Remakes Number 1

Video game remakes seem to come and go in popularity, kind of like movie remakes.

But there are a handful of classic NES titles that deserve a modern remake, or at least a modern update a la Bionic Commando: Rearmed.

The first one I'd like to see is a remake for Guardian Legend, first published by Broderbund way back in 1988. It's an interesting title, because as far as I know, it was the first (and maybe only) game to combine shmup (shoot 'em up) action with an action adventure format like The Legend of Zelda.

In the game, the player takes the form of Earth's guardian, a mysterious woman with the ability to transform into a space fighter. The game is divided up into several dungeons, with the initial level serving as a kind of hub. To access the other levels, the player must acquire special weapons and keys. These are found by defeating mini-bosses and completing the games flying levels, which contain the main bosses. There were a host of special weapons in addition to the main weapon. The special weapons were powered by a kind of currency that could be found lying about or by defeating enemies. The special weapons could be upgraded twice, which made some of them extremely powerful. The main weapon could also be upgraded, as could the player's attack, defense, and hitpoint stats.

It was a fun combination, I thought, though by today's standards the flying sections might be seen as a little dull (at the time Compile was already legendary in the shmup community). And even though there were plenty of weapons, they didn't all have uses, like a Zelda or Metroid game. Still, in a remake those issues can be addressed. What was great about the game was the sense of forboding and adventure. Something had gone horribly wrong with the planet (the big blue thing on the title screen) and the evil there was headed straight for earth. As a kid I remember wondering what had happened to the creatures that created the planet. Why were they shaped like round blue blobs? Why was the Guardian able to use their weapons? And why was she sent, and not an entire armada?

The game touches on all kinds of interesting themes: megadisasters, lost planets, alien technology, and cybernetic organisms to name a few. In addition, I always got the feeling that the Guardian didn't really have a choice in her Guardianship. In the game's ending, she is seen free from her transforming suit of armor, and seems rather relieved. Perhaps I read too much into it as a kid. After all, I'd be relieved if I just saved my home from impending global catastrophe.

At any rate, there are so many nascent ideas in the game that a remake could really be transformed into a stellar experience. There could be interesting research topics like in Metroid Prime that help fill in the back story. Instead of the weapons being used simply for combat, they could have a more useful function like helping to reach other areas, or defeat specific enemies. I have no idea who owns the rights to the game. Broderbund is still around, but I wonder if they retained the rights or sold them to someone else. As usual, the Wikipedia article is only slightly helpful.

Still, I'd love to see a remake, and I'm sure there are plenty of others my age who have fond memories of their quest through Naju. And if it was done well enough, and entirely new generation would be exposed to this rather unique gaming experience. However, if it managed to be a giant crapfest like the 1942 remake, then it would go back into gaming obscurity, probably forever.

And that would be a shame.

Shadow Complex IS Retro

I've been playing the XBLA game Shadow Complex for a couple of weeks now, and I love it.

Set in the near future within Orson Scott Card's Empire fiction, the game follows Jason Flemming as his hiking date in the mountains of Washington goes horribly wrong. What follows is old-school action at its finest, with a few modern twists.

In fact, the game play is both a copy of and homage to one of the greatest 2D games of all time, the SNES game Super Metroid. Not only is the map system nearly identical, but there's even a Master Challenge called "Jason Bailey," in which the player must collect 100% of the items in the game in under two hours. The reference is to a code that could be input into the original Metroid on NES. On the code screen, putting in JUSTIN BAILEY followed by all dashes in the lower section put the player in the middle of the action with 255 missiles, 5 energy tanks, and a rather underdressed Samus. Hence, the icon for the challenge is a pair of tighty whities.

In addition, as I found out in Game Informer, it turns out that Howard Phillips, who helped bring us the original NES, and Metroid, also helped bring this title to fruition.

But the similarities don't end there. Throughout the course of the game, Jason acquires missiles, super speed, a secondary (and tertiary) jump ability, a grappling hook, and even limited invincibility. But Chair went further and threw in an excellent control scheme. The left stick is for movement and aiming, but the right stick can also be used to aim more precisely, and in any direction. This is an option I would've killed for back in the day, and it really makes 2D gaming shine again. I hope more retro-style games adopt this control scheme.

That said, the controls aren't as tight as some of the older SNES favorites, though they are good. The boss fights are also a little lacking. They're fun and all, but killing generic enemies just isn't as fun as taking on a valued henchman like Kraid or Ridley.

