With game series like Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed being released on a yearly cycle, and most other blockbuster series coming out with new games at least once every two years, the industry is being overrun with sequels. This deep into the console cycle, new properties are becoming more and more rare. While I certainly love when a new and unique game comes out and does well, there is a certain comfort and excitement associated with getting my hands on a sequel to one of my favorite games. I still want to see as many new games as possible, but the following ten games are sequels that I am simply dying to play. In order for a game to make this list, it must not exist in any form. Any game that has been announced, like Beyond Good and Evil 2, will not be on this list.
10. Sonic Generations 2
Now, don’t mistake this entry as impatience, I am by no means suggesting that Sega rush to make a sequel to a game that came out less than a year ago. The key part of this is the name, Sonic Generations 2. Sonic Generations was the best Sonic game in a very long time, but most of what made it great was tied to the fact that it was meant as a 20th anniversary game. Elements such as the classic/modern gameplay split, the classic stages, and the constant call backs to 20 years of Sonic games were key factors in what made that game so great. Sega is obviously looking to ride the success of Sonic Generations with another game, but I really hope they don’t throw away all these elements simply because the 20th anniversary has come and gone. The next retail Sonic game needs to be a true sequel to Sonic Generations if there is to be any chance of it being as good as Sonic Generations.
9. Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake was a creepy and atmospheric action/horror game released in 2010, and it is one of my favorite new series of the current generation. However, the recently released Alan Wake’s American Nightmare was a serious departure from the original game, and was a bit of a disappointment. It ditched the strong story and atmosphere in favor of combat, which was never the best part of the first game. Remedy hasn’t announced what they’re working on next, but I really hope it is a proper Alan Wake 2; maybe we’ll find out at E3.
8. Banjo Kazooie 3
Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts was decent enough for what it was, but it was certainly not Banjo Kazooie 3. It’s been a long time since Rare has released any real big blockbuster, and even though they are definitely not the same Rare that made all those great games on the N64, games like Viva Pinata prove they are still a capable developer. I would love to see a true return to form with a Banjo 3 in the style of the first 2, though at this point it seems more likely we’re going to see more Xbox Live Avatar and Kinect Sports related offerings from Rare, which is a real shame.
7. Jade Empire 2
Whatever your opinion of Bioware, there is no denying the fact that they have made some of the biggest and most popular role playing games of the past 15 or so years. However, with huge series like Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect, Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age, the Bioware game that is most often forgotten is Jade Empire. Jade Empire was released in between Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect, toward the end of last generation, and shares many common elements with KOTOR, while also being unique in its own right. It seems most role playing games are either high fantasy or science fiction, but Jade Empire goes for Asian fantasy, and has the type of well realized world you’d expect from Bioware. In fact, Jade Empire was their first big role playing game set in an entirely original universe. With the strides Bioware has made with telling a cinematic story combined with the already established lore of the series, I think a return to the Jade Empire could be awesome.
6. Conker 2
Conker’s Bad Fur Day was one of the funniest games on the N64, and also one of the system’s best platformers. I’ve already talked about Rare and their decent into irrelevance, but a well done Conker sequel could put them back on the map. They tried a remake on the original Xbox, and while it looked amazing for the time, it toned down the language and crude humor for some reason, and was ultimately still a remake of a Nintendo 64 game in 2005. I’m looking for a true sequel, but like with Banjo, I don’t see Rare doing this anytime soon, so for now we can only hope.
My list would have Psi-Ops 2 on top. The original was one of my favorite games from the last generation. It was way ahead of its time. Very few games even come close to pulling off the variety of psychic/supernatural powers present in it. Using telekinesis to throw enemies around like rag dolls, mind draining them until their heads explode, and setting everything ablaze with psychokinesis never got old. The whole game was a jungle gym that you could just run amok in. Plus it ended with a “To Be Continued” screen. Unfortunately, Midway is out of business and the original developer has been repurposed/restaffed as NetherRealm. I have no clue who even holds the rights to the IP. It’s a shame, because so much could be done with today’s tech to make an awesome sequel.
i strongly disagree. no sequel needs to be made. sequels are a sign that creativity got lost and the overall pace of the world became too fast to develop stuff properly from the scratch. sequels stand for everything that is wrong in the industry. and not just in the gaming industry but also in the movie-industry. they are both pretty much dead already.
Wow, you’re quite a cynic aren’t you. Either you’re being hyperbolic or you’re just really uninformed, but neither industry is even close being dead. As for sequels, I am not advocating every game go on an annual release schedule, that would indeed kill the industry. But some of the best games of all time are sequels, and there is nothing wrong with a well made sequel. I think people forget, especially those that long for the mythical “good old days” of gaming, that sequel were always the cornerstone of the industry. Remember, there were 6 Mega Man games on NES, 4 Sonic games on the genesis, 3 Final Fantasy games on the PS1, and the list goes on. Sequels are part of the industry, and if everyone stopped making sequels, the industry would really be dead. Think of it this way, if Naughty Dog needs to make 2 Uncharted sequels to have the money and freedom to make The Last Of Us, what is really wrong with that?