We all have those games that we would love to see a sequel for. That game we grew up with as a child. That popular franchise that has been in retirement for the last decade. That cult classic you found while browsing the Steam Summer Sale that you beat and want more.
In some cases, these games might not get made for various reasons. Sometimes the company who originally made it no longer has the rights to that game. Sometimes the development team doesn't want to ruin a franchise by simply making a new game for the sake of making a new game. Whatever the reason, we all have those games that we would love to see get a sequel...and I am no exception.
Before we begin, I would like to clarify a few things. First off, this is not a list of the most popular games that I feel need a sequel. There are plenty of people doing just that on YouTube. This is a personal list of games that I have played that I would love to see continued. This list will also not include anything that, as far as I'm presently aware, already has a sequel in development. This is a list of games that I have not seen anything related to a sequel out there outside of rumors and wishlists, much like the Kingdom Hearts 3 wishlist I posted two weeks back. And finally, this list is in no way a definitive list. While I would probably want some of these games more than others, I would be happy to get any of these.
So, without further delay, here's my Ten Games That Need a Sequel
#10. Battleborn (2016)
The one is a cautionary tale to people looking to release a game; make sure you see what else is coming out around the same time to determine if this might be a problem for your release. Battleborn seemed like a done deal; the Borderlands team making a Moba-Shooter Hybrid with a fun cast of characters and a unique setting. It had a weird learning curve, especially between the variety of playstyles in each of the characters, and if you're thinking this sounds familiar, it's because that basically the description of the game that released less than three weeks after Battleborn; a little known title called Overwatch.
Thanks to Overwatch releasing three weeks after Battleborn's launch, much of the player base for the game dropped off within one month, presumably to play Overwatch, something that I myself am guilty of doing. It became so problematic for them, Battleborn as now basically become a Free-To-Play title. But where Overwatch falls short, Battleborn thrives.
Yeah, but Blizzard gave us a talking Gorilla...so...
Battleborn, among other things, offers a full single player campaign, the option to choose what play mode you want to play, and a story that can actually be seen in game rather than animations and comics online. It has the strong humor of the Borderlands team and a lot of possibilities for what can be done, and that's why I feel it needs a sequel.
Given enough time and effort, Battleborn could be salvaged and turned into something worthwhile. More games modes, an expended roster and story, as well as a better launch window, and Battleborn could truly be a contender for Overwatch. Let's just hope they don't release it three weeks before Overwatch 2: Electric Boogaloo.
#9. Jet Set Radio (2000)
Rollerblading is “cool.” Spray painting graffiti is “cool.” Combining the two is KEWL, and that's what Jet Set Radio provides. Released for the SEGA Final Nail In The Coffin (You may know it as the Dreamcast), Jet Set Radio sees the various gangs of Tokyo-To roaming the streets and spray painting everything while running from the cops. You play as a variety of characters in a new gang called the GGs, lead by Beat, compete against rival gangs for turf, and run from Captain Onishima, who has way more power than he should as he sends riot police, tanks and helicopters after you.
It was the definition of the Counter Culture, going against the man and doing things that look cool. It had pretty fun gameplay, despite a variety of controls that can be complicated to get the hang of, and a unique art style that helped it stand out from other games by being one of the first games to feature cel-shaded graphics with exaggerated shapes, thin lines and flat bright colors. So in a way, Borderlands has this game to thank for it's art style.
Hmmm...you could do with some more blue...
The problem here is the current state of skating games in the industry. After the massive failure that was Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5, we haven't heard anything about a new game in that franchise, the Skate franchise, or anything new in the vain outside of indie games like side scrolling skateboarding game Olli-Olli. Now that doesn't mean we won't get anything like this; there have been rumors of a new Skate game from EA for a few years now, and people have been clambering for that for a while.
Jet Set Radio is also owned by SEGA, and recently, they have mentioned they will be reviving a bunch of old franchises for re-release or reboots. While games like Road Rash and Crazy Taxi are more likely to get reboots, I would love to see Jet Set Radio come back. Who knows, maybe they could even pull a Tony Hawk and include “guest” characters, including Sonic the Hedgehog or Bayonetta. That would be fun.
#8. Brutal Legend (2009)
Tim Schafer is one of the industries greatest comedians, having helped bring us such classics as The Secret of Monkey Island, Grim Fandango and Psychonauts. One of his other games, developed with his studio Double Fine Productions, was Brutal Legend, a metal heads fever dream mixed with a somewhat mediocre real-time strategy component. It featured heavy metal legends like Ozzy Osbourne, Lita Ford, Rod Halford and Lemmy Kilmister, and the world looked as if it were ripped straight from the album covers of some of the greatest cover art from the 80's.
