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What Game Maker Needs A "Reboot?"

Reboots have become quite popular this generation. We'll see two in the first quarter of next year; Devil May Cry ("DMC") and Tomb Raider.

But what game producer needs a "reboot?" Which video game company needs to reinvent itself most? Which is in dire need of a makeover? Which needs a return to former glory with the help of either a complete overhaul, or a reminder of what initially made their products great? Which needs a big ol' wake-up call?

For me, it's a no-brainer. Square Enix lost its way long ago and to date, there isn't a glimmer of the company that used to be Squaresoft (or Enix, for that matter). Granted, the Square Enix name is on the box of quite a few great titles this generation, but as far as games they make internally and the vaunted Final Fantasy franchise, things have gone terribly awry. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, Final Fantasy is in dire need of a reboot as well. There may be no fixing it now, as Square Enix seems hell-bent on utterly destroying what that award-winning franchise once was but hey, one can hope. Hope against hope, I'm sure, but whatever.

I'm sure others have different answers, though. Which game company would you most like to see get "rebooted?"

Tags: reboots, game reboot, game maker, game publisher, video game developer

12/9/2012 10:25:45 PM Ben Dutka

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Comments (28 posts)

MartyRules
Sunday, December 09, 2012 @ 10:49:01 PM
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I would say Rare, they have made crap these past gens also NanaOn-Sha, theyve been slacking it

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firesoul453
Sunday, December 09, 2012 @ 11:49:25 PM

100000+ thumbs ups!

Rare's n64 games were some of the best games of the generation. Microsoft ruined rare!

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Lord carlos
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 8:54:59 AM

@Firesoul
Rare ruined rare actually methinks as half their staff left after goldeneye and became free radical games which gave us timespiltters and second sight and are now known as Crytek uk. I dont think rare ever really recovered or else they just liked making banjo games.
Last edited by Lord carlos on 12/10/2012 8:55:58 AM

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karneli lll
Sunday, December 09, 2012 @ 11:32:10 PM
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Crystal Dynamics, what i would give for a Legacy of kain series remake,reboot or continuation!

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GuyverLT
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 @ 12:04:20 PM

I was under the impression that they actually are working on Soul Reaver reboot

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Yukian
Sunday, December 09, 2012 @ 11:46:42 PM
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Well, we could catalogue Square Enix's last few Final Fantasies as a reboot of sorts... not a well recieved reboot but we can only hope they do another reboot and go back to their roots. :)

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maxpontiac
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 12:44:07 AM
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For me, this is an easy one and it is Project Aces, the creators of Ace Combat.

Ace Combat is not Call of Duty, therefore it shouldn't feel like one.

Don't force me to play a certain way or shift the focus off the airplanes and if that mean getting rid of the helicopter missions, so be it.

Above all, return the series to "Strangeworld", for it is so much better that way.

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LowKey
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 1:04:24 AM

Agree, I almost cracked and bought the new Ace Combat.... Bought Two Worlds instead. Ace Combat used to be my favorite fighter jet game buut after playing the demo and feeling (or should I say "not feeling?") the controls I was like "Noooope, NEXT!".

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maxpontiac
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 11:40:54 AM

I, like you, are a big Ace Combat fan with my personal favorite being Ace Combat 04.

And while Ace Combat AH disappointed me to an extent, I still purchased it because I want Project Aces to make another one.

The music is great in this one, and once you set the controls to original settings, it plays the way we know and love. My problem with the game is the forced DFM that is required in order to achieve the "Ace" rating. Let me fly around and shoot everything down, thank you very much!

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Phoenix
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 1:10:47 AM
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I'd have to go with SE or Capcom, both have really dropped the ball this gen.

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Beamboom
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 1:43:27 AM
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But are we really talking about Square Enix here? Aren't we now in essence just talking about Final Fantasy again?

As correctly stated in the article, as a *publisher* Square Enix stands behind a lot of great games these years, everything from fun little digital downloads to flagships like Deus Ex:HR and Hitman Absolution. So is it fair to say the *entire* company needs a reboot just cause of one franchise?

