Feature: Ask Otaku #1

Question Time! 

Every member was asked what ideal Sequel, Reboot, HD Port and Spin Off they wanted. Below are everyone's answer and why, we would also love to hear yours so please make use of Discus at the bottom of the page & let us know!

Andi.

Sequel - Shenmue 3. 

This is actually took alot of thought and consideration, if i'm honest the top 3 were all Sega games and this one is just out of pure passion for the series. Anyone who has played the Shenmue games knows what a cliff hanger it's left on and nothing would make me happier in gaming than finally figuring out what was in that cave!. 

What I would want from this is simply to continue to quality narrative and gameplay from the original two, graphically I feel though it wouldn't have the impact that 1 & 2 did it would look stunning on the new Ryu Ga Gotoku engine employed in Ishin & 5 without going too over the top. I'd like to see a little more character development from Ryu and maybe a little more time demonstrating exactly how powerful Lan-Di actually is. As long as it kept within the same style of the previous two Sega would be on for a winner with this formula and maybe even regain love from it's long time fans.

Reboot - Parasite Eve. 

I LOVE the first two Parasite Eve games, I enjoyed to an extent 3rd Birthday. Square have dropped the ball with many series and for me this one stings the most. What S-E have been sat on is the ultimate rival to Resident Evil & Silent Hill, I know most don't agree but I tend to hold Parasite Eve 2 in equal regard to Resident Evil 2. Though the first is a superb RPG one I tend to revisit alot I feel 2 had the edge in regards to atmosphere, you actually felt you worked for a Monster Hunting unit, it featured load outs, magic and countless monsters hungry for Aya's flesh. 

Due to some sloppy work from SE Parasite Eve's licencing is all up in the air and it's fair to say 3rd Birthday was a last ditch attempt at squeezing money from the dwindling fanbase.

What I would love from a Reboot to this series is that they could take advantage of past mistakes to truly make Parasite Eve shine. With careful writing and scenario planning they could bring Aya back into the public light just like Lara in Tomb Raider, carefully mixing horror with magic & RPG would create a seemingly unique title in today's no weapon run and hide survival horror world. 

HD Port - Onimushia Series. 

Capcom's Resi spin off series, often seen as Feudal Resi I fell in love with this title ever since I bought Genma Onimushia on the X Box. Every title seemed to water down the Resi influence and as such it's often considered that 1 is the best title in the series, especially stacked up against the action packed Jean Reno starring Onimushia 3 or the DMC inspired Dawn Of Dreams, 

The chance to get all these seemingly lost PS2 era gems in one collection would be outstanding for any collection, it would open the series up to new fans and give Capcom another I.P they could work with again. Seemingly unlikely as it would of made more sense to cash in on the PS3 HD remaster wave it could be the case that Onimushia was just a product of the PS2 never to be called up again. 

Spinoff - Ryu Ga Gotoku. 

Now before you point out the countless Spin off titles this series has I'm already fully aware of them, the style I want is a little more canon so to speak. 

In several interviews with the head director he has briefly mentioned wanting to do a spinoff featuring Majima, loveable crazy Yakuza with a huge fan base and a passion for lightening the mood when needed. To me this sounds ideal, I can almost picture the crazy events the writers could come up with for the Mad Dog himself, all the while crafting a beautiful narrative which would draw us a little closer to the Majima that isn't all laughs and "Kazzy" calls.

[Literally a day after typing this Yakuza 0 announced featuring Majima got announced so if Sega got the idea from here, Yakuza 5 in the west would be ideal wink wink] - Andi 

Des.

HD Port - Crash Bandicoot.

I had to think a lot about this one but there is one series which I think needs to have a HD port.  That is Crash Bandicoot.  When I was young one of my first consoles was the Playstation 1 and this series hold a very special part of my heart.  I just love how fast this game was and how Naughty Dog developed each sequel to be bigger and better than the previous.  I remember having a day of sick from school so that I could finish Warped.


Sequel - Patapon. 

This one is easy for me as it is a series which I think deserves another chance on the Vita.  This is Patapon.  I love the mix of rhythm and RPG in this game (especially with the 3rd installment).  Honestly I think Sony may have milked this series whilst it was on the PSP and I think this is why we have not seen another title yet.  It is a game which would fit perfectly on to the Vita with all its creative input features.  It would be so much fun!


