Summary
Video game fans can be fickle. As a group, some want sequel after sequel of the things they love. If a series likeMariocontinues to dazzle players along with making money for Nintendo, why should they stop? On the other hand, too much of a good thing can be bad too.
Releasing nothing but sequels can create stagnation. That’s why new IPs pop up, but it’s always a risk for developers. Sometimes the risk is worth the reward and sometimes it isn’t. The point is even if a series goes away, it may come back be it two, three, ten, or more years. Some sequels have a wait time so ridiculously long that fans are amazed that a new game even came out, in the first place.
Updated on July 04, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra:The video game industry is full to the brim with many unique stories that many fans are interested in. From underdog successes to falls from grace and everything in between, it’s easy to see why gaming fans are so entertained by the many stories that come out regarding this industry every single time. A series that has been dormant for more than a decade can still come back with a great entry that channels the spirit of a classic game while adding a unique spin of its own, which has happened time and time again.
After the release ofFallout 2, the craze for CRPGs died down. As a result, many people thought that this post-apocalyptic series wouldn’t see the light any time soon, but Bethesda put this notion to rest after acquiring theFalloutIP.
This led to the release ofFallout 3, an excellent game that helped make this series more mainstream than ever before. Exploring a fully 3D open-world game set in theFalloutuniverse was a thing of beauty, and Bethesda has never looked back since.
Marvel vs Capcom 2hit arcades and the Dreamcast in 2000. After that, fans would not experience the series again (save for an HD port) untilMarvel vs Capcom 3hit in 2011,which was for the PS3and Xbox 360. To be fair, there were crossover games in-between this time so includingMv3may seem like a cheat. That said, there is no beating that iconic name as the main bout fans care most for.
Mother 2launched in 1994for the Super Famicom in Japanwith a 1995 release for the West under the new name ofEarthBound. Based on the Japanese launch, it would take twelve more years before Nintendo put out a sequel,Mother 3, in 2006, for the Game Boy Advance. It was meant to come sooneras a N64 game. However, drawbacks forced it to get pushed back multiple times. It still hasn’t received an official translation for the West either.
Another game with a twelve-year gap shaded in multiple redesigns isDoom.Doom 3hit PCs in 2004 with the next full sequel arriving in 2016.
Doom 2016served as a soft reboot for the franchise and one that was worth the wait if the critics have anything to say about it. Its sequel,Doom Eternal, is equally well-praised and adds the difficulty and gore back to the series' modern day.
Gungrave: Overdoselaunched in 2004 for the PS2with the next game releasing in 2017 for PSVR:Gungrave VR. Now, this is a more obscure game than most but it does have its fans for one big reason:Gungravewas a clone of the originalDevil May Cry, which was meant as a tie-in for the anime. Yasuhiro Nightow, who most know fromTrigun, was also the designer ofGungravewhich is why it got some attention at the time.
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarterwas released for the PS2 in 2002 in Japan and 2003 in North America.Breath of Fire 6was a 2016 release in Japan for PC and mobile platforms. While it is primarily a mobile game– which many fans would be rightful to dismiss– it is a numbered sequel which is an odd case. Does Capcom have any plans to bring it to consoles and or the West in general? That’s the bigger question.
Psychonautsis one of Double Fine’s best games, with this platforming title featuring an ingenious premise where players delve into the minds of people and attempt to uncover secrets while going through several challenging platforming segments. The result is a highly entertaining title that fans adore.
When news came out that this series would finally receive the sequel it deserved, fans couldn’t be happier. It helped thatPsychonauts 2channeled the spirit of the original game with great panache, tightening and modernizing the gameplay loop wherever required to make the experience more bearable.
Killer Instinct Goldwas released for the N64 in 1996. The series would not return until 2013 as a reboot simply titledKiller Instinct. Besides that, it also got three seasons' worth of content. It may not have had as big of a splash as other fighting games, likeMortal KombatorStreet Fighter, but those who got into it supported the scene.
LikeGungrave,Narcis perhaps a more obscure title than most. It hit arcades in 1988 with too many console ports to name. It was popular and widespread enough to gather nostalgia for a reboot later on.Narc, another video game in the series with the same name, hit the PS2 and Xbox in 2005 and was a total flop critically and commercially. It might be safe to assume this series is gone for good.
