Games that set themselves up for sequels, but never got one

[Tohuvabohu]

Before there was Zeno Clash, there was Breakdown.

One of Breakdown's endings is a huge cliffhanger that sets up a potentially epic sequel.

THAT WE NEVER GOT

[spoiler]After spending the entire game brawling it out with superhumanoid badasses. The game pulls a rather brilliant fake-out moment while fighting the final boss.

There's a huge buildup to fight the final boss, and when you finally do get to fight him, it becomes apparent that you cannot beat him, and he promptly kicks your ass. You have failed. And to top off this failure, the arena you fight the boss at gets hit a fucking nuclear missile (launched in desperation to kill these superhumans) and blows you all to fucking hell.

Except... the game continues. You managed to survive the nuclear explosion and wake up in the not-so-distant future. Many years have passed, and the blast failed to put a dent into the superhumans, who have overrun the entire planet. Crushing human civilization.

After you wake up, you see the ruined civilization for yourself. Everything is destroyed, nearly all humans are dead, and the tireless superhumans continue to kill more people every day. Luckily, you manage to power yourself up one last time, and with the aid of a helpful female companion - travel back in time to face the final boss again at the peak of your power.

To make a long story, slightly less long. You beat the final boss, and save the world.

However, saving the world created a seperate timeline. One for the world which was spared from the superhuman rampage, and the other which was still being crushed by the superhumans. Alex (your companion) starts being yanked back through time due to a pendulum effect, who will return to her ruined future timeline.

And the game gives you a choice to follow her. Having saved the timeline you came from, you can follow her back to the future to save her timeline as well. [/spoiler]

The sequel could've been epic. The first game was just an exercise in fighting a few superhumans at a time, plus fighting the lowest ranking superhuman T'lan "general". I can't help but imagine how awesome it would've been to fight a planet full of these freaks, with the most powerful T'lan leaders.

 

[CriticalMiss]

I never played it but Too Human was an archetypal example of this. Yahtzee's review of it remains one of my favorite ZP's of all time.

I remember reading somewhere that when the company that made Too Human went down the game itself became 'illegal' to sell or something. So not only is it not going to get a sequel but the original game is being wiped out of existence.

Ouch! Even for a sucky game that's gotta hurt!

I was going to mention that. Too Human was set up to be a trilogy even I think and the premise sounds amazing. And then it bombed. And I mean BOMBED.

Aww, Too Human was going to be my contribution

Even though it had some incredibly terrible parts, the overall idea appealed to me and I would still like to see more of the franchise (maybe a trilogy is too much?). Sadly I doubt that will happen even if Silicon Knights decide to sell the rights, but a spiritual sequel could carry on without being marred by the failures of Too Human.

And although it wasn't a sequel per se, Dethgame was promised to us but never made it in to the light of day. A video of supposed in game footage has hit the internet and if it is legit then really it's a good thing. But I'd like to see a Metalocalypse game nevertheless. It would be a good excuse to dust off the plastic guitars.

 

[RealRed05]

Advent Rising is an obvious choice. The same goes for Too Human. Why both failed to create a sequel may be due to a comment made by Yahtzee while reviewing Too Human in they were pet projects created for the developer's sake instead of the players'. Advent Rising nearly collapsed Majesco, so of course they refuse to go near it. Silicon Knights meanwhile decided to ignore Eternal Darkness, a game that truly deserves a sequel, and instead focus on a game in development for the better part of a decade. Then they chose to dig a hole into an even bigger hole by suing Epic over the Unreal Engine, which they lost spectacularly after evidence came forward of how heavily they modified the Engine for Too Human and passed it off as its own. Now Too Human isn't even on the market anymore, thus killing the series after its poor sales crippled it.

 

[Lugbzurg]

It has a very deja-vu ending, as it started with Conker reminiscing about how he came to where the game ends. Then, after leaving the bar, he started walking off in the opposite path from where he took to go on his misadventures in the first place.

RareWare even mentioned that there was going to be a sequel in which Conker has been a terrible king and is thrown in a cell for his execution. So, he escapes with a chain ball attached to his leg, keeping him slow and immobile at the beginning, much like how the original started out with him drunk.

It was literally spelled out for us. "Just you wait until Banjo-Threeie!" Enough has been said.

There wasn't a complete resolution in the end. Plastro was still away and Bridget Bleu was still up to something. It wasn't all over just yet.

