While the arcade itself may be dead, arcade games seem to be making a comeback lately. Classic games like Pac-Man and Galaga are available on the XBox 360 and Wii. People of all ages are loving these games, and it seems to be feeding the need these days for a game that you don’t have to sit in front of for hours on end to enjoy. Long 20 hour epics such as Zelda sprung up long ago when it was realized that video gaming in the home was different from that in the arcades. People desired a deeper story with their games, and it was exciting to play into the night trying to find that magic sword or hidden room.

As gamers are growing older, they have less time to devote to gaming. I myself don’t have the time to devote to games like World of Warcraft or Zelda. I spend a lot of my time on a train, bus or plane. This feeds my need for the 5 minute burst of entertainment that I get with an arcade type of game. I think many others share the need for these games so they can play for 5 minutes and just put it down and be done. Many cell phones have arcade type games available on them so that a player can play for a bit, put it down and be done while they are on the go.

I think in the coming years, we are going to find many more arcade “shoot-em-up” style cames making their way to consoles. We will be taken back to the years when games like Contra and 1943 was big in the arcade. Long live the arcade game!

I recently broke out some of my old video game systems and started playing them again. I enjoyed a little Contra and RC-Pro-AM. I even played Time Pilot on my old ColecoVision. After a while, I began to realize that the gameplay was still addicting even when compared with video games of today. I wanted more though.

I have played these games for years and I wanted something new. It’s a shame that some of these franchises were retired before people realized how great they were. If only some of these games were still around so that I could play new versions of them. Here are 5 video game franchises that I would like revived for new versions.

1. Baseball Stars

Still the best baseball game of all time. The challenge of building a team and the fact that it kept stats made this game what it was. A sequel was released for the NES without the ability to create custom player names. From there on the franchise went downhill. They released 2 more versions for the Neo-Geo system, and when that system tanked, so did Baseball Stars.

How it can succeed today: There is still no need to use Major League Players. Make the play simple like it was for the NES. Use the same franchise mode as the NES where you have to build up your team based on making money from your attendance.

2. Tecmo Bowl

Still a fun game to play to this day. The simple gameplay along with wacky animations made this game the best football game of its time. The EA Sports (then known as EASN before a lawsuit brought by ESPN) Madden franchise brought down Tecmo Bowl. Tecmo tried to compete by making the game more realistic. Then the game just wasn’t fun to play anymore.

How it can succeed today: Update the rosters. Keep the wackiness with hard hits and players flying half way across the screen. Make the graphics cartoony. Keep the ability to make impossible plays. Sure! Rex Grossman can throw a football 100 yards!

3. Double Dragon

There is nothing better than a side-scrolling beat ‘em up game. In the early 90’s, Double Dragon was everywhere. It was such a great franchise that 2 movies were based on it. A bad NES version of this game that was nothing like the arcade version soured many fans of the franchise even though more superior versions were available on other consoles. The attempt to convert the franchise into a Street Fighter style game with Double Dragon V ruined it even further.

How it can succeed today: Bring it back as a simple side-scrolling beat ‘em up game. Make it an updated version of the old arcade games.

4. Aerobiz

A great simulation game that puts you in the CEO position of an airline company. Test your business savvy against the computer or a human opponent. Not many people knew about Aerobiz or its sequel Aerobiz Supersonic when it was out for the SNES, but those that did know played the game for hours on end. It has also recently become a must have for emulator hobbyists.

How it can succeed today: Just update the game with slightly better graphics, music and more cities. Release it for PC so it can be played with a mouse. The gameplay is already great as is.

5. SimCity

I know SimSocieties just came out, but this franchise is dead. Slowly the franchise has gotten away from the game we all knew and loved with SimCity 3000. Simcity 4 dumbed it down for a wider audience and SimSocieties isn’t even considered a SimCity game to me. EA has single-handedly ruined a very popular franchise since taking over the Maxis line of games.

How it can succeed today: Return to the roots and start from SimCity 3000 again. Update the game with even more variables and things you can control. Add online play where you can build along side other cities and interact with them.