Each year sees a number of games released, many of which are new or continuing a series, but for all the new IP that are given life, there are many that remain forgotten. So I thought it would be fun to take a look at those franchises that deserve another shot at life.

To be clear when I say another shot at life, I don’t mean via a remaster or a remake, but I mean a from the ground up, original entry in that series. A prime example is F-Zero, that series saw a number of games released over the first 14 years of its life, with F-Zero: GP Legend being the last one to release in the West. But then it went 19 years before it got a new game, or really any game.

So with that in mind, I wanted to have a look through the big publishers to see what series they are leaving behind. There are a few conditions for this list:

There must be at least 2 games in the series, so one off titles are not included.
There must be at least 2 console generations between the last game and now, so if a game was released on PlayStation 4, but there is no entry on PlayStation 5, that does not count.
We are not including Game of the Year, Deluxe, Complete or any other word used to describe a re-issue of the game with DLC or other extra content.
Finally, remakes and remasters do not count, they must be original.

So let us take a look at Electronic Arts, just one extra for this group. As they only bought Codemasters a few years ago, we won’t include any of those games in this list.

Burnout

First Release: November 2001 | Last Release: March 2018 | Total Number of Games Released: 8

I still recall the first Burnout game, it was simple but oh so fun, but by the time Burnout 3 arrived, the series found its groove and the series hit the peak with Burnout Paradise, but since then the smell of rubber has faded.

There were 1.5 games not made by Criterion, Dominator was made by Electronic Arts direct and for Legends, the PlayStation Portable entry was them, but the DS entry was another studio. The series speed was one of the big draws, but the takedown and crash modes were just as delightful, especially in Burnout 3. The crash mode was so popular, it got a spin-off download only game, which also released on mobile phones. The Burnout series was so popular and Paradise so successful, the studio was given the freedom to create a Need for Speed title, but after two that series was taken away and many of the developers of Burnout with it, or they left, which leaves the series in doubt for a new entry.

SSX

First Release: X | Last Release: X | Total Number of Games Released: 6

A friend of mine got a PlayStation 2 for Christmas the year it released and with it he got two games, Tekken Tag Tournament and SSX. While I had to wait for SSX Tricky to come to GameCube, I was hooked by that first game and then for most of the ones that came after.

The series started out as track based racing, just on snow, but SSX Tricky really kicked things into a new level of fun with the tricks and music, but then SSX 3 blew that out of the water. It gave you an entire mountain to board on, not warping around it, but you could start at the very top and race to the very bottom. The series fourth entry went weird with a punk rock style, but it was mostly the same fun of 3. Where the series went weird was with SSX Blur, it was decent, except they required you to use motion controls for tricks and it never worked as well as they wanted and while the gameplay was solid in SSX, the reboot, it lack a lot of the charm that made the series so beloved.

SimCity

First Release: February 1989 | Last Release: December 2014 | Total Number of Games Released: 14

There are a few game series that are just known by most people, SimCity is one of them thanks in part to how easy to was to get SimCity 2000 back in the day. For my money though, the Super Nintendo release that was made by Nintendo is the star.

No matter the game, the gameplay is the same, you generally start with nothing and the slowly build up your city, taking care to ensure that the citizens have access to all aspects of life. Disasters were a big part in the early games, they slowly became less intrusive as the series went on, but they are still there and of course in the Super Nintendo release, Bowser is the monster. While each game has tried to do its own thing, most never stray to far from the established formula, except Societies and the latest release Build It! has been going strong on mobile for almost 10 years now and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. I just wish that we were able to get a proper game on PC again, but that last effort has soured many folks from moving back in.

Dead Space

First Release: October 2008 | Last Release: February 2013 | Total Number of Games Released: 6

In 2008 Dead Space scared the pants off of gamers and the over the next 5 years, 5 more games kept that fear alive, until EA just killed off the series, like a Necromorph at the business end of a plasma cutter.

There were three mainline games in the series, the Wii on-rails shooter, the Xbox Arcade puzzler and the mobile game Sabotage, but the series grew well past that. There were three comic series, two novels, a graphic novel and two animated movies, so the series abrupt ending was a bit of a shock for its fans. The series core gameplay was survival against enemies that required a little thought on how to defeat, as sometimes a headshot wouldn’t keep them down. One aspect the series went for, was putting players in control of people not usually at the front of these sorts of adventures, like Isaac in the main series or several characters in Extraction. The remake proved that there is life here, so maybe its not so dead after all.

