N64 Connoisseur

5 Games That Need Current-Gen Sequels

When I was just a wee lad, growing up in the mean streets of Spring Hill, FL, Nintendo released a console that would greatly impact the rest of my life to date.  That console, as you may have gathered from the title of this feature,  is the Nintendo 64.  I remember my father having to sell me on it because I wanted a PS1 and we could only afford one or the other.  He said, “This thing has 64 bit graphics.  It will never get better than this.”  Snicker if you will, but he sold me.  He was partially right, too.  Games have gotten prettier, yes, but better?  Not necessarily.  N64 games brought something to the table you couldn’t print on the back of the box.  They brought originality,  heart, ingenuity, and produced good old-fashioned, down home enthusiasm for nearly every title (sorry, Superman 64).  That’s something I wish I saw more of in our current-gen consoles.  Still though, I always wonder what would happen if some of those games that essentially formed me as a gamer, finally got their sequels on current-gen consoles. I thought of 5 in particular, that I would like to see more of.

5.  MISCHIEF MAKERS
This game is one of my guilty pleasures, I must admit.  If there is one thing I love making, it is mischief.   This is such an underrated platformer.  It had everything we had come to love by this point in gaming.  It incorporated elements from games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Streets of Rage, & the Marios.  It had a killer soundtrack, and it was actually pretty challenging in parts.  Why do  I want a sequel?  Because if they kept this game following the same basic format but without the storage limitations of the cartridge, there could easily be 100+  hours worth of game play.

4. HYBRID HEAVEN
This was another awesome game you probably skipped.  Shame on you.  Hybrid Heaven was very unique at the time, in fact the N64 hadn’t seen anything like it when it was released.  It had an odd kind of hybrid (no pun intended) RPG/action element where you still had puzzles to solve and free movement but a turn based combat system.  The tl:dr version of the plot: You are a synthetic human hybrid that winds up fighting aliens so that he can meet his girlfriend underneath the Christmas tree at Times Square.  There is a bit more to it than that, but that’s a pretty good synopsis.  So, why do I want a sequel?  As funny as it sounds, the plot actually had me captivated.  Aliens are trying to replace the government with hybrids, you are one of the hybrids, sticking it to the man, er, alien.  It just seems to me like it would make an AWESOME trilogy.  Plus it was made by Konami.  Much love, Konami, much love.

3. GLOVER
 This one hurts my heart because there was actually a sequel planned that got scrapped.  Hasbro, you tease.  You dirty, dirty tease.  Glover was a fun little platformer whereby you were a magical glove, named Glover, who was attempting to restore a kingdom by finding crystals while battling your nemesis glove, Cross-Stitch.  You have a rubber ball that both helps and hinders you along the way that you can transform into 4 different forms depending on the task at hand.  This game is one of those very innovative, original games I was talking about.  With a cool concept, cool character, and good use of said character and his ball, I really dug this game.  Why do I want a sequel?  This game was fun.  Like, “Oh dear why is it 6 hours later and I’m late for work?” kind of fun.  My life could use that kind of fun again.  Similarly to Mischief Makers, I feel like there could be a ton more game play in a current-gen release.  So, Hasbro, get on it.  Finish Glover 2.  I have spoken.

2. JET FORCE GEMINI
The fact that this game does not have a sequel is mostly, well, your fault.  It didn’t sell very well but, boy it should have.  It’s a 3rd person shooter that has you playing the role of the last 3 remnants of Jet Force.  You are the last chance to stop the evil Mizar and save the Tribals.  Each of the 3 team members had different abilities and you had to strategically pick them for each mission to complete the game.  It was a very serviceable concept.  Would you like to know what was really flipping awesome about this game?  Non split screen co-op.  I know you kids take it for granted now, but in my day, if we wanted to play multiplayer, we squinted at tiny boxes on a 26″ Magnovox tube TV. AND WE LIKED IT!  This was the first shooter I played that had this feature.  It also had the traditional death match so you weren’t deprived of accusing your friends of screen looking.  Why do I want a sequel?  Multiplayer.  They could do so much more with today’s technology in the realm of this game’s multiplayer capabilities.  Also, I would legitimately like to know what happens next for the Jet Force Gemini team.  Yeah, they saved Earth, but then what?  Hopefully one day I find out.

1. CONKER’S BAD FUR DAY
This is number 1 for a reason.  Rare, Microsoft, what in the name of sweet sweet polygons is going on here?  This game is number 3 on my list of all time favorite games behind Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.  It was completely unlike anything we had ever seen on a Nintendo system.  It was raunchy, it used foul language (bleeped), & it had a flower with enormous…… heart.  This is, without a doubt, the funniest game I have ever played.  Every NPC, every enemy, every pop culture reference was spot on and hilarious.  On top of all of that, it was actually a great game.  It played well, had a fun story, and you found yourself genuinely enjoying playing it over and over again.  Why do I want a sequel?  Rare is now owned by Microsoft, if you weren’t aware.  Microsoft would really let this game run wild.  I know Nintendo did a great job of letting loose on this one, but you could tell they still held on to the reins a bit.  I’d love to see a continuation of the story with a higher level of just uninhibited fun.  Microsoft, if you’re reading this, I don’t want a Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts kind of sequel.  Neither does anyone.

That does it for me in my first feature here at 1 More Castle.  I’m very excited to be joining the team and from here on out, you’ll be hearing from me on a bi-weekly basis.  Tune in next time, when I try to break the 1 More Castle record for hate mail produced by a single feature.