There have been a ton of amazing video game franchises that have sold decently well, got good reviews, and had multiple entries that just seem to have died with their respective developer or publisher showing no interest in making a new game based on that series! That is what we are looking at today as we talk about the top 10 video game franchises that need to be brought back!
Please keep in mind that these are the games that we would love to see brought back. If you have your own video game franchises that you would love to see return, please let us know what they are in the comments section.
10: The Magical Quest
Capcom and Disney went together like peanut butter and chocolate and their Magical Quest series which saw three games on the Super Nintendo, one on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, and then all three on the Game Boy Advance were awesome 16-bit platformers that had great graphics and a ton of charm! While this may be a rights issue, Ducktales and Castle of Illusion were brought back so it would be amazing if the same thing could happen for the Magical Quest series, heck, we would even take a collection of the three games!
9: Splatterhouse
We do not care what anyone says, we loved Splatterhouse 2010. It brought the 2D slasher platforming and smashed it into 3D. Yes, it was style over substance, but it was a wild thrill ride with a tremendous story, a story that ended on a cliffhanger. With the game not doing all that well, Bandai-Namco have just abandoned the series. It is a real shame too as in the 16-bit days Splatterhouse was very popular. It took forever for them to bring it back last time so we do guess there is hope that they may try again!
8: Sly Cooper
Sly Cooper’s animated brand of stealth platforming on the PlayStation 2 was a big hit! The console would get three games and then we would get a new game and a HD collection on the PlayStation 3. Sucker Punch and Sony though have done nothing with him since, sure there were fun easter eggs in Infamous: Second Son, but why has Sony not been pushing for a new Sly Cooper game? Sony are all about their big hitter exclusives and currently, there is no other platformer that does what the Sly Cooper series did.
7: Conker
You often have to wonder what the point of Microsoft buying Rare was! However, their remake of Conker’s Bad Furr Day was a lot of fun and it still looks gorgeous to this day. Just imagine how great a new Conker game would look with today’s hardware. Gross out games like High on Life are even more extreme than what Conker was so they could get really crazy with this one. Plus, a 3D action platformer as an exclusive is just what the Xbox Series needs to help it stand out!
6: Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing was leagues better than Mario Kart 64… yeah we said it! Diddy Kong Racing offered all that Mario Kart 64 did, but it had way more content, people seem to forget that you could not even play a four player Mario GP in Mario Kart 64! Anyway, we did get a re-release on the Nintendo DS which was not exactly great. However, Nintendo really should try and bring this back. Of course, Mario Kart has become something truly special with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but it would be very interesting to see what Nintendo would do with an Adventure Mode in a racing game. Plus, they would have to do this without Rare!
5: Banjo-Kazooie
Another example of how buying Rare was a waste of time for Microsoft! On the Nintendo 64, Banjo-Kazooie was huge, there is no way that the Game Cube would not have seen a new Banjo game had Microsoft not bought them. Granted we got Nuts & Bolts, but why on Earth was a brand new 3D action platformer Banjo-Kazooie game not one of the first things that Rare was tasked with doing? Many people like to say that the Xbox has no exclusive games, well a platformer like a new Banjo game would be huge for the system and a potential new mascot for the company too!
4: Viewtiful Joe
Henshin-a-Go-Go, Baby! Viewtiful Joe was an awesome Game Cube exclusive that would eventually get a port on the PlayStation 2. The game would get a sequel, a super fun spin-off on the Nintendo DS, a less fun spin-off on the PSP, and outside of an appearance in Marvel vs Capcom… nothing! Viewtiful Joe is an epic 2D action platformer with these super fun abilities. The game was very popular, but for some reason, Capcom has never even given us an HD remaster of it! Come on Capcom, do the right thing!
3: Resistance
On the PlayStation 3, Insomniac created the Resistance series. An epic sci-fi first-person shooter series with an alternative history setting where aliens were here during the Second World War. All three games were fantastic and some of the best first-person shooter action on the PS3, but for whatever reason, Sony has left this series on the PS3, we did not even get any kind of remaster or collection on the PS4. Sony made a big deal about potentially losing Call of Duty, but they have two fantastic first-person shooter series of their own in Resistance and Killzone, yes, we want Killzone back too!
2: Dino Crisis
Dino Crisis 1 and 2 are fantastic, Dino Crisis 3…. Was ok. However, for whatever reason Capcom seems to have next to no interest in bringing Dino Crisis back! No matter if it is a remake a sequel to part 2 or even some kind of reimagining of the series. That fantastic RE engine they created would be perfect for a new Dino Crisis game. It would also be interesting to see if they would go the Resident Evil Remake route and have it be in the third person or if they would make it like Biohazard and Village and have the game be in the first person! Either way, Dino Crisis needs to come back!
1: Bioshock
With three incredible games to its credit, how the heck have we not had a new Bioshock game yet? Both Rapture and Columbia were incredible settings and all three games, especially Bioshock Infinite had blockbuster movie quality stories that were engaging, exciting, and full of twists and turns. Plus, the first-person shooter gameplay thanks to the super fun plasmids and vigors helped set it apart from all the other FPS games! We got a remastered collection which was great, but it is time for a new game in the franchise!
To be honest with you, we probably could have written a top 20 video game franchises that need to be brought back list, but we feel these are the ten that we would pick over any others. Still, as there are so many awesome dormant video game franchises, we would love to know what series you would love to see brought back!
