Oh my, how time flies! This decade is slowly winding down, with only about 1.5 years left to go. While it may be too soon to look back and reflect on how the past years have shaped the gaming industry, I thought it would be interesting to look at some big gaming franchises that have (sadly) been radio silent for this decade so far. While there will always be surprises, ahem Shenmue III, I don't really expect any new installments of these franchises in 2018 or 2019.
So let's have a look at a few gaming series that went MIA in the 2010s:
#5: Advance Wars
Advance Wars is a series of turn-based strategy games from Nintendo. The franchise made its debut in the West in 2001 on the Gameboy Advance and turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of that year. The series was previously a Japan-only affair, with 6 installments remaining in the homeland of Nintendo. The titles were always named after the system they were on: Famicom Wars, Gameboy Wars and Super Famicom Wars. But it was with Advance Wars where the series really took off. Nintendo quickly released a sequel with Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising in 2003. While the game was mostly considered as Advance Wars 1.5, it still made critics and fans happy. They wanted more of the same, so they got more of the same. Soon the series migrated to the Nintendo DS. The system was the perfect fit for the strategy franchise, with the touchscreen and stylus allowing for easy troop movement. The dual screen portable received two Advance Wars titles, with Advance Wars: Days of Ruin being the last game in the series so far. While there was even a spin-off series for consoles, titled Battalion Wars, no new title has been released this decade. Nintendo seems to have placed their focus on its other strategy series, Fire Emblem, which has gained a massive fanbase. At least other developers are trying to fill the void. Tiny Metal was released last December on the PS4 and Switch, albeit to mixed reviews and then there is Wargroove still coming up. Even though it is set in a fantasy world, the game seems to borrow a lot from the once beloved strategy series. Lets hope that Nintendo will take this as an inspiration to create a true Advance Wars game for Switch soon.
Image Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-05-30-whats-keeping-nintendo-from-making-a-new-advance-wars
#4: Legacy of Kain
This action-adventure series follows the story of Kain and Raziel. Their games are often referred to as M-rated Zelda titles. Which is true to some extent. At the beginning each character had its own games, even though they were all released under the "Legacy of Kain" brand. Kain was the protagonist in the Blood Omen games, while Raziel was the star of the Soul Reaver titles. In Legacy of Kain: Defiance both characters were playable. A title that set out to tie together all those loose ends from the previous games, it delivered a good ending, but left many questions unanswered. Fans were sure this was a set-up for another installment, but no new title has been released since. Two years after the release of Defiance the publisher of the titles, Eidos Interactive, went bust. Square-Enix bought Eidos in 2009 and with it the rights to the franchise. The publisher of Final Fantasy, tried to breathe new life into the series with Nosgoth; an MMO that was set in the Legacy of Kain universe. But the title never made it out of the beta stage. Will we ever see Kain and Raziel again? Will Square-Enix give them the reboot treatment like they did with Tomb Raider? Only time will tell.
Kain screams in agony, as he just found out his series has been discontinued
Image source: http://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/242960/
# Left 4 Dead
The youngest entry on this list, the first title in this series was released in November of 2008. The fast-paced first-person-shooter that had you and up to three other players facing hordes of zombies, was released only for PC and Xbox 360. Despite being limited to only two systems the game managed to sell over 3 million copies. And this number doesn't even include digital sales. Valve had undoubtedly created another hit. They quickly followed up their success with a sequel. Left 4 Dead 2 was released not even a year later in the fall of 2009. Even though the quick release was followed with some backlash from fans, the sequel sold even better, cracking the 4 million mark. Other publishers would turn this into an annualized franchise, but Valve just did .... nothing. The series came to a grinding halt after two titles. And the reasons remain unclear. Zombie games continue to be popular - as titles like Dead Island, Dying Light, the Dead Rising series and State of Decay have shown. And even though all of those games listed are great in their own right, none of them were able to scratch that itch that Left 4 Dead was able to. Maybe Valve is just too busy with their Steam-related products!?
We can dream, can't we?
Image source: http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/1005191-left-4-dead-3-revealed-valve-employee-accidental-screenshot
# 2 Jak & Daxter
Isn't it a bit unfair that almost all of Sony's platformer mascots have gotten new games in the past years, while this duo was left unattended? Ratchet & Clank were rebooted in 2016, Sly Cooper had a new title in 2013, the original Crash Bandicoot titles were completely remade in 2017 and Spyro tried to find his fortune with Skylanders. Of course, you could argue that they released the Jak & Daxter collection in 2012, but these are mere ports and not remakes of any kind. And it wasn't like that the Jak games weren't any good. In fact, they were top-notch platforming titles. The original trilogy is some of the finest jump'n'run experiences you can find on the PS2. Heck, like any good platformer franchise, they even go their own kart racer. Unfortunately, Naughty Dog doesn't seem interested in continuing this series. The great developer can only do so many games and right now they are busy with other franchises. And while Crash Bandicoot, another series that was created by the studio, found a new home at Activision, I doubt that Sony will sell this IP.
Image source: http://fraghero.com/jak-daxter-trilogy-hd-remasters-coming-ps4/
#1 Half-Life
Yes, another franchise from Valve. There is actually a joke in the gaming world, that Valve can't count to three. So far, they have never released a third entry in any of their series. And that's fine if you bring closure to a franchise. But Half-Life 2: Episode 2 ended on such a dramatic cliffhanger, that it is painful not to be able to continue the story. The Half-Life titles in general, are some of my favorite games of all time. I love the atmosphere, I love how the world is seamlessly connected with only minor loading times, I love the cast of characters that wants to help you in your fight, I love that the games constantly keep you on your toes. And I want to be able to finish that story. Sadly its been over ten years since the last episode was released and it doesn't look like it will come anytime soon. Heck, we don't even know if it is still in development. I am hoping that they will pull a surprise announcement one day, but maybe it is just time to let go....
The long wait has put a considerable toll on Gordon Freemans good looks
Image source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/credible-half-life-3-and-left-4-dead-3-rumors-have-surfaced-500881.shtml
Which gaming franchises are you missing in this decade? Any hope we will see new installments from these franchises in the near future?
Looking forward to reading your comments!
Until then have a good time!
Yours
I Am K