It’s not easy being an old video game fan. Some projects are secretly in development for many years before being gloriously revealed at an event like E3. Others are abandoned along the way, and we only learn of their existence, as well as their abortion, much later, such as Stars Wars 1313, the reboot of Silent Hills, Batman: The Dark Knight, or Starcraft: Ghost, and there are many more that we haven’t heard of yet. In the same vein, some licenses have immense popularity, and their gameplay, or/and their end seem to call for a sequel, but they haven’t been entitled to it at the moment, even after long years of waiting. The reasons are often fuzzy at the best of times, and it is difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons, although nothing prevents us from trying. Here’s our pick of some of the most notable games in this space, hoping to drop them from this list soon (we can always dream).
half-life
If there is a sequel that has been expected and requested for years, and which was probably in development, but which never came out, it is Half Life 3. We do not present it anymore, it is the leading figure in this field. I have to say that Valve has a reputation for embarking on ambitious projects before canceling them if they don’t live up to their standards.. Very few developers dare to do this, and if on the one hand it deserves praise, on the other it is quite frustrating for the fans. Technically, even Half Life 2 isn’t quite finished, since Valve hasn’t released all of the DLC episodes that follow the end of the main story. We’ll have to wait for someone at Valve to come up with a breakthrough concept for the sequel, or for new technologies to provide that opportunity. For the moment we have to be content with the excellent Half Life: Alyx, which has indeed turned out to be a small revolution in the world of virtual reality.
bully
Rockstar is well known for GTA as well as Red Dead Redemption, but another of their lesser-known titles has had its share of die-hard fans since its release in 2008: Bully. You could roughly describe it as GTA in the school context, although that wouldn’t do it justice. We play a brat sent to boarding school in the worst school in the country, and he has to alternate between classes, fights with the little local scum, kiss half the girls in the school, and carry out missions to advance the story. We’re really curious to see what elements of Bully will be in Harry Potter. Hogwarts Legacy, since the recipe was really good, even if it still got old. Red Dead Redemption has already wrapped up its story and GTA 6 seems like a prisoner of development hell, the context seems appropriate for a new Bully, or a remake of the first in a pinch. It is however possible that the current context discourages this project, not everyone has the courage to be politically incorrect after all, with sensitive subjects such as harassment, discrimination, etc.
Dragon’s Dogma
Dating back to 2012, Dragon’s Dogma is Capcom’s attempt to tackle several pillars of video gaming. This Western-inspired RPG features a vast open world inspired by Oblivion. The fights mix Devil May Cry and Dark Souls, but also Monster Hunter with giant opponents and his weapon techniques. Shadow of The Colossus was also a source of inspiration, since you can climb some of these gigantic monsters in order to inflict a special attack on them on a sensitive point. The game included customizable companions, pawns, a system of changing classes according to needs and customizable spells. The Dark Arise expansion enriched the game in 2013. And like some of its sources of inspiration, Dragon’s Dogma ends quite mysteriously, with an ending that leaves a lot of questions unanswered and clearly opens the door to a sequel. There are rumors that Capcom is working on Dragon’s Dogma 2, but there’s nothing concrete yet. All fans could get their teeth into was a poorly animated bad series on Netflix in 2020, but Dragon’s Dogma deserved better than that.
Bloodborne
Bloodborne is From Software’s favorite game of many gamers, as well as simply the favorite game of a good portion of them. Removing the armor system and magic from the Dark Souls recipe, in order to offer more dynamic combat with guns, was a great idea. But to the excellence of the gameplay comes an incredible Gothic atmosphere, with Lovercraftian horrors and the madness that accompanies them, without forgetting a tortured story and memorable music, as always. In addition to being difficult, the game also offered immense challenges and a lot of replayability with the chalice dungeons, which unfortunately have not yet been found in another game from the studio. It’s a surprise that Elden Ring may have in store for us, who knows? In any case, Bloodborne is a sensitive subject, since released exclusively on PS4, relatively early in the console’s life cycle, the game could be a little more beautiful, and above all much more fluid, since it is limited to 30 frames per second, even on PS5. The Next-Gen patch that many titles were entitled to never arrived for Bloodborne. Many rumors, sometimes contradictory relate to the game, some speak of a PC port accompanied by a remaster. Others of a remake on PS5 by Bluepoint Games (which made that of Demon’s Souls) and which would also develop Bloodborne 2 independently of From Software. For several years, an announcement from Sony has been expected on this subject during each new event, in vain. Unfortunately, we do not know what is really going on. It is however certain that we really want to replay the original with a fresh coat of paint, and that a sequel would also be welcome, the two endings of the game were also intriguing, it is a trend here. With the release of Elden Ring approaching, this may be From Software’s next major project.