Army of Two

First Release: March 2008 | Last Release: March 2013 | Total Number of Games Released: 3

I have a special connection to Army of Two, it was one of the first videogames I reviewed for Maxi-Geek, which is why it was so sad to see the series slowly get worse over time. The series big hook was that it was designed to be played in co-op, thus the name.

While the games were designed to be played with a mate, if you wanted to play solo the AI would take control over the other soldier. In each game, as you progressed through the story, you were able to find better armour, but customisation of character went beyond that, including letting you change up the masks. The series got off to a strong start, which is why there was a graphic novel and a comic released from it and at one point a movie was in development. Sadly the last game made a number of big changes to the core gameplay, like removing the back to back move, which didn’t sit well with many players, plus they dropped the multiplayer modes and they were quite fun.

Boom Blox

First Release: May 2008 | Last Release: May 2009 | Total Number of Games Released: 2

The Wii was such a phenomenon that it drew interest from everyone, case in point acclaimed Hollywood director Stephen Spielberg and his two games, there would have been a third more mature game but it got cancelled.

The game features a collection of physics-based puzzles where the goal is to either prevent block structures from being toppled or to deliberately knock them down using various methods, including throwing, shooting, and grabbing the blocks with the Wii Remote. The sequel retains the core gameplay of its predecessor while introducing a new slingshot mechanic. The shooting mechanic plays a smaller role compared to the first game. This installment brings in fresh environments, introduces novel block shapes like cylinders and ramps, and offers an expanded multiplayer experience.

Command & Conquer

First Release: September 1995 | Last Release: December 2018 | Total Number of Games Released: 12

The Command & Conquer series has a flavours of game, there is the base series, the Generals series, the Tiberium Wars series and the Red Alert series, the latter of which has become synonymous with memes and for good reason.

Because there were a few different series within the broader Command & Conquer brand, gameplay could feel different depending on which one you were playing as, but the general core was the same. Much like other real-time strategy games you needed to build up resources, construct a base and then begin to build up your army, in order to conquer the other side. The only exception to that is Renegade, which was actually a shooter and did play fairly well. The series has mostly been considered a PC series, but there were some console ports of some games and the last entry was a mobile game, but we don’t talk about that one.

Def Jam

First Release: June 2003 | Last Release: March 2007 | Total Number of Games Released: 4

When you think of Def Jam, you are not likely to think of wresting games, but that is what we got with this series, of course the big deal was that the stars were hip-hop artists like Snoop Dogg, DMX, Method Man, Ice-T, Ghostface Killah, Redman, Ludacris and more.

The first game features a lengthy story mode that allows you to level up and enhance one of four player characters in your quest to become the most well known star in the urban fighting league. The sequel, Fight for NY expanded upon the core gameplay, now giving you a number of fighting styles to give more variety and the locations of the fights could be used. The PlayStation Portable entry was a port of this game is a slightly tweaked version, but most of the game is the same. The final game swapped developers and the Fight Night studio took it over, which is why the wrestling was dropped for more of a boxing/brawling type of experience.

Dungeon Keeper

First Release: June 1997 | Last Release: January 2014 | Total Number of Games Released: 3

In the 1990s there were a number of studios that seemed to keep making hit titles and Bullfrog was one such studio, they had the Theme Park games and their spin-offs, but also Syndicate and Populous, but more on those below. Dungeon Keeper was another, but it took a different approach to what a strategy game could be, by making you the bad guy.

In Dungeon Keeper, players construct and oversee a dungeon, defending it against invading 'heroes' who aim to loot treasures, slay monsters, and ultimately lead to the player's downfall. The primary objective is to dominate the world by defeating the heroic forces and other dungeon keepers across various realms. The sequel expands on the core gameplay, but adding in more things to worry about, like objectives, but its core requirement was again defending your dungeon from heroes. A third game eventually released on mobile, but like many of the mobile games from EA, we don’t like to talk about it, not only because it was bloated with microtransactions, but it was also now a tower defence game.

