threevue

This week I’m publishing a three-part series concerning franchise reboots (you know, when a series gets “reinvigorated”/”reinvented” rather than work on a new IP). Here are what I consider the five worst reboots, followed below by the five best reboots, and finally five games that could use a sequel.

These are the ones that got it right. And honestly, to create a stellar game is probably really hard work; but to create a stellar game that stays true to something made a long time ago has probably got to be even harder. So my hat’s off to the following:

5. Street Fighter
Series peak: 1993 on Arcade, SNES (Street Fighter II: Turbo/Hyper Fighting)
Rebooted: 2008 on Arcade, Xbox 360, PS3 (Street Fighter IV)

This reboot isn’t even out yet, and it’s already made my top five. What Capcom did right is that they are sticking to the series’ roots - nay, returning to the series’ roots after several lame attempts at keeping the series up with the times. Apparently they’ve learned their lessons and realized that they got it perfect in 1993, and their best plan of attack is to re-introduce the once-perfect game to a whole new generation of kids. At best, SF4 will keep kids up at night, dreaming about dragon punches. At worst, it’ll be a nice little nostalgic fix for the rest of us.

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4. Contra
Series peak: 1988 on NES (Contra)
Rebooted: 2007 on DS (Contra 4)

The Contra series found its ideal home, after nearly 20 years of wandering: the Nintendo DS. It fits perfectly with the platform’s two screens and portability. And I like how the two screenshots above aren’t all that different from each other, even after two decades of technological upgrades. And while this new DS game probably didn’t make a ton of new fans, it sure as hell satisfied everyone that remembers the old series.

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3. Ninja Gaiden
Series peak: 1989 on NES (Ninja Gaiden)
Rebooted: 2004 on Xbox (Ninja Gaiden)

Let’s face it. The Ninja Gaiden trilogy on the NES was wrought with too-difficult baddies and pretty crappy controls, and after many frustrating sessions I never want to play any of them ever again. But this 2004 franchise reboot did something that very few reboots have done - it improved upon the series. So much so that it has become its own entity, independent of its origin. And if you ask me (and my aching childhood thumbs and teary childhood eyes), that’s pretty awesome. Now if only they had toned down that infamous difficulty during the reboot.

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2. Dr. Mario
Series peak: 1990 on NES (Dr. Mario)
Rebooted: 2008 on Wii Ware (Dr. Mario Online RX)


Aside from a few ports and a N64 game, Nintendo has left Dr. Mario alone for a long time now. That is, until last week when they released Dr. Mario Online RX. They got everything right - they stayed true to the original for those that still aren’t ready to move on, while including a whole new game for those ready to step it up a bit. That and they gave us what we really wanted - online support. Now if only I was any good at this game, I wouldn’t be so hesitant to jump online and get wailed on.

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1. Super Mario Bros.
Series peak: 1990 on NES (Super Mario Bros. 3)
Rebooted: 2006 on DS (New Super Mario Bros.)

How do you dethrone a king? Very quietly. Compared to SMB3’s historic debut, the DS’s New Super Mario Bros. was released with a whisper. But luckily, people know a good thing when they see it, and even during Tyler’s stint as a Gamestop employee this franchise reboot was the one DS game he could guarantee to any player as a must-have title. With ever-increasingly difficult/complex Mario games coming out, it’s great to see that not only can Nintendo release a game that’s true to its roots, but still add enough fresh ideas into the mix to impress even the most jaded gamers.