(ambient music) - [Falcon] Ah franchises. Multiple video games in a single IP. Sequels, we're often talking about how bad they are, how they're beating a dead horse, but sometimes a franchise deserves another entry.
Hi, folks, it's Falcon, and today on Gameranx, 20 game franchises that desperately need a comeback. Starting off with number 20, it's "BioShock. " We have been hearing rumors about a potential "BioShock" revival for many, many years.
It's the go-to prediction for wanna-be leakers. Is State of Play starting or an Xbox Director of Cozy Games Conference, you bet someone is gonna say the next "BioShock" is gonna be announced. So far, it's just that, rumors, grumblings, the he said, she said bullshit.
Hell. Sorry, my inner Fred Durst came out for a moment. Yeah, nothing.
It's a series that's way too big not to bring back eventually, right? There's just money left on the table. But how and in what form is always up in the air.
The original dev team and the great leader, Kevin Levine, left Take Two to form a new studio, which was then acquired by Take two and now they're publishing their new game, which is suspiciously "BioShock" like, but has the numbers filed off, which is weird. The numbers are filed off despite the fact that they have access to the IP. It's what about whatever, whatever.
It's gonna inevitably lead to a new "BioShock" game, right? Hopefully, with Levine at the helm. I could just write this whole thing off and say that "Judas" is the new "BioShock," but it looks pretty different.
You know, until Booker and Andrew Ryan show up in the third act at some point. Man, wouldn't that be awesome if "Judas" was a stealth sequel to "BioShock"? Ah, it's probably not.
Now, "BioShock" is a controversial franchise. "BioShock 2" was regarded as not as good and then got a reevaluation later. Same goes for "BioShock Infinite.
" But really, I just wanna see that old timey aesthetic combined with some sort of political or ideological angle that gets into unique flavor. Just making an immersive sim in an isolated location isn't enough. Otherwise, "Prey" is a "BioShock" game.
What we want is a return to those vibes that the best parts of the original games gave us. Doesn't need to be Rapture, doesn't need to be Columbia. Remember "BioShock" is a insane multiverse, which is why "Judas" could be a stealth sequel, I don't know.
I will say "BioShock Infinite" got a little lost in the meta narrative and lacked some of the environmental storytelling that made the original "BioShock" as engaging as it was. But the combat, to be fair, is quite a bit better and the Skylines are fun as hell to ride around on, especially in battle. You could say these types of games have been done to death.
Wandering around spooky corridors and listening to audio logs. You could say it's played out, but, you know, it's not exactly a problem or the genre's fault it got bad because it got popular. Everybody and their mother tried to make one of these things at some point.
And I think the fact that a lot of them aren't as good as the big ones, "BioShock" probably being in the top three along with the games that inspired it, "System Shock 2" and "Thief. " But just like with those games, the tough thing is making something new and to some extent, something that maybe works better. Like as great as these games were, a lot of that was the content rather than the mechanics.
Sometimes the mechanics were a little wonky in all of these types of games, but you gotta capture what made the original game so great and that's probably why it's taken them so long to make something with "BioShock. " And number 19 is "Splinter Cell. " Losing Michael Ironside, the iconic voice of Sam Fisher, was kind of the death blow to the franchise, never recovered after 2013's blacklist, which completed the main character's transformation from grouchy and sardonic super spy to generic military man number 136.
Seriously, you hear this guy's voice, he'd be indistinguishable as a background grunt in any "Call of Duty" campaign. - [Sam] I'm entering the plaza Militia's blocking the front door access. - [NPC] Sam, you need to change position.
Meet you on the ground. - [Sam] Get eyes from the southwest corner of the plaza. - [NPC] Copy, moving now - [Sam] Grim, keep trying to reach our contact.
Let me know if you get through the meeting. - Copy. - The voice change was utterly devastating.
Cannot be understated just how bad that new voice was. So the series has a tough uphill battle if it's ever coming back. There have been rumors of a possible reboot or remake of the first game that have been floating around for years, but so far, nothing has come of it.
Ubisoft is just terrible at remaking their games. Remember "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" remake? It was supposed to come out in like 2020, 2021, and now they're saying 2026.
Guys, that game wasn't complicated. What is going on over there? So the chances of this series coming back anytime soon are unlikely, but come on, it's gotta come back eventually, right?
Once upon a time, stealth was "Metal Gear Solid" and "Splinter Cell. " That was the two premier stealth series. Serious prestige there.
