How Would You Revive an old Nintendo Series?

[vanguard333]

Here's the scenario: you've been tasked with making a brand new game in one of Nintendo's older series that hasn't seen a new game in years if not decades, such as Ice Climber and Mother (but not something like Star Fox); even better if it was something that never made the jump to 3D. Which one would you choose to revive, and what would the game look like?

[King Marth 64]

I pick StarTropics, EarthBound, and F-Zero series as a deserving franchises needs to be revived. I did heard that Platium Games was going to work on reviving The Mysterious Murasame Castle, but that game does deserve into a Franchise revival since The Mysterious Murasame Castles is one of my favorite NES titles after playing it on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.

Edited January 2, 2022 by King Marth 64

[Lord_Brand]

Easy: The Mysterious Murasame Castle, rebranded simply as Takamaru. That game started out as a sort of sister title to The Legend of Zelda, being a similar top-down action game with elements of fantasy and sci-fi in it. The modern-day Takamaru would be basically Breath of the Wild set in Feudal Japan, with elements of other Zelda titles in there as well.

The plot would revolve around Takamaru searching for a missing princess while combatting the forces of an evil daimyo. Aiding Takamaru in his quest is a kunoichi who is in fact the princess herself in disguise (obviously a parallel to Zelda and Sheik). Their journey takes them all over the princess' realm, through forests and mountains, to sandy shores and misty islands, to bustling towns and sacred shrines, and of course into demon-infested castles. During his journey, Takamaru gathers many items and abilities, including weapons, armor, food, and magic skills. In another parallel to Zelda, you can ride horses.

He also meets a colorful variety of characters, including blacksmiths, priests, shrine maidens, monks, ninja, other samurai, various kami and yokai, and maybe even aliens. Takamaru's kunoichi ally aids him with her ninjutsu arts and stealth skills. The two help each other frequently, and a close friendship develops between them (helped by the princess' romantic feelings for Takamaru).

There can also be references to various bits of Japanese myth and lore, like the eight-headed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi, Son Goku the Monkey King, and the legendary sword Masamune.

Edited January 2, 2022 by Lord_Brand

[Jotari]

I don't feel like the world needs more Mother games. Just a localization of Mother 3.

F-Zero I think is the most obvious one. Mainly because it went extinct just before net play became a thing and F-Zero with Netplay would be absolutely insane. As for how to actually reel in the customers, it would be a bit tacky, but I would include Star Fox and Metroid characters in the game. There's always been that vague overarching "space" Nintendo series that they've poked fun at, codifying it with by including Fox and Samus in F-Zero would be basic bitch fan service, but damnit it would totally work. I'd buy the game just to play as Samus racing in her ship.

It's not really a Nintendo series, but if I were to revive Castlevannia, then I'd make a Circle of the Moon prequel. I really liked the dual card system they had in that game, but I'd rather cards were found by exploring and not randomly dropped by enemies as that sort of nerfed the whole system.

[ciphertul]

19 minutes ago, Jotari said:

As for how to actually reel in the customers, it would be a bit tacky, but I would include Star Fox and Metroid characters in the game

Why have Fox when it already has the superior James McCloud, Little Wyvern is way better then the arwings. I agreed however with being F-Zero back.

Outside of Nintendo, I would love Silent Hill back, Konami is letting to many good series rot.

Edited January 2, 2022 by ciphertul

[AnonymousSpeed]

2 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

Here's the scenario: you've been tasked with making a brand new game in one of Nintendo's older series that hasn't seen a new game in years if not decades, such as Ice Climber and Mother (but not something like Star Fox); even better if it was something that never made the jump to 3D. Which one would you choose to revive, and what would the game look like?

Well, Punch-Out!! Wii came out in 2009, which is about 12 years ago. Is that long enough?

I have a friend who would really appreciate a new Custom Robo game. However, I have another friend who might appreciate a revival of the 1080 snowboarding games, and I find that idea a little more tempting. We haven't seen a new SSX game in a while, so why shouldn't 1080 come in to fill that gap?

