It's no secret that video game makers love sequels. From a business standpoint it's hard to argue against their appeal. Following up on a successful game guarantees that an established audience is waiting to gobble up the new entry. Developers are also able build upon their past work, rather than starting from scratch with a new IP. So every year game charts are dominated by continuations of successful franchises.
Despite the constant deluge of sequels overall, year after year there are always notorious no-shows that defy explanation. These are sequels to games that, despite there being well established demand for them, end up delayed indefinitely with little word of when or if they will see the light of day. Inadvertently, a lot of these games seem to have the number "3" attached to their names.
The following is a list of highly desired, yet so far intangible sequels that prove that the third time isn't always the charm.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3
NA (North American) Release Date for KotOR 2: December 6, 2004
Naming the greatest Star Wars game of all time isn't usually a controversial topic. Bioware's acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic is beloved by fans of Star Wars and good video games alike. Introducing an era in the Star Wars chronology arguably cooler than that of the movies, it remains a clear favorite in any debate of which Star Wars video game is the best.
KotOR success was followed up with a sequel developed by Obsidian. KotOR II: The Sith Lords, gave gamers a fresh take on the Star Wars universe with a darker storyline that delved deep into the philosophical concepts surrounding the Force.
Somewhere there's an action figure diorama just like this
Unfortunately, LucasArts rushed The Sith Lords through development in order to meet the all consuming Christmas deadline, leading to several cut features and an overall unpolished feel to it. This was the start of the series' difficulties, which reached their zenith with the cancellation of a third KotOR game before it even entered full development. Afterwards came a grueling hiatus in news on the popular series' future. When an official announcement was finally made in 2008, it wasn't what many expected.
LucasArts and Bioware publicized their new KotOR inspired Star Wars MMORPG with extraordinary fanfare. They were dead-set on competing with the reigning MMO king, World of Warcraft and this naturally included appealing to KotOR's established fanbase for support. While building hype for the game, Bioware, perhaps anticipating fan reservations for such a drastic change from the first two games, said outright that The Old Republic would be KotOR 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 all in one.
Star Wars: The Old Republic ended up having many of the trappings of a single player RPG, including party characters, massive dialogue trees, and expansive storylines. With that said, it's still an MMORPG, probably the most divisive genres in all of gaming. When people love them, they really love them, and when people don't care about them, they really don't care about them. The genre simply introduces a heap load of controversy wherever it appears. This is especially true when developers try to adapt it to a preexisting franchise.
There's no reason why both sides of the MMO fence can't get what they want. Online gaming adherents already have a competent and recently free-to-play version of the Old Republic universe to explore. Now all LucasArts needs to do is provide single player enthusiasts with a Knights of the Old Republic 3 counterpart.
To help pass the time until KotOR 3, here's my list of the Best Mods for the first two games
Kingdom Hearts 3
NA Release Date for Kingdom Hearts 2: March 28, 2006
Last Official Kingdom Heart Release: July 31, 2012
To be fair, unlike other series on this list, there hasn't exactly been a shortage of Kingdom Hearts games in recent years. The whimsical action role-playing series that mixes Square Enix's Final Fantasy with the cartoony creations of Walt Disney, has seen several releases since Kingdom Hearts 2 came out in 2005. Almost all of these, however, have been portable side-stories. Most telling of all is that none of them have carried the prestigious distinction of being a full-fledged Kingdom Hearts 3.
Despite being buried by spin-off after spin-off, Kingdom Hearts' fandom has lost none of their enthusiasm for a new numbered title. While little in the way of concrete details exists on it, recent speculation at least seems to point towards it being the next step in the series.
Mega Man Legends 3
NA Release Date Mega Man Legends 2: October 24, 2000
When the N64, Sega Saturn, and Playstation ushered in 3D gaming (as in controlling polygonal characters in 3D environments, not the headache-inducing gimmick of pop-out screens) many iconic characters made the jump to the new medium. Mega Man was no exception and the two Mega Man Legends games, while nowhere near as well remembered as the likes of Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time, became cult classics, known for their quirky characters and charm.
After being left with a massive cliffhanger at the end of Mega Man Legends 2, Legends enthusiasts had been eagerly awaiting a third game for over a decade. So when legendary Capcom game designer Keji Inafune personally announced Mega Man Legends 3 for the 3DS, it was received ecstatically. Not only were fans of the neglected subseries getting a new Legends game, they were actually being invited to help create it.
Along with the new project, Capcom unveiled the Devroom, a forum where fans could become"Servebots" iconic minions from the series known for their productive work ethic, and submit concept art and feedback on development ideas. This included a publicized vote on what Mega Man would look like in the game.
