Whether rented from your local video store or borrowed briefly from a friend, everyone has a game they played, enjoyed, and then completely forgot about. They're those games you find at classic video game stores that make you wish you still had that game system, so you could justify buying it.
Here're a few games you may or may not remember that deserve some time in the spotlight!
Legend of Mana for PlayStation
While Legend of Mana was ported to the PS Vita and PS3, it is one of the lesser known entries in the Mana series. It was met with mostly good reviews upon its release, with critics gushing about its painterly backgrounds and innovative (for its time) gameplay. It was one of the first RPGs to allow you to complete the game in any order you wanted, arrange your world map however you wanted, and give your character whatever stats you wanted.
With Square Enix announcing a Secret of Mana remake, we can only hope to see one for Legend of Mana.
Chibi-Robo! for the Game Cube
Although Chibi-Robo! was blessed with a few sequels, the charm of the original Gamecube game has mostly been lost. With the release of Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash and an extremely adorable Chibi-Robo amiibo, the little robot has gained a bit more notoriety in recent years.
Nintendo tried to give the series a facelift with its most recent entry, but what about returning to its roots? With some more advertising and some improved graphics, this journalist thinks the original Chibi-Robo! may have what it takes to recharge its batteries on its own.
Elite Beat Agents for Nintendo DS
A successor to iNiS's original Ouendan series, Elite Beat Agents was a game marketed specifically for a non-gaming audience. Its sequel was released only in Japan, meaning Western fans were left in the lurch -- and with a swirly hairdo-shaped hole in their hearts.
The game's art, which is purposefully more Western than traditional Japanese anime, makes it feel a bit like it's supposed to be a caricature of American archetypes. Incorporating 3D into the comic book style storytelling of the game would give it a fun new twist, and possibly draw in audiences yearning for a different kind of rhythm game.
Diddy Kong Racing for N64
Diddy Kong Racing got a remake for the original DS a few years ago and left fans of the original mostly unsatisfied. Some of the original characters -- specifically the ones that, after the N64 version of the game, became original RareWare IPs -- were replaced with some of Diddy's monkey friends. That, along with various gameplay changes, made it a very different game from the original.
This is one of those games I remember specifically going to a friend's house to play. The variety of game types and vehicle types made it different than Mario Kart, and it'd be awesome to have that back and recreated on the Switch!
Black & White for PC
An award-winning game, Black & White received rave reviews during the first year of its release. It was a new kind of "god game." Unlike The Sims, where the player is an omnipotent god able to control the actions of their people, Black & White introduced an AI that responds to the way the player acts. You can choose whether to be a benevolent and kind god, or an evil, destructive god. Whether you rule through fear or through kindness, as long as you're worshiped by every civilization on the island by the end of the game, you win.
Black & White 2 was released in 2005, and since then, games like it have been few and far between. In an age where micro-managing and "creator" type games are doing better than ever, a Black & White with better graphics has the potential to go far!
Good games are often lost to time, even if they get good reviews, and it's truly a shame. Some are just overshadowed by their more popular counterparts, but it doesn't mean the series is not worth continuing. With the popularity of more classically-styled games on the rise, I hope these game studios will go back and give these games the clean up they deserve!
... Okay, you got me, the whole point of this article was to hopefully get to see Legend of Mana in glorious HD.
These are just a few of my favorite childhood games, but how about you? Do you remember these games, or have any more you'd add to the list? Let us know in the comments!