F-Zero
Few Nintendo series have been so neglected. The manufacturer cherishes its licenses more than anything and yet, however, F-Zero has only given a sign of life by more or less supported winks in other apps. The ultimate snub was still this activity of the presentation software included with the WiiU, the famous Nintendo Land. Inside, a moldy mini-game using the visual codes of F-Zero. The very last episode, and what an episode, is GX on Gamecube, a pure nuclear bomb dropped by SEGA. Between mind-blowing speed, beautiful graphics and a formidable and exciting single player mode, replaying it today generates as much pleasure as misunderstanding about the prolonged hibernation of the series.
Parasite Eve
Succulent mix of survival-horror and turn-based RPG, Parasite Eve’s gameplay laid the foundation stones of the systems that would later give birth to another cult PlayStation game, Vagrant Story, thanks to its active break. With a last opus which divided on PSP, History will surely prefer to retain only the first 2 games. The first never had the honors of a European release on its original medium, unlike its sequel., a tad lower in terms of atmosphere. Like Onimusha, Parasite Eve allowed you to move around in sumptuous pre-calculated settings, with a horrifying atmosphere to the best effect. Squaresoft from the heyday, which we would like to see again in its best light (even a remake of 1 we take, we are not difficult).
Onimusha
Yeah, it’s dated, but we want to believe it. The Onimusha saga, cult cult on PS2, had the right to two remasters not so long ago. But after a disconcerting and oh so satisfying Dawn of Dreams released in 2006, what we want is a brand new episode, even if it means giving it a neo-retro patina so as not to alter the formula in large widths. Because Onimusha is a 3D action game in sublime pre-calculated plans à la Resident Evil. You can still launch the Quadrilogy today and get sucked into its effectiveness. In addition, we will recommend the third episode even more willingly. starring Jean Reno and its final zone in the heart of Mont Saint-Michel. Oh, and then his intro cutscene is among the best in history, if you ask us.
Golden Sun
Cult diptych of the Gameboy Advance, Golden Sun is a JRPG license that rocked a whole generation of players. She had the right to a third episode on Nintendo DS, but quite far from the quality of her illustrious ancestors. Still, GS is a strong IP that Big N has let sleep for far too long for our taste.. Its small voxel characters would certainly not have the same impact in our time, but with a Switch that is more than ever on the rise, the hope of seeing Isaac and the Djinn again is allowed.
silent Hill
We pity the poor fans of the Silent Hill saga, they have seen all the colors in recent years: after the excellent playable PT teaser, then the cancellation of Silent Hills, the soap opera Blue Box Games Studio and the famous Abandoned came back to add fuel to the fire last year. The last time SH showed up with a substantial, unreleased episode was in 2012, with Downpour. An opus received lukewarmly to say the least but which still allowed you to immerse yourself in this scary universe which has thrilled many players over the years. Silent Hill 2 is still one of the best survival-horrors that can exist and we hope that one day, perhaps, Konami will let a well-motivated studio take care of giving it a spiritual successor.
Sly Racoon
The big-hearted raccoon thief hasn’t had a chance to commit the slightest theft since 2013 and the episode Thieves Through Time released on PS3. License of 3D platform games attached to the Playstation team since the very beginning, like the lombax and his robot buddy, Sly the Thief manages to rise above the fray of other mascot titles thanks to the quality of its cast and its universe, ultimately not so exploited in video games. With a brand new Ratchet from Insomniac recently, we secretly hope that the emblematic figure of the Cooper clan will finally let his cel-shading on PS5.
Discover our selection of the 5 role-playing games that we believe made 2021. We were able to hunt and capture the demon, take control of the Normandy and even ride giant dragons this year.