For me Square Enix is a publisher whom releases I've found to be of good quality, spanning over a good range of varied experiences. With the exception, of course, of that dead horse you all call Final Fantasy. But how many times do we need to state that?
Last edited by Beamboom on 12/10/2012 7:46:28 AM

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frostface
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 8:24:03 AM

Not sure why you got thumbed down, you have an excellent point there and I couldn't agree more, it's like you read my mind.

I missed the Final Fantasy boat but it's just one franchise, I've been more than happy with SE this gen and I don't think because they've neglected that one IP that they need a re-boot. That's just silly imo. Then again, if From Software messed with the 'Souls' franchise, maybe I'd be acting silly too.
Last edited by frostface on 12/10/2012 8:25:01 AM

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Rogueagent01
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 9:57:15 AM

They also crapped all over what once was a great franchise known as Front Mission so it isn't just about Final Fantasy. And he did point out that he was talking about the internally produced games NOT the games they have published.

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Beamboom
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 10:36:06 AM

Yeah I am aware of that Rogue, but still, SE is so much more than just a developer.

So instead of a series of fanatic attempts to resurrect/reboot/time-travel/callitwhatyouwant Final Fantasy or the entire company behind it - why not just let it lay down to rest while there still is some dignity left in the name. Nothing is meant to last forever, not even Final Fantasy. Or Front Mission, for that matter. Everything has their era.

Cause from my perspective, without the relation to FF as many of you guys have I gotta say that the list of good games this gen they've been responsible of bringing to the market is really quite impressive!
Last edited by Beamboom on 12/10/2012 10:48:18 AM

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Temjin001
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 1:23:15 PM

Squaresoft during the 32-bit era was producing, not just publishing content. Squaresoft had their hand in many RPGs, FF's, Xeno, Chrono, Vagrant, etc., but also many other genres, like side scroller shooters, Einhander, or survival horror, Parasite Eve, or brawler /fighter types, Tobal and Bushido Blade. Of course none of these were esteemed as high as their FF flagship series, still well produced and higher quality than most nonetheless, but Squaresoft back then seemed to be doing a lot more internally then, than they are now.
Games like Just Cause, Deus Ex, Tomb Raider etc., are all strong titles, but they're not developed by Square-Enix.

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Beamboom
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 2:35:35 PM

... But does it really matter that much in whose offices the developers are sitting while writing their code, designing their stuff etc?

If SE took over the companies, moved their employees to Japan and placed them inside their offices, would all then cheer and say "yay SE has resurrected! They now have the developers as employees!"?

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Temjin001
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 3:13:05 PM

It matters because the flavor of offerings have changed. Squaresoft's games had an identity and packaging that felt unified from one family of offerings. There were intrinsic qualities, basically Japanese qualities, that were found common throughout basically every title of theirs.
These days, S-E's published works largely don't resemble that identity from years past, like most eastern franchises. Tomb Raider, Just Cause, or Deus Ex could just as well be published by EA, Activision or Ubisoft. There is nothing about them that feel belonging to one fold. I guess another way to think about this would be to look at Nintendo's in-house development studios. Most of what they produce share an identity and intended audience, despite being different titles, or genre offerings. Back then, whether it was Brave Fencer Musashi or Secret of Mana there seemed to be at least some cohesion, as if Squaresoft could've launched their own console.

Anyway, times have changed and much of what was then, just isn't the way things are now. Gaming is huge and massive in breadth and largely driven by online connectivity. I like being nostalgic about the good o' days but those days are long sense past. So yea, I don't think S-E necessarily NEEDS to change. I say, only those who lived the era in context of this discussion really care. The newer youth who know no different probably don't give a crap and are interested mostly with what's hot and new today. They'll define the future of this entertainment, I say.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 12/10/2012 3:13:36 PM

