What Am I Missing Out from Recent Video Games?

As you can probably tell from my previous video game posts, I don't have the most varied amount of video game experiences that you'd expect from other Youtube channels as well as actual reviewers from other sites. That being said, I do want to get into other franchises at SOME point, especially when I start to have more financial support from a proper career in the near future. With all that said, let's take a look at some game franchises that I want to visit and some games that I want to make full playthroughs. I won't count franchises that I've generally covered in the past, so no Mario, Sonic, Star Wars in this case.

1. Duke Nukem and Doom

Let's get this out of the way: I've played the 2016 version of Doom as well as a Switch version of the old game. I want more from this game series, and the same can be said for a similarly done video game, that being Duke Nukem. I kinda like the look of Nukem more solely for the fact that he's the epitome of the action hero that is seen in Western media, but he wears it well and is capable of making others hail to him as the king. Also, he may have come after the movie They Live, but he makes the line "it's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum" sound way cooler from him than the protagonist of that movie. These games are not only technologically advanced at the time of their release, but they also provide quite a look at how hardcore games were without feeling too cheesy with the hardcore look. While Rob Liefeld's characters may feel a little funny to revisit, I don't get that feeling with Duke. 

2. Halo

This franchise is one I've always wanted to explore the moment I saw it many years ago. Halo's the flagship franchise of Microsoft's Xbox consoles, but you probably know that by know. What you may not know about is the fact that I've gotten aware of Halo through the chit chat some 5th graders had back then as well as a viral video where Master Chief ELBOWS Voldermort and jumps around in the ending of Harry Potter's final movie. I'm tempted to begin with the Master Chief Collection when I can get it and see what I've been missing for God knows how long after seeing nothing but that viral video, some bits of gameplay, and having a soft spot for the character Master Chief.

3. Simpsons Hit and Run/The Simpsons Game

Remember when I shat on Simpsons Wrestling? Compared to Hit and Run as well as The Simpsons Game, Simpsons Wrestling is NOTHING! One game is an open-world rendition of the iconic city of Springfield with just about everything you could ask for from the Simpsons series, while the other is all about putting you in the most iconic moments of The Simpsons' many, many episodes. I'm a fan of the series, even if it's gotten a little lackluster in recent episodes (also before Disney got involved with Fox properties). Still, these two games are an example of what made the series great in general, along with stuff like the vaporwave scenes, some of the references it makes, the foreshadowing nature of the series, the arcade, and Steamed Hams. If we never get a remaster of either video game, then I'll still happily make do with the older hardware these games were released to go with at the time.

4. Spyro

I have tapped into the Crash series fairly well, but the same can't be said for the Spyro series. And it's a shame because I feel Spyro adds to what could have been a massive library of video game IPs from Sony. Not that they needed to, but if there's anything to be said about their early PS1 days, they could have treated Universal/Naughty Dog with the same level of dedication that is seen with other video game IPs from different companies (even if there are some things that make their technicality different from, say, Mario and Halo). Still, I've seen bits of the Spyro Orange tie-in with Crash Purple, both on the GBA, and I've also seen ALL THREE Remake or Rebreak videos made by ExoParadagmGamer; now I must try out the original trilogy and see how the other games fare. I'll go with the Reignighted variant, BTW.

5. Pretty Much Any Superhero Series

I have tapped into plenty of video games for different superheroes. , yet I envy those that got into other entries where it feels more eventful in recent years. Games like Spider-Man PS4 and the Batman Arkham series are perfect examples of how to make modern video games based on comic book characters. The sucky thing about these recent games is that it feels as though it's always about Spider-Man and Batman. Don't get me wrong, I love these characters, but I want to see how developers can make another game for The Hulk while making it challenging for an otherwise OP character. Or why not have something like a video game based on the Suicide Squad? I'd love to see a new X-Men game or a remaster of one of the older ones or even an open world Blade game! Hell, make a Superman game that's GOOD for once?

