Custom Picks - Nintendo's New Open World Adventure

*DISCLAIMER* The following is purely an opinion piece. I do not claim to know what the real plans are that any video game companies mentioned in this article have planned for their franchises.

Welcome to Custom Picks, a series of speculation articles about different games for companies to release. Nintendo, Sega, Capcom, Ubisoft, Square-Enix; if they have games everyone is waiting for, those games are up for discussion.

With Nintendo’s NX a little under a year away, everyone is speculating about what they are going to do next. Everyone has ideas about what their next console should be capable of and everyone says they need to have more third-party games, more first-party games, revivals of old franchises, and new IPs. But when it comes to exactly what games should be on there, fewer people are willing to say exactly what.

So, the first few articles in Custom Picks will be about Nintendo and what possible games they could release to get gamers excited about the NX, and maybe revive some old or obscure franchises along the way.

With the popularity of games like Grand Theft Auto, Just Cause, Skyrim, and many more, open world adventure games are very popular with today’s gamers. Having a wide open area to explore and being able to do just about anything in that world is very alluring to video game fans, especially if that open world has a lot of detailed and vibrant scenery to take in. These are one of the kinds of games that really showcase a console’s power and graphical capabilities. A game like this from Nintendo could not only fill in a void for a genre missing from their consoles but also prove how powerful the NX is compared not only to their previous systems, but also to the current Xbox and PlayStation.

So, what first-party or third-party titles could fit this category?

First Party Titles – Dillon’s Rolling Western: Open Frontier & Mach Rider

Suggestions for a Nintendo made open-world game include using franchises like F-Zero, The Legend of Zelda, Mach Rider, and Dillon’s Rolling Western. The Legend of Zelda can be set aside however, since the new game coming in 2017 for Wii U and the NX is supposed to be an open world game. Of those left, Dillon’s Rolling Western seems like it would make for the most unique experience.

For those not familiar with the series, Dillon’s Rolling Western is a small series of downloadable games for the 3DS. It focuses on Dillon, an anthro armadillo ranger in a Wild West environment charged with protecting the frontier towns from invading rock monsters called Grocks. 

With an open-world game set in this world, players can control Dillon as he goes from town to town defeating Grocks and helping the villagers with tasks both big and small. Dillon moves around and attacks by rolling into a ball and shooting forward, similar to Sonic the Hedgehog, so perhaps the game could give him upgradable abilities, like increased speed, homing attacks, or a spiked spin attack, and since this is a Wild West game, he could even be given different weapons to use, like revolvers, shotguns, hunting rifles, or sticks of dynamite, especially since other characters in the series use them.

For those who want a less eccentric look for their open-world game, perhaps a revival of the NES game Mach Rider would be a better pick. Players control the titular Mach Rider as he defends the Earth in the year 2112 from invading aliens with his weapon-loaded motorcycle. A premise like that is sure to catch a lot of attention with action-loving gamers. 

The game would either have a post-apocalyptic or cyberpunk setting, to either fit in with or stand out from other post-apocalyptic games like Fallout or Mad Max, and players would control Mach Rider as he drove from city to city to fight off the invaders. Players could even customize their bike with different weapons from machine guns to rifles to rocket launchers. The door could even be opened for some crazier kinds of firearms or defense equipment for the player's bike, like the cars in the recent Mad Max video game.

Third Party Title – Grand Theft Auto VI

 

Grand Theft Auto is probably the most standard pick for this genre, but as I explained with Call of Duty in an earlier article, that is exactly why this may be one of the best picks to add to the lineup. When gamers think of an open world game, one of the first things they think of is Grand Theft Auto, so it would do the some good to have the latest Grand Theft Auto game on the NX, to offer more of what gamers are getting on other systems. It doesn't even have to be an exclusive title; just having it present would do a lot of good for Nintendo's image with hardcore gamers.

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What did you think of these Custom Picks? What open world adventure do you want to see in Nintendo’s lineup? Make your voice heard in the comments below and thanks for coming.

