25 Next-Gen Video Games We'd Like to See Made

**Update 4/25/14** With the announcement of Kick-Ass 2 The Video Game--which was a suggestion by Joe--let us represent our list of 25 Video Games We'd Like to See Made for Next-Gen, originally posted in June 2013.

A true survival horror game set in the world of American Horror Story; a triumphant return of some of gaming’s most beloved and abandoned mascots; and a Nicolas Cage beat-em-up sidescrolling adventure? Just imagine what the future of video games could hold!

With the next generation of home video game consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One almost upon us, gamers are likely to finally see some fresh and exciting new IPs hop out of the gate this coming fall. What are the expert analysts saying that these new IPs will be? I couldn’t tell you. Okay, so maybe this is just me exercising my authority as an imaginary game developer, but still, you never know who might be reading! Are most of our picks likely to become actual video games one day? I guess I’ve seen stranger things happen. But would it be awesome if they actually did? I’ll let you be the judge of that after reading Den of Geek’s 25 Games We’d Like to See:

25. Ronald McDonald’s Sneak King Kinect

Platform: Xbox One | In the style of: Burger King Sneak King

For those of you who have been gaming for a while, you might remember a bizarre Burger King advertising game called Sneak King that was released shortly after the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox 360. It usually reigns at the top of most “Weirdest Video Games Ever Made” lists on the internet. Well with the upcoming release of the Xbox One, I think now is the perfect time for McDonald’s to fight for the throne. In the game, you play as Ronald McDonald, who has to sneak around the city tickling pedestrians to make them smile. Creepy? Yes. Needed? Probably not. But would we like to see it? You bet your sweet McGriddles we would!

24. Corpse Tycoon

Platform: Steam/iOS/Android | In the style of: Rollercoaster Tycoon

Ever since the enormous successes of The Sims and Rollercoaster Tycoon in the late 90’s and early 00’s, we’ve seen a whole bunch of games that set out to simulate different aspects of human life: from amusement parks, to lemonade stands, even everyday household chores. Maybe it’s just the Six Feet Under fan in me, but wouldn’t it be great to play a game that simulates the responsibilities of a funeral home director? Retrieve dead bodies from a wide variety of life-ending scenarios, help grieving families settle on an affordable coffin and get the deceased’s body ready for the viewing in a fun and informative embalming mini-game!

23. LEGO Twilight

Platform: All platforms | In the style of: LEGO Harry Potter

We’ve already seen the LEGO games tackle some of Hollywood’s biggest movie franchises, like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, but do the people at Lucas Arts have the bricks to take on the many lifeless emotions of Kristen Stewart? I’m actually surprised we haven’t seen this one surface already in one form or another. I mean, Kristen Stewart’s face is 50% plastic anyway so I guess it wouldn’t be that much extra work for the developers on this one. And perhaps best of all, the guys and gals in a LEGO game aren’t usually on the talkative side!

22. Keeping Up with the Kardashians FPS

Platform: All Platforms | In the style of: Nazi Zombies and Dead Island

Isn’t it about time we had a Keeping Up with the Kardashians video game? Lord knows their made-up clown faces pop up everywhere else in the world already, so why not here as well? In this dark and gritty FPS based on everyone’s favorite reality stars, you play as members of the infamous Kardashian clan, slaughtering innocent civilians and sucking up their souls to grow stronger and purchase new demonic powers. Each map is a vacation resort or red carpet event where you swarm in and consume every bystander available, all while smiling for the cameras. Future DLC packs include Kanye West and Lamar Odom as playable characters.

21. Bum Fighter

Platform: Steam/PSN/XBLA | In the style of: Street Fighter

I’m a big fan of Street Fighter and all, but is it just me, or do Ken and Ryu seem a little too well off? I mean, look how clean their karate outfits are. I want to see some fights between the REAL kings of the streets, who have everything to gain and nothing to lose: the homeless. Battle your vagrant brethren in a series of exciting locations like the A&P parking lot, a sketchy back alley and a Barnes and Noble bathroom! Since all is fair in bums and war, players can also wield a number of deadly weapons to give them the edge, like rocks, shopping carts and dirty needles.

