15. STRIDER | 1989 | Capcom | Arcade, Playstation, PC
One day this game will get the respect it deserves. Devil May Cry and the beloved God of War 2018 were inspired by this classic hack n slash game from Capcom. Set in the year 2048, our hero Hiyu is a part of a cyber ninja organization (Striders) who have sent him on an impossible mission to assassinate the menacing Grandmaster Meio or continuously die trying.
Strider always felt like Castlevania in space to me, hacking through hordes of enemies with ease while performing gravity-defying leaps at the flick of a button. Another thing that stood out to me was its surprising choice of gameplay locations. A stealth assassin running riot in the Siberian wilderness was not what you would normally expect but Ninjas are worldwide I guess.
The possibilities are endless with what a hard reboot could do to resurrect the franchise. God of War was a 2D esque side scroller for years until it was rebuilt from the ground up into the beast it is now. Another one of the games disciples Devils May Cry would also be a great blueprint to follow, upgrades to Hiyu’s Blade, costume, abilities, and weapons could make him more appealable to the modern-day action-adventure gamer.
14. TENCHU | 1998 | Acquire | PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo DS
Damn that's shiny
Oh, Tenchu, how I’ve missed you. Yep, it’s another Maskless Ninja who should be worshipped due to its influence on stealth games and pop culture in general in the late nineties. This adventure is based around two warriors Rikimaru and Ayame who filter out corruption in the city while serving their lord Gohida. When Gohida’s life is threatened by Lord Mei Oh’s demon servant Onikage, our heroes must protect the city, rescue Gohida’s daughter, and defeat his evil henchmen.
While Tenchu was not the first game to incorporate stealth elements into its gameplay, it certainly revolutionized the genre with impressive takedowns and memorable reactions to warriors spotting you from a distance. Locations are what you expect, towns with high roofs accompanied by flowing streams of rivers you can creep in. The game makes you feel like you really could stealth kill a man 4 times your size then grapple hook away to safety.
Ok let’s address the Shogun in the room, Ghost of Tsushima has pretty much taken the genre even further with its impressive control system, beautiful graphics, and compelling story, but I think that there is still a spot for Tenchu to stealth its way back onto our OLED screens. Bulk up the story, add bounties or a stronger rivalry between our two main characters then watch the Tsushima fan’s heads turn.
13. VAGRANT STORY | 2000| Square Soft | PlayStation 2
There's a fragrance for the vagrant
Now if any game fits the diamond in the rough corner, it certainly would be Vagrant Story. I feel like it got lost in the popularity of Final Fantasy and hordes of JRPG games available. Our main character Ashley Riot, an elite agent known as a Risk breaker is wrongly accused of murdering the duke in the fantasy world of Valendia while investigating his ties to a terrorist cult.
I remember buying this game solely based on the Square Soft name which at the time meant RPG gold. I wasn’t disappointed. The story was complex and the combat system put a lot of MMO games now to shame. Its Fallout-style combat system and ability to modify almost every weapon available make it pop.
The story has Shakespearean Esque dialogue to it and even Zelda-style elements where you could lift boulders and solve puzzles, it’s like 4 games in one. The fact Square was able to bring back Final Fantasy 7 gives me hope that this gem could get polished and taken out of the draw one more time. Update the graphics, simplify the fighting system and expand the world and they could have a winner.
12. DEVIL MAY CRY 2 | 2003 | Capcom | PlayStation
Devils may cry 2
Let’s be honest, Devil May Cry 2 is the unspoken ugly stepchild of the series. No one could comprehend how Capcom messed up the sequel to one of the best action games in the last few years back then. This time our hero Dante, the legendary devil hunter is on a mission to stop the main villain Arius from bringing the powerful demon Argosax into our world, but sadly with a lot less style.
This is certainly the weakest of the series but it had some good points, hence why it’s on this list. The ability to evade attacks, switch between weapons at will and increase in puzzle sections was not a bad addition at all. As always, the music holds up well in a sea of crazy foes and attacks despite Dante suffering from a shocking personality transplant from the previous game.
They obviously have the formula to make it great again, just look at DMC 5, improve the graphics, bring back the silly one-liner and outrageous gameplay then Capcom will be laughing all the way to the bank once more.
11. SOUL REAVER | 1999 | Crystal Dynamics | PlayStation 2
I'm not a zombie, honest
What a game this was. This was like a Greek tragedy, Raziel is a vampiric hero from the world of Nosgoth is betrayed by his father after being seen as a threat due to the power he acquired. He is then given the chance to avenge this betrayal by the elder god after gaining a new ability to consume souls and much much more.
The story really stood out to me and still does. I’ve always enjoyed a good revenge story. You generally root for him through the game. Every time you take a soul or learn a new ability, you generally enjoy trying out Raziel’s new powerful toys on the dozens of enemies that descend upon you.
It wouldn’t surprise me if they were already working on this gem after the recent Tomb Raider reboot a few years ago. Increase the size of the maps, weapons, keeping the tone and style of the older games, while modernizing everything but the story. You just leave the story exactly how it is.