The story was pretty basic and the game completely changed genres half way through which threw some people off, but the aesthetic and world itself was a beauty that hasn't really been matched by other AA or AAA games. The humor is a bit more mature than some other games that showcase themselves as humor based, the references to the genre were wonderful, and the amount of love and attention this game holds is almost beyond comprehension.
It also made Jack Black's humor bearable for several hours!
Unlike many of the games on this list, this one might already be underway, though nothing official has been announced. During some in-development streams for Psychonauts 2, a game that I am highly anticipating more than almost anything shown at E3 2017, Tim Schafer has said that if there's enough interest and Psychonauts 2 does well, they might work on Brutal Legend 2. Jack Black has said that he would like to come back, and you know there's a large number of metal artists who would like to cameo in something so devoted to their genre.
All in all, this one is just a wonderful experience from start to finish...if you can get past the sometime clunky real-time strategy portions of the game. We don't get many games that incorporate humor into their overall structure much outside of kids games and the LEGO games, so having one thhat's aimed more at adults would be fantastic. Plus, the soundtrack for this game alone is worth the price of admission. Just sayin'.
#7. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003)
Star Wars has a massive expanded universe through books, TV shows, comics and games, the vast majority of which Disney would like you to ignore. Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republics 2 are two of the better parts of that expanded universe, and is the only game on this list that actually does have a recent release, but not in the way that I would like.
The Old Republic MMO, released by EA and BioWare, lets you explore through the world of Star Wars years before the events of the first few films. It plays like a combination of KOTOR, World of Warcraft, and Mass Effect (Fun Fact: Mass Effect happened because BioWare lost the rights to Star Wars when trying to make KOTOR 3). Playing as one of eight classes, only two of which really matter, you can play the first Star Wars MMO that actually had people excited since Star Wars Galaxies.
You said it random Star Wars Galaxies player.
No, what I want is not that game. While it has it's moments, the overall experience is more WoW than Star Wars, let alone KOTOR. No, what I'd like is KOTOR 3; a return to the massive experiences provided to us in the first two KOTOR games. The biggest hurdle now, of course, is that Disney owns Star Wars, and they are calling the shots. But here's the thing; EA has a contract with them to release Star Wars games!
BioWare is owned by EA, and that means that if they wanted to, and Anthem wasn't taking up all their time, BioWare could easily bring us another entry in the franchise. They already have an offshoot studio working on the MMO, so why not give us another main series single player entry?
#6. Undertale (2015)
Undertale is one of the few massive success stories from KickStarter, with an original asking price of $5000 but earning over $51,000 by the end of it's one month asking time. It was mostly made by Toby Fox, who wrote, programmed and wrote the score for, and has callbacks to Earthbound and Shin Megami Tensei as an NES era stylized game where you can befriend everyone or murder them brutally.
You play as a young person who falls into a mountain into the world of monsters and interact with them by either helping them realize that violence isn't the only answer or by showing them just how wonderful it can be. The story is full of emotional points, and depending on how you play, you can have one of three major outcomes, commonly referred to the Pacifist, Genocide or Neutral routes. And that's pretty much all I'll say about the games story; while the game has been out for just under two years now, there is still a decent portion of people who have not experienced it, and this is very much a game to go in blind with regards to the story.
Trust me! Do I look like I'd lie?
The obviously problem with making a sequel is those last two facts: the desire to go in blind with regards to the story and the multiple ending types based on how you play. The first one makes it hard to do a sequel for the simple fact that you usually have to showcase some of the story in the trailer and promotional materials. This can be combated by the simple fact that while the trailer for the first game does show gameplay, there's very little context for what is shown and basically just shows us what I've mentioned here. The second issue is which ending do you go with? Well, why go with a sequel at all?
The overall story of Undertale has some pretty good back story, including a war between humans and monsters which could be explored further. It might not give us the same emotional level as the first game, but exploring that part of the series might help better showcase the strife we see from the monsters in the game. If nothing else, this would give the people who play Genocide runs a reason to feel like a monster...if they didn't feel like that from the first game...
#5. The Stanley Parable (2013)
Games have had narrators in them since the first time we heard a narrator in a video game. They are there to help deliver exposition, to guide the player, and tell us more about what we are seeing on screen. The Stanley Parable likes to take that notion and turn it on it's head. While the story of the game is silly, it can be completed in only a few minutes if you simply follow the directions of the narrator. Bu this game is best when you don't.
