Make One Slight Change to A Game, Make it 1000X More Awesome

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

Take the entirety of the Mana series and turn it into an MMO.

Bonus points for adding in the Mana Goddess or the Mana Beast as end raid bosses.

 

[Pink Gregory]

Dark Souls: Dial down enemy damage by about 3 times.

You, my friend, are positively loopy.

 

[TrevHead]

Sina Mora is a very nice looking shmup, with a couple of basic flaws that breaks the game in the harder difficulties

*Power Up drop are random making it so luck is as important as skill. be lucky and you ship is a flying death machine, unlucky and you are stuck with a shitty peashooter that can't even destroy bosses before the timer runs out in the hardest dificulty. (also it breaks scoreplay and planning ahead thats part of the genre)

*If you take a hit you lose your power ups and have to recollect them. Only problem is that they dont bounce on the edge of the screen like every other shmup. If you take a hit and your near the edge of the screen say good bye to half your power ups.

 

[Pink Gregory]

Take any Modern shooter, and remove regenerating health. Also 2 weapon limits, but that would be the 2nd coming of christ. Best aim high at first, and aim for impossibility later.

I really, REALLY like regenerating health. I always have. I thought it encouraged experimentation and immersion. Kinda like being shell shocked or something. Think of Battlefield's suppression mechanic.

I get why some people miss the days of the health pack. And in a lot of ways, the fact that every shooter now adays used regen is pretty sad. But I think regen is what's helped FPS' become so mainstream.

But for sure, they should bring back traditional med packs.

Though, some people seem to argue that regen is less realistic... really? You really think so? That makes no sense... Is it a better mechanic? mmmm... I think it's a different mechanic that has it's place, and as I've been saying, it is definitely sad that it's so hard to find now a days.

I still maintain that, of all modern shooters, Far Cry 2, for all it's flaws, trod the line between modern and old school the most effectively.

The weapon system, rather than being a two weapon limit, had a sort of 'Primary Weapon, Heavy Weapon, Sidearm, Melee' thing going on, which I quite liked; not to say that this couldn't be improved.

The health system I like the most, basically the health bar being comprised of five sections, each individual section would regenerate, but only it's own section, it wouldn't refill the health bar; you had to use what was essentially a medkit to do that. It actually led to some quite fraught moments under fire, frantically trying to dig a bullet out of your leg for a little breathing room before you can find any syrettes.

 

[WanderingFool]

Take CoD, throw in landfill, keep Trent Reznor soundtrack.

Better yet, throw the Trent Reznor soundtrack... actually, just throw Trent Reznor into the landfill also.

More perfecto.

Most FPS's, either make the level design less linear, or add the ability to make a choice that changes what the next level will be, like taking choice A will result in you going to level 2-A, where as choice B will lead to Level 2-B.

For damn near any game with choices, dont make them so binary, escpecially moral choices.

*Edit*

BRINK - Female avatars (and for god's sake, make then at least remotely attractive)

Screw Brink, I say do that for Brink 2!

Actually, I would:

-Have both male and female avatar choices.
-Drop the light and heavy boddy types, keeping only the medium type.
-make the light and heavy weapons affect movement ability like the body type did.
-Add more weapons (obviously)
-Add the ability to customize the weapons appearance, like adding a weapon camo,
-Have the game take place on one of the remaining pieces of land, allowing Brink 2 to tie into the first game.
-Have larger maps to fight on (being on land, this would make sense, as with the Ark, you're basically fighting in a massive building.)
-With larger maps, have vehicles, and a fifth class thats mostly dedicated to using vehicles.

There was more, but I cant think of them ATM.

 

[snappydog]

In any case, take Portal guns. Put them in Mirror's Edge. [http://i.imgur.com/Fj1JJ.jpg]

OH MY GOODNESS. YES.
That would make it just... I would never stop playing that game.
(Just so you know, I was trying to figure out what 1000 is in base four but I failed. That reference would have been clever and good, so I think I deserve credit for it.)

Um... put Kingdom Hearts II's combat system in KHI, which was brilliant but next to the sequel feels like it's aged, gameplay and graphics suddenly look a lot simpler even though I was astonished when I first played it.

 

[Psycomantis777]

When you complete a game you've got for the first time on the hardest difficulty, you are given a pizza. I don't know how they'd get about doing this but it would be worth it.

 

[byte4554_v1legacy]

Take Half-Life 2 - Add Sandbox Elements + Grappling Hook + More Bugbait usage + Jet Pack. I think we'd all die from the Awesome.

All of the posts so far are aesome, especially the ones related to just cause 2, grappling hooks, removing COD and halo like elements, and removing the grit, both the features, and the character development. However, I'd have to say that this is the best one so far.(Although I do think that your stretching the word "slight" a little bit too much.)
Now for my suggestions.
Psychonauts: Allowthe player to go back into the real world after the "Point of no return".
Not for getting items, as it tells you, and makes you an extra backup save, but simply because I find the concept creepy. Imagine this, trapped forever in an eternal limbo, with nowhere to go but the minds of others, (oh, and yourself of course.). Doomed to switch between these unearthly, unreal, horrible worlds... forever. Or else, ya know... fix the buggy, iritating platforming sections... that could work too. [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ArsonMurderAndJaywalking]

 

[Jzcaesar]

A Total War game with the character-driven political system of Crusader Kings 2.

It would be the ultimate historical strategy game.

Oh god, the El Dorado of historical strategy. I try not to think about this hypothetical game because it's too painful knowing it will never exist.

