I bet everyone has at least one game that they've been wishing for a sequel to ever since the day it came out.I've come up with a bunch of games that I think deserve some share in the modern day spotlight.Yeah, there was a dark age of terrible 3D revivals there for a while (see the PSX Contra games, the mediocre PS2 Shinobi titles, or Castlevania 64), but games like Twilight Princess and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time have pulled through and proven that 3D doesn't have to be an immediate killing blow to the classics we grew up with.

So on that note, here's the ten games I think would benefit the most from a revival on the new wave of consoles and PCs.

10. Fighting Vipers

Similar to Virtua Fighter 2, but with a lot more being knocked around, juggled, and smashed against (and sometimes through) arena walls, and with the added armor system which discourages players from playing turtle-and-throw; if they take too many hits to their upper or lower body, their armor will shatter and they'll take more damage from any subsequent hits.Unfortunately it had the distinction of being released on the Saturn, which almost nobody outside of Japan bought, and the Dreamcast sequel only saw a short release in Japan and Europe before the console tanked, further limiting its exposure.It's a great game, denied recognition by unfortunate circumstance, and I think it deserves another shot at the limelight.Hey Sega, how about a Fighting Vipers 3?

9. System Shock

The original was definitely an innovative game; not only was it among the first shooters to feature a well-developed plot, but because it had a pretty cool "hardware" system where you could plug anything into your character's body and run it off an internal power source.You got hover boots, speed skates, an over-the-shoulder camera to prevent cheap sneak attacks, and perhaps most usefully, a shield that lessens damage taken from enemy attacks.Add in some cool weapons, tons of creative and dangerous enemies, and a Tron-esque virtual reality system necessary for some goals, and you have a game that makes the most of its cyberpunk setting.

The second game downplayed the "cyborg" aspect significantly; cyberspace and the weird gadgets were largely gone, but in exchange you acquired an RPG-esque leveling system and tons of new skills; To name a few of them, there were hacking, weapon modification, researching chunks of defeated enemies to learn their weaknesses, and most fun of all, PSI powers.Somewhat like the "magic" system in a traditional RPG, these let you perform all sorts of weird feats: become invisible to enemies, drain their HP and add it to yours,
teleport around, or do the Protoss thing and carve them up with a blade made of telekinetic energy.It also had a very convincing atmosphere in spite of its primitive graphics engine; the environmental effects and monsters are genuinely creepy.

Unfortunately, Looking Glass was plagued by financial troubles, and dissolved
shortly after the second game's completion.Co-developer Irrational Games has
announced a "spiritual successor" in Bioshock, but System Shock 2's great gameplay and cliffhanger ending are certainly worthy of a true sequel in my book.Here's hoping that they can make it happen.

8. Rocket Knight Adventures

Easily one of my favorite games on the Sega Genesis, Rocket Knight was fast paced, challenging, and extremely fun to play.Blazing around with a rocket pack and a sword while trashing all sorts of steampunk robots and pig knights just has a certain charm that few games can match.There was also a sequel named Sparkster, which I haven't actually played, so I can't really comment.Still, I'm surprised that this one wasn't considered for a revival in the era of the PS2 or Gamecube.Perhaps, though, the Wii?

Ah, and before I leave the topic, you just have to love a game that taunts you to challenge the hardest difficulty after you beat it on Normal.Especially when said Hard difficulty starts you with one life, no continues, and a single hit results in death.

7. Demon's Crest

Another one that never really caught on, this was a spinoff of the Ghosts and Goblins series starring the little red demon from the game, Firebrand (Red Arremer in Japan).He had a total of three games to his name, but none of them met with much success.The Game Boy and NES games
were largely ignored (though the fact that the latter was released after the SNES'
debut was likely a factor), and the SNES game sold so poorly one week that it
managed to generate negative sales!

Another unfortunate twist for a solid series of games, especially considering that they were significantly more player-friendly than the ultra-tough Ghosts and Goblins series that they spawned from (though still plenty challenging). The gameplay is a a mix of side-scrolling and RPG elements, alternating between an overworld map with typical towns and shops."Random encounters" and dungeons cut away to a side-scrolling platformer stage where you fight enemies, hop platforms and use your flying ability to traverse tough jumps.

Since RPGs and ultra-tough games in general seem to be in style right now (see: God Hand, Viewtiful Joe, Stuntman, Ikaruga, and so on), I think it's time to bring Red Arremer out of retirement and reintroduce gamers
to the demon world. Just keep the clowns that worked on Final Fight Streetwise out of it and I'm game.

6. Streets of Rage

A series that, along with Golden Axe, helped the Genesis carve out a niche in brawler territory, which the SNES had a rock hard grip on at the time.While the first one was a pretty good game for its time, the series really started to shine with 2.Enemies became much more varied; boxers, big tough guys, wrestlers, ninjas, guys with jetpacks, and even robots with swinging maceball arms were all waiting to beat the shit out of you.It was bigger, better and trumped the original in every way.The third one was also pretty solid, but 2's definitely where the series stands its strongest.

Unfortunately, the series' planned revival on the Dreamcast fell through when the console got buried by Sony's early announcement of the Playstation 2, and ever since, Sega seems to be extremely stingy about releasing anything other than their tried-and-true sellers, Sonic and Monkey Ball games.Let's hope they get the courage up to finish and release that Rage game they've got laying around in their computers.