I'd be interested to see a reboot of Golden Sun except its plot, pacing, and gameplay are actually good. If you'll let me be serious for a second, I think Golden Sun has wonderful aesthetics and potential for better puzzles than almost any other game series, yet alone JRPG franchises. However, I've played a lot of Dark Dawn and looked at a lot of the GBA games, and whether I was doing so as a kid or revisiting it as an adult, I always end up disappointed. It's just not a very stimulating franchise despite all its promise, and I honestly can't see how anything could be mechanically or narratively gripping while being recognizable as a sequel. It'd need a pretty severe rethink.

Since Smash brothers has peaked and we must concern ourselves with the future, I think Joy Mecha Fight would be pretty slick. Sukapon is a comedy robot that beats people up with his face. What's not to want back?

If we're bringing non-Nintendo franchises into the mix, I'd obviously revive the legendary Mega Man- Star Force. Battle Network had a pretty definitive conclusion after a run as gaming's greatest franchise, where Star Force was canned as soon as it actually hit its stride with its mechanics. Legends fan can get "btfo" as they say.

[Reality]

Custom Robo

Existing games

CR1 (N64) - strange flaw of not letting you change your robo during story mode, only other parts (gun/bomb/pod/legs)

CRV2(N64) - The longest game in the series by far. Really emphasizes the series staples of Aerial Builds dominating over anyone playing on the ground, explosions are physically huge and highly damaging and you can almost do more damage using only secondary weapons and ignoring the main guns entirely.

CRGX(GBA) - 2D game that is almost a spinoff with how different the gameplay is. The menu based world exploration (ala Shadows of Valentia) is kind of a positive in retrospect to speed things up rather than the usual wandering around. *It is vaguely a twinstick shooter with freeflight in a 1v1 box&obstacle arena setup*

CR:BR(GCN) - First to get US release, insanely tutorial heavy. Has a badly paced story that is really funny for 3/4 and then awkwardly tries to transition to serious post-apocalpse. Gameplay is scaled toned down from V2 (8 Robo types instead of 12 + 3models per type instead of 5, global accleration decrease for all movement)

CR:Arena(DS) - Swansong of series includes minor throwbacks/cameos to all 4 previous games. Gets to 13 Robo types, brings the speed of N64 back... but goes out of its way to heavily handedly nerf aerial robots with the few new parts... unfortunatley they are SO oppresive that they are virtually the best anti-air AND anti-ground, arguably the stalest game in the franchise for human competetion.

(Most USA fans only play GCN/DS CR games)

The original series creators did make Synaptic Drive for switch, which was a non IP with "inspired "gameplay, but A: no story mode, B:for every good new feature there were two bad ones C : online only fighting game with switch netplay.

Revival idea

Story - I think the kid-centric story of (all games but GCN) is the way to go

Aesthetic : Living toy/action figure - (all game but GCN) but can be taken further with things like Capcom's Gotcha Force as inspiration.

Gameplay - Structured 1000 HP vs 1000HP (6knockdown fights) , Mostly going with Arena as a base with the following additinons - From Synaptic Drive - Ground Dashes and Wires - From the fangame Cyberspace Girls -  a 3D implemenation of the CRGX only robot (Misty Mirage) with his walk through walls gimmick. and the following hard nerfs - Umbrella Pod, Sky Wave Pod, Gravity Gun, Smash Bomb, Charge Bomb

[Fabulously Olivier]

Golden Sun, built on the Persona 5 Strikers combat and creature collecting.

[vanguard333]

1 hour ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

Well, Punch-Out!! Wii came out in 2009, which is about 12 years ago. Is that long enough?

Now I feel old

Eh... I think, for this, it would have to be something whose last new, non-remake entry was on the GameCube/early-DS era or earlier, and preferably something that didn't already get an attempted revival/reboot.

