Top 10 Video Games that Deserve Reboots

Number 10: Descent

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Descent was a genre in and of itself. You flew a ship, but all of the action took place indoors, making it at space sim / FPS hybrid. It also introduced players to dizzying three-dimensional combat in which enemies could not only attack from all sides, but from above and bellow as well. A reintroduction to this unique brand of gameplay would be as refreshing today as it was back in 1995.

Oddworld was one of those games that proved that personality goes a long way. While there have been recent attempts to bring players back to Oddworld through spinoffs, we’re in an age where side-scrolling adventures and indie games are making a comeback. The time seems right for a revisit.

Number 8: System Shock

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I know what you’re thinking. Ya ya, Bioshock is technically the new System Shock, the spiritual successor, or so its been called. But lets go back to outer space, can we? The most recent iteration of Bioshock has moved the action outside and given you a companion, taking away the claustrophobic isolation that made System Shock 2 so memorable. Come on, Weather balloons are not terrifying. And bring back the RPG elements, we’re not dumb…

Okay, so this series HAS been rebooted recently, but we’re talking about a good reboot. This shouldn’t be difficult. Guns, Dinosaurs and explosions; listen developers, you have your work cut out for you. No excuses.

Number 6: Dune

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Okay, so the RTS genre dying fast, unless of course you count games with the world “Craft” at the title. So maybe a new Dune RTS game wouldn’t be the greatest investment for sandy publishers. Still, there is so much rich lore to draw from Frank Herbert’s beloved series, it’s a wonder why nobody has tried to make something Dune-themed recently. Who knows, it might spice up the industry.

With games like the Journey and Dear Esther making waves in the indie community, developers must be thinking that it would be a great time for another trip to Myst Island. Myst is the grandfather of minimalist adventure: a game with no set goal, no real enemies, and no threat of violence or death. Some changes would probably have to be made though; did you know that Myst originally shipped with a blank pad for players to jot down notes? That would admittedly be a tough sell today.

Outcast was more of a cult classic than anything, but it’s surprising that nobody has tried to build on the lore that it set in place. Outcast was set in gorgeous, sprawling and fascinating world. Many would love another chance to be the stranger in strange land once again.

Number 3: Dark Forces / Jedi Knight

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We are very aware that there is an oversaturation of star wars games out there, there’s no question. But it’s been a full generation now, its time for another true Star Wars FPS, with light sabers obviously. Force Unleashed was just God of War, except bad, and Battlefronts was a re-skinned copy of the Battlefield games. Get Kyle Katarn back in here.

Like many other entries on this list, Heretic was pretty unique in it’s time: it was a first person shooter, with no traditional guns per say. A fantasy based FPS you ran around with magic staves for weapons instead of shotguns and such. Largely a copy of Doom, Heretic made up for its lack of gameplay innovation with style. Gauntlets that let you shoot green lighting: think of how cool that was 1994. Who knows, modern gamers who don’t dig the micromanaging of RPGS might really enjoy a chance to be a badass mage.

Taking the top spot on our list are these and other space sims. Do you remember those? Man, it’s been a while…We don’t really care which franchise it is, we just want some PEW PEW in space for old time sake. Again, this shouldn’t be hard, why isn’t this happening… Agree or disagree with this list? Which games do you want to see rebooted for the latest generation of gamers and hardware?