5. Double Dragon

Arguably the game that kicked off the brawler genre, Double Dragon was a runaway success in the mid-80s.The arcade titles were solid games, but the true classics would be found in the NES ports.Despite toning down the story's violent elements in rather goofy ways, the gameplay was much improved; hit detection was sharper, there were a lot less cheap shots, and more varieites of
enemies added.They were highly entertaining, and to date are among the best games in the NES library.

The series took an unfortunate falling-off on the SNES with Super Double Dragon's sluggish gameplay, but the real killing blow to the series was Double Dragon V, a fighting game based on the cartoon series which featured some truly awful mechanics.After the game (and cartoon) flopped, the series would be forgotten until nearly a decade later, when the Game Boy Advance received a port of the original arcade game.

Well, we know someone has the license, so I say it's high time they dust off the franchise and bring it back up to speed with another high-energy fight fest.I'd love to see the Lee brothers take on Abobo and Machine Gun Willy one more time.

4. Kirby Super Star

While it's not really a seperate series, Kirby Super Star is by far the best Kirby game to date; the game is so fast-paced and varied in its gameplay that it makes the rest of the series look boring in comparison. I haven't been able to get into any of the games since, which is exactly why it needs to make a comeback.More powers, more special moves for each power, and more mini-games.More, I say!

3. Ristar

Another game which went by unnoticed at its time of release and is still not well known today.Which is unfortunate, as this is one of the best-looking, most original and most fun platformers out there.The game focuses on grabbing various objects with your character's stretching arms; grab enemies and snap into them to damage them, swing from pegs and fly through the air at high speeds (which also allows you to plow through enemies and other hazards without harm), and a ton of hidden secrets.All the makings of a top-notch platformer.But as they say, the true determinant of a game's quality is not how good the game actually is, but how much money it makes.Quite a pity.

2. Startropics

Ah yes, a regular topic of discussion and complaint among the Lardpirates, namely the fact that Nintendo left this series in 1993 with Zoda's Revenge and hasn't even touched it since.<strike>Not even so much as a cameo appearance in any of the Wario Ware games or as an available game on the Wii Virtual Console.</strike>These gripes aren't without merit, though; both Startropics games were great action/adventure titles, featuring challenging dungeons, an enthralling storyline, and some of the toughest bosses on the NES scene.Not to sound shallow here, but the graphics were also some of the best on the entire console.It's about time Nintendo gave this series some much-deserved recognition.

UPDATE: The first game was made available on the Virtual Console on January 7, 2008.Show your support for the series by downloading it!

1. Kid Icarus

A game from the NES' earliest days, which combined elements of Mario, Zelda, Metroid and even a sidescrolling shooter stage together into one amazing (but very difficult) game.While it was largely overshadowed by Metroid's huge environments
and creative powerups, it still found some fame; enough to garner a Game Boy
sequel, at the very least.With the confirmation of Pit as a playable character in the
next Smash Brothers game, the Internet's been buzzing with rumors of a new
Icarus title for the Wii.All I can say is is that I certainly hope Nintendo takes the hint and makes one, if they're not already doing so.

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There were a few more I'd thought up in the process of making this list, but I just
couldn't bring myself to replace any of the top ten picks up there.But I'll go ahead and give you the next best thing, a runner-up list.

Runner-ups!

Actraiser - City building and an awesome sidescrolling action game rolled into one.Dark Cloud has the distinction of having a similar premise and gameplay, but I hope Square Enix digs this one out of the old archives and makes a new title with it.

Punch-Out - There hasn't been a new Punch-Out game in thirteen years, and probably with good cause - they're going to be hard-pressed to top the greatness of the four games that are already out there.On the other hand, Nintendo's pulled some surprises before; maybe they can bring Punch-Out out of retirement for its best entry yet.

Bubble Bobble - An undeniable classic on the NES; it also featured a great followup in Bubble Bobble Part 2 (not to be confused with that piece o' crap Rainbow Islands), and the arcade sequels just kept getting better.Okay, I'm really hoping for more of a compilation or a port so that Part 2 can get the recognition it deserves, but I wouldn't mind a well-crafted original title either.The crappy PSP and DS games definitely don't do the series justice.

Incredible Machine - Fun and challenging puzzle series stops dead in its tracks, and I'm left clutching my copy of Toon Machine and wondering why.Hey Sierra, the puzzle genre ain't dead yet!

Joe & Mac - First game was decent, second one was awesome.I'm holding a faint glimmer of hope for a third.Data East may be gone, but in my experience, few gaming licenses fade into the void; more often than not, other companies grab up the rights.Whether they actually do anything with them, though, is another matter entirely.

Adventure Island - Hudson's still around, but this series pretty much vanished in the SNES era.A pity, as all of them past the first were very fun games to play.Higgins returned in Dream Mix TV, but will his game series follow him one day?Well, there's only one way to find out...

- Dudley <- 12:19:37 am, monday, may 7th, 2007 pdt
- Spoony Spoonicus <- 5:04:14 pm, monday, may 7th, 2007 pdt
- Spoony Spoonicus <- 8:33:54 pm, monday, december 17th, 2007 pst
- Spoony Spoonicus <- 11:46:26 pm, wednesday, june 13th, 2007 pdt
- SHITTLE <- 11:33:21 pm, sunday, june 29th, 2008 pdt <- (updated 10:39:27 am, sun, jul 6th, 2008 pdt)