Working Title 01.31.08: Games That NEED A Sequel II Part 1

Posted by Jordan Williams on 01.31.2008

A two parter to a sequel of a column about sequels. Wow. Anyway, what games out there depserately need a re-launch of a sequel? Killer Instinct? Skies of Arcadia? Maybe even the long lost racing franchise that came before Mario Kart? Get in here and find out.

Welcome back to the #1 Column that STILL watches Attack of the Show and likes it, WORKING TITLE. Last week I did a sequel of "What are you waiting for?" a rant about The Big 3 and other companies who are just taking too long giving us the things we want. Looking at the comments, it pretty much just went hand and hand with what THIS week's column is going to be about: Games that NEED sequels.

I was going to scour my mind and try to pick out forgotten and elusive games that are in massive need of a re-launch, but then when I was doing my daily rounds on the sight, my messenger pigeon showed up and alerted me that I had 11 comments. Yes, 411 actually give us messenger pigeons to do this. We love wasting money.

So, I looked down at the comments and I was surprised, you all pretty much friggin wrote my next column for me. I mean, there's still more I'm going to add on, but it seemed like most of you were already in my head.

And then I got to thinking...you know, maybe there's just too much to this column to keep in one column, so the final column of the Working Sequel series will be a sequel to a column about sequels and this column in fact will have a sequel next week. You still with me?

Either way, I got about eight games in no particular order, and two weeks to talk about 'em. So let's go ahead and get this bitch on the road.

Working Sequel: Games that NEED Sequels II part 1

Now, especially with this generation, we are seeing sequels getting cranked out on the big franchises in record time, but with some of these the results aren't exactly good. So, this column isn't going to be me whining about the LACK of sequels in the industry, it's going to be whining about the sequels I want to see that just haven't happened yet.

There's a big difference.

Saturday Night Slam Masters

Release Date: Early 90s.
Original Platform: Arcade, SNES

If you were at an arcade or owned and SNES and had ANY sense of wrestling geekiness in your heart, you played and loved this game. Many don't know that this game was actually a series mainly because the other ones were arcade only and were rare in the states. But this was Capcom's take on the big wrestling boom of the late 80s and early 90s. It was a stylized fighting game that revolved around fictional wrestlers and it actually played VERY good.

Sure, you had some pretty weird attacks and the WRESTLING side of the game wasn't very strong, but then again it had all the speed and quickness of Street Fighter 2 along with a wrestling motif and MIKE MOTHERFUCKING HAGGAR. This game series has been largely dead for about 20 years, and some of the blame could be shifted to WWE games actually not sucking post WM2000 for the N64, or for the emergence of real fighting games that actually made Capcom shift most of their focus back to what they do best. Either way, this is a really great classic game that I wouldn't mind seeing get a next gen make over.

Why it NEEDS a sequel: Back when this game came out, it was when the arcade was still in its heyday, thus we would see a lot of over-the-top fast paced twists on otherwise slow games. You had your realistic boxing game, and then Super Punch-Out, you would have your realistic Basketball game, but then you'd have NBA Jam. Since the Arcades have largely died, we have stopped seeing this trend. It's been kept on life support by the likes of EA Big with the 'Street' series, but all in all it's not that impressive. Many games today are losing the arcade feel and heading into simulation territory and I think that's GREAT, but we always need some sort of wacky zany fast paced game to remind us that we are indeed playing a game. The last time anyone tried this with a wrestling genre was Ultimate Muscle for the Gamecube and PS2, and those were DAMN fine games. This practice needs to be brought back.

Will it GET a sequel: I highly doubt it. Capcom doesn't probably doesn't even remember it MADE this game, but when again, when you see them dusting off old gems like Bionic Commando, it gives you that little glimmer of hope that they might just stumble upon SNSM.


Golden Sun

Release Date: 11/11/01 - 04/14/03
Original Platform: GameBoy Advance

What's this? A Nintendo RPG....ON A GAMEBOY!? Surely you jest. Golden Sun and its sequel were two of the best games for the GBA period. They didn't get a lot of play because back then RPGs on a portable console were in their infancy and everyone thought that a Gameboy game still had to be short and simple, something RPGs were NOT known for. But then this game came along and proved that an RPG, a fairly involved one at that, could have a life on a handheld and since we've gotten GREAT ports of the NES/SNES era Final Fantasy Games and some new RPGs in its own right. In a sense one could say that Golden Sun opened the doors for handheld RPGs.

