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Games that failed to launch a new franchise

D

Dr.Social

Banned
Nostremitus said:
250px-Vexx_Cover.png


I thought this was going to be a franchise when I saw the first reveal trailer.
Click to expand...

There were a lot of failed 3D platformers that generation that were probably intended to start franchises.

NbP3van.jpg
t2vtzOZ.png


kWOOgm5.jpg
IW3kXuf.png


u8DARo9.jpg


RealityPales said:
EA, now that Pandemic went under.

EA bought out Pandemic and Bioware around the same time, if I'm not mistaken.

They were well into Mercs 3 development before closing:

18j2uz7kaoy9kjpg.jpg
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They also announced Mercs Inc.
 
R

Rapscallion

Member
rardk64 said:
Epic Mickey. Sure, there was a second, but it failed even worse.
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This one made me sad. The original isn't a terrible game, it's just flawed. If they had fixed the controls and camera, added in some new elements and worlds, a sequel could have been great.

Instead they lumped in co-op, made the world incredibly more boring, and didn't fix a single thing with the controls. Epic Mickey 2 is legitimately a terrible game.
 
trikster40

trikster40

Member
jacks81x said:
The Order: 1886
Driveclub
Click to expand...

I'm surprised it took 10 posts for Order 1886.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if Sony got another developer to pick up the reins. Great premise, but RaD had never done a major console game before. Lots of money into a new IP
 
M

Meffer

Member
LukasTaves said:
Ms thread? As much as I like their games, they are the master of one hit games that never get the deserving sequel.

Just on the top of my head:

- Azurik
- Stubbs the Zombie
- Advent Rising
- Blue Dragon
- Lost Odyssey
- Phantum Dust
- Crimson Dragon
- D4
- Too Human
- Jade Empire
- Crimson Skies
- Kameo
- Infinite Undiscovery
- N3
- Sudeki

Edit: Advent Rising wasn't an MGS game? I remember they hyping that shit like the new Halo back in the day. My memory must be fuzy.
Click to expand...

Blue Dragon had a anime and a DS sequel.
 
L

Lijik

Member
Voodoo Vince

If I remember right, a portion of the team was doing preproduction on a sequel that got canned a day after the original came out
 
B

balohna

Member
Sin "Episodes" and there was only one episode.

Come to think of it, some other shooter stopped after 2 episodes. I think it was called "50 Percent Existence" or something.
 
Correctomundo

Correctomundo

Member
Beyond Good and Evil for sure, though I don't think it's a case of the game failing, it's more a case of the game buying public failing to buy enough to make a sequel a no-brainer.

Comrade Crunch said:
They keep confirming that BG&E 2 is still being worked on.
Click to expand...

Talk is cheap. Until the game is in my hands, it does not exist and the bastards have no intention of ever following up.
 
M

MazeHaze

Banned
Motherfucking Eternal Darkness. Well, maybe.

I was so all in on that train, was expecting more and was super excited to see what they could do without starting it as an N64 game(those graphics were bad even when it released). Hopefully this new one actually gets somewhere eventually.

edit: and does anyone remember Dark Summit? Not a great game, but it was a Snowboarding game with a story and plot progression. Interesting idea at the time, and I haven't really seen it applied to similar games since.
 
T

TopoGio

Neo Member
Project_Spark_BK.jpg


..a recent example.


Also...

MAG_US_PS3_ESRB.jpg


And...*sniffles*

Starhawk_coverart.jpg


I know it was technically a spiritual successor to Warhawk, but it was basically like a new franchise and I still wish some kind of sequel will come out one day.
 
N

Nosgotham

Junior Member
still fairly fresh but Final Fantasy Explorers is an awesome game i recently picked up. i like it more than Monster Hunter but it was overlooked and sadly i doubt we will see any future installments. so much potential, i hope im wrong
 
K

KevinCow

Banned
Some of my favorites from the sixth generation:

I-Ninja - From what I hear, Namco was hoping for this to be a big hit. They had a GBA game and a sequel planned and everything. Then nobody played it.

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy - Ends with *spoiler* the Mummy not getting his body back, and Imhotep promises that there are other ways for him to get his body back. I guess he never did. :(

Beyond Good & Evil - Another one that ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. A sequel keeps getting hinted at, but nothing has happened so far.
 
D

Dremark

Banned
djtiesto said:
Back in the day, Sony was hyping this game up as a new mascot. It dropped like a wet fart, but still, a sequel was long rumored. But the game's lead character was voiced by Phil Hartman, who died soon after, and plans for the sequel were scrapped:

Blasto_Coverart.png
Click to expand...

