18 PS2 Franchises We’d Like To See On PS3
Yeah, yeah, sequel-mania is a horrible thing, it introduces the death of original content etc, etc, but the truth is that gamers LOVE sequels… as long as they don’t suck.
We’ve seen the Final Fantasy’s, the Tekken’s and the Metal Gear’s, now let’s take a look at some of the franchises of which we’ve only seen peeps and glimpses, or simply just hope will get the next gen treatment, and imagine what they might offer!
Read the full article after the jump!
Yeah, yeah, sequel-mania is a horrible thing, it introduces the death of original content etc, etc, but the truth is that gamers LOVE sequels… as long as they don’t suck.
We’ve seen the Final Fantasy’s, the Tekken’s and the Metal Gear’s, now let’s take a look at some of the franchises of which we’ve only seen peeps and glimpses, or simply just hope will get the next gen treatment, and imagine what they might offer!
Resident Evil: Put simply, it’s time for you to come home, we missed you. It’s hard to believe we’ve only had four real Resident Evil’s, (there have been more spinoffs than actual sequels). Truth be told the formula was starting to get more than a little old and tired after the third game, the franchise was looking to pull a Tomb Raider and take a swan dive off the deep end into mediocrity, but then came Resident Evil 4. Not only was it markedly different in tone than any Resident Evil up to that point, the gameplay was fresh and unique and gamers everywhere lapped it up. All we’ve seen of its successor is a moody CG trailer depicting a lone protagonist moving through a sun drenched alleyway as a horde of fast moving zombies close in on him. Producer Jun Takeuchi has promised changes akin to what we got from Resident Evil 4’s gameplay while maintaining the Res’ Evil “feel,” and shoehorning 60fps gameplay, a strong action oriented bent, and an empahisis on escape and survival in there as well.
Devil May Cry: The trailer for the first Devil May Cry on PS2 promised a Castlevania-like atmosphere mixed with (then) unbelievable next-gen visuals and over the top gunplay and stylised action, and boy did it deliver. Perhaps a little marred by being held back by archaic Resident Evil “get the key to open the door” puzzle style gameplay, the first game was an instant classic that created one of the most badass characters in modern videogames. Then the sequel landed, and it sucked, let’s move past that one shall we? Devil May Cry 3 came, and fixed everything wrong with both the first and second games in the series, taking frenetic third person action to dizzying new heights of coolness, but man was that a hard game. The team behind Dante’s first next gen outing promises that they won’t be softening things up, the new game will be just as hard, and we might be seeing an older Dante (shades of Snake?)
Dragon Quest: Dragon Quest’s always played second fiddle to the Final Fantasy franchise in the US (where it was known as Dragon Warrior due to legal wrangles) but it’s huge in Japan, and the excellent translation work on the recent American release of Dragon Quest VIII seems to indicate Square Enix thinks the franchise is ready for the big time over here. Rumor has it Level-5 is already hard at work on a PS3 game and we’re hoping against hope it’s Dragon Quest IX.
The Mark of Kri: It’s unlikely we’ll get another sequel to expand upon Rau’s excellent blood soaked adventures, but The Mark of Kri and its sequel Rise of the Kasai we’re excellent games on the PS2 platform that were sorely overlooked. They married the traditionally cutesy art style and the first class animation of a big budget animated Disney feature with brutal over the top violence that would make a certain Cimmerian blush. If you haven’t given these titles a go pick them up used from Amazon or rent ’em from your local Blockbuster, they’re rollicking good fun!
Sly Cooper: Sucker Punch were undoubtedly some of the most talented and creative guys to fiddle with the PS2’s innards, the dudes and dudettes that gave us the quirky and innovative Sly series are currently hiring more talent to work on their “top-secret next-generation console title”, so we’ll al just have to keep our fingers crossed for this one.
Mega Man: Old school side scrolling action never gets old. A frantic game of mindless Mega Man mania would be the perfect break from the epic Hollywood style sensory assault’s that the PS3 promises to offer. I can’t state enough that a next gen Mega Man should be done old school side scrolling style (those make the best Mega Man games). It would be absolutely awesome if we could see a graphical presentation akin to a high resolution animated feature, and in 1080p to boot!
Jak and Daxter: Naughty Dog has traditionally ditched their last gen franchises in favor of new IP’s for the new generation, while this ideaology seems to hold true for the PS3 at first glance, closer inpection reveals that they might just be looking to expand the Jak and Daxter universe. Naughty Dog were arguably the most technically proficient developers on the PS2, having squeezed more out of the old girl than just about anyone else and really putting stock in the claim that the PS2’s processor truly was an “emotion engine.” It’s because if this amazing technical wizardry and Naughty Dog’s abundant creativity and rock solid gameplay mechanics that we’re looking forward to whatever we might see of Jak and his furry ottsel pal, Daxter on the PS3.
