bring back. Sega is bested only by Nintendo when it comes to the range and quality of its past glories, and for a company so keen on whoring out its past franchises, there are a surprising number of games that have been long forgotten, trotted out only on downloadable platforms or retro compilations.
So, which classic IP should Sega resurrect? With so many to choose from, you can’t just pick one! Read on for a few noteworthy suggestions, and feel free to add your own!
Streets of Rage:
Perhaps the most popular and well-known Sega game not yet remade, Streets of Rage was a must-have for any Genesis owner worth his cartridges. The first two games especially kicked vast amounts of arse, taking the classic sidescrolling beat ’em up formula but adding a police car that would drop a nuke on criminals at the touch of a button. A tactical nuke, just to deal with a few gangbangers and drug dealers. That is how you fight crime. Stupid Miranda rights.
With games like Castle Crashers, Muramasa and the upcoming Shank getting a lot of attention, the once-dead beat ’em up genre has seen something of a resurgence this generation. If you just add a lick of HD paint and maybe a bit more depth to the combat system, there is no reason why a new Streets of Rage couldn’t hit the digital market with most of its core gameplay intact. The simplicity of a good old fashioned brawler never gets old, and there’s no doubt that a new Streets of Rage could appeal to retroheads and newbies alike.
Just don’t bring back those jackass flame jugglers. Screw those guys.
Vectorman:
It’s still amazing to me that Vectorman has become such an obscure videogame. When the original Vectorman was released, it didn’t only generate praise from critics, it turned out to be a commercial success as well. In fact, Vectorman was so successful that they were going to make a movie. So, why is Vectorman one of Sega’s most forgotten characters, doomed only to return as a bit player on Sega’s many nostalgia compilations? It really makes no sense.
The last we saw of this lovable green robot was the ill-fated Vectorman 3, a game that exists only in terrible E3 tech demo form. Once in development for the PS2, the game was essentially a third-person Halo rip-off. All the game’s humor had been taken out, gameplay looked generic at best and confusing at worst, while Vectorman himself looked like a very poor man’s Master Chief.
However, that’s not to say Vectorman wouldn’t work as a third-person shooter. Add in some cartoon violence on the scale of Metal Arms: Glitch in the System, preserve the tongue-in-cheek humor and classic cartoon look of the character, and you could have a great little game. Vectorman could definitely come back in the current generation, provided that Sega doesn’t try and reinvent the character as a “dark” and “gritty” space marine.
Decap Attack:
Decap Attack is, easily, one of my favorite Genesis games of all time. Of all time, sir! In Japan, the game was known as Magical Hat no Buttobi Tabo! Daibōken, and it was based on the anime Magical Hat. Since the license for Magical Hat was not obtained for outside Japan, the game’s characters, level designs and graphics were almost entirely changed. The game was now about a headless mummy called Chuck D. Head, and it was awesome.
The game’s quirky design and solid platforming helped make it one of the best Genesis games out there, and Chuck himself deserves to be better remembered than he is. The character could work wonderfully either as a traditional sidescroller or a 3D action/adventure game. His head-flinging shenanigans might also work really well on the Wii as well. Decap Attack has a ton of potential. Cel-shade Chuck’s ass and bring him back!
Night Trap:
I don’t care what anybody says. Stick that thing on the Wii and you’ll have a game of the year contender on your hands!
Ristar:
If there was a more beautiful, bright and bizarre Genesis game, I don’t want to know about it. Ristar is, perhaps, the very best Sega character that never went anywhere. It defies all logic that he never became a big mascot for the company. Maybe kids of the nineties just didn’t think anthropomorphic clouds of space gas were particularly cool. Not as cool as blue hedgehogs, in any case.
Ristar started life as a rabbit, and not a star. In fact, he was what Sonic was originally going to be. Sega were designing various mascots in a bid to counteract Nintendo’s ever-popular Mario. One of those designs was a rabbit with ears that stretched out to pick up objects. The rabbit became a hedgehog and dropped the stretchy gimmick, but the idea of stretchy limbs was developed further as a game called Feel. The ears turned into arms and the rabbit had been transformed into a star (originally called Dexstar). After a few redesigns, the game eventually became Ristar.
I’ve always loved the look of Ristar. The vibrant color scheme and unique, endearing main character should have been much more successful. The game sold enough to be considered relatively popular, but no more than that. The character of Ristar has barely been seen since, making only insignificant cameos in Shenmue in Segagaga, and enjoying a brief run in Sonic the Comic. I literally do not care how Sega brings Ristar back, but he deserves better than he’s gotten!
Crazy Taxi:
I am actually convinced that this one will happen. Crazy Taxi has proven so popular in arcades and is regarded as such a classic that there is no way Sega will leave this one alone. Crazy Taxi was namechecked, along with Streets of Rage, by Mike Hayes in his recent CVG interview, which could indicate a level of current interest in the game. Since its arcade debut, it’s enjoyed ports on the Dreamcast, PS2, GameCube, PC, GBA and PSP. This is a franchise Sega knows how to milk.
The gameplay is so simple that it would require no changes. You pick people up and drive them to their destinations, trying not to laugh when the black lady inappropriately demands that you take her to KFC (this happens in the game and it is terrible). With a formula that easy, it’s almost impossible to screw up. Almost.
Beyond Oasis:
Beyond Oasis was one of the best Zelda clones ever made. It was a very clear effort to provide an alternative to Nintendo’s classic adventure franchise, but it did enough different things to stand out on its own. It also looked terrific, both in terms of graphics (for the time) and art direction.
It followed a typical top-down, dungeon-themed, action/adventure format, but main character Ali was helped along in his quest by various elemental spirits that could attack enemies and help him solve a variety of puzzles. It was really good fun, and while it lacked the inherent challenge of Zelda, it provided Genesis fans with a top notch adventure game to call their own. It enjoyed a Sega Saturn prequel, The Legend of Oasis, in 1996, but was never seen or heard from again, outside of a Virtual Console release and an appearance on Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection.
Beyond Oasis is ripe for a reboot. Gamers still love a classic action/adventure game, and Sega has the means to provide it. Sure, it’ll never rival The Legend of Zelda, but putting a Beyond Oasis game on the PS3 or Xbox 360, with gorgeous visuals and Zelda-esque gameplay is a surefire winner, at least in my book. We might not be able to get Hyrule in HD, but Sega could at least provide a near-perfect forgery and continue to do what Nintendon’t.
Comix Zone:
Everything about Comix Zone is fantastic. From its wonderfully bizarre premise to its killer graphics and utterly amazing soundtrack, this scrolling beat ’em up is a classic in every sense of the word. If only it wasn’t so brutally difficult that you lose health even by punching barrels, something you need to do to progress through the game. Oh, and being able to get past the first three levels would be amazing, too!
Comix Zone was impregnably hard, but that didn’t matter when we were kids because we were stupid. Also, because everything else in the game was so utterly mindblowing. The game was released late in the Genesis’ lifespan, was a little on the short side, and the aforementioned difficulty held it back, but the game still managed to be a success, and is among the most beloved of Sega’s 16-bit titles.
I cannot imagine a single living sole who would object to a new Comix Zone. Unless they have seriously have something against people having fun. Maybe a turbo-misanthrope or something. Stick a brand new Comix Zone on XBLA or PSN, and I think Sega will have a hit for sure.
In fact, Sega, just do sequels for all of these games. By next week. Thanks!
