Summary
When thinking of video games, you probably think of established long-running franchises like Super Mario, Grand Theft Auto, Zelda, God of War, etc. There’s not a lot of huge standalone games that have no sequels to speak of. Even great titles likeOkamihave a semi-sequel in Okamiden on the DS.
However, there do exist fan-beloved standalone games with sequels that will probably never happen. The fanbase could be small, but nevertheless, the title was praised by critics and fans alike. The game can’t have any sequel, whether it’s big or small, but the sequel also has to be finished, which comes into play with one particular title.
2006
PlayStation 2
Just two days after God Hand was released, the announcement came that Clover Studios was shutting down, but thedev team went out swinging. Still, to this day, God Hand feels incredibly fresh, largely due to the combat and controls. It’s a 3D beat-‘em-up, but the controls aren’t the usual affair you’d see at the time.
God Hand has Resident Evil tank controls, which will probably turn off a lot of beginners, but it works so well once you get used to it. The sheer customization you have for your move set is also impressive and an aspect not commonly seen in other action games. It’s a blast to play, but unfortunately, the aged humor is likely why we won’t ever get a sequel or a remaster.
For Phantom Dust, it’s pretty understandable why this never got a sequel because hardly anyone’s played it. The game’s literally free on the Xbox Store, and it still doesn’t see much play. This is a crying shame, as Phantom Dust remains a one-of-a-kind title not only in Xbox’s library but in all of gaming.
It’s a third-person shooter, not a modern one, but the old-school type you’d see in the early to mid-2000s. Then, use a Polymerization card to fuse the third-person shooter and card game genres to make Phantom Dust. The hybrid gameplay works incredibly well here and is something you can’t get elsewhere. Please check this game out, as it really doesn’t see enough love.
Persona has to be one of the most popularand acclaimed RPGseries right now, and when looking at the developer’s other work, there’s one other big one: Catherine. This title ain’t an RPG but a narrative-driven puzzle game in which you move cubes around and climb to the very top.
The puzzle gameplay works well enough but can provide a stiff challenge. The story’s great, with a bunch of cool endings, so you have excellent replay value here. Catherine ended up receiving an updated rerelease, Catherine: Full Body, and with good sales, you would expect a sequel, but that didn’t happen.
Conker’s Bad Fur Day has to be one of the first games to come up that never got a sequel. Yes, technically, one was released with Conker’s Big Reunion in Project Spark, but that doesn’t count because, one, that game never got finished, and two, you’re able to’t even play that anymore due to it being delisted.
A stellar platformer witha huge comedic focus, Conker was a technical marvel on the N64 due to its high amount of speech. That’s a lot of data to store on a cartridge back then, but it was worth it. Unfortunately, the game’s ending lacks any real resolution to the story, which makes a missing sequel even worse.
2014
Xbox One, PC
Nothing’s worse than a missing sequel to an episodic game. The story’s literally unfinished in that instance, and D4 is a prime example. Anamazing Xbox exclusive, directed by Swery of Deadly Premonition-fame, D4 has great style, great storytelling, and fantastic adventure gameplay.
Cutscenes in D4 are far more important than other games, as you can highlight key details that give you additional credits. That’s such a great way to keep you engaged. It’s a truly phenomenal experience, and the fact that the rest of the episodes were cancelled is a crime.
One of the most beloved Rockstar games of all time has to be Bully. People are still hoping for a sequel to it, but it won’t happen. And to be honest, a game like Bully probably can’t even get made today due to its subject matter. Take the Rockstar open-world formula you know and love and make the protagonist a 15-year-old student.
That would be Bully in a nutshell, and due to its setting, you participate in a lot of unique activities that GTA never lets you do. The title really stands out in Rockstar’s catalog, and many choose it as their favorite. Objectively, Bully doesn’t top GTA5 or Red Dead Redemption 2, but it’s great nonetheless.
Who doesn’t love the noir style of black-and-white 40s cinema? They look beautiful, and the ultimate Noir game would be L.A. Noire. Set in a realistic 40s Los Angeles, you play as Detective Cole Phelps solving Traffic, Homicide, Vice, and Arson cases.
Despite L.A. Noire being open-world, it’s more akin to Metal Gear Solid 5 than GTA, with your cases being the primary target focus. You aren’t incentivized to explore much here, and that’s a good thing because the cases are so well done. Everything captures that era nearly perfectly, and it’s even better if you turn on the black-and-white filter. A sequel would be great, but frankly, it’ll be hard to top the original.
Platforms
1998
PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Switch
Many old-school PC gamers will state that Grim Fandango is the last all-time great adventure game out of the boom period present in the 80s and 90s. With a release year of 1998, they would be correct, as triple-A point-and-click games were done at that point. Playing the title now, however, you would have no idea because Grim Fandango is LucasArts at its absolute peak.
With a world similar to Pixar’s Coco, the story’s far more dramatic than what you’d expect from the genre. Don’t worry; there’s still a lot of humor, but the added focus on the stellar drama makes this game especially stand out. With master-crafted adventure game design, Grim Fandango is one of the best adventure titles ever made, and it’s unfortunate it bombed that hard.
1994
SNES, Switch, PlayStation 4, PC
If you haven’t checked out Wild Guns on the SNES and are into retro gaming, you must play it. The gameplay here is incredibly unique as it’s a shooting gallery, but you control a person on-screen. You can jump, dodge, and move around, and combined with the intense firefights, Wild Guns is an exhilarating experience.
It requires complete focus with all the on-screen action and stuff happening at once, so it’s not a great game to chill to. What you may chill tois the incredible soundtrack, one of the most underrated on the system. You can play Wild Guns through Switch Online, and there’s an updated rerelease, Reloaded, so there’s no excuse not to check this game out.
One of the greatest horror titles for the GameCube is Eternal Darkness. While it’s aged a bit today, back then, it was a psychological horror experience never before seen. The tricks it pulled with the sanity meter were legendary, including deleting your save game and the infamous blue screen of death.
The sound design was excellent, too, nailing the spooky atmosphere. While Eternal Darkness is fondly remembered, a follow-up seemed destined to never happen. There actually was a sequel in development before Silicon Knights closed its doors and even a spiritual successor that failed to get crowdfunded multiple times. Eternal Darkness just can’t catch a break.
