Successful Franchises Dead!

[HyruleHero]

Do you like to make $$$$. ? I do.... Well what about the fact that there are a ton of extremely popular franchises that are either not around or weakly represented? If some of these companies would wake up they would realize there is a market for some of these franchises. I will list some below.... I would like everyone to follow suit as well. 5

The one I start with Star Wars:The knights of the Old Republic. Yes there is "The Old Republic series....but I don't like MMOs. Below is the rest....

1) Conker
2) Mega Man
3)Adventue Island
4) Jedi Knight Series(Kyle Katarn)
5)Castlevania (anybody)
6)Bubble Bobble

Thera are just a few....but I am sure there are tons.. I don't know about you guys but I would check out and possibly buy any new entry in these series.....lSt but not least. (Ghost and Goblins anyone .....Sir Arthur

[Parodius Duh!]

I agree with Castlevania, they really need to stop dumping out SoTN wannabes on handhelds and stop with the terrible 3D home console titles. I honestly feel as though Castlevania is dead at this point, they can not make a sequel better than SoTN, so do not attempt anything until you have an awesome sequel down to a tee.

[The 1 2 P]

Yes Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic is pretty much dead. However, TOR hasn't been nearly as successful as EA and Bioware were expecting so maybe theres hope for a return. Jade Empire also became a platinum hits title for Bioware before being shelved. But my top game would of course be Syphon Filter. And no, PS2 remakes of PSP games don't count. We are 7 years into this current gen and no new Syphon Filter(a series that has sold millions)? WTF Sony. So my short list:

1. Syphon Filter
2. Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic
3. Jade Empire
4. Bust A Groove

I'm not sure how successful BAG was but it managed 2 sequels so it had to sell atleast decent enough for that. I would love a new version and even downloadable ones of the first three on XBLA. But thats pretty much never going to happen.

[Captain_N77]

1) Final Fight! One of my favorite series ever. I know the last one on PS2/XBX was a dud and flopped, but from everything I've been able to gather...it should have flopped.
2) Shenmue. Just scale back the sales expectations and the budget a bit and it can be a money maker.
3) Burgertime. World Tour does not count.
4) Tapper/Root Beer Tapper. Again, World Tour does not count.
5) Robotron. Was Robotron 64 the last in this series?

[Leo_A]

Some of these selections are odd. Releases that did poorly or things that could barely even be considered a franchise (Tapper for example, it was a single game until a poorly done cell phone game was programmed... and the person that listed it said that doesn't count). And when was Conker ever a successful franchise?

You have a mediocre GBC release, a late N64 release that was a sales failure, and a Xbox rerelease that was meant to give the title a second chance (It was believed that the late release it had on the N64 was why it wasn't selling) that sold even worse.

I think Half-Life is a prime example for this thread. A very successful series with plenty of demand for a sequel that has been left lying dormant (From a public's point of view at least) for years.

[Tupin]

I agree with Half-Life. Unless you follow gaming news obsessively, it seems like its been a long time since the last one and it doesn't appear like another one will be coming soon.

I'm honestly surprised Sega hasn't given Alex Kidd another shot, maybe their mediocre NiGHTS reboot scared them away from it?

Shenmue sadly wouldn't do too well in the modern gaming landscape. Not after people have played Grand Theft Auto and Saint's Row, which made people want a very different kind of sandbox game.

[Captain_N77]

Some of these selections are odd. Releases that did poorly or things that could barely even be considered a franchise (Tapper for example, it was a single game until a poorly done cell phone game was programmed... and the person that listed it said that doesn't count). And when was Conker ever a successful franchise?

You have a mediocre GBC release, a late N64 release that was a sales failure, and a Xbox rerelease that was meant to give the title a second chance (It was believed that the late release it had on the N64 was why it wasn't selling) that sold even worse.

I think Half-Life is a prime example for this thread. A very successful series with plenty of demand for a sequel that has been left lying dormant (From a public's point of view at least) for years.

When I said Tapper World Tour didn't count, that was obviously my comment on the abysmal quality of the game. Tapper qualifies as a gaming franchise, and at one time was quite successful with various ports and re-brandings of the original. Yes, World Tour is a part of the Tapper franchise, but not anything near being a worthy successor to the classic game.

And you are really stretching by saying Conker doesn't belong. The N64 release was not the blockbuster they had hoped for, but it sold a decent amount. The XBX release sold a similar amount. And how does a mediocre GBC release help disqualify Conker from being a franchise that's had some (admittedly) modest success? Just for the record, I never enjoyed CBFD for the 64, but I believe it fits the bill for this thread.

