Koei/Tecmo Warriors.....come out to play!!!!!!
My first foray into the Warriors franchise was back in college. I was in a club that primarily focused on science fiction, games of all kinds, and animation of every genre. One of our members brought in the latest iteration of Dynasty Warriors for the PS2. Now, initially, I had no real opinion on the game series or its proper. But, once I saw it in action, it hit me like a ray of light. It was just like the beat 'em ups and the hack-and-slash games of my past. I remembered fondly those weekends dedicated to playing games like Knights of the Round, Final Fight, Golden Axe, Double Dragon, and of course, Turtles in Time. I was saddened that there was no real version of these types of games on next generation consoles. Then, this series shows up, and I was in awe. There were a litany of characters to choose from, different campaigns to traverse, power-ups, assist characters, and even a level-building system where you could add to your defense and offense in many ways. Later on in my life, I owned a game for the PS3 from this Warriors franchise, but it is no longer mine. It wasn't until later that I learned that Nintendo had their own spinoff game in this franchise called Hyrule Warriors. Yes, that's right. This series spun off into the likes of Gundam, One Piece and even Fist of the North Star. But now, Legend of Zelda got the nod. I owned the game, played it, sold it back thinking it wasn't for me, then repurchased it changing my mind. To this day, the game has a ton of DLC, a bunch of items and weapons, and characters that represent practically every Zelda game ever made (save for Philips CD-I...because, well, no!) Then, I go to thinking....what other franchises could get the Warriors treatment? Well....
Here are my top 10 franchises that deserve to have Warriors games made based on them. For this list, I'll look at the various franchises that I feel could do wonders in the world of Warriors. I was going to put Fire Emblem here...but once I found out they would be getting their own game in this series on the Nintendo Switch, I have disqualified it...and have planned to secure it once it was available. Woot woot! Having said that, let's get down to business. Now, to be fair, this isn't limited to franchises that just use weapons. Why? Because the games made with One Piece and Fist of the North Star as the backdrop don't quite use weapons, if I recall. Either that or it's just Fist of the North Star that doesn't use weapons...at all. Now, with all that settled, let's get to it:
Here are my top 10 franchises that deserve to have Warriors games made based on them. For this list, I'll look at the various franchises that I feel could do wonders in the world of Warriors. I was going to put Fire Emblem here...but once I found out they would be getting their own game in this series on the Nintendo Switch, I have disqualified it...and have planned to secure it once it was available. Woot woot! Having said that, let's get down to business. Now, to be fair, this isn't limited to franchises that just use weapons. Why? Because the games made with One Piece and Fist of the North Star as the backdrop don't quite use weapons, if I recall. Either that or it's just Fist of the North Star that doesn't use weapons...at all. Now, with all that settled, let's get to it:
Final Fight
Oh yea! That's right. Final Fight. Forget Streetwise. This is the Final Fight experience I'd like to have. Trekking through the Metro City Streets clobbering and clocking a bunch of goons and hoods until you get to your destination. Power up your moves, skills, and possibly even give certain characters weapons. Since weapons can be used, you can make weapons exclusive to some characters, and even make them all Final Fight weapons like the pipe, the sword, the knife, the 2x4, and the Tonfa to name a few. As for who's in it, it's more like who isn't, right?
Cody, Guy and Haggar will return. Joining them has to be Kyle, Cody's brother, now that he's in the Final Fight Universe. Maki should return along with Lucia and Dean from Final Fight 3. And yes, this would also mark the return of Carlos. So, you have a solid 8 characters to choose from: The Travers' boys (Cody and Kyle), The Bushin Family (Guy and Maki), The Metro City Law (Haggar and Lucia) and the mysterious loners (Carlos and Dean). Since picking bad guys for campaigns is always a norm in this series, I can see Rolento, Sodom, Andore, Edi.E, and at least DamnD being selectable characters. Oh, and let's not forget Poison. So, solid roster, choice of weapons or fists, an expansive setting...yea, this could work.
Golden Axe
One of the original hack-and-slash classics of old, Golden Axe is perfect for this series. You have weapons, a slew of baddies, the standard tough bosses to work through, and of course, super powered magic attacks that can carve through a bunch of people. How has this not happened yet? Golden Axe definitely gets my vote for the Warriors treatment.
If this is going to be done right, you have to have the original three: Tyris Flare, Ax Battler, and Gilius Thunderhead. Anything less would be criminal. Other additional characters should definitely come from the various video games in the series, be it from the second or third games or the arcade games. Either way, this series is practically Tailor-made for Warriors.
