With the massive growth of gaming over the previous decade, it is not surprising that many titles have been lost in the relentless wake of the never-ending Call Of Duty titles and the far-too-familiar titles which are churned out year on year. The development of consoles, collapse of PC gaming and rise of online multiplayer has altered the gaming world for good. But there is still room to bring back a few classics, if any studio had the courage (and admittedly the stupidity) to do it. There are many games fallen from favour that could, and should, be revived, but here are my 5 choices.
1. Theme Hospital
I admit that part of my great love for this game is because it was the first PC game I ever played, but there is so much more to it than that. Released in 1997, it combined a fun simulator gameplay with a wry, odd humour and a charming simplicity that was highly addictive. The premise of this game was to manage different hospitals, building new rooms to diagnose and treat the various illnesses and conditions the sickly public walked through the door with. Now there are a number of simulator games around, but Theme Hospital stands head and shoulders above all the others because of the dark and strange humour the whole game was coated in; from the first screen on the main menu, where an Einstein-esque doctor is hooked off-screen by a walking stick, to illnesses such as ‘Bloated Head’ and treatments like the tongue slicer, the game refused to take itself seriously. Too many simulators are serious (flight simulator) or just too repetitive for any longevity (almost all the others) but Theme Hospital carried the perfect balance of increasing variety and challenge as the levels progressed and enough silliness to keep you amused and wanting to see more. The game gave you control of Surgeons, Psychiatrists and Researchers, Nurses and Handymen to treat as you pleased. One of my favourite features was trying to shotgun rats as they darted across the room, with that satisfying boom resonating with every shot. It was an insignificant part of the game but I still have fond memories of that. It was a brilliant game which could so easily be resurrected and I am sure would still work as a concept today on ipads and smartphones, but no one seems to be willing to remake it yet.
2. Crash Bandicoot
The flagship franchise for the Playstation, Crash games were an amusing mix of adventure, where you jump over things and throw boxes, and attempts to branch into other areas, such as Crash Team Racing (brilliant) and the arcade-like Crash Bash, which was my personal favourite. I never understood why Crash, an affable orange bandicoot creature with an array of friends, disappeared, especially when considering the continued existence of Mario for Nintendo, a far less likeable character and generally worse games, I admit there is probably not the same market for this sort of game these days, and the PS4 is undoubtedly wasted playing games like this, but again I loved the addictive simplicity of the titles, especially Crash Bash. CB was basically just a set of mini-games, but what made it fun was that it could be multiplayer, and it was great teaming up or against a second player to battle to victory. Modern games, with their huge budgets and scripted cut scenes are just cold, emotionless non-entities that lack the friendly, accessible nature of Crash games. So what if there was no story or troubled, complex protagonist? Modern console games attempt to be interactive Hollywood films, and I would applaud any studio which broke the pattern and went back to what made gaming in the first place, with Crash. (I concede that few people probably support me on this. I will also acknowledge Crash was a series of games not one, but oh well)
3. Conflict: Global Storm
Okay, so who remembers the Conflict series? Anyone? Well, I do, and what great games they were. Before Call of Duty got so big and ridiculous and dominated the war/soldier genre, this intelligent third person shooter had a chance to exist. The player would take command of a squad of four, all with different weapons emphasising a different style of play; for instance the sniper, the machine gun wielding big guy, the explosives guy and a standard multi-purpose guy. The best part of this game was being able to swap between the characters as and when it suited you, and being able to position them for ambushes. The story was decent and subtle in comparison to modern shooters too, and the locations and objectives added variety and depth. The main reason I want Conflict back though is because I am desperate to know what happened to Foley, who is last seen fighting hoards of Colombian drug gansters at the end of the first mission. At the close of the game the remaining characters vow to go back and find Foley, but what happens? They never make the next one. I liked the gameplay, the settings and I liked Foley, so why promise me the chance to find out what happened to him then never come good? I see it as a personal betrayal. By bringing this game back they can let me know what happened to Foley and at the same time draw people who are bored of COD back to shooters. Seems so simple
4. Age of Empires
Age of Empires has always dominated the strategy genre for me, from the original game through to the expansion of the last instalment. It is a franchise which has been clever in developing the gameplay, graphics and eras it portrays while sticking to the core principles which made it a success in the first place, a feat so few other franchises accomplish. Essentially the game revolves around taking a nation and developing buildings and armies to defeat the enemy, and involves juggling the development of your army, civilisation and advancing through the ages to unlock more stuff. It is a simple enough concept but has a remarkable longevity in the gameplay to make it worthy of a new instalment. Most of the fun can be found through the variety of maps and nations to both fight and be, altering the challenge and often forcing you to adapt to your surroundings. A great part of this game was also that the AI was surprisingly intelligent, even in the early games, and would require some thought to defeat. The campaign missions, especially in AOE 3 were actually very fun and multiplayer an option too. As far as I’m aware it remained popular so why not a new one? The last edition to the series was Asian Dynasties in 2007, which is ample time to make a new one for demand to grow. I’ve always found Age of Empires enjoyable and would be the game I most demanded a new version of.
5. Michael Owen Soccer
Who’s bored of the sterile, mass-produced and all-too-serious Fifa and Pro Evo? Fifa in particular has sucked all the fun out of the football game genre by being so serious and driving players towards the slow, calculated passing, Tiki-Taka style of Barca and Bayern and reducing the role speed and counter-attacking used to have, which was the only thing that made it fun. Not only are players now really slow, where even Bale can’t outrun the oldest, most overweight centre backs down the line, but Fifa has introduced the infuriating grappling and pulling mechanics, meaning your pacey winger is just grabbed and hauled back by the defender completely legally. It annoyed me so much I turned to the classic, first football game I ever tried, the Nintendo 64’s Michael Owen Soccer, and it was such a surprise. Yes, the graphics and animations were of course hopeless, but it was so end-to-end, furious and funny that it was a complete release from the stern-faced Fifa. Players would behave crazily, with almost every moment warranting a diving header; at one point I had two players airborne and arcing majestically through the air at a ball that was calmly rolling along the floor. Tackling back then was not about sealing attackers out with two defenders and ushering them into the corners, but of the old school charging in and launching defenders like cruise missiles at whoever had the ball; if you got it, great, if you didn’t you reload with the next player and launch again. This is so much more fun, especially when doing it two player, and has made me yearn for a more arcade-feeling, fun and silly football game to be made, and calling it Michael Owen Soccer will just let everyone know it’s not to be taken too seriously. Also, seeing the old players of my youth back again has its charms. I guess no one else really calls for this, but it would be great. Until then, I’ll have to make do with Fifa and the occasional revisit of the N64.
hmm manifesto 