20. Kenny F-ing Powers’ Slugfest 2013

Platform: All Platforms | In the style of: Ken Griffey, Jr.’s Slugfest

One of my favorite sports video games of all time is Ken Griffey, Jr.’s Slugfest on Nintendo 64. I think the classic baseball gameplay would make quite a fitting pair with the snarky attitude of HBO’s hilarious Eastbound and Down starring Danny McBride. Kenny F-ing Powers’ Slugfest 2013 would intentionally look outdated in both the graphics and the gameplay department (much like Kenny’s minor league baseball career). What sets this one apart from other baseball video games is that you can actually charge the mound and start team-wide brawls at regular intervals during a game, and have Kenny throw a full-blown tantrum any time someone scores a hit or walk off of him.

19. Angry Birds: Toon Invasion!

Platform: iOS/Android | In the style of: Angry Birds

We already know that Rovio is open to making Angry Birds crossover games, with Angry Birds Rio and most recently Angry Birds Star Wars. With the first episode of the new Angry Birds animated series, what better time to have gaming’s favorite disgruntled birds invade some of TVs biggest animated shows? How about a Family Guy level pack, in the style of Peter’s botched breakfast machine? Or maybe some trippy Adventure Time levels or puzzles that feature the park from Regular Show? Any cartoon would be welcome to participate, and get some fun exposure courtesy of our feathered mobile friends.

18. Kick-Ass: The Game

Platform: PS4/Xbox One | In the style of: Infamous

Batman Arkham City and Sucker Punch’s Infamous series have already shown us how good a super hero game can be when it’s set in a vast and unpredictable open world. With a sequel to the hilarious Kick-Ass set for release later this summer, now seems like the perfect time to capitalize on the franchise with a video game tie-in. Sure, Kick-Ass doesn’t EXACTLY have any super powers, per say, but playing as Hit Girl would be an absolute blast! And with a new cast of hilarious villains like Insect Man, Doctor Gravity and The Tumor set to appear in Kick-Ass 2, we could have some seriously ridiculous and awesomely boss battles on our hands here.

17. Inception

Platform: PS4/Xbox One | In the style of: Catherine

It took around three viewings for me to fully grasp the many complexities of Christopher Nolan’s intricate blockbuster Inception and so I think a video game based upon the elaborate “dream within a dream within a dream” concept could be equally as mind-blowing. I thought Atlus’s Catherine was one of the most deeply rewarding puzzlers in the history of gaming, and the unique towering-based gameplay just seems like a perfect fit to tell an intertwining new story in the Inception universe. At least in the dreams in Inception, there are never any demonic infants chasing Dom and Ariadne up a flight of stairs!

16. Metalocalypse: The Dethgame

Platform: Steam/PSN/XBLA | In the style of: Rayman Origins

The sad thing is that a Metalocalypse game was actually once in development, and judging from this leaked gameplay video after the project was canned, the cancellation was probably for the best, as the developers seemed to be going in the completely wrong direction. I see a Metalocalypse game as a colorful sidescrolling platformer in the vein of Rayman Origins, where you would run and jump as the five members of colossal death metal band Dethklok, collecting guitar picks and Banana Stickers along the way and smashing rabid fans in the face with your drumsticks or guitar: all to the tune of a brutal, metal soundtrack composed by series creator, Brendon Small.

15. Grand Theft Sports!

Platform: Wii U | In the style of: Grand Theft Auto/Wii Sports

Sure, we’ve seen a few sports mini-games in Grand Theft Auto titles of the past, like bowling, darts and billiards. But I think Rockstar needs to step it up a notch, and really find a way to combine the violent gunplay of a Grand Theft Auto game with a dedicated sports title like Wii Sports. I mean, who wouldn’t want to play a game of virtual tennis, where if you lose, you can pull out a machine gun and fire at your opponent and the referee and go home a winner anyway? Or better yet: how about a rousing match of Rocket Launcher Golf? I’ll just let that sink in for a moment.

14. Sons of Anarchy

Platform: PS4/Xbox One | In the style of: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned

Sons of Anarchy series creator Kurt Sutter has actually expressed interest in creating a SOA console title before for the hardcore gaming crowd, but a few issues with finding a dedicated publisher has sort of suspended any concrete progress being made on the prospective project. I think a Sons of Anarchy game would be great and given the top-notch writing and exhilarating action we see on the TV show every week, Sutter doesn’t leave much to our imaginations of how jaw-dropping this game could really be. Just as long as I can play as Opie in the game, then anything they come up with would be A-OK with me!

