{"id":19950,"date":"2021-04-30T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vgu.tv\/?p=19950"},"modified":"2025-01-04T21:00:35","modified_gmt":"2025-01-05T02:00:35","slug":"vgu-roundtable-dead-game-franchises-we-miss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vgu.tv\/?p=19950","title":{"rendered":"VGU Roundtable: Dead Game Franchises We Miss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every successful video game that releases and does even better sales-wise eventually makes the jump from a singular video game to the beginning of a new franchise. But every game that releases as a part of a franchise isn’t going to be a guaranteed hit\/ For every big franchise there are two or three that no longer exist. A perfect example of this would be Resident Evil<\/em> and Parasite Eve<\/em>. One is thriving and riding higher than ever with Village due out in May while Parasite Eve<\/em> hasn’t seen a new entry since The 3rd Birthday well over a decade ago. So, enough with the ramble, here are the dead franchises we still cling to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allan Muir – Site Admin\/\/EiC\/Hoping To Get Noticed By Lawrence Sonntag On Twitter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MVP Baseball<\/strong><\/em> (2003-2007)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"MVP<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2004 after going to a Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game at Coney Island there were two things on mind: baseball, and the looming presence of the defunct Coney Island Parachute Jump. I hadn’t hit my growth spurt yet and I was very low to the ground and the Parachute Jump was the tallest thing I had seen in my life so far. On the way home from the game I went to blockbuster to rent a game and I rented a game called ‘All-Star Baseball 2004<\/em>‘ and I had a good time. I had called my dad and asked him if he could stop by GameStop on his way home from work and buy All-Star Baseball 2004<\/em> because I was ten years old and child labor laws prevented me from Ron Swanson-ing my way to the top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time he had gotten home, he told me that they didn’t have that game at GameStop. but they recommended a different baseball videogame: MVP Baseball 2003<\/em>. So let me just break down the differences between the two games just from the boxart and publisher. All-Star Baseball 2004<\/em> had Derek Jeter on the cover and was developed and published by Acclaim (pour one out), while MVP Baseball 2003<\/em> had Randy Johnson on the cover and the game was developed and published by Electronic Arts. I played the game and I fell in love. Simply put it was the gateway into my love of baseball and baseball games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I eventually bought MVP Baseball 2004<\/em> which featured Albert Pujols on the cover and that installment, in particular, I have extremely vivid memories of. Everything from the soundtrack, to the menu, and gameplay had me won over. A feature seen in those games that have gone the way of the dodo in modern baseball games is manager ejections. It also re-introduced me to the farm team system in Major League Baseball. Ironically I had only spent a few hours with the last “real” entry in the MVP Baseball<\/em> series, that being the third iteration in 2005. It was foreshadowing as I had gotten into the 989 Sports baseball games that would eventually become the MLB The Show<\/em> franchise. Without a shadow of a doubt, the MVP Baseball games are the closest to perfection. It has taken a while but some of the features in MVP Baseball 2005<\/em> are just now finding their way to MLB The Show<\/em> series such as moving your team, stadium creator, and more. As much as MLB The Show<\/em> continues to be excellent and relevant, I will always hold a special place in my heart for MVP Baseball<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Josh Miller – The Family Man<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mother<\/strong><\/em> (1989-2006)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mother\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I have said before on this site that Earthbound<\/em> is my favorite game of all time<\/a>. Even the soundtrack<\/a> is something that I hold incredibly close to the chest. Each game has certain ties that link them together, but for the most part, they stand on their own as well with no knowledge needed of the other games. To this day, it has amazing ideas that games since then haven’t used, but absolutely should. So if a series were to return, Mother<\/em> is my pick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The influence of the Mother<\/em> series is huge despite being a franchise Nintendo seemingly sweeps under the rug. It has easily one of the most passionate fanbases in all of gaming. Don’t believe me? Popular nerd merch site Fangamer<\/a> was started by Mother<\/em> fans. When Mother 3<\/em> didn’t come stateside, fans translated the entire game through a ROM hack in one of the best game translations ever. They even offered it to Nintendo to use free of charge in hopes that would be enough to release it outside Japan. Never happened. Fansite Starmen.net even held a fanfest in 2014 in honor of the 25th anniversary of Mother. Games like Undertale and the upcoming game Oddity<\/em> (previously named Mother 4<\/em>) were developed as love letters to the series. I can not say it enough. Fans love this series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know there are certain people hesitant about having a new Mother<\/em> game without Shigesato Itoi at the helm. Understandable. However, someone like Toby Fox has proven he can nail the feel of the series. If Nintendo gave him the reins, my heart would be happy. I can’t think of many, if any, franchises thrown under the bus by its publisher like Mother. Yet, there’s enough magic there to still have one of the biggest and most beloved cult followings in games. If Nintendo were to give it another shot, I know I and the rest of the fanbase would be ecstatic. So please Nintendo…bring back Mother<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Graydon Webb – The Contrarian American<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dino Crisis <\/em><\/strong>(1999-2003)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dino
Credit: Capcom<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You really thought I’d go with Dead Island<\/em>, didn’t you? “Oh, Graydon’s gonna choose Dead Island<\/em> because it’s a ‘franchise’ that died before it even began!” Well the jokes on you, because Dead Island 2<\/em> is more alive than ever, and I’m here to talk about a game that truly<\/em> may never ride again: Dino Crisis<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m sure you all remember this terrifying little gem from the original PlayStation games. In a similar style of Resident Evil<\/em>, players took on the role of Regina, a redhead on a mission to save some doctor from a facility full of dinosaurs. Actually, I don’t think she knew going in that there were dinosaurs involved. It was kind of a surprise to us all, but wasn’t that fun? Remember getting chased through small corridors with horrible camera angles, desperately racing to find a safe room or some kind of heavy ammo to obliterate the giant lizards? God, those were the days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, Dino Crisis<\/em> got worse as the years went on. So bad, in fact, that I never even played its sequels. 2000 brought Dino Crisis 2,<\/em> and 2003 ended the series with Dino Crisis 3<\/em>. You didn’t even notice I skipped 2002’s Dino Stalker<\/em>, because nobody knew that game existed until I just said it. Essentially, the Dino Crisis<\/em> name has been dormant for quite some time following a few lackluster installments. And a mobile game. But with Capcom renewing the trademark<\/a> recently and many fans hoping for years in the making, a new game – or at least a remaster – could be right around the corner. So could a dinosaur, so always check your corners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Emmett Watkins Jr – Definitively Not Emmett Graves<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warhawk\/Starhawk<\/em><\/strong> (2007-2012)<\/p>\n\n\n\n