[Jotari]

4 hours ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

I'd be interested to see a reboot of Golden Sun except its plot, pacing, and gameplay are actually good. If you'll let me be serious for a second, I think Golden Sun has wonderful aesthetics and potential for better puzzles than almost any other game series, yet alone JRPG franchises. However, I've played a lot of Dark Dawn and looked at a lot of the GBA games, and whether I was doing so as a kid or revisiting it as an adult, I always end up disappointed. It's just not a very stimulating franchise despite all its promise, and I honestly can't see how anything could be mechanically or narratively gripping while being recognizable as a sequel. It'd need a pretty severe rethink.

Yeah...that's a depressingly accurate description of Golden Sun. Hey, at least the music was always great!

Edited January 2, 2022 by Jotari

[Interdimensional Observer]

Though I've no interest in playing F-Zero myself after sampling it, I can think of a few ideas for a theoretical revival.:

• Add difficulty options for all ages and skill levels. Though the core physics and highest difficulty should still cater to that aging hardcore space racer group.
• Add a lot of character interactions. A bio page, some terse interviews, maybe an appearance in a tiny story mode, and an ending clip made on acid aren't enough. If a gamer can't fall in love with the gameplay, create a cast that charms them instead. F-Zero has a big zany crew, let them not go to waste.
  • Add this bullet point to the first, and maybe F-Zero could be net-neutral on production costs. I doubt it could ever bring in serious profits.
• This is more my personal critique, but if we're going to have 30-40 racers, could they make the vehicles a touch more distinctive in gameplay?
  • I was thinking of adding several "traits" to the machines. Such as increased spin attack damage, or gradual energy recovery.
    • Just one trait per vehicle, with some repeats would be fine. Assuming the 41 cast of GX/AX, maybe 15 traits total. Each of the first 13 traits would be assigned to 3 vehicles, and the last two could be for special machines, like Deathborn getting his own high-risk & high-rewards one, while Captain Falcon gets something very beginner friendly. 
    • Custom vehicles would be assigned a trait based on the parts used to build it, or the trait could be selected separately. Possibly some additional custom-only traits that are really out there. Not that traits should undermine the smooth racing that is the core of the game.
  • Also, let's not have the letter ratings lie about how vehicles actually perform.

 

1 hour ago, Jotari said:

Yeah...that's a depressingly accurate description of Golden Sun. Hey, at least the music was always great!

It being an original GBA JRPG franchise with some spectacular animations did a lot of good.

Though yeah, Golden Sun needs a great deal of improvement. Better narrative, far more characterization for practically everyone, less itty bitty chatter that seems like so much but says so little. The class system to be much better explained and made useful, summons need a bit of a nerf, weapon unleashes need to be something other than RNG, offensive Psynergy needs to actually be useful other than stuff like Ragnarok and Heat Wave.

So no, it doesn't need to be made unrecognizable. But it needs every facet to be seriously improved upon. Maybe I'm arguing semantics.

Edited January 2, 2022 by Interdimensional Observer

[Jotari]

33 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

It being an original GBA JRPG franchise with some spectacular animations did a lot of good.

Though yeah, Golden Sun needs a great deal of improvement. Better narrative, far more characterization for practically everyone, less itty bitty chatter that seems like so much but says so little. The class system to be much better explained and made useful, summons need a bit of a nerf, weapon unleashes need to be something other than RNG, offensive Psynergy needs to actually be useful other than stuff like Ragnarok and Heat Wave.

So no, it doesn't need to be made unrecognizable. But it needs every facet to be seriously improved upon. Maybe I'm arguing semantics.

I think what it mainly needs on the gameplay front is just more difficult enemies. The gameplay system it has, working around different elements that assist and work against each other, it's good. The ideas are good and there are there and implemented with different types of resistances and stuff...but it's all just completely inconsequential as you can just do whatever you like and easily kill all the enemies regardless because they just never pose any challenge (and any boss that even begins to do so can easily be beaten by just spamming summons). The only enemy in the entire Golden Sun trilogy that's actually engaging to fight is Dullahan.

