10BelovedGamingFranchisesThat

JustDisappeared
http://www.gamebasin.com/news/10-beloved-gaming-franchises-that-just-
disappeared
Nostalgia can be a powerful thing. For some reason or another a great many of us are utterly
convincedthatthingswerejustbetterinthepast,andwhentalkingaboutvideogames,thereare
somegoodpointstobemadeespeciallywhenmanyarethegameserieswithonlyoneortwo
entriesthatarelovedbylegionsoffanssimplyupandvanishedintothinaironeday.Sometimes
thisisbecausedevelopersgobellyup,ortheydecidetotakethecompanyinadifferentdirection,
ortherightsmovetoapublisherthatdoesnthaveanyideawhattodowiththefranchise,or
evenworsetheyjustdecidethatnobodywantsanymoreofthatgame.Itsunderstandablefor
somefranchisesthatarelessprofitableforothers,butinanindustrywherebrandrecognitionis
possibly more crucial to a games success than any other medium (Mario, Sonic and Lara, were
lookingatyou),itseemsfaintlyridiculoustotossasideasuccessfulseriesforanyminorreason.It
mightseemstrangetolamentthelackofsequelsforagame,asmoviesequelsareoftengreeted
withcynicism,butthefactisthatgamesdevelopersarefarbetterthanfilmstudiosatimproving
onanoriginalproduct,meaningaphenomenonexists(almostsolely)withingamingwherethefirst
game ina series is rarely the best. Whatthen,arethegames series without recent instalments
thatdeservetoberevived?Herearetenwethinkshouldmakethecut
10.AdvanceWars
TheNintendofranchisethathasbeengoingalotlongerthanmostwesternersthink(thefirstgame
to hit Europe and the US was Advance Wars in 2001/2002, but the Wars series had been going
strong in Japan since 1988), Advance Wars is a favourite of many a strategy nut, its deceptively
simplebrandofturnbasedcombathidinggamesthatarebothincrediblyaddictiveandfiendishly
difficult to truly complete. Each game sees you taking command of an army trying to defend a
nation(andsometimestheworld)andcouldseemratherdrywereitnotforthecolourfulCOsyou
gettoplayasandthecrucialadditionofCOpowersthatdramaticallyaffectthegamemechanics.
Nintendo and developer Intelligent Systems had a good run of handheld sequels and even a
consolespinoff,BattalionWars,butthefranchiseseemedtorunagroundwhenittossedoutits
established characters and world with Advance Wars: Dark Conflict (or Days of Ruin in some
territories),replacingthemwitharadicallypareddowngameandableakstorytomatchthenew
title.Thatwasin2008,andtherehasntbeenanewAdvanceWarssince.Perhapsitwasthatthe
drearypostapocalypticsettingofDarkConflictdidntgodownwellsowhynotjustchangeitup
forthenextgame,orbringbacktheworldofpreviousgames?Itseemsashametothrowthebaby
outwiththebathwater,especiallywithoneoftheworldsleadingstrategyfranchises.
9.CrashBandicoot
Adultsofacertainageliketheauthorofthispostwillhaveincrediblyfondmemoriesofthe
firstCrashBandicootforPlaystation,awackyplatformerwithanabsurdsenseofhumourand,once
uponatime,aseriouscontenderforMariosthrone.SinceCrashsarrivalin1996therehavebeen
over a dozen sequels and spinoffs, making the franchise one of the most successful in games
history.Seriously:youknowyouvegotawinneronyourhandwhenananimatedmarsupialcan
headlineapartyorkartracinggame.Butperhapstheresbeentoomuchofagoodthingforpoor
Crashhesbeensopopularthat,afterinitialdeveloperNaughtyDoglefthimtotakeonslightly
moreseriousfarelikeJak&Daxterin1999,hesbeenpassedaroundbyafewdifferentdevelopers
andpublisherstovaryingdegreesofsuccess,sometimesevenresultingincancelledgames(there
areatleastfourofthemsofar).WhichisperhapswhytherehasntbeenacoreCrashgamesince
2008.TherightsarecurrentlyheldbyActivision(thoughtheresbeensomespeculationthatSony
recentlyboughtthemback)buttherearenocurrentplanstomakeanewgame.Manyhavebeen
callingforacompleterebootoftheseries(includingtheoriginalcreators),andwithanewconsole
generationuponus,hasthereeverbeenabettertime?