So why is such a groundbreaking, and GREAT game still just at two sequels? Well, it's Nintendo dealing with an RPG for one, something they tend not to care about unless it has the words "Paper" and "Mario" in it. This genre has always been a big problem with Nintendo post SNES, so I can't really see them sitting at developer meetings and Golden Sun 3 being the topic of the day, however, now that the Wii is out and on everyone's mind, as well as the DS still being a hit, anything could be possible and a Golden Sun 3 for either could be just around the corner.

Why it NEEDS a sequel: The fact that the game itself was successful on the GBA alone is a feat, but the fact that it was a successful ORIGINAL RPG was even more of a feat. Nowadays when you think "RPG" Square-Enix and Bioware are the names that jump to mind, Golden Sun wasn't attached to ANY of those and managed to stand on it's own two feet. That and like I have said MANY a time, Nintendo NEEDS RPGs. So why not use one that the fans want to see and not having to worry about another fight with Squeenix?

Will it GET a sequel: It's very possible. I was just reading an interview the other day that said the creators behind Golden Sun really want to make a third game, and even went as far to say that they 'have' to, but they don't want to rush it. This is a good thing, the bad thing with many sequels nowadays that they tend to get rushed out and end up bringing down not only the game itself, but the franchise along with it.

Road Rash

Release Date: 1991 - 2004
Original Platform: Sega Genesis/Megadrive

I love this game. I know I say it a lot but I really do love this game. This was the best arcade game never to be released in arcades. The premise of it was so simple, you're just doing a friggin standard race on the same track(sure, they were different, but they are largely the same) on a motorcycle. No big deal. Then they throw in that you can beat the ever-loving shit out of the other competitors in the race and the game became an instant classic. Sure, before this we always would do assholish things to other people on the race track, but that usually made us LOSE, now there was a game that was like "Here, we WANT to you smack them upside the head with this baseball bat!". We were overjoyed! The fact that another game like this wouldn't be seen until the now legendary Super Mario Kart was a testament as well.

But after a string of hit and miss sequels and a VERY underrated N64 remake, Road Rash just sort of fell off the planet never to be heard from again outside of a bad GBA port. So with the big love for arcade racers like Mario Kart and games that can blend the arcade fun of racing but with enough realism to not be cheesy (Burnout, DiRT), why in the fuck hasn't Electronic Arts picked Road Rash back up and given it a next gen chance? I mean this is ELECTRONIC EFFIN' ARTS. They are the MASTERS of bringing sequels out over and over, where the hell is this game at!?

Why it NEEDS a sequel: This one is just plain simple. The world needs another Road Rash. You can look at your Motorstorms, your MotoGXs and your BMX vs. ATV but no matter how much you try, they will never be Road Rash. Until you can whip out a can of mace and spray the rider next to you only to send them spiraling to their doom into an oncoming car while avoiding police, they will NEVER live up to Road Rash.

Will it GET a sequel: It's possible. With EA you can never tell what is a sure thing and what's not outside of the sports genre. For all we know there could be a new Road Rash in development and there might not be. But this is definitely a game that I'm sure a LOT of people would love to see on a next gen console and taken to the next level. I guess we'll just have to use the motorcycles in Mario Kart Wii to tide us over.

Killer Instinct

Release Date: 1994-1996
Original Platform: Arcade, SNES

ULTRAAAAAAAAAA ULTRAAAAAAAAAAAA ULTRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

This game was THE shit when it came out. For the people who wanting the tactical fighting, you had Street Fighter, for the people who wanted blood n' guts, you had Mortal Kombat, and then for the ones who wanted a bit of both and a lot of combos, you had Killer Instinct. This game had a lot going for it. It had interesting characters, a great combo system, and it visually looked a lot different from anything else on the market, showing off Rare's hard-on for prerendered 3D sprites and backgrounds. This game had a great life in the Arcade but it really hit its peak on the console ports for SNES and N64, but then the game just fell into obscurity.

