Gamasutra sister site GameCareerGuide has announced the results of its most recent Game Design Challenge, "A New Vision," which tasked readers with reawkanening a game that was ahead of its time -- while also opening its "Romance" challenge, which aims at a Western-focused romantic game.
A New Vision
The concluded challenge was inspired by an interview with Capcom R&D head Keiji Inafune, in which he said that his Mega Man Legends game series for the PlayStation 1 was ahead of its time, and consequently failed to find an audience.
GameCareerGuide asked its readers to identify another game that was groundbreaking but underappreciated, and update its game design to contemporary standards. Here are the winners:
Carl Killian, Ghostbusters (Commodore 64)
The Commodore 64 version of Ghostbusters remains fondly remembered, though even fans will admit that it was a deeply flawed experience. Killian argues that the game is well-suited for a modern-day remake, and shows how a tighter gameplay focus would make it a standout in the strategy genre.
Will Armstrong IV, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania II is an infamous black sheep in the Castlevania family, despite introducing many of the core concepts that define what is now known as the "Metroidvania" subgenre. Armstrong believes that with some major gameplay tweaks, Simon's Quest could live up to its potential.
Aaron Yip, Student - Georgia Institute of Technology, Eternal Darkness
Many critics regard Silicon Knights' Eternal Darkness as one of the best titles in the GameCube's library, but the game only earned a small degree of commercial success. Aaron Yip proposes a current-generation update that pushes the game's sanity mechanic to new limits, and suggests that the current market climate will be much more receptive.
The newly-launched Game Design Challenge deals with a very different topic -- the possibility of developing a romance-oriented game that will appeal to a Western audience. While the genre has found traction in Japan, attempts to make games in the genre have not worked out particularly well in the West.
The challenge instructs readers to consider the potential audience of the game before embarking on a design for what is likely to be a very tricky challenge.
You can check out the challenge right now for full detials, including the due date. If you're interested in participating in the challenge, which is open to all GameCareerGuide readers, you also might like to visit the official GameCareerGuide forum's thread on the challenge.
