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Games That Deserve New Year Sequels
Retrogaming with Racketboy has a piece looking at 10 Games that 'need' a sequel. Each title is a deserving candidate for an updating, though probably some more than others. From the article: "Possibly one the best games of 2004, Beyond Good and Evil featured a magical combination of action, animation, and storytelling that won it high regard among critics. The game represented high quality and production values when most other games on the market were either re-hashes of other successful games or just plain awful. With all the unimaginative plots in games today, a series like BG&E deserves to live on. Of course, it didn't sell well in its first iteration, but much of the buzz about the game happened just a bit after stores started taking it off their shelves. Now that there is a healthier fan-base, a sequel might just flourish."
I cannot believe that Starcraft didn't make that list.
And they said zombies weren't real!
Duke Nukem 3d was one of the best single-person FPS games ever published; the secrets and plot were unparalleled, and the game got shadowed by the release of Quake (which evolved FPS from sprite-based graphics to today's 3-D feel and made the (spirte-based) Duke Nukem "3d" title look ... dumb). Gameplay and overall design were either on-par or superior to Quake, and many people still regard it as the best of the genre. This screams for a sequel.
Use my userscript to add story images to Slashdot. There's no going back.
Another sequel to Thief! And more in the style of Thief 2, not the lame hub-style system of Thief:Deadly Shadows! Yes, there are fan missions but more Thief is always a good thing.
Trolling is a art,
No games deserve a sequel, this is the number one problem in the gaming industry today.
So many clones of existing franchises along with endless tired sequels is driving people away from games.
Look at Doom3 and Quack4, too highly anticipated sequels that went nowhere. They were simply regurgitations of tired concepts with fancy graphics.
Why I do believe there are game concepts that warrant revisits, Diablo's style of gameplay comes to mind, this does not mean we need Diablo 3. Why not create a new story with some new innovative features in a new game. Rather then working 4 years to create a Diablo clone that only offers better graphics, come out with new stories using the same engine with novel twists on the concept. I would much rather buy 4 games that are in the style of Diablo 2 that all offer original plots rather then waiting 4 years for a sequel of Diablo 3.
In all honestly, why can't the entertainment industry get it in their head that sequels kill a franchise, especially when NO effort is made to keep them fresh and original. I am sure XMEN 3 will do well this year, but only because they are banking on repeats by past fans, I am also very sure that XMEN 3 will have vapid and underwhelming story line with lots of duplicated scenes and action. I can't wait for the slew of franchise games based on XMEN 3 this year, we all know that games based on movies do well.
Not all sequels are bad, Civ 4 was hottly received, but this is more because new technology allows for richer and more intelligent gameplay while tweaking a game engine to make it more streamlined and entertaining. Civ 4 is simply not a regurgitation of Civ3 with better graphics as are most 3rd person shooters and RPG's.
If you don't have something new to say, then don't say it, same goes for movies and video games. Can't offer anything new and innovative, the simply leave it be. I for one would wish that the game industry be forced to implement money back guarantees, where you are fully reimbursed for the money they attempted to rip off you with another tired sequel.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
Four Civs and three MOOs, but not one MOM sequel?
It's suck a pity that the IP rights got swallowed and divided up when Looking Glass went titsup limiting any feasible official remake (I don't have a link to this info, but AFAIK it was in an interview with Warren Spector somewhere).
Oh, and add in a Sam and Max sequel... but it is nice to see Grim Fandango in that list though.
Are you local? There's nothing for you here!
first: System Shock 3. This needs to be made.
second: Chrono Trigger needs to be updated and left the f**k alone. Chrono Cross proves that while individual designers make good games, the companies that own the IP have no ability to faithfully reproduce or even respect the material that goes into a popular game.
In Chrono Cross they chopped CT's battle system and replaced it with a Final Fantasy like blur-to-an-arena. They chopped the tech system and replaced it with a complicated magic system that is only rewarding if you spend a dozen hours figuring it out. And while they were at it, they made the first 1/4 of the game totally incomprehensible.
And then they were mystified why it wasnt as popular as the first.
Did they not actually play CT before making CC? Or were they totally incapable of figuring out what made it fun? Who knows
We need another Descent clone! My joystick is getting all rusty. How long has it been since there was a 6 degrees-of-freedom game? Descent 3 was released almost seven years ago; it's about time for a new one.
Or is the genre just not profitable enough to warrant a new game?
You could randomly pluck a Bullfrog game out of a hat and it'd be more in need of a sequel than half those titles.
// "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
Shenmue 2 is the only game I've ever played that *obviously* needed a sequel; the villian hasn't been dispatched, the big discovery has been made, but only at the very end and then you don't know what it means....this game clearly was meant to continue. Yes, the game is a bit slow going on the plot, but it's meant to tell a big story. I think Yu Suzuki thought he had a brand new franchise a la Final Fantasy on his hands; but the difference was that it would be one story played out over 10+ games. Clearly that hasn't/won't happen, and now all I want is one more game to tie everything up, bring closure to the series, and presumably see what the big deal was with those freaking mirrors.
