I Covered E3 and All I Got Was This Lousy Reboot

How Long Has It Been? Given the awful way Ubisoft has treated this long-running franchise, I wouldn't be surprised if most modern gamers only know Rayman for its "rabbid" problem. These adorable critters have found their way into a number of mini-game compilations, including Rabbids Go Home (2009), TV Party (2008) and the two Raving Rabbids games (2006 and 2007). But once upon a time Ubisoft made actual Rayman platformers. The last time they did that was in 2003, when they released Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc.

Why Should You Care? Much like Kirby's Epic Yarn, Rayman Origins is all about creating a visually appealing 2D world unlike anything we've ever seen before. It's not an exaggeration to say that Michel Ancel's brand new game looks as good as the classic hand drawn Disney movies you grew up with. The characters come to life in a way I've never seen before, setting a new high water mark for 2D animation. Best of all, from what we've been able to see it looks like the developers are playing with lighting, silhouettes and other graphical flourishes that make this game look even better than it already does.

In case you haven't noticed, this is yet another classic 2D action game making a return in the next twelve months. With so much of the emphasis placed on 3D worlds and polygon characters, it's refreshing to see so many games going back to the classic 2D gameplay. Could it be that enough time has passed that 2D is cool again? I hope so, and if proving that means I have to buy games like Rayman Origins, Donkey Kong Country Returns and Sonic the Hedgehog 4, then I'm ready to bite the bullet. If a return to old timey gameplay doesn't excite you, then perhaps you're reading the wrong E3 article.

What Could Go Wrong? It's been so long since Michel Angel has made a Rayman game, I fear that he might have completely forgotten what made this series great in the first place. And if it doesn't sell? Perhaps it's premature to be all doom and gloom, but a failed Rayman sequel would likely doom any hope of seeing Beyond Good & Evil 2!

How Long Has It Been? If all we're doing is talking about Donkey Kong, then it has only been three years since Nintendo shipped Donkey Kong: Jungle Climbers for the Nintendo DS. Before that we had King of Swing and Jungle Beat, both from 2005. But Nintendo makes it a point to say that it's Donkey Kong Country that is returning, not some other spin-off or franchise. The last time we saw a new Donkey Kong Country game was 1996 on the Super NES.

Why Should You Care? I have never been a big Donkey Kong Country guy, but there's no denying that Nintendo is on a roll. The entire Donkey Kong clan (which includes Junior, Dixie and others) are endearing enough to warrant another sequel, especially given the 14 year break. Best of all, the game remains 2D, completely erasing the bad taste Donkey Kong 64 left in my mouth. All of these elements have somehow come together to melt even me, a Donkey Kong Country denier.

While I'm keeping myself optimistic, there's genuine reason for me to be a little worried about this upcoming Wii release. For one thing, the gameplay hasn't changed much in the last 14 years. What's more, the graphics, while good, don't seem as fresh as they did a dozen years ago on the Super NES. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot more happening on screen and some of the backgrounds are breathtaking, but this is not the huge leap forward you would have expected all these years later. Then again, Nintendo knows what they're doing and I'm hoping that this will be the first Donkey Kong Country I can truly love without reservations.

What Could Go Wrong? It could be exactly like Donkey Kong Country 1 - 3. With 14 years separating these games, I fear that Nintendo will simply reproduce the same game for a new generation. They could also take the Donkey Kong 64 approach, turning the franchise into frustrating levels full of collect-a-thon game mechanics.

How Long Has It Been? It has been 16 years since Sonic the Hedgehog 3, making this sequel long overdue. As everybody knows, Sega didn't exactly stop making Sonic games after introducing Knuckles. Instead they released more than a dozen terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad Sonic games that effectively killed Hedgehog's good name. The last Sonic game, the inappropriately titled Sonic Unleashed, ran straight into the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Why Should You Care? At this point I wouldn't blame you if you didn't care. The truth is, Sega has spent all of the goodwill they earned from games like Sonic 1, 2 and 3. It's the same thing year after year, Sega announces a new Sonic game and we all wait to hear what stupid gameplay decision they've added that ruins the whole game. Excited about Sonic Unleashed? Well, half the time you play a werewolf. Curious about Shadow the Hedgehog? Don't be, because it's yet another action game with a gun-toting hedgehog. It's true, every time Sega has a good idea, they always find a way to mess the whole thing up.