One of the first major choices you are given in the games is a series of two open doors. The narrator, trying to guide you through a story, tells you to enter the door on the left. If you disobey, he then makes up an excuse and tries to get you back on track. Depending on how often you disobey, things can go from standard to surreal fast. From breaking the game down almost entirely to being forced to play a game where you try and prevent a baby from walking into fire for four hours to standing in a broom closet simply because you can, the game is a wonderful commentary on first person perspective games and narrative driven ones as well.
This game asks questions, like what if we made a game about a baby crawling towards fire?!
The things about making a sequel is that what more can be done? Sure, there can be more paths added, or a new narrative setting can be used, but making the overall premise of the game about a guy who listens or disobeys the narrator would simply be rehashing a concept from the first with a new coat of paint. Narrative games are unique in that you usually don't need to replay them unless you want to, but games like The Stanley Parable is unique in that you can replay it and not get the same result twice.
The real challenge for making a sequel is not even making new narrative arcs for the player to take; the first game shows that just about anything can happen in a video game with little incentive or force. What the real challenge here is making a game that can commentate on other parts of first person narrative mechanics, or even other genres and mechanics, that the first game didn't touch on. It'll also help if they get Kevan Brighting to return as the Narrator...He was just a delight.
#4. Bioshock (2007)
The Bioshock series are some of the most well-regarded in gaming, so long as you don't include the Bioshock 2. Between Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite, these games have ingrained themselves in the minds of gamers thanks to engaging gunplay, unique powers and settings, as well we smart story telling and situations. It's also a spiritual successor to System Shock, which makes it all the more better.
The first game takes place in an Ayn Rand wet dream of an underwater utopia run by a man who constantly reminds you that “a man chooses, a slave obeys,” and is filled with magic fueled homicidal maniacs, giant mechanical living bathyspheres, and cute monster children you can either save from horror by “saving” them or sucking the ever loving life force out of them as they scream in pain and realize that hell is real when they are “harvested.”
You can Harvest them or force them to watch Cars 2...your choice, but either way, you're a monster.
Then in Bioshock Infinite, you play as a man who has a shady past, saving a Belle like character from a floating city, a giant mechanical bathysphere bird, and a racist man with the ideals and principles of a 1870's preacher. Using a spinning hook on your hand and more magical abilities that you drink like scotch, you help liberate this floating city by shooting every cop in sight and getting a very basic understanding of quantum mechanics, string theory and the many worlds interpretation along the way.
A new game in the series would require a few things, chief among them Ken Levine, the man who helped give us this new classic. But to make it better, we'd need a newly enhanced system for combat, a wonderful new world to explore, and possibly a potentially racist author to pull from...let's try Harper Lee. Because who wouldn't want to shoot an allegory for racism and bigotry in the face while trying to champion the ideas of inclusion?!
#3. Castle Crashers (2008)
Castle Crashers is one of the first majorly successful indie titles to appear on the Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360, and helped bring the studio The Behemoth to the forefront of the indie scene. With simple controls, four player same screen co-op, a variety of unlockable players, weapons and companions, and a sense of humor that just about anyone can enjoy, it's no wonder this game became a hit.
You play as one of four knights (to start) trying to save four princesses from a variety of villains by doing things like running from a giant forest troll while riding woodland deer, interrupting a wedding for a lightsaber wielding knight and fighting a fire breathing dragon that has a side job as a sock puppet ventriloquist. Also, sandwiches can turn you giant; so remember kids, eat healthy, and you to can grow three times your size and punch your way out of any situation!
Don't run, Is just Ham!
Now, The Behemoth has launched two new games since this one has come out; Battleblock Theater, a side scrolling platformer where you survive a death trap for cats, and Pit People, a turn based strategy game about a world thrown into hell by a giant space bear crashing into it.. They also released Alien Hominid, a side scrolling shooter starring a sharp-toothed Pac-Man headed alien, which helps showcase that The Behemoth likes to change genres between releases. This doesn't mean we won't get a new Castle Crashers; it may just mean we won't get it from them, or in the same fashion as the first.
A sequel wouldn't really have to change much, which makes this one even easier to conceive of. If anything, much like the Super Smash Bros series of games, you would only need to keep the core mechanics of the game while adding new content like players, levels, items and more. With the Behemoth's pedigree for making consistently fun games, I don't think it's impossible to see it coming, but at the same time, we'll unlikely see due to their desire to expand and change genres. Until then, let's all look forward to their fifth game about a sitcom family forced into a world full of strange llama creatures, all with an 80's rock music aesthetic and made to play as a dating simulator.
#2. Sunset Overdrive (2014)
This is easily one of my favorite games from this generation, and a lot of the people I've talked with who have played with can agree that it's a fun, heavily stylized game. With the genius weapon design and humor from Insomniac Games, a punk rock setting in a post apocalyptic environment about an energy drink turning people into zombie monsters called OD'd. So, you know, a standard release video game.
