We all have that game franchise that we cherish, whether it’s extremely popular, like Legend of Zelda or Sonic the Hedgehog, or not so well-known, like Rampage or System Shock. Either way, we all want our childhood games to make their way to next-gen consoles at some point in our lifetimes, so here is a top five list of game franchises that should be rebooted.
5. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
I am not going to lie, I love these games. This action RPG is possibly one of the best games that was ever developed under the Star Wars name. But there were some downfalls. The control scheme was a little wonky, and the combat system was unique but confusing, with a weird third-person perspective that was hard to get used to. Sure, this was the basis for the popular Star Wars MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, but I would not really consider that a reboot – it’s more of a cash grab for people who want to live in the Star Wars universe, even if it is not canon anymore.
If this game franchise was rebooted, they would be able to do so much with it. They can fix the camera issues, revamp and rehash the combat system, make it a little bit more interactive, and actually allow you to customize your character rather than picking from a random face. I imagine it would be some kind of Mass Effect and Fallout lovechild. That would be just be fantastic.
4. Clock Tower
Clock Tower, for those who do not know, is a horror game franchise that is considered to be the granddaddy of survival horror. It first was released in Japan on the Super Famicom (Super Nintendo) in 1995. This precedes the releases of both Silent Hill (1999) and Resident Evil (1996). The Clock Tower games are actually really terrifying once the main antagonist, Scissor-Man, comes into play. He has the ability to basically come from anywhere and kill the player at any time.
Even in the Super Nintendo era, these games were able to truly capture the horror of the situation, and players had to think quickly on their feet if they wanted to survive. And I believe that this is the reason why it should be rebooted. The last canon Clock Tower game came out in 2005, and there has been no word on developing a new one. If it’s done right, a reboot of Clock Tower would be scarier than P.T. and truly give gamers a run for their money.
3: Psychonauts
Now I know that this isn’t technically a game franchise, BUT IT COULD BE! Psychonauts was a game that was very mature for its tone, but very childish in its presentation – I mean that in the best way possible. Psychonauts was and still is a masterpiece of a game. Every single character was memorable and relatable their own way. And the game as a whole was really freaking funny.
I am not asking for Psychonauts 2, I am asking for Psychonauts, but revamped. When the game released, it flew under the radar, and it still kind of does, so if developers announced that they are making Psychonauts 2, people would ask “What the hell is Psychonauts, and why is a second one being made?” However, if they rebooted the game into next-gen and made it as amazing and awesome as the original, then a franchise could be made from it. Those who have played Psychonauts truly understand where I am coming from.
2. F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. was one of my personal favorite action horror games. The story was intriguing, and the mix of horror and action was pretty cool until the third and last installment was released. Don’t get me wrong, I loved F.E.A.R. 3, but the game had way too much action incorporated into it after the first level.
I feel that if this franchise were to get a reboot, it could go back to it’s roots as being way more horror/story driven, rather than a supernatural shooter. Plus, a next gen F.E.A.R. game is always a nice thing in my opinion.
1. Banjo Kazooie
Oh Rareware, you tried to bring back Banjo Kazooie and failed miserably. Why did you have to be bought out by Microsoft? I think it comes as no surprise that this lovable franchise is at the top of this list. Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie were masterpieces. These games are held as probably the best games of all time to most people, so it’s a wonder that there has not been a proper reboot of the franchise. Rare tried with Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, but, as we all have witnessed, that did not go as planned.
Luckily this franchise is not completely dead, as the spiritual successor, Yooka-Laylee, has been fully funded on Kickstarter and is currently being developed. There is so much that this game has to fill, but if this game flops, Rare will have another shot at bringing Banjo and Kazooie back from the dead.
Did you like this list? What game franchises would you like to see rebooted? Let me know in the comments below! I love seeing other people’s opinions!