13. A new IP from Rare

Platform: Xbox One | In the style of: Banjo-Kazooie

I could write an entire academic thesis on the golden N64 era of Rare and where they went wrong (cough, Microsoft, cough). But the magical IPs like Banjo-Kazooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day and even Kameo and Viva Pinata on the Xbox 360 have been replaced by the cold dead stares of Xbox Avatars and Kinect Sports. And while I know that most of the creative talents behind Banjo and Conker have long since moved on, I think the legendary British developers still have some fight left in them. If only Microsoft would let Rare take a chance and make some amazing new worlds.

12. Archer

Platform: PS4/Xbox One/Wii U | In the style of: L.A. Noire

One of the biggest reasons why FX’s raunchy animated spy comedy Archer really shines is because of Adam Reed’s genius pop culture-filled dialogue. So what better way to let Adam Reed do what he does best than to put Archer and the gang in an L.A. Noire type of setting, where players assume the role of Sterling Archer and interrogate other ISIS agents like Pam, Cheryl and Dr. Krieger. You would also have some over-the-top action segments involving helicopters and airboats chases, and knowing the extreme sexual nature of the show, probably an occasional seduction-based mini-game with Lana Kane as well (and her “Jonny Benchian” fingers).

11. Django Unchained

Platform: PS4/Xbox One | In the style of: Red Dead Redemption

Quentin Tarantino’s latest bloodbath masterpiece Django Unchained is just screaming for the video game treatment, with the ruthless violence and western setting bringing to mind such open-world greats as Red Dead Redemption. In the game you would play as freed slave Django, and take bounty hunting missions from Dr. King Schultz that have you roaming the countryside and brutally gunning down plantation slave owners. And just think, given how controversial Django Unchained is as a movie (and all of Tarantino’s films for that matter) can you imagine what gamers would be in for if the acclaimed director was given free rein over his own action game?

10. Adult Swim Karting

Platform: PS3/360/Wii U | In the style of: Mario Kart

Who wouldn’t want to see our favorite Adult Swim characters duke it out in a Mario Kart or South Park Rally-style racer? The only problem here would be slimming down the roster! My top picks would be Killface and Xander Crews from Frisky Dingo, Hank and Dean Venture and The Monarch from The Venture Brothers, Brak and Space Ghost from Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, Uncle Ruckus from The Boondocks, and obviously Master Shake, Frylock and Meatwad from the Aqua Teen Hunger crew. Race tracks could include the flying Mordhouse from Metalocalypse, the Robot Chicken toy box, and the underwater facility from Sealab 2021.

9. American Horror Story

Platform: PS4/Xbox One/Wii U | In the style of: Resident Evil 1 & 2

It’s no secret that survival horror games have gone the way of the buffalo this console generation, with flagship horror franchises like Resident Evil and Dead Space straying more and more into the third-person action category. I think a true survival horror game based on the popular FX series American Horror Story could remedy this situation and the episodic nature between different seasons of the show would always keep things fresh and exciting for future game installments. I personally can’t think of anything more terrifying than wandering around the dark corridors of Briarcliff Mental Institution, while the serial killer Bloody Face lies in wait around the corner.

8. The Forgotten: Starring Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon

Platform: PS4 | In the style of: A Crash Bandicoot and Spyro game

With their former glory days on the PS1 well behind them, Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon have been rooming together in a one bedroom apartment on the bad side of Newark, and working part-time at a hotdog vendor. This platform-adventure would see the two former icons join forces and run and jump their way back into gaming relevancy, across a series of hyper-realistic action environments that have overrun the industry. We already know this one is possible too, given the bizarre Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto’s Rampage and Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy franchise crossover on Gameboy Advance back in 2004.

7. Indie Game: The Brawler

Platform: Steam | In the style of: Super Smash Bros.

