Take a classic video game series and pitch a reboot in a new genre!

Rich · 2024-06-25T21:57:35.598Z

Remakes and remasters are all the rage, but what of the less-seen reboot? This is a new game based on a classic game, but, crucially, with a new twist. Not a remake, but a fresh start - specifically, for this bounty, we want your ideas for classic games that would be brilliant if rebooted in a new genre. Fallout would be an example of this done right; the originals were old-school top-down RPGs, then Bethesda revived the franchise as first-person open-world games. Command & Conquer: Renegade is an FPS set in the world of the iconic RTS. You get the idea. Tell us which video game series you're reinventing, tell us which genre you're changing from and to, and pitch us your rebooted game. Tell us everything we need to get a clear and thorough idea of what your new game will be like to play, and most importantly, tell us why you think it'd work! There's a minimum word count of 80 words given the detail we're looking for (but more is better!) The best ten submissions get $2 apiece....

FirestormGamingTeam 7/4/2024, 7:14:03 PM

Command & Conquer Series.

Command & Conquer has always been an RTS (except Renegade) and that game needed more work before it was released, but I would love to see a space version of this game. Right now the Command & Conquer series is set on planet Earth, as much as the series changes and the armies, the enemies, the units etc. It's always set on Earth.

What I would like to see is a space-based Command & Conquer where the game is about:

Resources
Planet Capture
Epic space battles (yes much like Eve Online)
Online multiplayer clans fighting it out for territory and control
Territory management
Actual administration needed per planet
Politics is actually a thing within the game
Single-player campaign for control of the galaxy
New alien enemies on top of Kane/GDI

I believe that series could have had amazing potential had it been turned into a Space MMO with an online element.

For instance, you size a planet, and it has been decimated by war, like other city builders, you need to restore water, structures, and workplaces, and police it, all things that the player would need to do world by world.

This would be my ideal reboot for that series.

Limal 7/4/2024, 9:21:26 AM

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Rebooted as an Action RPG!

I’ve been playing a lot of Animal Crossing: New Horizons recently, and an idea hit me - what if we took this franchise and rebooted it as an action RPG? Here’s my pitch for Animal Crossing: Quest for the Critters:

Overview

Imagine stepping into a fantasy world where you opt on adventures to hunt for rare insects and creatures. The goal? To complete your museum collection, of course! But this time, it’s not just about shaking trees and fishing. It’s about action, exploration, and puzzle-solving in a beautifully crafted 3rd person view to show off those amazing costumes we all love.

Gameplay Mechanics

1. Ancient Temples and Puzzles

Think Lara Croft, but instead of treasure, you’re after the rarest bugs and critters. You’ll solve puzzles to open doors in ancient temples. Imagine having to align mirrors to direct light beams and unlock secret chambers filled with elusive insects or rearranging puzzle elements.

2. Platform Jumping

Traverse dense jungles and leap across platforms to reach the highest points of waterfalls. Each biome offers unique challenges and puzzles - from swinging on vines to using environmental clues to find hidden paths. The excitement of platforming combined with the joy of discovery makes every expedition a new adventure.

3. Procedurally Generated Islands

Every island you visit is procedurally generated, ensuring no two adventures are the same. You travel by boat or plane, each trip bringing you to new, unexplored territories filled with unique creatures and biomes. One day you might find yourself in a tropical paradise, the next in a mysterious, fog-covered forest.

Animal Crossing has always been about exploration and discovery. Reimagining it as an action RPG enhances these core elements while introducing a fresh and exciting way to engage with the world.

Konquest 7/4/2024, 3:21:28 AM

This is the game that I have always wanted since The Sims 1, but with more immersive elements and the best of each of the Sims series. I chose the Sims series because as is, it is one of the closest game that I would say are doing most of the things right. Not the best graphics but acceptable, Modding is easy as there are lots of tools and a good community. Game engine is pretty stable, with my amount of mods I have had almost no CTD.

As of right now, you can go in first person view in sims 4 but everything is still point and click. I know there are games such as the ton of simulator series and second life. What I'm talking about is imagine Sims with the ability to go into First person perspective and having the controls of a FPS game using WASD and mouse.

Instead of in the simulation genre this new game would be Survival/Simulation. You could have other sims follow you such as followers or just leave them to their own freewill, solving their own needs independantly. You can survive either by doing missions/jobs which you will have to actually do, no rabbitholes (In forms of radiant quests) to get money to buy food. You have the option to grow your own food, steal (bring back burglars or let you become one).

Bring back the detailed textures of Sims 2 in foods and the open world elements of Sims 3 where you can go anywhere without any loading screens. Driving cars yourself, or riding in a taxi. The detail customization options of Sims 3 where you can change the color/material of clothes, objects. Add in custom overlays to skins with an uploader so people can have custom skin marks, tattoos, blemishes and more. Imagine the possibilities of a life simulator like this. It would be single player, with the option to play on a public server, upload personal creations or just visit a friend's world. This would be a huge project but if this happens it will be a AAAA Game :)

Sturmer 7/2/2024, 9:39:10 AM

Imagine Roblox meets Dungeons & Dragons, specifically Baldur's Gate

The stunning sales performance of Baldur's Gate 3 and the surge in content creation have shown that people love (still) classic RPGs. They enjoy role play, dialogues, and lengthy storylines (unless that's Ubisoft's copy-paste). The audience also loves variability and game options for creative puzzle-solving.

