Titles That Beg For A Sequel

Videogames are a lot like movies in certain ways.  They can make you laugh.  They can instill fear.  Some can even make you cry.  And, just like movies, some leave you wanting for more, more that will never come for one reason or another.  A while back, I wrote about what make a movie franchise and why certain titles get sequels while other, some more worthy films, never even get considered for a sequel.  The article can be found here.  I think the case can be made for certain videogame titles to have sequels, instead of the ones that actually get them.  Get ready for what may be a controversial post.

First of all, before I get any further, i want to give a shout out for the best and most meaningless double-dip in recent gaming history.  The title guilty of this dubious honour is "Batman: Arkham Asylum."  I would like to make it clear, straight from the outset, that I love this title.  The atmosphere, the voice acting, the gameplay, the storyline...nothing is amiss from this title whatsoever, as far as I am concerned.  My only sticking point, my only spot of contention, is that the game got released a second time with 3-D capability, that particular version being the one sported in the Amazon box over there on the left.  My problem with this second release is this:  Why the hell didn't they just do this in the first place?  It is an excellent game, and in 3-D it is absolutely incredible visually.  However, my original game save didn't translate over, and I have to gather my gamerscore achievements all over again (albeit earning more points as well).  Poor idea, and it makes me wary of buying the sequel too soon, because I don't want to give the company the idea that a double-dip is an acceptable practice.

Okay, that being said, there is a title that certainly deserves the sequel that is in the works.  This post, however, is about games that deserve it and don't seem to have one coming.  For a good example, I bring you "Condemned: Criminal Origins."  This was one of the first titles released for the 360 back in November of 2005, and it is still one of the best titles out there.  The sequel was great as well, and purposefully left the series open for a third title...and then nothing.  Monolith Productions, makers of both this franchise and "F.E.A.R." have added nothing to their website since 2009, and though there is in fact a "F.E.A.R. 3" on it's way, nothing has surfaced regarding a third in the "Condemned" franchise.  A shame really, as this is one very atmospheric game, rivalling "Resident Evil" for scares and creepy moments.  In fact, in my opinion, "Resident Evil" should have stopped with number 4 and been satisfied with that, as that is the perfect RE game.  But that's a series that goes on, so let's go to...

"Prey."  Now, I just got word this week (from @sentuamessage on Twitter, actual information from their video updates via the 360 system itself) that there is in fact a sequel to this well-deserving title finally on it's way.  Anyone playing the first title will recognize the fact that the gameplay was excellent, and almost certainly lead to the success of the "Halflife 2" spin-off "Portal," which itself is getting a sequel in ten days time in North America.  "Prey" was in many ways unique, the least of which being that for the very first time in any title that i can recall, the story's protagonist was a Native American.  An excellent FPS with incredible multiplayer, this title has been crying for a sequel almost as long as people have been clamouring for "Duke Nukem Forever," which may finally see the light of day this year as well.  Okay, realistically the wait for DNF is admittedly fourteen years, while the wait for a sequel to "Prey" has only been five, but you get the idea.  It's been a long time coming, but finally our waiting is going to be rewarded.

So far, I've been concentrating on the 360, but there are titles out there for other systems that really deserve a sequel, or a new title in a very popular franchise.  The biggest one for the PS3 in my opinion is "Sly Cooper."  Last year's holiday season saw the release of the collection you see to the left there, and when going through the trophy list, one sees a hint that there may be in fact a planned fourth game.  Rumours are abounding that this year's E3 will have something Sly related, but only time will tell.  There is, however, one game that the 360 and PS3 would really exploit, one that hasn't seen a sequel even though the game was absolutely incredible, one title that didn't get the sales numbers it richly deserved, even though critics and gamers who played it alike were raving about it and begging for more people to take the time to give the title a try.  Those who have played it know exactly which game I'm referring to, and those who don't have never even heard of it.  The platforms were the PS2 and the original X-Box, and the game was "Psychonauts."

The game is currently available as a downloadable title for both systems (I'm fairly certain this is true - I know for certain that you can get it downloadable on the 360 and think I have seen it the same way in the Playstation Store).  If you haven't given it a try, I have only two words of advice for you:  Get it.  You will not be disappointed, and you too will join the ranks of people wishing it had done better numbers when first released.  How good is the game?  GameFaqs included "Psychonauts 2" as a part of this year's April Fool's joke on their website. 

As for the Wii, I'm not too sure what to say.  There are Zelda titles, there are Mario titles, there are Donkey Kong titles, and there are Metroid titles.  Seems like all the good franchises there are taken care of, and some of them not too well.  That is more a result of the poorer control offered by the gimmick that is the nunchuk controller in my opinion, though to be honest I still have more Wii titles than PS3 titles in house.

Well, that covers the current home-based consoles.  There are titles out there that either beg for more or actually have more coming for them, but they are from the defunct Dreamcast system, and at the moment there are plans to release some of those old titles on the 360 Arcade, so who knows what'll happen?  I do know that I'd pay to see another "Jet Grind Radio" title, that I've wanted "Shenmue" to continue it's original title run.  I'd also love to see another "Panzer Dragoon Saga" title come out, but I worry these are not to be.  Damn shame too, as the Dreamcast was itself simply a victim of poor sales rather than poor titles or capabilities.  The Wii is actually inferior graphically to the Dreamcast, and it came out years later.  Oh, if Sega just hadn't made so many missteps earlier on...

Anyway, I'm bringing this post to an end with the only plea for a sequel that I haven't touched on so far:  Please, Sony, please hear me when I say that you have thousands of loyal gamers who deeply crave a true, non-3D, non-timed, non-cooperative, non-multiplayer, actual honest to God 2D side-scrolling puzzle-filled sequel to "Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night."  Make that happen, and I'll renounce my 360 and sing your praises for the rest of my life.  Until then, I respectfully remain loyal to my 360...Gamerscore, Ho!!!