Here are my weekly post to the topic:
Consistency when it comes to remakes: As I mentioned before we have seen a few companies remake Double Dragon; however, we have not seen anything coming from any of those projects that would span into some great sequels. I could see DD IOS expanding, but it’s hard to tell. The biggest issue is that these projects are drastically different from each other. One thing I am afraid of is that if they continue to remake the first Double Dragon, with the exception of the hardcore DD fans, people may get sick of playing yet another remake. Say what you want about bandwagon fans, but they are the ones that keep a franchise going. Double Dragon needs a fresh and updated remake that will draw old and new fans alike. Double Dragon has already placed itself as an all-time classic, but like Mario Brothers, Zelda, and Ninja Gaiden, I want the series to keep moving forward. In order to achieve this, some things must remain a part of the games core and a few thins must change.
What can Double Dragon learn from successful remakes such as Ninja Gaiden? The biggest challenge with fans is how can a company make a retro game that feels like a retro game and a new game at the same time? I feel in order to translate a retro game into a new game you need a few things to work.
Elements in gameplay: While a lot of people feel Double Dragon needs to stay with classic gameplay, but for major next generation systems, I feel it doesn’t need to completely stick with the classic format to please old and new fans alike. What it needs is for it to feel like the old game at the heart, but new at the game time. The translation from the NES version of Ninja Gaiden to the Xbox/Xbox 360 versions are a perfect example of this (Note: The reason why I keep bring up NG is because it was my second favorite series of all time next to Double Dragon.):
Nintendo version
Arcade version
Xbox/PS3 version
As you can see the Xbox/PS3 version looks and feels new; however, it keeps the heart of its predecessors as far as look, feel, difficultly, and excitement. Even though Ninja Gaiden, Zelda, and Mario went from 2D to 3D, they found ways to makes their new gameplay feel like an updated version of the classics. This is one of the key contributors to keeping your fans and gaining new ones. As they come out with more series, they will tweak it and add a few new elements to make it work.
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