There was no point in making a sequel after Hartman died, he was the best thing about that game and a lot of people thought he was the only redeeming factor or best thing about the game (Iirc the reviews were pretty mixed).

Hartman was so funny and talented. I was a huge fan of his and it was devastating when he passed, especially considering the circumstances.

Looking back one the worst part of it career wise was that he was finally starting to get recognized but hadn't quite broken out and he never really got a project that really hit big and showcased him the way he deserved. His VA work and movie roles were all supporting characters, none of his films were really notable. His run on SNL was legendary but the nature of the show basically means it's moved past him, similarly The Simpsons which was a lot of his better known voice work has run so long his contributions are reduced to a footnote now. The closest thing to a project that really showcased him was Newsradio where he was basically the head of the ensemble cast. It was a great show, the critics love it, but it never quite became a hit. He died partway into the show's run and it was cancelled at the end of the first season without him.

Ultimately while his work was great and he was really talented he never quite became a household name and he never had a role that everyone knew or had the kind of project that gave him much of a legacy. With the way his career had been going at the point he died it felt like it would have happened within the next few years as he was starting to get recognized and even if it hadn't Newsradio would have run it's course and ended on better terms had he not died when he did.

It really feels like if you didn't know who Phil Hartman was when he passed you missed out on him and he's not going to be remembered the way he would if he had a couple more years. I find it really sad he doesn't have much of a legacy and people younger than me will never know how great he was.

Anyway sorry for straying from the topic like that.
 
Alx

Alx

Member
TopoGio said:
Project_Spark_BK.jpg


..a recent example.
Click to expand...

I don't think Project Spark was intended as a franchise... they didn't even try to have a recognizable/named character, nor did they choose a specific name and went with their early code name because "it's all about tinkering anyway".
 
M

Mory Dunz

Member
Z3M0G said:
It's easy to name any game that performed badly and never got a sequel...

The ones that truly hurt are the ones that promised the start of something bigger.
Click to expand...

Yeah, when Bravely default first came out, it seemed like something notable was starting.


now....I doubt it.
 
Correctomundo

Correctomundo

Member
Dremark said:
There was no point in making a sequel after Hartman died, he was the best thing about that game and a lot of people thought he was the only redeeming factor or best thing about the game (Iirc the reviews were pretty mixed).

Hartman was so funny and talented. I was a huge fan of his and it was devastating when he passed, especially considering the circumstances.

Looking back one the worst part of it career wise was that he was finally starting to get recognized but hadn't quite broken out and he never really got a project that really hit big and showcased him the way he deserved. His VA work and movie roles were all supporting characters, none of his films were really notable. His run on SNL was legendary but the nature of the show basically means it's moved past him, similarly The Simpsons which was a lot of his better known voice work has run so long his contributions are reduced to a footnote now. The closest thing to a project that really showcased him was Newsradio where he was basically the head of the ensemble cast. It was a great show, the critics love it, but it never quite became a hit. He died partway into the show's run and it was cancelled at the end of the first season without him.

Ultimately while his work was great and he was really talented he never quite became a household name and he never had a role that everyone knew or had the kind of project that gave him much of a legacy. With the way his career had been going at the point he died it felt like it would have happened within the next few years as he was starting to get recognized and even if it hadn't Newsradio would have run it's course and ended on better terms had he not died when he did.

It really feels like if you didn't know who Phil Hartman was when he passed you missed out on him and he's not going to be remembered the way he would if he had a couple more years. I find it really sad he doesn't have much of a legacy and people younger than me will never know how great he was.

Anyway sorry for straying from the topic like that.
Click to expand...

Incidentally, today (May 28th) is the anniversary of Phil Hartman's death.
 
R

RipperGrim

Member
I think it's too early to say 1886, the setting still has tons of potential and I would not be surprised at all if Sony green lit a sequel.
 
D

Dremark

Banned
Mory Dunz said:
Yeah, when Bravely default first came out, it seemed like something notable was starting.


now....I doubt it.
Click to expand...

SE noted it's performance and made statements indicating it was going to change some of thier strategy as a result.

I wonder if they'll ignore that with how the second game went or still try to please the old school fans.

Correctomundo said:
Incidentally, today (May 28th) is the anniversary of Phil Hartman's death.
Click to expand...

I had no idea. It was a terrible tragedy and I'll never forget him, hard to believe it's been 18 years though.
 
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