Knockout Kings

First Release: November 1998 | Last Release: October 2002 | Total Number of Games Released: 5

Since the dawn of videogames, there have been sports based games made and EA tend to know a thing or two about those, which is why Knockout Kings completed 5 rounds of boxing action across many platforms.

The core of the game is boxing and for the first time, players could actually pick a weight class to fight in. Players could step into the ring in championship bouts and put their skills to the test in 10 rounds, or if they wanted a challenge they could create a fighter and attempt to become the champ of the world. As the series grew, more and more was added to it, like having a coach in your corner giving you tips or the ability to take your fighter into more modes than just a career. The final game was exclusive to the Gamecube and ended a 5 year run of releases for the series, before it returned under a new name, Fight Night.

Fight Night

First Release: April 2004 | Last Release: March 2011 | Total Number of Games Released: 5

One could argue that this series should be included in the above, but there was such a fundamental shift in how the game is played, I argue that it is its own thing. The big change was the addition of Total Punch Control, your moves were now mapped to sticks, ensuring you had complete authority to decide where your swings were going.

The series was also being developed in house by EA Chicago and EA Canada, which was a change from the external studios making the Knockout Kings titles. Again as the series evolved more and more features were added, Fight Night Round 4 made a big addition to character creation by letting you take a photo of your face. The last entry Fight Night Champion took things in a different direction, by not only making things grittier, but they also brought in a new control scheme that removed some of the complications of the older ones, so more players could get into it. All the games in the series tended to do really well, so it makes no sense why the series has taken such a long corner.

Mercenaries

First Release: January 2005 | Last Release: August 2008 | Total Number of Games Released: 2

When LucasArts brought out Mercenaries, there wasn’t a lot like it, players were given a large open world and basically told to have fun, it really was a playground for destruction. It was basically a cross between Far Cry and Red Faction.

Because of the sandbox nature of the game, players could obtain missions whenever they saw fit, they could also steal cars or just go around and blow up building after building. The latter was not ideal if you wanted to be a friend of a faction as they tended to look poorly on you destroying there stuff. The second game ramped up the action by including a grappling hook, letting players swim and adding boats to the game, all the while telling a fun story. Two more games were in development at one point, but they never happened, leaving these mercs without a job.

Populous

First Release: March 1989 | Last Release: February 2009 | Total Number of Games Released: 4

Considered the original god game, the Populous series had you taking control over a society and the people that believed in you, and then taking them into battle to destroy another god and the blaspheme, who didn’t believe in you.

While the first two games started you as a god, the third game had you work to obtain godhood. The difference between them also came in the form of the visuals, as the original two were isometric in their viewpoint, but the third entry was a 3d release. The Nintendo DS game was more like the original games in looks, but also broke things down into levels, giving players more of a bite sized experience. The three PC games were well received, with one and three brought to Steam in early 2024 and while the DS release is ok, fans were not impressed by it.

Road Rash

First Release: September 1991 | Last Release: October 2003 | Total Number of Games Released: 7

Racing videogames are a dime for 3 dozen at this point, but Road Rash added a little bit of chaos into the mix as not only do you need to win the race, but also fend off your opponents as they try to knock you off your bike.

As the series grew, so did the number of locations, at first it was just roads in California, but then other American states were thrown in, which changed up the tracks. The games also started to get more and more challenges when riding, as with police officers being added to the game and while the goal was to win the race, being stopped by the cops loses you money. In a weird twist the only game in the series not made by Electronic Arts was the Nintendo 64 release, it was a licence deal, with the studio behind it founded by a former EA team member. A spiritual successor was release a few years ago and it was ok.

Alice

First Release: December 2000 | Last Release: June 2011 | Total Number of Games Released: 2

There is always something fun about a twisted take on a familiar tale and that is what the Alice series did, it took inspiration from the books written by Lewis Carroll and put their own twist on them.

The gameplay in both titles was that of a 3rd person action game, where Alice could interact with the characters of the world, obtain weapons and items, plus the usual line up of other abilities. The major change is that as the games take place within the mind of Alice, there is no traditional health meter, but rather there is a sanity meter. Sadly unlike Eternal Darkness there are no effects from losing sanity. The second game did away with that and swapped the health out for rose petals. Both games were well received and even got a lot of merchandise to buy, which is why its strange not to see the series continuing, even as a remaster.