8.Okami
ItmightbeunfairtodismisstheuniqueOkamiashavingjustdisappeared:afteritsinitialrelease
on the PS2, the adventure game where players control a wolfgod and control the gorgeously
paintedenvironmentwithanonscreenbrushusinggestureswasremadenotonce,buttwicefirst
for the Wii and secondly asan HDremastering for thePS3. The game wasadoredby critics and
fansuponrelease,manycitingitsbeauty,scale,storytellingandoriginalelementsasreasonsfor
itssuccess.AlthoughitdidntsellquiteasmanycopiesasdeveloperCloverStudioshoped,asequel
wasgreenlitandOkamidenanindirectsuccessortotheoriginalwasreleasedontheNintendo
DSin2010.Atruesequelhasbeenmooted,butnooneseemsmuchinterestedingoingbackto
thatwell.Itsatonceashameandarelief;whileitsunlikelywelleverbeabletofurtherexplore
thewonderfulworldofOkami,theresbeenaprettyhighbarsetintermsofqualityandexperience
thatwouldbedifficultforeventheoriginaldeveloperstosurpass,somaybeitsforthebest.
7.Shenmue
Something of a forgotten classic, Shenmue and its only sequel Shenmue 2 were trailblazers for
multifacetedgameplay,openworldexplorationandnonlinearstorytellinginvideogameswhen
firstreleasedontheDreamcastinthelate90sandearly00s.BothgamesfollowheroRyoHazuki
onthehuntforhisfatherskillersfirstinJapan,thenHongKongandplayersenjoyedexploration,
detection and action setpieces in the main story with almost endless side quests to keep them
occupied, from hauling crates for minimum wage and participating in arm wrestling contests to
playingfullyintegratedarcadegameslikeAfterburnerforhoursonend.Therewascertainlyalot
tokeepgamersoccupied.Infact,therewasmorethaneithergamecouldactuallycontain,asboth
endonacliffhangerwithmanystorythreadsleftunresolved.Atleastforthefirstinstalmentsome
of those threads are dealt with in Shenmue 2, but the unfortunate coincidence of the creators
wantingtofinishthestoryinathirdgameandSeganotwantingtospendmoremoneyonwhat
was at the time a criticallyacclaimed financial failure meant that were unlikely to find out the
conclusiontoRyosstoryanytimesoon.
6.JetSetRadio
ThereseemstobeaprettystrongpatternofgamefranchisesthatstartedoutonSegasdoomed
Dreamcastsufferinganignoblefate,likethepreviousentryShenmue(anddoesanyoneremember
Chu Chu Rocket?) and the sublime graffiti/rollerblading neonwonder that was Jet Set Radio. A
trulyoriginalgameforitstime,JSRhadplayersskitchingandgrindingacrossavibrantlycoloured
Tokyo as a host of weird and wonderful taggers attempting to make theirmark on the world by
first spraypainting their graffiti on bus stops and alleyways and then taking down totalitarian
fascist police states. (Try hunting down another game with something even close to that
premiseer, discounting Marc Eckos Getting Up. Which came out after JSR anyway, so shush.)
Whatcouldhavecomeoffasoddballandinaccessibletomanyendedupbecomingacultfavourite,
theaddictivegameloopoftryingtogetatagfinishedwithinatimelimitorbeforethecopsarrived
tobeatsevenbellsoutofyouandzoomingofftothenextoneappealedtogamerssomuchthat
Sega made a sequel Jet Set Radio Future for Xbox in 2002and then promptly forgot their
brilliantfranchiseexisted.Sowhyhaventtherebeenanymoregamesinthetwelveintervening
years?SomeofthecharactershaveappearedinSegastennisandracinggames,sotheymuststill
think they have some appeal, and a Jet Set Radio Revival would most certainly be warmly
welcomedbygamers.Amoderntwistontheformulacouldworkwonders,whatwithopenworld
gamingbeingaspopularandpotentiallyvastasitistodayjustimagineacitybuilttotruescale
that could be sprayedall over and the options for players to create their own tags would be
endlesswiththeoptiontouploadandmanipulateimagesonnextgenconsoles,Forzastyle.
5.ChronoTrigger
WhatsSquareEnixs(formerlySquaresoft)bestgamesfranchise?IfyousaidFinalFantasyyoure
wrong, and not just because that series has taken a real nosedive in quality and coherence in
recentyears.ChronoTrigger,ontheotherhand,hasbeencriminallyoverlookedandunderutilised
overtheyears,despitebeingoneofthefreshest,mostrewardingRPGsofthelastthirtyyears.To
cutalongstoryshort,heresallyouneedtoknowaboutChronoTrigger:ittakesthequasimedieval
characters, settings and combat styles of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, throws in a robot, a
talkingfrogwhosalsoaknight,andgivesthemallatimemachinetheyneedtousetotraverse
differentperiodsintheirworldshistoryinordertopreventtheapocalypse.Excitedyet?Therewas
onesequel,ChronoCross,releasedin1999,andthecreatorshavesinceexpressedaninterestin
another Chrono game as have countless fans and gaming magazine polls but it has yet to
materialise,alas.
