Top 10 game franchises we want to see rebooted on Kickstarter

Kickstarter this, Kickstarter that. Not a day goes by in Twitterland without somebody or another tweeting that X game is being Kickstarted and that Y game could do with a Kickstart.

There are numerous old skool devs using the crowdfunding platform to see whether there is any interest in reboots of classic franchises. See the recent Dizzy Kickstarter and Peter Molyneux's own Populous reinvention Godus if you don't believe me.

This got us thinking. Which games from the past would we actually like to see resurrected through a successful Kickstarter campaign?

So, behold our list of ten old skool game franchises that we would dearly love to see remade for modern-day smartphone and tablets. Yes, we would pledge money for all of these in a heartbeat. Guaranteed.

(Note: if any of these actually do get successfully Kickstarted, we now own the rights to 10 per cent of the total donations. Okay, okay, we'll make it 5 per cent.)

The last Micro Machines game was V4 in 2007, and it wasn't such a far cry from the 2D top-down beginnings of the franchise. This is a series in need of a proper reboot, then.

Imagine speeding around Bunsen burners, leaping over rulers, jumping cereal packs, and watching out for those billiard balls on your commute to work.

This is a franchise that could hugely benefit from going back to its roots via Kickstarter. Then dialling it up for Generation Y.

This top-notch Mega Drive-era platformer might be a little more difficult to drum up cash for, given its past connections with Virgin Interactive and the fizzy drink 7UP.

Still, it would be worth throwing it out to the great gaming masses to decide. What's to lose, eh? Don't answer that.

Anyway, Cool Spot was literally a spot that was cool. The game was rather difficult, but the lovely visuals made the experience more than tolerable. A remake would be excellent, although let's perhaps steer clear of the isometric sequel.

There are plenty of old Rare franchises that we'd like to see resurrected.

Banjo-Kazooie is an obvious one, but Battletoads is the one Rare franchise we really, really want back.

Think side-scrolling Double Dragon action but with anthropomorphic toads, and you get the general idea. I'd be all over this Kickstarter campaign.

We're not quite sure who now owns the rights to Bushido Blade - Square Enix, Sony, or maybe the original Tokyo-based developer Light Weight - but we'd love to see it make a return via everyone's favourite current crowdfunding site.

What made Bushido Blade so interesting, and so different from other fighting games, was the absence of a health bar.

That's because most hits would result in instant death. Which makes sense really, as you'd probably die, too, if someone cut you up with a samurai sword.

Rolo to the Rescue is a Mega Drive platformer from 1992. Fact.

Rolo to the Rescue never received a sequel, despite it being one of the greatest Mega Drive games ever. Fact. And fact.

It was a relatively simple action-platformer about an elephant who saves his friends. It was meticulously designed, though.

It's questionable whether any studio today would be able to reproduce the great retro design, but we're willing to put money down to find out.

I don't need to explain to you why the Road Rash franchise needs resurrecting, do I?

This ultra-violent '90s motorbike-racing game is still remembered fondly by millions of gamers around the world.

Whether you were punching dudes in the face or swinging clubs like your life depended on it - it did - Road Rash was nothing less than thoroughly intense.

It seems odd that this racer hasn't been - ahem - kickstarted yet in any form. The campaign starts here! Are you listening, future partners with EA? Or, err, reading?

This was one of my favourite bits in the Sonic the Comic series, and the spin-off game was just as entertaining as the comics.

In DecapAttack, you played a mummy who could throw his head at baddies. And who had a face in his stomach.

Yes, it was properly weird, but, hey, that's never stopped Tim Burton. The original development studio Vic Tokai doesn't appear to be making games any more, but that doesn't necessarily mean all is lost.

Quick: someone grab it and throw it up on Kickstarter ASAP.

Another one that's a bit of a no-brainer.

You played three Vikings who become trapped on an alien spacecraft and who must work together to escape. It was incredibly difficult, and wonderfully incredible.

Here's the issue: it was developed by the company that became Blizzard Entertainment. You know, that small firm that made a tiny game called World of Warcraft.

The likelihood of it appearing on Kickstarter, then, is next to nil, though if someone out there make a cheeky title inspired by it, I'd be sure to look the other way. And then back again.

Speaking of old Blizzard IP, here's another one that could prove tricky to resurrect, yet is totally worth it.

The developer of Rock N' Roll Racing took the R.C. Pro-Am formula and souped it up... with great results.

Laying into opponent's cars was hugely entertaining. Oh, and there haven't been many driving games like it since the early '90s.

Make this happen, Blizzard. Please.

The missing link, and perhaps the one title in our list most likely to get a Kickstarter reboot, given the number of Earthworm Jim re-releases over the years.

The big question is: who owns the IP for this piece of platforming heaven?

Original Earthworm Jim creator Shiny Entertainment is now defunct, and original designer David Perry is currently at Gaikai.

If someone sees him at a games conference, can you give him a nudge about conjuring up a brand-new Earthworm Jim experience, please? Much obliged.