Pag on Games

We all have a few favorite games in genres we wish were revisited more often. Sadly, lots of genres fell in popularity for one reason or another. Some of those genres are ready for a revival — here’s my pick.

• Turn-Based Strategy
  Turn-based strategy games used to be really popular until their increasing complexity relegated them to obscurity. The Japanese have kept the genre alive through their “Simulation RPGs”, but American turn-based strategy games are rare. The rise in popularity of online multiplayer would be perfect to bring new life for this genre — the turn-based nature of the games mean you don’t have to play them in real-time against your friends and you’d always be able to find new challengers.
• Adventure
  Ask anyone what their favorite games of the 90s were and you’re sure to hear mention of Monkey Island or Day of the Tentacle. Since then LucasArts has focused on all things Star Wars and Sierra is but a shadow of its former self. Where have the great adventure games gone? Improved technology would not only improve the experience, it would allow more interesting gameplay. Adventure games that are less linear and feature interesting moral choices could push video games in new directions.
• Flight Sim
  Whether realistic or space-based, flight simulators have all but disappeared. With console controllers sophisticated enough to support the depth of flight sims it would make sense to bring back the flight sims, yet they’re still extremely rare. This genre’s complexity was one reason of its demise, so efforts at revival should try to keep all the gameplay depth while keeping things simple. Fast-paced action would probably be more popular than realistic simulators.
• Robot Sim
  Driving a 30 feet tall robot in MechWarrior remains one of my best gaming memories. Why do so few games try to get back to this feeling of driving a huge walking machine of war? How cool would it be to drive a mech in Iraq in an alternate-present game? The challenge in reviving this genre would be to find the right balance between making it approachable while not making it feel like just a first-person shooter in a mech.
• Pinball
  How much more casual than pinball can you get? It’s perfect for the Wii: one button on the wiimote and the nunchuck for the flippers, and you shake them both to shake the machine. All the fun of old arcades back in your own home! It would sure beat another mini-games collection.

So, what’s your favorite genre you wish was revived?