Does anyone remember Phantom Dust? Anyone? Bueller? It was released back in 2004/2005 for the original Xbox, and remains a bit of a cult hit to this day. That's a fact not lost on Microsoft Studio boss Phil Spencer, who casually dropped it into a conversation about what Xbox has up its sleeve next in the battle to win hearts and minds in Japan with the Xbox One.
Alex S. from Link-Cable writes: "Microsoft’s first console holds a very special in the hearts of many gamers. The ‘beast’ as it was called in some circles absolutely trounced its competitors when it came to raw power allowing near-PC level games to be playable on your TV for the first time ever. But beyond processing power the system is also to thank for pushing the standardization of online gameplay, something which today is a must have, no matter how you decide to play games. So in honor of Microsoft’s big, green tank and to maybe remind Microsoft of which games need to end up on the Xbox One store (wink, wink) we’re counting down the Top 20 Best Xbox Games."
Gamesradar: "Sometimes there’s nothing better than revisiting an Xbox old game you love. Sure, they rarely quite live up to modern standards, but they can be like a comforting digital hug thanks to the familiar surroundings and sense of nostalgia. Other times it’s just nice to treat yourself to a bit of a history lesson for a classic that you’ve missed.
After all, there are so many that deserve a second chance, perhaps all gussied up with an HD touch-up and some extra little treats. So with that in mind I recently decided to pick up Phantom Dust, since a fair few people had raved about the original and how ‘unique’ it is. I figured I’d discover something new by playing it and maybe learn a thing or two about games from that era. But all I did was leave disappointed."
The game was never more than a cult classic, gained some name recognition because of that, MS wanted to play up on that hoping for a "new" online IP while failing to invest into it creatively. That's why the remake died in development and why the remaster died soon after re-release: The original game was never "All That".
alas such is the state of Xbox first party ips... limited being a generous term here. kinda makes their treatment of fable and alan wake more baffling. it's not like they are spoilt with choices
Their worst scoring game (the only one with mediocre score on metacritic), is their only good game? Interesting.
They released Enslaved: Odyssey to the West which is great.
A lot of people played the OG Xbox version when it was free. Sure the games is wired and outdated, but a reboot could be a great game.
They werent happy with the studio that worked on it before and said the project will continue. But we might never see it.
More like MS wanted to add more (single player campaign) without adding addition funds to the project.
They also got another company to make the E3 video for it which was completely different than what the phantom dust remake was going to look and play like.
But ya, blame it on the studio
Yes. The developers had a budget of $5 million to make a multiplayer only reboot, then MS later said they wanted a single player mode and other things but wouldn't increase the budget or timeframe. The developers tried to convince MS they needed at least $7-8 million to make the game. MS refused and 1 week later they cancelled the project. It ruined the developers. Kotaku did a good article on what happened.
https://kotaku.com/how-a-sm...
They had the chance to revive Perfect Dark, they wanted to do Battletoads but MS said no.
The article says what about remastering the original Fable! It was already! They should know this if they are SUPPOSED to be professional writers.
Keep your wallets and accounts happy with these top choices for free gaming on Microsoft's box.
Nice!
I LOVED Phantom Dust.
Awesome news...but this was annonced days ago..isnt the discussion over by now? I have been waiting for an announcement regarding this franchise for a long long time. if this goes through ill be so happy...i also want blinx 3 and otogi 3 and new rpgs
I would love that, I remember that game years ago and I hope they make it happen.
If they can reboot Killer Instinct surely anything's possible..