[Jorpho]

Do you like to make $$$$. ? I do.... Well what about the fact that there are a ton of extremely popular franchises that are either not around or weakly represented? If some of these companies would wake up they would realize there is a market for some of these franchises.

Oh, come on! Of course companies are interested in making money. "These companies" have giant marketing departments and considerable resources available to determine what is "extremely popular" and for what a "market" exists that is worth spending development dollars on. Someone at Taito has undoubtedly looked into the matter and determined that money is better spent on other things aside from developing a new Bubble Bobble game at this time.

[Aussie2B]

I agree with, Jorpho. The market shifts over time, so what was once successful many years ago wouldn't necessarily be successful in the current market (and as Leo_A pointed out, some of the titles mentioned thus far weren't exactly "successful" in a commercial sense in the first place). Sure, companies make boneheaded decisions sometimes, but I'd say, by and large, they do use sound judgment in determining what best to develop and what isn't worth the investment. If any gamers have a problem with that, then you can only blame your fellow fans. Consumers have to demonstrate that the demand is there. If more people bought games in the franchises mentioned in this topic, I bet the majority of them would still be going strong.

[Greg2600]

1) Conker
2) Mega Man
3)Adventue Island
4) Jedi Knight Series(Kyle Katarn)
5)Castlevania (anybody)
6)Bubble Bobble

Only so many games can be made for Adventure Island/Wonder Boy or Bubble Bobble, with both being largely restricted to side scrolling or one screen. Mega Man never transitioned from 2D, for some reason. Conker is dated, and really nothing from RARE not owned by Nintendo has been successful, possibly somewhat do to the Nintendo vs. Microsoft ownership fight. Castlevania I thought was still successful...

Jedi Knight (FPS) and X-Wing (space shooter) were the best Star Wars games ever made, but like with everything else, GL forced the move to pre-quel era, and LucasArts was disbanded later. A great loss.

[CelticJobber]

I'd like to see these franchises make a comeback:

1. Streets of Rage
2. Jet Set Radio
3. Final Fight
4. Double Dragon
5. Wizards & Warriors

[treismac]

Even though it wasn't as big over here in North America and we didn't see as many of the releases, I'd love to see a resurrection of the Kunio series (River City Ransom, Crash n' the Boys, Super Dodgeball)!!! There was supposed to be a River City Ransom 2 coming out summer 2011 but nothing has hit this side of the Pacific yet. Dammit and again I say dammit.

[Tron 2.0]

I'd like to see these franchises make a comeback:
4. Double Dragon

Double Dragon Neon is coming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myYb8XA5hHk

[Gameguy]

There's Pong, that used to be a popular franchise back in the 70's with tons of official variants and sequels made.

Of course I'm not that desperate to see franchises continue to release new sequels every few years, I'd rather they stop making them before people start hating them.

[Aussie2B]

Of course I'm not that desperate to see franchises continue to release new sequels every few years, I'd rather they stop making them before people start hating them.

Same. There have been very, very few instances in which I really wanted a game to get a sequel. I mean, there's no knowing if a sequel would be any good, so I'm just happy with what I do enjoy. If more games come out that I enjoy, great. If bad games come out and sour the franchise for me a bit, that sucks. And if the series sees no new games, that's fine. I'll just look elsewhere for games to enjoy. Even if every game in a franchise is good, there's still definitely such a thing as too much of a good thing. I wouldn't want a series I like to get totally milked, to the point that I get burnt out and sick of it, even if it's still technically good. Unless the sequels are COMPLETELY unrelated, which would defeat the purpose of a sequel, they're going to start to feel derivative at some point. It's like with the Katamari games. The games past We <3 Katamari are decent fun, but they don't have the same magic as the original (and the sequel to a slightly lesser degree) because they're just not treading any new ground.

[kupomogli]

There's a really good version of Pong on LBP2. It's multiplayer as well, although sometimes screws up when playing online.

[Robocop2]

Second TJ&E I know the 3rd was kind of lackluster but I still enjoyed it. Honestly those games are more fun 2 player than they are single player in general and with the expanded online presence these days I could see some sort of online co-op being a nice addition to the series.

I'd also personally like to see a return of the Godzilla fighting game series. Honestly, not alot one could do with it that hasn't already been done and the last one was kind of a stinker but I've always enjoyed them and actually DAMM was one of the primary reasons I bought an Xbox.