That brings us to Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, the game that appears to get it right. Gone are the gimmicks and annoying 3D sections. It has all been replaced by a sleek 2D experience that will instantly remind you of the good old days of the Sega Genesis. I know, I know, you're waiting for the other foot to drop. But maybe that other foot isn't coming. While Sega is working on Sonic the Hedgehog 4, they are also developing Sonic Colors. If they can just transfer all of the annoying gimmicks and questionable gameplay decisions to Sonic Colors, then there's hope that Sega can keep Sonic 4 pure. I have my fingers crossed, but Sega is a company that knows a thing or two about messing up their best franchises.

What Could Go Wrong? It's a Sonic game, so nothing is off the table. Between now and then we could learn that Sonic broke both of his legs or that half way through the first level we switch to the annoying Big the Cat character. Sega could turn the sound track over to Miley Cyrus or make Episode 1 only a half hour long. The amount of terrible things Sega could inflict on Sonic 4 is endless, which is more than a little depressing.

How Long Has It Been? It's been 13 years since Microprose released X-COM: Apocalypse, the last true X-COM installment. However, in the past few years we've seen a number of X-COM spin-offs, including X-COM: Email Games (1999) and X-COM: Enforcer (2001). Even if you include the spin-offs, it's been a long time since somebody decided to make an X-COM game.

Why Should You Care? The original X-COM (yes, with the dash) is one of the greatest games ever made. It's a game where you hire complete strangers, train them, clothe them and then send them out to the frontlines of the battle between good and bad, humans and aliens. But these virtual soldiers aren't some nameless meatheads, throughout the hundreds of hours you play the game you connect with them and show real emotion if one of them gets injured or, God forbid, killed in action. It's a winning formula that nobody has been able to match in the last 15 years. That's why you should care about X-COM.

Unfortunately, this is not X-COM; this is a first-person shooter that does away with the dash and anything else recognizable from the original game. 2K wants to sell this game as the next BioShock, the sort of game full of secrets and a mysterious location. The footage from E3 looks promising, featuring an interesting 1950s art style and some unexpected alien effects. However, I still have a hard time getting excited about a game so drastically different from the original series. X-COM: UFO Defense is a personal favorite of mine, so in some ways this feels like 2K Games toying with my emotions. I hope this game is successful for what it's trying to be, but I would much rather have a true X-COM sequel to play around with.

What Could Go Wrong? While I wish no ill on this brand new XCOM, my fear is that this will mark a turning point for the franchise and we'll never get a true strategy-based sequel. The last thing we need is another alien-centric first-person shooter, especially when we could be playing one of the greatest tactical role-playing games of all time. It's also legitimate to worry that if this game bombs the future of X-COM will be in peril.

How Long Has It Been? Although it wasn't announced at their press conference, Nintendo did feature a number of surprises at their booth. One of the biggest was remakes of two Nintendo 64 classics -- Star Fox 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It's been more a dozen years since either of these games hit store shelves, though we've seen ports of both games hit Nintendo compilations and the Virtual Console in recent years.

Why Should You Care? Call me a contrarian, but I was under the impression that the Nintendo DS was already the de facto Nintendo 64 portable. Let's not forget that the system launched with a quickie port of Super Mario 64. At the launch of the Nintendo DS I expected Nintendo to port all of the big name N64 titles, like Star Fox, Mario Kart and Ocarina of Time. After all, Nintendo spent several years doing nothing but porting Super NES games to the Game Boy Advance. I expected the same for the Nintendo 64. Thankfully I was wrong.

The good news is that both of these games are considered classics. Ocarina of Time is the highest rated game of all time and Star Fox 64 isn't half bad either. Throw in 3D effects and maybe a few extras (perhaps an online mode for Star Fox?), and you have a couple of must-own retro releases. Best of all, this may be just the thing Star Fox needs to remind people how much fun that series was. And if the Nintendo 3DS has the power to make Star Fox relevant again, then I would say that's reason enough to care about these 3D-enhanced Nintendo 64 games.

What Could Go Wrong? I have nothing against the Nintendo 64, but I certainly don't want to see the 3DS turn into nothing but 64-bit ports. How long will it be before we're putting up with 3D versions of Cruis'n USA and Killer Instinct 2 Gold? The best thing about the Nintendo DS is how it forced developers to come up with wholly original products. I don't want to see that tradition end just because Nintendo needs to round out their software library.