Two epic franchises from my youth - Punch Out and Bionic Commando - have landed in 2009 with a brutal thud.

Punch-Out's opening week sales were around 150,000 units; not a total disaster or anything, but it couldn't even surpass Mario Kart Wii, which is over a year old. The sales have to be disappointing when you consider how fondly the series is remembered by any gamer who witnessed the NES era. The general decline of boxing's popularity is possibly an issue; it's interesting to note that a UFC game took the top spot during Punch Out's launch week, mirroring the rise of MMA at the expense of the sweet science. I also suspect many were turned off by what looks like a short game from the outside, featuring only 13 opponents. Consumers find it hard to measure quality, so they cling to quantity, which is much more reliable. There's a chance for Punch-Out to become one of those games that clings to the Top 20 via word of mouth, but it's a long shot.

Alas, there will be no silver lining for Bionic Commando, which more or less imploded on the runway. Selling a mere 27,000 copies across two platforms over the first week, the game is basically dead in the water. Final sales totals will no doubt be eclipsed by Rearmed, the ten-dollar remake of the original. It's a bit ironic, as Rearmed was intended to help promote the new Bionic Commando, and instead, it has replaced it. The new Commando wasn't particularly good, but the success of Rearmed suggests that it offered what long-time fans wanted anyhow: a 2-D game with an ideal price for a weekend of nostalgic fun. Nobody in particular seemed to want a 3-D Commando with a modern attitude.

What can we learn from these past few weeks?

Keep Your Brands Hot

One of the major problems for both these titles is the huge waiting period since their last new edition. Super Punch Out and Bionic Commando were from the SNES and NES respectively; we're talking eons in terms of the gaming world. A large number of modern gamers had never even heard of these franchises, except perhaps in passing. This will make them seem dated at best, or simply ignored at worst. Mario and Zelda have been around forever, too, but Nintendo has kept these series at the top of the industry with regular releases of AAA quality. And while nobody needs a new Punch Out game every year, having one per generation would do a lot to keep it on the radar screen.

The "Hey, I Remember That!" Factor Doesn't Sell Many Games

Punch Out provides a non-stop barrage of nostalgia. The original boxers, the training sequences with the goofy pink jumpsuit, Doc recommending the Nintendo Fun Club, and so on. Great stuff for old-timers like me, but it's not going to do much for a majority of the game's intended audience. Tying a game to the 80's makes for some funny commercials and some warm memories at the game shop register, but it will also make your work seem hokey and dated to players used to edgier product. Neither Punch Out or Bionic Commando are ideal for kids, either because of violence or challenge level. Skewing older would've been a better marketing and design strategy.

Price Adjustment

Paying full retail ($50-$60) is a much easier pill to swallow when you're getting a brand new game, as opposed to something resembling a remake of one you've already played. Obviously, the two games being discussed here are composed of mostly new material, by people working their tails off, and I mean no disrespect. But new engine or not, I'm still punching Von Kaiser, and I'm still a dude swinging on a bionicarm and popping off an overpowered pistol. If you guys get to save on design resources by digging up classic content, cut your fans a break on the price. The success of Rearmed shows that with a good price point, there's still plenty of interest in Bionic Commando.

History Lesson

Punch Out should've come packed with the first two games as bonus material, or given free download codes for them from the Wii Network. Ditto for Bionic Commando, which should've included the old NES version. This serves two purposes: one, it makes the game a more attractive purchase, by adding extra content that costs the developer next to nothing. Also, it letsnewer players explore the franchise as a whole, and creates more attachment to the brand. Heck, if you're going to put running jokes and old references into these games, at least give new players the resources to understand them.

I have no idea what the future holds for these two classic franchises, but I can say this: slapping a semi-familiar name on a new game isn't enough to guarantee success.