Hollywood can get away with rehashing old movies and TV shows, right? Well, what about games? If an obscure classic like Logan’s Run is to be remade, then Dungeon Keeper 2 certainly deserves a face lift as well!

Here’s a game that exhibited what interactive entertainment could be. The atmosphere was creepy, quirky and funny all at the same time, the voiceover and sound effects were satisfyingly comical, and the organic method of digging out your own custom hovel for your minions meant you could create different choke points and layouts practically every time you played! Grab baddies by the handful, drop them on the unsuspecting and watch chaos ensue! Heck, even jump into the fight by possessing character and lay on a personal beat down if you want. Frankly it surprises me that more RTS games don’t offer this feature as standard. It was such an enjoyable way to feel like you were in control, and as we know control was everything in Bullfrog’s games. (See Populous and Theme Park.)

I can still hear the rasping screams emanating from the torture chamber, the complaints streaming from my bile demons, and I’ll never forget gazing at a full treasury after finding that gem seam. Memories are made of this.

Why should DK2 be re-done?

For starers, the graphics were already top of the pile when the game hit in the late 90′s, so just imagine what they could be today! The lighting effects, the particles… Oh, the joyous particles! I was enamored with how well light played off the walls in the original, so I expect a revisiting to induce a flashback in me that never existed in the first place! Imagine the possibility of procedural terrain, wonder at the thought of 5.1 surround sound, marvel at the notion of DX10 architecture! My life would most likely expire after installing it…

This was a gamer’s game, built for those who wanted to multitask at their own leisure. Sure, we have spiritual successors like Black and White and its better-than-the-first-one sequel, but I still find it hard to get over that DK3 teaser Bullfrog included with Dungeon Keeper 2. (I watch it sometimes and weep silently for something that never was.) So I’m calling you out. Molyneux! After Fable 2 and Dimitri (whatever the heck that is), bring it! We’re ready to experience evil again!