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Abandoned Franchises: 14 MORE Game Series that Need to Make a Comeback

• By McKinley Noble
• January 22, 2009 13:01 PM PST
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#7: Max Payne

Last Seen: Max Payne 2, Max Payne on GBA (2003)
If we had known that Max Payne on the Game Boy Advance was the last time we'd be shooting thugs in Bullet Time, we wouldn't have bothered to get excited about the lackluster film adaptation. It's not like the games started getting bad, either. If anything, the vastly underappreciated Max Payne 2 improved on the original game in a bunch of ways, especially with new additions like "Dead Man Walking" mode.

Where'd It Go: Take-Two insisted that another Max Payne was on the way back in 2004, so it's probably going to remain in Development Hell for a while.

#6: River City Ransom

Last Seen: Last Seen: River City Ransom EX (2004)
Barf! While not the most graphically stunning brawlers, the River City Ransom games were still tons of fun to play. The games even let you expand your thug-beating skills with purchasable techniques, and extra health was never farther than a drip to the nearest burger joint. River City Ransom is still one of the best NES games, just because the fast paced gameplay and hilarious dialogue never got old.

Where'd It Go: River City Ransom (and its cousin, Super Dodge Ball) haven't been around much since the bankruptcy of Technos Japan, with the exception of a small DS title that no one bought.

#5: Panzer Dragoon

Last Seen: Panzer Dragoon Orta (2002)
Even after all these years, the Panzer Dragoon Saga is one of the only reasons people still keep their old Sega Saturns. With old copies of these games running hundreds of dollars online, why this awesome rail shooter series hasn't had a new title in 5 years is beyond us. Panzer Dragoon was one of the rare series where each subsequent game was better than the last -- better graphics, bigger boss battles, you name it.

Where'd It Go: Sega seems more concerned with making crappy Sonic the Hedgehog games than reviving a series that actually matters.

#4: Power Stone

Last Seen: Power Stone 2 (2000)
Another Dreamcast series that died too early, Power Stone featured crazy combat with constantly changing battlefields, rendered in full 3D. Battles would change dramatically at the drop of a hat, with swords, flamethrowers, health items, and of course, the titular Power Stone giving players extra boosts to their abilities. Even years later, Power Stone and Power Stone 2 are still setting the benchmark for 3D arena combat, with many imitators only getting it just half right.

Where'd It Go: Capcom released both games on the PSP with minimal updates to each title. We're assuming that they're busy with Street Fighter IV and Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Well, the latter hopefully.

#3: The Lost Vikings

Last Seen: Norse By Norsewest: Return of the Lost Vikings (1996)
Try this for a gaming script: three Vikings are kidnapped by an extraterrestrial l poacher and must escape back to Earth or become part of his galatic zoo. Crazy, right? Well, then-developer Silicon & Synapse (now called BLIZZARD) made the Lost Vikings a series to remember with some of the most intricate puzzle/platform design seen since Prince of Persia and Lemmings. It was hard to solve, but man, it was rewarding. The Lost Vikings is memorable based on story alone, but the puzzles and graphical humor really brought the package together.

Where'd It Go: Even though Blizzard's development team spends their days counting money while eating chocolate covered strawberries off the backs of Swedish supermodels, they still pay homage to Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce, and Olaf the Stout with cameo appearances in the World of Warcraft.

#2: Jet Set Radio

Last Seen: Jet Set Radio Future (2002)
Jet Set Radio was one of the games that effortlessly sold the Dreamcast, and at the time was one of the most unique and stylish games around. It was about music, graffiti, and defying authority, not to mention being the very first game in history to pioneer cel-shaded graphics. Even the electic soundtrack -- a mix of funk, rap, metal, rock, and J-Pop -- was revolutionary in its own right, with a lot of tracks submitted by famous game musician Hideki Naganuma.

Where'd It Go: The series' developer, Smilebit, was eventually re-absorbed in the gaping pit of broken dreams known as modern-day Sega, which killed off any chance of Jet Set Radio's revival (which is exactly what happened to Panzer Dragoon). A Jet Set Radio game was pitched for the Nintendo Wii, but no one picked it up. Lame.

#1: Marvel vs. Capcom

Last Seen: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (2000)
Oh, come on. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was released in 2000, and you can't find a copy of the damn thing anywhere except eBay. Fighting game fans are overdue for a new MvC entry, and that Tatsunoko game sure as Hell doesn't count as a sequel. Replace Science Ninja Team Gatchaman with the Avengers and you've got your sequel right there, Capcom. We're tired of rumors!

Where'd It Go: PlayStation 2 and Xbox copies of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 are still hotly valued by collectors, probably because Capcom's not planning on getting around to MvC3 anytime soon.

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