The Most Neglected Properties In Video Games

Video Games, like the film industry, is very reciprocal. The same properties come and go. Here is a look at some properties that, despite their popularity, aren’t getting video game love these days.

In no particular order:

Star Fox. Thanks to Nintendo’s recent efforts, Donkey Kong, Kirby, and even Kid Icarus can be crossed off this list. But poor Star Fox, still sitting in the Arwing cockpit in the hangar, waiting for take-off clearance. This flying omnivore hasn’t been seen since 2006′s Star Fox Command for the DS, and 2005′s Assault was his last outing on a console (Gamecube). A re-issue of Star Fox 64 is planned for the 3DS.

Panzer Dragoon. One of the most celebrated video game franchises of the 90′s and early 2000′s has been M.I.A. since 2002. Sega has some weird priorities, opting to shower the market with Monkey Balls (har har), and trying again and again to revitalize their mascot Sonic. I’ll give props to Sega for resurrecting NiGHTS a few years ago (a franchise close to making this list), but Dragoon needs to take flight again.

Perfect Dark/Timesplitters. These shooters were made by Rare or many former Rare devs at Free Radical respectively. Both shooter franchises have been away for over 5 years, which is a shame, as both have earned a lot of credibility with shooter fans.

Chrono Trigger. I’m not an RPG fan myself, but even I am shocked this series hasn’t seen a new iteration since 1999! Meanwhile Final Fantasy has churned one out every 2-4 years (5 total in that 11-year span).

Jet Set Radio. This one is sort of cruel because it seems the current generation of systems finally caught up to the gameplay Jet Set offers. With motion controls and touch screen inputs, the combination of rollerblading and graffiti would seem more intuitive. Another Sega franchise that is benched.

Gauntlet. A name that still holds a lot of weight, even for nostalgic purposes. Despite a few recent outings in 2001 and 2005, the series hasn’t been able to return to the popularity enjoyed during the coin-op Arcade years.

Dino Crisis. This companion franchise to Resident Evil hasn’t been heard from since 2003. I don’t think there are enough games where you can unload a clip of bullets into a Velociraptor. Zombies are hogging all the attention these days.

Army Men. Kidding. Seeing if you were paying attention. That is one series that somehow cranked out a plethora of games no one wanted.

Doom and Quake. I’ll lump these both together as they are literally joined at the hip. Amazingly, it’s been 5 years since Quake IV and 6 years since Doom 3, which is an eternity for a video game franchise. id Software is apparently hard at work on followups to both.

Wing Commander. I have never played this franchise (regrettably, I sat through the movie). This name is unmistakeably huge. You could create any type of space dog-fighting game, slap this name on it, and it would sell.

Road Rash. This is a series that is long overdue for a return. Clearly it has staying power. This franchise has been AWOL for 11 years, last appearing on the N64 in 1999.

Streets of Rage/Final Fight/Double Dragon/TMNT/Battletoads. These brawlers have only seen reissues and ports over the past decade. I suppose the recent HD treatment of Turtles in Time was the ultimate market litmus test for these games. We’ll be waiting a while if the sales from that game are any indication.

Crazy Taxi. It was everywhere in the early 2000′s, and it hasn’t been heard from since 2002 (later versions being ports). It’s a name and franchise that still carries some currency, though I don’t know for how much longer.

Star Wars Battlefront. There is no shortage of Star Wars games, I admit. But this Battlefield/SOCOM-ish franchise hasn’t hit the consoles since 2005, though it has visited the handhelds as recently as last year (Elite Squadron). This is a series that needs to be appreciated on the big screen, as well as Xbox Live or PSN multiplayer.

Killer Instinct. This highly-regarded fighting game hasn’t seen a release since Killer Instinct Gold in 1995 for SNES and 1996 for N64. If people still are asking for a sequel some 16 years after it hit the Arcade, you can tell this was a solid fighter.

Mega Man X. The original Mega Man continues to enjoy all-new 8-bit games, while the 16-bit era X hasn’t seen a new game since 2004.

SSX. A great sports game. I wouldn’t be surprised if EA was readying a followup for Kinect. This franchise was last seen in 2007. (Update: EA has announced a new SSX game)

Half Life 2 Episode 3. Currently neglected by Valve. *Ahem*. If you look at Half Life 2 being 6 years old, then one could surmise we are also long overdue for a Half Life 3.

Yoshi. Yup, the little dinosaur from the mushroom kingdom. This character has some of the most renowned platformers in history in Yoshi’s Island and Yoshi’s Story. Nintendo should give Mario some rest (with 3 major releases on the Wii in as many years) and give Yoshi another solo outing.

Space Channel 5/PaRappa the Rapper. These rhythm games could certainly enjoy some renewed life in Kinect, or even making guest appearances in other franchises (Rock Band, DJ Hero, Dance Dance Revolution). With so many crossovers occurring these days, the fans would eat it up.

Sly Cooper. I won’t list Crash Bandicoot here - he seemed popular by default. But Sly Cooper is another mascot-ish character that had a great trilogy of games, the last one being released in 2005. With Splinter Cell, Metal Gear, and even Batman (Arkham Asylum) being all sneaky and stealthy, there is no shortage of demand for this type of game.

Onimusha. It has been 4 years since a new Onimusha game bowed. This is probably the reality of modern-day game development. Capcom just can’t crank a new one out every 2 years.

Space Quest/King’s Quest. These PC point-and-click adventure games haven’t seen releases since 1995 and 1998 respectively. With the all-new Tales of Monkey Island and the special edition releases of Secret of Monkey Island 1 and 2, the Quest franchises should have been returned to active duty to capitalize on the nostalgia.

Contra. This franchise has seen releases in Japan and on handhelds over the past few years, but no major console iterations in the west since Neo Contra in 2004. Still a hugely popular franchise, and often used as the benchmark to gauge difficulty in games.

Did I omit one or erred in a selection? Let me know.