In an era of gaming where Advance Wars can somehow make a return after a thirteen-year hiatus and Dead Space can be revived after skipping an entire console generation, pretty much any game could make a big comeback nowadays. Dormant franchises are making comebacks left and right through remasters, remakes, reboots, and long-awaited sequels. Double Fine recently released their long-awaited sequel to the cult classic Psychonauts (16 years after the original) and it looks like Saints Row is returning in the form of a reboot. Literally any franchise can make a big comeback, but just because some do, doesn’t mean it always works out.
Maybe you see a rumor or two streak across social media or see an article about a dormant franchise being revived and developed under a new studio, but it’s never a surefire thing until the game is in your hands. Even then, we’ve seen beloved franchises attempt to make a booming return only for it to underwhelm – Shenmue, Battletoads, Star Wars: Battlefront, Mass Effect easily come to mind first. If a big, beloved franchise is going to make a comeback, it definitely needs to mean something. So, as many big-name franchises await their chance at a comeback, it’s time to go over the top five gaming franchises that NEED to return…and return big.
5. Mario Baseball
With Mario Golf: Super Rush and Mario Tennis: Aces being middling entries in their respective franchises, Mario Sports games need to mean something again and a reentry into Mario Baseball could be the answer. Given the immense popularity of the Gamecube’s Mario Superstar Baseball and the solid reception of Mario Super Sluggers, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher as to how we haven’t seen a Mario Baseball game in over a decade. Mario Sports games have always been a beloved Mario spin-off series and one that fans will always rally around when a new entry rears its head.
There’s so much potential for new characters, stadiums, and themes that a new Mario Baseball could touch on with so many new Mario games being released since Super Sluggers, and it could fix some of the criticisms of newer Mario Sports games. It would have to have a meatier roster given the usual roster size of past Mario Baseball games and could feature a lot of characters for fans to mix up their teams with. It could also feature the stronger, more accurate motion controls Nintendo always seems to want to have that Aces and Super Rush don’t. It’s been far too long since fans have been able to step up to the plate and crack a homerun with their favorite Mario characters and it’s time that Mario Baseball makes a grand return. Also, it wouldn’t hurt if Mario Strikers made a return as well.
4. Killer Instinct
In the ongoing debate between X-Box and PlayStation’s superiority, there’s actually one exclusive that X-Box has over PlayStation – Killer Instinct. PlayStation’s attempt at a fighting game with PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale never made an impact in the fighting game community like X-Box’s Killer Instinct has. Although Rare debuted the arcade fighting game in 1994, most people are likely familiar with Iron Galaxy’s 2013 reboot that debuted exclusively on X-Box One in its early launch days. Almost as if no time had passed, the fanbase instantly rallied around the reboot and Killer Instinct quickly gained a resurgence within the fighting game community. So, what gives Microsoft? Where’s a sequel?
Well, there’s still no answer and no sequel in sight. The last time the reboot saw any attention was when Eagle was added to roster back in 2017 and there’s been no talk of Microsoft bringing the franchise back. In a time where Microsoft is making a big initiative to have a strong first-party lineup, it’s actually kind of baffling to me that Killer Instinct seems to not be a part of that initiative. As said before, it’s a genuinely unique kind of first-party exclusive that PlayStation, arguably Microsoft’s biggest competitor, doesn’t have and is a game that actually garnered Microsoft some favor during the X-Box One’s launch struggles. Not to mention, with PlayStation’s recent purchase of EVO, the most prolific fighting game tournament in the industry, Killer Instinct could be vital in Microsoft keeping a hold on the most ever-growing community in gaming. There’s no time more crucial and meaningful than now for Killer Instinct to make a killer return.
3. Sly Cooper
Speaking of PlayStation. Hey PlayStation, you’ve done such a great job bringing back longtime mascots like Ratchet and Clank, Kratos, Sackboy, and Nathan Drake throughout different console generations and giving them new adventures along the way. Now, can you please do something for my guy Sly Cooper, it’s been far too long. Look, it was cool seeing him show up Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart through the new RYNO, but it doesn’t fill the hole in fans’ hearts about Sly Cooper not seeing a game since Thieves in Time back in 2013. With Ratchet and Clank having such a strong resurgence, why can’t another animal-based mascot return to join the fun?
Now, obviously with original developer Sucker Punch working on Ghost of Tsushima stuff and Thieves in Time developer Sanzaru Games being acquired by Facebook and phased into Oculus Studios someone new would have to take over – although it would be awesome to see Sucker Punch return to helm the franchise. Who wouldn’t want to hop into to Sly and the Cooper Gang’s stealthy thievery though? Perhaps with BluePoint’s next game, which will likely be another remake of a PlayStation title, still being a mystery, there could be some hope for Sly’s return in the form of a reboot or remake. Sly Cooper still remains one of the most iconic faces of PlayStation and one that PlayStation fans would love to see again.
2. Skate
With the flick of an analog stick and a more grounded concept, Skate revolutionized the skateboard gaming genre when EA released it back in 2006. I remember first hearing about the game in a Rob & Big episode where the two traveled to Montreal to do mocap for the game and even though I wasn’t a big fan of the genre at the time, Skate completely changed my mindset on the genre with its simple yet sophisticated controls and impeccable level design. Skate has always been a beloved offshoot of EA’s usual sports games and it’s what’s made the over decade long gap since Skate 3 so saddening.
There’s a lot of potential for a new Skate game to be something really special given where skateboarding has gone since the last game. There’s a whole new generation of skaters out there led by the likes of Nyjah Huston and Jagger Eaton and a growing generation of female skateboarders that are often ignored in games. With skateboarding even being seen on a top-tier level of international competition with its recent debuted at the Tokyo Olympics, Skate could even bring in a wider net of international skaters. Thankfully, unlike most entries on this list, EA has announced that Skate 4 is in development through newly created studio Full Circle, but that’s really all we know so far. Discussions around Skate 4 have been “hush hush” and we don’t even have a glimpse as to when we’re going to see the game. Hopefully, Skate 4 will see the light of day soon to not only quelch the gestating pleas of fans, but also bring skateboarding game back to an all-time high.
- Bioshock
When talking about franchises that have been dormant for a long time, Bioshock is one of the biggest names that come to mind. Since skipping the last console generation, many have been wondering where the once beloved franchise has been. The first Bioshock is rightfully hailed as one of the greatest games of all-time with its amazingly crafted world and characters as well as its clever storytelling culminating in one of the most noteworthy plot twists of all-time. It was followed by a vastly underrated sequel and a third entry that took its formula into a mind-bending city in the sky. Regardless of how you might feel about certain entries, Bioshock was once a dominant name in gaming that hasn’t been since Infinite released back in 2013.
Thankfully, like Skate, it looks like Bioshock could possibly return in the new future as a fourth entry is being developed by a new internal studio at 2K Games called Cloud Chamber. There haven’t been any confirmed details as of yet, but rumors of PlayStation exclusivity and an open-world setting have been flying around making fans more eager than ever to see what this new entry has in store. A lot has happened since Bioshock has been a relevant franchise, so a new entry has a lot of pressure behind it to deliver the same kind of impact and quality that the Bioshock name is known for.
