1. Alundra - Level 5 - Playstation 4
Ah Alundra. A true classic for its time. It's a game that changed my life and is still today, one of my favorite video games of all time. Alundra was released during a time when people were more open to video games and due to its commercial success, it was given a sequel. The sequel wasn't what Alundra 1 was. It featured clunky 3D models, a new protagonist and no connection to the previous game. While it still was a good game for the time it came out, it wasn't a true sequel to one of the best games of that era. I think too much time has passed for an actual sequel that fans will care about. I mean, I would legit love a sequel dealing with Alundra and Meia's baby as he or she learns about his dreamwalking powers but that's even more of a pipe dream than the game actually being remade. That's the route they should go, remake it for this generation of fans. I only trust one company to do the game justice and that's Level 5. Level 5 have done some great games and many people today will know them for doing current series Professor Layton and Yo-Kai Watch but I know them for two great RPGs on PS2; Dark Cloud 2 and Rogue Legacy. Not to mention they were also responsible for Dragon Quest VIII, which may be one of the best classic JRPGs of all time. They released Ni No Kuni back in 2013 to universal acclaim. Needless to say but their resume keeps for itself. They could do the remake in the same style as Ni No Kuni, cel shaded with a big open world to explore. Use action RPG elements from Dark Cloud, add a bit of voice acting and keep the hard puzzles from the original. Keeping it a digital only exclusive for PS4 would add to its already massive library. I would be willing to pay full price for it. This would be a great challenge for Level 5 to return to their roots of gameplay and it would be a game I would welcome with open arms. I don't know who owns the Alundra name, whether it be Matrix or the now defunct Working Designs but SOMEONE needs to work on getting a new Alundra to the public.
2. Castlevania - Konami... Any system
I love Castlevania. It's one of the first series I remember playing as a youth. While everyone may have fond memories of the original four Castlevanias, my love comes from the Genesis exclusive, Castlevania Bloodlines, which is more akin to the original with points, rounds and such. It was one of those games which made me better as a gamer. I've already gushed about my love for Symphony of the Night and how it definitely is my favorite game of all time. It's unmatched for me. Not only Symphony of the Night but all the Metroid-vania Castlevania games released afterwards, like Aria of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin. MecuryStream did a great job with their take on the Castlevania franchise by mixing it with elements from other games. Lords of Shadow mixed God of War hack n slash with Castlevania lore while Lords of Shadow 2 was more like the Darksiders series. Both were great games, LOS 1 was the superior version. After the release of Lords of Shadow 2, the series has been completely dark. MercuryStream is making a completely new IP so they're done with the series. Konami With it's shift towards mobile gaming and canceling of Silent Hills, one of Konami's top IPs, a new Castlevania is highly unlikely. Koji Igarashi, is making a Castlevania esque game called Bloodstained, due to be released in 2017. Those two elements alone probably mean we'll never see a new game in the series. If it were to be one, I would take a 3D one over a 2D version, only because we do have Bloodstained releasing soon. I think Konami can continue what they started gameplay wise in LOS2 but expound upon it. Make the areas fun to explore, different weapons instead of just a whip, secrets like all the 2D Castlevanias had, etc. I really like what MercuryStream did so I really would like if they would get another crack at the series but this might just end up being one of those series that will never see the light of day again.
3. No More Heroes - Grasshopper - PS4
The Wii didn't have many great games outside of Mario and Zelda titles. There was Zack and Wiki, Xenoblade Chronicles and No More Heroes. No More Heroes didn't really fit in with Nintendo's whole family oriented theme but that didn't stop the game from releasing! It featured gore, blood, sex and all the swearing and sexual innuendos you could ever ask for. There was a great adventure to be had underneath all of it and it worked very well with the Wii motion controls. While there was a sequel, it couldn't touch the original's light heartedness or it's style. Afterwards, Suda51 and Grasshopper made Shadow of the Damned and Killer is Dead, with the latter being more akin to No More Heroes but still, no third entry in the series. There was a PS3 game called No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise but it was a mix of 1 and 2, not a brand new entry. I don't think we'll EVER get another NMH but if they did, I'd like a spinoff type game, not a direct number sequel. It can be the same premise but just different characters, different city and stuff like that. The PS4 is the perfect system for it and it would fit in with the current crop of exclusive titles. I'd like to see it take on a action RPG setting, like learning new moves by killing a lot of foes and collecting experience points and such. Travis could even be the #1 assassin you have to kill and he's tired of being the top assassin. It would be interesting to see. While it definitely won't happen, a new No More Heroes is definitely welcomed by me.