Though rumors abound that yes indeedy, there is a Shenmue 3 waiting in the wings, it's nothing but rumors; Sega doesn't even acknowledge that Shenmue 3 was even developed.
That said, I'll buy whatever console it comes out on just to play it; anything after that is a bonus.
The crew of TellTale Games has already acquired the rights to Sam and Max from Steve Purcell. Most of the crew of TTG were the developers of the cancelled "Sam and Max: Freelance Police" and therefore are probably the best team to get the rights to it.
In order to keep the blindly inept LucasArts off their back, the new game will be completely different from what they were making at LucasArts and will most likely use the engine that they used for Bone. My only gripe is that the game will be episodic, not a complete game at once but "episodes" scattered over time; but as long as all of the great aspects of the original "Sam and Max" are intact (with a 3D engine, of course), I'll be thrilled when this is released.
From what I understand, it is also an "all-inclusive" license meaning that TTG has the rights to create more than just games using the Sam and Max license. TTG already has started a web comic for Sam and Max as well. Make sure to put the mouse cursor over each comic frame to see the "action".
The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
All proper MOO players realize that MOO 3 was not MOO 3. It was the evil anti-MOO and should not be dicussed in pleasant company.
Sometimes my arms bend back.
What most of those games really awesome was being really different than what came before. Fans always ask for more of the same, but it's better to encourage experimentation and deviation with the faith that someone will come up with something entirely new and entertaining that we had never thought of ourselves. The fun of books, films, and video games alike is having someone put new ideas in your head, not having things repeated that are already there.
Make it a live action RPG like Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance - the story is already great - pretty much the best story of any game, but turn-based games are old and sucky. For that matter, make Dark Alliance III! With combat combos like Soul Calibur!
That game was awesome when it came out and it's still fun to play today since it's more than eye-candy and had a good plotline. Most of today's FPS has maybe 5 major bad guy characters to kill with similar, repetitive level design (outdoors, indoors). Alice, however, used all of the settings and characters in the novel in the game. From the card-guards to chess pieces, to Cheshire cat, to Army ants, etc. playing it was an adventure. And the levels were colorfully done to keep you interested. i.e. after playing level after level of Doom or FarCry, everything starts looking the same. Not with Alice. The only other FPS that I've played where the levels stayed interesting and creative was Half-Life 2. I would really love to play an American McGee's Alice 2 game.
I would absolutely love to see a Magic Carpet sequel using modern graphics and surround sound. I even went so far as to build a 233 MHz PC with PC-DOS 7 and (just for fun) Windows 3.1 so that I could play Magic Carpet in its native environment. All that I needed was to use a CPU slowdown utility.
So, even with an Athlon 3200+, GeForce 6600GT, 4.1 sound system, and 21" monitor next to me with BF2, HL2, and a slew of other games installed, the basic simplicity, great gameplay, and truly deformable terrain (which still has not been duplicated in modern games) make the Magic Carpet series scream for a sequel.
R.I.P., Bullfrog! We miss ya!
The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
Bilestoad - that was the game that got me into gaming. I would play against my brother. I'd run to a chariot, charge him and chop off his axe hand.
Mangrove Earthshoe for ye olde tyme feeling.
Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
Not only that, but do the mods actually think before they give such a senseless and CLUELESS diatribe "Insightful" mods? Honestly, I think a lot of the Slashdot mods are more impressed by the number of paragraphs in a post that the content of those paragraphs.
There needs to be a new Carmageddon made, with a new graphics engine, and back to the original style of gameplay. Carmageddon TDR(the 3rd game) was done by some other company, and it sucked. It was slower paced, and focused more on missions than just plain 'ol races. Nowhere could I get 5x combos anymore for it was too slow.
Mind you, the Carmageddon 'races' weren't much for races. You had more fun just driving around, doing crazy stunts, running over peds, dodging cops, and playing chicken with the other racers. But it was fun. It was mindless fun. I can't think of a game like that today that just lets you drive around at your own leisure, aside from Grand Theft Auto.
Now if you want to see a sequel that should not have existed, try Blood Storm. It was a Mortal Kombat ripoff that was a sequel to Time Killers. It is quite possibly the most godawful gory fighting game ever made since Tatoo Assassins. It's so fun to play since it's so bad.
I'd like to see a modern day update of Magic Carpet. Flinging meteor after meteor down on an opponent's castle was an awful lot of fun.
The last thing I want to see is a remake of a game I played growing up. I don't need to see a great game reinterpreted by some hacks who will just try to make it more hardcore or destroy any sense of style by trying to make full use of pixel shaders in an attempt to make it look more realistic than real life.
I'd like to see developers inspired by the great games of the past. More important than remaking games is to actually be creative, emphasize gameplay, focus on a unique experience or develop story that is truly different.
How many times do we need to see Tolkien-influenced fantasy games? How more times are we going to be sent through some dark, dreary complex infested by demons? How many ways can we experience soldiers in a firefight?
Something new is long overdue... In the very least a unique twist on an established theme would be very welcome.
The gaming industry is already bad enough as it is with its sequels. We dont need developers learning from Hollywood's lazy habit of producing crappy, uninspired remakes.
