Game franchises have become like movie sequels, and more often than not, hearing about a game sequel gets a groan out of me. I don't need Cooking Mama 3, Postal 3, or Twisted Metal 6 any more than I needed Scary Movie 4, Mission Impossible 3, or Leprechaun 5. But even though many sequels are terrible, there are some I'd like to see.
Of course I'm looking forward quite a bit to Starcraft 2 and Fallout 3, and I'll be happy once details are announced about Resident Evil 5 and Final Fantasy XIII. But these are titles we know are coming. On the other side of the coin are Psychonauts 2 or Beyond Good and Evil 2, which may never happen. The games on my list below are probable, but I've heard nothing solid about any of them.
- Thief - Although I could never get into the original Thief or Thief 2: The Metal Age, I absolutely loved Thief: Deadly Shadows, which was the third game in the franchise. They'd be insane to not put out a fourth title in the series. At this point, I'd expect it to be released on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. There have been a lot of rumors, but nothing solid.
- Mechwarrior - It's been a long time now since the release of the latest Mechwarrior title back in 2002, and the series dates back to 1989. Although there's been a long gap, I'd be surprised if there was never a fifth game in the series. Googling tells me that the latest news is from 2003, where IGN tells us that Mechwarrior 5 is canceled. But the Mechwarrior series was so much better than games like Battlefield 2142 and Chrome Hounds. The customization process was brilliant - the chassis you purchased would only allow a certain amount of space and weight, and you had to add heat sinks to counteract the heat produced by the weapons you'd bought. Energy weapons didn't need ammo, but created a lot of heat, and thus you used your weight on extra heat sinks. Autoguns and other mass driver weapons needed a lot of space and weight for ammo, which could explode if hit by enemy fire. Plus - you can run out of ammo. And missiles were great, but weighed a lot for what you got. I loved configuring mechs.
- Fatal Frame - I've never even played any of the Fatal Frame games, but I do like survival horror. As I understand it, the premise of these games is essentially that you enter a haunted house with a camera. A magic camera. It can kill ghosts. Your film is your ammo, and better film does more damage. Anyway, I'd like to give the games a try, but Fatal Frame 2 is rare, and is currently selling for more than my car is worth.
- Castlevania - I've been a fan of the Castlevania series ever since I saw Castlevania 3 on the NES over my cousin's house when we were kids. But other than handheld versions, it's been a long time since I've seen a true Castlevania title. Just recently, Konami has registered the name "Order of Ecclesia". A new Castlevania would likely be released on either Playstation 3 or Wii, and I've got both consoles, so bring it on.
- Diablo - Blizzard has just acquired the Diablo3.com domain name, but there's been no official announcement. I played through the original Diablo on the Playstation 1, and while I enjoyed it, if I'm going to play action hack-em-up games, I'd rather play Dungeon Siege or Champions of Norrath. Perhaps that's just because those games are newer. Diablo 3 could change that. Hopefully Diablo 3 isn't a MMO - I think that since Blizzard already has World of Warcraft, there's less of a chance of it being an actual MMO. It would work much better as an online multiplayer co-op game that allows up to 32 (or more?) players. Personally, I'd likely be playing 2 player with Linda.