Inspired by the hit documentary Indie Game: The Movie, I see Indie Game: The Brawler as a Super Smash Bros. style 2D fighter, with a huge cast of characters from all our favorite indie video games. You would have Tim from Braid using crazy mind tricks on Super Meat Boy or the Castle Crashers knights parrying with the boy from Limbo. Indie Game: The Brawler would be lovingly programmed by a few of gaming’s indie superheroes themselves, like Edmund McMillen, Jonathan Blow and Phil Fish, to ensure that the endearing quality of today’s indie games remains intact. Seriously guys, let’s make this one happen.

6. Trapped in the Closet RPG

Platform: Steam | In the style of: Earthbound

If you are not up-to-date with R. Kelly’s ongoing musical soap opera epic, Trapped in the Closet, then I for one feel sorry for you, sir or madam. In the Earthbound-inspired Trapped in the Closet RPG, you play as a 32-bit version of Sylvester and Twan and wander all across the city, causing elevated drama and waving your handguns at everyone you meet. NPCs include Rosy the Nosy Neighbor, Big Man the little person and the stuttering Pimp Lucius and the main quest will involve recovering the mysterious “Package.” Of course, an R. Kelly signature water-drop soundtrack permeates the entire game.

5. A new Nintendo IP that isn’t Mario, Zelda or Metroid

Platform: Wii U | In the style of: Something completely different

There’s no denying the fact that the Big N has some pretty impressive franchises to their name. But Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Metroid and all the rest were introduced way back on the original NES and boy have we seen a lot of them in the decades since. Is it really that hard for the guys at Nintendo to whip up a batch of new characters and a fresh new universe to let them run wild in? And with the recent release of the Wii U, it seems like the perfect time to get the creative juices flowing, instead of churning out another half-baked New Super Mario Bros.

4. Breaking Bad The Game

Platform: Steam/PSN/XBLA | In the style of: Telltale’s The Walking Dead

If I told you that Breaking Bad was the best show on television right now, you probably wouldn’t be able to find a whole lot of people who would disagree with me. So how cool would it be to play an interactive Breaking Bad adventure game in the style of Telltale’s The Walking Dead? Breaking Bad The Game could loosely follow the show’s main storyline or it could give us a different take on the series from other characters in the Breaking Bad universe; like maybe a younger Jesse as “Cap’n Cook” before he got mixed up with Walter White and his drug empire.

3. Nicolas Cage vs. Hollywood

Platform: Steam/PSN/XBLA | In the style of: River City Ransom

Nobody tells actor Nicolas Cage what movie he can’t be in! In this SNES-style beat ‘em up sidescroller, you play as Nicolas Cage, punching and kicking your way through dozens of Hollywood movie sets across several different eras so you can score that coveted lead role. Your ridiculous hair will grant you a number of awesome power-ups that let you use it as a deadly whip against lowly stagehands, or a nest that calls forth a mighty eagle to peck out the eyes of the big-time directors. We could probably even get Nicolas Cage himself to provide voiceover work for the title. Hey, it’s a job after all!

2. Next-Gen Mega Man

Platform: PS4/Xbox One | In the style of: Mega Man X-X6

It’s no secret that Capcom hasn’t exactly been feeling the love for their old mascot Mega Man these days, especially with the untimely cancellations of Mega Man Universe and Mega Man Legends 3. Sure Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 were great and all, but enough with the retro throwbacks. Let’s see what a Mega Man game can look like with the power of next-generation consoles behind it. Take the same core platforming gameplay (and mind-numbing difficulty), but crank the intensity up to 11 with hyper-realistic graphics and Robot Masters that make Cut Man and Guts Man look SO 1988.

1. Toad’s Mushroom Rampage

Platform: Wii U | In the style of: Call of Duty

 It seems like everyone in the Mario Universe has gotten their own spin-off game these days. Princess Peach, Luigi and Yoshi; heck, even Wario has a number of starring titles under his belt. But Toad has always gotten a lot of slack from fans and developers alike and seems forever doomed to a life as Princess Peach’s bumbling servant. So how about a game that finally stars everyone’ favorite mushroom-headed sidekick? Toad’s Mushroom Rampage would see Toad taking back the Mushroom Kingdom and his namesake by force, in the style of a gritty FPS with hyper-realistic versions of Mario and friends serving as the game’s bosses.

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