6. The Legend of Zelda series

I've tapped into series like Mario and Kirby while my brother has been fairly obsessed with Pokemon. We've both tried out the Smash series, and now I want to go deep into the Zelda series. We've obviously seen Link in the Smash series and play as him along with other characters like Zelda/Shiek and Ganondorf; I've also beaten the Four Swords Anniversary game on the DSi. Truth be told, I'm not even done yet. While it may not be possible for me to try out EVERY single game in the series, I'm willing to play ones like A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and especially Breath of the Wild. OoT itself will be the 3DS version because it does what Super Mario 64 DS did and enhance the gameplay on top of adding other things to make it better as well as being portable.

7. Deus Ex

Remember that meme featuring JC Denton across different social media accounts' profile pics? Well, if you set aside that weird moment, then you may find the Deus Ex series to be pretty interesting. I'd say it's one that I'm sure video game enthusiasts should try out when they're done with the bigger franchises. JC's personality alone sold me on it, what with it feeling like a cross between your slick undercover agent mixed with some of the mannerisms of an incarnation of Batman. I've...got nothing else to say but I'll be back when I finish at least the first game!

8. Metroid

Much like with The Legend of Zelda series, I want to tap into the Metroid series very soon. It stands out among your average Nintendo IPs with a tone that feels a lot sharper than almost anything they've put out as well as aesthetics that feel isolated from stuff like Mario's cartoony looks or Link's fantasy theme. Nevertheless, I want to see how this franchise fares in terms of worthwhile gameplay, though I will say that I am aware of some of the disappointment fans may have with Other M and especially Federation Force. For now, we shall wait for what's to come with the Switch installment Metroid Prime 4. In the meantime, I shall take a look at the other games as well as possibly see how Metroid: Samus Returns compares to AM2R.

9. Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated

There are plenty of other good Spongebob games out there, but I want to get Battle for Bikini Bottom first. Thankfully, there is a remake of that exact game, and it's out now! I'm sure a handful of people reading this may think "pfft, you added a Spongebob game but not X or Y", but to tell you the truth, glorious cartoon games are hard to come by, but much like the Simpsons games I mentioned in this list (minus Wrestling), Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is a video game based off a cartoon IP that's very good, and I do mean VERY good. It's not half-assed to take advantage of the series' popularity because it's clear that the developers put in a great amount of heart into this remake; whether it's the visuals better fitting in with the world of Bikini Bottom or the references made to the Spongebob lore, this game makes for a worthwhile remake to a game that may seem as though it's meant ONLY to cash in with the show. I'm sure some will say "nooooo this game has mixed reviews and is from a TV show that I dislike just because my friends hate it", but I say back "hehe, Spongebob go 'cluck cluck'"

10. Pretty Much Any Retro Game

Much like the superhero section of the list, I'm generally interested in seeing some of the older games that aren't necessarily Nintendo or Sonic related. You see that Turtles in Time and Ecco are in the image I selected. They're some of the examples I have in mind for playing old video games from a time where the NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, PS1, Dreamcast were around. I want to go for an adventure on Ducktales for the NES, beat up thugs in Batman Returns for the SNES, see why people associate vaporwave with Ecco the Dolphin on the Sega Genesis, try out the legendary Goldeneye 007 on the N64, see the predecessors to the third game of the Tekken series on the PS1, and drive a Crazy Taxi on the Dreamcast!

And that's pretty much it for this list. I'm sure some will ask me about why I didn't add franchises like Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, or Kingdom Hearts. I'm sure some will ask me if I will try out Klonoa or Battletoads. Truth is, I'm focused on these examples mentioned for the time being; however, that doesn't mean I'll never play those titles ever in my life, so rather than being a straight "no", I'm going to say that we'll talk about that later, as Snake Gaiden once said.

Plus, if you keep annoying me, I'll have Time Gal crushed under the might of Beast Wars Megatron...

So that covers the fourth post of my video game week. Tune in for the final post where I cover what I want from video games in general! Until next time, don't vex me if you want Time Gal to survive.