[AnonymousSpeed]

5 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

Now I feel old

Eh... I think, for this, it would have to be something whose last new, non-remake entry was on the GameCube/early-DS era or earlier, and preferably something that didn't already get an attempted revival/reboot.

Sorry.

Well, in that case I'm afraid I can't suggest "Super Punch-Out!!" for the Switch, even though that's one of the games I would probably want the most.

3 hours ago, Jotari said:

Yeah...that's a depressingly accurate description of Golden Sun. Hey, at least the music was always great!

That's fair, some games don't even get that much.

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

So no, it doesn't need to be made unrecognizable. But it needs every facet to be seriously improved upon. Maybe I'm arguing semantics.

Perhaps, but no objections from me since I like semantics. I agree with most of the points you made, but I didn't say it would have to be unrecognizable as Golden Sun, but unrecognizable as a sequel to the existing games. Djinns, summons, alchemical elements, puzzles based on psychic powers- those should all stay, but the execution probably needs more than improvement. I think the developers would have to step back and fundamentally change how they approached most of those ideas. This applies to the story as well. I know Dark Dawn ended on a cliffhanger, but I can't help but feel indifferent to it. The questions you're being teased with at the end of the game are more-or-less the same ones you were asking near the beginning, so the prospect of satisfying resolution in a sequel (in a franchise with kind of subpar plot development as is) is less than poignant.

38 minutes ago, Jotari said:

I think what it mainly needs on the gameplay front is just more difficult enemies.

The only enemy in the entire Golden Sun trilogy that's actually engaging to fight is Dullahan.

Jotari might disagree with his assessment and perhaps he's right. I didn't fight the Dullahan. That said, Fire Emblem is at least a little bit fun even when you're fighting crappy fighters and bandits, and while a turn-based JRPG is a little different, I would prefer a core gameplay loop which is a little more inherently rewarding.

Personally, I find Golden Sun's class system to be an absolute mess and miserably unintuitive. It's annoying that you can lose psynergy by adding djinn, but it gets even wackier when you can get them back by adding even more djinn later. And then this can all change in the middle of combat. It's never properly explained, but even if it was I can't help but feel it's a poorly done system. You can never really tell what adding a djinn to a character will do except by doing it, and with how many of them there are it becomes impractical to fall back on trial and error.

[Fabulously Olivier]

10 hours ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

I'd be interested to see a reboot of Golden Sun except its plot, pacing, and gameplay are actually good. If you'll let me be serious for a second, I think Golden Sun has wonderful aesthetics and potential for better puzzles than almost any other game series, yet alone JRPG franchises. However, I've played a lot of Dark Dawn and looked at a lot of the GBA games, and whether I was doing so as a kid or revisiting it as an adult, I always end up disappointed. It's just not a very stimulating franchise despite all its promise, and I honestly can't see how anything could be mechanically or narratively gripping while being recognizable as a sequel. It'd need a pretty severe rethink.

You could replace Golden Sun with Xenoblade Chronicles and everything would be even more correct. Which then gets even more accurate in the reply.

 

6 hours ago, Jotari said:

Yeah...that's a depressingly accurate description of Golden Sun. Hey, at least the music was always great!

 

Edited January 3, 2022 by Fabulously Olivier

[vanguard333]

I never actually said what I would do, did I? Well, I'll do so now.

Because I'm not a fan of the more popular examples in this topic, such as Golden Sun or F-Zero, nor can I really think of an old series I'm a fan of that hasn't had a revival, I don't think I could make a proper revival of those series. So, rather than try to revive a series that has a strong fanbase, I'd try to revive one of Nintendo's lesser/more-forgotten titles; the kind that people only know about through Smash Bros. and have no intent on ever playing the original game(s) in that series.

And is there a better example of such a series than Ice Climber? The series that had one game on the NES, was considered mediocre by critics at the time (and to this day), and is only really remembered because of Smash Bros.

