I love video games, no surprise there. But one downside to loving video games is that I often want more of them to play, and sometimes, more of specific games. And yet, for every game series that gets a million sequels (looking at you, Mister Mario), there’s the games that just get forgotten about. No sequels, no spinoffs, nothing. That makes me pretty sad, especially given how fantastic so many of these games are. So, in honor of that, here’s a list of 10 games that I’d be ecstatic to get sequels to one day!
Let’s hop into it!
10) Star Wars Battlefront 3
I know that Star Wars Battlefront 2 caught a lot of flack when it released (and that’s putting it lightly, because not only was the hate deserved, but it received worldwide mainstream media attention and has spurred countless lawsuits and new legal policies regarding lootboxes). But by the time they finished updating it, it was a super fun game. Addicting, immersive, and with plenty of characters, maps, and content. Isn’t it baffling that we never got a sequel? Star Wars is such a huge franchise filled with potential. Where are my Clone Wars characters, my Rebels maps, my Andor campaign missions? Where’s all my amazing The High Republic content? Why haven’t we gotten another game yet, when there’s just about an infinite number of things you could do with this formula?
9) Code Vein 2
You caught me. I won’t even try to deny it. The main reason I want a sequel to Code Vein is because the original game’s character creator is one of the best of all time, and a sequel’s expanded options would be even more amazing. Sure, yes, I love Code Vein has a game too. It’s an extremely solid Soulslike that did just about everything right except for relatively simplistic level design (which isn’t to say there weren’t a few bangers). The story was iffy, but the boss fights were fun! So I’d like more of that, true, but above all I just wanted to see what a sequel’s worth of extra character creation options could bring! Above all, please more hairstyles and outfits, thanks! Oh, also, Code Vein had a really good soundtrack, so I’d want another one just as great for this game too!
8) A Real Overwatch 2
Alright, let’s clear up the inherent confusion here, because obviously there is a game called Overwatch 2. The thing is, the entire reason Overwatch 2 exists is because it was going to be the next big huge jump in the franchise. An entire full-length campaign, story mode missions, character-specific missions, new modes with new abilities and level-up mechanics. It was going to be beautiful and crazy…and we got none of that. Overwatch 2 is a failure of a video game in nearly every way, but above all is it’s inability to deliver on basically every single thing that was promised would come in the sequel. So can we please get the real Overwatch 2 some day (the sad answer is that we won’t, but I can still hope and dream, can’t I?)? It’s genuinely crazy how far Overwatch as a franchise has fallen since it’s glory days. Pretty sad.
7) Kid Icarus Uprising 2
This one is genuinely the longest-shot out of everything on this list, specifically because the creator of Kid Icarus Uprising (Masahiro Sakurai) has gone on record saying that he has no plans for a sequel. But, like with my Real Overwatch 2 thing above, I’m allowed to hope and dream! Honestly, I’m not even sure what sort of story you’d tell with a sequel to Kid Icarus Uprising, given how lengthy, crazy, and unique the first game’s plot was. I really just want to experience this world, it’s characters, and this specific flavor of game design again. The flying sections into the ground levels, the bombastic boss battles, the jaw-droppingly good soundtrack, the unique control scheme (seriously, I never had complaints with it)…I just want all of it again, but dressed up prettier in a brand new adventure! Heck, I’d take a Switch 2 port with a few new added bonuses at this point!
6) Nioh 3
As my pandemic lockdown game of choice, I put an unholy amount of time into Nioh 2, and I’ve been eager for a sequel ever since. The Nioh games are often described as being half-Souls and half-Diablo, and that’s pretty accurate. They play like a Dark Souls game on steroids, and enemies explode into a confetti of loot like it’s the old days of dungeon-crawling with your buddies. It’s a strange mix, but it works really well, and it’s hyper-addictive in the best possible way. More pressing, the series was really on an upswing. The first entry was strong, but the sequel is one of my favorite games of all time, and improved every possible aspect of the formula. So why don’t we have Nioh 3 to refine that even more? I sure as heck know that the ravenous Nioh-loving fanbase (myself included) would devour it for hundreds of hours more!
5) Fire Emblem Warriors 2 and/or Hyrule Warriors 2
So, this one might be confusing. Not only have I squished two games into one spot, but both of these games kinda do have sequels (or at least spinoffs). The thing is, those spinoffs (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, and the recently-announced Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment) aren’t anything like the games that originated them. They have a bigger emphasis on dramatic storytelling and world-building. Which is cool and all, but you know what you really cut out by doing it the way that they did? You cut out on the fun part of this whole thing!
Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors are some of the most addicting, fun, and (admittedly) mindless games of all time, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You could play them each for hundreds of hours (and I have) without getting bored. A massive roster of eclectic characters. A big celebration of a franchise and it’s history, lore, and Easter eggs. A standout and near-perfect soundtrack. Those two games had it all, and nearly all of that was lost in the spinoffs that are, while still decent games, wildly lacking. And the Zelda and Fire Emblem franchises still have so much more to give! Why can’t we get actual proper sequels here? The fans need more of Lana!
Okay, maybe that last part’s just for me…
4) Valkyria Chronicles 5
The fact that this game doesn’t exist is actually extremely sad, and I have no idea as to why we don’t have it yet. Maybe the previous installments didn’t sell particularly well? They sure did review pretty well, and anytime Valkyria Chronicles discourse ever comes up online, it’s always pretty positive (unless it’s about some of the character changes made in the anime adaptation of the first game). I thought this series was something people really enjoyed, and yet we’re over SEVEN years out from the last entry. Am I really doomed to only see this series in a fleeting glimpse during the SEGA-branded intro before each new Sonic movie?
It’s a shame, because there really isn’t any other video game out there that plays like Valkyria Chronicles, and this series has such an addicting and amazing feeling to it! The perfect fusion between tactical strategy and real-time combat is something that’s hard to describe, but it just clicks within seconds of trying it for yourself. And that’s not even to get into how gorgeous these games are, how great the soundtracks are, and how stunning the storytelling is. Can’t we please have more? There’s so much more wartime ground to cover!
3) Freedom Planet 3
Out of most of the games on this list, this is one that probably will exist one day…the question is when. Both of the previous entries were primarily crowdfunded endeavors that took years to cross the finish line. The end results were, of course, worth it…but I don’t think my heart can take waiting another 5+ years for Freedom Planet 3! I want it right now, gosh darn it! Oh well, I suppose I’ll just have to do my millionth playthrough of Freedom Planet 2 as Carol again…gee, what a horrible thing to have to do…
In all seriousness, the third entry is practically guaranteed after how the sequel ended, teeing up for a climactic rematch against the original game’s big bad, Lord Brevon. And I simply can’t wait to finally get the game into my hands, no matter how many years it takes. Freedom Planet 2 evolved so much of what made the first game nearly perfect, and I can only imagine how much craziness the third entry will pack in on top of that. This is one of those rare gems that even if I hype it up like crazy for the next few years, I know it’ll still somehow surpass my sky-high expectations!
2) A Hat In Time 2
Like a lot of other games on this list, there’s no real big surprise here. It’s my favorite 3D platformer of all time, of course I want a sequel! I simply can’t imagine a world wherein I can’t ever play as Hat Kid in all her glory (as talked about in the article from the other week) in brand new levels. Sure, there’s an active modding scene for this game, which is great. I’ve been enjoying that (big fan of the power up that lets you act like the heroine from Celeste, as well as the level that is just one-to-one from Super Mario Galaxy.
But it isn’t the same as a brand new game! And for a series as wacky as this, the sky is practically the limit as to what sorts of shenanigans can occur! We’ve already had a movie studio run by birds, a mafia of evil cats, and a haunted woods led by a charismatic silhouette ghost! Let’s get more wackiness, more hilarious dialogue and acting, more awesome music, and more unmatched platforming fun!
1) Xenoblade Chronicles X 2
I would’ve put this game at the top of the list even without the remake of Xenoblade Chronicles X just the other week. It’s one of my favorite games of all time, and its impeccably designed open world formula is ripe with opportunity for sequel after sequel. Heck, to be honest, I’d take spiritual sequels too, set on other wild alien planets!
The core gameplay ideas here are simply too strong to gloss over and ignore. The freedom, the unfathomably deep combat, the dozens of hours of engrossing side content, the greatest open world design of all time with worthwhile secrets around every corner. This game does it all, and I know that the developing wizards responsible for it could do just as amazing (if not even more so) with some sequels in the same style.
And hey, the Switch 2 is just around the corner? If the recent remaster does well (which it’s certainly on track for), we just may have a sequel on our hands in a few years! And if we do, you can bet I’ll be lined up on day one to dive into another incredible adventure!
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 