The first three games sold gangbusters. They innovated the stealth genre in a lot of important ways and they were a staple of the gaming ecosystem for a pretty good stretch. But once the initial trilogy was done, Ubisoft really couldn't quite figure out what they wanted the series to be.
If it were up to me to revive the series, I'd go back to the semi-realistic roots, set the story in a somewhat plausible reality, focus on what makes the series great with hardcore in-depth stealth systems, and focus on the best parts of the original game. And you know, taking some inspiration for more recent stealth games that really knocked it out of the park like the "World of Assassination," "Hitman" trilogy, and make some massive nonlinear levels with lots of sub-objectives that can affect the course of the mission. There's so much you could do here.
and with "Metal Gear solid" MIA for the time being, there's definitely room for a new king of stealth games. And "Splinter Cell" could easily be it, just don't make it another generic open world game. That's the only real like Pratt Fall or obstacle I could foresee.
Just bring it back guys. And number 18 is "Legacy of Kain" for how popular they were and still are. It's crazy there has not been a real attempt at reviving this franchise.
Yeah, we got that oddball "Nosgoth" multiplayer game that nobody wanted, but a real follow-up has just never materialized. There isn't even like a bare minimum, like a new compilation or a remaster of soul reaver. There's just, there's nothing.
There was supposed to be a sixth century in the franchise that was gonna follow the story post defiance, but it got canceled. Fans found footage from another "Kain" sequel called "Dead Sun," but still just nothing. There's nothing.
It's a shame 'cause there was never anything quite like the "Legacy of Kain" games. Like even when the last few entries of it weren't like stellar, they still had an amazing atmosphere and top-notch voice acting. (dramatic music) - [Kain] And so I return to the sanctuary of my enemy, the fortress of the Sarafan Brotherhood, deemed impossible for any man to penetrate.
Impossible for any man. - [Falcon] It'll be tough to make a new game without the dulcet tones of Tony Jay, but he wasn't a main character so they could make it work. The hard part I think is finding somebody to actually develop it.
The studio most associated with the series Crystal Dynamics is pretty much the "Tomb Raider" team. We know that the Embracer Group acquired the IP along with several other Square Enix owned Western IPs, but it's unlikely they're making a new "Kain" game anytime soon. You know, because of everything involving Embracer.
Seriously, disastrous couple years for that company. If they're canceling "Deus Ex" games mid production, "Legacy of Kain" doesn't stay in a chance, right? It's a real shame 'cause it's not hard to imagine what a modern version of this series would look like.
It'd feel right at home with all the other dark fantasy action series that are actually pretty popular now. It'd just have a more cinematic style to it and yeah, that'd be fun. I'd like that.
The return of such a venerable franchise, assuming the game was good, would be an easy slam dunk. From my perspective, it seems like a safe bet. The problem is that it was in the hands of Square Enix who we're gonna do nothing with it.
And then Embracer who is Embracer. They're probably gonna do nothing with it for now. I think for a while, they're probably gonna be working on patching the hole in their boat.
Those guys are treading some water, let me tell you. I'm still kicking them when they're down, you know? But yeah, it's a franchise that's stuck in limbo owned by publishers who either refuse or can't make a new game, but they also don't wanna sell it to someone else because you know, at some point, right?
And number 17 is "Dishonored. " Yeah, "Redfall" was a flop and Arkane is in kind of a tough spot right now with the closing of their Austin, Texas Space studio. But now's the perfect opportunity to salvage their reputation by going back to what they do best and making a new "Dishonored" game.
They kind of sort of wrapped up the story of the games with death of the outsider, but there's a lot they could do with it. The setting's so unique that it feels like a big waste ending the series after two games, especially after they showed the kind of innovative stuff they can do with the setting with levels like the Clockwork Mansion and the time travel tricks and behind the Slab. I mean that was limited by like PS4 hardware.
Imagine the kind of crazy stuff that could come with now for a third game. The possibilities are just endless and that's what made these games so fun. Each level felt like a sandbox where you could explore everything as thoroughly as you wanted.
Finish a mission in five minutes or five hours, it's up to you. There was an unprecedented amount of player freedom in these games. It just made them such a joy to play.
You could play them straight, you could go completely nuts with all these powers at your disposal. The stealth was fun, the powers were fun. Running and sliding, that was fun in and of itself.
