A Dead Game series that needs a comeback

Summary

• Banjo-Kazooie: Fans have been clamoring for a fourth game, but it needs to be done right so it doesn't disappoint like Battletoads.

• Considered the best stealth series ever, Thief: Thief deserves a new game with Stephen Russell.

• Marvel Vs. Capcom: Fans are looking forward to the fourth entry in the historic fighting game series, despite recent disappointments.

You all have a game series or two that you love so much, even if they're dead and buried. While a stellar new property can have real multimedia franchise potential, a returning series, when done well, can be a magical gaming experience.

A good example is Return to Monkey Island, a return as legendary as the original two installments. With the huge fan base of some of these series, you'd think that many would be back by now, but it's a lot more complicated than you might think.

10

Banjo kazoo

One of the most sought-after series, but also one of the most difficult to create

Banjo-Kazooie is the most requested Xbox series that fans want to return to. The first two games on the Nintendo 64 are some of the best games on the console, and you could even argue that the first Banjo is the best impression of Super Mario 64. Nuts & Bolts is debatable, but it's a fantastic building game in its own right.

A fourth tranche has to happen, but it has to be done right. Xbox doesn't want another Battletoads that fans didn't like. Also, the fourth game is hard to design because at the end of Nuts & Bolts, the Game Lord gives the pair back their entire moveset, meaning that Banjo 4 will start with all the moves you had at the end of the game. Tooie, plus even more than that.

9

A thief

Game Stealth GOAT

While many gamers today may have never heard of Thief, stealth gaming experts know that it is the best stealth series of all time. Yes, the 2014 reboot was pretty bad, but the original trilogy is still the best stealth media experience out there. Of all the titles in this genre, Thief puts the most emphasis on audio design, as it's the only way to tell where the guards are.

No night vision goggles, no radar, no nothing, just your ears. Garrett's original voice actor, Steven Russell, is still working in the industry and it would be great to see him back in the real Thief 4, as Thief's gameplay remains fresh all these years later. However, this is unlikely to happen, as the series is now owned by the Embracer Group, which has treated a similar franchise in a distasteful manner.

8

Deus Ex

Finish the story

Currently, the most popular cyberpunk game is Cyberpunk 2077, but before that it was Deus Ex. The core series doesn't have a single bad record, with several titles ranking among the best games of their generations. Deus Ex deserves a new game based on lineage alone, but there's another, more important reason.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was supposed to be the second in a trilogy, as many plot threads were left unresolved. Unfortunately, the Deus Ex follow-up was technically canceled twice, once by Square Enix and the other time by Embracer Group. Fans are so upset that Adam Jensen's trilogy remains unfinished.

7

Marvel Vs. Capcom

Where is Makhvel?

Despite re-releases of all the classic Marvel vs. Capcom, a full blown new entry is needed. In retrospect, the partnership between Capcom and Marvel is pretty historic because the late 90s were a terrible time for Marvel.

He was in dire financial straits and even filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996, which is why these fighting games came about at all. Fortunately, they did, because the series went on to deliver some of the best fighting games ever made, and the demand for a true Marvel vs. Capcom 4 remains big. Like Banjo, Capcom needs a catch-up, especially after the lackluster reception of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.

6

Parasite Eve

The best horror RPG

RPGs and survival horror games were among the most dominant genres during the PS1 era. Mix the two together and you get Parasite Eve, an incredible PS1 RPG with a good time-based combat system, great story and characters, and grotesque monsters.

It survives today, and the series' fan base remains huge, despite the original title being the only critically acclaimed entry. 3rd Birthday did almost as bad a job with Aya, the main character of the series, as it did Samus in Metroid: Other M. However, Metroid still made a comeback after that game, and Parasite Eve could easily have done the same given the size of the fanbase .

5

Punch Out!!

One of Nintendo's most underrated series

Lowkey, one of Nintendo's best franchises – Punch-Out!! His simplicity was his genius, he was very easy to learn but with a surprisingly high level of skill. There are a bunch of high-level strategies that require one-frame inputs that make you feel like a million bucks when you pull them off. The console trilogy with NES, SNES and Wii games is just perfect and there is a lot of potential for a future installment.

It would be great if Next Level Games made another Punch-Out!!, but there's a likely reason why Nintendo isn't interested in another one. The franchise is infamous for its racist stereotyping of characters, although people love the series for its gameplay. This makes a new entry unlikely, but surely they could just create new characters and keep the awesome gameplay.

4

Jack and Daxter

PlayStation's greatest platformer

It's great to see PlayStation platformers like Ratchet & Clank and Astro Bot evolve, but Sony is missing the best in PlayStation history: Jak and Daxter. Naughty Dog's masterpiece trilogy remains the ultimate PlayStation exclusive platformer and a must play on PS4 or 5.

If Ratchet & Clank is still getting new games, why not Jak and Daxter? Naughty Dog is making more mature games now, but a Sony studio like Team Asobi would be perfect to bring the series to life.

3

Star Tropics

Nintendo's most underrated series

Created Punch-Out!! co-created by Genyo Takeda, StarTropics is a top ten NES game with challenging, intense gameplay, memorable puzzles, and a great protagonist that is one of the best in Nintendo history. Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics 2 was a good sequel, but not as good as the original.

With the presence of Zelda-like dungeons, StarTropics seemed primed for a new 3DS entry that could use both screens, but that didn't happen. StarTropics deserves a new entry at this point because the original is one of those NES games like Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! that you keep coming back to again and again.

2

Enders Zone

High-speed robot

It's nice to see Konami focusing more on Silent Hill and Metal Gear these days, but one franchise remains out in the cold: Zone of the Enders. Although the games were developed by Kojima Productions, Hideo Kojima did not direct them and had little or no involvement in the second game in the series.

The original title was very rough, but the sequel is one of the best action games ever. Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner will put Armored Core 6 to shame with its wildly fast and furious mech combat that's as thrilling today as it was in 2003. It would be great to see a third Zone of the Enders or even a spiritual successor from Kojima Productions.

1

Spectator Joe

Henshin-a-Go-Go, Baby

Beat 'em ups are a popular genre these days, whether it's indie or double-A. This makes the absence of Looking Joe all the more puzzling. Viewtiful Joe, one of the best, perhaps even the greatest, beat-em-ups of the sixth generation of consoles, was one of the best action games on the GameCube with plenty of style.

The sequel was also very interesting and even had a few spin-offs. With how resurgent the genre is now, it could do with a whole new take on A Viewtiful Joe.