The 90+ section on Metacritic is packed with legendary franchises and their numerous sequels, with titles likeThe Legend of Zeldataking up at least half a dozen slots among the highest-rated games of all time. But not every masterpiece (at least by Metacritic standards) is part of a series. Some games, likeMinecraftandCeleste,were one-and-done deals, but others, likeBloodborne, are in desperate need of a follow-up.
Unfortunately,even critical acclaim didn’t save these games from getting left behind by the gaming industry. Whether it’s been too long since their last entry or they just never got the sequel they deserved, these abandoned, highly-rated games deserve a long-overdue comeback.
10Wipeout XL Is Long Overdue For A New Game
The Franchise Died With Its Studio’s Closure
Wipeout XL,also known asWipeout 2097,is a sequel in itself. Rated 93 onMetacritic, theWipeout XLcontinued to build on the formula of Psygnosis' first game, combining anti-gravity racing with a pulse-pounding soundtrack, and sending it to the top of the charts.
TheWipeoutseries had its share of sequels, all of themwell-received and rated between 80 and 90. Sadly, the last time there was a true new entry (that wasn’t just a collection of remasters) was 2012. A true sequel seems highly unlikely now that the studio behind it has been closed, but Sony now owns the IP, so there’s still hope for fans.
9Skies Of Arcadia Never Got The Sequel It Deserved
The Adventures Of A Merry Band Of Sky Pirates
While Sega’s short-lived, internal studio Overworks was better known forSakura Wars,Skies of Arcadiawon over many fans and earned a 93 rating and a must-play tag onMetacritic. The 2000 Dreamcast title followed a group of threesky pirates who traveled around on their airship, exploring and adventuring throughout the floating continents of Arcadia.
Sega considered developing a sequel for the GameCube or Game Boy Advance, butproduction never moved past the planning stage. Although the game is now 25 years old,Skies of Arcadiadeveloper Kenji Hiruta still holds out hope, writing as recently as 2020 (in an archived article fromUS Gamer) that “I really want to develop the sequel.”
8Grim Fandango Sequel Is Unlikely, But Not Impossible
A Memorable Journey Through The Land Of The Dead
Theunforgettable journey of Manny Calaverathrough the world of the dead is a classic, and many fans would love to revisit the unique world and its quirky cast of characters. The adventure game by Tim Schafer and LucasArts is a beloved classic with a respectable 94 rating onMetacritic.
Tim Schafer has admitted on the record that he considered the possibility. Ultimately, Schafer hasexpressed more interest in creating something newrather than revisitingGrim Fandango,so a sequel will likely never happen.
7Jet Set Radio’s Sequel Has Gone Radio Silent
Quirky Counter-Culture Graffiti And Music
Jet Set Radio(94 onMetacritic) and its Xbox sequelJet Set Radio Futuretake players through the stylized streets of Tokyo. Perched atop inline skates, players zoomed through various stages, eluding the authorities, spraying graffiti, androcking out to the distinctive funk soundtrack.
The grungy game acquired a cult following of fans clamoring for a sequel in the years since.A new game was teasedbySEGAon YouTube during the 2023 Game Awards, but it’s unclear if this is areboot or a true sequel, and SEGA hasn’t revealed too much information about it.
6Portal & Portal 2 Should Get A Third Entry
You Could Be Thinking With Portals Again
Both the originalPortal(90 onMetacritic) and its equally excellentPortal 2(95 onMetacritic) make it to many fans' top games of all time list. The puzzle gamehad people thinking with interconnected, wormhole-like portalsas they made their way through a series of test chambers.
Portal 2was released in 2011, making itover 14 years since fans have had an officialPortaltitle.Although many other games have tried to recreate the games’magic formula of hilarious writingand mind-bending puzzles, it’s about time to revisit one of the most iconic games and add a third title.
5Half-Life Fans Are Still Waiting For The Third Game
There’s No Telling If It’ll Ever See The Light Of Day
The third game in theHalf-Lifeseries hasallegedly been in the making for so long that it’s become a meme. EveryHalf-Lifegame released so far has made it to the top of the Metacritic rankings, including bothHalf-Life(96 onMetacritic),Half-Life 2(also 96 onMetacritic), and the 2020 VR spinoffHalf-Life: Alyx(93 onMetacritic).
To say that it’s time for aHalf-Life 2sequel would be an understatement, asfans have been waiting for 21 years. Once in a while,rumors aboutHalf-Life 3resurface, but as of this writing, the game has never been officially announced by Valve.
4Eternal Darkness Sequel Attempts Keep Failing
Blurring The Lines Between The Game And Real World
Once in a while, a game is released that changes people’s perception of what a game can be.Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem(92 onMetacritic) was a 2002 game that blurred the line between game and reality, implementing asanity meter that often broke the fourth wallby showing players a vision of the main character shooting themselves, or the TV’s volume changing (which got me every time even though my TV’s volume control looked completely different).
Any follow-up toEternal Darknessso far has been doomed, withboth its potential sequel and spiritual successor never managing to get off the ground.Which is too bad, because a modern-day sequel would be incredible thanks to all the technological advancements, improved graphics, and generallymore ways to mess with playersthat have evolved since then.
3Bloodborne Fans Have Been Begging For A Sequel For Years
The Lovecraftian Horror Shooter Sibling Of The Souls Games
FromSoftware single-handedly managed to create a new genre with itsDemon’s SoulsandDark Soulsfranchise, but none are quite as beloved as the main series' sibling,Bloodborne, which has a 92 onMetacritic. The title swapped the high-fantasy setting of the mainlineSoulstitles in favor ofLovecraftian horrors, gun-toting protagonists, and true co-op.
Fans have been begging FromSoftware tomake aBloodbornesequelfor years, but so far, nothing has come of the requests. Part of the problem is that a sequel would have to get the green light from Sony, which now owns the IP. As more time passes, aBloodborneremake remains in the cards, butthe potential for a sequel dwindles.
A Tense FPS Inspired By GoldenEye 007
WhenPerfect Darkwas released in 2000, it pushed the N64 to its limits as one of the most technologically advanced games on the console. With a score of 97 onMetacritic, theGoldenEye 007-inspired first-person shooterremains one of the highest-rated games of all timeto this day.
A 2005 follow-up game never quite matched the original’s success,leaving fans hungry for a new, modern-day sequel.The good news is that last year, Nintendo addedPerfect Darkto the Nintendo Switch Online service. The bad news is that a “AAAA” reboot for the titlehas just been canceled, leaving the classic firmly in the past.
Starring The Eponymous Raunchy, Foul-Mouthed Squirrel
After the successes of Rare’sBanjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64,andBanjo-Tooie,the team went on to make a game that had a similar art style. Anyone who’s playedConker’s Bad Fur Day(92 onMetacritic), though, knows that the similarities end at the aesthetics. The game starred a raunchy, foul-mouthed squirrel and gross, inappropriate humor—elements that made it a beloved game at the time but would likely be deemed too offensive today.
It may surprise some to learn thatConker’s Bad Fur Daywas a sequel, and the first game in the series was actually the 1999Conker’s Pocket Talesfor the Game Boy Color.
Conker has returned to the gaming world a few more times, but never with the same level of success or as a full-scope game. Still, hope for a sequel lives. In recent years, video game companies have been relying heavily on nostalgia, bringing back games that older gamers may remember from their childhoods. Although many highly-rated games likeConker’s Bad Fur DayandBloodborneseem to be getting left behind, there’s still hope that they might one day, finally, get the modern sequel they deserve.
