I’ll be the first one to disparage the oversaturation of a property. The yearly releases of certain titles tend to, in my opinion, water down what can originally be an engaging experience. I’m not the only one that feels this way either. For a more in-depth look at this trend you should check out the fantastic editorial written by our very own Lindsay Belle Chambers. There are, however, certain titles that I would love to see more of. These are the titles that are like tiny appetizers to me. They whet my appetite for greater things to come, and yet still I sit; fork in hand with an eye on the kitchen door, waiting in anticipation for the waiter to bring me another course. Alas, my plate is still empty and I begin to wonder if it’s just time to pay the check and go home.
It is with this thought that I have decided to put together a quick little list of five current gen games that I would love a sequel for. Some of them may be likely to see another installment while others are probably pipe dreams. These are completely my own opinion and they are only for games that have not had a sequel. They also have to have been released on the current generation of consoles so while I, like many of you, are still waiting for a sequel to the NES version of Friday the 13th, it does not count for this list.
#1 – Deadly Premonition – Wow… Deadly Premonition. If I could explain this game to you I would but it’s really beyond explanation. I would never write a review of this game because the way I feel about it would not reasonably describe the game. There is an awful lot wrong with this game. The gameplay mechanics are unintuitive, the map system is the worst I’ve ever had to deal with, the voice acting is awful, and the graphics wouldn’t be out of place on the PS2. Why do I want a sequel to such a game you ask? Because Deadly Premonition is the single greatest game I have ever played.
I love this game so much and I just want to play more of it. It’s basically an open world survival horror game. You play as Agent Francis York Morgan, but just call him York. Everybody does. You are a member of the FBI and you are tracking down a small town serial killer known as “The Raincoat Killer”. You also have a split personality with whom you are in constant conversation about, among other things, 80’s horror movies. Oh my GOSH this game is awesome! It’s like that weird, obscure movie you find on the back of a video rental store shelf and fall in love with no matter how bad it is. Now I want to see the sequel!
The Raincoat Killer story has been sufficiently wrapped up in spectacular fashion in the first game and York even seemed to exercise his demons by the time the credits roll but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a wealth of fantastic gameplay to be mined out of this universe. York (and Zack) are such fascinating and entertaining characters that I would show up for a midnight release for any game they may be included in. Heck, let’s go back to York’s rookie season at the bureau and play through that. I don’t care; I just want another Deadly Premonition game!
The game is so weird and wonderful that I can’t think of many specific things to point out that I want more of… I just want more of it all. Backward walking zombies that shove their arms down your throat? Yes. Long car rides while listening to York talk to himself about 1980’s horror movies? Yes. Hiding in dirty lockers in an abandoned Sawmill while hoping the killer doesn’t find you? Yes, yes and YES, and I don’t want them to change ANYthing.
I want the terrible voice acting, I want the bad graphics, and I want the Dobermans falling from the sky. Everything that is weird and terrible about this game is everything that is right and wonderful about it. Don’t believe me? Play it. And join me in the Deadly Premonition sequel brigade.
#2 – Alan Wake – Yes, there has been some DLC and yes, we’ve had the spinoff: Alan Wake’s American Nightmare but we have yet to receive a true Alan Wake sequel. I followed the development of Alan Wake ever since I had first caught wind of it. It was officially announced in 2005 but didn’t release until 2010. During those five years there were only tidbits of information and various screenshots released along the way. What had originally been advertised as an open world survivor horror experience ended up being a linear, narrative driven survival horror experience. I have to admit that when I first played the game I was initially disappointed at the change in the open world to linear model. Survival horror has always been my favorite genre and the idea of being able to go anywhere and do anything in the beautiful town of Bright Falls was very alluring. After finally playing through to completion however, I was fully satisfied with the final product.
The main reason that I’d like to see another installment is because the story of Alan Wake isn’t over. Sure, American Nightmare tried to clear up some of the grey areas but it did little to answer the lingering questions about Alan and his wife, Alice. Is Alan really at the bottom of a lake? Is he really writing his own future? Is he just some crazy guy who is strapped up in a white room somewhere and is making everything up? I don’t know, but guess what… I want to know!!! The focus on story is really what sells Alan Wake but the game also has character.
