Feature: The 49 Best Sequel-Less Games Subscribe to this RSS feed
While store shelves may be glutted with Maddens, Tony Hawks, and Calls of Duty, there are many games that never got a Part 2. Check out the 49 Best Sequel-Less Games!
For us, games are about fun. We explore new worlds, frag foes in multiplayer mayhem, level up and play just one more turn before bed. For publishers, games are just disk-shaped cash. When a game does well, you can be sure you'll see sequels, expansion packs and remakes to harvest more cash from a successful start. Flops, on the other hand, never see the light of day again.
Go ahead; try to think of a game that hasn't been extended or remade. Sid Meier's Pirates! was richly reincarnated. Pitfall Harry returned for a new, uninspired adventure. Even the classic, button-mashing Decathlon has come back again and again. If you strain, you might come up with one or two, offhand. We've got 49 for you... a list of the 49 best games ever made that never had a sequel.
With so much room for argument, let's be clear about the ground rules. We've not only excluded games with sequels, but also expansion packs and remakes. Games that have been ported to multiple platforms are fine, but not games from gigantic franchises. You may want to see a sequel for a classic Star Wars or D&D game, but those don't count for this list. There are no games here from 2006 or later, because if you liked it, there's probably a sequel on the way. Finally, massively multiplayer online games are right out. Their constantly updated content smells too much like other games' sequels and expansions.
Before you scream that we missed your favorite classic, give that game a good Googling. A lot of classics have easily forgotten sequels or follow-on games that quickly shed the prequel's name. For example, Kid Icarus had a sequel you might have missed (Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters) and Maniac Mansion was followed by a game (Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle) that many have forgotten was a sequel. Also, several of your faves, like NiGHTS Into Dreams and StarCraft, have sequels in the works. Enough talk! On with the 49 Best Sequel-Less Games!
Table of Contents
Page 1....49-41
Page 2...40-31
Page 3....30-21
Page 4....20-11
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49- XIII (PC, Xbox, PS2, GC)
An amnesiac man with a tattoo of "XIII" - the Roman numeral 13 - awakens on a beach, thinking he just shot the President of the United States. This first-person shooter based on a popular comic rocked the boat with its graphic novel-like art and amazing soundtrack. Never did a game make sniping more fun than when individual frames saw your victim slump and fall out of the rafters.
Despite its high points, XIII suffered from its painful save system and the unusually expressionless voice acting of David Duchovny. Poor sales mean that a sequel is unlikely to bring the game through the full plot of the comic.
48- Forsaken (N64, PS, PC)
Following a fusion accident, Earth was condemned, leaving it open to salvage by every mercenary and muscle man that can defeat the remaining robotic sentries. This early multiplayer first-person shooter provided the fun of an Unreal Tournament, but not the sequels.
With so many dark future shooters out there and the dark pall hanging over so many of Acclaim's former properties (Hi Turok!), there's no reason to expect someone to remake this Forsaken shooter.
47- Uniracers (SNES)
There are lots of motorcycle and auto racing games, but Uniracers let SNES owners race riderless unicycles in an early trick racing game. One-wheeled tricks were challenging, but increased the unicycle's speed to beat AI unicycles.
There are no sequels known and none forseen. The unicycle gimmick was unusual, so where would a sequel go? Would it include juggling clowns? Worms with rocket launchers?
46- Disruptor (PS)
After Doom captured gamers' attention, the market was glutted with first-person shooters. Disruptor was part of that crowd, distinguishing itself with psionic attacks and amusing cut-scenes.
Disruptor was entertaining enough to be remembered, but not remarkable enough to be remade. If you want action games with psionics, 2004 brought plenty more like Psi-Ops to newer platforms.
45- Conquest of the New World (PC, Mac)
As the 15th century comes to a close, five European nations and one indigenous power compete to settle the New World using turn-based play that mixes a combat mini-game with Civilization-type expansion.
There have been other games of colonization, but no remakes or sequels that quite hit the balance of discovery and sustainable colonization as Conquest of the New World.
44- Burning Rangers (Saturn)
In a frenzy of futuristic firefighting, players join The Burning Rangers to rescue those trapped by fires. Once the game is completed, randomly generated levels offer emergency response replay.
Although it was referenced in Phantasy Star Online, Burning Rangers hasn't received a sequel. The world of firefighting isn't often explored in gaming, which is a shame, seeing as how the real thing is intense and ripe for adaptation.
43- General Chaos (Genesis)
This arcade-style game of comical squad-based tactics made for entertaining multiplayer brawls (if you had the multiplayer hardware to wage war). The graphics may have been primitive, but the mayhem was blissfully barbaric.
General Chaos is another potential franchise that got lost in the sands of time. Not enough gamers remember it fondly to bring back the name, and there are plenty of equally entertaining modern equivalents, like Battalion Wars.
42- Red Dead Revolver (Xbox, PS2)
When Red Harlow's parents were murdered by the minions off General Diego, it became certain that Red would grow up to star in a shooter. Playing like an amalgamation of Max Payne and "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", Red Dead Revolver took spaghetti-western stories to a new level of console game.
Published by Rockstar after being saved from development limbo at Capcom, rumors abound that Red Dead Revolver will get a sequel. Sadly, games set in the Wild West rarely catch a decent case of sequel-itis, so think of Red next time you get the big end of the wishbone.
41- Sunset Riders (SNES, Genesis)
Four bounty hunters collect cash for corralling criminals in this arcade shooter. While both versions captured the Wild Western shooting fun of the coin-op original, the Genesis port cut corners.
The lack of a sequel isn't so disappointing in this case. Sunset Riders is a classic, but like NARC, any remake is likely to ruin our memories of great gun-toting, horseback riding joy.
