Turning 80s cartoons into next-gen video games

Most 80s cartoons were made to help market toys and other franchise-related merchandise. We’re wondering if that Saturday morning magic will work on this generation’s electronic occupation.

Given, the huge buzz generated by the now in contention Ghostbusters’ game (thank the gods Dan Akroyd confirmed it), it seems there are a lot of franchises from way back when that could get a great boost if it gets adapted for our gaming interests.

But how would these 80s cartoons translate into “generation now” video games? Which platforms would each game be for? How would each game play? This article will imagine what would happen if we turn 80s cartoon shows into “generation now” games.

We’ll start with two 80s cartoons that share the same universe (yes 80’s uber geeks, we know that Etheria and Eternia are different places, but the two series did cross multiple times) He-Man and She-Ra, and then we’ll move from there.

Read the rest of the article after the Jump!

Most 80s cartoons were made to help market toys and other franchise-related merchandise. We’re wondering if that Saturday morning magic will work on this generation’s electronic occupation.

Given, the huge buzz generated by the now in contention Ghostbusters’ game (thank the gods Dan Akroyd confirmed it), it seems there are a lot of franchises from way back when that could get a great boost if it gets adapted for our gaming interests.

But how would these 80s cartoons translate into “generation now” video games? Which platforms would each game be for? How would each game play? This article will imagine what would happen if we turn 80s cartoon shows into “generation now” games.

We’ll start with two 80s cartoons that share the same universe (yes 80’s uber geeks, we know that Etheria and Eternia are different places, but the two series did cross multiple times) He-Man and She-Ra, and then we’ll move from there.

Hallowed Castle Grayskull

Given that Etheria (She-Ra’s world) is ruled by Hordak and his intergalactic Horde and that She-ra was originally from He-Man’s relatively backwater world of Eternia, it’s easy to conjure a multi-planetary sword/sorcery/sci-fi game setting. It also helps that we already have a vast corpus of spin-offs, remakes (He-Man got remade back in 2002), and comic book/movie versions of the Universe.

If you’re a table-top RPG junkie, you’re probably making up systems and factions in your heads right now. Imagine: multiple planets, the great religion of Grayskull, odd magic, factions, empires, and floating mages with yellow beads for eyes and big “O”s on their chests. That’s a lot of material to play with and anyone planning to create a game out of this will likely have a field day.

So how would the a next-generation gen-now game for this beloved 80s cartoon look like? Given the presence of multiple worlds, and a religion of sorts (the power of Grayskull), we’re thinking that a KOTOR-styled RPG story structure – meaning good dialogue, a non-linear story, and fair cutscenes – added with a dash of Kingdom Hearts II action-oriented gameplay (sans the bad camera) would be great for this. Given the bucket loads of power this might require, we’re thinking that the PC would be a great platform for this game.

Your lead character will be a “Hero of Grayskull” or some similar faction, and the non-linear story you’re going to plow through will feature multiple cameos by beloved characters from both cartoons. Lots of action, lots of rock throwing, swords, sorcery, useless sci-fi vehicles, cool mounts, and amazing transformation sequences when you call upon the “Power of Grayskull”.

Hippie communes and blue-skinned communists

We’re bunching the Care Bears and the Smurfs together because both have had multiple videogames before, both have this happy feel good feel to it. We’re also bunching them together because we think they’d make awesome handheld games.

A Care Bears platformer can really take advantage of the stylus. Imagine having to “pen-in” Care Bear Stare arcs to hit wandering baddies. Imagine having to blow into the DS’ microphone to create cloud puffs for your bear to jump in. Imagine having to switch Care Bears because each has powers that are only helpful in certain situations. Cool, right?

As for the Smurfs – those lovable blue skinned communists – we’re thinking that a nice 3D cell-shaded, Crash Bandicoot-styled platformer for the PSP would be a great Smurfs game. Riddle the game with multiple unlockable, Pop-cap styled casual games, and the re-playability would go through the roof.

Of course, to add a bittersweet, this-isn’t-as-cutesy-as-you-think-it-is element to the game, we’d have to amp up the evil-ness of Satanic Sorcerer Gargamel and his now Smurf-eating cat Azrael. Come to think of it, Azrael would make a nice recurring mid boss, wouldn’t he?

The Rockstar Life

Inter-Band rivalries and sabotage, secret identities, holographic technologies, and two person love-triangles. Jem and the Holograms was one insane 80’s cartoon, and a generation-now game for it would have to be just as insane.

We’re going to need a Wii for this one.

Imagine taking Guitar Hero rock and roll fantasy gameplay, and then mix it with some Wario Ware Smooth Moves-styled mini-game insanity. Some of us have always wanted to use the Wiimote as a guitar and we’re thinking that it would be great with Guitar Hero-styled concerts, and we’re thinking that a Jem and the Holograms game would be a nice place to showcase a Wiimote-air-guitar.