I don't know what it was about "Dishonored" sliding. It was just so freaking fun to do. I know other games have it, but it just felt better there.
Arkane has said the series is on hold and they're currently working on a "Blade" game, which with another developer, I'd probably be pretty hyped with. But I don't want an immersive sim with "Blade" and I certainly don't want them not making an immersive sim to make generic "Blade" souls-like TM. Like they know how to make immersive sims.
That's what they should be doing. Give "Blade" to Platinum Games or some shit. That'd be a hell of a game.
I'm guessing it's probably just gonna be a safe, stupid IP-based game. Microsoft probably isn't gonna let them throw any Hail Marys with the the closing of half of them, the payloads, you know? Like obviously, I hope "Blade" is good and I hope it's successful 'cause I want the studio to stick around for a very long time and I think that whole idea probably has something to do with that.
If they throw down and give us something completely unimaginable, great. But I'll tell you what's a really safe bet for a studio. The thing that made them famous.
And number 16 is "Dino Crisis. " With all the revivals Capcom's been making recently, there's one series that's still conspicuously absent, "Dino Crisis. " It's "Resident Evil" with dinosaurs.
There is nothing else to say. There's only two things anyone knows about these games. There's Regina, the main character who's iconic, she's essential.
Bringing her back is non-negotiable. And then there's dinosaurs. Like you just need to have those things and it's that game.
Maybe don't set it in space. That's what they did in "Dino Crisis 3. " That didn't work out too well and arguably killed the series.
But hey, it's not too hard to make a good dinosaur shooter, right? It's been a long freaking time too. "Dino Crisis 3" was in 2003.
It's been more than 20 years since there's been a new entry in this series. That's a long time to wait for a follow up. And they brought back "Drgon's Dogma" for Christ's sake.
Not that that wasn't a big success. It absolutely was, but that wasn't a guarantee. The original was, you know, not a big success.
Not until late in the game with a lot of word of mouth and Steam sales at least. And no, "Exoprimal" doesn't count. It's completely unrelated to the "Dino Crisis" series.
Yeah, it surprised me too. And number, 15 "Red Faction. " This one is another one very close to my heart.
Probably nearly as close if not as close as "Dishonored. " Sadly, with the death of Volition, the hope that there would ever be a new "Red Faction" game is pretty much dead. If we're being honest, the writing was on the wall for a long time.
Didn't seem like "Saints Row" was capable of making another "Red Faction: Guerrilla. " Like they couldn't even make a game like it that was a direct follow up. It seems like they probably weren't gonna do something as complex programming and physics wise after "Agents of Mayhem" and the "Saints Row" reboot.
It's sad, but it's the truth. "Red Faction" was a series long dead before volition even closed its doors. And you could argue that might be part of why Volition closed its doors.
But then again, a "Red Faction" reboot like the "Saints Row" reboot wouldn't have exactly made me happy either. That doesn't mean we don't want someone, anyone to make a new one. I mean I guess they could go back to the series' roots and make a first person game with some modular destruction elements.
The follow up to "Guerrilla" kind of was that a little. But you know what everyone wants and it's not wandering around a mine blowing up tiny chunks of wall. We want a new "Red Faction: Guerrilla.
" That's what the world wants, but the gaming industry steadfastly refuses to give us that. Yeah, there's been some fun little indie games that show off unimpressive amount of destruction. "Teardown" comes to mind.
It's probably the most fully formed of them, but the rest of them are more or less tech demos. You can argue that "THE FINALS" incorporates probably the most extensive version of that nowadays. But it's also not "Red Faction: Guerrilla.
" Does that make me mad at "THE FINALS"? Absolutely not. "THE FINALS" is precious to me, but it is also not "Red Faction: Guerrilla," it's a multiplayer shooter.
We're talking about "Red Faction: Guerrilla. " The thing I want here is "Red Faction: Guerrilla. " Like, okay, so if you've ever played "THE FINALS," you do basically know what a modern game could look like with "Red Faction: Guerrilla's" procedural destruction.
They handled it in fact actually better than "Red Faction: Guerrilla. " So imagine that in a "Red Faction: Guerrilla" reboot or sequel. Best frigging thing ever.
But so far, nobody's willing to attempt it, at least not on the level that the game did. It wasn't just test chambers or short little missions. It was an entire open world with so many things to smash.