Reboot - Eledees.

I had to really think hard about this one because I believe that not all great games need to be reboot.  You should just remember them for what they were but honestly, Eledees needs to be rebooted.  This is one of the games which made me want a Wii from day one so that I was ready for it.  It was the early days of the Wii and not many companies had fully grasped the idea of the Wii yet but Konami hit it on the head with this one.  It was so charming and a lot of fun too play.  This game would be perfect on any console which has motion control input.  Heck even on the Kinect it might be fun.


Spin Off - Katamari. 

Again, a tough one but I think we need a Katamari spin off.  I am not sure how it could be done but I need more Katamaris in my life.  They maybe could do it from the King of the Cosmos view as he destroys the universe - it could be reverse in the idea that collecting items up from the world destroys them rather than create new ones?  Just an idea...

Andrew. 

Reboot - The Legend Of Zelda

I grew up playing the Original Legend of Zelda on the Nes back in the day. This is what sparked my love for gaming. Nintendo should make this happen look what they did with The Legend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time 3D they took a great game for the N64 and polished the game. I mean look amazing they updated the visuals from the former polygons and rough texture of the N64 days to a beautiful visual pleasant look on the 3Ds did justice.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for the 3DS is a prime example what i want in a The Legend of Zelda Reboot,What i would want to see in this reboot is updated visuals for the sprites, as well have the choice to have the old visuals.They could have the game on both the Wii U and 3Ds so there be 2 ways to relive my childhood on the 3DS now they do have the original on the Wii U and 3DS already but a reboot could do everything even better then they already have.


Sequel - The World Ends With You 

The world ends with you has to be one the games that has one of my all time fave soundtracks this DS game needs a sequel. Out of the real world you get sucked into a game world with the Noise and the reapers on your tail, your mission that need to be done before the time hits 0 or its all over and you die. This game needs a sequel there still many things to reveal and thinks to find out

What i would like to see is the deep story continued with a new batch of players with the battle system returning from the first game and new Abilities with using the 3DS ability motions sensor better yet bring it to the Wii U. They definitely need to keep the Art style what is one of the things that makes the game stand out. Maybe a Feature to customize your character would be nice and to choose your gender.

Spin Off - Fire Emblem 

Fire emblem is a great SRPG love every game the was released but id love to see a Spin off take the character from each of the games and putting them into a non SRPG like action RPG. Fire emblem has so many characters and jobs that there so many possibility for types of games that could be made and i know of a game that would be perfect for Fire emblem to invade.

A Fire Emblem Musou which would work well probably the best idea ever cause you could take character from every Fire Emblem title Foes as well, there plenty of places to make great battlefields plenty of weapons as well that could be used music is no issue either plus think of the roster character there be so many choice to choose from.

HD Port - Musashi: Samurai Legend 

Took me a bit but I came up with 2 a HD port there many games but at the time I drew a blank till this title sparked me and i remembered Musashi: Samurai Legend.

Ok this is simple take Musashi: Samurai Legend make a HD port for the ps3. I love this games. I think it could do with a port over to the ps3 or even the ps4 the Art Style was so lovely and characters were great.

[Hopefully you would want Brave Fencer Musashi thrown in aswell to sweeten the pot, didn't know it had a sequel till I saw this so it's off to E-Bay! - Andi].

Albert. 

Sequel- Zero Escape

This was an easy and obvious choice for me. The Zero Escape games are marvelous, they have an amazing story, with difficult and satisfying puzzles. After finishing up Virtues Last Reward on my Vita, I was left wanting more.

I really hope Spike Chunsoft is able to somehow fund the sequel because I think all of the Zero Escape fans want to finish the trilogy.


HD Port- Majora’s Mask

Easily the best Legend of Zelda game in my opinion, this was my third Zelda game after Zelda II and Ocarina of Time. Even though Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask shared many gameplay similarities and even graphics wise, were essentially the same. I felt Majora’s Mask is the much better game, with a dark story and more refined gameplay. Majora’s Mask is a much difficult game which just added to the experience, having a three day limit to finish quests in game terrified me as a kid.

Nintendo has already shown interest in giving Majora’s Mask the HD treatment just like OoT and Wind Waker. I really hope we get a port sooner rather than later.

