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LFTE: Some Games Should Never Die (Oct 10)
As a connoisseur of games, one of the greatest things that happened in 2009 was the release of the God of War Collection. Not for the obvious reason that it is a great bundle of amazing products slapped together as one cheaper piece of software; its genius lies in the fact that it updated a beloved game with today's technology so God of War could continue to be relevant in the video game world.
Sony Computer Entertainment followed up the God of War Collection with the announcement of The Sly Collection, which releases later this year. Same modus operandi - keep the classic gameplay but update the graphics and throw in some new bells and whistles for good measure. Kudos to Sony for its historically savvy vision of the future.
While playing StarCraft 2, the desire to relive the glory days of the original hit me like a ton of bricks. However, to my disappointment, the game is trapped in old resolutions and even has some minor issues working with modern day operating systems. Obviously, this isn't the game's fault (and yes, it is "playable"), but it's a crime that so many great games are headed down a path of extinction. If it barely works now, what will it play like in 12 more years when StarCraft 3 comes out?
Updating past glories, or in this case releasing a special edition or collection with improvements, not only gives the old guard the opportunity to replay a classic, it gives new gamers a chance to experience some of interactive entertainment's greatest triumphs.
My mind reels with possibilities: Warcraft III, Deus Ex, System Shock, Grand Theft Auto III, Ico, Mortal Kombat, and even the original Halo. I could go on and on. I want these games to get a loving makeover by their creators and be reintroduced to the gaming public. These classics - and hundreds of others - deserve to live on forever outside of emulators, dusty old consoles, and low-resolution 4x3 aspect ratios.
It's been done before, and it will be done again, but I would love to see these collections become the standard operating procedure for the hits and cult classics that have defined video gaming for all these years.
Cheers.
What games do you think should never die?
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