L'uscita di Hot Wheels Unlashed for many players it was a sort of celebration: not only did it give further confirmation of the talent of the españolesssima Milestone in making good racing games, but it also turned out to be a beautiful tribute to one of the most beloved toys of our childhood, created by Mattel in 1968.
To honor this good result, here in the editorial office we decided to play: some of our editors, including the author of this article, thought about what their favorite toy was, and imagined that type of video game would like to see him star.
The result?
Let's see it together!
Fabio Antinucci: Action Man
Action Man for me it was THE toy of desire, perhaps the most desired of the thousands I saw on television, and I had all kinds: from the legendary "Action Man cop-with-dog-wolf" to the 007 version with sports car equipped with machine guns and cannons, up toAction Man astronaut complete with a lunar exploration vehicle.
Now, of video games dedicated to Action Man, in the past, only one has been made, Operation Extreme, an action-adventure fairly refined in isometric view that was a bit like the dream of every fan of the toy line.
Today, twenty years later, the idea of making an Action Man game using today's technology and creative madness would be very interesting.
How? Personally, the maximum right idea would be that of put Action Man at the center of a huge and crazy open-world along the lines of Saints Row, in which to move in a large map from mission to mission changing equipment from time to time and ending up in this way to annihilate threats on other planets, or in cities threatened by the mysterious Mr. X aboard a mighty motorcycle, perhaps in a desert, grappling with challenges of pure survival.
This plot, together with beautiful cell-shaded graphics and freedom of action gameplay, could really bring to life the definitive tribute to one of the icons of our childhood.
Diego del Buono: Street Sharks
If the return of the Battletoads and the arrival of TMNT: Shredder's Revenge (2022) have shown us one thing, it is that scrolling fighting games are a type of game that is still able to attract the attention of the public and to give us hours of fun. Why not revive another group of mutant heroes by creating a game dedicated to Street Sharks? We already have it all: co-op up to 4 players, barrel, waves of enemies, bosses, vehicles and tamarragine to sell to the cry of DIP SHARK!
Simone Alvaro Segatori: Mighty Max
Maybe many of you don't remember it, while others are too young to have experienced it, but there was a time when you walked around with monster heads, little more than a walnut, which contained real parallel worlds. Mighty Max, as this series of toys was called, followed the story of a little boy who after finding a cosmic cap was able to travel in time and between one world and another to defeat the evil Skull Knight and his monsters.
You have surely noticed that everything in this story exudes another era, but it would be nice if there was a Mighty Max video game, something with the mechanics halfway between Mario Odyssey and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart however capable of building a dark story full of all terrifying creatures that Max was forced to face in toys (and in the cartoon series that the UK section of Marvel also worked on).
The monster heads that were marketed always contained a different villain and had more sizes: they ranged from the Doom Zones, as big as a hand and known to us as Horribly Shells, to the small Horror Heads. But it also existed a giant playset, compared to the others. A playset that portrayed the Mountain of the Cursed Skull (Photo), full of traps and secret passages and that would be really perfect as a main hub or as the final level of a video game dedicated to Mighty Max. And of course the crossover with Polly Pocket it would be a must since MM was nothing more than his version for a male audience.
Michele Giannini: LEGO Bionicles
As a child I have always been fascinated by LEGO bricks: I still remember the tubs (literally, tubs) full of colored bricks that I had at home, thanks to which I recreated football games, clashes between heroes and villains, car races and so on and so forth. Over time and with age I have come closer to series Technics e ai Bionicles. Has been Love at first sight, so it goes without saying that the game I would like to see turned into Videogames is represented by LEGO Bionicles.
In the news there have been, over the years, attempts to transpose the world of Bionicles into videogames, but all quite unsuccessful; a single noteworthy project is being carried out by an independent developer which in 2020 showed a first trailer of the game called Bionicle: The quest for Mata Nui.
My hope is that someday a "big shot" of the caliber of Insomniac or Sucker Punch decides to take everything exceptional that has been done so far - and yes, I'm talking about Spider-Man and Ghost of Tsushima - and apply it to a videogame on Bionicles.
The lore is there, the spectacle of the characters too, the ideas are certainly not lacking; it just takes a bit of trust in a brand that, in my opinion, has always been little appreciated and valued. So if someone… er… Insomniac… cough cough… is listening: bring out a video game worthy of the name on Bionicles please!
Claudio Albero: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
FOR THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL !!!
How many times have I yelled this phrase as a child, but the transformation never happened: the broom in my hand did not turn into a sword, there was no trace of tigers in armor or unlikely blond helmets (God forbid and free).
As we all know, the Mattel franchise has recently returned to the limelight thanks to a very successful one new animated series on Netflix, but my question has been the same for years now: why no one has yet bothered to do it a videogame his He-Man e soci? The last attempt in this regard was made in 2005, with "He-Man: Defender of Grayskull“, An action that received a rather lukewarm reception.
Try to imagine what a videogame set in Eternia could look like: we could command the forces of good in a classic God of War action; or we could create our own character and make him move to a continent populated by the avatars of other players (as in any self-respecting MMORPG); or we could still opt for an RTS, pitting our troops against those of the evil Skeletor (or we could decide to play the role of the most beautiful villain of our childhood).
As you see, the possibilities are endless; for this I adjure you, do not let my memories, as well as my toys, take the dust: The world needs a Masters of the Universe videogame!
Graziano Salini: Donald Duck
The game I would like is rather strange: a fighting game based on the characters from the world of Donald Duck.
As a child I had the shameless luck of being able to get hold of a Playstation right away, spending just the first 4 years struggling with tractors and constructions. My childhood then evolved giving a lot of time to the first console, a real babysitter who helped me in the most difficult times of those dark times with memorable games and stories. Another wonderful companion of that period was represented by the fuput Disney, thanks to an impressive collection set up by my father week after week.
For this reason, since I was a child, I fantasized about a video game that then, for my obvious reasons, never saw the light: a 2D fighting game linked to the universe of ducks. A two-dimensional fighting game in Pixel Art, with the quality of the best 2D (Street Fighter III: Third Strike or Garou Mark Of Wolves, so to speak) but with instead of Ryu or Terry Bogard we find Amelia the witch who bewitches, Archimedes Pythagorean or Uncle Scrooge. Imagine a special in which Uncle Scrooge tortures his opponent by straining him with coins or a combined grip between Donald's three nephews, here, here and here.
Try to think of how many funny mechanics can be included in such a game: triple characters (the aforementioned here quo and here), characters who as a special exploit their blatant luck to perform only critics (Gastone Scrooge), characters able to use any object to their advantage simply by recalling it with a button (Eta Beta).
When in doubt, I console myself with Mugen
Sometimes a healthy dip into our childhood can only do good, and doing it with a latest generation video game would really be the end of the world.
These are the ones of our dreams, but the choice is really huge: what are your wishes? Tell us!