Reboot- Jet Set Radio

I loved my DreamCast, this is maybe the third or fourth game I got for my system back when the DreamCast launched. I was in love at the time, in my preteens I would play this game for its amazing soundtrack and ‘cool’ characters. Gameplay wise it was a bit rough but I never felt like it wasn’t too bad. SEGA can do so much with this franchise and I would love to see a reboot on console or even handheld, a console option isn’t available.

With its amazing soundtrack and innovative visuals, at the time of course, Jet Set Radio is a personal pick of mine.


Spin Off- Shin Megami Tensei

If anyone follows me on Twitter they may know I’m a huge Shin Megami Tensei and Persona fan. I retweet fan art, talk about, argue about and fan girl about it. With Shin Megami Tensei going for such a long time without a new spin off game, as a fan I feel disappointed. With Atlus showing tons of love for the Persona fan base, I want Atlus to give us a new SMT spin off. Fusing demons, choosing alignments, and building luck builds! I want something fresh in the SMT line of games, maybe even knew sprites and demons if we could have that!

The next spin off can be on any platform because as a fan, I’ll be there, of course unless it’s on iOS.

Joe.

Sequel – Jade Empire

BioWare. Never has a company in all of video gaming undergone such an ugly and public fall from grace, what with the incredibly lacklustre Dragon Age II and the unmitigated snafu that was Mass Effect III’s ending. But it wasn’t always like this, and back in the days when BioWare were an independent entity they created their own “Western game baked in an Eastern sensibility”, akin to Bungie’s Oni. That game was Jade Empire, and I loved it.

Jade Empire succeeds mostly as an experiment, and it still retains BioWare’s sharp writing and their propensity for a killer plot twist, although it suffered in the actual combat. But times have changed, and the action adventure genre is still alive and well. BioWare also gave the game a wonderful eastern aesthetic and an interesting world that, sadly, has only seen one adventure in it thus far. They have discussed going back to Jade Empire in the future, and while I am somewhat sceptical of this, handled correctly, I think a sequel could be the breath of fresh air needed to reinvigorate BioWare’s reputation; unsullied by former missteps with Dragon Age and Mass Effect, it would be free to carve its own niche. With a better combat system and the same world class writing of the original, BioWare would rekindle that old flame, at least with me anyway.

HD Port – Phantasy Star IV

I reviewed Phantasy Star IV a while back, but one thing I didn’t mention in my review is how, in hindsight, it compares broadly to a more recent game I’ve played: Ys: Memories of Celceta, both RPGs with broadly sketched but enjoyable characters and a simple but sharp story of good versus evil. I greatly enjoyed that game also, but I went into it knowing nothing of the Ys series at all, my purchase simply being based on word of mouth. So imagine my surprise when I found out it was redo/combination of two much older Ys games: 
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys & Ys IV: Mask of the Sun. As such, you can probably guess where I’m going with this.

If Phantasy Star IV were to be given a HD make up job, undoubtedly a Vita title, I would snap it up instantly. There still really isn’t an RPG series like it at present that smoothly blends sci-fi and fantasy as it does, and its story and mechanics are classic and solid enough that you could literally translate them wholesale. 
That leaves the graphics, and for that, if they were rendered in the style of the recent Tales games with a somewhat darker palette I think it would work wonders.

Reboot - One Must Fall: 2097

Man, this shows how old I am.

One Must Fall: 2097 is a fighting game developed by Diversions Entertainment and published by Epic MegaGames (yes, that Epic MegaGames) back in 1994. This game holds a lot of childhood nostalgia for me, and looking back it is probably the best fighting game released on PC in that era. The premise? A world tournament where you pilot giant robots to smash the ever loving scrap out of each other. How can you possibly go wrong with that?

The game had a lot of things going for it; a fully-fledged tournament mode featuring upgrades to your character and robot, fantastic mech designs, arenas with environmental hazards, and an anime inspired art style and goofy story that supplemented the premise nicely (not to mention the snarky technician who rates your fights in tournament mode). As a PC game however its mechanics are quite archaic, and if this were rebooted (probably in the likes of the Unreal engine being used for Guilty Gear Xrd) a new fighting engine would make this game a joy to play. But while this will likely never happen, OMF: 2097 is freeware, so go nuts. If you’re a fighting game fan, the tournament mode alone is well worth your time.