Final Fantasy
There aren't many Square-Enix games that can fit into this game franchise. Currently, Dragon Quest has the nod with Dragon Quest Heroes 1 and 2, blending RPG elements with the Warriors style of play. That's been pretty well-received, but could Final Fantasy do the same, or at least go straight Warriors in their implementation? I think so.
I can already think of Limits as a means to focus attacks. Summons may also make for a great mega group attack as well. However, in the character department, the games with more personalized characters will definitely get representation. If not that, then the games with the most popular characters will. I can definitely see Cloud, Tidus, Yuna, Tifa, Aeris, Sephiroth, Barrett, Cid, Yuffie, Vincent Valentine, Squall, Lightning, Kain and a variety of other characters from Final Fantasy I, II/IV, III/VI, VII, VIII, IX, X and onward. I guess the question would be whether or not to blend more of an RPG approach into the game like Dragon Quest or to just go with the Warriors approach and attack, attack, attack. Time will tell.
There aren't many Square-Enix games that can fit into this game franchise. Currently, Dragon Quest has the nod with Dragon Quest Heroes 1 and 2, blending RPG elements with the Warriors style of play. That's been pretty well-received, but could Final Fantasy do the same, or at least go straight Warriors in their implementation? I think so.
I can already think of Limits as a means to focus attacks. Summons may also make for a great mega group attack as well. However, in the character department, the games with more personalized characters will definitely get representation. If not that, then the games with the most popular characters will. I can definitely see Cloud, Tidus, Yuna, Tifa, Aeris, Sephiroth, Barrett, Cid, Yuffie, Vincent Valentine, Squall, Lightning, Kain and a variety of other characters from Final Fantasy I, II/IV, III/VI, VII, VIII, IX, X and onward. I guess the question would be whether or not to blend more of an RPG approach into the game like Dragon Quest or to just go with the Warriors approach and attack, attack, attack. Time will tell.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
It's been a struggle to really get that one TMNT game to be as solid and as stupendous as the original arcade game as well as its awesome sequel, Turtles in Time. There have been those that were close, those that were far off, and those that didn't even bother to be like those games. So, I figure, if you want to do this right, give us a TMNT game and make it with Warriors.
Obviously, the four Ninja Turtles will be in the game. I can make a case for Splinter to be a character of choice here, as well as Shredder. I can also see some other characters being added to the mix like Karai, Aska, and Usagi Yojimbo. They are great for this game. I can also say Slash and MetalHead are made for this, too. Definitely have to have Casey Jones in this game, and not to mention April O' Neill. Other characters can come from the pantheon of TMNT characters like the Mutant Frogs, Mondo Gecko, Krang and the Utroms, and the like. I'm really surprised this hasn't been attempted yet. But, better late than never. Oh, and also, definitely come to terms with the content of this game as to whether or not we are doing with the new CGI series or something different...and definitely appealing.
It's been a struggle to really get that one TMNT game to be as solid and as stupendous as the original arcade game as well as its awesome sequel, Turtles in Time. There have been those that were close, those that were far off, and those that didn't even bother to be like those games. So, I figure, if you want to do this right, give us a TMNT game and make it with Warriors.
Obviously, the four Ninja Turtles will be in the game. I can make a case for Splinter to be a character of choice here, as well as Shredder. I can also see some other characters being added to the mix like Karai, Aska, and Usagi Yojimbo. They are great for this game. I can also say Slash and MetalHead are made for this, too. Definitely have to have Casey Jones in this game, and not to mention April O' Neill. Other characters can come from the pantheon of TMNT characters like the Mutant Frogs, Mondo Gecko, Krang and the Utroms, and the like. I'm really surprised this hasn't been attempted yet. But, better late than never. Oh, and also, definitely come to terms with the content of this game as to whether or not we are doing with the new CGI series or something different...and definitely appealing.
Double Dragon
Known as one of the godfathers of beat em' ups, Double Dragon has done it all. It's been represented on multiple systems, has had a cartoon series, has been on film and has recently been rebooted for us gaming fans. It has even crossed over with a few other gaming series like Battletoads and Power Instinct. But, we never really had a Warriors game. There have or can be multiple reasons as to why not, but let's say that Double Dragon did. Sounds pretty cool if you think about it.
