Game Revival Guide (Part 1)

There have been some pretty awesome game titles over the last few years, some which have continued to grow (Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Super Mario, Halo, to name but a few), but what of those that time has forgotten?


We've selected a bunch of titles that we'd love to see revived, and today is the first part, so read on, you never know, there might be something you've never played.




Psychonauts:
This is easily one of our favourite games, EVER! The design and witty scripting of Tim Schafer (Brutal Legend, Grim Fandango, Secret of Monkey Island) made this psychic powered platformer one of the most emersive, funny and downright enjoyable games ever made. 
The story follows a young boy named Raz, a youngster gifted with psychic powers, who runs away from the circus to sneak into a camp, where he hopes to become a Psychonaut, but soon discovers that an evil plot is afoot that only he can stop. The game was really well designed, with brilliant and vibrant colours, as well as a host of awesome psychic abilities. 
Psychonauts was originally an Xbox exclusive, but was later ported to PC, PS2, Steam and then made the list as an XBLA download on Xbox 360. Although critically acclaimed, Psychonauts suffered poor sales, which is a real shame, as it genuinly deserves to be renown for the intuitive and brilliant game it was.






Jet Set Radio:
Back when the Dreamcast was the big daddy of consoles (well, until the PS2 came along) alot of games became instant favourites, but many people missed out on some real gems. One of which, was Jet Set Radio. The premise was simple; you played a roller blading graffiti artist, who's job was to 'tag' the world with your handiwork, whilst evading the police and taking down rival gangs. At the time, Jet Set Radio was considered the pioneer of cel-shaded graphics, and that really showed, as the game was so unlike anything else at the time. The soundtrack was a big addition to the gameplay, as you're narrated through various parts of the game by Professor K, a DJ for the pirate radio station, Jet Set Radio, as well as brilliant music, varying from rap, jazz, dance and the like, right up to metal. Although a sequel, JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future was released on Xbox, Jet Set Radio went quiet, which is why it needs to come back! Imagine blading around on PSN or Xbox Live, forming you're own gangs, whilst battling for dominance with rival gangs. Awesome.




Luigi's Mansion:
Whilst pretty much every Nintendo console landed with a launch title about Mario, the GameCube went the other way, and launched with one starring his brother Luigi. 
The story behind Luigi's Mansion, is that Luigi wins a house (in a contest he didn't enter), and so asks his brother Mario to meet him there to celebrate, but finds that his brother has 'gone missing', leaving Luigi to investigate.
As you enter the house, you realise something isn't quite right, and, surprise surprise, the house is haunted. Armed with a vacuum cleaner and a torch, Luigi set's about capturing the ghosts, and finding his missing brother.
The graphics, animation and gameplay were very impressive, with the cold air vaporising as Luigi breathes, the lighting, his facial animations as he encounters the spirits, all adding to what was an original and entertaining title.
But what happened? After Luigi's Mansion, we only saw him in games such as Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros. etc, but imagine a Luigi's Mansion remake (or sequel) on Wii, where you'd control the vacuum and torch with the Wii-Mote. Something to think about...




Shenmue:
You didn't think this wouldn't make it on our list, did you? As game revivals go, no fans come close to Shenmue fans, these guys have been petitioning for years.
But why? What made Shenmue so different? For starters, the game was gorgeous. Granted, it's no Heavy Rain beater, but at the time, it was unrivalled graphically, and it really brought QTA (Quick Time Events) into the foray.
You play Ryo Hazuki, a young man embarking on the mission of avenging his fathers murder. The game, which creator Yu Suzuki proclaimed as 'FREE' (Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment), implements a day/night/sleep system, real time weather effects (a first for games at the time) as well of tons of other interactive elements such as vending machines, arcade games, convenience stores etc.
It really did change the way people thought about games, the amazing visuals, gripping story and gameplay that was totally different to any game on any system, however, after the sequel, Shenmue II on Xbox, production was haulted and never resumed, leaving the series with a major cliffhanger, and fans with nothing but a pipe dream.

Second Sight:
An intriguing adventure game, that follows MIT parapsychology researcher John Vattic as he wakes up in a medical research facility, with no knowledge as to how he got there, or indeed his past, other than a previous mission. The story resolves around John and his attempts to recover his memory as well as the secrets behind his new mental powers.
As you progress, you learn bits of your past, as well as discovering new and exciting telekinetic abilities. The story is highly emersive, added to the great (at the time) graphics, with very good voice acting, it's hard to see why this title never gained another entry, especially as it was well received on all formats (PS2, GameCube, Xbox and PC).






XIII (13):
As far as underrated FPS go, this is up there at the top. XIII was a fine little gem, that although had many flaws, it was brave enough to step out of the generic FPS crowd.
The main difference it held over other games of the genre, was it was a living comic. Onomatopoeic words would pop up as you fired a weapon; for example, the explosion of an RPG would be followed by "BAAAOOOOM!". It really was a satisfying looking game. The story follows a man known as XIII (voiced by X-Files David Duchovny), who wakes up on a beach in New York City with a mysterious tattoo of the Roman numeral for thirteen on his shoulder. XIII learns that he is being targeted by a hitman called The Mongoose and his army of mercenaries. He is also wanted by the FBI for the murder of the President of the United States, William Sheridan. Throughout the game, XIII struggles to uncover his true identity and a conspiracy plot involving a group known as The XX.
The game met with poor sales, so a sequel (although wanted by many) is unlikely, which is a shame as the story of XIII was just beginning.




Well, that's it for part 1, do you agree/dissagree with our choices? Let us know via comments below, and stay tuned for part 2!