1. Crash Bandicoot
The Original
Crash Bandicootthis game, may well be the greatest video game experience Ive ever had. I know that most people are caught up with the incredible Grand Theft Auto games and the ever-replicated Call of Duty cash-ins. I still havent gotten over this! Crash Bandicoot hit all the platforming tropes on the head. The lives system, double-jump, the platforms, the quirky characters and levelsit even had the old fashioned game over screen. And with incredibly lush graphics for the young console, its no wonder this is one of the most popular games of the Playstation One. It was the Mario or Sonic of my generation. The story was typically bizarre. The mad Doctor Neo Cortex is trying to create an army of mutant animals to take over the world. He is experimenting on three remote islands near Australia and his first attempt (Crash) is a resounding failure. In his fury, Cortex kicks Crash out and keeps his girlfriend Tawna for his next experiment. The game then has us exploring the incredibly fleshed out islands. From the tribal set ups on the first island through to the waste dumps and factories set up by Cortex on the final island. Its excellent fun. However, years of cashing in slowly killed this excellent character. The game has been given countless sequels, spin-offs and re-imaginings. Its such a shame that most of it has been total crap. Nobody can really say they loved Crash of the Titansnobody. The Potential Reboot Crash Bandicoot has so, so much reboot potential. As far as platformers gothere are three that I respect above all others: Crash, Mario & Sonic. Mario is still going strong and Sonic just got a sequel to the original games! If a game as old as Sonic can still thrive in the style it started with, Crash definitely can! Imagine those lush islands reimagined in full HDthe dilapidated factories, roads and waste sites. They could be designed as free roam worlds with subtle layouts that keep us moving through the narrative in a linear fashion. The story could be developed a little better and, in my opinion, would be best pushed in a darker fashion in order to distinguish the game from the childish idiocy of the new games. Just keep the original style and designs intact. Apply some HD and some natural developments to the gameplay. This thing would be incredible. And I bet it would fly off of shelves if it was marketed to show fans of the originals that they were the audience. Hell, Ive seen some fan art for a cover and it makes me very, very excitedeven though I know it isnt happening. Come on Naughty Dog, I know you dont have the rights anymorebut if you just did youre fans this one little favour and collaborated with Activisionyou would be my Jesus.