What about the mini-games? Well, Jem and her band the Holograms go on tour regularly, and they constantly have to fight off sabotage attempts from rival bands The Misfits. The mini-games could stand in for conflicts like these. A bad performance in the mini-game would then mean that The Misfits sabotage attempt was more successful, and thus increase the difficulty level for the next concert.

Since the cartoon was full of semi-soap opera complications, multiple endings depending on concert performances would be nice. Will Jerrica Benton get together with band manger Rio Pacheco? Will Jerrica be disappointed because Rio acheco loves her alter-ego Jem more? Oh the drama!

Futuristic Weaponry and Feral Instincts

The 80s definitely wasn’t short on 12-year-old, bot-oriented action cartoons. And given that the 12-year-old kids of yesteryear are probably old enough now to spend 600 bucks, old-school action cartoons like M.A.S.K., Sky Commanders, and ThunderCats, would make great action games for the PS3.

Mask and Sky Commanders could adopt Grand Theft Auto‘s free roaming mission-based sandbox gameplay, only this time add in amazing physics provided by the Cell Processor.

Moreover, since both cartoons involve alternate weaponry and odd means of vehicular travel, SIXAXIS controls would be great. Imagine having to pilot one of those transforming vehicles using the SIXAXIS tilt-sense? Imagine having to jump Laser Cables and having to balance Laser Cable travel?

The ThunderCats setting would definitely make for a great Dynasty Warriors-styled game. Perhaps even a polished-up (less gameplay hijinks) Ninety Nine Nights-styled game, where you can select a ThunderCat and finish the game using that ThunderCat, then restart the game using a different Thundercat and get a different perspective on the story; hopefully this time (this is something that Ninety-Nine Nights failed to do), you get very different gameplay.

Rainbow Colors and Connecting Robots

What does Rainbow Brite, Mighty Orbots, and Voltron have in common? They’re nice, bright, and colorful. Given that the Xbox 360 is often wrongfully accused of not having family-friendly content (ViVa Piñata people!), nice bright and colorful action involving Rainbow Brite, the Voltron Force, and those Mighty Orbots will definitely be welcome.

Some of you guys are probably saying that Voltron isn’t as nice and happy as Rainbow Brite, but Rainbow Brite isn’t that ditsy either. It’s all a matter of presentation really. Just look at this short snippet we got from Wikipedia that talks about Rainbow Brite’s backstory: “In the franchise’s backstory, a little orphan girl named Wisp is taken by a Sphere of Light to a land without color.” That sounds like the premise for any of the many “serious” fantasy novels out there.

Moreover, Voltron’s been cut to death anyway, all the bloody violence, and murder, and whatnot have been cut out of the version that we saw on TV, so Voltron could be a relatively light G-rated action game.

Why the Xbox 360? Well we’re just thinking that games featuring episodic content would be nice for these shows: Download the next mission for the Voltron Force next week! Only on Xbox Live.

The Big Names

What?! An 80’s nostalgia piece and no mention of GI JOE and the Transformers? Fine, fine. We’re going to think up games for them. We’re a bit reluctant about thinking up games for both titles because each has had a number of console games before. But since we’ve got a job to do, here we go.

There have been games for either title before on previous gen consoles, but most of them were action games or platformers. We’re thinking about taking the both franchises in new directions. We say, allow the fans to create their own Transformer or their own GI JOE.

Some of us at QJ have suggested that these games would make nice MMORPGs. Given that most character-creation engines in MMOs are attribute-based, and each Joe and Transformer seems to be a nice mix/match of attributes and skills, an MMORPG would be great for these shows. Also, each show features two major opposing factions. Cobra, the JOE’s, Autobots, and Decepticons just scream Alliance and Horde to some of us.

Moreover, now that some MMOs like Hellgate: London and Tabula Rasa are starting to mix in some FPS elements, making MMOs for either show seems very do-able. After all, both shows involve a lot of blaster fire.

Okay, so that’s at least one 80s game for each platform already. This article is just about done. But, before we go, we’ll leave you with something that causes a lot of people to cover up in shame.

The 80s character that really, really needs a game.

Whatever happened to Captain N: The Game Master? Yeah, he came out in 1989 making him a borderline 80s character, but still. He trumps everyone in the product promotion category. Armed with a magical Light-gun (the Zapper), and a NES controller (the Power-Pad) filled with Nintendo Power, Kevin Keene and his painful-to-the-eyes yellow shirt, was the Ninty fanboy ideal.

He needs an upgrade. He needs a Wii make over. He also needs a new game. What? Why not? Nintendo characters regularly cross over in Smash Bros, why not in a Captain N game?