Team Talk | What nostalgia-fuelled favourite should be remade next?

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Don’t adjust your calendars, it definitely is 2018. Spyro’s currently setting the world ablaze, Crash reached all major platforms just a few short months ago, and Sir Daniel Fortesque recently reanimated for a spanking new MediEvil trailer. All that ‘90s nostalgia has us thinking on what old timers we’d like to see make a comeback next.

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by Sam Sant

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by Team PTC

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@pass_controller

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Sam | Ape Escape

If you’ve been following Pass the Controller for a while, chances are you’ve seen me lament the lack of my beloved Ape Escape somewhere on the site, perhaps most recently when it was neglected from the PlayStation Classic catalogue.

This wholesome gem of a franchise was genuinely innovative in its controls and structure, all while remaining supremely accessible. I won’t further sing its praises, having done so elsewhere, but mostly because a recent release makes for interesting discussion.

Sony’s most enduring first-party studio, SIE Japan Studio, just shared superlative action-platformer Astro Bot Rescue Mission with the world. Why’s that relevant? Well, they’re the folks that were responsible for Ape Escape. Having recemented themselves as leaders within the genre, what better time has there been to approve a return?

I’d even welcome a VR game if they wanted to stick with the tech, which was compulsory to Astro Bot. In fact, I’ve specifically asked for Ape Escape to grace PlayStation VR in the past - it’d be a perfect fit!

Chris | Hogs of War

Hogs of War was essentially Worms 3D before Worms 3D was Worms 3D. Two or more teams of belligerent boars face off in a deathmatch with all manner of weapons and equipment, until only one team remains. But, like, in 3D.

If it was re-released now, Hogs of War wouldn't win any awards, much like it didn't when it launched almost two decades ago. The graphics were nothing to shout about, the controls were often clunky and the very idea was a completely unoriginal take on something that had been done before. Hogs of War was at the top of the bell curve in almost every way. I don't state this simply to rip it to shreds, rather to emphasise that, in spite of its shortcomings, it had something.

That something was, for me at least, the campaign. Expertly narrated by the late, great Rik Mayall, the story (filled with as many pork-based puns as the developers could pack in) was firmly tongue-in-cheek with a generous helping of silliness.

The only downside to a remake would be that Mayall couldn’t reprise his role.

Liam | MechWarrior 3050

After much deliberation, my pick goes to SNES action title MechWarrior 3050, a game that came into my possession one glorious Christmas morning way back when.

I can’t remember why exactly you were tasked with stomping around bases and shooting up the place, but I do remember being very impressed with the giant mech on the box and the game’s customisable loadouts. I wasn’t so impressed, however, with how hard it became after the opening level.

It was a problem that couldn’t even be solved with the help of a sibling, thanks to the game’s challenging and bizarre co-op system that saw control of a single mech split between two players, placing someone in charge of aiming and firing while the other person managed navigation.

I don’t know if I was just too young to handle the difficulty curve or whether it was a genuinely unforgiving game, but there’s a massive portion of MechWarrior 3050 that I never got to experience. That’s something I’d gladly remedy should an updated version ever be announced, provided it isn’t equally as hard and I find myself replaying the (admittedly awesome) first level over and over all over again.

Rob | International Superstar Soccer

Another week, another tough decision to make, folks. Many of the great series that I loved as a kid have either already been resurrected (Crash) or aren’t far off making their way back (Shenmue 3, Streets of Rage 4). One series I played more than any, mind, was Konami’s pre-PES arcade festival of football, International Superstar Soccer.

Eyeball destroying colours; fast, fun gameplay; players not belonging to the era; commentary so disjointed it was exquisitely bad - ISS was a most delicious arcade casserole. Whether you played the deep league and scenario modes solo, or enjoyed the gymnastic goalkeepers and banana shots against a friend, ISS provided what Arsene Wenger would describe as "top, top, top-top quality" to the video gaming fussball fanatic.

Unfortunately, though, the lean towards simulation by Konami meant an untimely end to the series not long after the new millennium began. In spite of how much I might enjoy the perfect passing and pace of Pro Evo, or the licensing and attention to detail of FIFA, my heart yearns for a return to the simpler, and ultimately more fun, days of ISS.

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What game would you most like to see make a comeback? Got a preference between our picks? Let us know in the comments below.