The video games industry is such a strange beast. You can achieve success and win multiple awards but due to some peculiarities said success and awards won’t result in simply greenlighting your funding for a sequel. Unfortunately with some of the largest companies in the biz if you don’t make All Of The Money you might as well not make any. With the news that the sequel to Day’s Gone has been cancelled (for now) it’s time to have a look at other titles that have been left as one hit wonders. Although there are plenty of games that could use a sequel todays list will focus on those games that only really got one good go and nothing more (more Jet Set Radio would be number one in the list otherwise)
Gitaroo man – PS2 / PSP
I don’t try to hide my love for this quirky music game and although Gitaroo Man was ported to the PSP (under the title of Gitaroo Man Lives) the game has never seen a true sequel or even an attempt at one. The closest to a new game the IP got was the unsuccessful Kickstarter for Project Rap Rabbit back in 2017, A sort of PaRappa the Rapper and Gitaroo Man hybrid that sadly failed to launch. Gitaroo Man is a niche game but it has a unique style and gameplay that matches its timeless soundtrack. It’s worth tracking down a copy for a go on the PS2 or PSP version because the chances of any port or sequel is almost non-existent.
Toonstruck – PC
The never-ending “bring back adventure games” discourse is typically referring to the Lucasarts point-and-click adventure game era and despite the fact the genre never really left, this is always a title that gets forgotten. Toonstruck was a reverse Who Framed Roger Rabbit where you play as a digitized Christopher Lloyd, tasked with creating more and more creative cartoons he “falls asleep” and finds himself trapped in a cartoon universe with only his cartoon creation to help him escape. It’s packed full of twists and turns and is a great adventure that sadly never got a HD remaster or port. It’s worth hunting down and firing up the SCUMM system to play.
Second sight – Gamecube / PS2 / Xbox / PC
There has been recent news that Second Sight maybe getting a remaster or port with a placeholder for it reappearing on Steam (check out the news on TheGamer here) It’s worth remembering that despite the game releasing on every system at the time there was never a sequel. When it launched there was always the conversation about if you preferred Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy or Second Sight, both games being action adventure games about psychic powers and both released in 2004. Neither game got a sequel and both deserved more success than they got but both are still definitely worth a look and hopefully this new announcement leads to bigger and better things.
Battle Fantasia – 360 / Ps3 / PSN / PC
It’s no surprise for a fighting game to get a single shot and then disappear into obscurity (it still boggles my mind there’s no Switch port of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars) but Battle Fantasia really does feel like a game that should have hit harder than it did. Another gem launched at the worst time, Battle Fantasia was released a month after Street Fighter 4 in Europe. A niche fighting game isn’t really going to be able to stand up to arguably one of the biggest fighting game franchises of all time, to compare them isn’t really fair. Street Fighter 4 was a smash hit with deep fighting mechanics whereas Battle Fantasia was designed to reflect a classic fantasy RPG, It had slower combat and a deeper story. The “revised edition” shows that the original release could have used a little more polish but Granblue Fantasy Vs feels like a spiritual successor.
Mario Is Missing! – PC / NES / SNES
This is not a typical game that you’d think needs a sequel, if you played the sub-par NES or SNES ports you’d think I was mad. If you played the PC version of the original then you’ll know what I’m getting it. Edutainment is still live and kicking these days with various big licences providing a theme for learning, there are Doctor Who programming games and even Minecraft has been used for teaching purposes. Why not Mario? Given current video game systems and access to the world it would make sense to take another look at the “Where in the world is Carmen Sandiago?” genre and apply it to Mario theme. If you don’t get why this was so simply enjoyable it’s still playable in browser over at abandonware (click here)
Gregory Horror Show – PS2
The PS2 really was the golden age of the AA experimental video game. Gregory Horror Show essentially paved the way for unique indie horror games that are now a staple of any years line-up. Capcom have always had the Resident Evil series as the ‘best in show’ for horror games but it wasn’t ever afraid to experiment with titles producing all kinds of unique IPs such as Dino Crisis, Haunting Grounds, Dead Rising, Glass Rose and Clock Tower. Although the success was very hit and miss with those titles, Gregory Horror Show was received well and is still an incredibly unique experience to play. It’s a shame there’s never been a port to any system since.
Titanfall 2 – PS4 / Xbox1 / PC
Although this bends the rules of what constitutes a sequel a little, Titanfall 2 isn’t really a sequel to Titanfall 1. If you’ve played the original you’ll understand why, Titanfall was simply an online multiplayer game with zero story. There were snippets of plot but it essentially boiled down to a less content and very minimal Quake Champions. Titanfall 2 is a stand out smash, it has a cracking multiplayer but the reason many who’ve played it rate it so highly is the incredible solo single player story campaign. It’s clever, unique, fantastic fun and needs a sequel now!
What do you think? Any video games that were 1 hit wonders that could use a sequel? Be sure to let me know in the reply below!
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