themadhatter
Philosopher Emeritus
- Joined
- February 12, 2007
- Messages
- 141
Well, more accurately, deserving of a continuation.
I was discussing this with some friends a few days ago after we'd finished a skirmish match in Starcraft, musing over Blizzard Entertainment's fixation with WoW (which I, for one, despise...but, then again, I hate all MMOs) and the lack of a follow-up to this genre-defining game. Our conversation only grew more and more heated as we discussed some of the controversial "forthcoming" additions to long-running franchises we hold dear to our hearts (Fallout 3 and C&C Tiberium Wars). So, what do you guys think? Feel free to throw out some PC games you wish had seen a sequel or continuation of.
For my part, I'd like to see the following be made:
Warcraft IV
The classic Blizzard RTS series, I was frothing at the mouth when they announced years ago that another "Warcraft-themed title" was coming. Of course, the fact that it turned out to be World of Warcraft, not another strategy game, dropped me into a fit of depression which still makes me cry (but only late at night). After the reinvention of the interface and update to the game that was Warcraft III, I had expected some great things from another Warcraft game, something to carry on the proud tradition. After all, they rather left the story undecided at the end of The Frozen Throne. It seemed only natural that they'd push for another game in two or three years. Sadly, it's been WoW ever since...
Diablo III
Another Blizzard fave, Diablo was the first RPG-ish game I ever played on the PC (prior to that I only had experience with the greats from the SNES), and it was great, in a totally mindless fashion. Diablo 2, as everyone knows, really defined the hack n' slash genre, adding depth to the series with more choices in characters, a larger world, and freeform skill point allocations that made for unique character builds. Of course, I'm certain many here are familiar with the dropping of the Diablo 3 bomb, but I'm still waiting for Blizzard to come back with this franchise.
Starcraft II
Finally, the last Blizzard franchise, and another one that deserves a sequel. It's been ten years, and still no sign of anything. S:Ghost was put in deep-freeze, and there hasn't been a peep out of them since. Yeah, there were some recent comments regarding a "non-WoW project" but that could be anything. Personally, I hope they come to their senses and give us another Starcraft ere the fanbase all perishes.
Vampire the Masquerade
In this case, a Bloodlines 2 by the legendary Troika would be preferable, however, as that cannot happen, a B2 by just about anyone else (so long as it stayed true to the concepts of the first) would be fine by me. Either that or a new variant of the series. I just want to play a really cool vampire again.
Mafia 2
Now this is what freeform gaming with guns is all about. Mafia was ahead of its time when released, an even better, more polished title than the comparable GTA of that period. The atmosphere (everything from the beautifully rendered scenery and cars, to the music and well-chosen voice actors) combined with the stellar gameplay to create a truly memorable experience for anyone looking to play as a Mafioso. The combat bested GTA, and where you could get away with flying down the highway in GTA, you'd get a ticket for running a red light or speeding in Mafia...if you decided to pull over and accept it. It was realistic touchs like this (and the citizens that reacted appropriately, the fully-functional and boardable train system, and the great missions) that cemented Mafia as a superb title. There has been some talk lately that a Mafia 2 is currently in development, however, nothing specific has been mentioned (insofar as I'm aware).
Gothic IV
Let's face it, the Gothic series is fantastic. I just finished G2 a few months ago, and it instantly shot to a position in my top ten PC games of all time. Still, it had some issues that were...irksome. The lame looking dragons (that were also incredibly easy to kill), the invulnerable characters (some of whom seemed to possess a certain degree of clairvoyance), and the inventory management interface. Luckily, the former and latter were resolved in G3 (monsters look great, and you finally get a cursor interface), but we all know that game came loaded down with some bugs of its own. So, why make a Gothic 4? One, the series deserves it, if simply as it presents an alternative to the more mindless drivel of other "next-gen" games, and offers some true originality in certain areas. Two, the games continue (in most areas) to improve with each iteration. Three, why not?
The Elder Scrolls V
Why? Because I like them. Once properly modded (yes, I know that says a great deal about the quality of the initial product, but lets not get into that) you'll be hard pressed to find better games currently in the market. Also, because I want to see some of the features removed from Oblivion put back...plus, curiosity is nagging at me to discover what they plan to do with the series now. No more Emperor, so who rules?
Dues Ex 2
Don't even suggest that Invisible War was Dues Ex 2. That travesty deserves to rot on the console from whence it sprung. That much aside, who can deny that Dues Ex is deserving of a true PC rebirth. No one? That's right.
