As you guys may know by now, NFTs – or non-fungible tokens, blech – have been making the rounds more and more online, fetching thousands of dollars in some cases. But for some reason, they haven’t found their place in the gaming world. Yet. Square Enix hopes to change that, noting in an official letter that they hope to embrace the format in the future. While president Yosuke Matsuda knows that gamers prefer to have “fun,” he believes they’ll be part of gaming down the road.
But…will they? Konami released some Castlevania NFT’s as part of the series’ 35th anniversary recently, and while some fans have enjoyed them, others have been clamoring for something else entirely – like a new game in the series or a potential re-release of Symphony of the Night for a newer generation to enjoy.
And that begs the question…do we really need NFTs? No. What Square Enix needs to do is work on re-releases of classic games that have gone by the wayside over the years. So far, it’s done a pretty good job with that, between various Final Fantasy titles coming to mobile and Steam, as well as Actraiser Resurrection exploding onto PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch late last year, to much acclaim from critics and fans of the series.
Why can’t Square Enix continue on that tangent? Here are a few classics we’d love to see back again, either as remakes or re-releases. Honestly, all of these would go over a lot better than a “non-fungible token” ever would. And they’d be worth a lot more!
Einhander
Back on the PlayStation, Square Enix proved it could hold its ground alongside the big boys in the “shmup” market with the amazingly designed Einhander. It’s become the stuff of cult legend, but for some reason, it’s never been revisited in any regard. A re-release on the Switch would easily remedy that, since it’s the home for a lot of hardcore “shmups” anyway. Or, hey, PS5. It worked for Gleylancer and Gynoug.
Xenogears
Although Xenoblade Chronicles is gaining all sorts of popularity right now, we’re not sure what the story behind the original Xenogears is. Why it hasn’t resurfaced is beyond us, especially considering how strong its reception was on the PlayStation. Maybe it’s a rights thing, who knows. But all the same, it’s a wonderful game that deserves a second shot on the market. It’d sure as hell sell big on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, tell you what.
Gex
There’s actually a bit of hope that the tongue-lashing, quip-saying hero would make his return in a new game, thanks to a new trademark filed by the company. And considering that Square Enix pretty much works with Eidos and Crystal Dynamics, rights wouldn’t be a problem. But the real question is how ol’ Gex would return – 2D or 3D? Either way, we could use more of his antics – not to mention more amazing jokes from voice actor Dana Gould. “Kill your TV, man!”
Legacy of Kain
Talk about a franchise that we haven’t seen in an eternity. At one point, the Legacy of Kain series was thriving with releases like the Soul Reaver saga and Defiance. But then, poof, it vanished, without any sort of trace. A re-release in the series in HD form would be excellent, but, of course, down the road we’ve love to see a new game with either Kain or Raziel at the forefront. As the narrator once said in Blood Omen, “’Tis not over, Kain!”
Chrono Trigger
Finally, obviously there’s the adventure game that a lot of fans want to see again. And we mean done in the right way, not a shoddy mobile re-release. We’re talking original SNES or PlayStation code, or at the very least something resembling that to an extent. Hell, we’d even take a straight-up port of it meant playing it directly on the Switch or Xbox Series S/X. We already know a remake of Chrono Cross is reportedly in the works, but, c’mon, this Trigger needs to be pulled again.
We’re giving away a game console of your choice! Find out how to win here.
Don’t forget Parasite Eve!
You forgot about Parasite Eve,a new HD Remaster Collection would be excellent.