I voted for the version without the robotic briefs
All of this ended up being too good to be true. Despite an energizing announcement and innovated development structure, Mega Man Legends 3 was never actually green-lit by Capcom's head honchos. Originally Capcom of Japan promised that sales of the Mega Man Legends 3 Prototype demo on the 3DS eShop would determine whether or not the project would move onto full production. For whatever reason Capcom reneged on this commitment and both the prototype and the full game were unceremoniously canceled on July 18 2011.
The reaction most Legends fans had at the time
There was an immediate backlash against the cancellation, which seemed to finally top a series of controversial decisions made by Capcom at the time. Internet campaigns to revive the project were started soon after the announcement. While these fan efforts have yet to convince Capcom of bringing back Legends 3, the success of a similar project, Operation Rainfall, proved that fan protests can at least partially influence the powers that be.
The design of this boss came from fan-submitted art.
By now Capcom is no doubt aware of the demand for Mega Man Legends 3. With the 3DS game likely dead for good, we can all at least hold out hope that the saga of Mega Man Volnutt and his robotic toilet bowl monkey Data is picked up someday down the line.
Half Life 3
NA Release Date for Half Life 2: November 16, 2004
Last Official Half Life Game: October 10, 2007
If you want to set the internet on fire, you won't find more flammable fuel than creating Half Life 3 rumors. Despite not seeing a new game since 2007, Half Life 3 has continued to make headlines across the web based simply on the off chance that it might exist. Naturally, every time these rumors sprout up, sparking all our hopes, Valve always comes along to extinguish them.
Of all the games on this list, Half Life 3 is by far the most likely to be released some day. After all, there's only so much enjoyment Valve can get from trolling their fanbase. Eventually Gabe Newell has to notice the pyramid size mound of potential profits he's sitting his posterior on.
All jokes aside, it's pretty obvious why Valve hasn't pulled Half Life 3 out of the hat yet. Both original Half Life games were monumental games that set genre defining features for their respective generations. Half Life 3 can't pull off a similar effect releasing on current-gen hardware, hence why Valve is likely saving their big guns for the next generation. With Valve posed to enter the TV-based gaming market with its "Steam Box" what better way to inaugurate it by unveiling one of the most anticipated games of all time?
Star Wars: Battlefront 3
NA Release Date for Star Wars: Battlefront 2: November 1, 2005
Last Official Star Wars: Battlefront game: November 3, 2009
The story surrounding the anticipation, speculation, and ultimately cancellation of the third game in LucasArts' popular Star Wars: Battlefront series make's for a high drama. Free Radical's attempt at sculpting an ambitious successor to the first two celebrated shooters imploded, leaving Battlefront III orphaned. Eventually, Rebellion Developments coughed up a pair of mediocre Battlefront games for the PSP, but since then the only news surrounding the series has been leaked footage of Free Radical's cancelled project.
Is that Stormtrooper even trying to aim? What am I saying. Of course he's not.
Perhaps I was late to the party when I eventually got around to playing it, but Star Wars Battlefront 2 didn't strike me as anything more than a decent FPS based off a well recognized licensed property. Overall, its battles were just a little too spastic and random for my tastes.This doesn't mean I don't feel Battlefront fans' pain. LucasArts has been dishing them out nothing but disappointment over the past few years. Sadly, in light of Disney's purchase of LucasArts late last year, the chances of Star Wars Battlefront being dumped in the pile of forgotten Star Wars properties, with the likes of Jedi Knight and Rogue Squadron, is more and more likely.
Shenmue 3
NA Release Date for Shenmue 2: October 28, 2002
You can't bring up a discussion of wished for sequels without mentioning the unfinished Shenmue trilogy. Released on the Sega Dreamcast in 1999, the first Shenmue game introduced a style of gameplay that had never been seen before (and arguably since). Combining open world exploration with character interaction and an immersive Japanese setting, Shenmue was a unique, slow-paced gameplay experience that people have been craving more of for years.
After Shenmue 2 was released to lackluster sales in 2001, production on the series fizzled out, leaving the game's storyline unfinished. For a game so strongly focused on storytelling as Shenmue, it's hard not to understand the lamentations of Shenmue fans, who have mourned the incomplete trilogy for well over a decade now.
News on the series' possible revival still pops up every now and then. As recent as January 2012, Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki brought up the possibility of obtaining the license from Sega. So while the chances of a Shenmue continuation look slim at best, at least some grounds for hope remain after all these years. The same can hopefully be said for all the games on this list.