Arx Fatalis 2
This was the RPG that made me a RPG fan, the one that stole my loyalty from every other game, and still stands proud in the company of modern games. The ambience, innovative magic system, storyline, and sheer amount of things to accomplish set Arx Fatalis apart from the crowd of games sporting nothing more than a slue of monsters to cut your way through. Frankly, it doesn't appear as though this one will happen anytime soon. Arcane seems to have sold their creative souls to the corporate sponsors in order to create "Action RPGs" like Dark Messiah and their upcoming "Crossfire" (or whatever it was) "action" game. Thrills and chills, aye?
Arcanum 2
Another Troika product that truly brought both originality and a definite sense of impact to the RPG world. While buggy, and largely unplayable on many modern computers, Arcanum is priceless. I won't bother trying to justify this one further, as it honestly requires no thought. The one and only true steampunk RPG.
Rogue Trooper 2
This is actually the only new game that I would like to see continued (TES doesn't count as it is a long-running franchise). Of all the third-person shooters I have ever picked up, none have compared to Rogue Trooper in sheer terms of original atmosphere, replayability, and just plain fun. I picked it up at release, and its been a favorite for mindless entertainment ever since. As a bonus, its probably the only game that isn't based on the Smurfs where you get to play as a blue-skinned guy.
Planescape Torment 2
Enough said.
Mechwarrior 5
The best mecha-based series of all time pretty much gave its last rattling cough of death with the horrendous "expansion packs that aren't really expansion packs" for Mechwarrior 4, but I can always wish. I jumped into this series at Mechwarrior 2, following it through to the bitter end. Nothing else comes close.
Monkey Island 5
I'm not even sure how the last game ended up (Escape from Monkey Island), as I never finished it (my disc was attacked by my cat), but what's not to love about this entire series. They continued the Sam & Max franchise, so there may very well be hope for this beloved gem as well.
Thief 4
Taking into consideration the relative flop that Thief 3 became on the PC, it may be seen as rather unlikely for another Thief title to be released anytime soon, but, then again, I'd willing settle for another T3 like game, if only as it would give me another game to play as a thief, and one more I get to sneak around in that isn't Metal Gear or Splinter Cell.
I was discussing this with some friends a few days ago after we'd finished a skirmish match in Starcraft, musing over Blizzard Entertainment's fixation with WoW (which I, for one, despise...but, then again, I hate all MMOs) and the lack of a follow-up to this genre-defining game. Our conversation only grew more and more heated as we discussed some of the controversial "forthcoming" additions to long-running franchises we hold dear to our hearts (Fallout 3 and C&C Tiberium Wars). So, what do you guys think? Feel free to throw out some PC games you wish had seen a sequel or continuation of.
For my part, I'd like to see the following be made:
Warcraft IV
The classic Blizzard RTS series, I was frothing at the mouth when they announced years ago that another "Warcraft-themed title" was coming. Of course, the fact that it turned out to be World of Warcraft, not another strategy game, dropped me into a fit of depression which still makes me cry (but only late at night). After the reinvention of the interface and update to the game that was Warcraft III, I had expected some great things from another Warcraft game, something to carry on the proud tradition. After all, they rather left the story undecided at the end of The Frozen Throne. It seemed only natural that they'd push for another game in two or three years. Sadly, it's been WoW ever since...
Diablo III
Another Blizzard fave, Diablo was the first RPG-ish game I ever played on the PC (prior to that I only had experience with the greats from the SNES), and it was great, in a totally mindless fashion. Diablo 2, as everyone knows, really defined the hack n' slash genre, adding depth to the series with more choices in characters, a larger world, and freeform skill point allocations that made for unique character builds. Of course, I'm certain many here are familiar with the dropping of the Diablo 3 bomb, but I'm still waiting for Blizzard to come back with this franchise.
Starcraft II
Finally, the last Blizzard franchise, and another one that deserves a sequel. It's been ten years, and still no sign of anything. S:Ghost was put in deep-freeze, and there hasn't been a peep out of them since. Yeah, there were some recent comments regarding a "non-WoW project" but that could be anything. Personally, I hope they come to their senses and give us another Starcraft ere the fanbase all perishes.
Vampire the Masquerade
In this case, a Bloodlines 2 by the legendary Troika would be preferable, however, as that cannot happen, a B2 by just about anyone else (so long as it stayed true to the concepts of the first) would be fine by me. Either that or a new variant of the series. I just want to play a really cool vampire again.