Spore

First Release: September 2008 | Last Release: April 2011 | Total Number of Games Released: 5

After dominating the sim genre with SimCity and then The Sims, developer Will Wright turned his attention to a new layer of life, the microbe layer and this Spore was born. The series at its core would let players design their own creatures, with some pretty amazing and fun creations being the result.

The original game had players literally being a single cell organism and then grow up and then begin a civilization, before venturing into space and interacting a new galaxy of critters. The DS entries kind of split the gameplay, Creatures was more like Nintendogs and Hero Arena was more of a RPG with fighting being a big part. The Wii version was a custom release of Spore, but instead of giving you the same game, it was more of a guided adventure, giving players a story to enjoy. The weirdest release was of course Darkspore, it takes the creature creation aspect, but then throw you into a Diablo-esque style game, but as it required servers to work, it went offline officially only 5 years after its release

Strike

First Release: March 1992 | Last Release: September 1997 | Total Number of Games Released: 5

Flight based games were somewhat common in the 1990s, but they were usually side scrolling shooters, which made the isometric Desert Strike something different. Unlike other shooters, where enemies usually come in ahead of you, this series had enemies coming in from all directions.

The first three games were all presented in an isometric view, but the final two were in 3d, giving players more freedom to fly around. While most of the games have you flying in a helicopter, there are times when you can use other vehicles, even on foot. The first game was everywhere with it ending up on 10 platforms and one collection, later games started to slow things down, but the final release on the Nintendo 64, with its adaptation of the game that hit PlayStation and PC. The final two titles, on PlayStation at least had live action cutscenes, which made the games feel a little more special. While new trademarks were revealed in 2013, there has been nothing on the series since then.

Syndicate

First Release: July 1993 | Last Release: February 2012 | Total Number of Games Released: 3

This is the third series from Bulldog in this list and is a bit of a weird one, the first two entries were isometric tactical games, but the third one was a first person shooter and made by a different studio.

The series is set in a dystopian future in which corporations have replaced governments, with the first game putting players in control of one of those companies. The second game kept the story going but moved time forward a century, but both games had players controlling a small squad, across a number of missions. The final game was a first person shooter, that was set roughly 25 years before the first game, with EuroCorp at the center of things again. While the game was decent, fans of the series were understandably upset that the gameplay was vastly different.

Ultima

First Release: June 1981 | Last Release: August 2013 | Total Number of Games Released: 11

The Ultima series could easily be classed as one of the founding tenants of the videogame industry, given it has been around for sometime. What is unique for the series is that all the games take place in two locations, Sosaria and Britannia.

The legendary Ultima series is a grand saga, encompassing nine epic installments. It's cleverly segmented into three thrilling trilogies, known as "Ages": The Age of Darkness (Ultima I-III), The Age of Enlightenment (Ultima IV-VI), and culminating in The Age of Armageddon (Ultima VII-IX), with the seventh adventure being a two-part masterpiece. Each Age weaves a rich tapestry of fantasy and adventure that has captivated gamers for generations. Before the final of the main series released, Ultima Online released, that was in 1997 and the game is still going making it one of, if not the longest MMO around.

Wing Commander

First Release: September 1990 | Last Release: July 2007 | Total Number of Games Released: 11

When you think of Wing Commander, you might be talking about the games, the many books, the animated series or even that movie. Fans will tell you the games and books are where the good stuff is found.

While the story is different in each one, though connected, the gameplay is what brought people in here. You are a pilot who flies around in space, blasting your enemy before they blast you. The first two games presented the story via animated cutscenes, but the third game is where things took a turn, as FMVs or Full Motion Video were included. With those came Hollywood and actors like Mark Hamill, John Rhys-Davies and Malcolm McDowell, in fact that was just the start as Christopher Walken, John Hurt, and Clive Owen showed up in another game. The last release, while good, took players out of the cockpit and put them above the action and some fans were not happy.

So that is Electronic Arts and given their recent statements about not doing many licenced games, you would think they would be keen to revive some of these games. But did we miss any, be sure to let us know.