But the graphics and special effects are superb, as is the sound. The cutscenes are even passable and can be skipped (for those high speed runs).

All in all, I think this game is fantastic, and should not be missed. If you have an XBox 360, you need Shadow Complex. And developers, if you're listening, you need to make more budget titles like this one. I've got a kid now, and just can't afford to throw 30-50 hours at a full fledged game. But Shadow Complex was just right, and the high replay value of the challenges and Leaderboards means I'll be coming back to it again and again. Keep this kind of thing coming.

Retro Rules

Retro gaming. Some people hate it, saying the classics should be left alone and not screwed up. Some people love it unconditionally, with a rabid obsession that borders on some kind of clinical psychosis.

I guess I fall somewhere in between. For me it's not about the concept of revamping the classics, it's how well it's done. It's not enough, these days, to simply put a new coat of paint on an old game and call it a day. You need to add new features - expanded content, multiplayer, extra difficulty levels, and perhaps extra characters.

But Peter, you say, where can I find such a game? Well, fortunately for me and you, Capcom has heard our cries. With the release of Bionic Commando: Rearmed last Thursday, the company has demonstrated how to do retro properly (in addition to the Commando and 1942 remakes).

I've had a chance to play it through all the way now, and I have to say, I am very impressed. My hope is that BC: Rearmed will set the standard for retro gaming in the future. There's a goldmine of classic NES and Super NES games that are just ripe for remake. And with XBox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and Wii Games, the distribution channel has never been simpler for the publishers or easier for the consumers.

So what makes Rearmed so great? Since "everything" is not a very good descriptor, I suppose I'll go into a little more detail.

Graphics

If you had any imagination as a kid at all, then that imagination (like mine) probably filled in the blanks left by the NES's rather plain graphics. I'm pleased to say that the brains behind Rearmed have filled in those blanks, and then some. For example, the first level doesn't just have a slick 3-D recreation of the original, but it fills in the background with interesting and beautifully rendered objects - in this case, a series of oil platforms (which is a great way of explaining the barrels).

The main character has been rendered in 3-D as well, with a crazy looking arm attachment that makes him look much more bionic than the original. All of the enemies have been re-done, and look very nice. But they didn't just get new skins - there's great animation, a cool physics model, and nice particle effects on the weapons. In all, the presentation is wonderful, and the graphics are rich and beautiful. The FSA camps (what used to be the Neutral Areas in the original) look especially nice.

Sound

Most sounds are all new, but listen closely, and you'll hear spiffy new versions of sounds from the old game. In addition, the music has been re-created, and is surprisingly faithful to the original beeps and boops of the good ol' NES. I find some of it to be a little too electronic, though. But that's a plague that has overtaken the general population of developers. I don't know what their fascination is with crappy synth-techno-Euro crap, but the sooner they get over it and get back to guitars and symphonic scores, the better.

Gameplay

This is where things get interesting. Rearmed isn't just a spiffy version of the original with 3-D graphics. The whole game has been overhauled. Control is tighter and allows for a greater variety of moves. The story is more coherent. The set pieces themselves make more sense (midgets on giant locomotives? Gone, replaced with tiny tanks inside bigger tanks). Weapons are different, better, and more useful (in the original you really only used the bazooka and the pea shooter) and can be upgraded with secret items.

I'd be happy with just these changes. But Capcom really went the extra mile. Inside each area are one to three secrets. These are either upgrades for your weapons, yashichis, or secret challenge rooms. Most of the levels are built identically to their 8-bit counterparts. However, if you were like me, you tried to get to some places in the original that weren't quite accessible. It's in these locations that Capcom has placed its new secrets. If you've played the original, you know the places I'm talking about. As a kid I was always thinking, "What if they just put something over there, wouldn't that be cool?" It's almost like they read my mind. Fun!

The biggest surprise is the end. Not content to just re-do the final boss sequence, Capcom has re-engineered the entire Albatross super weapon into its own level. Awesome.

But perhaps the best thing about Bionic Commando: Rearmed is the price. At 800 Microsoft Points (around ten bucks), it's a steal, and totally worth it. Like all XBox Live Arcade games, it has a few achievements, and so far I have two. That means fantastic replay value, aside from the challenge rooms (think VR training from the MGS series).

While I do have a few niggling issues with the game, they are far too small to take away the joy of playing this fantastic remake. More of the old classics need to be dusted off and given this treatment, and one can only hope that if Capcom is successful, perhaps other companies (I'm looking at you, Konami) will get into the act as well.