Mafia 2
Now this is what freeform gaming with guns is all about. Mafia was ahead of its time when released, an even better, more polished title than the comparable GTA of that period. The atmosphere (everything from the beautifully rendered scenery and cars, to the music and well-chosen voice actors) combined with the stellar gameplay to create a truly memorable experience for anyone looking to play as a Mafioso. The combat bested GTA, and where you could get away with flying down the highway in GTA, you'd get a ticket for running a red light or speeding in Mafia...if you decided to pull over and accept it. It was realistic touchs like this (and the citizens that reacted appropriately, the fully-functional and boardable train system, and the great missions) that cemented Mafia as a superb title. There has been some talk lately that a Mafia 2 is currently in development, however, nothing specific has been mentioned (insofar as I'm aware).
Gothic IV
Let's face it, the Gothic series is fantastic. I just finished G2 a few months ago, and it instantly shot to a position in my top ten PC games of all time. Still, it had some issues that were...irksome. The lame looking dragons (that were also incredibly easy to kill), the invulnerable characters (some of whom seemed to possess a certain degree of clairvoyance), and the inventory management interface. Luckily, the former and latter were resolved in G3 (monsters look great, and you finally get a cursor interface), but we all know that game came loaded down with some bugs of its own. So, why make a Gothic 4? One, the series deserves it, if simply as it presents an alternative to the more mindless drivel of other "next-gen" games, and offers some true originality in certain areas. Two, the games continue (in most areas) to improve with each iteration. Three, why not?
The Elder Scrolls V
Why? Because I like them. Once properly modded (yes, I know that says a great deal about the quality of the initial product, but lets not get into that) you'll be hard pressed to find better games currently in the market. Also, because I want to see some of the features removed from Oblivion put back...plus, curiosity is nagging at me to discover what they plan to do with the series now. No more Emperor, so who rules?
Dues Ex 2
Don't even suggest that Invisible War was Dues Ex 2. That travesty deserves to rot on the console from whence it sprung. That much aside, who can deny that Dues Ex is deserving of a true PC rebirth. No one? That's right.
Arx Fatalis 2
This was the RPG that made me a RPG fan, the one that stole my loyalty from every other game, and still stands proud in the company of modern games. The ambience, innovative magic system, storyline, and sheer amount of things to accomplish set Arx Fatalis apart from the crowd of games sporting nothing more than a slue of monsters to cut your way through. Frankly, it doesn't appear as though this one will happen anytime soon. Arcane seems to have sold their creative souls to the corporate sponsors in order to create "Action RPGs" like Dark Messiah and their upcoming "Crossfire" (or whatever it was) "action" game. Thrills and chills, aye?
Arcanum 2
Another Troika product that truly brought both originality and a definite sense of impact to the RPG world. While buggy, and largely unplayable on many modern computers, Arcanum is priceless. I won't bother trying to justify this one further, as it honestly requires no thought. The one and only true steampunk RPG.
Rogue Trooper 2
This is actually the only new game that I would like to see continued (TES doesn't count as it is a long-running franchise). Of all the third-person shooters I have ever picked up, none have compared to Rogue Trooper in sheer terms of original atmosphere, replayability, and just plain fun. I picked it up at release, and its been a favorite for mindless entertainment ever since. As a bonus, its probably the only game that isn't based on the Smurfs where you get to play as a blue-skinned guy.
Planescape Torment 2
Enough said.
Mechwarrior 5
The best mecha-based series of all time pretty much gave its last rattling cough of death with the horrendous "expansion packs that aren't really expansion packs" for Mechwarrior 4, but I can always wish. I jumped into this series at Mechwarrior 2, following it through to the bitter end. Nothing else comes close.
Monkey Island 5
I'm not even sure how the last game ended up (Escape from Monkey Island), as I never finished it (my disc was attacked by my cat), but what's not to love about this entire series. They continued the Sam & Max franchise, so there may very well be hope for this beloved gem as well.
Thief 4
Taking into consideration the relative flop that Thief 3 became on the PC, it may be seen as rather unlikely for another Thief title to be released anytime soon, but, then again, I'd willing settle for another T3 like game, if only as it would give me another game to play as a thief, and one more I get to sneak around in that isn't Metal Gear or Splinter Cell.
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2007
- Messages
- 141
