Sequels We'd Love

In an industry that focuses heavily on sequels; it seems strange to dedicate a feature to the rare group of games that haven’t been given a second going over, but while we do see our fair share of unimaginative half-cocked efforts, there are many that do justice to the original and in some cases go one better, and with that comes a willingness to revisit some untouched gems.

Kameo: Elements of Power

A game Rare developed for the best part of four years, which acted as a launch title for the Xbox 360. It is one of those games widely considered to be underappreciated by the mass market, not gaining the expected sales or critical reception it perhaps deserved. The game sees you, Kameo, granted the ability to transform into multiple elemental warriors based around Plant, Stone, Fire, Ice and Water elements. Each warrior possesses a unique ability and pool of attacks to draw from, that help you progress to previously inaccessible areas within the game.

A sequel was announced shortly after the games initial release, but then cancelled after the much sought-after developer was recruited to work on the upcoming Project Natal - now known as Kinect. Since then nothing has surfaced regarding the game or anything related, except for some recent concept artwork surrounding the design of a new character, but this has neither been confirmed nor rubbished.

Heavy Rain

Anyone who caught our Game of the Year awards will not be surprised that Quantic Dream’s interactive psychological thriller features in our list after bagging our top prize for 2010. One of the most memorable gaming experiences out there, immersing you in the story in superb cinematic fashion. The game centres around four characters who are all trying desperately to discover the whereabouts of a kidnapped child – the father, a private investigator, an FBI profiler and a journalist – and depending on your choices will see each one live or die, changing the plot directly or indirectly as a result.

Sadly, while we would love a sequel, the epilogue that follows at the end of the game, chronicling the aftermath of each story hints at an unlikely continuation, and quotes from the games designer David Cage back in 2009 all but cement that notion, “I’m not sure there will be a Heavy Rain 2. I’m not a guy who does sequels, because, when you work on a story, you have something to say. It’s a response to a moment of your life and what you want to express. There are so many great stories to tell. That’s why just doing sequels of sequels of sequels doesn’t make any sense.”

Psychonauts

A unique platform game released in 2005 with some fresh, fun concepts that soon garnered it a superb critical response, bagging a host of awards and a hardcore fan base that are crying out for a sequel. The game features Raz, the stories protagonist, who uses his special psychic abilities to dish out attacks on enemies, allows him to levitate and solve various puzzles you encounter along your journey. In addition to superb gameplay it also has a strong story component that compliments the action and acts as a nice transition between levels.

Tim Schafer, the lead designer for the game, has expressed a strong interest in making a sequel for this generation of consoles but nothing has materialised as of yet. It was rumoured that he faced opposition due to the relatively poor sales figures Psychonauts suffered from, but we all hope these are obstacles that can be overcome.

Kirby: Canvas Curse

Known in Europe as the less cool-sounding Kirby: Power Paintbrush, the aim of the game is to guide the lovable pink ball of joy through a series of progressively difficult levels. However, where most Kirby games give the player freedom of movement, Canvas Curse restricts you exclusively to forward motion via your stylus. The complexity of it comes from the lines you draw that Kirby follows until their completion or until they fade after a short period of time. It may not sound like the most engrossing of mechanics, but its innovation provides enough of a twist to keep you coming back for more.

The enigma is we still don’t have a sequel after six years, even though it achieved that rare feat of doing well in both sales and reviews, with some even hailing it as the greatest Kirby game of all time. Perhaps Nintendo are waiting for the right moment, as a launch to one of their upcoming hardware releases, but it’s definitely a step they need to take in a market now obsessed with motion-sensing technology.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

Famed for its all-round creepy aura and intriguing story that flits between past and present, Eternal Darkness was and indeed still is one of the best experiences that can be had with a GameCube. It truly is a case of expect the unexpected, with no two playthroughs ever quite the same. Walls could suddenly start bleeding; monsters start engulfing you, and then disappear at a moments notice. There really is no rhyme or reason for these “Sanity Effects” and it’s this and many subtle nuances that still stand it in high regard to this day.

It seems only a matter of time before we see a sequel, with Denis Dyack, the designer for this and the underwhelming Too Human constantly expressing his desire to return to the world, but hasn’t quite gotten around to it. "There is a chance; we love all the games we work on. We don't want to be pigeon-holed, we want to be known for strong content...There's a strong chance we'll return to it, but there's no announcements yet,” he revealed back in 2008.

Ristar

Ristar isn’t a game everyone will immediately recognise and has arguably become more of a household name through the many SEGA collections that have been released over the years. The main character doesn’t have the mobility of Mario, or the speed of Sonic, but what he lacks in those departments he makes up for in his long reach, and ability to grab enemies from a distance and head butt them into oblivion. One of the best aspects of the game is its tidy level design and that extra attention to detail within its colourful artwork.

Down the years the game has garnered quite the cult following and demand for a new adventure is picking up momentum. It’s this demand that saw Ristar make a recent cameo appearance in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing in one of the downloadable tracks. Despite this no announcement has been made on his possible return, but with the video game industry being such a fast moving and unpredictable animal, there’s a distinct possibility it may yet happen sooner rather than later.

What games would you like to see made into sequels?

Tell us about it on our community forum or in the comments section below.

Craig Bryan, NoobFeed

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