 

So, how would I revive it? I'd pull a Kid Icarus Uprising and reinvent the gameplay almost completely from the ground up. In this case, I would probably make it a 3D puzzle-platformer with an emphasis on verticality and navigation. The game would be about climbing mountains, with each mountain acting as an area in the game. Since it would be 3D, I'd probably have to scrap the two-player aspect of the game and instead have to have the 2nd climber be an AI companion or something like that, but, in homage to the original game, there could perhaps be a multiplayer mode. To help make the game more unique, I'd probably also research actual mountaineering for some ideas.

This would likely be a course-clear platformer like Mario Galaxy and Mario 3D World: every mountain has a main collectible to find at the summit and some side-collectibles that can be found throughout different parts of the mountain. There would either be a map that acts as a level-select, or there would be a hub that's a cabin area at the foot of a mountain range.

What do you think?

Edited January 3, 2022 by vanguard333

[Jotari]

3 hours ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

You could replace Golden Sun with Xenoblade Chronicles and everything would be even more correct. Which then gets even more accurate in the reply.

 

 

Oh hard disagree. Even the Xenoblade games I don't like are better made games than the Golden Sun games I do like.

[Lord_Brand]

6 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

And is there a better example of such a series than Ice Climber? The series that had one game on the NES, was considered mediocre by critics at the time (and to this day), and is only really remembered because of Smash Bros.

So, how would I revive it? I'd pull a Kid Icarus Uprising and reinvent the gameplay almost completely from the ground up. In this case, I would probably make it a 3D platformer with an emphasis on verticality and navigation. The game would be about climbing mountains, with each mountain acting as an area in the game. Since it would be 3D, I'd probably have to scrap the two-player aspect of the game and instead have to have the 2nd climber be an AI companion or something like that, but, in homage to the original game, there could perhaps be a multiplayer mode. To help make the game more unique, I'd probably also research actual mountaineering for some ideas.

This would likely be a course-clear platformer like Mario Galaxy and Mario 3D World: every mountain has a main collectible to find at the summit and some side-collectibles that can be found throughout different parts of the mountain. There would either be a map that acts as a level-select, or there would be a hub that's a cabin area at the foot of a mountain range.

What do you think?

I could see a new Ice Climber working as a top-down puzzle game where you slide ice blocks around, collect fruit, stun enemies with your hammers, and navigate around hazards. The game allows you to either control Popo and Nana simultaneously using the left and right sticks or to play with a friend. Outfits grant Popo and Nana new tools and abilities. At the end of each mountain is a boss that the Ice Climbers must defeat.

Each mountain Popo and Nana visit has a distinct theme:

1. Vanilla - The starting mountain that introduces you to the basics like ice blocks, fire, water, high winds, Topi, and Polar Bears. The boss is a Snowman.
2. Forest - Focuses on trees and forest life. The Woodcutter outfit swaps the hammer out for an axe that the Climbers can use to chop down trees.
3. Sea - Introduces aquatic creatures and more water-based hazards. The Penguin outfit allows Popo and Nana to slide across ice and to swim through water. The boss is a Walrus who sits atop ever-shifting ice floes.
4. Spooky - Introduces a sunset timer. The stage starts in the evening, and after a certain amount of time ticks down, the sun will set, prompting ghosts to appear.
5. Magic - Introduces flying carpets and magic blocks that appear and disappear. The Magician outfit allows Popo and Nana to toggle the blocks on and off.
6. Castle - Introduces drawbridges, portcullises, and catapults. The Armor outfit gives Popo and Nana a shield with which to block incoming attacks. The boss is a fire-breathing dragon.
7. Viking - Focuses on the duality of fire and ice. The boss is a pair of giants, one themed on fire and the other on ice.
8. Tech - Focuses on machinery and electrical currents. The Scientist outfit allows the Climbers to operate machinery remotely. The boss is a large robot.

Edited January 3, 2022 by Lord_Brand

[vanguard333]

7 hours ago, Lord_Brand said:

I could see a new Ice Climber working as a top-down puzzle game where you slide ice blocks around, collect fruit, stun enemies with your hammers, and navigate around hazards. The game allows you to either control Popo and Nana simultaneously using the left and right sticks or to play with a friend. Outfits grant Popo and Nana new tools and abilities. At the end of each mountain is a boss that the Ice Climbers must defeat.

