As one of the bedrock genres of video games, action games have had a prolific presence throughout the lives of most, if not all gamers, myself included. I have my fair share of titles from over the decades that put a smile on my face with fast-paced action of various types, from hectic mini-games to pitched combat. If given the opportunity, I’d happily play all of these games again, which is why it’s so annoying that the industry won’t give me that dang opportunity.
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While there have been plenty of classic action games that have been rescued from the refuse heap through ports, remasters, and digital collections, plenty more still remain trapped on their original hardware, whether due to expired licensing agreements or simple lack of interest from developers and publishers. I won’t pretend that each of these games deserves a high-quality remaster that would warrant navigating some thorny copyright hurdles, but I also believe that all games deserve to be preserved in some capacity, even if they didn’t set the world on fire.
9
Evil Dead: Regeneration
An Exceptionally Silly Slaughter
Developers | Cranky Pants Games |
|---|---|
Platforms | PS2, Xbox, PC |
Release Date | September 2005 |
The Evil Dead series of movies is one of those franchises you either adore or have never heard of, with a combination of brutal monster-mashing effects and campy nonsense helping to make them distinctive. During the PS1 and PS2 eras, the franchise received several tie-in games with original stories, my favorite of which being the PS2’s Evil Dead: Regeneration.
Regeneration takes place in an alternate continuity to the films where, instead of getting sent back in time for Army of Darkness, Ash Williams is instead sent to an asylum following the events of the first two films. Unfortunately, this asylum is owned by an evil doctor who uses the Necronomicon again to unleash the terrors of the deadites, forcing Ash to take up his chainsaw and boomstick. It is an extremely campy game, bolstered by the introduction of Ash’s sidekick, the half-dead and delightfully obnoxious Sam.
It’s a pretty straightforward hack ‘n’ slash game, mixing combat with some occasional puzzle-solving aided by Sam and his inability to die. It’s a fun little treat for any Evil Dead fan, or fans of campy, schlocky horror movies in general.
8
Incredible Crisis
Daily Life can be Hectic
The concept of an “action” game doesn’t necessarily require things like combat. Going about your daily life can bring about all kinds of “action” events, though admittedly, most of that action wouldn’t be that interesting. Luckily, the daily life of the Tanamatsuri family in Incredible Crisis is anything but ordinary.
Incredible Crisis is a PS1 game consisting of a collection of mini-games, each following the wacky hi-jinks of the family’s four members as they go about their day and try to make it home in time for Grandma’s birthday. Taneo the dad has to run away from a giant rolling statue, Etsuko the mom has to successfully steal a golden piggy bank using items from her grocery bag, and Tsuyoshi the son gets shrunk to the size of an ant, to name a few standouts.
Incredible Crisis is a surprisingly challenging game, as you only get a few lives to clear several mini-games before reaching a save point. Though, this difficulty does make for good streaming fodder in the modern day, and it’d probably be better if you could play it through PlayStation Plus.
7
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne
A Spin-off of a Spin-off
1997’s Mega Man Legends is a cult-classic spin-off from the Mega Man franchise that a lot of people sincerely wish Capcom would pay a little more respect and attention to. Besides being a beloved game, it also introduced one of the franchise’s favorite dark horse characters, evil genius Tron Bonne, who even received her own spin-off of the spin-off, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne.
This PS1 game takes place prior to the events of Mega Man Legends, with the Bonne Family finding themselves in severe debt and needing to engage in some serious criminal shenanigans to pay it all back. Said shenanigans include exploring ancient ruins, robbing houses and businesses, solving block puzzles, and even gambling and running a farm.
In addition to Tron in her personal mech, you also command her legion of Servbot helpers, which can be trained and upgraded to perform various tasks. It’s kind of like a mashup of four or five different kinds of games at once, though the action aspect usually takes center stage, as it should for any game where you control someone in a mech.
6
Ape Escape 3
Monkey TV
Ape Escape is, at least on paper, supposed to be one of PlayStation’s mascot franchises. Most of the series’ games are preserved in some form or another, mostly as cloud streaming games on PS Plus. However, for reasons that escape me, the third game in the main series, as well as my favorite entry, remains inaccessible: Ape Escape 3 on the PS2.
As with the first two games, Ape Escape 3 is an action-adventure platformer in which you explore various levels, capturing monkeys with your net and hunting them down with assorted futuristic gadgets. This game has a couple of fun twists, though: firstly, all the levels are themed after TV shows, as the premise of the game is that the monkeys are broadcasting brainwashing television programs to turn the world into idiotic couch potatoes. This gives everything a fun film production flavor.
The second, cooler twist is that you have the ability to transform into an array of heroic personas, each with their own special abilities for both combat and problem-solving, not to mention awesome theme music. The transformation mechanic helps to add an extra layer of problem-solving and secret hunting to a series that’s already pretty good at both of those. Also, it has an unlockable mini-game that’s literally just Metal Gear Solid but with monkeys!