Billy and Jimmy are your characters of choice, to be sure. They will more than likely be going with the hand-to-hand approach, like Ken's Rage. However, weapons will more than likely come into play as there are many in Double Dragon. They include knives, dynamite, rocks, boxes, barrels, staffs, nunchakus, and even baseball bats. What does make this game interesting is the amount of challenge that goes into finishing it. Yes, the bad guys are smart enough to be a pain, but not super smart. The bosses are smarter, if not tougher, than that. So, other characters of some good use may come into play. As to whom, well, that's up to the developer, really. In any case, I'm all for this game series. And if not, hey, we can always go for River City Warriors. Not quite the godfather, but definitely an innovator and cult classic of a series.
Known as one of the godfathers of beat em' ups, Double Dragon has done it all. It's been represented on multiple systems, has had a cartoon series, has been on film and has recently been rebooted for us gaming fans. It has even crossed over with a few other gaming series like Battletoads and Power Instinct. But, we never really had a Warriors game. There have or can be multiple reasons as to why not, but let's say that Double Dragon did. Sounds pretty cool if you think about it.
Billy and Jimmy are your characters of choice, to be sure. They will more than likely be going with the hand-to-hand approach, like Ken's Rage. However, weapons will more than likely come into play as there are many in Double Dragon. They include knives, dynamite, rocks, boxes, barrels, staffs, nunchakus, and even baseball bats. What does make this game interesting is the amount of challenge that goes into finishing it. Yes, the bad guys are smart enough to be a pain, but not super smart. The bosses are smarter, if not tougher, than that. So, other characters of some good use may come into play. As to whom, well, that's up to the developer, really. In any case, I'm all for this game series. And if not, hey, we can always go for River City Warriors. Not quite the godfather, but definitely an innovator and cult classic of a series.
Dungeons and Dragons
Now, this may come as a surprise to some of you, because the game of D & D is heavily driven by role-playing. After all, it's one of the first role-playing games ever made. What is public knowledge is that there have been many video games bent on the franchise. One such game is the Mystara series brought to us by Capcom. It was a 2-game, 4 player, hack-and-slash game, starring an elf, a cleric, a dwarf, and a fighter. In the sequel, a magic user (or wizard) and a thief were added to round out the cast. You had the ability to dash attack, jump, buy and use weapons, spells and even go in different paths to the end. Now, with that said, why not a Warriors game, eh?
Like Golden Axe, this game should definitely have their originals from the Capcom game or don't bother. And in this case, I'll say, all 6 characters. After this, some additional characters can be accounted for, all within the wheel-well of D&D. In fact, it would be nice if this game allowed for some customized or created characters since D&D is open to various character types. Either way, this is a winning situation to say the least.
Now, this may come as a surprise to some of you, because the game of D & D is heavily driven by role-playing. After all, it's one of the first role-playing games ever made. What is public knowledge is that there have been many video games bent on the franchise. One such game is the Mystara series brought to us by Capcom. It was a 2-game, 4 player, hack-and-slash game, starring an elf, a cleric, a dwarf, and a fighter. In the sequel, a magic user (or wizard) and a thief were added to round out the cast. You had the ability to dash attack, jump, buy and use weapons, spells and even go in different paths to the end. Now, with that said, why not a Warriors game, eh?
Like Golden Axe, this game should definitely have their originals from the Capcom game or don't bother. And in this case, I'll say, all 6 characters. After this, some additional characters can be accounted for, all within the wheel-well of D&D. In fact, it would be nice if this game allowed for some customized or created characters since D&D is open to various character types. Either way, this is a winning situation to say the least.
Samurai Shodown
This is one of my favorite fighting game series and what I feel is vastly underrated as a series. However, some of its forays outside of fighting games have been hit or miss. In fact, some of the series' forays into 3D fighting have been mostly miss. So, what if Samurai Shodown becomes Samurai Shodown Warriors sometime? I'd say Samurai Warriors, but there already is a game by that name from these developers. Ironically enough, I wouldn't be surprised if certain characters from both games were the exact same person.
Anyhoo, character-wise, you have to have Haomaru. As for additional characters, it should read like a who's who from the various games. It should have Nakoruru, Galford, Hanzo, Ukyo, Jubei, Genjuro, Kyoshiro, Amakusa, Charlotte....pretty much everyone from the first two games, in my opinion. If necessary, make the characters that were missing from later games DLC, like Earthquake, Gen An, Nicotine Caffeine, Sieger, Wan Fu, and such. There are way too many great characters with great weapons to leave out, really. The "Rage Gauge" is also a very useful tool in this game when it comes to power moves. It can easily pass as a Musou Rage meter. Now, would this also be very violent?
