Top 5 Retro Games That Need a Current-Gen Release

If you grew up in the 80's and early 90's consider yourself lucky. To many gamers out there, those of us that happened to come of age during that time, got to experience a golden age of video gaming. As many gamers enter their 30's or 40's they look fondly back on the games and series they grew up with. And then they wonder, with reboots being all the rage right now, why have some of these gems been forgotten?

Read on to hear, in no particular order, five games/series that need to be revived as soon as possible.

The Series: Star Fox was originally released back in 1993 for the Super Nintendo. It was one of the first games that used the Super FX chip to simulate 3D graphics on Nintendo's console. I personally never got to play the original Star Fox. Many like me consider Star Fox 64 on the Nintendo 64 to be the pinnacle of the series.

Featuring 3D graphics, multi-player, and the Rumble Pak, Star Fox 64 truly was a classic game. While it wasn't a sequel to the SNES game, Star Fox 64 is considered the start of the series' canon. I rented this game so many times from Blockbuster that I think I left high scores on different copies. And of course, the game has to be considered a classic because it spawned the meme-worthy phrase "Do a barrel roll!"

Where is it now? After a stellar N64 release, the series went into a decline during the Gamecube era. The lackluster Star Fox Adventures took the anthropomorphic hero out of the cockpit and grounded him. It definitely lacked the Star Fox charm. The follow up Star Fox: Assault tried to bring the series back to its roots, but the inclusion of on foot missions also hampered it.

This series needs to be brought back on the Wii. While there is a remake of Star Fox 64  planned for the upcoming Nintendo 3DS, it won't be a true sequel. I want to be able to sit on my couch and use my Wiimote to pilot Fox in his Arwing. Please do it Nintendo!

The Series: F-Zero on the Super Nintendo was one of the first games I ever played. It was also the first game to use the Mode 7 technique to simulate 3D environments. The game is set in the 26th century and features a type of futuristic race based on Formula-One races.

The game is all about one thing: speed. Your vehicle races along twisting, gravity-defying tracks at speeds that could break the sound barrier. And of course there's the music. Each game in the series boasted incredible music. If you took a random sample of gamers, I'd bet that almost all of them would be able to identify the "Mute City" and "Big Blue" tunes from the series.

Where is it now? After the original SNES release, and a Japan-only sequel, the series took a hiatus until it made a dramatic 3D comeback on the N64. That game went on to become one of my favorite N64 games because the tracks were now in three dimensions, with some levels being built around tubes and cylinders rather than flat surfaces. The Gamecube saw F-Zero GX, but sadly it didn't do as well as its predecessor. There were also a couple of releases on the Gameboy Advance, but nothing on a current generation console.

Again, with the Wii's updated graphics (from the Gamecube at least) and innovative control scheme, I think a new F-Zero game would satisfy gamers who want another "core" racing game on Nintendo's console other than Mario Kart.

The Game: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars or commonly known Super Mario RPG  is an action/role-playing game released for the Super Nintendo in 1996. It was the first RPG to feature Mario, and it still stands as one of the best.

With catchy music and a fun timing-input based battle system, the game became a benchmark against which all future Mario-based RPGs would be judged. The game saw Mario, Bowser, Princess Toadstool, and other allies teaming up to find the seven stars to bring wishes back to the land. Incidentally it is one of the last games where Princess Peach is called Toadstool.

Where is it now? Because of Square's involvement with the game's development, there have been no true sequels. There have been a couple of spin-off series: Paper Mario  and Mario & Luigi . Both games featured similar timed action commands during battle, and Paper Mario  had Mario collecting seven legendary stars again.

While the other series are great, they both have vastly different feels from Super Mario RPG.  And of course each of the spinoff series have different Mushroom Kingdoms in them. It would be so cool to see a Mario RPG game set in the same world (expanded of course) as the original Super Mario RPG. Fans everywhere would also love to see the return of some of their favorite characters, including Geno. I know I'm among those clamoring for a sequel, however Square Enix would have to be involved or at least give Nintendo permission. I don't know how likely that is, but we can all hope!

The Game: Chrono Trigger is an RPG that was published by Square (now Square Enix) and released for the Super Nintendo back in 1995. Sadly while I didn't get to play this gem on that console, I did snap it up when it was released on the Playstation as part of the Final Fantasy Chronicles collection.

Featuring a story that has the hero and his friends traveling through time to save the world from destruction from a space parasite named Lavos. With multiple characters, each with their own unique back stories, and multiple endings, Chrono Trigger is rightfully considered both a classic RPG and a classic game.

Where is it now? A semi-sequel/spinoff called Chrono Cross was released in the US for the Playstation in 2000. While there were similarities: epically-scaled plot and dozens of playable characters, this "sequel" focused more on cross-dimensional travel than time travel. Chrono Cross is a fun, well-received game, but it doesn't count as a true sequel.

If you look at what Square Enix is doing with their Final Fantasy series or what Mistwalker is capable of with Lost Odyssey , it should be easy to imagine what a proper Chrono Trigger sequel could look like on a current generation console. Of course I believe that the game's characteristic Active Time Battle system should be kept intact.

The Series: Wave Race 64 was one of the original launch titles of the Nintendo 64. My brothers and I got the system when it first came out, and the two games we got were Mario 64 (another timeless classic) and Wave Race 64. I'm not a big racing game fan, but I still consider Wave Race 64 to be one of my all-time favorites.

For the N64 era the graphics, especially the water effects were gorgeous. The controls were tight, the multiplayer was fun, and each stage was different. Some of them even included cool little touches like fog that went away as the race went on or a receding tide. But the music is what really helped set Wave Race 64 apart. Again, I know there are tons of gamers out there that can still hum the main theme. I know I'm one of them.

Where is it now? Wave Race: Blue Storm, a sequel to Wave Race 64, was released in 2001 as a launch title for the Gamecube. While it was technically a solid game, many complained that the controls were now more difficult and that the courses were just the ones from the previous title redesigned. Aside from Wave Race 64 being re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console, there hasn't been a new Wave Race title since 2001. Obviously we are overdue for another jet-ski racing game with amazing music.

Obviously, there are tons of other games out there that never got the sequels they deserved. These are just some of my favorites that I want to see returned to glory. What are same of the games or series you want to see again? Share your choices in the comments.