Make a mountain-climbing game with grappling hooks and gravity-warping fields. A 2-d side scroller
Personally, I always get stuck/sidetracked on art - so for me it's got to be something that is either art-light or abstract
What does the world really need right now?
Needs more platformer shooters like Metal Slug and Gunstar Heroes. Especially for the Super Nintendo.
If you're more into programming than art, you could do some experimentation with procedural content, like Audiosurf or Love. If you just want to finish a project, you could clone an oldschool console/arcade game using all the graphics (although now I think about it, you might get in trouble for something like that. I seem to recall someone that got in trouble for making a game too SIMILAR to one of the Zelda games... :/).
EDIT: Once you pick something, you should just stick with it, no matter how hopeless the project seems to be. I don't even know how many times I almost gave up on my current project. It's hard to stay motivated to finish it when you're the only one working on it, and you also have school/work/friends competing for your time. You just have to remember that every time you almost quit makes it that much more satisfying when you finally finish it....
EDIT: Once you pick something, you should just stick with it, no matter how hopeless the project seems to be. I don't even know how many times I almost gave up on my current project. It's hard to stay motivated to finish it when you're the only one working on it, and you also have school/work/friends competing for your time. You just have to remember that every time you almost quit makes it that much more satisfying when you finally finish it....
Make something that doesn't exist yet, or has been done badly, or was last done well at least ten years ago.
Stay away from "traditional" 2D or 3D fighting games. Even if you managed to make a good game in these genres, it's not going to be worth playing given that there are so much better out there. Due to the time investment required to play one of these games at an interesting level, and the network effect in fighting game players, you can't compete with anything but stellar quality. I'm not even talking about graphics or coding (which need to be pretty good too), but game design. Most competetive multiplayer games are hard to develop for the same reasons.
As for the single player, non-competetive concepts...
I'm guessing the space shooter idea is something like Star Control, etc.? Doesn't sound like a bad choice. Designing it is pretty open-ended, which can potentially be a problem.
Action platformer is a solid choice to get something worthwhile done. You definitely want to stand out in some way. Choose a key mechanic, feeling or type of action, and stick close to it. Only include other elements if they fit in with the core.
I would be cautious about "upgrading". Not that it's bad to offer variety, but in an action game it is far too often mere camouflage for a dull and uninteresting core game. If the game would suck with one set of abilities, it will definitely suck with another layer of play added where you collect those abilities. An action platformer doesn't need to have any upgrading or a huge arsenal of abilities to be at the very top of the genre. For example, check out Rocket Knight Adventures or Contra: Shattered Soldier. A limited (but very powerful!) set of abilities to start out with, and no upgrades at all. Super Castlevania IV has mild upgrading, but would still be very good if you had a full-power whip from the start.
One more thing - you say this is for fun, but in case you would also like the game to boost chances of future employment, that affects what types of games you should be looking at. For instance, you would probably not want to showcase your design skills with something like the great placement of secrets in Donkey Kong Country 2, or your programming prowess with an amazing AI in a hardcore strategy game, because to appreciate these things a person has to play the game a ton.
Stay away from "traditional" 2D or 3D fighting games. Even if you managed to make a good game in these genres, it's not going to be worth playing given that there are so much better out there. Due to the time investment required to play one of these games at an interesting level, and the network effect in fighting game players, you can't compete with anything but stellar quality. I'm not even talking about graphics or coding (which need to be pretty good too), but game design. Most competetive multiplayer games are hard to develop for the same reasons.
As for the single player, non-competetive concepts...
I'm guessing the space shooter idea is something like Star Control, etc.? Doesn't sound like a bad choice. Designing it is pretty open-ended, which can potentially be a problem.
Action platformer is a solid choice to get something worthwhile done. You definitely want to stand out in some way. Choose a key mechanic, feeling or type of action, and stick close to it. Only include other elements if they fit in with the core.
I would be cautious about "upgrading". Not that it's bad to offer variety, but in an action game it is far too often mere camouflage for a dull and uninteresting core game. If the game would suck with one set of abilities, it will definitely suck with another layer of play added where you collect those abilities. An action platformer doesn't need to have any upgrading or a huge arsenal of abilities to be at the very top of the genre. For example, check out Rocket Knight Adventures or Contra: Shattered Soldier. A limited (but very powerful!) set of abilities to start out with, and no upgrades at all. Super Castlevania IV has mild upgrading, but would still be very good if you had a full-power whip from the start.
One more thing - you say this is for fun, but in case you would also like the game to boost chances of future employment, that affects what types of games you should be looking at. For instance, you would probably not want to showcase your design skills with something like the great placement of secrets in Donkey Kong Country 2, or your programming prowess with an amazing AI in a hardcore strategy game, because to appreciate these things a person has to play the game a ton.
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