Somewhere between Chrono Trigger DS and Final Fantasy III DS, it became immediately clear that the gaming industry has been afflicted with a pathological compulsion to "remake the classics." Many video game reviewers (rightfully) see this as a clear sign that game designers are starting to run out of ideas. Rather than preach about the impact this trend will have on the future of the video game industry, I opt for the "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" approach. And yes, even a blight of rehash hell can be a gift horse. Instead of glooming around about the dim prospects of console gaming ten years from now, I'd like to recommend two games that could afford to be remade onto modern gaming platforms.
Terranigma
If you're scratching your head wondering what Terranigma is, you're not alone. While this 1995 Super Nintendo game sold 200,000 copies in Japan, its presence in the American marketplace was comparatively negligible.
Terranigma follows the story of Ark, a mischievous young man who lives in the village of Crysta. One day, his mischief leads him to open Pandora's Box and he embarks on a quest to resurrect the world.
Terranigma is an action RPG; you have stats (strength, defense, luck) that determine your damage output/mitigation and critical hit rates, but all attacks are executed in real time as Ark runs around the dungeon screens. As far as I'm concerned, this aspect of the gameplay was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing. Terranigma could benefit, however, from a revamped message system. The often-glitchy, monospaced text is an eyesore to modern sensibilities.
One thing worth noting is that Terranigma was produced by the game company Enix, which merged with Square in 2003 to form the infamous Square Enix. Additionally, Square Enix is the forerunner in this "Rehash the classics and sell them to modern audiences" trend. However, so far they have mostly been remaking Square games. (read: Final Fantasy.) Why no love for their Enix roots? If any Enix game deserves to be remade, it's unquestionably Terranigma.
Article comments
1 - Kobra
I choose to perceive that nobody had anything to say about this article means that everyone agrees and my opinion is absolutely correct. Either that, or nobody has read it yet.
2 - Asator
I am interested in the game Terranigma now. It sounds like a bit of a classic that got passed by, just like Suikoden did. I'm not sure about Tetris Attack, there seems to be so many puzzle games these days that it would just be "another" brick in the wall of releases.
Good read though, keep it up. I like seeing some opinion on Blog Critics. Inspires me to start up again :)
3 - Kobra
Give Tetris Attack a chance. ;)
Yeah, Terranigma really did not get the following it deserved.
4 - Doug Rosbury
"Games people play" Does not include me.
5 - Kobra
I never called you a game that people play. Not sure what your point was.