Mobile is giving classic games a second life
30 years ago video game consoles, then merely toddlers, gave way to some of the greatest games ever developed (Legend of Zelda, Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu, Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Metroid). Fast forward to today – these classics are making a comeback to the mainstream thanks to the success of mobile gaming.
Game lovers and enthusiasts who originally made these games a hit can now play them with their children on their smartphones and tablets. Because of mobile gaming, developers are learning how to breath a second life into their genre-defining ancestors while still creating original IP.
Activision’s Pitfall! is a prime example of this movement. “The vision was to take inspiration from the ’82 Pitfall and all of its cool gameplay [elements],” said Greg Canessa, vice president of Activision Mobile, to GamesBeat. “We took that inspiration and iconography and [brought them] to 2012 with modern technology while trying to stay true to that game.”
And gamers are at the edge of their seats anxious to find out which of their favorites will get the opportunity to be revived. I personally have my fingers crossed for super nintendos DK country!
Jackie’s favorite video game level of ALL TIME.
What classic game would you bring to mobile?
Read more about Pitfall! here
Joust from Atari, the original Prince of Persia, and of course the classic classic, Final Fantasy VII!
How about any game your heart desires? Any NES, Super Nintendo, and SEGA game could be easily converted to the mobile platform. The only hurtle is licensing.
As a kid, I spent endless hours sitting in front of Mike Tyson’s Punchout, T&C Surf, and, of course, Mario Brothers. So as I work on becoming an adult entering my 30s, and spend those endless hours on my phone, it’s nice to bring it all together.
I think this is a huge opportunity for mobile gaming to capture a crowd that might not be as familiar with Angry Birds as it is with Duck Hunt. The recreation of these games breeds familiarity and grows the gaming population to include the NES, Super Nintendo type of gamers.
rc pro-am!