Also, Stubbs the Zombie. If you could call one game a franchise which I believe is kind of broad but still I"d love to see another one of these.

[Peonpiate]

Kid Icarus.

What ever happened to that series ?

[Hwj_Chim]

Jedi Knight (FPS) and X-Wing (space shooter) were the best Star Wars games ever made, but like with everything else, GL forced the move to pre-quel era, and LucasArts was disbanded later. A great loss.

This! an new X Wing vs Tie fighter game would be very cool.

[wiggyx]

Call me crazy, but I loved and still love Battle Clash and Metal Combat. The Wii is about the perfect platform from which to resurrect that franchise IMO.

Banjo Kazooie. I enjoyed Nuts & Bolts, but, like many others, I have been obsessed with the whole stop 'n' swop feature that never came to fruition. I think the idea of taking what you found in one game over to the next is an idea that hasn't been explored to its full potential. Sure, I was able to transfer a few cars and whatnot form Forza 3 to 4, and other games have had similar features, but I want what Banjo 1 & 2 seemed to be offering; new levels, features, items, whatever, and not just useless nick-nacks like in Nuts & Bolts. Also, I think all 3 titles are great platformers regardless.

As mentioned by others, Jet Set/Grind Radio is too awesome to let die.

Katamari. Was so unique and fresh when it launched, but every release since has been almost the EXACT same material repackaged as if it were a "new" title. Some young designer at Namco that hasn't been beaten down by decades of bureaucracy needs to take interest and infuse some fresh ideas into it.

Last and most certainly NOT least, Panzer Dragoon, in either shooter or RPG style. Both were fantastic.

[TonyTheTiger]

I object to Mega Man and Castlevania being on a list like this solely because they're still extremely relevant. Although arguably Castlevania in name only, it just had a rather well received 3D action game in addition to the recent handheld entries being highly praised. And Mega Man 9 and 10 were making record or near record numbers for download only titles. Now Mega Man Legends is another story.

Franchises that were once successful that just straight up died would be the likes of Earthworm Jim, Streets of Rage, Final Fight, and Panzer Dragoon.

[wiggyx]

I object to Mega Man and Castlevania being on a list like this solely because they're still extremely relevant. Although arguably Castlevania in name only, it just had a rather well received 3D action game in addition to the recent handheld entries being highly praised. And Mega Man 9 and 10 were making record or near record numbers for download only titles. Now Mega Man Legends is another story.

Franchises that were once successful that just straight up died would be the likes of Earthworm Jim, Streets of Rage, Final Fight, and Panzer Dragoon.

A LOT of people, including myself, feel that MM has been severely neglected in the last few years.

[The 1 2 P]

2. Jet Set Radio
4. Double Dragon

Jet Set Radio is about to get a rerelease on XBLA and PSN and theres also a Double Dragon remake(Double Dragon Neon) hitting both those systems from Way Forward this summer. A Double Dragon 2 remake was announced for XBLA last year but I think it got stuck in development hell.

Franchises that were once successful that just straight up died would be the likes of Panzer Dragoon.

There is a spiritual successor coming out for Kinect called Crimson Dragon. No release date has been announced yet.

[Graham Mitchell]

I actually like the handheld Castlevania releases. They're gorgeous, well-made, and true to the roots of the open-end style games. The console games, however (Lords of Shadow included) are pieces of shit.

Harmony of Dissidence was okay, but a better single-player feature would have been appreciated.

The OP mentioned Bubble Bobble, and I agree with that. There's Bubble Bobble live on XBLA just happens to forget to add online multiplayer. They could have had a hit on their hands if they got that right.

I'll add Puzzle Bobble to that list as well. The newer Bust-A-Move games are terrible. They lack style and the proper ambience, mostly. Nothing beats Bust-A-Move Again on the Neo Geo.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

There's certainly been enough interest in arcade classics and compilations for somebody to get whatever rights/distribution/et al in order to get a Mr. Do! collection together or at least make the individual games available in online marketplaces.

Universal still exists in some form and Namco had the rights for Java versions on mobile phones several years ago, but it's unclear at the moment what if anything is holding things up.

While the Do! games didn't have the staying power from generation to generation in comparison to offerings from Nintendo, Namco and other companies in the 80s and 90s (with the last home versions being SNES and GameBoy), I think that there's still enough recognition to warrant a re-release/resurrection.