10 Games With The Longest Wait Between Sequels | Game Rant
Video game fans can be fickle. As a group, some want sequel after sequel of the things they love. If series like Mario continue to dazzle players along with making coin 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 IP 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. Let’s take a look now at the biggest wait between sequels to validate this point. These are listed from the shortest wait to the longest.
10 Marvel Vs Capcom 2 & 3 (11 Years)
Marvel vs Capcom 2 hit arcades and the Dreamcast in 2000. After that, fans would not experience the series again (save for a HD port) until Marvel vs Capcom 3 hit in 2011, which was for the PS3 and Xbox 360. To be fair, there were crossover games in-between this time so including Mv3 may seem like a cheat. That said, there is no beating that iconic name as the main bout fans care most for.
9 Earthbound & Mother 3 (12 Years)
Mother 2 launched 1994 for the Super Famicom in Japan with a 1995 release for the West under the new name of EarthBound. 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 sooner as 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.
8 Doom 3 & Doom (12 Years)
Another game with a twelve year gap shaded in multiple redesigns is Doom. Doom 3 hit PCs in 2004 with the next full sequel arriving in 2016.
Doom 2016 served as a reboot for the franchise and one that was worth the wait if the critics have anything to say for it. Its sequel this year is equally well praised, just as an added side note.
7 Gungrave: Overdose & VR (13 Years)
Gungrave: Overdose launched in 2004 for the PS2 with 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: Gungrave was a clone of the original Devil May Cry, which were meant as a tie-in for the anime. Yasuhiro Nightow, who most know from Trigun, was also the designer of Gungrave which is why it got some attention at the time.
6 Breath Of Fire: Dragon Quarter & 6 (14 Years)
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter released for the PS2 in 2002 in Japan and in 2003 for North America. Breath of Fire 6 was 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.
5 Killer Instinct Gold & Killer Instinct (17 Years)
Killer Instinct Gold released for the N64 in 1996. The series would not return until 2013 as a reboot simply titled Killer 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, like Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, but those that got into it really supported the scene.
4 Narc & Narc (17 Years)
Like Gungrave, Narc is 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, 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.
3 Kid Icarus: Of Myths And Monsters & Uprising (21 Years)
Even Nintendo’s own franchises aren’t safe from being forgotten. Kid Icarus launched in 1986 for the Famicom in Japan and year later for the NES. Its sequel, Kid Icarus: Of Myths And Monsters, was a long wait for the time, releasing in 1991 for the Game Boy. Funnily enough, that only hit North America & Europe and wouldn’t go to Japan until 2012 via the 3DS’ eShop.
After a bigger wait of twenty-one years, Kid Icarus: Uprising launched for the 3DS in 2012. While most of the game was praised as one of the best reboots of all time, the 3DS’ cramped controls held it back. If only it could get a modern port to Switch.
2 Streets Of Rage 3 & 4 (26 Years)
Streets of Rage 3 launched for the Sega Genesis in 1994. Streets Of Rage 4 launched just this year for a variety of current platforms. It is a return to form which some fans praise while others think the series hasn’t evolved enough in the past twenty-six years. Was this its one shot at redemption?
1 Battletoads Arcade & Battletoads (26 Years)
Tied at number one is another classic beat ‘em up franchise, Battletoads. The last game, Battletoads Arcade, hit arcades (duh) in 1994. The new Battletoads is set to launch on August 20 for Xbox One and PC and will be free on Xbox Game Pass. It could get delayed and or suddenly canceled– crazier things have happened– but here’s hoping it won’t.
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