4. Paper Mario - Nintendo - Wii U
Paper Mario is one of my favorite Nintendo series, even more than the actual Mario series itself. It's funny, it's challenging and it has length. Paper Mario 1 and 2 have lasted me a combined 100 hours easy. Intelligent Systems really knows how to handle RPGs well. Super Paper Mario was fantastic as well but it just wasn't a straight up RPG like I wanted. The game a good launch title for the Wii but it left me thinking with what could be. They released Sticker Star on the 3DS and mannnnnnnnnn, it was bad. It was unfairly difficult, the card battle system was just dumb and it didn't feel like a Paper Mario game. It was just not a good look. Then, they decide to use the same battle system for the new Paper Mario coming out on the Wii U. What?!? It's just not right! They need to go back to the roots of the series. They need to go back to what made the series fun in the first place. I would love to see a sequel to the Thousand Year Door. They could do the same battle system, but just do some different paper mechanics. Hell, I would even take a sequel to Super Paper Mario. The Sticker Star style is not good. It's dumb and not welcomed here AT ALL. Please give me a good sequel to Paper Mario with everything GOOD about Paper Mario. That's all.
You deserve better my friend...
5. Breath of Fire - Capcom - PS4
Breath of Fire was first released during the influx of JRPGs. You know, the 90s. It was first published by SquareSoft in the west before Capcom took over from 2 and on. They are some good games but you know my love is for the 3rd entry. Breath of Fire III is JRPG perfected. It's the quintessential blueprint for any JRPG to ever release or want to release. It's the same way I feel about Final Fantasy IV. It's just...ahhh. I get the same feeling playing it in 2016 as I did in 1998. I actually did recently play through half of it too. BOF IV was more of the same JRPG goodness and V, well, it was still Breath of Fire so I can't complain. It departed from the conventional RPG tendencies the other four built upon so I wasn't a huge fan. They released BOF 6 in Japan as a mobile game. A MOBILE GAME! WHY!?! It's ridiculous! Just...why? Breath of Fire VI should have been an epic 3D trek through a familiar but different tale within the universe. Instead, it's a mobile game. Capcom needs to completely reboot this series for a new generation. Keep the Ryu, the Nina and all the gods of the world but just do it over again. Make it a bit realistic looking and have it with a turn based battle system but add some flair to it. If Atlus can bring the Shin Megami Tensei series from nothing to being one of the biggest RPG series of the 2000s, I know BOF can make a great comeback.
6. Onimusha - Capcom/Ninja Theory - Xbox One/PS4
No one really talks about Onimusha like they should. Say what you will about Capcom now, but before, they really knew how to make a gaming series. They took the basic formula of Resident Evil and mixed it with a action/RPG. They did a similar thing with Dino Crisis and that was amazing as well. The first two I should say, sorry. Anyway, Onimusha was a great samurai tale filled with awesome swordplay, great replay value and a good story. The series produced four main games on Playstation 2, a fighting game and even a strategy RPG on the Game Boy Advance. It is a great series of games and it's Capcom's SIXTH biggest franchise they have. Another series higher than it will be discussed soon but how do you not show love to a franchise that has sold so many copies? Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Mega Man, Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry and Onimusha are the top series for Capcom, yet only one of the six have been forgotten. I think it's the perfect time to release a brand new Onimusha game, helmed by DmC creators Ninja Theory. You can say whatever you want but DmC was a great action game. I won't debate about the whole should Dante have had white hair thing as there was an option for it later or if it was a true Devil May Cry game but Ninja Theory made an amazing game that they should be proud of. They have a great resume that also includes Heavenly Sword and the amazing Enslaved. I think in the hands of Ninja Theory, Onimusha could make a resounding comeback. They can make it an open world hack and slash, just like the originals were. I grew up loving Onimusha and I would love to delve back into the series as an adult.
