1. Streets of Rage
This was the game. I first saw it in the back of an issue of Spider-Man; it was a readout of all the devastating combos one could unleash on their enemy. With almost 30 ways to beat a man into submission, and just three buttons to work with (looking at you Dynasty Warriors! Its been almost 20 years, try something new!) at max. I played the absolute crap out of all three Streets of Rage installments, they were the first games I mastered and maybe the last now that I mention it (just kidding, all Bio Ware games fear me). By the time 3D gaming hit its stride, there just wasnt any point in side to side button mashers anymore. There were a few attempts to capitalize on the idea of the beat em up, like Dynasty Warriors, The Ultimate Alliance Series and others, but those games all have one thing in common: They suck. God, do they suck. No one wants to watch martial arts warriors prowess represented in the same attack string over and over again. We call Dynasty Warriors the four piece that conquered China; its not a compliment or about chicken. It looked like the days of the beat em up were over. Then Batman threw his hat in the ring. The Arkham series finally injected something new into the original formula of Kung Fu fueled bad-assery, an original and complex combat engine that saved the player from repetitive boredom. The games awesome if you like Batman (I dont like Batman). Unfortunately this is the video game business so we know that good ideas get hamstrung before seeing the light of day, and also if something is developed that truly works and makes ok games damn near perfect (Look, I may not like Batman, but that doesnt mean Im stupid Arkham Asylum/City/Origins are some of the best games ever.) then other developers avoid using the working mechanic like the plague, claiming they value originality (news flash: Originality is about as real a thing as Freedom) over quality. Which leads me to what I want.
Update: I want Arkham Asylums combat system applied to a game that doesnt feature a character I want to delete from existence. Streets of Rage would be awesome if they would only update the roster, graphics and controls. Replace the obligatory four hit combo ad infinity and give me combat based on where my player is standing in relation to his/her enemies versus the environment itself. Then I can spend the rest of my days selling my blood and playing this game.
Closing notes: I know there are other games worthy of an update, feel free to share them. Who knows, your comment might inspire action.