Farming out major 16-bit franchises to western devs for revival

I've had this idea kicking around in my head. We all shuddered when Shinobi went to God-knows-who for release on the GBA. Appaloosa made us cringe with their PS1 Contras. But have times changed?

The major Japanese devs all have to keep up on current gaming trends. They seem pretty disconnected from the past. The current Street Fighter 4 screens make me think that a series' originator might not be the best choice to develop long-awaited sequels to old franchises anymore.

Then I look over at Contra 4. Way-Forward? Who? Not a single Japanese name in the credits? And the game rocked. Hard. Better than any Contra before it.

When you think about it, it makes sense. Western 30-somethings know these 16-bit franchises inside and out. We played them. We lived them. We know what they should and shouldn't be. We respect their integrity in a way that would seem psychotic to an outsider at times. Hell, if I were somehow put in charge of making the next Castlevania, I'm quite confident it would rule...



So am I crazy or is it time to pass to torch for all of these classics?

Yes, you are crazy. It's time to let these classics rest in peace.

Contra 4 is brilliant. But I think it'll end up being one of those rare exceptions.

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Originally Posted by bbobb

Contra 4 is brilliant. But I think it'll end up being one of those rare exceptions.

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I would have thought that, but HD SSFII is also looking great.
Was the Sonic Rush dev Western? I can't remember who made that one...

Way Forward is quickly becoming a great dev. If they can keep the ball rolling from Duck Amuck and Contra 4, they could end up being top-tier.

SFII HD is looking better than Street Fighter IV. I'm not sure how that happened, but "rebalanced" mode might be very worthwhile.

Contra 4 seems to be the exception rather than the rule, and it's not as if japanese developers are incapable of doing justice to the classics (Ultimate Ghosts and Goblins is decent).

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Originally Posted by kedawa

Contra 4 seems to be the exception rather than the rule, and it's not as if japanese developers are incapable of doing justice to the classics (Ultimate Ghosts and Goblins is decent).

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On the other hand, I haven't heard of a single person playing the PSP Dracula X who doesn't prefer the original game over the remake.

Metroid Prime (the first one) turned out great too.

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Originally Posted by YellerDog

On the other hand, I haven't heard of a single person playing the PSP Dracula X who doesn't prefer the original game over the remake.

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To be fair, the N64 Castlevania games were Japanese-made, and they sucked donkey balls.

Who made the horrible 32-bit Contra games? Was it a western developer?

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Originally Posted by kedawa

and it's not as if japanese developers are incapable of doing justice to the classics (Ultimate Ghosts and Goblins is decent).

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"Decent", but is anybody saying it unseats the great GnG's of the past?
On the other hand, the Western-made Maximo blew people's doors off even if it was only semi-related to GnG.

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Originally Posted by Melf

Metroid Prime (the first one) turned out great too.

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Another great example.

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Who made the horrible 32-bit Contra games? Was it a western developer?

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The PS2 Contras were both in-house Konami. The PS1 Contras were Appoloosa (Western).

That's why I'm asking if times have changed, because in the PS1 days a western dev on a Japanese classic ment dissaster.