Custom Picks - Nintendo's New First-Person Shooter

*DISCLAIMER* The following is purely an opinion piece. I do not claim to know what the real plans are that any video game companies mentioned in this article have planned for their franchises.

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Welcome to Custom Picks, a series of speculation articles about different games for companies to release. Nintendo, Sega, Capcom, Ubisoft, Square-Enix; if they have games everyone is waiting for, those games are up for discussion.

With Nintendo’s NX a little under a year away, everyone is speculating about what they are going to do next. Everyone has ideas about what their next console should be capable of and everyone says they need to have more third-party games, more first-party games, revivals of old franchises, and new IPs. But when it comes to exactly what games should be on there, fewer people are willing to say exactly what.

So, the first few articles in Custom Picks will be about Nintendo and what possible games they could release to get gamers excited about the NX, and maybe breathe new life into some old franchises along the way.

One of the biggest genres that have had a gap on Nintendo consoles lately is first person shooters. On the Xbox and PlayStation, games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Halo have been giving gamers their adrenaline fix for a long time and people want that particular fix offered from Nintendo for them to even look at their consoles. Fans have asked for both a story driven single player focused title like Duke Nukem 3D or Doom (at least, the early versions of Doom) and a competitive multiplayer shooter like Call of Duty. Franchises that fans have suggested be used for it have included Metroid, Wild Gunman, Geist, and Sin & Punishment.

So, what first-party or third-party titles could fit this category?

First Party Titles – Geist: Resurrected & Metroid Prime Hunters 2

For a single player title, a sequel or remake to the GameCube game Geist would be an eye catching title. Geist is one of the few M-rated titles published by Nintendo and it was a first-person shooter with a unique mechanic. After an event in the story, the main character is left as a spirit who can possess other people, animals, or inanimate objects and use their abilities or equipment to progress through the stage. So, you could possess a soldier and shoot your way through a level, possess a dog to tear someone apart, or possess a keypad on a door to open it up if it's blocking your way. In today’s gaming climate, an M-rated supernatural-themed first-person shooter actually published by Nintendo is sure to turn some heads.

For a more multiplayer themed experience, an interesting pick would be a console-based sequel to the DS game Metroid Prime Hunters. Some people would argue that the Metroid Prime games are more of an adventure series than a shooter series, but the potential is there for a competitive shooter, especially with Hunters. Hunters introduced several other playable characters alongside Samus, confirming that she is not the only important character in this universe. All of these characters had their own unique appearances, weapons, and abilities. For a competitive shooter in the Metroid universe, a character select screen could let you choose between different bounty hunters to play as to match different playstyles. Different weapons could be available in a map but your character would still have their own unique equipment. Different modes can be selected from mainstays like Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, or Virus mode, to possibly a Bounty mode where the characters chase after one target and the one who takes them down wins the match.

Third Party Titles – Call of Duty: Ghosts II & TimeSplitters 4

This may seem like more of a standard pick because Call of Duty is one of the most popular shooter franchises out there, but it’s because it’s one of the most popular that it would make such a good choice. If gamers want a game like Call of Duty, perhaps the best thing would be to just give them Call of Duty. Giving them the experiences they can have on other consoles along with the experiences they can’t get anywhere else is key to having a successful console.

But for a less standard pick, a more eye-catching title would be one that a lot of people are asking for, TimeSplitters 4. TimeSplitters 2 and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect were cult hit games because of their quirky style, humor, and variety of environments. Because the game centers around time travel, it could take place in 1942 in one level and 2053 in the next. For the game to be canceled over something as simple as what character to put on the box art, the issue could be resolved with some outside help and the game could be released. Perhaps Nintendo could step in and do for TimeSplitters 4 what they did for Bayonetta 2, securing it as an NX exclusive to make sure the game sees the light of day.

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What did you think of these Custom Picks? What first-person shooters would you add to Nintendo’s lineup? Make your voice heard in the comments below and thanks for coming.