Video games: which franchises deserve a second chance?

Video games

2022 has finally arrived, and based on the premises we feel we can say that it will be a very special year for the world of video games. Between expected announcements and welcome confirmations, we are probably facing a year that will be the real crossroads for the current generation of consoles. And as enthusiasts, of course, we too are not in the skin.

It could also be the year of the return in the presence of many of those events which, for reasons related to the health emergency, unfortunately did not take place in the way we all learned to know them. Fairs like Gamescom and E3, with their conferences able to attract millions of fans from all over the world, are something that is actually missing in a sector that has never stopped in spite of everything.

Waiting to know how things will go, we at GameDivision today want to dedicate a special to all those franchises that, in our opinion, deserve a place among these highly anticipated news: titles that may have disappeared a little from radar but which, for one reason or another, really need a second chance in the form of a remake, reboot or sequel. We have selected some for you with an invitation, as always, to give us your opinion in the comments section. You are ready?

Vampyr

Let's start with a title that, despite a mostly mixed reception from critics and audiences, still has the merit of having brought some small innovations to the world of video games. We are talking about Vampyr, Dontnod action RPG released in 2018 unfortunately ended up too quickly in oblivion.

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The Medium

Released a year ago by Bloober Team, The Medium is in all likelihood one of the most underrated titles of 2021: the advice we give to anyone who has a subscription GamePass and have not yet done it is to retrieve it, immediately and without thinking too much. It is in fact a unique adventure of its kind, perhaps penalized by being labeled by many as "the new Silent Hill".

The Medium is in fact a completely different product, which precisely in its originality manages to strike the player with an exciting plot full of twists. The conception of a life suspended between reality and the afterlife, narrated here in a truly masterful way, is something that we would like to see more often in the world of video games: a sequel, with an original and independent plot from what has been seen so far, could prove to be the true masterpiece. that all fans of the genre are waiting for.

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Assassin's Creed

Let's move on to a franchise that certainly needs no introduction, but with due clarification. Yes, because Assassin's Creed, especially in recent years, has managed to rebuild an image worthy of its name thanks to a series of titles with an increasingly refined quality: Origins and Odyssey, specifically, are two adventures that have really raised a brand that many believed destined for mediocrity.

Ubisoft is investing heavily and well in creating new adventures that fans around the world are looking forward to, but perhaps it is possible (re) to draw something from what has already been created. An example? Think Assassin’s Creed Unity, perhaps the most talked about chapter of the entire saga. A game marked by bugs and problems that, since its release, have influenced the opinion of a large part of the public. On balance, however, it was not a totally throwaway experience and, indeed, over the years there are not a few players who have re-evaluated the game from different points of view. Would it therefore be such an evil idea to delve into the story of the murderer Arno Victor Dorian? Without forgetting that Paris, net of Unity's technical imperfections, is probably one of the most spectacular settings of the entire Assassin's Creed series.

Gothic

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What do we want then? There are two ways. On the one hand we find a remake, but made in such a way as to truly respect and recall the original work: a truly delicate operation, also and above all if we consider that it was precisely the "raw" character of Gothic that made it the title we learned. to love., The second way would instead see a sequel, perhaps with a real fourth chapter to further expand the stories of our hero without a name. The German studio is currently busy completing the work on Elex II - arriving during this 2022 - but you know, in the world of video games never say never!

Mad Max

It's 2015, the (now over) generation of consoles has just begun and the market already offers many products capable of attracting the attention of fans of any kind. There really is something for everyone, and among these stands out a title from a brand that has recently regained the interest of the public thanks to a new chapter in the film saga. Mad Max, released in September and developed by Avalanche Studios, will get a good response from the press and the public but not particularly exciting sales… Unfortunately.

Yes, because on balance the game, whose events take place after the events of Fury Road, is a very interesting and well-made experience: the setting is in fact made up of a whole series of elements - location , audio sector, characters - able to create the perfect atmosphere for a journey into a full-blown post-apocalyptic world. All with the unmistakable style that recalls the great work of George Miller in all its glory: in short, doesn't a title like this really deserve a second chance?

Brutal Legend

For many, 2021 was the year of Tim Schafer's revenge: a character who, too often, was not rewarded for the enormous efforts made in realizing works unique in their kind. Psychonauts 2 has in fact been unanimously recognized as one of the best video games of the year, capable of entertaining and thrilling like few other products in recent years.

Although it is a different genre, there is another small Double Fine masterpiece that the world deserves to (re) discover: that Brutal Legend guilty forgotten by many players, which despite a few too many imperfections was all effects a rich, brilliant and genuinely fun experience. Would a sequel be a good idea? Probably yes: Schafer and associates are now a consolidated reality that has managed to learn from their mistakes, and seeing Jack Black as roadie Eddie Riggs again would be a nice gift for all fans in view of the definitive explosion of this new generation of consoles.

Guitar Hero

After the great success collected in the 2000s, with many titles including canonical chapters and spinoffs and tens of millions of copies sold, Guitar Hero has unfortunately disappeared from the radar without leaving traces . The last sighting dates back to 2015, with that Guitar Hero Live that failed to excite as much as its predecessors by writing the final word on a brand that has nevertheless defined a generation of gamers.

Is Everything Lost? It's not for sure! The rhythm game is and remains a trend capable of attracting many fans from all over the world, and the "fault" of Guitar Hero was probably that of not knowing how to really renew itself. Perhaps this is precisely the keystone: taking advantage of everything that technology offers more today than a few years ago, from increasingly refined VR to new game engines to be explored, even a franchise like this can still have its say in the game. game industry. For example, the success of Beat Saber can teach us something about it, right?

Sleeping Dogs

We conclude with a game that, for a whole series of misfortunes from development to launch, has unfortunately not achieved the success it perhaps really deserved. Sleeping Dogs is in fact an extremely underrated work, where a well-written plot merges with a fun action sector made with truly admirable care.

The story of agent Wei Chen is over, but a return to the Hong Kong crime scene could be the right way to give Sleeping Dogs the second chance that we believe it deserves without a shadow of a doubt. Whether with a sequel or with a remake, a new chapter would be a welcome thing for all those who have enjoyed the game but also and above all for those who have not yet had the good fortune to discover it. The starting point is there and it is also sufficiently solid, will that be enough?

The list, we know, could go on practically indefinitely. In fact, there are many titles, franchises or characters that deserve a second chance: the history of video games has shown us how sometimes this really happens, and it is therefore legitimate to wait and hope for great news, perhaps already in the coming months. We leave you now inviting you again to tell us yours: what are the games that, in your opinion, deserve a big comeback in today's videogame scene?

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