Everything is my opinion. Yours may differ - please discuss it clearly in the comments below!
0) Earthbound/Mother 2 - SNES
It was the game that redefined quirky. Set in 19xx America, everything about it made it fun. Music tracks that were from real songs. Weird enemies. And the crazy art design for the bosses. Nothing about this game would make sense in modern times now...but back then, it was perfect. To make a modern day equivelent would have people inserting memes, Hannah Montana songs and other random stuff....it just won't make sense.
Why It Worked - Everything was a quirky reference back to something rather adult and modern at the time.
Why it Failed - Kids were buying this and expecting another swords and fantasy RPG, but not all of these over the top references. (This is back when game systems were just for kids...and marketed towards them.)
1) Killer Instinct - Arcade
I remember when this came out in our local arcade. It always attracted a crowd because of the violence and random nature of the "fatalities". At the time, this felt like a random clone of the ultra popular Mortal Kombat with even more generic characters. But, the fighting system was a lot more balanced and all characters had a different type of fighting style. (You didn't have the clone a character syndrome that MK and Street Fighter had - hi, Ken and Ryu!)
Why it Worked - Combos are a big thing in this. Master combos and there was great power in them. Also, the stage fatalities are a little more creative than the MK ones. (*puts up flame shield*) Also, Orchid's boob job fatality is classic.
Why it Failed - There was something vital missing from the second game - KI Gold featured a really silly storyline and not as many original characters. Still, I really don't know why it failed so badly.
2) Pokemon Yellow - Gameboy Colour
For many gamers of a certain vintage, this was the first game that got people hooked on it's idea. Catch and customize as many fighting monsters as possible. I've only included this because I think there should be a game that is completely true to the anime that is still running.
Why it Worked - Gamers and non-gaming fans all united when they played the game. This is the only game that followed and expanded on the storylines in the anime at the time. It was like being in your version of the anime.
Why it Failed - The anime got progressive more convoluted and making the show and game match up was difficult. (The Orange Islands, my friend...Game Freak, are you listening? Make them a event to be unlocked or something.)
3) Shinobi - Game Gear
One of the hardest games I've ever seen a credit sequence to - but this was back in the day when I had much more time to memorize and get all the patterns right.
Why it Worked - Shinobi on the go!
Why it Failed - Not the right time for a platformer to come back out. Maybe it's time for a return to classic platformers. It's kind of funny that Ninja Gaiden got a reboot instead of Shinobi.
4) Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - DS
I'm listing this because it sucks because of bad design choices. Pay and sprays don't work the same way, and the cop's AI is incredibly stupid/daft.
Why it worked - GTA on the go!
Why it Failed - Personally, I was annoyed at the semi-legit Cantonese they put in it. The Triads yelling at you in random Cantonese and other things really annoyed the crap out of me. I assume this is true for the legions of Chinese/Cantonese speaking players out there.
0) Earthbound/Mother 2 - SNES
It was the game that redefined quirky. Set in 19xx America, everything about it made it fun. Music tracks that were from real songs. Weird enemies. And the crazy art design for the bosses. Nothing about this game would make sense in modern times now...but back then, it was perfect. To make a modern day equivelent would have people inserting memes, Hannah Montana songs and other random stuff....it just won't make sense.
Why It Worked - Everything was a quirky reference back to something rather adult and modern at the time.
Why it Failed - Kids were buying this and expecting another swords and fantasy RPG, but not all of these over the top references. (This is back when game systems were just for kids...and marketed towards them.)
1) Killer Instinct - Arcade
I remember when this came out in our local arcade. It always attracted a crowd because of the violence and random nature of the "fatalities". At the time, this felt like a random clone of the ultra popular Mortal Kombat with even more generic characters. But, the fighting system was a lot more balanced and all characters had a different type of fighting style. (You didn't have the clone a character syndrome that MK and Street Fighter had - hi, Ken and Ryu!)
Why it Worked - Combos are a big thing in this. Master combos and there was great power in them. Also, the stage fatalities are a little more creative than the MK ones. (*puts up flame shield*) Also, Orchid's boob job fatality is classic.
Why it Failed - There was something vital missing from the second game - KI Gold featured a really silly storyline and not as many original characters. Still, I really don't know why it failed so badly.
2) Pokemon Yellow - Gameboy Colour
For many gamers of a certain vintage, this was the first game that got people hooked on it's idea. Catch and customize as many fighting monsters as possible. I've only included this because I think there should be a game that is completely true to the anime that is still running.
Why it Worked - Gamers and non-gaming fans all united when they played the game. This is the only game that followed and expanded on the storylines in the anime at the time. It was like being in your version of the anime.
Why it Failed - The anime got progressive more convoluted and making the show and game match up was difficult. (The Orange Islands, my friend...Game Freak, are you listening? Make them a event to be unlocked or something.)
3) Shinobi - Game Gear
One of the hardest games I've ever seen a credit sequence to - but this was back in the day when I had much more time to memorize and get all the patterns right.
Why it Worked - Shinobi on the go!
Why it Failed - Not the right time for a platformer to come back out. Maybe it's time for a return to classic platformers. It's kind of funny that Ninja Gaiden got a reboot instead of Shinobi.
4) Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - DS
I'm listing this because it sucks because of bad design choices. Pay and sprays don't work the same way, and the cop's AI is incredibly stupid/daft.
Why it worked - GTA on the go!
Why it Failed - Personally, I was annoyed at the semi-legit Cantonese they put in it. The Triads yelling at you in random Cantonese and other things really annoyed the crap out of me. I assume this is true for the legions of Chinese/Cantonese speaking players out there.