Sadly, despite the game being great, it was still made by Rare, who are NOTORIOUS for just dropping the ball on games after one or two attempts. Don't believe me? Perfect Dark, Banjo Kazooie, Conker, Grabbed by the Ghoulies. The list goes on. All games made by rare and all games that have either been dropped after one or two games, or didn't live up to expectations when they are released. It's sad that Rare was poised to be the next big developer but now they just seem to be a dirty little secret in the Microsoft 1st Party dungeon. But who knows? Maybe they'll actually stick with a project for once.

Why it NEEDS a sequel: Here's the thing, this game doesn't really NEED a sequel more so than I really just want to SEE a sequel. I mean, the world can easily do without another Killer Instinct game and just be fine, but this is just a matter of personal preference. If Mortal Kombat can have such a good love on the next gen, there's no reason why KI couldn't show up on the 360.

Will it GET a sequel: It's a game made by Rare. It seems with them 2 is the lucky number. I find it highly unlikely that this game will ever see a sequel, but then again I keep hearing rumors of Banjo Three in the works and there was the subtle hint on the Rare Christmas card. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

There's tons of other games out there that are deserving of sequels like Hunter: The Reckoning, Phantasy Star, Skies of Arcadia, and Fighter's Destiny. But I didn't have enough time or enough real info to write a rant/blurb for all of them. So go ahead and comment with what games you'd love to see get a sequel. You guys were GREAT last week.

Man, there should be some sort of Working Title drinking game. Every time I use caps to emphasize, take a shot. You'd be blitzed by the end of one column.

Working Demo

This is a new feature I may roll out from time to time. I've had an Xbox 360 for about four months now (DasUberOgre if you wanna add me) and I noticed that one of the features I really like is the ability to just download demos right to the HD. So I figure why not give the demos a fair shake. So whenever a new demo hit's the marketplace, I'll try to give it a download and give it some face time here

Devil May Cry 4 Demo: Having never really played Devil May Cry before, I couldn't really see what the allure was. I expected it to be a bit more action packed and the protagonist to be a bit less annoying. But hey, once I got the hang of it I really started to have a bit of fun. Especially with the boss fight. ***

The Club Demo: I've been waiting for this game ever since I saw the first look a few months back in Game Informer. I was largely unimpressed. Maybe because the game itself was too easy or that the demo didn't really give you enough to do, I don't know what it is. But the gameplay seemed almost too thin for me and I really hope the full game doesn't end up like this. **

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty Demo: I went into this expecting awesome, I left feeling like I was trapped in 1998. The story itself is interesting and I like how you aren't Joe McBadass, you are simply some dude in the wrong place at the wrong time. But everything else from the controls, to the graphics and the AI just SCREAMS of late 90s/early 00s PC shooter. If this game had been released 8 years earlier, it would've been a hit. But if the demo is anything like the full game, this looks like it's on the fast track to the bargain bin. *1/2

Turok: Now, I was never a fan of Turok. Not the N64 versions, not anything. I thought the whole premise was largely stupid as hell. I've also not really been high on the trend of FPS games lately, but Turok got me. I went into this expecting paint by numbers future shooter with some dinosaurs thrown in and I left actually impressed. The weapons fire well, the knife, while it may be cheap, is effective. And hell, if you ever run out of that ammo you have a bow and arrow to work with. The dinosaurs aren't prey to be hunted like in the original, instead they are weapons in their own right. They attack whatever moves, friend or foe, but are naturally curious to fire. So if you see a group of baddies, shoot a flare over and watch the fun. The demo was nice a long and gave you a bit of everything. This game is now on my list to check out. ****

Next time...

And that's that, I hope that gave you all a nice read, but make sure to come back next week for part two. This week was about games that NEED a sequel...next wee? Games that DON'T need sequels. I know you all got opinions, and I've love to hear 'em so lay it on me.

You all spared the puppy this week...next week...he may not be so lucky.



He's counting on you.

Until then, I'm Jordan Williams...and JOHN CENA IS AWESOME. THERE. I SAID IT.