Roblox's success is undeniable, with people creating worlds for years. There are over 45 million games or experiences created by casual users and professional studios.

So, what if we combine these two worlds? Imagine giving people a creation platform with the ability to make mods or even whole games. Want to create a D&D campaign with all NPCs, quests, and dialogues based on your favorite book? Or perhaps you'd like to design a first-person action RPG with battle royale elements set in the streets of Baldur's Gate? You can design your own reality and share it with other players. And yes, you can even earn money from this activity.

So my idea is to create a gaming plaform based on Baldur's Gate ip, use UE5 engine so people could freely add own assets, and provide flexebility and freedom similar to Roblox.

Juuni 6/30/2024, 2:47:47 PM

OK I think this one would work either direction ...

Resident Evil and Pokemon

so 1. Jill is trapped and left to explore a creepy mansion, solving puzzles in order to try to escape the horror and has to stop to catch all the Pokemon hunting her in all the locations. Pokeballs are the same rarity as ammo, so she can't just catch everything or she'll run out before getting to the boss at the end. But she can use the caught Pokemon to help her fight.

or 2. Your chosen 12-year-old child is told to leave home with the goal of becoming the region's new champion. They are issued 2 healing herbs, a pistol and 1 box of ammo. The rest of what they need they'll have to find on the way. As soon as they hit the beautiful sunny road in Route 1, they already see two zombies shambling towards them. Good luck, honey!

Damo 6/30/2024, 9:00:44 AM

I’d love to see a modern take on the classic Spy vs Spy games from the spectrum days. These were side scrolling 1vs1 where you had to solve puzzles to find all the pieces of an escape helicopter or boat before the other player. You could set traps to try and kill your opponent.

I’d love to see an FPS twist on this. Think of an extended Gulag, where it’s just you and the enemy. You can still set traps, but you could also bring in some hide and seek gameplay. Balance the game with gadgets found around the map like radar or thermal imaging goggles.

There could be multiple maps to vary it up, and it could even be extended to have more than just 1vs1. Potential for an esport classic.

0ffworld 6/29/2024, 5:04:42 PM

I would try to combine elements from the recent Tomb Raider games and mechanics from recent-ish survival games, such as ARK, Rust, Subnautica, and Sons of the Forest, to reboot the MS-DOS classic Jill of the Jungle.

Unlike some of these games, this game would actually be purely about staying alive (as in, not starving or dying of thirst) in a Jungle environment without any guns or supernatural elements. Plus exploring, of course. It's a video game, after all. But there would be no arcade-y building of huts and shacks to create your perfect wildlife retreat.

There would be tree climbing as well as free-climbing on rock surfaces à la Tom Cruise, exploring cave systems, diving and limited underwater exploration, and just general traversal of woodland areas.

For a handful of reaslitic upgrades like flammable liquids or a grappling hook, the map could have a certain number of wrecks from aviation accidents or shipwrecks along the beaches.

I'm not actually a fan of nature survival games because in my opinion they all go off the rails at some point. I'd love to see something that plays a bit like Tomb Raider, including the third person perspective, without the conspiracies, dual magnums and world-ending disasters. Make the map the size of Australia and give it the look of an Amazon rain forest combined with caribbean beaches and outback sandstone monoliths - then set me loose! 🌴🌲🌳

Image credit: Pixelmusement @ YouTube

Retro Stu 6/28/2024, 7:32:19 PM

It may not be old but I'm picking Hollow Knight because I've put so much thought into this over the years.

Hollow Knight but a roguelike/roguelite ala Hades. An isometric take on the world of our pint-sized hero.

All the parts are there, we already have:

Salubra/Cornifer etc. as our merchants
the charm belt would take on the role of boons shaping our build
multitude of biomes to fight our way through
not to mention all the enemies and bosses and possibilities for new bosses to be introduced

Hollow Knight is a great challenge in and of itself but the idea of a roguelike/lite, giving us the chance to keep coming back to try new builds with each run, unlock new abilities and meet new enemies. I for one would be throwing my money at that!

GameofBeardz 6/26/2024, 11:42:16 PM

Animal Horror Crossing

We all know deep down that Tom Nook is a criminal who only cares about how deep his pockets can go. Why does that bear constantly hang around the house? Why has that dog been watering the same patch of flowers for the last hour? How does everyone seem to know what I've been up to for the day?

Animal Horror Crossing: Nowhere to Hide.

Imagine having to survive on an island where the only inhabits are animals that can talk, think and hunt you down for fun but the only way off the island is to pay Tom Nook who has imprisoned you there. You must fish, catch bugs, do anything necessary to make the Bells to get the hell out of there, all the while trying to avoid your neighbours who are out to get you. They want you to stay on the island.... forever.

Makster 6/26/2024, 7:16:09 AM

I would like a Pokemon game Dating RPG.