Castlevania: The Castlevania games on PS2 were fun but they really lacked a truly epic sense of scope. In recent years Dante’s stolen the crown of king demon slayer from the Belmont clan, it’s time they fought for their reputation don’t you think? Just imagining the amount of gothic detail and the kinds of freakishly bizarre creatures and demons the boys at Konami could dream up for a vivid PS3 outing gives me the geekies, hopefully we’ll hear something soon.
Zone of Enders: The first game was a bit of a shaky entry to the series, but the second proved that some sequels can in fact better their predecessors, Zone of Enders 2: The 2nd Runner was ambitious, focused and fun. There’s little doubt that Kojima‘s hard at work on Metal Gear Solid 4, but since it’s apparently his last one, (heard that before) why not return to some familiar ground by giving gamers even more spectacular Orbital Frame anime style action. Put simply, we want more Jehuty!
Onimusha: Genji 2 will have to hold us over till we get another taste of Capcom‘s next installment in the epic demon slaying series, Onimusha. That said the series known for starring digital doubles of real life actors is most likely going to make an appearance sooner rather than later, I’ve a hunch we may see something at this year’s Tokyo Games Show.
Soul Reaver: I’m a huge fan of this fantastic vampire series and considering what Crystal Dynamics has been able to do with Tomb Raider: Legend, the thought of a next gen Soul Reaver that fully fleshes out the dark gothic world of Nosgoth is just too much to bear. We’re awaiting the return of the eternal bastard Kain, the vengeful and reluctant hero Raziel, and the retribution of the spiteful Elder God, bring it on Crystal D!
God of War: Last year God of War rocked the gaming world and made away with more trophies than Phil Harrison at a tall bald dudes competition. There’s a sequel in the works for PS2, and while it looks groovy and all we can’t but think it’s just a bone to tide us over till Sony Santa Monica gives Kratos and Co. a next gen makeover PS3 style. Expansive environments, gigantic monstrous creatures rendered in pixel perfect, exquisite fine detail… and then of course there’ll be the ah, high res “mini-games”.
Shadow of the Colossus/ICO: It’s questionable whether these two games even inhabit the same world but the universe definitely has some shared elements. Both unique and innovative, Ico and Shadow are two games the videogame market needs to see more of, touching, charming and technically astounding, these games were as good an argument for games as art as any. It’ll be interesting to see what Team ICO can do with the power the PS3 affords.
Prince of Persia: Yeah, we’ve got Assassin’s Creed in the works, but it would be an utter shame to let such a good franchise die. It’s true the Prince’s story has been told, but that’s what time travel’s for, right? Ubisoft Montreal are one of the hottest dev teams in the biz right now, and their ability to meld substance, style and charm with traditional platforming and third person action adventure elements is second to none. It’ll probably be a while before we see the Prince again, but we’re eagerly awaiting his return.
Kingdom Hearts: As of this writing Kingdom Hearts II is almost certainly responsible for giving the PS2 hardware a boost so mighty it’s currently outselling the Xbox 360 in the US (according to NPD data). Sora, Donald and Goofy will most assuredly be gracing the PS3, and when they do Square’s going to be putting a lot of time, money and effort into making sure it blows us all away… we’ll probably have to wait 3 years for it for it though.
Silent Hill: With the series already on PSOne, PS2 and PSP, and having recently made the break into Hollywood, the Silent Hill franchise is more popular than ever before. It’s only a matter of time before Konami book us another one way ticket to the perpetually fog filled town of Silent Hill, home of creepy little girls and skinned babies, but what will we find when we get there?
SOCOM: US NAVY SEALS: The next installment of the PS2’s online powerhouse franchise is already in the works at Zipper, and more than any other title it’s likely this will be the game to truly showcase the power and flexibility of Sony’s much touted PlayStation Network Platform. Along with completely reinvented gameplay we’re expecting great graphics, awesome sound and a plethora of intense innovative multiplayer modes from this one.
Killzone: Can you believe we still haven’t seen this one yet!? (At least not really.) Everyone’s anxious to see just how close Guerrilla can come to matching that now infamous E3 2005 CG video, perhaps the PS3’s “Halo Killer” will finally emerge? It’s great that Sony seems to be willing to give Killzone time and money to breathe so it can be all it can be, question is, will the team be vindicated or crucified by the fans and media when we finally do get a glimpse?
If nothing else this list’s been a neat little trip down memory lane, it also serves as a reminder that the PS3 has a formidable arsenal of third and first party franchises that are yet to make an appearance, we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. As always we’d like to hear from you in the comments, what franchises would you love to see carried over to the PS3?