7. Mega Man - Capcom - ANYTHING
Mega Man is a lot like some of my favorite wrestlers. You know, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, CM Punk etc. They are appreciated but they are barely given the spotlight. Mega Man is almost 30 years old. 30 years and lately, it seems like they've forgotten him. While Mario continues to spew out adventures on every system Nintendo has available, Mega Man waits. While Sonic dashes through his various worlds, despite having critically panned games lately, Mega Man waits. Mega Man was in such high demand, Nintendo included him in Super Smash Bros but they still haven't released a new game in the series in awhile. Now, I'm talking a NEW game in any series, whether it be the original, X, EXE or Legends, whatever. They release collections hear and there for new generations but still, no new game. People who made the original have gone onto make similar games, like Azure Striker Gunvolt, which was a great game similar to the X series. Mighty No. 9 tried to be like the original but fans didn't take to well it. I haven't played it yet so I'll hold judgment for now. There has been no new game. Mega Man Legends 3 was announced and cancelled and Mega Man 10 released back in 2010. Where is Mega Man's time to shine? It's time to release a new game in the series. 3D Mega Man games have been historically not good. Besides Mega Man Legends, which is of itself very clunky, there weren't too many well received 3D versions. X7 and X8. 2D has worked but it is 2016. Shouldn't they try again? I'd like to see a 3D Mega Man 11. They can keep it on a 2D plane still but keep the elements that made the first ten of the original series so special. It will definitely be hard to do but I'm sure fans would support a new Mega Man game, especially after the failed Mighty No. 9. Mega Man making a return to consoles is an absolute must. He's an original gaming icon who deserves much better than he's getting.
8. Legend of Dragoon - FromSoftware - PS4
There were alot of PS1 RPGs. Thousand Arms, Beyond the Beyond, Azure Dreams, and Shadow Madness were just a few of the games to be on the console. There was one that stood out among the rest and that was Legend of Dragoon. LOD stood out because it was so bluntly trying to be Final Fantasy VII. Very bluntly. It tried too hard actually but it was still a great game. Where Legend of Dragoon truly shined was its battle system. While in FF, you do a command and simply watch it happen, Legend of Dragoon did it a bit different. All you basic attacks were called Additions and they required precise button presses to connect. While it definitely not unheard of now, especially with Paper Mario and Lost Odyssey having similar systems later, it was different in 1999/2000. LOD was very popular in the US and had strong sales number. After 13 years with no sequel, there was a glimmer of hope when Playstation All Stars was released and featured some of the top names in Playstation history. Jak and Daxter, Dante and even lesser characters like Issac Clarke from Dead Space made it. After it didn't meet sales expectations, all future DLC was scrapped and surprise surprise, Dart, the main character from LOD, was one of the characters they had in mind. Very sad. It's important to note that at least Sony KNOWS Legend of Dragoon did in fact exist at one point in time. It's time for the rebirth of this series. LOD could have been the biggest RPG series of the 2000s but Sony didn't capitalize on it. Now's the time. A new game in the series is in high demand and there's only one developer I would trust now with the series and that's FromSoftware. You know, the team responsible for the Souls series? Give it to them. Why? Well, have you played the Souls games? FS is very good at making gothic worlds and they have the RPG experience. They also developed Enchanted Arms some years ago if anyone remembers. I thought that was a very good RPG. Anyway, they have the experience of a JRPG and with the momentum of making four Souls games and Bloodborne, all games being very well received, it only makes sense to have a company like this to revive an old IP. It doesn't have to be a remake or a straight sequel, but a new game in the series is a must. The fans definitely want it and FromSoftware would deliver hands down. Could you imagine the creatures you would fight? Just thinking about it give me goosebumps..
SO CLOSE....