I love both games (Crusader Kings 2 and the Total War games), but wouldn't trying to put both games into one game slow the game down into something that would take weeks to play? I've played both games for hours and it takes me like 60+ hours to get anywhere, and it would seem like some combination of the games would make any game I play suck up even more of my time.

 

[Krantos]

Take the Elder Scrolls series and make it an XP based system where you spend skill points on level up, like Fallout. The "use it to level it" system is the literal definition of a grind. If it were not for the fact that I can play the game in a window and watch netflix while I cast courage on my follower for 2 hours, the game would almost be unplayable.

No. I love the TES leveling model, and wish more games would use it.

See, the problem is you're thinking about it the wrong way. You're playing with the goal of leveling up, which isn't the point in TES games. The entire point of the leveling system in these games is that its just supposed to happen in the background as you play. Reaching the next, or max, level should never be your goal. If it is, yeah, you're going to be bored out of your mind.

There's a reason that the games DON'T have xp. The game isn't intended to be numbers driven. You're supposed to be driven to fight high level enemies for the sake of fighting and besting them, not getting their xp points. This is the same reason there aren't more "loot drops."

The goal of this design is to de-game the experience. What I mean is this: when you're playing a game to level up quickly, or get the best loot, etc. you're doing what's known as meta-gaming. You're playing a separate game with the game's systems/mechanics that has little to do with the actual game.

TES's design is in place to discourage metagaming. It's trying to make the whole experience more organic. Think about it: using an xp systems leads to times where in, say Fallout 3, you can level your small guns skill without ever using that skill in combat. It's a system that only makes sense in the mechanics. It doesn't make sense in the game's lore nor in the real worl. TES's mechanics are trying to keep you in the game world as much as possible.

Want to be better at archery? Use a bow or find a someone to teach you. That's something that makes sense inside and outside the game. Yeah, it's not a typical system for games, which is why I think a lot of gamers are irritated by it, but it's there for a reason.

If you're someone that enjoys pursuing the next level and metagaming, however, TES is probably not going to rub you the right way, specifically because it's designed to discourage that type of play.

 

[spartandude]

Halo 3, get rid of the Assault Rifle so we are still left with dual wielding or Battle Rifle

 

[MrHide-Patten]

Saints Row: the Third

Add back in the newspaper clippings and/or the ability to re-watch old cut-scenes. Seriously, when I couldn't find it, I was strangely pissed.

 

[Russirishican]

Take Touhou, give it a mode where getting hit doesn't interrupt play, just adds a point to a death counter, and make it so you can't unlock the endings on that mode. Suddenly its extremely fun to play even if you aren't that great at it.

Take Team Fortress 2, add hats.

 

[Quazimofo]

A Total War game with the character-driven political system of Crusader Kings 2.

It would be the ultimate historical strategy game.

or even better, Rome with better graphics, actual naval combat, better diplomacy, a bigger campaign map, and animations like in shogun 2 for combat kills.

OH WAIT!

but yeah, character driven political system would be great, but either way im excited as hell for Rome 2.

 

[TheHeeyyy]

LA Noire: Get rid of the scoring system for interviews. Every time I picked the wrong response I felt a strong urge to reload.

 

[Triforceformer]

Every game ever made that is without jetpacks:

Add a jetpack.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

In Bioshock after

Spoiler

You have your brainwashing removed by that lady, the game becomes open world or at least a lot less linear. Because now your character has free will and can go wherever you want. Also you suddenly get to make more choices, maybe even get a dialouge tree. Missed chance for the story to affect the gameplay...

 

[EvolutionKills]

No. I love the TES leveling model, and wish more games would use it.

See, the problem is you're thinking about it the wrong way. You're playing with the goal of leveling up, which isn't the point in TES games. The entire point of the leveling system in these games is that its just supposed to happen in the background as you play. Reaching the next, or max, level should never be your goal. If it is, yeah, you're going to be bored out of your mind.

There's a reason that the games DON'T have xp. The game isn't intended to be numbers driven. You're supposed to be driven to fight high level enemies for the sake of fighting and besting them, not getting their xp points. This is the same reason there aren't more "loot drops."

The goal of this design is to de-game the experience. What I mean is this: when you're playing a game to level up quickly, or get the best loot, etc. you're doing what's known as meta-gaming. You're playing a separate game with the game's systems/mechanics that has little to do with the actual game.

TES's design is in place to discourage metagaming. It's trying to make the whole experience more organic. Think about it: using an xp systems leads to times where in, say Fallout 3, you can level your small guns skill without ever using that skill in combat. It's a system that only makes sense in the mechanics. It doesn't make sense in the game's lore nor in the real worl. TES's mechanics are trying to keep you in the game world as much as possible.

Want to be better at archery? Use a bow or find a someone to teach you. That's something that makes sense inside and outside the game. Yeah, it's not a typical system for games, which is why I think a lot of gamers are irritated by it, but it's there for a reason.

If you're someone that enjoys pursuing the next level and metagaming, however, TES is probably not going to rub you the right way, specifically because it's designed to discourage that type of play.

Great point sir, and spoken like a true game designer. I couldn't have said it any better myself!

 

[Tdoodle]

Assassin's Creed 3: Play as Hatham for the whole game and not just the opening sequences.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

When you complete a game you've got for the first time on the hardest difficulty, you are given a pizza. I don't know how they'd get about doing this but it would be worth it.

A long time ago, when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Arcade Game came out on consoles, it came with a coupon for Pizza Hut. Just have that for every single game .

OT: Skyward Sword, remove the Silent Realms and have more than 3 regions.