The video game world is littered the carcasses of franchises and characters that have been run into the ground or ignored. Some have rightfully earned that derelict status, but then there are characters who deserve better than what they’ve been given. Here’s how I would bring five of them back to life. Guess who’s #1?

1. Sonic the Hedgehog

Back in the day, I had a Sega Genesis before I ever owned a Nintendo product. And it was great. Thanks to characters like Sonic, who had more attitude and speed than Mario and Luigi combined. I’d go so far as to say the original Sonic remains my favorite side scroller of all time.

But what happened Sonic? You used to be cool. The coolest. But not anymore.

Thanks to ignorable sidekicks, forays into the third dimension, vehicles for racing (what?), interspecies love (ew), RPGs (how?) and worst of all, werewolf powers (noooooooo!!!).

How would I save Sonic? Easy. A back to basics approach, with fast and well designed levels, simple gamelay combined with beautiful HD graphics. And I’d make it a full game downloaded for under $10 as a way of saying “sorry for all that garbage.

And then follow it up with a cart racer. Or not, on second thought.

2. Leisure Suit Larry

I played and Larry on a 4-colour monitor. That’s right, four whole colours. That’s how far back I go with the Leisure Suit Larry. So its sad to see how far into the outskirts he’s been pushed, and the twelve year old in me wants to see Larry back at the top. Though at the same time, the adult in me wonders if those memories are best left in the past.

Anyway, for me the open-world sandbox game is the spiritual successor to the adventure games in which Larry undertakes a serious of hilarious quests and missions in the never ending attempt to score. The key though, is to get just the right writer, so that you get a mature and funny game, and not the more recent Larry titles.

3. ToeJam and Earl

Another classic Sega , but rather than be beaten into the ground, this one has been ignored completely. While their second adventure was a mediocre side scroller, the original was unlike anything else. And it was undeniably charming as well. Apparently, there was even an underwhelming XBox title, which failed to do the duo justice.

Bringing these guys back to prominence seems ideal for Ratchet and Clank-esque exploration game that’s heavy on the collecting, and humour. Setting their overwhelming funkitude in a cartoonishly modern city as they attempt to find their way home seems like the way to go.

4. Billy and Jimmy Lee

Who you ask? The brothers and stars of Double Dragon of course. It wasn’t deep gameplay by any stretch. You walked left to right and you punched and kicked anything that moved. But it worked so very well. There have been many, many brawlers since since, but for me, Double Dragon is the one that needs to make a triumphant return.

Bring the back in a level-based brawler featuring the flowing fight mechanics of Batman: Arkham Asylum, and you have the formula for a stellar return to prominence.

5. Duke Nukem

This one’s easy. Just make a dang game. Any game. Just make it coarse, violent and just a little mysoginistic, and voila, you have Duke Nukem.

Bonus Choice: Superman

Has any iconic been subjected to more awful video games? Prior to Arkham Asylum, you might have said Batman, but he’s off the list, so Superman is the unfortunate victim. Superman Returns was decent, and sadly about as good as it gets for the Man of Steel. This may in fact be one of the hardest challenges, to make a game where in essence you have a ridiculously powerful and mostly invincible character.

And of course, Superman 64 is amongst the very worst video games of all time.

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