9. Streets of Rage - WayForward - Any
Streets of Rage is my favorite beat em up series of all time. I've played Double Dragon, Final Fight and Battletoads but no series, for me, can match Streets of Rage. The original title for the time was great but it was its sequel that really hooked me. Streets of Rage II is beat em up perfection. Fun, amazing music, great playable characters and it holds the test of time. It's still a great play, even in 2016. SOR3 was good as well and it added something new to the series. If you beat the game on Easy, you were not rewarded with the game's true ending. It also featured hidden characters to play as and was the hardest game in the series. The Streets of Rage series hasn't had a new release since then but there was a spiritual successor called Spikeout that was released in arcades and the original Xbox years later. Streets of Rage, like many others 90s Sega games, hasn't been forgotten though. Axel, the main character present in all three games, made an appearance in Project X Zone 2, a crossover RPG released earlier this year. Sega never forgets its series but will we ever see a new Streets of Rage? Why not? Retro games are in right now and I think it's a fantastic cash in as a digital released. They could start a brand new trilogy if they wanted. WayForward has been killing it lately with their 2D games so I would give them the nod to make a new Streets of Rage. WayForward is most known for the fantastic Shantae series but it also has handled video games for cartoons such as Regular Show, Adventure Time and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They also did the Ducktales Remastered game and brought back Double Dragon with Double Dragon Neon, which I thought was a fantastic beat em up worthy of the iconic franchise. Do I need to say more? Fans have created a great game called the Streets of Rage Remake, which features a lot of fanservice for anyone who has played through any SOR game. It features a robust roster of characters, multiple routes and hours upon hours of entertainment. It's like Sega themselves made the game. Fans have given Sega the blueprint of what they want. If WayForward were to follow what the fans have created, we could have something really special. Add new characters, add some light RPG elements, add a fast and frantic soundtrack and COUCH CO-OP. For goodness sakes, that is a freaking must. How Platinum Games decided to release a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game without it is beyond me. Not the point, but it was in the first three, it needs to be in the new one. Streets of Rage will probably never see the light of day for whatever reason except it be for cameos in the next Sonic racing game but never say never, even though I just did like four times. If Shenmue can finally get its sequel after 13 years then I think we can see a new SOR after 23 years. I hope.
10. Skies of Arcadia - Media.Vision - PS4
What was the best game the Sega Dreamcast had to offer? Grandia II? Hmmm, not a bad pick. Jet Grind Radio? Classic game! Soul Calibur? Great fighting game! Shenmue? Close. The answer would be Skies of Arcadia, easily the BEST RPG to never get a sequel. Is that too grand of a statement? Yes it very well may be but can you think of another game so well received that NOTHING was done with it? Sega had a major RPG franchise here and they let it slip out their hands. Granted, they were worrying about if they were ever going to release a new console ever again but still, why is there no sequel? SOA had everything you wanted in RPGs and more. It was very long, featured optional bosses, had a fantastic battle system, diverse characters and it was the best thing about the Sega Dreamcast. It also featured a fun mini game for the Dreamcast's VMU. Remember the VMU?!?1 Best Memory Card ever! Skies of Arcadia was ahead of its time and it's a crime that nothing was done with the series. Vyse is still around and in Sega's mind as he appeared as a playable character in Sega's critically acclaimed Valkyria Chronicles and also in Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing Transformed. The thought of the series is still around so why hasn't Sega made a new game in series? Probably because they are too busy trying to bring Sonic off of life support to care about anything but that or Yakuza, which is an amazing series in its own right as well. Sega should give the rights to the series to someone who has experience making fantastic RPG games. I like NIS, I like Idea Facotry, and I like Compile Heart but I need a fanservice free type of RPG here. I would only trust Media.Vision to do the series justice. Media.Vision has done Valkyria Chronicles III, is developing the PS4 sequel Valkyria: Azure Revolution,and recently developed the great Digimon RPG for the PS4. They are probably best known for their work on the Wild Arms series. Ever heard of it? Wild Arms was a series of 5 games, developed across the Playstation One and 2. Two games on the PS1 and three on the PS2, each with their own different stories, set of characters and gameplay styles, especially the final two. In a time where most JRPGs are either crap or too fanservice heavy, Media.Vision continues to crank out quality RPGs. A Skies of Arcadia game in their hands would be great for Sega, the Playstation 4 and for fans alike. I don't think a sequel is necessary. They could just do a new game entirely, just in the same universe. Keep the battle system with some tweaks for this generation and make the ship battles even more entertaining. Could you imagine discovering the world in 1080p? The Dark Vortex was frightening in 2001, imagine it now! Just take my money now! Someone from Sega or Media.Vision, start a crowd funding campaign! We need this to be released! Sega should stop focusing on their dying hedgehog and more on their sky pirates. And ninjas. And dis-formed man turning into beasts.
This is a topic that I could go ON AND ON about. There's games like Vagrant Story, Wild Arms, Shadow Hearts, Breakdown, The Last of Us, Jak and Daxter, etc. There's so many that one list won't do all the forgotten games justice, so expect this topic to be revisited again someday...
Which game do you think deserves more attention? Let me know!
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