10 Game Franchises In Need of a New Entry

There have been many video game franchises over the history of gaming that people just loved that simply are not around anymore. Some disappeared quite recently, some have been gone for generations. Here are ten video game franchises that I believe are in desperate need of a new entry.

Paper Mario

Last Entry: Paper Mario: Sticker Star (2012)

While Paper Mario did have a new entry not long ago, it has been years since it has had a game that stuck to the style of its roots. Super Paper Mario took out the turn-based gameplay of the series, and when it was reintroduced in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, the entire levelling and battling system were butchered with some new "sticker" gimmick. The last time a true Paper Mario game was released was in 2004 with Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Nintendo needs to stop with this gimmicky bullcrap and let Intelligent Systems go back to the roots and make a true sequel to The Thousand-Year Door for the Wii U.

Jak & Daxter

Last Entry: Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier (2009)

Jak & Daxter was a fantastic platforming series for the PS2 that never got an instalment on the PS3. Instead, Naughty Dog devoted all their time to Uncharted and The Last of Us, and while those games were fantastic, it would be nice if Naughty Dog took this old duo out of hiding and gave them a true sequel to 2004's Jak 3. Even if Naughty Dog doesn't want to do it, Sony should be looking to find a studio who could revive the franchise, such as Insomniac who works on the Ratchet & Clank series or even Sanzaru Games who recently revived another PS2-era favourite: Sly Cooper. 

Metroid Prime

Last Entry: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007)

Metroid Prime was one of the best things to ever happen to the Metroid series, and when the third game ended with a little bit of a cliffhanger, fans believed that Retro Studios would eventually return and make a sequel. Even if the game is not a sequel story-wise, a new First-Person Metroid game from Retro Studios would suffice. Samus doesn't seem to get many games nowadays, and we need to see more action from one of the most beloved heroines in video gaming.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Last Entry: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - 

The Sith Lords (2004)

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republics is one of the greatest Western RPGs ever created. While Bioware has brought us some other great franchises like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, it is time that Knights of the Old Republic got a true third entry instead of the MMO that is currently active. If there are two things this world cannot get enough of, it is RPGs and Star Wars games, so EA needs to put those Star Wars Exclusive Game Rights to use and get Bioware to make this happen.

Darksiders

Last Entry: Darksiders II (2012)

Darksiders II was released a mere year and half ago, right before THQ went bankrupt and closed down. The Darksiders IP did find a new home with Nordic Games, but will it ever see the light of day? Vigil created an epic gaming world with this series, and the story was far from finished. It would be extremely sad if Nordic Games chose not to put this IP to use, because Darksiders needs at least one more entry to end this epic saga.

Fallout

Last Entry: Fallout: New Vegas (2010)

Fallout is one of those series that could go on forever, yet its future is never truly certain. While many of us expect Fallout 4, the developers continuously deny its existence. We are hoping this is only a way to keep the game hidden from the public, because it would be a shame if Fallout 4 never came to be. Fallout 3 was a fantastic title, and New Vegas was also a solid entry in the series. Now as we enter the new generation of consoles, we need a new post-apocalyptic region to explore in glorious 1080p.

Star Fox

Last Entry: Star Fox 64 3D (2011)

Star Fox has not had a real entry since 2006 with the release of Star Fox: Command. And even then, Star Fox Command's story has been retconned from the series canon, which means the story has not been developed since 2005's Star Fox: Assault. Star Fox is definitely one of those underrated Nintendo franchises that never gets enough games because of lack of sales. However, Star Fox is a fantastic series, and it was a shame to see it excluded during the Wii era, so hopefully Nintendo decides to bring back the Star Fox team in HD on the Wii U sometime in the near future. 

EarthBound

Last Entry: Mother 3 (2006)

EarthBound is a retro Nintendo franchise that seriously needs to be revived. Mother 3, the series' last entry, was only ever released in Japan, so North America has not had an EarthBound title since 1995. Fans want this series to continue. There is a huge following for the series, so much that it got the attention of Nintendo to finally release EarthBound on Wii U Virtual Console. Perhaps if the demand is loud enough, Nintendo will remake Mother 3 on 3DS, and hopefully, if that sells well, they will develop a brand new game in the franchise.

Chrono

Last Entry: Chrono Cross (2000)

The Chrono Series is arguably the best series of RPGs ever created, still able to entice players nowadays despite their age. This has lead to multiple re-releases of Chrono Trigger over the past decade, such as on the DS, iOS and Playtation Network. A third game, Chrono Break, was once a possibility, but the trademark was dropped by SquareEnix for unknown reasons. It is unfortunate that this unbelievable series never got a third entry, and SquareEnix needs to start realizing that people have had enough of Lightning and the Final Fantasy XIII franchise and start putting people on better projects, such as a new Chrono game.

Banjo-Kazooie

Last Entry: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (2008)

Banjo-Kazooie never got the "Banjo-Threeie" that was promised by Gruntilda's dismantled head at the end of Banjo-Tooie. Instead, Microsoft gave us Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. As my friends and I like to say, it wasn't that Nuts & Bolts was a bad game, it was just a bad Banjo-Kazooie game. What fans really want is a true platforming sequel to the beloved games we played on the N64. Seriously Microsoft, why would you buy out Rareware from Nintendo if you were not going to take advantage of their main asset? I guess we can only hope for two things: either Microsoft pulls their head out of their ass and actually makes a game that people want or hopefully Nintendo somehow reacquires Rare in the future and finally creates the long awaited sequel to Banjo-Tooie.

Article By:

Giuliano V.