#portbegging

Port Begging for: Shadow Complex

Publisher: Microsoft

Developer: Chair / Epic Games

Original Platform: Xbox 360

Port it to: PC

Shadow Complex was one of the first titles to come out on the Xbox Live Arcade that proved that this whole “small, digital download” type game could be a thing.

After the comparatively lame Undertow, Chair Entertainment blew everyone's expectations away by making a fantastic large map action platformer with fantastic gameplay, unique weapons and a great style, though the main character was a little boring.

But it’s a shame that after everything, the game will continue to sit just on the Xbox 360. The Unreal Engine itself has come so far since the original 2009 release that even a bump to today’s standard would be a welcome improvement.

Port Begging for: MDK2 HD

Publisher: Interplay

Developer: Overhaul Games

Original Platform: PC

Port it to: Xbox One, PS4, Wii U

Before the Mass Effects and Dragon Ages of the World, Bioware was a developer building games on other properties - Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, and oddly enough made a game called MDK2.

A sequel to the original game made by Shiny, MDK2 follows Kurt, Max and Dr. Hawkings in a rather goofy action shooter fighting against the evil Shang Shwing. The game originally came out on the Dreamcast to critical acclaim, and later on the PC, and was a ton of fun.

The past few years saw the game come back into the limelight courtesy of Overhaul Games. Wanting to bring the game back in HD, they reworked the graphics entirely with new models and lighting effects, widescreen support and everything else.

Unfortunately the new release came out on only two platforms - PC, where it looks fantastic, and… Wii. At the time of this creation, both MIcrosoft and Sony were kind of jerks when it came to releasing games on their digital platforms, and made it a massive pain when it came to bringing games to Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 without a publisher.

Port Begging for: Chu Chu Rocket!

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sonic Team

Original Platform: Dreamcast, iOS

Port it to: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Vita, 3DS

Back in 1999 Sonic Team were on a roll - revealing their “Enjoy 4” game announcement - Samba De Amigo, Phantasy Star Online, Sonic Adventure International, and… Chu Chu Rocket!?

Chu Chu Rocket is a simple puzzle game involving the everlasting battle between Mice and Cats.. but in space! There are two major parts of the game - Puzzle, requiring the player to place arrows around a maze in order to get all the Mice hope, and leave the cats for dead. The other - an incredibly frantic and fun multiplayer game throwing 4 players into the mix, fighting to get the most mice while avoiding cats, all in one of the Dreamcast’s first online titles.

It was a blast to play back then and many remember it fondly - it has since come out on the iPhone, which makes sense, but I still feel that what’s missing is a digital release on consoles and PC. That version also feels rather sloppy and half finished, though it was probably completed on a shoestring budget.

Port Begging for: Tomb Raider

Publisher: Eidos / Square Enix

Developer: Realtech VR / Core

Original Platform: iPhone

Port it to: PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, PSVita, Wii U

The original Tomb Raider is a classic game on the original PlayStation, but also made itself home on the PC back in 1996. And while it did get a remake with the Anniversary version, the original still plays quite well, even with “tank” controls.

While the game wouldn’t be on top of my requested ports list, it actually did ported just before Christmas to the iPhone, courtesy of Realtech VR. It’s actually a very good port of the PC version, and according to the developer contains:

- Includes TR: Unfinished Business level

- Full port with rewritten/bug fixes from the original version (not emulation).

- 24bit HD textures (and ability to play like the original with 8-bit textures).

Not to mention that this is also the only version on record which actually supports widescreen mode. Even the PC version, as far as I can tell, does not have widescreen support even with screwing around with the configuration files in DOS Box.

While the iPhone version does support controllers, to even port the game and not bring it to consoles seems rather silly, and a missed opportunity. From the screenshots above you can see it's a bit of a mess trying to play with touchscreen controls!