10. SPACE HARRIER | 1985 | SEGA | PC, Megadrive, Master System
I can do this all-day
The Sega golden years of the eighties were grand. Space Harrier embodies the word classic. You play as Harrier, who with the help of a dragon named Uriah must blast though h through multiple strange-looking creatures which started randomly appearing on the planet of Dragon Land, there is nothing quite like Space Harrier and nothing has come near it ever since.
While it may come across like a shoot ’em up, the design, crazy story, and extremely challenging gameplay should not be missed by the older or the younger audience. Flying about with your jet pack while blasting enemies at will makes you feel like you can take on the world, but these foes hit back with an arsenal that is nearly impossible to dodge onscreen at once due to the number of lasers aiming at you.
So how can this baby shine again? Open the world up, keep the spirit of the original but extend the already crazy lore to something that would entice new adventure lovers, why not add a few more characters with different strengths to add more variety to the gameplay?
9. PARASITE EVE | 1998 | Square Soft| PlayStation, PC
The eve of a bad day
At first glance, you might assume that this is just another Resident Evil rip-off, but I think it deserves a lot more respect than that. It’s Christmas Eve in the year 1997, you play Aya an NYPD newcomer who is on a blind date at an opera when suddenly everybody literally explodes in front of her! I’m not joking! They all combust!! Only Aya, her blind date, and an opera singer named Melissa witness everything, not too long after that all sorts of weird creatures start appearing in the city which leads to a bigger conspiracy.
Parasite Eve is essentially an RPG adventure game that slips into the survival horror genre dominated by Resident Evil. The turn-based system flows a lot better than expected and you are given the option to use Parasite energy or alter a decent amount of weapons you have picked up along the way.
Well, if the mighty Resident Evil can do it, why not Parasite Eve? The plot is already perfect so it’s just a matter of tightening up the battle system for the new age, increasing and diversifying the weapons plus parasite energy. Can it be done? Of bloody cause, it can. DO IT. DO IT NOW!
8. GOLDEN AXE | 1989| SEGA | PlayStation
Yeah I know it ain't golden..yet
It’s already a travesty that Sega hasn’t brought this game back at least for all the golden oldies (not me) out there. Any mythical fantasy game will always have my attention. An evil spirit named Death Adder has kidnapped the king, his daughter, and the Golden Axe. Our three heroes Axe Battler, Tyris Flare & Gilius Thunderhead (I miss the eighties) save them. You get to choose out of one of the three warriors who all have their own range of attacks and different ways to put foes on their ugly asses.
Golden Axe was definitely a product of its environment. It only has no more than 6 enemies on screen at a time but I still and will always have a blast button-bashing to it. It’s a pretty hard game so you definitely feel like you’ve been through the wars once you get to the unexpected ending. Essentially it is a good old fashion beat ’em up with great special moves which still makes me smile to this day.
While Hollywood is doing everything it can to bring back everything from the eighties, they seem to be avoiding Golden Axe like a trip to the dentist. While characters have appeared here and there in cameos and terrible sequels, This Is another game that could put the God of war 2018 treatment to good use. Keep all the original characters, make the Death Adder more than a 2D villain, and of course, increase the number of creeps for me to bash up. C’mon Sega.
7. DANTES INFERNO | 2010 | Visceral Games | PlayStation 3
The reapers coming
Now, this was a sleeper, as in most people slept on it completely. I barely hear it mentioned apart from being a God of War clone which I think is unfair. Loosely based on the tale Inferno, you play Dante a Knights Templar who must fight through the Nine Circles of hell to rescue his beloved Beatrice from the clutches of Lucifer. The game was also surprisingly released at the same time as an 18 rated animated movie which I thought was great, bloody, and gelled well with the console version.
While I would be a blindfolded cyclops to not notice the similarities between this and the Kratos driven franchise, the game does make things a lot further with the brilliant yet disgusting creature designs, the screaming souls yearning for help plus the decent combat system that makes full use of Dante’s scythe weapon piercing the flesh of the underworlds brutes.
The game was already a spectacle so I would definitely lean more into Divine comedy elements which inspired it. I would add a Spiderman-style system where the creatures have conversations with each other before they spot Dante running into their path, or a system similar to the Shadows of Mordor where the creatures who have managed to escape remember you later in the game and change fighting style.
I have just found out that a remaster of the game was actually released last year on PS5 so hopefully, that audience can inspire EA to encourage Visceral Games to get on their bike and make the darn sequel or reboot. Or both.
6. Viewtiful Joe | 2003 | Capcom | Game Cube, PlayStation
Viewtiful Joe
I honestly had no idea that this was based on an anime, to be honest. You play Joe, an ordinary guy whose girlfriend is kidnapped by the movie’s villain they are watching in the cinema at the time while on a date (last action hero vibes) As Joe makes his way through the screen, he is helped by the films hero Captain Blue who gives him V watch transforms him into a superhero, Viewtiful Joe.
