Track & Field and I have a history. Not the sporting event, I'm referring to the Konami classic Track & Field. When my brother was a kid he had the game on the NES and later picked up the Power Pad for it. The Power Pad was a floor mat controller with 12 sensors, kind of like the one for Dance, Dance Revolution. My brother, sisters and I would play Track & Field in the basement of my parent's house, jumping all over that mat like Lindsay Lohan on an open bar. One day we made the mistake of having the dog around and he got so excited seeing people hop around that he bit me in the leg. I think my brother told him to do it, it was the only way he could beat me in the 100-yard dash.
Needless to say when Track & Field became available on Xbox Live Arcade I bought it immediately. And when Battlezone and Cyberball (which really needs versus multiplayer) became available, I couldn't download them fast enough. What other titles spawn flashbacks of those heady days of yesteryear? After thoroughly searching XBLA, the Wii Virtual Console and the PlayStation Network I found some good titles, but some big guns are surprisingly absent. The big three need to quit screwing around and add the following old school classics ASAP.
Karate Champ (Technos, 1984) - A one-on-one tournament-style karate competition. Think of a videogame version of the All-Valley Tournament in the Karate Kid, but more realistic because a wimp like Daniel would have no chance at winning.
Zaxxon (SEGA, 1982) - This game was unique for its time. Gamers flew a fighter from a third-person perspective and an unusual point of view that made the game look 3-D. With revolutionary graphics and fun game play, quarters would literally jump out of my pocket any time I went near this game. You can get it now on the SEGA Genesis Collection on the PS2 but a download would be simpler.
Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back (SNES, 1992) - Easily the best Star Wars game until KOTOR and it covered the entire timeline of the best Star Wars movie ever. Fight the Battle of Hoth? Train with Yoda and rescue Leia? Sign me up. This title came out before the prequels ruined Star Wars for everybody.
Any Madden more than 5 years old - Is there a reason this isn't already happening? Tell me EA wouldn't make a mint on those old Madden classics. Who wouldn't want to see that ambulance come out on the field after cheap shotting your opponents QB? Who wouldn't want to hear good old Pat Summerall's drunken rambling again? Who wouldn't want to see Terrell Davis back in a Broncos uniform? Sure you'd need to work some deals with retired players but if 2K can do it, so can EA.
Sunset Riders (Konami, 1991) - My love of Westerns started with this title. It was a four player shooter that three frat brothers and I blew a ton of money on. When it came out on the NES (courtesy of SEGA in 1993) I was embarrassingly giddy. Please don't tell anyone.
NHL '94 (EA, 1994) - Greatest. Videogame. Ever. Enough said.
Ironman Ivan Stewarts Super Off-Road (Leland, 1989) - Racing games don't usually do anything for me but anytime I see this game (usually in an old arcade or a Chuck E. Cheese) I have to play it, dibs on the yellow truck.
PaRappa the Rapper (NanaOn-Sha, 1996) - The port of this 1997 PS1 title is out on the PSP, which means about 5 people bought it. Don't we all deserve to play this addictive 1997 rhythm game classic? I say yes. Don't believe me? Just try getting Chop Chop Master Onion's Rap out of your head once you've heard it, its impossible.
Jordan vs. Bird: One on One (SEGA, 1988) - This title came out on multiple consoles but I fell in love with it on the Commodore 64. I'd clobber my poor buddy Scott (who now works for the Yahoo Search Engine) with either guy, but making it rain with Bird was the best.
Bubble hockey - This will never happen because its not a videogame, its more like foosball hockey but if anybody could make create a game version of this I'd pay top dollar. The last time I played bubble hockey was at an old arcade on Lake Winnepesaukee (some day I'm getting one for my house) and buying one on your own is very expensive, so why not make a downloadable version?
A game that should be available on every console but isn't
Punch Out!!! Featuring Mr. Dream - This is the Wii Virtual Console version of the 1987 NES classic Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! I guess I can understand not having Iron Mike in the game any longer (Note to self: getting arrested, biting off a guys ear and saying you'll make orphans of a someone's children make you slightly less marketable) and I know this was a Nintendo exclusive but come on! Come on!...Come on! This works with my mom, maybe it'll work with Nintendo.
So what game do you wish you could download? Share your favorite long lost game in the comments section of this post and you become eligible to win a prize. Every commenter's name will be put in a hat and a random gamer will be chosen. Your prize? A downloadable code for Ticket to Ride on XBLA.