4.Carmageddon
You thought last weeks Game of Thrones was too violent? Hey, the 90s called; they want their
outrageback.Courtingcontroversyandconservativeumbragewaybeforeitwascool,thefrankly
bonkersCarmageddontooktheconceptofDeathRace2000andpusheditoffacliff,makingthe
aimofthemotorracinggamelessaboutbeatingotherdriverstothefinishlineandmoreabout
smearingasmanypedestriansandfellowracersacrossthetarmacaspossible.Naturally,gamers
lovedit,CarmageddonsoldaroundtwomillioncopiesaccordingtodeveloperStainlessgamesand
preceded two sequels; Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now and Carmageddon TDR 2000.
Unfortunately, though, that was it for over a decade, as Stainless didnt own the rights to their
gameandpublisherSCifaffedaroundwiththefranchiseindevelopmentuntil2011,whenStainless
obtainedtherightsandannouncedthereturnofCarmageddonintheformofaKickstarterfunded
seriesreboot.Thatgame,Carmageddon:Reincarnation,meansthatthisstoryhasahappyending,
as it was made available on Steam for early access in March 2014, fourteen years after the last
instalment.Letshopeitsnotquiteaslonguntilthenextone
3.StreetsOfRage
You remember the music. You remember the powerups. You remember the rageinducing boss
battlesthatresultedinatleastoneMegaDrivecontrollersprematuredemise.Oneofthemost
lovedfightingseriesingaminghistory,StreetsofRageenjoyedgreatsuccessandpopularitywhen
itwasfirstreleased,resultingintwosequelsshortlyafteralongwithcomicsandsoundtrackalbums.
Unfortunately,sinceStreetsofRage3wasreleasedin1994,therehavebeennomoreinstalments
otherthanthosefanshavemadethemselves.TheEidosdevelopedFightingForcewasoriginally
intended as the first 3D entry in the series until it became something else, but the games have
neverwanedinpopularityandgamershavebeenclamouringforanextgenmakeoverfordecades
now.IfStreetFightercangetone,whynotagamethatsstillbeingplayedtwentyyearslater?
2.Timesplitters
Coming from many of the key team behind Goldeneye and Perfect Dark for the N64, the
Timesplitters games are for a certain generationthe quintessential FPS, and its hard not to see
why.Forsheermultiplayerfunthegamesareunrivalled,matchingamadcap,Pythonesquesense
of humour with a totally accessible control system and a cornucopia of OTT firearms. The first
Timesplitterswassomewhatoverlooked,butTimesplitters2perfectedtheformulaandbecamea
stapleoflatenightgamingsessionseverywhere.Thethirdgamedidntchangemuchbutgavethe
graphics an overhaul, likely thanks to the extra cash brought in by new publisher EA. Developer
FreeRadicalDesignhasdisbandedsincethelastgamesowereunlikelytoseeatrueTimesplitters
sequelunlesstheoriginalcreatorscomebacktogether,asanEAspearheadedprojectwouldlikely
lose much of the insane flavour that gave the originals such fun appeal and made them cult
favouritesinthefirstplace.
1.Banjo-Kazooie
Sometimesnotoftentherecomesalongagameseriesthatbringssomuchjoyandissoexpertly
createdthatitwouldbefarbettertosimplystopmakingnewgamesthantomakeinferiorsequels
soasnottosullythememoryoftheoriginalexperience.Thatmightsoundlikeextremenostalgia
talking,butwhenyouveplayedtheridiculouslysublimeBanjoKazooieandtheevenbettersequel
BanjoTooie,notmuchelsereallycomesuptosnuff.OriginaldevelopersRarewereintheirheyday
inthelate90s,creatingseveralclassicsfortheNintendo64includingbutnotlimitedtotheBanjo
games, Jet Force Gemini, Perfect Dark and of course Goldeneye. Unfortunately, not long after
MicrosoftenteredthehomeconsolemarketwiththeXbox,theyboughtoutthecompanyandhalf
of their staff left to form their own companies, most notably Free Radical Design, which was
responsiblefortheaforementionedTimesplittersgamesuntiltheygotboughtout.Asaresult,the
nexthomeconsoleBanjogameendedupbeingdelayeduntil2008,whenBanjoKazooie:Nuts&
BoltslandedonXbox360,anddidntreallyimpressanyone.Amajordisappointmenttofans,then,
and a testament to the quality of the first games. There are no further sequels in development,
andwhiletheresstillhopeintheheartsofsomethatwellonedayseeBanjoThreeieanditllbe
thebestthingsinceslicedbread,perhapsitsbestthatdont.
PCGameCDKeys:
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RPGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/rpggame.html
ACTGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/actgame.html
FPSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/fpsgame.html
AdventureGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/avggame.html
RacingGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/racgame.html
SportGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/sptgame.html
FTGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/ftggame.html
RTSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/rtsgame.html
SLGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/slggame.html