by DrkTr14ce » Mon Feb 11, '08, 7:58 pm
I think I'll go and steal Reno's structuring style for this. Well, not steal, but...you know what I mean.
Game of Choice: Zombies Ate my Neighbors
(Some of you have probably seen how much I love the game already. If not, here's a good taste of it.)
What was the original like?
The plot...oh, who am I kidding? There was no real plot to it. But here's the idea: You play as either Zeke or Julie, two kids who really love their horror films, and you must make an attempt to save your neighbors (Among other random people) from getting killed by a large cast of monsters, including the obvious Zombies.
Getting down to gameplay. The camera took a Bird's Eye perspective (Or whatever the hell they call that camera angle) and saw you, Zeke/Julie, running around a location attempting to save 10 Victims from their usually comical deaths. Thankfully, the Controls still don't seem too bad, though the age is settling in. Your weapons at hand do come quite in handy, especially your Bazooka, which can be used to destroy hedges and locked doors. (Yes, I am aware how unreal it is. Which is why it's done that way. XP) The earlier levels can be completed easily enough, with most of the victims either close enough to where you can grab them, or they're unreachable by any monster. (Those in locked rooms are usually safe. Two Victims that are seemingly unreachable are the man in the pool floatie, who can be killed if the level contains Sea Monsters, and the girl on the trampoline, who I believe is truely untouchable. With her on the level, you're guranteed to move on.)
And for the reason why it's still good: IT'S FUNNY. Maybe it's just the silly design of everything. Maybe it's the names of the levels that tend to make a person chuckle. Or maybe it's that fact that the game overall screams 'B-Movie!' over and over again in a comical form, and then ups the ante by tossing in rediculous weapons that serve a purpose. I mean, when is the last time you heard of a man killing a giant purple tentacle with a twin popsicle? (The tentacle coming from Day of the Tentacle, sequel to Maniac Mansion, and all three games coming from LucasArts. Go figure, eh?)
Why a remake?*
I think it deserves it, after getting such a poor 'sequel'. (Go Google Ghoul Patrol. Yeah, you'll wish you hadn't.) Well, that, and the fact that not many people cared about it in the first place. So it's fallen under the same category as Okami and Psyconauts.('Good, but no one cared.')
So here's the plan. First off: I'm sorry Thoul, I'm breaking the Guidelines a bit here. I think it would be difficult to re-imagine it in 3-D, so I'd like it to be in HD-2D. (High Definition Two Dimensional) Secondly, and this could be rather important, it needs Online Co-Op straight from the box. There should be no excuses as to why we can't have that in this day and age. Third....well, it definately needs more variation. And animation. So, create a few more enemies, a lot more Victims. (And make them match the level a bit more. Why the hell is there a Cheerleader in a pyramid, anyways?) The levels themselves should get a good coat of paint on them, and maybe decorated and look a little more...alive, I guess. For new content, they could have the remake of it, the original, and then Ultimate Zombies Ate My Neighbors, a mod that has brand new levels for the game with a slightly harder difficulty, presented in both the original and a remade form. Over 100 levels would be that bad. And then market it on Xbox Live/PlayStation Network or on a disc for a reasonable amount of money. ($20-$30, maybe?)
There, I think I've gotten everything covered. Now to wait for responses.
Once again, I shall apologize to Thoul for not following the Guidelines exactly. I shall bow underneath you and your highly detailed picture of Dr. Doom!
* Ok, for those of you who do your reading, ZAMN has gotten a 'remake' of sorts in the form of Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia. It wasn't by LucasArts, but the team who made it said that it was a major source of inspiration. Which makes sense, because the gameplay looks about as weird and funny as ZAMN. Haven't played it yet, but I heard it was fair, on the grounds that it seemed a bit too stuck in the past. It sounds perfect for me. XD
Greetings to you all. I am Kahrne Annabelle Lee, a Level 6 Sprite Artist.