I’ve played a lot of games that have had great, unique concepts, but have not managed to completely make them work. While these games are great, I feel as though usually sequels can allow developers to expand on the concept into something much more polished. Here are some games that I feel are nearly incomplete without sequels, and which would benefit greatly from another installment.
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
Few may remember this interesting little Xbox and PC game which charged the player with controlling a zombie and creating a zombie horde to eat people and turn them into an undead army.
The good: This game was so incredibly unique. I had never even heard of a game that twisted the zombie concept around like that, and playing it was quite a bit of fun. It also was a hilarious game with a lot of great one-liners and cut-scenes.
The bad: The game definitely felt like it was rushed, almost as though they thought of the concept at the last minute and then released it. The entire game charges you with doing the same thing (eating brains) and though you get some clever powers, almost all of the environments feel way too big and almost entirely empty, all the enemies are very similar, and the gameplay is kind of repetitive. A next generation sequel would give this concept a serious boost and probably much higher acclaim.
Mirror’s Edge
This game was really highly hyped for a while, but then had kind of a quiet release as critics gave it reviews that ranged between lukewarm and great. The game has you doing Prince of Persia-esque running on rooftops from a first person perspective, and there’s nothing even remotely like it out there.
The good: This is one of the most beautifully intense experiences out there in my opinion. Running from police doing crazy acrobatics in first-person is awesome, and the rewarding nature of escaping from a tricky situation by running up a wall, leaping to the opposite wall and climbing through an air vent is just awesome.
The bad: There was actually not that much bad here, except the game is too short, the story’s concept is completely unutilized and could have been interesting, and the combat kind of stinks (though there isn’t much of it, if that helps). A sequel that expands the concept, makes the story good and fixes the broken combat would be incredible.
Freedom Fighters
This is one of the best shooters I’ve ever played. It was a cult classic on PS2, and was so much fun that the fact that it’s sequel kind of disappeared is a shame. The game takes place in an alternate world where the Soviet Union never fell and is taking over America, and you are charged with leading a rebellion to overthrow them. It’s an absolutely great story, but unfortunately ends on a cliffhanger. The sequel was definitely planned.
The good: Amazing shooting, fantastic squad mechanic, great story, fantastic music.
The bad: It ended on a cliffhanger and we never got a sequel! Also, a couple frustrating levels that can break up the fun sometimes.
Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Yes, I know this is already a sequel, but I wish this franchise would keep going. The Condemned games are, in my book, hands down the scariest video games to ever be released on any console, ever. While games like Dead Space and Resident Evil have scary moments, nothing has ever kept me terrified at every single moment like Condemned does. Its atmosphere of dread should be better recognized by the gaming community, and its a shame that Resident Evil and Silent Hill keep getting to make games while this franchise doesn’t.
The good: Great graphics, very good gameplay, best atmosphere I’ve ever seen in a horror game, fascinating story.
The bad: A couple issues with pacing, and the story technically ends with the second game (doesn’t mean they can’t still create scary new ones).
Star Wars: Battlefront II
The last game on my list happens to be another sequel, but Star Wars: Battlefront absolutely BEGS for a next gen upgrade. The large scale battles are always awesome, but the PS2 and Xbox cannot handle the epic scope of what this game is trying to achieve. We’ve heard rumors about Battlefront III and I believe it’s been announced, but very few details exist. Make it happen, Lucasarts!
The good: Great gameplay, lots of variety, fun for many hours with friends.
The bad: A couple balance issues, can’t play online anymore. Hence why this needs to be released on the current generation.
And that completes my list of games that desperately need sequels. I hope that they will come out with them, but hey, maybe if enough people demand it, they actually will.
