There are some games that we just love so much that we need more of them. It doesn’t matter if it’s a classic game from our childhood or a modern masterpiece. We just need an opportunity to shout from the rooftops and profess our love for these particular games. For this episode of Waypoint Wishlist, we’re talking about games we hope, somehow, someday, will get the sequel they deserve.
Anthony Franklin II – contributor
I have but one ask. One that I will shout from the rooftops every chance I get. More than anything, I need a sequel to What Lies In The Multiverse. I need to see what Everett learned from the first game. I need to see what the Kid is getting himself into. Also, I need more of the Kid’s cat, Erwin.
The first game has such a beautifully told story and incredible soundtrack. And it’s genuinely funny within all of that. The platforming and puzzle solving are great, and I just want to live in that world again.
SHaun Cichacki – COntributor
The original Xbox was home to plenty of first-person shooters. And while I loved the majority of them, there’s one game that has captivated me since I first played it in 2005. Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is a near-perfect blend of FPS gameplay, mixed with third-person exploration. It’s also one of the most unique games I’ve ever had the privilege of playing in my life. The number of times I rented this game from the local Movie Gallery, I could have just bought a copy. But after buying multiple original Xbox versions, alongside countless HD remastered versions, I need more.
Imagine the shock when I saw information about The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot. This rumored sequel/spiritual successor to Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath was revealed in an issue of Game Informer. My eyes lit up, and I was excited beyond words for this game to finally exist. Except, it never came. It’s been 20 years since the release of Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath, and I’m hoping that one day, I’ll get to play another game that’s even remotely similar to it. If there’s one Waypoint Wishlist dream that I wish could come true? It’d be for Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath II.
Ana Valens – Contributor
Oh, if only we lived in a world where Sonic Xtreme came out. My very first TV console was a Sega Saturn, and I spent hours plugging away at Sonic Jam as a kid. I loved running around as 3D Sonic. Jumping around, seeing a full-fledged model representing my favorite hedgehog. As I grew older and learned about Sonic Xtreme‘s fate, I gained a sort of morbid curiosity for the title. An early 3D take at Sonic, which completely failed, complete with very public information available about the game’s struggles? I think I speak for all Sonic fans when I say: This game is basically our white whale. Blue whale, technically.
Sonic Xtreme, for those of you who don’t know much about the game, began development as a traditional 2D-style Sonic game, then morphed into a 3D title for Sega’s 32X Genesis attachment, followed by yet another shift to Sega Saturn. Sound messy? Oh, it was. Things were a disaster internally with this game’s development. Conflicts between Sega’s Japanese and American staff, anxiety over PlayStation’s success on the market, and an insane amount of crunch caused by all these internal conflicts within Sega created a work environment that was far from productive for Xtreme.
The crunch conditions with this game are infamous. As a kid, I remember reading stories about the insane amount of stress STI designer Chris Senn was under during the game’s production. According to Senn, he and programmer Christina Coffin nearly died from illness while developing Xtreme. The game never materialized, although we’ve since seen several prototypes leaked online. Small, simple glimpses into what was going on behind the scenes.
We Must Accelerate At A Rapid Velocity
What would Sonic Xtreme have been like? How would it have changed the gaming industry? I’ve been thinking about this a lot today after writing about Bubsy 3D, another early 3D game that launched to incredible disdain. Although I’m honestly forced to conclude that Xtreme never would have worked. The game was a reflection of Sega circa 1995 and 1996: A company feeling the weight of growing competition and bad decisions. The 32X and Sega Saturn were not suited to compete in an industry led by PlayStation. Xtreme could have come out if Sega gave STI the proper launch pad it needed to make a great 3D game, but the landscape internally at the company — especially between the U.S. and Japanese sides of Sega — just didn’t bode well for release.
At least we have the fan-made Sonic Z-Treme, which is a pretty good imagining of what Sonic Xtreme would have been like.
Matt Vatankhah – Contributor
Maybe it’s too early to be writing this one off. I mean, Neon White came out only three years ago, so who’s to say a sequel isn’t secretly in the works? I can only dream for now, but one thing’s for sure: I’ve never stopped thinking about Neon White.
There are so many reasons why Neon White is so core to my gaming identity. Fast, frantic, split-second decision making? Check. Dreamlike environments coupled with Machine Girl’s surreal tunes? Got it. I can’t explain it, but… there’s something so nostalgic and cozy about Neon White that gives me the fuzziest feelings. Maybe I discovered it at a time when I needed it the most, who knows? Despite feeling like I’m shotgunning cans of pure adrenaline, Neon White remains the comfort food of my gaming library. I wouldn’t need anything special in a sequel, really, just another excuse to race through Heaven again.
dwayne jenkins – Managing editor
Bully is one of those games I needed to have. It was oddly ambitious for its time; you could go to classes (an excuse for cool minigames, but I digress), build bonds with students, and save teachers from, uh… perilous situations. I’ve quietly accepted that Bully will likely never get a sequel. Even though today, a sequel could break the mold in so many ways.
In my mind’s eye, the sequel takes place in college. Maybe it leans more into the “college sim” aspect while maintaining that irreverent overtone of the first game. Well, if Rockstar isn’t going to do anything with a golden idea, perhaps it’s time for the indie/AA scene to do a tasteful spiritual successor!
…Plus, there’s a lot of social commentary/cultural nuance a hypothetical Bully 2 could lean into. No, I won’t expound on that. The internet can be exhausting, and I can’t say I feel like engaging with a certain sector of it.
That Does It For Another Episode of Waypoint Wishlist
It’s just wild to think of how many good games haven’t gotten the sequel they deserve yet. Or, in the case of Sonic X-Treme, how they just… don’t exist at all, even on the countless Sonic collections that have been released. We call this Waypoint Wishlist for a reason, don’t we? We can only hope and pray that someday, some of these sequels finally materialize. I’m also in the same boat as Matt on this one: please pump more Neon White goodness into my body. As always, thanks for reading this episode of Waypoint Wishlist, and keep on being amazing. Also, please make Stranger’s Wrath II a thing.
The post Waypoint Wishlist: Sequels That Never Were appeared first on VICE.
