Top 9 Most Wanted Sequels - Article
by Craig S , posted on 28 May 2012 / 137,486 Views
One of the most complained about aspects of the videogame industry, amongst gaming fans at least, is the propensity for publishers to fall victims to outbreaks of sequelitis. The annual milking of anything remotely popular has led to an odd turn of events where the best selling games each year are simultaneously the most despised in the gaming community. But 'tis not always thus.
There are some wonderfully innovative and original concepts that are perhaps remembered all the more fondly thanks to their one-off nature. This list is for them: the one off, now neglected titles that we'd just love to see given a new lease of life. So below are 9 of our picks for games from this generation that we want to see sequels to, but which have, so far at least, been overlooked by their publishers.
Mirror's Edge
Mirror's Edge was always going to be on this list. It's one of the most beautiful and unique games of the generation. We adore the minimal, futuristic art style, the brilliant colour palette, and the almost heretical concept of a first person platformer. Mirror's Edge is an antidote to the pit of browny-grey lifelessness that HD gaming has all too often fallen into. This game was not perfect, far from it. But it was original, different, unique... special, and yes, a great game despite its flaws. There's not enough of that in gaming today. We want a sequel.
Read the review
Plants vs. Zombies
How has this game not received a sequel yet? Granted, they've been busy porting it to every conceivable platform, but it's still been over three years since it first released on the PC. It's widely regarded as one of, if not the best tower defence game ever made. A sequel is a no-brainer. Mmm, braaaains...
Read the review
World of Goo
Another little gem, this time one that's fast approaching its fourth birthday. World of Goo almost single handedly justified the very existence of WiiWare, being one of the first stellar digital downloads available for a console. It's cute, charming, original, and it sold well, so where the hell is World of Goo 2?!
Read the review
Heavenly Sword
This is the oldest title on our list. This year Heavenly Sword will five years old. Do you remember all the hype about her dynamic, fiery hair? The lush screenshots that formed the basis of those early console war graphics debates? Heavenly Sword earnt its place on the PlayStation 3 chalkboard thanks to hype alone, but ultimately fell kinda flat. That's despite Nariko being one of the more charismatic and interesting characters to emerge from the early days of this generation, and Heavenly Sword boasting some of the highest production values around, with its stellar voice cast, pretty graphics and superb orchestral soundtrack. We think it's long overdue a shot at redemption.
Bayonetta
Continuing the hacky-slashy theme, next on our list is Bayonetta. Unlike Heavenly Sword, Bayonetta actually received stellar critical reception. The game itself is, by all accounts, a fantastic specimen; one of the best in the genre. So a sequel would seem more likely for Bayonetta than Heavenly Sword at first glance. Sales were fairly lacklustre, however, and recent stories doing the rounds suggest work on a sequel has been put on indefinite hold. A shame for fans of the genre and fetishist gamers the world over.
Read the review
Lost Odyssey
Widely considered one of the best JRPGs of the generation, this Xbox 360 exclusive marked the high water mark of JRPG exclusives for the system. So here's hoping Sakaguchi one day returns to his magical industrial revolution theme and embarks on a sequel project.
3D Dot Game Heroes
Moving from an Xbox 360 exclusive to a PlayStation 3 exclusive, next on our list is From Software's (yes, them of Demon and Dark Souls fame) cute little 8-bit throwback to the action/adventure games of the past. Its cutesy homage to the likes of The Legend of Zelda ironically makes it one of the most original titles of the generation; a perfect dose of nostalgia for the cynical modern gamer.
Read the review
Limbo
It's no secret that we here at gamrReview love Limbo. The recipient of several awards from us over the last few years, we'd love to see a sequel. Quite what form that would take we don't know - the return of that superb art style, or something different entirely? - but we think the talented team over at Playdead have what it takes to make a worthy sequel to this beautiful, haunting monochrome game.
Read the review
L.A. Noire
Despite its highly tortured (not to mention lengthy) development, L.A. Noire was ultimately a critical success and went on to sell by the truckload. It wasn't universally loved. Indeed we harboured several reservations about the game in our review (which is linked below). But we think there's a lot of potential in this would-be franchise.
Read the review