Yes, the world was mostly barren with a lot of canyons that conveniently separated each area so the game could run on an Xbox, but those were necessary compromises that the setting itself, Mars, actually in my opinion, kind of justified. So many of those problems will be solved now. But with the gaming community so focused on fidelity, I think developers are afraid to make games that don't look perfect, but still incorporate some amazing technology, at least when you're talking about the ones that are capable of looking a lot better.
With a lot of indie studios, to be fair, pixel art's about as good as they could do with the idea and the budget that they might have. And that is in no way their fault. They're the little guys and they put out incredible stuff too.
It's just somebody publishing a "Red Faction" game can do a lot more. And as far as I know, they're just not willing to put the money into something as experimental as this. Even though the original game's extremely popular among the people who actually played it.
I wouldn't hold my breath for this series coming back. This is another one that got embraced because Embracer back in 2018 bought Koch Media who was not called Koch Media anymore. They have a name that I'm not sure how to say and I don't care enough.
Embracer's who owns "Red Faction. " That's really, that's what matters. And number 14 is "Deus Ex.
" Like I said early in the "Legacy of Kain" entry, the rights to "Deus Ex" were purchased by Embracer. Funny how there are reasons so many games don't get made. You know, being a games publisher, they were gonna make a new "Deus Ex," but that got canceled.
Hope was formed and then dashed in a single sentence. No matter what the flavor of "Deus Ex" you're into, be it original year 2000 game or the prequels, "Human Revolution" and "Mankind Divided. " Or if you're nasty and begotten, the sequel, "Invisible War.
" Regardless, you want a new game. It's one of the seminal works of cyberpunk and video games with some really impressive world building and crazy immersive environments. Personally, I'd like a new game more in the tone of the original game with its conspiratorial themes and unusual philosophical diversions.
Maybe with a little bit more of the gameplay of the Adam Jensen game. Even so, I would take a brand new Adam Jensen game with no major tonal shifts back to the more original tone. But the voice actor for Adam Jensen is all but confirmed the prequel game are dead, which sucks 'cause they never got to finish their story.
I mean the conclusion was going to be the original "Deus Ex," but a lot of plot threads of "Mankind Divided" were never resolved and Jensen's true nature was also never truly revealed. Lots of unanswered questions and whole lot of potential just left fallow. And now that everybody loves "Cyberpunk 2077" despite its initial disastrous launch, it's gonna be a tough act to follow.
If they made a new "Deus Ex," now, it's gonna get compared to that game, which is a full open world RPG. "Deus Ex" doesn't need to be that huge. It needs to be a dense world with an interesting story.
But the way games are made now, a lot of publishers don't think that's enough. It is, but they don't think it is. And number 13, "Onimusha," another entry, another Capcom franchise trapped in the past.
"Onimusha" should be an easy sell. It's "Devil May Cry" before "Devil May Cry. " It's the first real offshoot of the "Resident Evil" series that went full on action rather than horror.
Those original games on the PlayStation 2 were great. For some reason, Capcom only ported the first one to Modern Hardware, but all four of them are really good. "Onimusha 3" especially, I would put up there with some of the all time great action games.
It's fantastic and has a completely nutso premise. Yeah, that's the one with Jean Reno Time travel is involved, it is fantastic. Batshit nuts in the best way.
Games set in Japan are just as popular as ever. Just this year, we've gotten several of them. Hell, Capcom put out "Kunitsu-Gami," which is by the way, fantastic.
I've been singing "Kunitsu-Gami's" praises since it came out. Not enough people played it. If you like Pickman, tower defense, and action games, it's those three things at once and it does it well.
Seriously, try it. It's such a good game. Nobody's saying no to more Samurai though.
And for whatever reason, Capcom refuses to give "Onimusha" the series the respect it deserves. Maybe there's rights issues. The games did use celebrity likenesses for a lot of its characters, but I don't know, I kind of doubt that.
Also, I don't really care, I just want more "Onimusha. " Revive the franchise, give it that "Devil May Cry 5" coat of paint and it'll sell gangbusters. I promise you.
I know Capcom is interested in reviving long dormant franchises, so anything's on the table. So like it's just a matter of them doing it. So Capcom, do it.
And number 12 is "Mega Man X" or "Mega Man Legends" or "Mega Man Battle Network. " They brought back the original "Mega Man" with "Mega Man 11," but after that game proved successful, they stopped. Yeah, they've been putting out collections for a while now and it's cool.
