Here comes the remix.

Games are pretty old. Well, older than most gamers anyway. Way back in the 80's was the heyday of the first renaissance of games. And even with the crash at the time, a new generation cropped up even more powerful than the last. And as time went on, nostalgia factored into many gamers perspective. Rose tinting the times we had marathon sessions of Super Mario Bros, or Metroid, or Contra, or Frogger....well you get the idea.

And as time went on, sequels cropped up, usually worse than the originals as it lacked the overall simplicity and innovation the original brought to the table, see Sonic series. Time and again the messed up the formula, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of those that remember the originals and still hold them in high esteem, though now tarnished by the lackluster efforts to wring cash from the corpses of their beloved series and characters.

Lately, however, has been something interesting cropping up. Not sequels but rather returns, or remixes they seem to be dubbed, of older games. Bionic Commando comes to mind, with a new 3d yet 2d refreshing of the old stable favorite. And of course there is the category poster child, Street Fighter II HD Remix, which is what brings this blog to life. In this case, rather than remake the game from scratch, it was refined, polished, and given online capability. Old gamers could relive their childhoods from days of yore standing wide eyed in front of the arcade booth as they pummeled their friends character into submission. New gamers could experience what was so great bout this series in the first place, and have taste of that competition now in an online setting. Yes indeed, it was a welcome change. And soon Ghosts and Goblins is getting a touch up and released into the wild to frustrate a whole new generation of gamers with inexplicably fragile armor.

This brings the question to mind, what else can be rehashed and given a pretty new coat of HD paint for old and new gamers alike? Online Co Op HD Contra? Mowing through enemies using that wonderful spread gun at 1080p? Hell, even include stealing your buddies lives when he runs out, just to get that authentic feel. How about a visit to Metroid with a nice high res rendering? Spy Hunter in hi def? Battletoads to enrage gamers for a new year? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-op ala Castle Crashers? Double Dragon with nice new look and online feel? You can see the possibilities are intriguing and seem to be welcome. With DLC at an all time high, why not take a stroll down nostalgia avenue and revisit these old games with a spanking new look?

Now, I know some will say they should focus on new games and innovations, but we all know they won't. They will keep making Sonic sequels that are less than fantastic to be kind, more Tomb Raiders, more Devil May Cry, more Grand Theft Auto, we know it, no matter how much we complain, sequels will come. So why not devote some time to making the HD versions of our beloved classics so we can share them with our new friends and introduce them to a younger group of players that just might find some time to stop teabagging in Halo 3 or Gears of War 2 to try out some vintage stuff, but with, like, you know, awesome graphics, brah.