This is one of my favorite fighting game series and what I feel is vastly underrated as a series. However, some of its forays outside of fighting games have been hit or miss. In fact, some of the series' forays into 3D fighting have been mostly miss. So, what if Samurai Shodown becomes Samurai Shodown Warriors sometime? I'd say Samurai Warriors, but there already is a game by that name from these developers. Ironically enough, I wouldn't be surprised if certain characters from both games were the exact same person.
Anyhoo, character-wise, you have to have Haomaru. As for additional characters, it should read like a who's who from the various games. It should have Nakoruru, Galford, Hanzo, Ukyo, Jubei, Genjuro, Kyoshiro, Amakusa, Charlotte....pretty much everyone from the first two games, in my opinion. If necessary, make the characters that were missing from later games DLC, like Earthquake, Gen An, Nicotine Caffeine, Sieger, Wan Fu, and such. There are way too many great characters with great weapons to leave out, really. The "Rage Gauge" is also a very useful tool in this game when it comes to power moves. It can easily pass as a Musou Rage meter. Now, would this also be very violent?
Soul Calibur
Hey, remember when Soul Calibur had a one-player adventure game that allowed for hacking and slashing? I do. It was Soul Calibur Legends for the Nintendo Wii..and it was abysmal. For starters, the motion control was not as responsive. Also, there was no co-op mode. Lastly, maybe it's me, but Namco isn't very good at making games like these. It's like they took the fighting game aspect and just made it free roaming, which doesn't make for a very playable experience. So, this time, let's make Soul Calibur a Warriors game.
Soul charges will be your focus attacks or Muso rages, as stated earlier. As for characters of choice, I'd go with pretty much everyone from Soul Calibur that was in Soul Calibur Legends. This would include Mitsurugi, Siegfried, Ivy, Astaroth, Sophitia, and Taki. No, no Lloyd Irving in this game. Instead, let's also throw in Seung Mina, Maxi, Voldo, Rock, Hwang, Li Long, Kilik, Cassandra, Talim, and Cervantes, just to name a few. I'd also allow for other newer characters and favorites, like Lizardman, Raphael, and Xianghua as well as Nightmare. I'm hoping somewhere down the line something like this will happen. However, with Namco's propensity to make their own beat 'em ups out of their own fighting games, this is all just fantasy territory.
Hey, remember when Soul Calibur had a one-player adventure game that allowed for hacking and slashing? I do. It was Soul Calibur Legends for the Nintendo Wii..and it was abysmal. For starters, the motion control was not as responsive. Also, there was no co-op mode. Lastly, maybe it's me, but Namco isn't very good at making games like these. It's like they took the fighting game aspect and just made it free roaming, which doesn't make for a very playable experience. So, this time, let's make Soul Calibur a Warriors game.
Soul charges will be your focus attacks or Muso rages, as stated earlier. As for characters of choice, I'd go with pretty much everyone from Soul Calibur that was in Soul Calibur Legends. This would include Mitsurugi, Siegfried, Ivy, Astaroth, Sophitia, and Taki. No, no Lloyd Irving in this game. Instead, let's also throw in Seung Mina, Maxi, Voldo, Rock, Hwang, Li Long, Kilik, Cassandra, Talim, and Cervantes, just to name a few. I'd also allow for other newer characters and favorites, like Lizardman, Raphael, and Xianghua as well as Nightmare. I'm hoping somewhere down the line something like this will happen. However, with Namco's propensity to make their own beat 'em ups out of their own fighting games, this is all just fantasy territory.
Streets of Rage
As much as I would have wanted to leave this out, I have to give a nod to one of the better beat 'em up series that makes it to all the lists: Streets of Rage. I played and finished the very first and I'll tell you, it was great. I never got to play the second, but I'm more than sure of its excellence, just from all the great reviews. Heck, the closest I got to playing it was just looking at and drawing the cover of the booklet. LOL. Now, I did hear and know of Streets of Rage's foray into 3D, and that ended up being the Fighting Force series, which was give or take, depending on who you are. Knowing this, I'm sure the Warriors treatment would do this series well.
Axel, Blaze, Adam, Skate, and Max are your go-to characters. Yes, so is the cybernetic master Zan, and the kangaroo. I would definitely allow for the police car to return, dropping bombs on everyone that isn't on the side of the law. Mega Crush moves would definitely be amplified for group attacks as well. This game idea definitely has legs.
