Rebooting is all the rage right now. The recent announcement of a reboot of the reboot of Mortal Kombat, with Mortal Kombat 1, showed that publishers aren’t shy of a game series reboot. There are a number of game series that have languished for far too long, but which would we like to see reborn for a modern era?
The inspiration for this article came from our recent deep dive into the Turok series. Many gamers have a nostalgic love for the series, and 2008 reboot, simply named Turok, didn’t scratch the itch as hoped. The recent remasterings of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil go someway to doing so, but there are many other game series that continue to age without so much as a howdy-do. And so, we decided to look at some of the many other game series out there that deserve a reboot.
7 Game Series in Need of a Reboot
Upon researching this article it became apparent that Chit Hot’s usual listicle limitation of seven became quite limiting. There are hundreds of game series that deserve a reboot. Literally. As such, it was very hard to choose, and we’re expecting a lot of feedback about franchises missed or those we’ve included that didn’t deserve to be. But hey, this isn’t exactly the most objective format of writing. So please do feel free to let us know what we missed in the comments below!
Top of many gamer’s lists would be Perfect Dark. But lo, that’s already on the way. As such, this is our barometer for the game series we’ve selected for being in need of a reboot. If a new title is already publicly underway – and hasn’t likely been cancelled since it’s announcement – it’s not allowed in. Instead, we’re going to look at the game series which had something going for them, but have long since been abandoned.
Dino Crisis
Everyone’s other favourite dinosaur game, Dino Crisis seems to be lost in the annals of history. The game benefitted from two sequels, with the latest edition launching on Xbox back in 2003. There was also a couple of spin-offs – a mobile game and a lightgun offering – however, everything past the original two PlayStation titles was poorly received. As such, the series was put on ice. It was arguably Lost Planet that replaced the game in Capcom’s agenda, a series which has subsequently been replaced by the upcoming Exoprimal.
So, what are the chances of a reboot for Dino Crisis? Sadly, it’s not looking good. While Capcom has stated it has plans to revive some dormant franchises, there’s been little in the way of reveals just yet. Maybe this year’s E3-not-E3 will have some answers?
In the meantime, you can check out Chit Hot’s picks of the Capcom Series Most in Need of Revival.
Driver
The original Driver was a smash hit upon it’s debut. It was seen as an evolution of the Grand Theft Auto formula, arriving years before the many ‘me-too’ titles from all corners of the industry. Since that 1999 original, there have been four further instalments. Each with dwindling sales, sadly.
It was arguably Driver: San Francisco that was the death knell for the series. Launched in 2011, alongside a Nintendo 3DS game, the game didn’t perform badly by all estimates. However, expectations were obviously significantly higher. Since then, Driver has been regulated to mobile spin-offs.
Modern hardware could allow for even more impressive recreations of real-world cities. However, it’s unlikely that Driver is on the agenda. Now owned by Ubisoft, the publisher has demonstrated very little interest in rebooting legacy IPs. Let’s not even talk about Beyond Good & Evil…
Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana is actually the second title in the Seiken Densetsu series, released in North America as Final Fantasy Adventure and in Europe as Mystic Quest. However, launching on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), it was a significant upgrade from the Game Boy original. It offered three-player gameplay and real-time combat, distinguishing it from the Final Fantasy series, which was growing in popularity at the time.
Unlike most titles in this article, Secret of Mana has actually benefitted from numerous sequels and remakes. However, none have managed to recapture the magic of the original. The best way to play on modern consoles is actually via the SNES Mini, though you’re obviously limited to just two players here.
Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie remains a contemptible series. It was widely believed that Microsoft had intentions of making the bear and bird their platform champions after the acquisition of Rare in 2002. However, after remastering both titles for the Xbox 360 and the poorly received Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, there’s been complete radio silence.
Rumours of a reboot of the series have been circulating for years. And yet, nothing has materialised. It’s widely believed that Microsoft has dozens of unannounced games in development at the studios they’ve acquired in recent years. Is it possible we’ll see the ’90s duo making a comeback soon?
Legacy of Kain
To date, there have been five titles in the Legacy of Kain series. Beginning in 1996, the series ran until 2003. And then, nothing. Well, not quite nothing…
We had a great deal of ‘will they won’t they’ in the proceeding years. A sixth game, Legacy of Kain: The Dark Prophecy, had briefly been in development at Ritual Entertainment in 2004 before being canceled. Later, in 2013, Square Enix confirmed allegations that Climax Studios had worked on another new Legacy of Kain title, for the PlayStation 4. Known as Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun, the project was cancelled in 2012.
A multiplayer sequel was revealed in 2013 in response to rumours, but never actually materialised. An open beta for the game launched in 2015, with servers closed a year later.
Then, to great internet furor, came the leaks. Footage of Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun hit the webs in 2016. This lead to a huge fan demand for a follow-up game and, in October 2022, developer Crystal Dynamics sent out surveys asking some very interesting questions about the series. Some of those questions included whether we’d like to see a sequel or remake, and if so, what genre we’d prefer. A month later, Crystal Dynamics teased the masses by saying that it “heard the pleas of over 100,000 survey responses” wanting to see the Legacy of Kain series make a comeback.
So we can see the interest is there. And we can see that moves have been made to make it happen. But when will we see a reboot of the series? Or a new sequel? As of right now, there’s nothing officially announced.
Carmageddon
Carmageddon is a series that’s had significantly more downs-than-ups in recent years. Created by Stainless Games, the publishing rights to the series have changed hands a fair few times. Now owned by THQ Nordic, no new titles have been produced since the acqusition.
The series is about vehicular mayhem. Players drive weaponised vehicles around free-roaming arenas and cities. There are racing, but these have always taken a backseat to the mayhem of running down bystanders and finding the many hidden secrets. The last entrance in the game series, back in 2015, was a reboot of sorts in itself.
Known as Carmageddon: Reincarnation (Carmageddon: Max Damage on consoles), this reboot was met with a poor critical response. It was a relatively low budget release financed mostly though crowdfunding. While it may not have been AAA stuff, it remained an enjoyable and thoroughly chaotic experience.
And so, where is Carmageddon now? With the rights having changed hands a few years ago we expect more than just 2021’s themed season in Wreckfest. However, nothing has yet been announced.
QUAKE
The QUAKE series has been hugely instrumental for the FPS genre. Not only did it herald the leap into fully polygonal 3D, but also it was the series that arguably defined FPS games as worthy of entirely multiplayer-orientated products. However, the series has lacked a singular narrative across all of its entries.
Two major storylines exist within the franchise. And this is accompanied by the aforementioned multiplayer titles, commonly referred to as the ‘Arena’ series.
Thusly, a new entry in the series – which is arguably inevitable, given the success of the DOOM reboot – could go in any direction. The last title, QUAKE Champions, was a free-to-play title. The game officially ‘launched’ in 2022, despite debuting in 2017. What this suggests, is that development on the game was wrapping up in 2022 in preparation for the next title in the series. Let’s hope it’s not too long until we see it!
That’s out picks for the seven game series in need of a reboot. We’re sure there’s many readers out there with long lost series that they want to see make a comeback. So don’t be shy – go ahead and let us know in the comments below!
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