The unique thing about this game is that it was the first game in years to release exclusively on a non-PlayStation console, specifically the Xbox One. When you compare the overly colorful and humorous world of Sunset City to the environments you explore in other Xbox Exclusives, specifically Halo and Gears of War, it's a very different type of game. When some of the weapons launch Records, Exploding Teddy Bears and the severed heads of the zombie creatures, it certainly seems a bit more silly than Gears of War's chainsaw gun. The story is also equally silly, with you bringing together a few groups of stereotypes to help retake the city of a corporation that makes guns, drugs and energy drinks that turn you into zombie things. It also ended with a bit of a cliff hanger, leading to the possibility of a sequel in the future.
Let's just have some freaking fun!
Insomniac has said that they would love to make a sequel, and to that I say Insomniac...PLEASE CONTACT ME! I have many ideas for this game and am looking for a new job! But for everyone else, let's talk about what it could be. First and foremost, we'd probably go to a new city that the drink made into OD, as well as new weapons and enemies, groups to interact with, more varying quest types and even more humor based on popular culture and some current events.
Honestly, I want this game much more than I would want Beyond Good and Evil 2, Star Wars Battlefront 2, and just about any other game that was showcased at E3 2017 that has a 2 in it's name! The games is just crazy fun, with Ratchet and Clank inspirations throughout, and just in general makes me happy to be a gamer. It's actually one of the only reasons I still own an Xbox One! Now THAT'S an achievement, if you ask me.
Now, before we get on with the number one pick, here's a few honorable mentions:
Super Meat Boy – A fun, challenging platformer with cute references to classic games and ever changing tasks to overcome. A sequel could make it harder and introduce new mechanics like a jetpack! Cause why not?!
Fez – This is one that a lot of people want, but Phil Fish got mad at the internet as we probably won't ever see. That said, imagine going from four sides to sixteen, because, again, why not?!
Grim Fandango – One of the last great adventure games from an era long since past, Grim Fandango is a silly concept to begin with; reapers in an office setting. Imagine what Tim Schafer and crew could do with that concept now!
Spore – While it's not as well loved as The Sims and didn't deliver on all the promises is had, Spore was still a fun alien builder. Expand the gameplay beyond a few genres and give more freedom, and BOOM! There you go.
The World Ends With You – A fun and unique Nintendo DS game from Square Enix. With the 3DS and Switch technology, the gameplay could be expanded and improved to tell a new story.
And finally...Number One
#1. ANYTHING THAT ENDS IN A 3 FROM VALVE!!!
Seriously, Valve, the Steam OS can wait a while while you make another game that will make you two billion dollars. With Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Portal 2 and Half-Life: Episode 2 all being the end of those franchises currently, gamers have been begging you for a new entry in just about every one of these series! So let's go down one by one and look at each of these, shall we?
Half-Life 3could finish the story that the first two games started. Team Fortress 3 could introduce new characters to give hats to while letting players occasionally shoot one another or push a bomb down a track. Left 4 Dead 3 could give us more zombie mobs ripping at our throats and new special infected all trying to shut up one of the characters with a plethora of annoying lines. Portal 3 could see us dealing with a homicidal robot trying to kill us in a testing chamber, only to be revealed that it's been us the whole time! Half-Life 2: Episode 3 could be a prelude to that of Half-Life 3 because seriously, just give us Half-Life 3 already!
Please? I mean....just....just please?
Much like Kingdom Hearts 3, Half-Life 3 is one of those games that may never actually come out, but that won't stop people from wanting it even more, myself included. And by holding out for a good idea or the right technology or whatever, Valve is making the expectations of gamers rise practically by the day at this point. When Game Informer had their 200th issue, one of the eight variant covers included Gordon Freeman, leading players to think they were getting Half-Life 3. They were, of course, disappointed that all it was was a list of some of the greatest games ever, and Game Informer was flooded with disappointed emails telling them just that! Over a magazine cover!!!
Look, we probably won't get any of these anytime soon, simply because Valve really doesn't need to. With all the money they make from games Like Team Fortress 2 and the taxes they collect through the Steam client itself, they could easily get out of game development al together and still make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, especially right now when the Steam Summer sale is going on, and while you might only pay $5 for that game you always wanted, you'll end up doing that eighty four times a day, which can add up to a lot of money!
So, there you go. A list of games I want sequels for. I'll get back to analytical discussions next week, but I want to know if there's anything you'd like to hear me talk about! Please, leave a comment of send me a message and we'll see what happens! But either way, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all next week!