Each mountain Popo and Nana visit has a distinct theme:

1. Vanilla - The starting mountain that introduces you to the basics like ice blocks, fire, water, high winds, Topi, and Polar Bears. The boss is a Snowman.
2. Forest - Focuses on trees and forest life. The Woodcutter outfit swaps the hammer out for an axe that the Climbers can use to chop down trees.
3. Sea - Introduces aquatic creatures and more water-based hazards. The Penguin outfit allows Popo and Nana to slide across ice and to swim through water. The boss is a Walrus who sits atop ever-shifting ice floes.
4. Spooky - Introduces a sunset timer. The stage starts in the evening, and after a certain amount of time ticks down, the sun will set, prompting ghosts to appear.
5. Magic - Introduces flying carpets and magic blocks that appear and disappear. The Magician outfit allows Popo and Nana to toggle the blocks on and off.
6. Castle - Introduces drawbridges, portcullises, and catapults. The Armor outfit gives Popo and Nana a shield with which to block incoming attacks. The boss is a fire-breathing dragon.
7. Viking - Focuses on the duality of fire and ice. The boss is a pair of giants, one themed on fire and the other on ice.
8. Tech - Focuses on machinery and electrical currents. The Scientist outfit allows the Climbers to operate machinery remotely. The boss is a large robot.

That could work.

I was thinking 3D rather than something like top-down because I thought that would potentially allow for a greater sense of verticality. The game is about climbing mountains after all, so I thought it would be cool if the player could actually look up at the mountain and get a sense of how tall it actually is. 2D top-down is great for puzzles, but it struggles with verticality. Don't get me wrong though; there are definitely top-down games that have pulled off making the player have to climb a mountain; Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum did that almost perfectly with climbing Mt. Coronet.

Having the player control Popo and Nana with separate sticks is a good idea. My idea of a 3D Ice Climber game definitely wouldn't be able to do that because the second stick would be needed for controlling the camera. The only problem I could see with that is using the hammer would likely have to be on the L/R buttons so that you don't have to take your thumbs off the sticks to attack.

Giving the different mountains different themes is definitely a good idea for adding variety.

[Jotari]

I don't think reviving Ice Climbers would be all that popular. As a brand name it's not going to pull many people in. The original game does not have that much nostalgic appeal, all their relevance comes from Super Smash Bros. I reckon the only reason they ever even got in was for an interesting gameplay mechanic. So if you don't have brand recognition or nostalgia backing you up, all you have is gameplay. But the gameplay loop of Ice Climbers is kind of basic. You'd need to reinvent the whole thing. By which point what's even the point? You don't even have the semblance of a plot to rely on like you do with Kid Icarus. The plot of Ice Climber is, "they climb mountains" that's it, we don't know why or even who they are (or how they're related). It's kind of like reviving something just for the sake of reviving it when you could just make something new. If Nintendo released a new Ice Climber game I'd probably be one of the people most willing to play it, because I'm Nintendo's basic bitch, but I probably wouldn't spend full price on it unless it garnered a reputation as a really fun game.

[AnonymousSpeed]

The Ice Climbers reboot needs to be a gritty hyper-realistic hardcore mountaineering game striving to capture the methodical struggles of actually climbing tall mountains. Sticking picks into the rocks, managing supplies, acclimating, carrying oxygen tanks up steep slopes, being at real risk of frostbite and hypothermia. The game ends as Nana watches Popo climb into the fog at the top of Mount Everest, never to be seen again.

But come on guys, Joy Mecha Fight!

[Jotari]

4 minutes ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

The Ice Climbers reboot needs to be a gritty hyper-realistic hardcore mountaineering game striving to capture the methodical struggles of actually climbing tall mountains. Sticking picks into the rocks, managing supplies, acclimating, carrying oxygen tanks up steep slopes, being at real risk of frostbite and hypothermia. The game ends as Nana watches Popo climb into the fog at the top of Mount Everest, never to be seen again.