I’d love to spend some more time with the characters. They are so well written and not just the major players but the minor characters as well. The residents are so real and genuine, yet so strange at the same time. There’s so much that I don’t know about them but I relish the opportunity for another chance to get to know them as I wander the streets of Bright Falls. Oh, yes… Bright Falls.
The town itself is the real star here. From the small town streets littered with mom and pop stores to the wonderful eeriness of the isolated lumber mill, the atmosphere is just dripping with spookiness and I can’t wait for another chance to explore. The desert areas of American Nightmare were a nice diversion but they were never near as engaging as the damp forests of the Pacific Northwest. Suffice it to say; I want more Bright Falls and I want it before I’m too arthritic to press the right and left triggers.
Here me now, Remedy Entertainment: I want more Alan Wake! I want to find more oddly placed television sets in the middle of the forest. I want more abandoned trailer houses filled with monsters hiding in the shadows. I want more flashlight batteries, coffee thermoses, oversized deer floats, and Verizon product placement. Yes, I want an Alan Wake sequel.
#3 – Bully – What’s that you say? Bully isn’t a current-gen game because it was released on the PS2? Well, that’s technically correct but it did get a ‘Scholarship Edition’ release for the Wii and the Xbox 360 so as far as I’m concerned, it counts.
My question is this: “Why haven’t we gotten a Bully 2 yet?” This is a Rockstar game after all, the studio who gave us multiple editions of Grand Theft Auto and Midnight Club. They even gave us Manhunt 2 which absolutely NO one asked for. Rockstar absolutely nailed it with Bully and I have patiently been waiting to jump back into that world.
I remember when the game first came out that there was a fair bit of controversy that followed it. This was a Rockstar game after all and people everywhere automatically assumed that this would be a bloody killing spree in a school setting. What we ended up getting, however, was a rather innocent and extremely enjoyable adventure through a year at Bullworth Academy. I don’t know exactly what the sequel would entail but I really don’t care. I just want more of this game.
Bully did the impossible which was make attending class fun. Who would have thought that a video game in which you had to get to class on time would be so fun? And not only get to class on time but you actually had to do school work while you were there. It was fun! Going to class and doing work was fun! Any game that can do that needs a sequel. Not only was the time spent on the school grounds engaging but the whole town was open to you and there was a seemingly never ending stream of side quests available. One minute I was racing my bicycle around the lake and the next minute I was sabotaging a drunken Santa’s photo shoot. All of these components added up to a great game that is long overdue for a sequel.
What could the sequel be? Lots of options are available. We could follow the exploits of Jimmy Hopkins as he goes to college. We could even play as a new student in Bullworth Academy. Whatever it may be I hope that Rockstar is planning this one out. I’d love to pull some more wedgies, stick some more heads in toilets and knock over some more port-a-potties. Bully was a fantastic video game experience that appealed to thousands of gamers who are all hoping for another chance to roam the hallowed halls of higher education once again. After all, how could you not give props to a game that made you look forward to getting to chemistry class?
#4 – Red Dead Redemption – You can probably put this one in the “Yeah, no kidding” category. I’m pretty certain that everyone wants a sequel to this one. Red Dead Redemption won multiple “Game of the Year” awards and sold like brownies at a fatty convention. The game was developed by Rockstar and that alone gives weight to the product. Rockstar has become synonymous with quality and with Red Dead Redemption they upped the ante in every conceivable way. Now, all we need is round 2.
I’ve always loved the western genre. Perhaps it’s just part of growing up as an all-American boy in the mid-west but the romance of the wild and untamed West always appealed to me. The video game options in this genre had been lacking to say the least. Gun was a step in the right direction but I never felt like it delivered the experience it had promised. Red Dead Redemption came along and changed all that. Suddenly riding through the plains on an epic adventure was finally as amazing as it always had potential to be. The only question now is “Will Rockstar give us another trip back?” I can only hope so as there are hundreds of stories yet to be told.
