The concept of rebooting franchises has become extremely popular in the last several years. Series which were once popular, but which fell off in public interest as later installments lost the plot, have successfully been remade from scratch -- reawakening their fans, bringing in new ones, and getting closer to the core of what people always wanted from these series.
In film, the Batman series was famously rebooted by 2005's Batman Begins, which led to the massive critical and popular success of The Dark Knight.
In games, Tomb Raider: Legend rebooted a franchise that was once among the most popular in gaming, after 2003's dreadful Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. Now, rumors have even surfaced that the series is due yet another restart.
While the success of these reboots has been various, and their necessity debatable, there's no doubt that it's a prime trend.
What would you do, if you were given the power? GameCareerGuide.com challenged its readers to reboot an existing game series in a way that would expand its appeal to a new audience.
We received a large number of entries, with many readers eager to offer their own personal takes on their favorite franchises.
Some suggestions fell short of a full series reboot, however. Several well-written entries described what would make for a compelling sequel or remake, but ultimately lacked the originality that characterizes successful reboots.
Only a few standout entries managed to outline significant changes to a franchise's core, while also maintaining the elements that made it appealing in the first place.
What follows are the best and most original entries we received. Here are our top picks:
Best Entries
Robert Gauss, Operations Research Analyst, Tomb Raider (see page 2)
Robert Gauss presents a Tomb Raider reboot that stars a young Lara Croft in a series of imagination-fueled household adventures. Despite the dramatic change in setting and tone, the game nevertheless captures the spirit of exploration that defines the series.
Dave Delisle, Game Designer, Double Dragon (see page 3)
Dave Delisle resurrects the long-dormant Double Dragon beat'em-up franchise with an open-world adventure. The contrast between the series' simplistic roots and the reboot's modern complexity is striking -- the result is a game that captures the spirit of the original games while also inserting some much-needed depth.
Jamie Brewer, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (see page 4)
Jamie Brewer's reboot of the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? series relies on technological advancements seen since the series' debut. Explorable environments, forensics research, and online reference materials make the classic franchise a great fit for modern classrooms.
Honorable Mentions
Dean Ray Johnson, Sonic the Hedgehog (see page 5)
Garrett Guillotte, X-Com: UFO Defense (see page 6)
Christopher Hawkins, Game Design Theory Student at La Trobe University, Psychonauts (see page 7)
Will Armstrong IV, Strider (see page 8)
Joseph H. Willis Jr., McKinley Tech Computer Science Instructor, Burnout (see page 9)
