History has swallowed up plenty of franchises – or in some cases, it has devoured games that had just one outing before being shelved by developers. In this list, we’re taking a look at the forgotten game franchises that deserve another chance. From classic first-person shooters to spy thrillers fuelled by subterfuge and sabotage, these forgotten franchises need another blast of the limelight.
It’s time to take a look at some of those ‘forgotten franchises’ and determine which of them should be revisited or brought back to life.
Here are our two cents regarding the top titles forgotten by gamers that need to resurface.
Black was a one-shot shooter developed by Criterion and first released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. It was a phenomenal game that offered ‘gun porn’ levels of combat and, boasting destructible environments, sumptuous visuals, and some of the most immersive and satisfying gunplay we’ve ever seen in a shooter.
It was never followed up on, but 2011’s Bodycount is considered to be a spiritual successor to the game.
Killzone was PlayStation’s flagship shooter for many years, with the series spanning from 2004 to 2013, when it promptly disappeared into darkness. It was a remarkable shooter at first blush that dominated PlayStation platforms for the longest time, releasing across PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PSP, and PS Vita.
Despite its success, Killzone Shadow Fall, the last game in the series to be released, was something of a commercial failure, and Guerrilla – the series’ developer – seemingly shut down the franchise and moved on to other projects.
If there was ever a game ahead of its time, it was The Getaway, and its sequel, ‘Black Monday’, which was released in 2004. In The Getaway, London plays host to a series of bloodthirsty gangs, and at the centre of their network is a man wronged by everyone around him, hellbent on a path of redemption and revenge.
It was a mature game that boasted cutting-edge graphics, a unique UI (in that there wasn’t one), fully licensed vehicles, and a story that was near-unrivalled by any other dramatic title at the time – or ever since. There was a suggestion of a follow-up title taking place in Amsterdam, but it was quickly forgotten to time.
This was one of my favourite games growing up, so it hurts that it’s one of these forgotten franchises.
Mercenaries was a short-lived series developed by Pandemic that was kicked off in 2005 and promptly died after its second release in 2008. In Mercenaries, players assume the role of… Well, a mercenary, and they set about taking down tyrannical heads of state or other such important figures, but they do so in the most destructive way possible.
It arguably died out because its main competitor, Just Cause, did things a little better and for much longer. Regardless, Mercenaries was an action-fuelled franchise that would perform well in today’s world, given how popular open-world, sandbox games have come to be.
Syphon Filter first emerged on the PlayStation in 1999, having been developed by Bend Studio – the same team that would go on to create Days Gone many years later. Far from being a short-lived series, Syphon Filter saw six titles flesh out its roster over an eight-year period, but it never managed to graduate from the PlayStation 2.
In Syphon Filter, players primarily control Gabe Logan, a special agent comparable to the likes of Sam Fisher, and while it’s a relatively stock-standard third-person shooter on the surface, it was innovative for the time and played remarkably well. With no Splinter Cell game to fill the void, a new Syphon Filter title could be just what’s needed.
Sly Cooper was one of Sucker Punch’s most popular franchises – while it existed. It featured Sly – a racoon turned master thief – and his daring team of criminals, and it portrayed them undertaking a range of heists while dealing with the dangers associated with them.
While the first game debuted in 2002, a second and third title dropped in successive years – 2004 and 2005. Then, the franchise went dark, and nothing new emerged until 2013 with the release of Thieves in Time. Since then, Sly Cooper has stood silent and abandoned.
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs was a tactical, strategic shooter that saw players control a series of specially-trained operatives, taking on all comers and making their way through intense combat missions with surgical precision. It was a historic game, boasting unique hardware integrations and being one of the first games to ever use the PlayStation 2’s online multiplayer service in North America.
Despite having a relatively strong start, SOCOM ultimately petered away to disappointing reviews as the years wore on. By the time the series died, ten games (including spin-offs) had been released, the last of which dropped on the PlayStation 3 in 2011.
When it comes to forgotten franchises, SOCOM would make a brilliant addition to the tactical shooter space these days.
Are there any forgotten franchises that you feel need to be revisited? Let us know in the comments.
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