Spin Off – Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

“A spin off of a spin off? Surely you can’t be serious?!”

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was, in my opinion, a fun, goofy as hell action game that worked just fine as you long as you didn’t take it seriously. Based almost entirely off that one cutscene from Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots, it did a lot of things right even if was sticking its head out of a car window and letting its tongue roll about like a dumb dog in the process. But for me, seeing the colourful and varied bosses of the game in action, as well as Raiden, Blade Wolf and Sam, a thought popped into my head one day: “What if we put these characters into a fighting game?”

Say what you will about Revengeance, but it was a sugar coated, sour flavoured feast of awesome things happening to awesome music. Translated to a fighting game, with a few extra new cyborg characters with unique mechanics, and I reckon you would have a solid and fun experience. Imagine an instant kill move set to that one song, with all the required visual flash, and like me, drool at the thought of what might be.

Geoff.

Sequel - Shox
This is one that will be lost on pretty much 99% of the people to read this. What is Shox? well I wrote a retrospective on it a few months back and its basically an arcade rally racing game. It was released on Ps2 at the time when EA had a bit more in their locker, as Shox formed part of the EAsportsBIG range that featured OTT arcade gameplay mechanics instead of the 'simulation' aspects of the mainline titles. Shox will always be my favourite in the range (although others like Def Jam, FreekStyle, SSX etc were just as good) due to it being pretty much the last arcade rally game that I remember enjoying as much as I did. A sequel from EA would offer the chance of expanding on the games Shoxzones & gambling features, whilst using the current gen consoles/PC's to improve on the spectacle that the original afforded by expanding the track design and adding all manner of little details without compromising on the butter smooth 60fps of the original . If anything though, I would just love to have an awesome arcade rally game again.

Reboot - Army Men
Now this is a series that gets me all nostalgic. The last few games killed any hope of probably seeing another entry (although theres is a fan made Army Men 3 game available in Beta) as they were derided amongst the gaming press and even alienated fans of the series with a lack of previous characters (No Sarge!?) and a clear lack of direction. I do currently have Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune to torture myself with on the Wii at some point. A reboot would offer the chance to at least try to put things right. Granted, the series will never hit the heights of games like Sarge's Heroes & Air Attack, to name a couple, but it would be good to get some of the original 3DO devs around a table & see what they can drum up. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think an Army Men FPS would be golden. Would be quite atmospheric exploring gardens as an Army man in first-person with not just the Tan Army out to get you, but bugs & animals too.

HD Port - Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon.
Ports of games into HD can be a good thing if its beneficial to the game/s in question. A series like Mass Effect? Not really. A rare Wii title like Fragile Dreams? Most definitely. I recently played through the game, I was planning a review but it got lost under all my other priorities here, and its a great title for those interested in immersive locations & a story with feels. Things did seem a little stifled being on the Wii though in regards to a few areas on the technical side. It still looks fantastic at times, but the wealth of aliasing & 480p resolution hurts the quality of the games visual design at times. The world is wonderfully detailed that an increase in resolution & a lashing of AA would do more than enough to allow the games design to breathe whilst showcasing the titles attention to detail. A port would also allow the devs some time to refine the game a little, making the combat a little lest clunky for one. Its a little surprising it never happened when the Ps3 received the PSMove, as it was a great match (aside from an inbuilt speaker) of the Wiimote to allow perfect emulation of the original game. Even though I believe a HD port would benefit the game a lot, its likely to never be on the cards for any system.

Spinoff - Hyperdimension Neptunia rhythm game
This is one genre that seems to be making a comeback, especially on the PSVita. Considering Im a big fan of the likes of Project Diva, K-ON, Taiko no Tatsujin etc, and also a Nep-Nep groupie - a spin-off mashing these together would be great. We've already had a decent stab at the idol genre in Producing Perfection, so there's already some spin-off canon they could build on for the games story. Considering how many music cd's are available for the franchise, there's A LOT of songs they could pack into the game, with tracks sung by pretty much all characters (sisters included) with plenty of content to pack in for unlocks. I wouldn't be surprised if we did see a rhythm game in the series as the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise continues to spawn spinoffs in genres outside of the usual RPG.