The video game industry is much like the movie industry.
You can have a hit game loved by both fans and critics alike, but sometimes the stars don’t align and the series ends on a high note with no sequel – much to fans’ frustration.
So we’ve gathered a list of games across all video game platforms that are so special they were 100% deserving of a sequel, but just never got it.
Shadow of the Colossus (PlayStation 2 + HD Remasters)
Originally released back in 2005, Shadow of the Colossus is the one game on this list that is likely on a lot of people’s best game ever lists.
Considering that alone, you’d think someone would have given it a sequel.
In Shadow of the Colossus, you play a character who hunts enormous creatures called you guessed it – a colossus. Being such a respected game, it was allegedly the inspiration for a few other best games ever such as God of War and Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild.
Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360 + HD Remasters)
Released in 2009, originally conceived as a form of campaign downloadable content for Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST is the only installment (besides the Halo Wars series) where you don’t play the part as a super soldier in the Spartan program and that of a “normal” soldier known as an ODST – Orbital Drop Shock Trooper.
For this list, we wanted to stick with games that were the first in their respective franchises and did not continue, but Halo 3: ODST is impossible to ignore.
It’s a first in its own right and really just shares the universe of Halo and the name of its third installment – Halo 3.
There was definitely a missed opportunity with this one.
L.A. Noire (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, + HD Remasters)
In 2011, Rockstar Games released L.A. Noire and it was so revolutionary with its storytelling that it became the first video game at the Tribeca Film Festival.
In the game, you play a member of the Los Angeles Police Department solving crime in a realistic way.
How it plays is certainly worthy of awards, but the visuals really take the cake.
Set in 1947, L.A. Noire featured an open-world near-perfect representation of Los Angeles, California.
Along with the setting, L.A. Noire featured unique motion capture technology which basically imprinted every emotion of the voice actor digitally.
Alan Wake (Xbox 360 + HD Remasters)
If you’re a fan of Alan Wake, you might be wondering how this made the list.
I think true fans of Alan Wake would agree that American Nightmare stood on its own and was not a true sequel to the original game.
Released in 2012, in Alan Wake, you take the reigns of the titular Alan Wake, a writer with writer’s block, who finds himself battling a dark presence with whatever he can find.
No matter how easy you scare, Alan Wake definitely kept you on the edge of your seat.
Jet Force Gemini (Nintendo 64)
The Nintendo 64 is just filled with nostalgia nowadays.
Everyone is quick to mention Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, or Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but there is one game that always ends up on someone’s underrated games list from the 90s – Jet Force Gemini.
In Jet Force Gemini, you take control of a three-character team to fight off a horde of insects.
As the game was created by the team that made GoldenEye 007 there is also a multiplayer deathmatch-like option.
What have I missed?