The story of John Marston has been wrapped up and I can understand not wanting to revisit that particular character and anyone who played as his son at the end of the game would probably be OK with not having to put up with listening to his whiny voice anymore. Who could be the protagonist? The answer is “Anyone”. The real star of Red Dead Redemption was never any one person, it was the West itself. That’s what I want to revisit. Hunting grizzly bear in the snowy mountains, looking for buried treasure in the creepy ghost town, harvesting animal skins to barter with, and riding horseback into the sunset while shooting fleeing bandits. All of those things were what made this game irresistible and that is what fans really want. John Marston’s story was engaging and fun to follow but with this game I feel that the characters can be largely interchangeable. As long as we get to explore more of the ‘Wild Wild West’ I think we’d all be happy.
How about a Civil War centric game? I’ve always wanted to play a good game in the backdrop of the Civil War but I’ve yet to find one. Exploring the untamed West while America’s darkest hour looms in the background would be a fresh experience that could retain what made Red Dead Redemption so fun while offering the players a little something new.
Whatever the specifics may be, I sincerely hope that Rockstar plans on revisiting this world they have created. We all know the great games they can make when the modern day cities are the environment but Red Dead Redemption offered something so new and so exciting that it would be a shame not to take the wagon train west at least one more time.
#5 – Hellboy: The Science of Evil – The 90% of you who have never played this game are probably surprised to learn that it exists. The 10% of you who have played it, however, are most likely scratching your heads wondering why anyone would want a sequel to it.
I’ll be the first to admit that the game was not very good. The combat was satisfying enough but the entire game was a long exercise in repetitiveness. There were some interesting character models (This is Hellboy after all) but on a whole the game seemed very bland. It also had one of the worst endings in video game history. It just sort of…ended. Just out of nowhere, the game was over. I remember being fairly peeved that I had spent six hours of my life on this game with no payoff at the end whatsoever. The greatest thing this game had to offer was the fantastic voice work of the wonderful Ron Pearlman as Hellboy and the legendary Bruce Campbell as Lobster Johnson. You may be wondering why a game I have so few compliments for should warrant a sequel. Let me explain.
My desire for a sequel to this game has nothing to do with wanting more of what I had. It’s all about the untapped potential of Hellboy in the world of video games. The visuals, story, humor, and personality of the Hellboy universe are ripe for the world of video games and it’s one of the most underutilized properties I can think of. Hellboy himself is an indestructible demon who escaped Hell and is now fighting evil with a team of freaks. He also has a right hand made out of stone which he uses to punch evil right in the kisser. Now, you tell me that in the right hands Hellboy couldn’t make a fantastic video game. The underwhelming reception of the original leaves me with the feeling that it probably won’t happen but a boy can dream, can’t he?
Guillermo del Toro has shown all of us that Hellboy can thrive in media other than his native comic books. The Hellboy movies were largely well received by critics and audience alike so there is an audience for the property; it just needs to fall to the right developer.
After a steady diet of terrible Batman games over the course of several years most all of us had given up on a good Batman game. Developer Rocksteady got their hands on the Batman license and the rest is history. I think the same thing needs to happen to Hellboy. There are so many strange and wonderful stories from the Hellboy comics that any one of them would make for an intriguing game.
Will it happen? Probably not. This one is more of wishful thinking on my part. I think that a well done Hellboy game would be fantastic but the original didn’t sell well and it was critically panned so I suppose I will have to rely on my Blu-Ray’s and comics for a Hellboy fix.
Final Thoughts – Well, that’s it, my little wish list that will no doubt fall on deaf ears. I have no notion that some of these games will see the light of day but that’s OK I suppose. Even when we don’t get the sequels we want we can always revisit the originals while enjoying the experiences of new IP’s.
So, how about you? Are you with me on any of these? What are some sequels you’d like to see?
