BEYOND GOOD & EVIL 2
Sequels. Love ’em or hate ’em, sometimes we gotta have them. Beyond Good & Evil was well received by critics but wasn’t an initial hit with the masses. The game gained a cult following and has a devoted enough fan-base that a sequel has been trying to get off the ground since 2008. The road for the fans has been brutal ever since. Delays have continued to plague the release, probably because studios are still wondering if it will be worth rushing into production for.
The story featured a female protagonist named Jade, a photojournalist who investigates and fights off an alien species. Largely, a stealth game with puzzle-solving elements. In 2011, Beyond Good & Evil was given the HD treatment and made available to download. This seemed to be a test to see if the game has reached a wider audience since its debut in 2004.
It must not have been as big of a hit the second time around as they wanted it to be. A conceptual teaser for the sequel was released back in 2008, nearly 10 years ago. The gameplay looked fluid and gorgeous for the time. Recently the title has been gaining traction again, even to the point where many were hoping to see an update on the project at E3 2017. That’s seeming unlikely as developers are keeping a tight lip on things, but we’re getting closer. We’ve waited 10 years. What’s another two? Or three? Please, let’s make this happen soon.
This post was originally authored by Brandt Prescott.
PSYCHONAUTS 2
Psychonauts was another game that was under-appreciated for its time when it was released in 2005. From the mind of Tim Schafer, Psychonauts featured a team of “astronauts” that would explore peoples’ minds through their psychic abilities. It was wacky, it was hilarious, and it was an excellent platformer with witty scenarios.
Fans went crazy at the 2015 Game Awards when it was announced that Psychonauts 2 was headed for Kickstarter crowd-funding. It reached its goal, showing that there is still demand for the sequel. The latest update stated that Psychonauts 2 will be published by Starbreeze Studios, the people who brought us the Payday series and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. The game is still early in development, but we’re just happy that it’s finally happening.
SHENMUE III
With Shenmue 2 being released way back in 2001, Shenmue 3 seemed like one of those sequels that was never going to happen. After many years of patiently (well, maybe not patiently) waiting, we finally heard an announcement. Shenmue 3 reached its crowd-funding goal within the first day and became the fastest game to raise $1 million USD on Kickstarter. By the end of its run, it became the most funded video game campaign of all time. The announcement even caused a rise in sales for pre-owned Dreamcast consoles, the system that released the original Shenmue.
It has been 16 years since Shenmue 2 was released and we still have this high of a demand for a third game in the series. This is a testament to how good Shenmue is, and we’re hoping to see Shenmue 3 soon. While it most likely won’t be shown at E3, we might be seeing an update on the project by the end of 2017.
As of now, all trailers have been highly conceptual and do not reflect what the endgame will look like. What we do know is that the game will be open-world, and that Shenmue 3, one of the unicorns in gaming, is actually real. It may have suffered a recent delay, but that’s not stopping anyone from looking forward to its eventual release.
CYBERPUNK 2077
Cyberpunk 2077, a spiritual successor if not a direct sequel to Cyberpunk 2020, has been in the works for a long, long time. The teaser came out in early-2013, and we haven’t seen as much of a peep since. Now that CD Projekt Red is pulling back on The Witcher 3, they have announced that they are deep in development.
The game will take place in a metropolis by the name of Night City, and one interesting component we do know of is the game will consist of non-English speaking characters. To understand their languages, your character will need to purchase translator implants. The game will surely be ambitious in scope which is why it’s taking so long to develop. Even though we know next to nothing about the storyline, the cyberpunk setting is enough to generate a lot of buzz. The fact that the developers have been behind some of the biggest open-world games is icing on the cake.
KINGDOM HEARTS 3
Kingdom Hearts was loved by gamers of all ages for its wonderful combination of JRPGs and Walt Disney characters. The games are famous for sending players to worlds that can be found in our favorite Disney movies. Kingdom Hearts 3 was one of the most begged for sequels out there.
It has been almost 12 years since Kingdom Hearts 2 was released, and we’re still waiting for Kingdom Hearts 3. For the longest time, Kingdom Hearts 3 was in the same boat as other anticipated sequels like Half-Life 3 or Bully 2. After many rumors went unanswered, we didn’t know if it would ever be announced. However, Kingdom Hearts 3 was finally announced in 2013 and received one of the biggest positive reactions ever heard at E3. Since that momentous reveal, we now have a reveal trailer and gameplay trailer, we even know several of the worlds that will be included, but we still have no game. Hey, let’s look on the bright side. At least we know that Kingdom Hearts 3 actually exists and that we’ll get to play it… eventually.
In the meantime, you can play all of the other Kingdom Hearts games which now have remastered releases for the PS4.
Published: Jun 9, 2017 12:13 pm