Games That Deserve A Sequel
The truly great studios put a lot of work into creating immersive, replayable games that live on in our collective memories. Originals are often a roll of the dice. The viability of a sequel, however, is almost always based on the success of the original. Some games sell well and get decent reviews, but follow-ons get rerailed due to other factors.
In putting this story together, we polled the Tom's Hardware audience on Facebook and cross-referenced the scores at Metacritic to come up with a list of fifteen games that deserve (but lack) concrete evidence of sequels.
The Saboteur
The Saboteur is one part James Bond and one part Grand Theft Auto. In an open environment set against Nazi-occupied France, you're tasked with liberating the country as Sean Devlin, a no-nonsense, whiskey-chugging Irish racecar mechanic.
Despite teething issues with AMD graphics cards and multi-core processors, the game's visuals were decent, and its story is well thought-out. Unfortunately, EA liquidated the developer, Pandemic Studios, two years after purchasing it. Since then, we haven't heard anything about the potential for a sequel.
Nexus: The Jupiter Incident
Nexus: The Jupiter Incident is one of a handful of real-time tactics games set in space. While it boasts impressive graphical detail, Nexus got lost in a shuffle of acquisitions. Two years after this game was published, Eidos purchased the developer, Mithis Entertainment. Three years later, Eidos got bought up by Square Enix.
However, not all is lost. In a rare turn of events, some of the former Mithis crew joined back up. Now known as Most Wanted Entertainment, the developer is turning to crowdfunding to finish the sequel. Will this become a new model for displaced developers to resurrect dead titles? If you want to get in on the action, visit the Nexus 2 page at Game Planet.
Warcraft III
The Warcraft universe is rich and entertaining. In fact, many of out staff, including our editor-in-chief Chris Angelini, enjoy raiding in Cataclysm (Ed.: Used to enjoy it, that is). Have you read World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm--Tom's Performance Guide?
However, many of us still miss the campaign story line of Warcraft III. While Blizzard enjoys the success (and revenue) of its pay-to-play MMORPG, we hope to see a Warcraft IV one day.
L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire set a new standard in storytelling and facial animation. It was one of the first games we can remember that was actually like watching a film, with you as the lead character.
Unfortunately, the developer, Team Bondi, closed up shop shortly after the title's release, despite receiving high praise from the press and becoming the best-selling game in the U.S. in May 2011. It's not clear if a sequel is in the works. However, the publisher, Take-Two Interactive, has stated the game "has become an important franchise for the company." Let's hope we'll see a follow-up sooner rather than later.
Half-Life 2
Before people were asking, "Can it run Crysis?", there was Half-Life 2. While Valve's creative team expanded it's portfolio with games like Portal and Left 4 Dead, we're still waiting for the third episode of Half-Life 2, which, according to Gabe Newell, will complete what should have probably been called Half-Life 3 from the get-go.
Left 4 Dead 2
Speaking of Valve's other franchises, where is Left 4 Dead 3? Honestly, Left 4 Dead 2 wasn't any more impressive than Left 2 Dead as far as graphics go, as a result of its reliance on the same Source engine. However, it was one of those rare games that didn't become tiresome after the 20th time through. Not only that, but the cooperative aspect is seriously addicting. And who doesn't like a good zombie shooter (aside from Willie Jefferson)?
Unreal Tournament 3
The Unreal Tournament series helped people get more creative with their kill-shots. Case in point: the Bio Rifle. According to Epic's Time Sweeny, the company doesn't plan on producing another installment in this franchise any time soon. However, given the impressive visual quality of more recent first-person shooters like Battlefield 3 and Epic's experience with prolific game engines, we're certain than any update to the Unreal line-up will feature innovations in graphics, too.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
In the real world, nobody rushes into a room filled with terrorists and survives the resulting hail of bullets. That's why we like tactical shooters. While we're looking forward to Rainbow Six: Patriots, we'd also like to see the Vegas franchise continued. We have to admit that gaming is all the more enjoyable set against the backdrop of a urban environment filled with bright lights and endless corridors.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Yes, Bad Company consists of a motley dysfunctional crew, but they get the job done. After stopping an EMP attack, our four protagonists land in Texas and get tasked with repelling a Russian invasion in Alaska. Naturally, that ending leads us to suspect that a Bad Company 3 must be in the works.
DICE’s Patrick Liu recently affirmed that the company certainly hasn't killed off Bad Company, but that it can only work on so many games at a time. After the lusciousness that is Battlefield 3, we think they deserve a bit of time to bask in their success. With that said, we imagine that watching Haggar engage in more senseless destruction is still a ways off.
Civilization V
Civilization V is a lot of fun, but it sure takes a long time to play through. Even if you try to end the game early with atomic bombs, this turn-based strategy game is going to keep you entertained for months on end.
While the game's progression is enough to keep us hooked, we're also really impressed with the level of detail, aided by DirectX 11 tessellation. There's no word on whether there's a Civlization VI in the works, but we're hoping the series continues.