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___________
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 3:55:12 AM
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i have to choose EA, which is so ironic considering there kinda the best publisher this gen!
they have brought the most amount of new IPs, and most of my favorite games are from them.
i have to choose them though because they brought all these awesome new IPs into the industry, and now am hell bent on turning them into something there not suppose to be!
dead space, army of two, new IPs, and 2 of my favorite games this gen!
dead space 3, army of two the cartel 2 games that look NOTHING like their predecessors!
i also have to mention BF3 and NFS as well, not a IPs but like the above, so, so, SOOOOOOOOOO different from their predecessors!
and BF4 is looking even worse!
as for NFS, well, its pretty much dead.
i wish EA would bring black box back and get them to work on NFS undercover 2, by far THE best NFS game to date!
real cars, based in a open world just like most wanted, but this time the gameplay, cop chases, customization, and features of a NFS game!
shock of horrors for a NFS game to play like a NFS game!
god forbid!!!!!

besides them though, the obvious choice is crapcom.
same as EA, they created some of my favorite series of all time!
devil may cry, mega man, resident evil, and even lost planet.
3 awesome franchises, and 3 awesome franchises they have destroyed this gen!

Last edited by ___________ on 12/10/2012 3:56:33 AM

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Lord carlos
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 8:58:16 AM
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Lucasarts
They used to make really hard games but lately its all been blah blah.

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godsman
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 9:01:55 AM
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It does not need to be a game or studio that turned bad. I say it can be something like God of War!! An awesome game where the story just simply ended on the 3rd game. I believe no matter how you add more prequels, it just won't progress the story further. They can wait 4-5 years and then drop the remake to enhance the graphics and continue the awesomeness and sales!

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Rogueagent01
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 10:04:08 AM
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For me I am going to answer this question in a different way. I don't want or need a reboot of anything(though many are needed), what I really want is some company to bring back the God/Sim games such as SimCity, Railroad Tycoon, Rollercoaster Tycoon, and Theme Hospital. There hasn't been one of these game this gen(that I am aware of) and it is really driving me mad as I love these types of games. I have had to make due with Farm Frenzy 2 and 3 and the Home Tycoon in PSHome but I am sorry that isn't the same nor is it enough.

And no please don't try and lump Civilization Revolution into those types of games, as that game was horrible in all respects(at least for the console).

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Beamboom
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 10:52:18 AM

Are they gone from the PC platform too? If so I wonder why... They are great fun indeed! And the room for improvements on that genre should be almost limitless with additional computing power.

Last edited by Beamboom on 12/10/2012 10:52:50 AM

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Rogueagent01
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 5:56:15 PM

I don't have access to a computer, plus I don't have the urge to want to play PC games. I'm sure there are plenty to choose from on the PC, even Civilization Revolution was actually really good on PC from people I know that played it. I just want them back on the general consoles as well. Like you said the amount of improvements that could have really been fleshed out this gen would have been nice to see just from a console standpoint.

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telly
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 10:46:54 AM
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Remember when Enix's MO was originality? I distinctly recall an EGM interview with one of the executives (this would have been the mid-90s) who said the company always liked to be the first and only person making a type of game so that they would have that particular market all to themselves. What I would give to have that kind of adventurous, groundbreaking philosophy in place there again.

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Condemnedsoul23
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 11:49:11 AM
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Capcom

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Temjin001
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 1:31:46 PM
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It seems every Japanese developer just isn't what they are now, but I do think S-E dropped pretty far over the years. I think SEGA has fallen hardest. Not sure if I want a reboot from them. I like who they are, even now. But they were once a major competitor to Nintendo, and for a shorter time Sony. But SEGA used to produce some of the industries most exciting games: Sonic, Shenmue, Jet Set, Panzer Dragoon, Phantasy Star (16-bit offerings were well respected) the best arcade racers, VF, Streets of Rage, Shinobi etc etc. These days I think only a few get excited for a new Sega game. It seems anymore they just recycle their old classics time and time again and now have receded into a niche hardcore bubble of old time enthusiasts. I almost think of them similarly to SNK. I see Capcom being another real sinker. SF is basically all they have that still commands a lot of respect.

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Temjin001
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 1:35:59 PM

oh, yea, and before EA locked down the NFL license, SEGA's NFL2k series was generally more respected than Madden. Poor Sega.

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homura
Monday, December 10, 2012 @ 1:49:47 PM
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Valkyrie Profile

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