The industry is being inundated by sequels right now: Halo 4, Assassin’s Creed III, Grand Theft Auto V, Black Ops 2...and all the rest. Safe sequels, games that will be much the same as their predecessors, and are almost guaranteed to rake in millions of dollars for their respective publishers.
There’s fun to be had, but if we’re going to continue to tread the sequel path, we need something that bleeds originality. Something from a game that mightn’t have broken sales records, but was solid and innovative enough to warrant a second attempt.
Mirror’s Edge 2 | PS3, Xbox 360, PC - 2008
Mirror’s Edge is on the tip of the tongue during sequel talk; for good reason. It was unique, original and loads of fun. Sure, not the greatest game, but there is so much potential if EA were to give Digital Illusions a second chance.
The possibility of a sequel reemerges every year, but we never get any closer to progress, unless you include a side-scrolling iOS version. There has been talk of a sequel entering production and then being halted by the big-wigs at EA, but that’s all meaningless banter.
Make it happen EA. I’ll buy a copy.
Eternal Darkness 2 | GameCube - 2002
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is another absolute gem that failed to attract the audience it frankly deserved. Did you play it? No? You’re a bad person (unless you’re under about 19, then you’re excused on an age technicality).
External Darkness was an amazing experience that engrossed the player by making him feel as if he were actually going insane with the protagonist. Although, that effect may have been lost by dated hardware if you were to go back and play it now.
We heard babble of a sequel all the way back in 2006, but nothing ever eventuated. Rumours re-emerged in 2008, but two years later, developer Silicon Knights was in all sorts of serious shit due to this thing about having no money. Long story short, they rallied, and late last year we heard that a down-sized Silicon Knights is working on “one of their most requested titles” for the next generation of consoles.
Eternal Darkness 2 for Wii U; could it be?
Psychonauts 2
| PC, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360 - 2005
Psychonauts is the unequivocal example of a sequel that should have been commissioned by now, that deserves to happen, but just won’t be. Sequels aren’t about quality -- just ask Hollywood -- they are about money, and selling games hasn’t been a highlight of Tim Schafer’s otherwise illustrious career.
The man’s a creative genius, and one of the most original minds in the industry, but that doesn’t make sequels. Money makes sequels, which is perhaps why he has turned to crowd-sourcing with Kickstarter in a big “screw you!” to anyone who has refused to pay for his brilliance to be realised.
Anyone who gave Psychonauts a chance will tell you that it’s one of the most unique and interesting platformers ever made; although, it wasn’t for everyone, and that’s perhaps what led to poor sales.
Nevertheless, it deserves the sequel that it will probably never get.
Conker’s Bad Fur Day 2 | Nintendo 64 - 2001
What a heinously squandered opportunity. Hilarity and some of the most crude dialogue ever to appear in a video game wasn’t enough to convince anyone that Conker should have another bad fur day. The 2005 remake was a massive misstep -- and the beginning of Rare’s well documented decline -- as it removed far too much of what made the adult orientated game so fun four years prior.
Maybe games are too realistic nowadays to handle a drunk squirrel that pisses all over the place, drives a tank and bounces on a flower’s giant breasts. Although, I believe the average 30-year-old gamer would be totally down for that in HD.
However, it was made by Rare. That means a sequel now would be ruddy awful, as they’re much too focused on fitness games and broken dreams to do something meaningful with Conker.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3 | Xbox, PC - 2003
The only game on the list that actually did get a sequel, Knights of the Old Republic needs to keep going. Hopefully EA learnt its lesson with Star Wars: The Old Republic (notice the lack of “Knights of” in that title) last year. Apparently nobody wants to play a Star Wars MMO. Probably because that audience is still too lost in WoW to release it isn’t 2005 anymore.
What Star Wars fan might enjoy is an amazing single-player game that follows the foundations that were inexplicably abandoned after the 2004/05 release. If we wanted a multiplayer Star Wars game, it would be Battlefront 3, not an MMO.
In fact, all the wrong Star Wars sequels have been made over the past five years. The games we actually want to play haven’t gone anywhere. Just sayin’.
By Ben Salter - Bio