Top ten 8 and 16-bit games that deserve next-gen remakes

10. Metal Gear and Metal Gear: Solid Snake (NES)– We can’t deny that these two were unpopular back then because the graphics weren’t good even at that day and age, and the gameplay was so tricky that it scared everyone away. However, things have changed a lot in Konami and there’s undeniably a gargantuan MGS fan base now. We’ll be seeing MGS4 soon, but don’t we all want to see how it all began in HD glory? It would take a real hater to not want to see Solid Snake and Gray Fox fighting in a minefield in Zanzibar.

9. Circus Charlie (NES)– This was THE party game almost two decades ago! The premise is simple: Your name is apparently Charlie and you work in a circus. For some reason, your boss found a way to get around the labor code and has decided to have you perform all the acts.

That’s just two of the list, eight more tear-inducing, goosebump-producing, and memory-triggering old-school games await after the jump!

10. Metal Gear and Metal Gear: Solid Snake (NES)– We can’t deny that these two were unpopular back then because the graphics weren’t good even at that day and age, and the gameplay was so tricky that it scared everyone away. However, things have changed a lot in Konami and there’s undeniably a gargantuan MGS fan base now. We’ll be seeing MGS4 soon, but don’t we all want to see how it all began in HD glory? It would take a real hater to not want to see Solid Snake and Gray Fox fighting in a minefield in Zanzibar.

9. Circus Charlie (NES)– This was THE party game almost two decades ago! The premise is simple: Your name is apparently Charlie and you work in a circus. For some reason, your boss found a way to get around the labor code and has decided to have you perform all the acts.

In stage 1, the easy part is that you have to ride a full-grown lion, then have the poor thing jump through flame rings with you at its back. In other stages, you dodge monkeys, while walking the tightrope, walk on beach balls, and more. And this was supposed to be a kids’ game? We’d love to do that with great graphics and a motion-sensitive controller.

Let’s all pray hard that “Charlie” gets remodelled as a clown in a bath tub to make it more fun.

8. General Chaos (Genesis)– Before there was Red Alert and Dynasty Warriors, there was General Chaos. This is perhaps the first real RTS and it was a lot of fun to play. The gameplay was simple- you command a platoon of two to five soldiers equipped with everything from assault rifles to rocket launchers and you meet another platoon in a small map. Winning here is all about positioning and choosing the right weapons for the right terrain. Humor is everywhere from the wacky animations to the in-game text. For instance, when you hit the Start button, you get the display “Reality Check” instead of “Pause”.

This game can look really good on the PS3 or X360 if they can deepen the gameplay and give the graphics the updates that the game needs, while maintaining the funny appeal. Perhaps adding vehicles, clever audio and more weapons will give this classic more firepower.

7. Double Dragon- The series was strong in the old days but was weakened and left to rot with a lackluster showing at the 16-bit era. If the next-gen can capture the insane martial arts fun that captivated the older crowd when they were young this can start a revolution.

6. Legend of Kage (NES)– This is the 8-bit era’s answer to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. We’re not sure if the hero’s name is really Kage, but what we do know is that the game made old-school gaming feel like a nice kung-fu flick. Able to leap over tall trees in a single bound and slashing foes with his windmill katana of doom replete with lightning visual effects in the background along with some cool bosses, it really was the stuff that legends were made of.

Now, picture all of this in today’s killer graphics. It won’t be like Tenchu where you have to stealth kill an entire army. This one will have you leap at a horde, take them out and still look good enough to kiss the most kidnapped princess in game history .

5. Gun Star Heroes(Genesis)– Gunstar Heroes, without a doubt, is one of the greatest games of its time. The game took the Contra paradigm into another realm and improved every aspect of it. The weapon system here is the star of the gameplay. Unlike other shooting games from then to now, GH didn’t have weapons that remained the same all through the game. The weapons here could actually be crossed by mixing two different weapon orbs and coming up with a hybrid weapon possessing elements from the parents.

For instance, combining the Flamethrower with the Guided Shot will give you the ability to create a cloud of flame that you can control with the D-pad. Add to that the fact that the graphics in this game were very clean and detailed, the sequences and the bosses were funny and two player cooperative mode was available and you’ve got a winner.

Remaking the game may be challenging, but we say that with some cell-shaded visuals and more innovations with the weapon system, this blast from the past just might rock another generation.

4. Dig Dug(NES)– After playing the Xbox Live Arcade classic, we were almost moved to tears cherishing happy childhood memories of inflating and popping weird subterranean creatures. It was just so fulfilling to kill all the bad guys, leave one alive, inflate him halfway to death, let him deflate, watch him run, then chase him and do it all over again until the urge to pop the poor bastard is too strong to hold back. This was gaming gold and it deserves a lot more than emulation. It deserves a new, sicker version for next-gen consoles.

If they hire Chuck Palahniuk to write the campaign plot and South Park animators to do the visuals. we’ll pay good money to play this!

3. Pooyan(NES)- Now this is sheer, unadulterated creative genius on display. Imagine a huge, cute pig with a bow and an infinite supply of arrows suspended on a cliff on a crude mining lift. The world would have been perfect if it stopped there, but down the cliff is a colony of rats obsessively pumping air into balloons and riding their inflatables to get to higher ground than where your lift is anchored. Their mission? Get as many rats as possible to help push a huge boulder to crush the swine archer before the stage’s time limit is over.

You, the bow-toting pig, are left with no choice but to shoot them vermin down. The game sounds plotless, and in truth, it is. The point here is that this is an already good idea which can be incorporated in a next-gen game. We will never know if Pooyan is the name of the pig, but if we can see him in a Wii platform game in a stage like this, it would really be cool.

2. Shadowrun(SNES)– Shadowrun is among the best and most unique game experiences in its time. The game looked ahead of its time graphically, had decent audio and a storyline unlike any other. It’s a dark, horror RPG which relies a lot on thinking and anticipation. It’s a game that seems ordinary when you talk about it today, but considering that it came out in the early 90’s defines it as a visionary.

We think that this game can be made for a next-gen console if the original author can deliver similar, but fresh ideas to a sequel. If anyone remembers the Constantine game from the PS2, we have a start. The game should play well if the pacing between the action and the role-play can be balanced and if an effective combat system can be devised. An engine similar to Parasite Eve’s would be nice.

1. Balloon Fight(NES)– We chose this one because it has the potential to be a real console-selling game if the companies notice it. The original Balloon Fight was simple but not simplistic. You travel from stage to stage in flight using two balloons. You can fly solo or work with a friend. In every level is a set of enemies that you must defeat. You fight enemy balloon riders by popping their flight systems and watching them fall to the “lake” below where what seems like a giant trout awaits to swallow them alive.

Now think about this – take the original idea and give it a good 3D environment. Use an engine similar to Zone of the Endersor Gundam Mosou where you can fly at breakneck frame rates and perform insane maneuvers. Aside from the standard-issue needle used to pop enemy balloons, we can add all sorts of weapons like nail guns, whirlwind cannons to send enemies drifting uncontrollably, bee grenades and more.

Also, the environments can be improved. Birds who randomly scratch friend or foe would be nice. A lake with piranhas, some power-ups and an online multiplayer map or two where fans can prick each others with giant needle melee combat all day.