We can all play the "Mega Man X" games pretty easily nowadays. And they've got the "Zero" and "Battle Network" games all in one convenient package there. But those are all old games.
I want something new. Like you'd think we would've gotten a new "X" game at this point, right? That seems like the most obvious thing to do after 11, but it hasn't happened.
For many folks growing up, this is the definitive series. I played "Mega Man" on the NES from the start and "X" is, in my opinion, the definitive series. Part of the problem I think is that Capcom kind of oversaturated the market and the last three games in the series are all different levels of absolutely terrible.
They really didn't realize that you just have to make "Mega Man X" as "Mega Man X. " You come up with new levels. You don't reinvent the wheel.
The innovation is in the levels and adding new powers and stuff like that. It's not, I mean, I don't want a 3D "Mega Man X" It doesn't work. Is it terrible?
No, but relative to any good "Mega Man X" game, yes, it is terrible. Also, let's talk "Mega Man Legends," right? It was gonna be a sequel, but it got canceled and the series has just been nostalgia bait ever since, how they could at least make a new battle networking.
Those were crazy popular games. They have one of the most interesting battle systems in any RPG. Seeing a modern version with new bells and whistles would be fricking awesome.
Like think about "Mega Man Battle Network" looking like "Persona. " Now, Capcom's got the money, just partner with Atlas and do it. I don't think Sega would be too upset to take some cash there.
Like there's so many dead "Mega Man" franchises. Really, if you wanna split hairs, "Mega Man," like where's 12? 11 was a fully realized badass sequel.
It was hard as hell, but I mean not the hardest in the "Mega Man" series. It doesn't need to be the hardest. They gave us some pretty good levels in 2018.
And number 11 is "TimeSplitters" the true spiritual sequel to "GoldenEye 007. " It's not "Perfect Dark," well, it is, but they made "Perfect Dark Zero," which sucked and "TimeSplitters" got two great follow up. So I ask you, which is the franchise that truly deserves a follow up?
Both in a perfect world, but in an imperfect world where you can only pick one, it's gotta be "TimeSplitters" all right? There's really nothing quite like these games. They've got the perfect amount of multiplayer chaos.
They're single player campaigns, they're fun and quirky. They're just great games that managed to be the best spiritual successor while having a unique identity of its own. What really kills me about this one is there was gonna be "TimeSplitters 4.
" It was happening and it got Embraced. Like if it's any indicator, Embracer has a lot to answer for. It seems like every other game on this list, it was gonna give a comeback and then Embracer embraced everything about it.
Though hope is still alive for "TimeSplitters. " So anything's possible when you're writing pie in the sky YouTube lists. These kinds of lists aren't necessarily wish fulfillment.
It's more wish having. If you put it out there, it's better than not putting it out there, right? That's what I'm doing here.
"TimeSplitters" is a series that by all accounts, should return. It exists in its own little niche. There really aren't other games like it doing exactly what it does.
The variety of weapons, the goofy modes, the "Goldeneye" style aiming, the varied campaigns, oh, and the cartoonish art style. It's really just a unique series. There is no other and it deserves a proper comeback.
And number 10 is "Banjo-Kazooi. " File this one under duh. Everyone wants a new "Banjo.
" People put millions of dollars kick-starting what is essentially a clone game. And to be frank, "Banjo-Kazooi" had moved beyond that paradigm and moved into being "Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's" building stuff long before that even existed. And it wouldn't bother me to see some of that stuff return in a true "Banjo" sequel.
But here's the thing. Where's "Banjo"? Bring back "Banjo.
" Everyone wants "Banjo. " People went batshit crazy when it got announced first for Smash, but Rare nowadays is not the same company that made the various SNES and Nintendo 64 classics "Banjo-Kazooi" being one. Not to say their recent output is bad, there's just none of it or at least not much of it.
It's not bad though, just not what the fans of their old games want. They were the guys who did connectathons probably the best, the big cartoonist levels we run around, picking up tons of crap for some reason while Giant Kirk hopes bouncy score plays. We want power ups and mini games and all that stuff that these games are known for.
What a lot of people don't want is the custom vehicles aspect. I like the custom vehicles aspect. I think that it could exist inside the traditional "Banjo-Kazooi" paradigm, not be the primary focus of it and be quite enjoyable honestly.
