Forgotten games, characters left 4 dust. Developers have left some amazing gaming franchises in the past and, quite frankly, some of them need shouting from the rooftops, to some games that had a couple of great hits and disappeared to games which have had multiple entries and then simply put in the bookcase never to be reopened. Today I’m going to be giving the great franchises that have been forgotten some needed limelight, so without further a do, let’s get to it!
10. Prototype
Prototype came smashing onto our gaming machines in 2009 and the sequel came to us in 2012. Even since then, we haven’t heard a peep or a whistle of Prototype 3 as a third game was promptly cancelled, so the gaming franchise came to an end. I feel a more modern release of this game would be incredible. Back in 2009 we had the hustling streets of New York. Imagine that on a modern gaming machine? We got Spider-Man from insomniac Games. I believe if Prototype were to have a remake or remaster, hell, even a new entry, this game would no doubt be full of carnage and destruction, much like the OG’s.
9. The Suffering
Okay, I know, this is a very niche franchise, but hear me out. The suffering came to us in 2004 and the second game, Ties That Bind, came in the following year, 2005. It had such a unique style in terms of monster design and, in terms of horror, this was a game where you couldn’t take your eyes off the screen even though it repulsed you, you just had to keep looking, you know? If we think about it, it would be hard to ever happen as Midway declared bankruptcy and sold most of their assets to Warner Bros Interactive but if there could ever be a franchise to come back for a niche set of gamers, this would be the one to either remaster or remake and get on the market as horror needs its unique titles right now!
8. Killzone
A blockbuster hit for the Playstation in 2004 which saw the Helghast Empire fight against the ISA in multiple hits all the way into 2013! Killzone was last featured on the PS4 where we saw Killzone Shadow Fall make its last stand before we ever saw the franchise again, but why? Guerrilla, the developer, said that “as a studio, we felt we needed to leave this behind, we needed to refresh the palette”. Indeed, they did, as the same studio gave us Horizon Zero Dawn. However, Killzone could be a great modern FP as it gave us a unique story line and solid set pieces where we shot, blasted and ran screaming towards the Helghast Empire!
7. Condemned
Ethan Thomas, the man who was a detective turned Power harbouring Hobo, left us wanting for more after Condemned 2: Bloodshot ended in 2008. Condemned Criminal Origins and Condemned 2: Bloodshot were unique in many ways: a Story where it had twists and turns where no one expected, solid action set pieces, creepy vibes (yes, I’m looking at that creepy abandoned mall where you could trust nothing) and a weird atmosphere where the world around you seemed to leave you feeling lonely and fighting for your life against gangs of criminals and odd characters alike. The second game left us on a cliffhanger, with rumours of Monolith studios wanting to make a third. Will we ever get a modern Condemned game?
6. F.E.A.R
First Encounter Assault Recon, more known as F.E.A.R, and that is what the game gave us in small doses. A supernatural FPS where you were fighting the unknown and are covered in blood and guts at the same time! Monolith also gave us this masterpiece of a franchise which needs to return. However, the closest we got to this game getting a remake was Trepang2, a gory ultraviolent FPS which gave its flowers to F.E.A.R without a doubt! A modern retake on the franchise would be phenomenal with how modern machines can handle everything going on at one time. Look at DOOM, we want more Mono… i mean Warner Bros! Give us a F.E.A.R Reboot!
5. Perfect Dark
Coming in at number 5 here is Perfect dark, and while we have the reboot announced and coming to us at some point, I think it’s safe to say this can still be included on the list. Perfect Dark was a true Sci-Fi masterpiece which came to us in the millennium of 2000. We embarked on an adventure with Joanna Dark, an agent who was on a crash course to stop corporation dataDyne. Perfect Dark had a reboot announced by Xbox Game Studios in 2024, and we are expecting the next game to come back to our screens at some point, but for now we eagerly await more news! Perfect dark holds a small piece of my heart as this was a game which did its own thing and did well for itself, gathering fans and holding a community following even now!
4. Bioshock
2K Would you kindly give me another Bioshock entry PLEASE, we’ve been in rapture, and we’ve been to the flying city of Colombia. We need another entry to the series which could add another unique setting to the Bioshock universe, either giving us more splicers or another bionic machine to gun down! So far, we do have news to expect Bioshock 4 coming potentially in 2026. I personally think 2K could go down the Elizabeth route, potentially picking up on her story or adding to the Bioshock lore and giving us a new setting!
3. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
Sam Fisher, the sly secret operative who gave us espionage and creeps around in the dark with night vision goggles, a reboot in the Splinter Cell franchise would be an absolute must, especially in modern graphics! We recently saw Sam Fisher in the game Rainbow Six Siege as “Zero”, where he looks grey, wrinkly and still moving quickly, sharp and agile with his swift skillset. I think if we got another Splinter Cell game, give us an aged veteran, much like when we got Max Payne 3 where we got an aged Max who could dive around but had to limber back to his feet!
2. Timesplitters
It’s time to split is quoted by the great Sergeant Cortez, the main hero of Timesplitters 2 and Future Perfect, but it seems like the team over at Free Radical did the same with the franchise, but that’s what we thought! A reformed Free Radical team is apparently developing a new Timesplitters game and, honestly, I couldn’t be happier. When I learned of this, the teenager inside of me leapt with joy. The games hold a lot of nostalgia for me, as to me, this is the first game i experienced that had a decently solid story with fun and quirky characters that actually worked, so hopefully, hopefully getting a return to the Timesplitters universe, I cannot wait, and we should hope it comes fast!
1. Left 4 Dead
The one you were all waiting for, Left 4 Dead, the games many of us reminisce about on those cold winter days when we sat and thought about the games that made us laugh in abundance with our friends in a voice chat, the games where we approached the witches with caution. Ah, those were the days. Valve looks to have left this franchise behind, and we got a in my opinion, downgrade in the shape of Back 4 Blood. How a modern game still doesn’t hold a candle to the Left 4 dead games is truly insane, which is why we NEED a return to form from Valve. This is the franchise i would sell my soul to have either rebooted or remastered to feel the nostalgia again!
So there we have it, Top 10 gaming franchises that need to make a comeback, Let us know what you think in the comments below or what franchises do you think should come back?
