10 Dormant Franchises Ready For A Next Gen Comeback
TheGamer
Something New
10 Dormant Franchises Ready For A Next Gen Comeback
There are plenty of franchises getting constant love from developers, but others need to be revitalized. The next console gens are a place to do that. With the new generation of consoles close on the horizon, few details are more exciting than the prospect of new games. Everyone wants to see what their favorite worlds and characters look and play on cutting edge technology. Some franchises are a shoo-in for new entries, a and new a are a given. But what about some franchises that haven't been explored in a while? Here are a few choice examples of IPs that have been collecting dust for too long. There's no better time than a generation change to add new ideas to an established series. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY Dead Space
Good horror games used to be few and far between. Apart from and F.E.A.R., there weren't many competitors in the genre. Enter , EA's sci-fi survival space-zombie dismemberment game. Drawing inspiration from horror classics like Event Horizon and Resident Evil 4, as well as the real-life parasitic fungus that helped inform the enemy design, Dead Space built on what worked in the genre. The last DLC for the series, Awakened, came out in March 2013 and could serve as a fitting conclusion for the original protagonist, Issac Clarke. But the has a rich and established backstory that is ripe for exploration. After seven years of silence maybe Dead Space could see new life on the new consoles. Fable
The goal of having a world that allows you to make your own choices, and reacts accordingly to those choices, is something that is often attempted and rarely achieved. The series was one of the few that came very close to the idea of true player freedom. You could do good deeds and earn the cheers and admiration of the people in Albion, or you could make their lives a living hell and laugh as they all ran away screaming at the sight of you. Not one for the whole Good or Evil thing? They had you covered there as well, you could just go around burping and being a general nuisance while earning the name Chicken Chaser. Lionhead Studios, the original creators of Fable, have since shut down, with the rights ending up in Microsoft's stable. Microsoft has been teasing the fourth entry in the series for a while now, and what better than the return of a beloved franchise like Fable. Advance Wars
You probably know Intelligent Systems as the developer of the hugely popular games. But up until 2008, they were also the developers for the series, tactical turn-based strategy games featuring a rock-paper-scissors style of unit combat. The fun cartoonish art style mixed with whimsical characters and several unique abilities made for an engaging experience. Nintendo has already shown that the Switch is the perfect home for strategy games with and Fire Emblem: Three Houses. With six entries in the Fire Emblem franchise since the last Wars game, it's about time Intelligent Systems' other tactical series got some spotlight. Alan Wake
Remedy's cult classic, , expertly wove narrative, character development, and memorable settings into a tight third-person shooter. Following the story of a troubled writer fighting off supernatural threats, Alan Wake provided a tense and memorable experience that fans have been begging for a sequel to ever since. The reason Alan Wake should get a next-gen continuation is the lighting. One of the big selling points for next-gen consoles is , a technique that is able to display lighting effects with brand new levels of realism. Alan Wake is a game all about light versus dark. Moonlight shining through a foggy forest, or neon signs beaming from behind a curtain of rain, Alan Wake is a franchise that could show the masses what ray tracing is all about. Satr Wars Rogue Squadron
An aerial dogfighting game set in the universe, Rogue Squadron was a Star Wars fan's dream come true. Pilots could jump into an X-Wing, Y-Wing, TIE Fighter, and even the legendary Millennium Falcon to take on a variety of airborne missions. EA currently owns the rights to make for Disney and has already included several vehicles into its series. They could carry over the work that has already been done modeling and programming the vehicles into a full-fledged Rogue Squadron game for the next generation. Mirror s Edge
In the late 2000s, EA went through a creative renaissance. It started green-lighting ambitious, unproven, and risky ideas from their studios. This initiative produced games like , Dead Space, , and Mirror s Edge. The latter was a fresh take on the first-person perspective with a focus on traversal and maintaining momentum when dealing with obstacles. Using an arsenal of parkour skills, you were encouraged to run, jump, climb, and slide your way through each level, while avoiding heavily armed enemies that would make short work of you if you tried to fight them head-on. Mirror's Edge also set itself apart from the pack with its distinctive art style, stark white buildings splashed with traces of color that helped guide you through each level. If EA is wanting to show off what the next generation of hardware can do, a new Mirror s Edge game could do the trick. Remember Me
French indie studio DONTNOD put out Remember Me in 2013. The game was ambitious, if not fully realized. Since then, they have found themselves in the spotlight with their inspired superpowered teen drama . A sequel to Remember Me could be released episodically, a method that has proven successful with Life Is Strange, allowing DONTNOD to hand-craft each scenario. They could build each episode to focus on a single fully developed memory alteration, or a string of complex combat challenges that would require utilizing the unique combo maker mechanic in order to prevail. With more time to focus on what worked with Remember Me, and the experience they've earned from making Life Is Strange, DONTNOD could create something extraordinary with Remember Me 2. Bioshock
A new game is confirmed to be in development by Cloud Chamber, an internal studio at 2K. The question of what a new BioShock game would even be has kept fans of the series actively debating since the last installment, BioShock Infinite, left the future of the franchise wide open. Will 2K bring BioShock back to its roots with a return to Rapture, continue exploring the latest locale in Columbia, or take players to a brand new setting? Hopefully, in keeping with the BioShock tradition, whatever it is will be unexpected. Sunset Overdrive
was the perfect launch game for the Xbox One. It was vibrant, fast-paced, and over the top in every aspect. Insomniac Games' has a history of making colorful and engaging games. With franchises like and under their belts, it was no surprise when Sunset Overdrive was another example of the kind of quality game fans had come to expect. However, after a successful release in 2014, there hasn't been any definitive word on the franchise continuing. In the meantime, Sony acquired Insomniac in late 2019. This could prove to be a sticking point in ever seeing a Sunset Overdrive (originally a Microsoft exclusive) sequel. But perhaps the two gaming giants can come to an understanding and eventually give the world a second caffeine-fueled roller coaster ride. Bully
Rockstar's take on boarding school life has had fans clamoring for a sequel since its release in 2006. Bully took the template and turned it on its head. It didn't rely on wanton violence or sexually suggestive motifs. Instead, it offered something closer to a management sim where you needed to keep a careful eye on your scheduling and balance your time between your schooling and your social life. Add in Rockstar's classic satirical tone to the mix, and Bully would go on to amass a cult following that is still vocal and active fourteen years later. Fans debate what form a sequel should take with some wanting a continuation of the original story and others hoping for a new class at Bullworth Academy. One way or another, they all seem to agree that Bully 2 is long overdue.