(playful music) But "Nuts and Bolts" is not the game that most fans wanted. In hindsight, I think it's an interesting game. Very creative.
Again, like I said, did "Tears of the Kingdom" before "Tears of the Kingdom. " If "Nuts and Bolts" was just a spinoff and a third proper game had come out, I don't think anybody would be sour about it. But the third game never happened.
At this point, like just give the license to the clone guys, the "Yooka-Laylee" guys. I mean all the founders of Platonic, the creators of "Yooka-Laylee" came from the original Rare that Rare isn't anymore. So they have a pretty good grasp on how that kind of game works.
The original "Yooka-Laylee" was a little rough, but the side scrolling sequel is actually a lot better. If Rare is not gonna have anything to do with "Banjo" though, they might as well like let somebody else do it the right way. It doesn't need to be like earth shaking.
It just needs to be "Banjo-Kazooi. " And number nine is "Burnout. " It seems like every major race and game focuses on semi realism, you know, cartooning and following race lines and driving carefully and precisely.
That's what "Need for speed" and "Forts" and "Test Drve Unlimited" all wanna do these days. The lack of a game like "Burnout" is conspicuous. Where are the insane speeds, the boosts, the gnarly crashes?
Most racers basically don't have car deformation anymore. What is that? And I'm not saying that's exclusive to more arcadey or insane stuff like "Burnout.
" There is pretty good car deformation in a few various racing games like "BeamNG. drive" but you just, you don't get the same absolute decimation that could be inflicted on a vehicle in a game like "Burnout. " Imagine a modern AAA "Burnout" with physics like "BeamNG.
drive" That'd be insane. (tires screeching) (cars crashing) Soft body physics "Burnout" would be, that'd be a perfect game. These games are all about aggression.
You crash opponents, crash into traffic and the environment. You just keep going. Crashing isn't a fail state.
Half the time, it is the goal and it's got the after touchability where you can steer your car after crashing, which allows for some vengeance even when you're careening out of control. These games are freaking awesome. Either the originals or the open world "Burnout" paradise.
I'm fine with a follow up in either direction. The only big thing I absolutely cannot do without is crash mode. It's one of the greatest game modes in history.
They somehow turn a four-way pile up into a satisfying puzzle. The saddest thing about this series is the studio that made them is still around. Criterion's still with EA, but they're stuck as a support studio, forever toiling away in the "Need for Speed" and "Battlefield of Minds.
" Instead of a mind blowing new "Burnout" game, they're stuck making crappy modes for "Battlefield 2042" that nobody's gonna play anyway. Truly, a fate worse than death. And number eight is true crime, but really, "Sleeping Dogs.
" Let's be real here. Everyone wants a new "Sleeping Dogs. " That game was great.
A real viable alternative to "Grand Theft Auto" and that's not an easy thing to do. It did its own thing, it was different. It was more Arcadia, a little more action-packed without being a total cartoon like "Saints Row.
" It struck just the right balance between serious and silly in a way that "Grand Theft Auto" doesn't. In a just world, the developer would've gone on to great success. There would've been multiple sequels.
It could have been absolutely amazing. Instead we got two kind of weird mediocre true crime games. One great true crime game and then they had to change the name because it was acquired by Square Enix and one failed MMO follow-up that nobody wanted.
The fact "Sleeping Dogs" managed to come out at all is a minor miracle. It was even more impressive that it was actually good though. It should have been simple.
Just make a sequel. That was like the first one, but better. But eh, it's not that simple.
If you look at the development history, you'll see just how bizarre of a production history United Front Games has. They made "ModNation Racers," a "LittleBigPlanet Karting" game, the definitive edition of Tomb "Raider," just the definitive edition, nothing else. Sandwich between that is a highly polished, big budget open world action gap.
(dramatic music) (NPC chattering) (NPCs grunting) (NPCs chattering) (tires screeching) (NPCs chattering) Like maybe they were just incapable of making a follow-up. I just don't know what happened. There were plans to make "Sleeping Dogs 2," but it never got off the ground.
It wouldn't be absolutely awesome if some other talented studio could come in and continue where they left off or if they would do it either way. But the likelihood of either happening is pretty low. Might as well be zero honestly from the looks.
Still, even though it probably will never happen, it should. And number seven is "Spyro the Drgon. " That guy, he's heavily rumored to fly.