But come on guys, Joy Mecha Fight!

Joy Mecha Fight is one I was considering that has potential in a revival. But I haven't played the original so I don't know a whole lot about what unique mechanics it potentially brings to the table that differentiates it from a typical Street Fighter clone.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Metroid Dread already exists, so I don't have a revival idea as perfect as that anymore.

However, if we're talking Ice Climber, look at Celeste. THAT is how you do an Ice Climber game, just nix the air dashing. I've been pinning my hopes on her for this project for years. Write a story about two siblings on a personal quest that gets gradually revealed during dialogues with chill NPCs (polar bear wearing sunglasses? That's a funny way to spell "Best supporting Actor"), the climbers get separated while having some disagreement, they earn new tools to shake up the game play: a hammer to pound switches, an ice pick for a once-per-wall walljump, a belay rope to swing across stuff or lower yourself from a cliff. And then the two climbers unite about a quarter of the way through the game's campaign, combining the abilities they found and allowing for tag in-tag out puzzles a la Gooigi from Luigi's mansion 3. Simultaneous local coop can also be possible from that point forward as well. Add in super hard, yet optional platforming challenges like Celeste does, cooperative moves and actions to exemplify the Climbers' teamwork, a whole lot of stage gimmicks to shake up the gameplay, a Score Attack mode shouting out the NES original with an Online leaderboard, leverage the phrase "From the developers of Celeste" to justify the $20 or higher price tag, and bam, GOTY contender. 

On 1/2/2022 at 6:50 AM, AnonymousSpeed said:

Well, Punch-Out!! Wii came out in 2009, which is about 12 years ago. Is that long enough?

Don't tempt me into releasing my design documents for Punch-Out: Future.

Edited January 3, 2022 by Zapp Branniglenn

[Jotari]

10 minutes ago, Zapp Branniglenn said:

Don't tempt me to into releasing my design documents for Punch-Out: Future.

I officially tempt you.

[vanguard333]

2 hours ago, Jotari said:

I don't think reviving Ice Climbers would be all that popular. As a brand name it's not going to pull many people in. The original game does not have that much nostalgic appeal, all their relevance comes from Super Smash Bros. I reckon the only reason they ever even got in was for an interesting gameplay mechanic. So if you don't have brand recognition or nostalgia backing you up, all you have is gameplay. But the gameplay loop of Ice Climbers is kind of basic. You'd need to reinvent the whole thing. By which point what's even the point? You don't even have the semblance of a plot to rely on like you do with Kid Icarus. The plot of Ice Climber is, "they climb mountains" that's it, we don't know why or even who they are (or how they're related). It's kind of like reviving something just for the sake of reviving it when you could just make something new. If Nintendo released a new Ice Climber game I'd probably be one of the people most willing to play it, because I'm Nintendo's basic bitch, but I probably wouldn't spend full price on it unless it garnered a reputation as a really fun game.

You have a good point; Kid Icarus did have a plot that Kid Icarus Uprising could utilize, and the story was one of the things people enjoyed about Kid Icarus Uprising, whereas Ice Climber had a vague excuse plot about climbing mountains to retrieve eggplants. So, the only things an Ice Climber revival would have to stand on would be gameplay and their appearances in Smash Bros., and Ice Climber doesn't have much to stand on in terms of gameplay.

In regards to reviving something for the sake of reviving something though, I can think of a reason for reviving something in place of making something new: if your plan was to make something new, and it's incidentally similar enough to an old idea that you may as well put the old name on it. Basically this kind of scenario:

Nintendo Employee: "I have an idea for a new game: a puzzle-platformer where you climb mountains."

Nintendo Executive: "So... an Ice Climber game?"

Edited January 3, 2022 by vanguard333

[AnonymousSpeed]

27 minutes ago, Zapp Branniglenn said:

Don't tempt me into releasing my design documents for Punch-Out: Future.

doitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoit