Another Ten Videogames That Deserve A Sequel

It seems that not only was my original post on the top ten videogames that need a new sequel extremely popular, but also extremely controversial. This controversy was not so much caused by what games I included in the list, but by which ones I left off. Several of the other contenders offered were games I haven't gotten to play yet, and as such, I can't include them. However, I realized that there are still enough games that weren't featured the first time around that I could make a sequel to my list of sequel-worthy games!

1) Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors Of The Eternal Sun. This awesome Genesis RPG was developed by Westwood Studios and is a true forgotten gem. Most lists of their notable games don't even mention this classic, which is truly a shame. Everyone knows Command & Conquer and Nox. How many people remember this game, based not on AD&D but on the original ruleset? It's one of the few D&D console games I can even think of, and it's certainly the best, better than their more popular Eye Of The Beholder game. It blends a top-down, almost isometric outdoor view with a first-person perspective for dungeons. The game is played in a mix of real-time and turn-based combat for outdoor fighting, and real-time for indoors. It's possible to go anywhere on the map provided your party can survive the harsh beatings they will take. This was a very innovative game for its time; in fact, I've yet to see another game even remotely like it, which is strange since the system worked very well. This is one game that definitely deserves to not be forgotten. So how about a sequel or, baring that, at least an update for a handheld system?

2) Shadowrun (Genesis). Yes, there were three Shadowrun games. I've played two of them, and I have to say that I enjoyed the Genesis version a lot more than the SNES one. I haven't played Mega CD one as I never owned a Mega CD console, nor had I even heard of this version until I did research for this article. And yes, a sequel of Shadowrun is actually being developed for the Xbox. So why am I including this on the list, you ask? Simple: the Xbox sequel will be completely different from the two Shadowrun games I've played in much the same way that they are totally different from each other. (The Xbox "sequel" isn't really a sequel at all; rather, it is a game loosely based on the Shadowrun tabletop game. Microsoft has actually changed quite a few things from the Shadowrun universe, so their game, which will be a first-person shooter incidentally, doesn't even have as much bearing on the Genesis Shadowrun game as the SNES one does.) What is needed isn't simply a game set in the world of Shadowrun, but a sequel to the Genesis Shadowrun game. From the brilliant plot and open-ended gameplay to the inventive use of jobs and reputation, this game was completely unique and thoroughly engrossing. They just don't make games like this anymore, but dangit they should!

3) Shenmue. It's been said about a billion times, and I hate to repeat everyone else, but let's have another Shenmue game already and advance the plot if not complete it entirely! How many years do we have to wait while resources are being devoted to an MMORPG of Shenmue II called "Shenmue Online"? Listen, Mr. Suzuki, we don't want a bloody MMORPG, we just want you to continue the Shenmue storyline! If you can't keep to your original plans, then the least you can do is release one more game to finish the plot. This is the problem with releasing a game in serials that are supposed to build up to an ending. The fear is that Shenmue will never be finished. Considering how many years it has been, those fears are justified. Shenmue II was released in 2001 on the Dreamcast and in 2002 on the Xbox. Five years and the only word on another Shenmue game is that there will be an MMORPG that won't advance the plot of Shenmue II. Wonderful.

4) Diablo II. How long must gamers wait for another Diablo game? It's been seven years since Diablo II was released. Let's hope the rumors are true and Blizzard is finally pulling staff together to work on a new iteration. One of the most innovative and imaginative action-RPGs shouldn't have languished this long, especially considered how insanely well it did in terms of sales and critical praise.

5) Chrono Trigger. Yes, there was a sequel of sorts, Chrono Cross. I actually really enjoyed the sequel... as a stand-alone title. It had pretty much NOTHING to do with the original Chrono Trigger game. So why can't Squaresoft take a little break from working on the next five billion Final Fantasy sequels and give us a sequel to the original Chrono Trigger? Time traveling, cave girls, brilliant and relevant side-quests and an innovative battle system meant that this was one awesome RPG. Its lack of a true sequel is a travesty. (And please don't say "Radical Dreamers"! Text adventures don't count.)

6) Zombies Ate My Neighbors. There is literally no way that game makers could create a masterpiece such as this today. Every developer is trying to make the most realistic looking and playing game imaginable. Why? That adds nothing to the enjoyment, really, and leaves several genres of types of games behind. (2D gaming, for instance, is pretty much a thing of the past with, in some cases, disastrous results.) If this game were released today, it would be some weird survival-horror game with beautiful cut-scenes and tons of gross-looking monsters, but the gameplay and fun would be sorely missing. So I'm not really sure if I even WANT a sequel to this game. It's one of those games that you just know they'll get wrong. The wacky humor (most notable in choice of weaponry), innovative gameplay (rescuing neighbors from zombies by outsmarting them) and brilliant sound effects all contribute to make one fun and classic game that could probably never be truly recreated. But it would be nice if Lucas Arts and Konami tried since the game did feature some annoyances (the save system being the biggest problem). This is a really fun game and it's definitely a shame that we never saw a sequel to it.

7) Threads of Fate (Dewprism). Yet again, another example of Squaresoft creating a wonderfully fun and inventive game and then not making any sequels to it. This is how action-RPGs should be done! You can use magic (if you play as Mint) or transform into monsters (if you play as Rue). Both characters have their own storylines and reasons for trying to get the great relic. The game is seriously fun; the action and platforming elements are done better than Squaresoft’s other entry into the genre, Brave Fencer Musashi; and the way that the two storylines play off of each other is pitch-perfect. Having one story be serious while making the other a send-up of the first (full of snarky asides poking fun at the seriousness) was pure genius. Gamers, especially RPGamers, need more games like this one!

8) Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth. Atlus is well known as a developer of incredibly tough strategy-RPGs, so it should be no surprise that they are behind Hoshigami, one of the most difficult strat games I’ve ever played. Your party is generally outnumbered greatly in every single battle, the enemies you face off against are usually the same level as your characters, and if a character dies in battle there is no revive or resurrect spell to bring them back. So if it were that hard to get through, why would anyone want to play it? The answer is simple: you have to use STRATEGY to get through the battles in this game. I know, it’s an odd concept, forcing the player to use strategy while playing a strategy game. Who’d’ve thunk it? Since the enemies are the same level as your guys, you have to plan your attacks to do the maximum amount of damage. Thankfully, the battle system includes a way of doing this: shoot attack. A shoot attack is a special type of attack that will push its target two spaces back. If another character is occupying that space, the target will be pushed again in whatever direction the character on the space is facing. So as you can see, it’s possible to rack up a lot of damage (since each ally gets a hit in while pushing the target from space to space) with only one turn being used. Why some of the innovations from this game weren’t at least used in other games is anyone’s guess, really. And it’s a shame that Hoshigami was released near the end of the Playstation’s life cycle. So how about it, Atlus? Give us another chance to enjoy Hoshigami by making a sequel!

9) Golden Sun. I’ll admit it: I never beat this game. Nor have I played the sequel. Sadly, I was forced by circumstances to sell my GBA a while ago, and this game along with it. So I couldn’t tell you about how Golden Sun II ends in such a way as to invite another sequel or anything like that. What I CAN tell you, however, is that the first Golden Sun was incredibly enjoyable and just plain fun. This is an old-school RPG in the best sense of the phrase: emphasis is placed on character development, well-placed and thoughtful puzzles, and the search for hidden items and “Djinn” (think summons a la Final Fantasy). The plot is not terribly inventive or original, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s quite easy to be swept up in the whimsy and pure delightfulness of this game. It’s been quite awhile since an RPG has come along of this type and caliber. It’s similar in many ways to the Lunar series, but in some respects it surpasses those games. So when will we get a new iteration? Well, Camelot?

10) Gitaroo Man. Definitely my favorite rhythm game. In fact, one of the few rhythm games that I really enjoyed. (The other major one being Mad Maestro, so you can tell where my tastes lie.) This is one seriously bizarre, psychedelic and just plain WEIRD rhythm game. You play as U-1, a boy from the planet Gitaroos who must save Earth from the evil alien Zowie, prince of the Gravillians, by doing battle against him and his henchman using the legendary Gitaroo guitar. Did I mention how WEIRD this game is? It’s even weirder than it sounds. This is one fun and wacked-out game that should have a sequel by now. Sadly, a lot of the earlier PS2 games just never caught on. (Shadow Of Destiny, anyone? … In fact, if I had a #11 slot, I’d add that one to this list.)

And one final thing: a list of games I haven’t played that were either suggested or seemed obvious to me: Ranger X, Ristar, Zone Of Enders, Gladius, Beyond Good and Evil, Starcraft, Road Rash, Psychonauts, Kid Chameleon, Total Annihilation, Powerstone (and I’m really bummed that I STILL don’t have a copy of this game!), Valis, XIII, Grim Fandango, Maniac Mansion/Day of the Tentacle, Loom, Monkey Island, Advent Rising, Indigo Prophecies, Star Tropics, System Shock, Dungeon Keeper, Space Ship Warlock, Starsiege: Tribes and Deus Ex. I’m considering writing a list of the top ten BAD games that deserve a sequel just because there were certain qualities that were great and could have been improved upon. (Maken X anyone?)

And if you haven't read the original article, you can find it here