Console Exclusives That Need A Sequel

 Each console has games that make it special. Microsoft have Halo, Sony has Uncharted and Nintendo have Mario. But what of the franchises that don’t get the game they deserve or are maybe even forgotten? In this article I am going to run through the console exclusives that need a sequel.

Hit the jump for the games!

PlayStation 3 – Monster Hunter
 
Few people know that Monster Hunter was originally a PS2 game. The series was received with moderate success before going PSP exclusive with Monster Hunter Freedom at which point it gained a level of success in Japan that has turned it into a cultural phenomenon. In Europe and the US Monster Hunter is a niche series that has been released on the wrong platforms. Sure the PSP is huge in Japan, regularly out selling every other console each week but in US and to a lesser extent Europe the PSP hasn’t had the same success.
 
The PS3 is different. If a new Monster Hunter game was released on PS3 it could have online, updated graphics, a huge open world and the full use of the PS3 controller. These are all things that western gamers like so it would surely be a recipe for success? It looks like Capcom are going for this with Dragon’s Dogma and I hope it is a success. Perhaps we could get a full-fledged Monster Hunter PS3 sequel if it is.
 
Xbox 360 – Banjo-Kazooie
 
Microsoft bought an amazing studio in Rare, they have a plethora of AAA games under their belts and now they’re making Avatar clothes. This isn’t right. It seems as though Rare’s last chance was with Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts back in 2008. Sure the game only sold 140,000 units in its first two months in the US but this is a series that deserves a second chance. After all, the game is brilliant. I’d contend that it is one of the best Xbox 360 games ever. It is a unique, fun game that is a prime example of why the 360 dominated the hardcore console space for so long.
 
Give Rare the chance to make the Banjo-Kazooie game that they want, be it platformer or direct sequel to Nuts & Bolts and I know it will be a great game. Farm Kinect Sports 2 off to another developer. Leave Rare to make their best franchise great again.
 
PSP – Final Fantasy VII
 
Not technically a sequel I know. The Final Fantasy remake ‘series’ has been spectacular on the DS even though we are only up to Final Fantasy IV, now that IV is out on PSP we can get the rest, right? The extra horsepower of the PSP would make for a perfect remake of Final Fantasy VII done in a similar way to the previous remake of IV. A version of VII done in the pseudo over the shoulder style of the previous DS remakes would add a lot to the game that has been so beloved for so many years.
 
Square Enix could do a Final Fantasy VII collection ala the IV collection that was recently released on PSP. With a few graphical upgrades and perhaps the different camera perspective of the DS games I am sure a remake of VII on PSP could not only feel completely fresh but also draw in a new audience to the Final Fantasy series.
 
Nintendo DS/3DS –Pokémon Snap
 
It is well documented that I am a huge Pokémon fan and, in all honesty, I have now written about three different games that need a sequel on DS before remembering Pokémon. So here is attempt number four.
 
Pokémon Snap is one of the most beloved spin off Pokémon games and for some ungodly reason a sequel has never seen the light of day in the twelve years since it first released for the N64. Not only has the Pokémon series gone from strength to strength in the past 12 years but also the introduction of the cameras on the DSi cried out for this game to receive a sequel. That was three years ago though, we have the 3DS now. Augmented Reality anyone? A new Pokémon Snap game on 3DS could feature a game similar to the N64 original and a separate mode where you photograph the Pokémon in the real world using features similar to how Augmented Reality on the 3DS works.  Maybe this will be the new Pokémon game that is due to be announced in the next month or so, fingers crossed.
 
Nintendo Wii/HD – Super Smash Bros
 
Ah the Wii, had the announcement of the Nintendo HD not been made already I probably would have skipped the Wii, alas a new Nintendo console that is more traditional could actually turn a misguided Wii game into a stellar franchise. That franchise is already pretty stellar though, Super Smash Bros is one of the most revered franchises that Nintendo has. Pitting characters from different Nintendo franchises against each other, who doesn’t love that?
 
Traditionally there has been one Smash Bros game on each Nintendo home console since it’s inception on the N64, it is safe to say that there won’t be another game on the Wii but with the new Nintendo console under a year a way and fighting games once again going from strength to strength it would seem silly for Nintendo not to have a new Smash Bros game on the horizon. As somebody who doesn’t play fighting games – my first proper foray into fighting games being SSFIV 3DS – a Super Smash Bros on the new Nintendo console would be a game that almost certainly got me interested in the genre (Pikachu!). Not only do I have a connection with most of the characters already but the Wii control barrier that has stopped me from playing Brawl would be gone and we’d have a real fighting game on a Nintendo home system again.
 
P.S: I wrote the Monster Hunter entry weeks before today’s (May 22nd) announcement of the PS3 remake. Eat your heart out Michael Pachter.