Shin Megami Tensei
And rounding out our official list is the Shin Megami Tensei series. This series has produced some of the most notable RPGs, spinoffs, since the early 2000s. From the original series getting tremendous acclaim, to the side series gaining much traction. It wasn't until I saw Persona 4 Arena that there was definitely an avenue for other types of games with this series. So, I figure, why not the Warriors series?
For this one, I'd say practically every protagonist from whatever game has to come forth. For the game mechanics, I guess it boils down to each game and how the battle mechanics work. While each and every character have the ability to fight without changing into a character, doing so would definitely be a necessity. You will definitely see a visible difference between Persona characters, people from Nocturne, and others from Digital Devil Saga, to say the least. If they can cross this series over with Fire Emblem, let alone have the developers of Guilty Gear X make a fighting game, this should be a snap to do.
Honorable Mention: Nippon Ichi Software
This one is purely out of curiosity and personal preference. For those who don't know, Nippon Ichi software is responsible for a litany of games that fall under the category of turn-based strategy RPGs. You have games like Disgaea, Makai Kingdom, La Pucelle: Tactics, the Altelier series, and my personal favorite, Phantom Brave. Now, it does seem like a stretch, but what would it be like if these characters got the Warriors treatment?
I feel that Disgaea will have a strong representation in this game. The same can be said about the Altelier series. These games not only have the most titles, but very strong fan-bases. The game has to have some Prinnies in them. As for the general style, that's all going to have to be blended in somehow when it comes to the main game. But, I think it's possible.
And there you have it. Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments or chime in about my choices. Sometimes, a good idea like a game structure can be shared or should be shared with the world. Sometimes, it can't just be a handful of spinoffs. Sometimes, what you'd like to have spun off ought to get spun off. In the cases of the aforementioned, I'm hoping that happens in the near future. Fight on!
As much as I would have wanted to leave this out, I have to give a nod to one of the better beat 'em up series that makes it to all the lists: Streets of Rage. I played and finished the very first and I'll tell you, it was great. I never got to play the second, but I'm more than sure of its excellence, just from all the great reviews. Heck, the closest I got to playing it was just looking at and drawing the cover of the booklet. LOL. Now, I did hear and know of Streets of Rage's foray into 3D, and that ended up being the Fighting Force series, which was give or take, depending on who you are. Knowing this, I'm sure the Warriors treatment would do this series well.
Axel, Blaze, Adam, Skate, and Max are your go-to characters. Yes, so is the cybernetic master Zan, and the kangaroo. I would definitely allow for the police car to return, dropping bombs on everyone that isn't on the side of the law. Mega Crush moves would definitely be amplified for group attacks as well. This game idea definitely has legs.
Shin Megami Tensei
And rounding out our official list is the Shin Megami Tensei series. This series has produced some of the most notable RPGs, spinoffs, since the early 2000s. From the original series getting tremendous acclaim, to the side series gaining much traction. It wasn't until I saw Persona 4 Arena that there was definitely an avenue for other types of games with this series. So, I figure, why not the Warriors series?
For this one, I'd say practically every protagonist from whatever game has to come forth. For the game mechanics, I guess it boils down to each game and how the battle mechanics work. While each and every character have the ability to fight without changing into a character, doing so would definitely be a necessity. You will definitely see a visible difference between Persona characters, people from Nocturne, and others from Digital Devil Saga, to say the least. If they can cross this series over with Fire Emblem, let alone have the developers of Guilty Gear X make a fighting game, this should be a snap to do.
Honorable Mention: Nippon Ichi Software
This one is purely out of curiosity and personal preference. For those who don't know, Nippon Ichi software is responsible for a litany of games that fall under the category of turn-based strategy RPGs. You have games like Disgaea, Makai Kingdom, La Pucelle: Tactics, the Altelier series, and my personal favorite, Phantom Brave. Now, it does seem like a stretch, but what would it be like if these characters got the Warriors treatment?
I feel that Disgaea will have a strong representation in this game. The same can be said about the Altelier series. These games not only have the most titles, but very strong fan-bases. The game has to have some Prinnies in them. As for the general style, that's all going to have to be blended in somehow when it comes to the main game. But, I think it's possible.
And there you have it. Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments or chime in about my choices. Sometimes, a good idea like a game structure can be shared or should be shared with the world. Sometimes, it can't just be a handful of spinoffs. Sometimes, what you'd like to have spun off ought to get spun off. In the cases of the aforementioned, I'm hoping that happens in the near future. Fight on!
Comments
Post a Comment