Again, thanks to the newly independent games for Bob, but at the time of this writing, we have no idea what their mystery game is. Could be a new IP, could be a "Spyro" sequel. We all want it to be.
Will it be? I don't know. Once Insomniac was done with the series after three games, various publishers conspired to drive the series into the ground.
First we got Vivendi's embarrassingly bad "Enter the Drgonfly," then Bizarre Eurocom reboot games where Spyro is voiced by Frodo himself, Elijah Wood, but Gary, Gary Oldman was in these things. David Spade as Sparx. That can't be real.
It is though. Those first three PlayStation games were great though. I mean this is Insomniac we're talking about.
Those guys have been consistently good for the past 20 plus years. Toys for Bob, no slouch either. I mean they did those "Skylanders" games, but they've been around forever and their work on the "Spyro" remaster was absolutely stellar.
After the "Crash" collection, they made "Crash 4. " So everyone expected they'd be doing a proper "Spyro 4" eventually as well. And then they left Activision.
So it seemed like the dream was dead. Then they turned around and immediately made a deal with Microsoft. So it's possible they're doing an actual "Spyro" game and I hope they are.
(dramatic music) (balloons popping) They made a lot of small, but smart improvements to the remasters. And "Crash 4" was absolutely excellent, barring the sometimes overturned difficulty. "Spyro" was never about precision platforming though.
It's more just about being a fun game with a unique move set. No other game makes it as fun to charge around everywhere as "Spyro" does. Nobody does it like "Spyro," period.
It's a simple series, but the originals really still hold up. A proper modern sequel feels like a no brainer. And number six is "Crimson Skies.
" If all you had was an Xbox, you might not even be aware that "Crimson Skies" was a franchise. It actually started out on PC. The original game was super different from the more Arcadia Xbox follow up, but it's mostly still a real aviation game, just with slightly more forgiving physics.
The PC Original is a real classic, but the Xbox version's great too. They're very different games. The Xbox game, you kind of fly an Arwing from "Star Fox.
" Any semblance of simulation is kind of thrown out the window. But the alternate universe, 1930 setting is awesome. The music was absolutely great.
The mission design's topnotch. It's a series that really should have seen more success. - [Pilot] My cover's blown.
Repeat, my cover's blown. I need backup. - [NPC] Attention, this settlement is operating in violation of David Dunbar's Anti-Piracy Act.
- [Pilot] It got me. (plane exploding) (guns firing) - [Falcon] I think a modern "Crimson Skies" would really work. They could innovate by borrowing from something like "Dark Void" where you occasionally get out of your plane and do a shootout on foot.
Not something I do all the time. Again, to bring up "Star Fox," all the on foot crap did not work in that one "Star Fox" game. But I mean it would mix things up a little and if you do it right, it's good.
But I mean would they do it right? That lame "Front Mission" reboot game also did something like that. Wasn't great.
So maybe I'm asking for "The Monkey's Paw" to curl with this one, but however, this hypothetical unnamed mystery developer decides to modernize the series. I'd be there for it. And number five, an actual new "Castlevania" game with all the remasters and remakes and DLCs that Konami is putting out for this series.
Seriously, I mean, look back over the last decade. It's easy to forget that there hasn't been a new "Castlevania" since 2014. Wait, I lie.
There's actually the "Haunted Castle" remake that came packed in with the Dominus collection. That's pretty much built from the ground up, but at the end of the day, it's still a remake. It is the closest thing to something new we've seen in the series for about 10 years.
So any chance there is for hope, fans are gonna take it. (dramatic music) There's so many directions. They could go with a new game, they could make a new classic game.
They could go the Metroidvania route, like they could make a "Lords of Shadow" sequel. I'd be fine with that. It'll have to be better than "Lords of Shadow 2.
" You couldn't make something worse if you tried. But still, if you're dying of thirst in the desert, you don't complain about what's in the canteen someone hands you. As long as it ain't poison, you drink it and you like it.
Unless it's another "Castlevania" pachinko machine, then get the hell out of here with that. Moving on to number four, it's "Ninja Gaiden. " Another series that's been away from the spotlight for quite a while.
The anti-alias games are classic in "Ninja Gaiden Black" on the original Xboxes, one of the best action games of all time. But after they flopped hard with one of the biggest unforced errors in gaming history, with "Ninja Gaiden 3," Team Ninja's pretty much moved on to other things. They still do good work and all the recent games are pretty damn solid.
