Top Forgotten Video Games That Need an Another Chance

Published 01/05/2024, 12:41 PM EST

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Given how many amazing games are out there, one can be forgiven for forgetting some. But they certainly deserve better. Nowadays, fans often see remakes and remasters of a bunch of classic titles. Nintendo and PlayStation have both brought fans some of their classic games with a new coat of paint. Besides them, some third-party studios, such as Rockstar Games and Capcom, have also done something similar with games like Red Dead Redemption and the Resident Evil series of remakes. In the midst of this, many games are made that are easily overlooked for what we call AAA games.

Games that were incredible when they launched brought something special to the franchises that they belonged to, yet they have been forgotten. Let’s take a look at some of those games.

Developers should bring back these 5 games as remakes, remasters, or even sequels

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1) Sleeping Dogs

This game has an interesting story. It started life as a new installment in the True Crime series of open-world games. It was initially named Black Lotus, which was then changed to True Crime: Hong Kong. But ultimately, this game was canceled by Activision. They suggested quality issues as the reason for this cancellation. But Square Enix was quick to buy the developer, United Front, and they got Black Lotus in that deal. They allowed for this game to be finished and released it with a new name; Sleeping Dogs.

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Set in Hong Kong, it’s a crime story similar to The Departed and Infernal Affairs. Featured is an undercover cop who goes back to his childhood streets after spending years in the USA.

This game featured an incredible story and a combat mechanic that can be called a gorier version of Arkham Combat. The game was a success too. But too bad Square Enix eventually decided to cancel the spin-offs and sequels that were in the works for it, and eventually United Front was also closed. It would take a great miracle to bring this series back, but it would be great if it ever got another chance.

2) LA Noire

Another game that was released too late as a result of messed-up development. Team Bondi and its founder, Brandon McNamara, spent years perfecting a technology that captures facial expressions perfectly for video games. Then they implemented it in LA Noire, a detective game where players questioned culprits and saw their expressions to decide if they were lying or not. The development of this game started in 2004, and it was released in 2011. It has been said that the development for this game was going nowhere until Rockstar Games became the publisher and sent some of their people to see this game come out.

The result was a game with a perfect story but an empty LA. An open world that was pretty remarkable. Now, years after its launch, Team Bondi is closed; no one knows where Brandon McNamara is, and the technology they created has become obsolete thanks to the insane visuals gamers see nowadays. However, now is the time for a game like LA Noire to do wonders. Here’s hoping Rockstar Games builds a photorealistic sequel or a remake of it someday.

3) Ridge Racer

This is a franchise that was unfortunately put aside by the publisher, Bandai Namco. They have no explanation for not releasing any more of these fun arcade racing games. However, some players think it’s because players generally prefer games like Forza and GT Sport. The last time fans heard of this series was when someone revealed that Namco was developing Ridge Racer 8 for the Nintendo Switch. However, that didn’t happen.

For those unaware, this was a series of arcade racing games in which drifting was a major gameplay mechanic. The driving was over the top, stunts were plentiful, and cars went at insane speeds. It would be great if Bandai Namco ever decided to bring these games back; there’s a shortage of arcade racers on the market, anyway.

4) Star Fox

Yes, Nintendo has a video game franchise that they have literally forgotten about for years now. The weird thing is that whenever they choose to remember this dogfighting series, they just end up remaking Star Fox 64. The 3Ds game was a remake, and the Wii U version of Star Fox Zero was somewhat inspired by the N64 game.

It’s as if they don’t know what to do with this series. It should be very easy; just design some cool new levels, throw Fox McCloud into those levels, and let him shoot. Nintendo has remade a bunch of Wii U games for the Nintendo Switch, just not for Star Fox Zero. This is one of the few shooters they have, and it’s even tailor made for multiplayer modes. Just throw a bunch of players with their ships on a map and have them duke it out. Nintendo needs to bring this franchise back to the map.

5) Alpha Protocol

Role-playing games have seen some kind of resurgence this generation. Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring winning GOTY, Cyberpunk 2077’s DLC, and Sea of Stars ended up being more successful than anyone had imagined. These things do nothing but suggest that RPGs are now becoming a lucrative genre.

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Hence, this might be the right time for Microsoft to open its fat wallet once again, knock on Sega’s doors, buy publishing rights for Alpha Protocol, and hand it over to Obsidian Entertainment to start working on a sequel or a remake. For those unaware, this one was a unique game. In the world of RPGs with either sci-fi or medieval settings, this game plays in the spy thriller genre. Players had engaging gameplay, skills, dialogue choices, and everything else that has become a staple of Obsidian. This one is obviously easier said than done, but it would be amazing if fans saw Alpha Protocol return someday.

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These are some of the games and franchises that need to get a second chance. There cannot be a better time than now, as gamers are getting more and more open-minded about giving new experiences a chance. If done right, these comebacks would no doubt end up being successful.

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Written by:

Rohit Sejwal

1,315Articles

One take at a time

?Stories hit way better when you are part of them!? Which is why I am a gamer first, writer second and a filmmaker as well. Being associated with movies has given me a very different perspective on gaming. Writing about video games has been on my mind for years and being an eSports writer at EssentiallySports gave me that chance.
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Edited by:

Rohan Karnad