5
Spider-Man (2000)
My First Web-Swinging Adventure
Spider-Man has been showing up in video games for nearly as long as video games have existed, as far back as the Atari 2600. His very first 3D game, though, was also one of my first exposures to the character, and a classic action platformer besides: the 2000 Spider-Man PlayStation and N64 game.
This game tells an original story starring the wall-crawler, who ends up getting framed for stealing technology from the allegedly reformed Doc Ock and has to juggle that alongside various other criminal activities like bank robbers and Venom kidnapping MJ. It’s a hard day, but you know how it is; being Spider-Man is suffering.
Compared to newer Spider-Man games, this one is much more linear, using a level-based format with set objectives and boss fights. You have a decent array of attacks, including punches, kicks, and various web tricks, and of course, you can crawl on walls and ceilings to avoid obstacles and sneak up on foes. It wouldn’t win any awards for innovation, but it’s an entertaining romp for old-school comic fans, and has some great Spidey one-liners.
4
Viewtiful Joe
Taught Us the Meaning of “Henshin”
Following the release of the GameCube in the early 2000s, Capcom announced the launch of five new games to help the console’s mildly underwhelming sales, aptly named the “Capcom Five.” This lineup includes legendary titles like Resident Evil 4, Killer7, and the first work of Clover Studio and passion project of Hideki Kamiya, Viewtiful Joe. If only it could get the same love as those other games.
Viewtiful Joe is a sidescrolling action brawler in which film buff Joe enters the realm of movies to become a transforming superhero and rescue his kidnapped girlfriend. The game is a love letter to tokusatsu filmmaking, with giant robots, high-flying stunts, rubber-suited monsters, and a legion of faceless putties to battle. Joe’s signature abilities allow him to influence the film reel he’s inside, slowing footage to make his blows hit harder or zooming in to make himself physically stronger and larger.
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Joe has gotten a couple of sequels and spin-offs, as well as appearances in fighting games like Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but in the modern day, Capcom seems to have largely washed its hands of him. That’s just tragic, but with Clover Studio reforming as Clovers, maybe I can find some more hopium to huff for a remaster.
3
Transformers: War for Cybertron
Curse You, Franchise Licensing
I’m not sure what it is about Transformers, but for some reason, the franchise’s video games just can’t seem to stay put, always getting delisted and deleted. I can only assume Hasbro puts down some pretty stringent licensing agreements, which, in turn, is why you can’t play one of the franchise’s best games, Transformers: War for Cybertron, anymore.
War for Cybertron is an action third-person shooter consisting of two separate campaigns, one for the Autobots and one for the Decepticons. In robot form, you can run around, shoot, and use melee attacks, but you can also transform to vehicle mode instantly for faster movement and moving over hazardous, spaced-out terrain. You always have a few Transformers to choose from in a given level, each with their own classes and combat specialties, which played into the game’s online co-op component.
War for Cybertron was originally released on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC via Steam. Unfortunately, it was delisted from the Steam store, so unless you already bought it back in the day, you can’t play the PC version anymore. That means it’s physical copies on the 360 or PS3 or nothin’, which is functionally the same as being trapped on old hardware.
2
Kirby: Planet Robobot
Kirby Versus Capitalism
For a good while, Kirby was primarily one of Nintendo’s handheld ambassadors, with his major console offerings being comparatively few and far between. Since the 3DS was buried to go harder on the hybrid framework with the Switch, Kirby has made the return to home consoles, but unfortunately, he forgot to bring his games like Kirby: Planet Robobot with him.
Planet Robobot is an action platformer, in the same vein as most sidescrolling Kirby games. He runs, he jumps, he floats, he inhales enemies and gets Copy Abilities, the usual. In addition to all that, though, Kirby can also hop into mech suits, gaining both enhanced physical abilities and beefed-up versions of his Copy Abilities. The general gameplay loop is the same, mech or not, but riding around in it gives everything a lot more weight and punch.
To my recollection, Planet Robobot didn’t do anything particularly noteworthy with the 3DS’ unique features like its touchscreen or gyroscope, so I can’t imagine rebuilding it for the Switch or Switch 2 would be all that difficult. There were some perspective shenanigans you could use the 3D slider for, but that’s hardly a necessary inclusion.
1
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Come On, Sakurai, There’s Time Now!
Speaking of 3DS games, one of the most beloved games on the system, as well as one of its most sought-after prisoners, remains Kid Icarus: Uprising, the 2012 revival of one of Nintendo’s oldest IPs brought to life by the mad genius of Masahiro Sakurai. If there were any ports or remasters I wanted for the Switch 2, this one would be top of the list.
Uprising alternates between on-rail shooter segments, with Pit flying through the air and sniping down incoming foes, and on-ground action exploration segments employing platforming and combo attacks. While the 3DS controls made some of this a bit wonky and uncomfortable, the game’s bones were rock solid fun, not to mention made more memorable by some pretty excellent writing for the banter between characters like Pit, Palutena, Viridi, and Hades.
Given the game’s reliance on the 3DS’s controls and format, it would probably take some decent effort to get it onto the Switch 2. Sakurai’s probably got some time now that Kirby Air Riders is done, though, right? Right?
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