Now to my knowledge this game was pretty popular and got great reviews when it was first released. The game’s strengths are Its beautiful graphics and flawless special moves which included slowing downtime and performing multiple chains moves works a treat.
The screen is always flooded with enemies to try your moves on and the sound effects compliment the game’s comic book style tone. I have seen the game recently and it certainly holds up well. It would certainly flow very nicely in the current era of comic book movies so why not update it, expand Captain Blue’s lore, and go even more bonkers with the comic book elements of the story.
5. SHINOBI: Shadow Dancer | 1990 | SEGA | Megadrive, Arcade, PC
Just walking the dog
An OG game that transports me back to my childhood. Shadow Dancer was a brilliant side-scroller game that took many hours of my life on a daily basis, night and day. The sequel places our hero with his canine friend on a mission to stop a ninja terrorist gang from causing havoc in the city.
Shadow Dancer is a pretty basic affair. Shoot shuriken’s, dodge gunfire, and use your K9 pal as a weapon as much as he will allow you to it was all very enjoyable in a retro type of way. It wasn’t easy either, the dog shrinks to a puppy if he takes too much damage while the bonus stages were also great fun. I loved the moving backgrounds and impressive landscapes which added a lot more to the 2D action.
Yes, I know Shinobi 3 was brilliant too but I always swayed more to this one due to the dog which made it stand out for me. I think an Arkham World-style makeover would work well with this game with an open-world element to push it even further.
4. SILENT BOMBER | 1999 | Cyber Connect | PlayStation One
I'm happy inside, honest
What can I say? It was a unique bombing game, you play as a reformed war criminal Jutah, a not so silent bomber who is on a mission to out bomb our villain named Dante who dwells in a giant spaceship. Simple but effective.
Look, the game has mecha robots, a weird chess board level, and metal gear solid style character designs which definitely worked for me at the time. Instead of a run and gun game, this is more of a bomb and get out the bloody way which works very well in this adventure. It had plenty of bots to blow up in all manner of ways and an interesting choice of bombs that do devastating levels of damage.
Ok, so this has seriously borrowed quite a few things from the Metal Gear franchise, I would suggest significantly improving the character’s voice actors, some playable characters and maybe going the fallout route of allowing a 3rd and 1st person option at will. A big graphic boost and playing more on to Jutah’s dodgy past could help to make a more appealable story for gaming fans.
3. CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK: ESCAPE FROM BUTCHERS BAY | 2004 |Vivendi | Xbox, PC
I'm ready for the after party
Well, this was a surprise. Despite being a big fan of the film franchise, I expected this to be a cheap movie tie-in with little to no connection to the movies, Boy was I wrong. You of course play as the brooding grunt Riddick who is captured and brought to Butcher Bay for his many murderous crimes. Riddick, with a little help, must escape from a place where no one has ever escaped before. The dreaded Butcher bay.
This game was a treat! Especially for someone who normally hates 1st person FPS games. This of course was the exception. The story is great, the ability to use your night vision eyes to great effect in the stealth scenes works well. The use of light and dark plays a big part in the atmosphere and you generally feel the tension when being chased by inmates and guards wanting you dead.
A graphical clean-up would be the main thing that would need to be done with it at present. The story is already perfect so making the map larger would certainly attract all the Pitch-black fans out of the darkness once more.
2. CASTLEVANIA: SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT | 1997 | PlayStation
I'm coming daddy
How can this one not be on the list? Sadly, this has been left behind by the Devils May Cry & God of War games but would they both even exist without it? Probably not. In this sequel, you play s Alucard, Dracula’s son who is on a mission to stop the resurrection of daddy once more. I don’t wanna spoil any of the twists so I’ll leave it at that.
The attacks, the way the blood sprays all over the place when you slash certain creatures is unforgettable. The shadow Alucard leaves when he jumps and moves, the unexpected change of character and the stunning soundtrack plays out in a way I didn’t envision in a game at the time.
Well, the graphics still hold up but after the great success of the Netflix series, I would definitely lean more into that direction while taking a few notes from the Devil May Cry franchise. It can’t be that hard. Surely.
1. ALTERED BEAST | 1988 | SEGA | Master System, Megadrive, Arcade
Altered beast
Yes, I am aware of the sequels and terrible spin off’s but this one still has a soft spot where my cold heart lives. It was so out there at that time that everyone was talking about it in the playground. You play as a resurrected centurion who is sent on a mission by Zeus to rescue his daughter Athena from the underworld demon Neff. That’s it.
It still gives me goosebumps when our hero transforms into any one of the beasts when equipped with the power or she collects from killing certain enemies. Each one of the beasts’ forms gives you different attacks which all have their own strengths and weaknesses, like most people I was a big fan of the wolf due to his speed and decent powered attacks.
This game is begging to be remade. Properly. The Graphics, leaning more into the gods like Zeus and co and of course making it an open world, it can be done with a lot of care and time. Sega? Please.
