Top 5 Games You Didn't Know Were Reboots
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Top 5 Games You Didn’t Know Were Reboots
If at first you don’t succeed…wait, how does it go again? Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 5 Games You Didn’t Know Were Reboots. Before we begin, we publish new videos every day, so be sure to subscribe for more great content.
For this list, we’re looking at entries in video game series that took the story and gameplay in new directions. So much so that many people may not have realized they were playing a game in an already-existing franchise.
This long running action-horror series started way back on the NES as a side scrolling adventure game. While the series has experimented with it’s gameplay mechanics, it’s also spawned over thirty titles. So it’s only natural that at some point the series would get a little stale. Enter 2010’s Lords of Shadow, which you may not have realized was a reboot due to the franchise’s expansive catalogue. While it did keep some elements from the classic games, it also brought new enemy types, unlockable combos, and a third-person perspective. Even if some players missed the foundation of the classic games, these new features helped the game garner critical as well as commercial success.
While the original trilogy in this adventure series was fairly popular, it didn’t reach quite the number of players that the reboot did. This may be due to the fact that the first entry was originally only available for the Apple II computer. Also, by the third game, the series was receiving lukewarm reviews. Nevertheless, when it was time to take the series in a new direction, developer Ubisoft decided to release it on as many platforms that they could. And it’s a good thing they did. Revolving around the incredibly useful ability to rewind time, the game tweaked the familiar combat and mechanics to perfection. This opened the series up to an entirely new group of gamers.
This one is definitely the most obscure game on this list. While most rebooted games are based off of existing franchises, this FPS was a reboot of a single PC game that came out over 15 years earlier. The 1997 PC original received mixed reviews and did little to stand out from the Duke Nukem’s of the time. However, the 2013 reboot faired better thanks to it’s over the top story and fun gameplay that had you slaying hordes of demonic enemies. It even got a sequel in 2016 that added enjoyable co-op features, meaning we’ll probably be seeing a lot more of this series.
It’s weird to think that Nintendo would reboot a game just four years after it’s release, especially a successful one. The original “Star Fox” was groundbreaking at it’s release, though the graphic capabilities of the SNES weren’t powerful enough to show off what the Big N really wanted. Which is exactly why they decided to scrap the already completed “Star Fox 2” and start from scratch with their new and improved hardware, the Nintendo 64. Praised for it’s graphics, voice acting, and multiple game paths, “Star Fox 64” resembled what the original should have and still holds up 20 years later. Now if only they could recapture that magic.
Like many RTS games, this franchise started out on the PC way back in 1994 with “X-COM: UFO Defense.” The game was successful and received a few sequels before the cancellation of two upcoming games. Much like “Shadow Warrior,” many people may not have known that the 2012 release was actually a reboot given that the last game came out 11 years prior. It was a risk for publisher 2K Games that paid off. The reboot reinvigorated the addictive and intense turn-based action the series was known for. Console releases also helped them to reach new audiences and it was even given an expansion pass and later on a sequel.
If at first you don’t succeed…wait, how does it go again? Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 5 Games You Didn’t Know Were Reboots. Before we begin, we publish new videos every day, so be sure to subscribe for more great content.
For this list, we’re looking at entries in video game series that took the story and gameplay in new directions. So much so that many people may not have realized they were playing a game in an already-existing franchise.
#5: “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” (2010)
This long running action-horror series started way back on the NES as a side scrolling adventure game. While the series has experimented with it’s gameplay mechanics, it’s also spawned over thirty titles. So it’s only natural that at some point the series would get a little stale. Enter 2010’s Lords of Shadow, which you may not have realized was a reboot due to the franchise’s expansive catalogue. While it did keep some elements from the classic games, it also brought new enemy types, unlockable combos, and a third-person perspective. Even if some players missed the foundation of the classic games, these new features helped the game garner critical as well as commercial success.
#4: “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” (2003)
While the original trilogy in this adventure series was fairly popular, it didn’t reach quite the number of players that the reboot did. This may be due to the fact that the first entry was originally only available for the Apple II computer. Also, by the third game, the series was receiving lukewarm reviews. Nevertheless, when it was time to take the series in a new direction, developer Ubisoft decided to release it on as many platforms that they could. And it’s a good thing they did. Revolving around the incredibly useful ability to rewind time, the game tweaked the familiar combat and mechanics to perfection. This opened the series up to an entirely new group of gamers.
#3: “Shadow Warrior” (2013)
This one is definitely the most obscure game on this list. While most rebooted games are based off of existing franchises, this FPS was a reboot of a single PC game that came out over 15 years earlier. The 1997 PC original received mixed reviews and did little to stand out from the Duke Nukem’s of the time. However, the 2013 reboot faired better thanks to it’s over the top story and fun gameplay that had you slaying hordes of demonic enemies. It even got a sequel in 2016 that added enjoyable co-op features, meaning we’ll probably be seeing a lot more of this series.
#2: “Star Fox 64” (1997)
It’s weird to think that Nintendo would reboot a game just four years after it’s release, especially a successful one. The original “Star Fox” was groundbreaking at it’s release, though the graphic capabilities of the SNES weren’t powerful enough to show off what the Big N really wanted. Which is exactly why they decided to scrap the already completed “Star Fox 2” and start from scratch with their new and improved hardware, the Nintendo 64. Praised for it’s graphics, voice acting, and multiple game paths, “Star Fox 64” resembled what the original should have and still holds up 20 years later. Now if only they could recapture that magic.
#1: X-COM: Enemy Unknown” (2012)
Like many RTS games, this franchise started out on the PC way back in 1994 with “X-COM: UFO Defense.” The game was successful and received a few sequels before the cancellation of two upcoming games. Much like “Shadow Warrior,” many people may not have known that the 2012 release was actually a reboot given that the last game came out 11 years prior. It was a risk for publisher 2K Games that paid off. The reboot reinvigorated the addictive and intense turn-based action the series was known for. Console releases also helped them to reach new audiences and it was even given an expansion pass and later on a sequel.
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