To Be (Hopefully) Continued - Five Games that Deserve a Sequel
How often have you finished playing through a game and, as the credits roll, find yourself wishing for a sequel? Some games are just too good to leave on their own, and deserve to be continued…and all too many will never get it. Series cancellation, financial flops, developer issues and more can result in no further sequels. Other games simply haven’t had any continuation announced, even though they’ve got stories worth progressing or gameplay styles worth refining. I’ve gathered up a handful of my personal picks for games that really deserve a sequel - feel free to share any of your own opinions on games that you’d add to this list!
Spoilers below!
Rayman
No, that’s not the guy that cameos in some Rabbids games - it’s the Rabbids that originally came from his series. They may have completely stolen the show since then, but Rayman more than deserves a return to the spotlight. The most recent full game, Rayman Legends, came out way back in 2013. Besides a pair of small mobile runner games released afterwards, Rayman has been left in the dust by Ubisoft. The Rayman games offer a unique, highly-challenging take on the old-school side-scrolling platformer gameplay, with added co-op mayhem making for great party games. The limbless hoodie-clad hero Rayman himself has a distinct style and a colourful supporting cast, plus a vocal fanbase that have waited a decade for new real content. Unfortunately, with Ubisoft recently having to downsize their operations and cancel multiple games, a new Rayman entry doesn’t seem particularly likely considering how little attention they’ve given the IP lately - but fans are still holding out hope!
Sunset Overdrive
While plenty of games throw you into the deep end of the apocalypse, few make it seem as fun as Sunset Overdrive. One of the lesser-known products of Insomniac Games, Sunset Overdrive may not have the star power of Ratchet or Spider-Man, but I’d say it’s the best example of Insomniac’s over-the-top chaotic humour and combat with unique parkour mechanics on top. Insomniac is currently hard at work on developing their Marvel side of games, with Spider-Man 2 well on its way and Wolverine likely up next, but with 7 different developer teams on board, perhaps there’s room for work on a Sunset sequel for Playstation? The games’ ending didn’t quite wrap up the apocalyptic story, so there’s plenty of opportunity to follow up in another game - hopefully the games’ distinct style and humour will follow along with it!
Battleborn
If you read that name and thought, “huh?”, you can mostly blame Overwatch for that. One of my personal favourite games of all time, Battleborn chose an unfortunate time to release as it was pretty much instantly overshadowed by Blizzard’s new game that shared minimal similarities with Battleborn. With a tiny albeit dedicated fanbase and overwhelming competition, it's no surprise that Gearbox ultimately had to shut down Battleborn’s servers after struggling to keep the game afloat for five years, rendering it completely unplayable. Set in a universe under siege by interdimensional star-eating horrors known as the Varelsi, Battleborn puts you in control of a ragtag team of rogue soldiers, pirates, aliens and various other misfits as they battle to defend Solus, the last remaining star in the universe. With a handful of possible sequel hints left during the game’s final days (plus Blizzard’s reputation taking quite the dive in recent years), I’m always holding out hope that this creative cast and fascinating world will return one day.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
The adventures of legendary thief - er, treasure hunter, Nathan Drake, may be over; but for a few of his old allies, the adventure is just beginning. Chloe Frazer, a member of Drake’s old team, got a chance to shine in her own spinoff game: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Teaming up with ruthless ex-mercenary Nadine Ross, the duo explore the ruins of ancient India with the extremist Asav and his army hot on their tail. While the spinoff was shorter than most full-length games, now that Chloe and Nadine are an established team, they’ve more than proven they can carry a game with their excellent chemistry and adventuring skills. Their dynamic was incredibly charming and entertaining, and it would be a waste never to see it again. Other members of the Uncharted cast could also make their return alongside the leading ladies, such as the heavy-hitting Charlie Cutter that has gone unseen since Uncharted 3.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
In space, no-one can hear you rock out to 80’s metal anthems. Despite the fantastic writing and banging soundtrack, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy never quite reached the popularity of its’ big screen counterpart. The game had the failure of Square Enix’s Marvel’s Avengers hanging over it, in addition to not making enough money back after the high budget it took to make. That said, the relatively small number of people that actually played the game generally loved it, thanks in no small part to the quality of writing, surreal environments, excellent graphics and the total lack of unnecessary online features. While it didn’t have any direct hints to a sequel, the wide cosmic Marvel universe has endless possibilities for future storylines and the new team members introduced in the first game could lead to plenty of new combat moves and puzzle mechanics.
Of course, this is all the opinion of someone that just wants more of the games he loves. If you’ve got any ideas for other games that should’ve gotten sequels, let me know! Feedback is welcome, and reblogs and likes are much appreciated!
Thanks for reading!
What would goblin week be if I didn’t take the opportunity to draw the one who sparked my love for gobs in the first place? (I’d draw him more tbh, but it’s incredibly hard to capture his likeness;;)