 

[Frozengale]

Kameo : Elements of Power!

Spoiler

Okay honestly I wouldn't mind if they didn't continue the original story since the original story was tripe. But I would at least like a spiritual successor. Something set in a similar world if not the original world.

This was honestly a great game and I loved the system of changing into elemental creatures. Also kick-ass fairies are awesome! If games had more imagination like this (in the world building department at least) then I wouldn't have to always play the same generic fantasy game OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!

There actually was a planned sequel (the ending of the game made that HORRIBLY apparent) but it was cancelled. The reason it was cancelled was due to lackluster sales when it originally came out and when Kinect development started a lot of the team was moved over to work on Kinect titles so they just decided to can the whole project.

Pretty much this franchise is dead. I mean there is always a slight sliver of hope that maybe they will one day go back to it but I'm not holding out much hope for that.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Too Human.

Say what you will about the game, but it was a good premise, a little innovation, and executed poorly.

I think if it had a sequel or two it could of become a brilliant franchise. Heck, if they tore out that horrendous death sequence it would have been much more favourable.

 

[bigfatcarp93]

Turok: Evolution. Had a cliffhanger, I just think that nobody cared because the story wasn't that interesting.

 

[Images]

Freedom Force VS The 3rd Reich

I mean, THAT ENDING!!!

Spoiler

I AM ENERGY X!

Totally went "...no...freaking...way! Brilliant!"

And then nothing *sniff*

*pours a canister on the kerb*

 

[CleverCover]

Bitter: Shenmue 2
Really Bitter: KotOR 2

 

[TrevHead]

Spoiler

Also Vanquish

 

[Asuka Soryu]

I know it's too early to say, but I hope Gravity Rush gets a sequel! >.<

Hmm, luckily for me, I've never played a game set up for a sequel and didn't get one, unless Gravity Rush doesn't get one...

 

[SwampCandle]

Beyond Good & Evil 2. I want that game so much! & Timesplitters 4. Are you listening Crytek?

 

[Hawk of Battle]

The Oddworld series. All of it. It was supposed to be 5 games, each with a different protagonist, with former protagonists turning up in parts, until they basically had a 5 man band by the end of the series. There were going to be "bonus games" between each of the main series to further expand the universe, including a really cool sounding rts game.

In the end, we had 4 games, one of which was pretty terrible, and only 2 of the main characters ever met. Abe never saved the Mudokens from slavery, we never saw Munchs' species reborn, we never saw the Glukkons defeated. Such a shame, the next two games, Hand of Odd and Sligstorm sounded really cool.

 

[Mordekaien]

Oni 2.
I would very much like seeing Bungie make a return to their older titles.
And I would dig another Warcraft RTS.

 

[FoolKiller]

A proper sequel to Prince of Persia (2008)

Not only did this end without concluding the story, but the epilogue didn't do anything to wrap things up.

As stated by others I would have liked to see the conclusion of Advent Rising, as well as the wonderful gem Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. A game where you played as two different characters, each having unique abilities in the world. The only downside to that game was the lack of voice acting that late into the Xbox's life.

And for humour's sake, I will also mention Pryzm: Chapter One - The Dark Unicorn

FFS, it had chapter 1 in the title.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I'm going to put this out here and I'm sure there are people who have read this before because I know I've written this before BUT

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has a very decisive canon ending (and a neat what-if ending if you chose to be Evil). Force Unleashed takes place between Revenge of the Sith and New Hope and basically answered the unasked question of how the Rebel Alliance was formed in the first place. It's not the tightest of stories but the canon ending is definitive with no way of undoing what happened. Force Unleashed is centered around Starkiller and is his story of how he rose and his eventual redemption and while he was a short lived character he had his time. More importantly, his existence sets up Force Unleashed to be a potentially excellent anthology series which explores side stories and, answers other unasked questions about the Star Wars universe.

What happened instead was Starkiller being cloned and that clone, suffering from a degenerative brain condition, decides that he's been in love with Juno Eclipse and spends 4 hours trying to do something...I don't know...Force Unleashed 2's premise so offended me that I downright refuse to play it. I can't say I refuse to acknowledge that it exists because of how often I rage against it but at least I can continue believing it's non-canon.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Dungeon Keeper 2...
It even had a trailer for Dungeon Keeper 3...
Unfortunately, it got canceled...

So now I'm waiting for War For The Overworld...