The first one was mostly about the jazz, the swing, the blues. You had The Ink Spots (they started it all with the first game’s intro song – “Maybe”, it was a haunting ouvre), The Andrews Sisters, Roy Brown(you actually could hack people to “Butcher Pete”), Cole Porter and Billie Holiday. New Vegas went chronologically further with more swing and a bit of country. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Marty Robbins and Bing Crosby can be heard while wandering through the wastes of the Mojave.

The interesting thing is this: how exactly does a video game aimed at people between 16-30 (I’m guessing that’s their target audience) manage to sell them on the idea of oldies (and I do mean old, not like some who throw that word in front of everything older than 10 years)? My answer would be that they don’t even try to sell the idea, it just mixes rather well. I realized about 2 hours in, that the music actually builds atmosphere. It’s ironic, funny, and anachronic at the same time to shoot raiders in the head while Dean Martin swaggers to the beat of “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”. Or to beat someone to a pulp while a love ballad like Nat King Cole’s “Love Me as Though There Were No Tomorrow” plays on. And I’m guessing that’s what brings the hipster approval. Then again, there’s also the fact that this is good music that today’s youth hasn’t been introduced to(and in some ways I’d rather it not become some DJ’s mixing fodder).

Evidence of these songs’ popularity outside the confines of the game can be found all over Youtube’s boards.
If you look at the comments section, you’ll notice most people recognize that the game brought them there. The funniest part is realizing there’s actually a conflict between the ones who haven’t played Fallout, and the ones that did. Focusing solely on the matter of how the song was discovered. I call it funny because there’s two sides that fight over something both of them like.

As for me, I just feel Sinatra’s low-key “Blue Moon” is perfect for stretching your legs in a desert after the end of the world.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.

Last year LucasArts surprised me with The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition. It was an update of the original 1990 video game. And it was just that: an update. No remake, just the same game under a different packaging. Now, who’s to say that what doesn’t actually work for movies (see Spielberg and Lucas’ treatment of E.T., Star Wars, etc.) won’t work for video games? Considering we’re talking about the same game, just with updated visuals, I’m all for it. It’s hard to screw up a game as long as you don’t change what worked in the first place.
This got me to thinking why won’t game studios milk that cow? Instead of trying to come up with a new IP and failing, why not repackage an old hit and introduce it to a new generation? Then again they are doing something of the kind, just going about it the wrong way: creating sequels when they should be updating. Now this is a list of games I think would benefit from being updated, while also having huge potential for success.

Honorable mention: Grim Fandango

He’s dead serious…

Here’s a game that didn’t find an audience despite the amazing story and overall originality. I mean who wouldn’t love a Mexican flavored noir story about a traveling agent in the Land of the Dead? Sadly, few did, and in a way, marked the end of the golden age of LucasArts adventure games. Style is a must if an update, or sequel ever surfaces for this humor filled walk through the afterlife.

5. Fallout 1&2

Hulk smash! Also, Hulk need something for the warts.

I know, there’s already Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas is on the way. But, even if Fallout 3 was pretty good on its own, there’s no denying it didn’t match up to the inspirational material. Now imagine the same engine (well, better considering it’s already been a while) used to bring the first two iterations to life once more. Wouldn’t you love to see a full scale version of the Necropolis, the Cathedral, New Reno or the Master in all his glory? Little chance of that happening, but somehow I still have hope.

4. Deus Ex

Somehow I don’t think this is the good guys’ HQ.

There is a 3rd Deus Ex in production for quite a while, or so I’ve heard. No idea how that will turn out. But I do know the sequel failed so much at being a sequel, but rather an all new game, influenced by the first. The first one was an amazing noir (there it is again, makes you think) Sci-Fi conspiracy thriller where choices were important, stealth was the way to go and cool dialogs about politics with bartenders in Hong Kong were just the icing on the cake. Now, imagine updating the always relevant story(terrorists, AI, philosophy, secret societies, human rights) with new graphics and unleashing it on the world. Atmosphere is a must for any update or sequel.

3. Duke Nukem 3D

There’s always time to tip the stripper when saving the world.

A new game for the franchise has been in development hell for decades now, and will probably not see the light of today any time soon. Which makes putting this one on the list is wishful thinking. But then again, you had a bad ass hero and an R-rated game, killing aliens that wanted to abduct human females. And that’s pretty much all the story it needed. A classic FPS with a no-nonsense attitude (well, actually there’s a lot of non-sense in the Duke Nukem Universe, but it’s all about attitude). I dare say this would be hugely successful even in today’s market. Humor and R-rated elements are things without which Duke Nukem becomes just another mediocre FPS.

2. Might and Magic

Uh, oh…I think that’s a mating ritual dance…

The Might & Magic franchise is pretty much dead (unless you count the new Heroes games). And it truly is a pity, because in its heyday, it was one of the best RPG franchises ever. It had story (though at times convoluted) and a great deal of detail. Might & Magic 6 and 7 were some of the best role-playing games I ever spent days playing. It had everything a fan could want, from all sorts of races, dungeons and characters (the series used to go hand in hand with Heroes at that time) to powerful items, monsters and spells. An update in the genre of Dragon Age would only result in a whole new generation being introduced to a long-running game series (please no changing of setting and tone like it happened with Heroes, Erathia, Enroth and the like are just fine).

1. Planescape: Torment

The things she can do with that tail…

What can I say? I’m a sucker for a role-playing game with an amazing story. I once read somewhere that the most common affliction of main characters in video games is amnesia. And Planescape sure is keen on following that formula. But it does so in such an epic way that it leaves you in awe. Following the Nameless One in his journeys takes you to wondrous places (that would make amazing settings for a game made with today’s engines), introduces you to great, multidimensional characters (floating talking skull, anyone?) and revels in its chance to explore morality, philosophy, psychology, or, to put it simply, the nature of a man. All of the characters and settings deserve an update (and the 800,000 words script would sure help with amazing literary descriptions). Out of all the games on this list, this one is the most deserving and maybe the best suited for an update (since I don’t believe a sequel would be possible in any way).