The rules were simple. If we had one game we wanted to see remade, what would it be? It had to be something that is older than 5 years. There can`t be a sequel made of it already and it had to be on the PC or console. With that set, let`s see what our staff picked.



John Yan: Mail Order Monsters

Mail Order Monsters appeared on the Commodore 64 back in 1985. The game was published by Electronic Arts and allowed you to build your own monsters to compete in battles. Choosing from 12 different monster types, you then try to acrue money to increase your monster`s attributes and to also purchase weapons to outfit them. Weapons range from guns to enhancements to your monster like tentacles and breathing fire. Battles consisted of three goals: defeating your opponent, capturing flags, or defeating more Hordlings than your opponent. You could also own more than one monster by keeping the one you aren`t using in a corral. It was a pretty unique game with a catchy title and it was one game I absolutely loved on the C64.



The game today would, of course, get a serious upgrade in graphics. A good start would be Spore`s procedural creation of creatures. This way, you`re not confined to certain body types and everyone can get some unique designs into their creatures without being limited by models. Diversity would play a big part in the update as I would like to see as much uniqueness in the monsters as possible.

One of the great aspects of the game was outfitting your monsters with various weapons. With the change to a 3D engine, I`d engineer some weapons that would be body type specific so that would be one of the differences in choosing one type over another. I`d also design a way for weapons to be upgradable and perhaps enable users to design their own in some fashion.

An online portion would let others battle it out but I`d take it a step further and create a persistent universe where you can go to different planets, each with their own unique atmospheres and environments. Some monsters would thrive in conditions that others won`t giving them a little advantage. Winning in a place where your monster has a disadvantage would give you more money and prestige.

I wouldn`t limit the game to battles either. Races would also be a big event in the game whereby different monster classes could enter in horse like racing with you riding on the back and steering the monster through a race track. Earn money and prestige by placing in the top three or even wagering your own money in other races as well.



Cyril Lachel: Panzer Dragoon Saga

Panzer Dragoon Saga is one of the most sought after Sega Saturn games of all time; it`s a role-playing game that collectors are still willing to pay hundreds of dollars for. Released just as the Saturn`s life was coming to a crashing halt, Panzer Dragoon Saga represented everything that was good about Sega`s first party developers. It features an epic story that spans four discs and is unlike anything you have ever seen before. Each and every character in Panzer Dragoon Saga is memorable, the music is phenomenal, and the action never comes off feeling like another Final Fantasy clone.



The only problem is that not enough people had...