Almost the same game but with a more a social aspect to it where you are able to become friends with other trainers, travel with them, bond, and of course battle alongside them.
The more your bond grows with your trainer companion the better they perform with you in battle: taking a cue from Persona for example, on your their move they can tag back to your trainer to give you Pokemon another turn.

I think the Pokemon series is full of fun characters that can be explored. Maybe your party can include a junior Officer Jenny and part of her arc is cracking a kidnapping case or an aspiring professor that discovers they're more into treating Pokemon than discovering new ones.

And of course, you can date your favourite Pokemon characters from the series. Something after seeing loads of fan art online, fans would be very happy about

avrona 6/26/2024, 10:08:46 PM

Duke Nukem hasn't had a game in ages, and with its new ownership, there's now a better chance than ever. Now given the draw of the games is to be shocking, I'd say just go all out, be even more grotesque than ever before, and make fun of all the dumb pop culture stuff that happened since the release of DNF. I'd say taking a few jabs throughout the game at DNF would also be great to get some more buzz around the game and acknowledge the very bumpy ride the franchise has been on. Plus being all meta on us would totally be something they'd add into a Duke game.

Basically, if we learnt anything is that controversy sells, and if we want Duke to return in a big way, it has to go all out on that front, but not to the point that it seems too tryhardy in that regard. But it simply has to be irreverent, funny in several different ways, and self-aware, still feeling like a game from the late 90s early 2000s with their sensibilities, but with the context of the modern world.

In terms of actual gameplay, I'd say DNF laid a decent-enough foundation, and with the love for boomer shooters still being very high, I'd say leaning back to what people liked about Duke Nukem 3D and what people love about boomer shoots now, both actual early 3D shooters and modern games that try to resemble those. Duke 3D is still one of the poster childs for that golden age of early FPS games, and now is the perfect time to exploit the love of that period of gaming history.

M

metal_ed666 6/27/2024, 3:02:17 PM

i feel we need a reboot of all the old need for speed games so underground 1,2 carbon, most wanted new engines are out there now the game will look amazing keep the same races story everything just spruce them up for modern age nostalgia for some and bringing a new era to the old school games of yesteryear

Zeref_Vermilion 7/1/2024, 5:11:14 AM

perhaps the classic game "The Legend of Zelda" could be made into a cyberpunk RPG genre.

Imagine in a futuristic world where technology and magic coexist, the once idyllic land of Hyrule has been transformed into a neon-lit metropolis. Towering skyscrapers pierce the sky, and bustling streets are filled with advanced robotics, AI, and augmented reality overlays. Despite the technological advances, the ancient magic of the Triforce still holds significant power, coveted by corporations and underground factions alike.

It seems like it would be interesting if Zelda became a futuristic theme because there would be :

-New take on a classic game: By reimagining "The Legend of Zelda" in a cyberpunk setting, it will attract old fans and new players.

-Rich World Building: The cyberpunk genre allows for deep and immersive world-building, full of interesting characters, complex factions, and hidden secrets.

-Engaging Gameplay: The mix of hacking, magic, combat, and exploration provides a dynamic and engaging gaming experience, with plenty of opportunities for player choice and customization.

AirGaram 7/1/2024, 1:34:39 PM

what i want is a new RTS game like Civilization and Age of Empires, i felt like Mario would be a good one.

we could have the main characters as the 'factions', they each have their own unique buffs they could give to their own kingdom/empire as well as their own theme for their cities. there could be diplomatic relations between players.

winning would be achieved once a player conquered all the lands under a certain amount of turns, or achieve the farthest in research, or through obtaining by collecting/researching certain artifacts.

Shovel 7/4/2024, 7:39:35 PM

One of my all-time favourite games is Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc. I loved the storyline, the levels, and the little extra sidequests, and really fell in love with the characters. My family couldn't afford a PS1 so this was actually one of the first games we plays when we got a PS2.

So my reboot pitch will feature Rayman Hoodlum Havoc, originally it is a platformer game but I think it would be super cool to imagine this as an open-world RPG with a lot of Action.

This reboot will have players explore all the environments where it's more expansive and vibrant, and you will be able to team up to tackle quests and levels. Rayman himself can also upgrade his abilits and weapons through a real-time fighting/combat system and you'll be able to get skill points or xp points which can then be used to unlock new skills and magic.
The storyline itself will have a loose narrative but will have loads of main and side quests. Having this will keep players engaged as they battle the hoodlums.

I want the reboot to keep that charm and humour from the original but also offer a new modern and immersive take that appeals to both old and new players.

TheGreatestBanana12 7/4/2024, 10:38:52 PM

I present to the latest take on grand theft auto - Grand Theft Dating

In Grand Theft Dating the aim is not to commit crimes but to try steal the hearts of prospective dates. Take various NPCs on dates and try get up your wanted level and become that ever so more desirable. The only weapon you need is your sense of charm and good humor so hopefully you will find your perfect match. Fed up of playing single? Then play Grand Theft Dating Online and have the chance to meet real people! Live your life and find that perfect match. Need some extra cash then you can start up your own speed dating location or eve start up your own bar.