But I can't help but wonder what this modern revitalized version of Team Ninja could do if they return to their roots. It doesn't have to be "Ninja Gaiden Black" all over again. If they wanted, they could even make a new souls-like style game.
Just gotta have a jump button. Strong movement abilities are a major part of the identity of "Ninja Gaiden," along with pretty high difficulty. So obviously, it couldn't be a straightforward souls-like, but maybe they could bring back a somewhat more grounded reality like the original NES game where a few places almost looked like the real world and there were CI agents skulking around as opposed to the total fantasy world of the Xbox game.
But this is another case where it doesn't really matter what they do, it'd just be nice if they did something new. (weapons clashing) (fighters grunting) And number three is "Def Jam. " These games were nuts.
It's not really a surprise they didn't last long 'cause they were totally relying on licensing everything. Had to license appearances, music, absolutely everything. It would've been a fun game without rappers playing themselves, but that's really what pushes the game over the edge from an interesting curio to an all time great.
It was just so much frigging fun. It was developed by AKI or AKI, I don't really say the name of that developer often. The wrestling game guys.
And it plays like a streamlined version of those games. It works though 'cause honestly, it's a lot better than most wrestling games back then and even now. They just hit the perfect temp where fights are flashy and fun, but they don't drag on too long and they're really accessible.
It's easy to jump in, jump out, play with friends, and that's the best way to play these games. Period. The first two games are all time classics and have a pretty good cross section of major acts from the early 2003s.
Imagine if they made one of these things now. It'd be totally crazy, but also very unlikely. I loved these things as a kid.
The music, the presentation, the real world rappers, it's just so much frigging fun. It feels like something you could only pull off in the 2000s. I can't see the biggest rappers lending their voices and appearances to something like this now other than Ice-T.
He would probably do it. And number two is "Siren. " The first two "Siren" games developed by Japan Studio and published by Sony were straight up terrifying.
They're some of the most unsettling horror games ever made. But outside of an ill conceived attempt at a reboot with "Siren Blood Curse," the series has been dead for almost two decades. They didn't catch on back in the early 2000s, but I think now they would have a much better chance of catching an audience.
They're grungy, a little awkward to control. They have impenetrable stories that can only be fully understood after multiple playthroughs. That sort of thing wasn't generally understood as a positive back then, but now, oh, we love our obscure games, don't we?
(ominous music) - [NPC] Did you see anything else? (NPC panting) - [NPC] They are no longer. (NPCs chattering) (monster growling) - [Falcon] The most impossibly opaque, the better.
There's real potential for a revival too. People love horror games now, especially spiritual successors to "Silent Hill. " Wowee.
The main problem for any revival is Sony themselves. They've all but shuttered their Japan studio and don't seem that interested in publishing another game as strange and unsettling as this one. Its appeal is too limited for Sony looking for the next big live service hit as if that's gonna happen.
They don't want moody horror games. They want "Concord," which flopped horribly and cost like $200 million. Maybe they should go back to the single player horror games or just single player games in general.
It seems like Sony is going through one of those phases where they forgot why people like them. And finally, at number one, be still my beating heart, "Chrono Trigger. " "Chrono Cross" makes this a bonafide franchise, but let's not fool anyone here.
As much as "Chrono Cross" has its own fan following and it does do stuff that expands the lore in weird ways, I like it, but we really want a new "Chrono Trigger. " A proper follow up that is the same fast-paced and fun story, the time hopping shenanigans, and that fantastic iconic score. "Chrono Cross" did at least have that last one.
The music for "Chrono Cross" is unparalleled, but for the most part, it's a completely different beast. The original "Chrono Trigger" is just a big standout from almost any RPG of that time. Help, it's different from most of them even now.
It's stood the test of time, right? Appropriate given the theme. It's fast paced, it's got this zippy momentum.
You're never doing the same thing too many times. They're constantly introducing new things, new little gimmicks, new dungeons, new party members, new time periods. This game is just on the go the whole time.
It's also one of the shortest of these SquareSoft RPG classics. But there is not a hint of fat on this thing. It is all killer, no filler.
And most RPGs are like 90% filler. That's what people want. Sure, we all love the hundred-hour behemoth every once in a while, but games don't need to be massively bloated to be good.
In fact, bloated is bad. It doesn't mean the game is bad, but the bloat sure is. "Chrono Trigger," perfect example of something without any, oh, that bloat.
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