When we started XBLA’s Most Wanted back in February of 2011 we did so more for fun. It was, in our minds, a pipe dream to actually think some of these games would be hitting Xbox Live Arcade. Yet over the past year we’ve seen both announcements and releases that directly correlate with some of the games on our most wanted list. Now to be fair we realize that we’re just one site, but at the same time we know that developers and publishers look out on the web for what the fans want. We like to think we’re a little part of that. Here are some examples that make us think XBLA’s Most Wanted is successful:
Although Joe Flacco bore a striking resemblance to the living dead when his Ravens edged out the Texans in their AFC Divisional playoff game last weekend, that’s not actually him wearing a different jersey depicted in the above image. No, what you’re looking at is the Easter egg awarded to players for completing “Blitz Gauntlet” mode in the XBLA and PSN title, NFL Blitz. The unlockable zombie team is an obvious nod to the 1993 Sega Genesis classic, Mutant League Football.
Naturally, its inclusion has led to speculation over whether or not this is EA’s way of teasing a new Mutant League release of some sort. Kotaku’s Owen Good took it upon himself to investigate the matter; in doing so he discovered that a number of designers within the studio are indeed interested in such a project. This does not, however, in any way confirm that a remake or sequel is definitively on the way.
Xbox Live Arcade is fast becoming a platform teeming with not only new and innovative titles, but reincarnations of amazing games from yesteryear. We here at XBLAFans have so many games we love and miss from our childhood days. Each Saturday we’ll feature a game that we feel would be an excellent fit to Xbox Live Arcade. This is XBLA’s Most Wanted. In honor of the Super Bowl this weekend in the United States our first title is Mutant League Football on the Sega Genesis.