Honestly, can somebody please please please make a Total Annihilation sequel, or are there some sort of property rights issues?
Make it a football game! The Nameless One can be QB and Morte is the ball! Then the Nameless Team goes up against the Dustman Team and Thieves' Guild Team. Have John Madden narrate the whole thing. Can't fail.
One of the creators of TA is working on Supreme Commander. From the previews I've read, it will take TA to the next level.
p 1.html Here is a link to the Gamespy preview.
http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/supreme-commander/632026
http://www.gamespot.com/genesis/sports/mutantleagu efootball/
Probably the most enjoyable sports title I've ever played. Play calls were limited but always entertaining.
I can see some of those games being good enough that the gameplay/story could be looked at again, but let's face some facts.
Sonic CD has a sequel, called Sonic Rush on the DS. All the same kinds of graphics, and a soundtrack well worth downloading (since the OST is not available outside of Japan). It's a better OST than the Sonic CD one!
Beyond Good and Evil had some good ideas, but the execution was so poor, that the managers responsible for shoving such a half-baked came out the door should be fired. Yes, it has many good points, like a heroine who isn't just ass and cleavage, and a story that seems interesting at first -- but the story falls flat. It's not nearly as deep as reviewers like this seem to think it is, and the ending sucked royally. A bad ending can make anything good suck (look at Terminator 3; a decent Terminator movie with a terrible ending is not a good movie).
Alice proved to me that a platformer on the PC does not work. I want deeper gameplay than having to float to the next excruciatingly place toadstool, having to restart if I miss the target. I want boss fights that are interesting, not exercises in shooting a whole lot.
I think this reviewer has their personal opinion seeping in on games they particularly liked, but which weren't actually that good. Games that are 5/10 or 6/10 (like the ones on the list here) are not ones worth investigating further. The gameplay is not compelling enough, or the story is too half-baked. (I'm not saying they're all bad; I haven't played Grim Fandango through yet, so I reserve judgement on it, but BG&E is a crap fest that deserved to die, and was most certainly not the best game of 2004.)
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Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
Wow -- how'd I end up on Slashdot? :)
e -you.html
:)
Not that I'm complaining
Anwyay, I must confess, I'm not a big PC gamer and my site primarily covers console games. So that would explain a lot of PC games missing from the list.
As for the Sonic CD comment, I realize that Sonic Rush is a quality game, but I'm waiting for a full 2D console game that makes the most of the hardware.
For more of my thoughts on the Sonic topic, check out this post of mine:
http://www.racketboy.com/retro/2005/12/sega-i-dar
And thanks guys, for not chewing my post to pieces
I'm still working on improving my writing.
M.U.L.E. needs a sequel/remake. They'd have to keep the theme song tho.
1.Command & Conquer. NO, Generals does NOT count. I want a C&C 3 (not another red alert game either, a GDI vs Nod game)
:)
2.Space Quest (sure there were numerous sequals back in the day but a more modern one would be cool)
3.Transport Tycoon
4.I second the call (in the origonal article) for a Kid Icarus sequal, that game ROCKED
and 5.Sentinel Worlds: Future Magic. Not necessarily a direct sequal, in fact, any game is the same style but more modern would be COOL.
I remember how awesome Smash TV was... just room after room after room of a seemingly infinite number of guys whose only purpose are to get mowed down by your machine gun or bash you with a club. Now that's a GAME.
No, no Age of something comes close to the fun. Two hours for a short game? Some Dune versions are better, but also slow compared to the fast pace of starcraft multiplayer.
There are many wannabes, but Starcraft quality pays off. They even have a new demo in the homepage, and that only means that sales are higher than any other game that old.
I mean, do you know any other RTS game that get matchs broadcasted on TV? Right now I'm downloading some Yellow's replays. What other RTS has whole websites just for replays?
We need badly a RTS sequel to starcraft.
We are Turing O-Machines. The Oracle is out there.
The list from the article was pretty good, but the game that is most in need of a sequel is Panzer Dragoon Saga. Sega did release Panzer Dragoon Orta for the Xbox, but Orta was a rail shooter like the first two PD games. PDS was one of the most amazing RPGs ever released, and it deserves a sequel.
Yup, that's the large series of Sonic games.
That's definitely not Sonic. I'm glad you mentioned Grim Fandango, and I will second someone's vote for Sam and Max.
We may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode. -Capt. Mal Reynolds
Nights, Guardian heroes definitely. and what about Xenogears? (xenosaga is to xenogears as chrono cross is to chrono trigger i guess) I believe Square/Enix is so tight on budget they make FF series only. How sad.
A game I'd love a sequel for is Ghost Master... I picked this game up a couple of months ago for my PC as a budget title and really enjoyed it. It's kind of a cross between Dungeon Keeper and The Sims. Oh yeah... I wouldn't mind another Dungeon Keeper game either...
Emerald Astrology
I am still waiting for another sequel to Baldur's Gate.
Snowblind bought the rights when Black Isle went out of Business - in two months they are supposed to announce their new title, and many hope that it is Baldur's Gate III.