Recently, I started to think about old games, specifically how some of them will get another shot at life after a few years away and it made me think about all those series that have not had that.

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 Sega

Crazy Taxi

First Release: February 1999 | Last Release: June 2017 | Total Number of Games Released: 7

Now I know what you are going to say, a new Crazy Taxi is on the way, well maybe. Yes Sega have said that they are working on one, but working on one is not the same as having one in development there are countless series that prove that in this series, so we are including it here.

The series originated in the arcades, before coming to Dreamcast and finding success on consoles. The general gist of each game is to make money by getting people to their destinations are fast as you can, but just don’t base your car around as you do. The quicker you get somewhere, the more money you get and the more time you get back to getting another fare to keep your ride in motion. The only game in the series to not let you drive around was the mobile game Crazy Taxi Tycoon, which was more of a management game and this fans didn’t like it. Given the last proper release in 2007, fans are eager for more.

Sega GT

First Release: February 2000 | Last Release: September 2002 | Total Number of Games Released: 2

The Sega GT series is a weird one, as Sega had a good number of racing games by this point, but they were all arcade in their approach. The GT series was their attempt at a more realistic racer, like Gran Turismo.

The first game included more than 130 cars for players to enjoy and with 22 tracks and multiple cups, there was a lot going on. The second game in the series was an Xbox exclusive, after the Dreamcast was cancelled, though a special version of the game was made a year later to include online play. A slight change between the game was that you no longer saw damage on the car, but rather had a meter and the higher it went, the less prize money you could earn. The general modes you would expect were included, and while both version reviewed well, the series just ended.

Sega Rally

First Release: October 1994 | Last Release: May 2011 | Total Number of Games Released: 5

Much like the GT series above, Sega Rally was doing very well for the group, until it just randomly vanished after 5 entries, but unlike the one above, this started life in the arcades and gained a lot of attention for it.

After success in the arcades, the first game was ported to consoles, the second as well and the final arcade game was Revo, which was ported to arcades after its console debut, a reverse trend. Players were treated to a small number of cars and tracks in the early games, but by the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 entries, there were dozens of cars, with varying class types and even a few bonus cars. There were also more modes than just racing, which gave players more to do, Hill Climbs were a fun diversion and of course, there was a championship to compete in with all the home console releases. Sadly the last game reviewed well, but it didn’t sell well and the result was Sega closed the studio making the series.

Condemned

First Release: March 2006 | Last Release: March 2008 | Total Number of Games Released: 2

In Australia when the Xbox 360 released, we had a few games to choose from and the most extreme of those was Condemned, a first-person psychological thriller, where players took on the role of a FBI agent, tracking down a serial killer.

Given the series first person point of view, you might think that shooting was a big part of things, but guns are a bit rare in the game, which means that you are mostly going to be attack via melee means. The first game had an ok melee system, but for the sequel the team refined it, based on player feedback. The story was dark, which did turn some folks away, but it was quite a unique story and did evoke some Silence of the Lambs for it and while the sequel kept some of the same characters, it didn’t quite have the same impact. Players did however enjoy the multiple scare types that the game had, including some good old hallucinations.

Sega Worldwild Soccer

First Release: May 1995 | Last Release: May 2000 | Total Number of Games Released: 5 (5 more exclusive to Japan)

Soccer games are everywhere, Sega still have a soccer series in Football Manager, but in the 1990s they had an actual series where you could play the game, the catch was that they didn’t have any licence, so the players were fictional.

The series kicked off on the Saturn for those outside of Japan, but there was a game before it called Victory Goal, thus the ‘International’ in front of the one we got. The series was praised for its graphics and mechanics, but without the official licence, players just found another series to enjoy. Many of the games were found to just be too similar to the one that came before it, which meant there wasn’t a lot of difference between them. The Dreamcast release did make some big changes and people liked it, but with the Dreamcast not living on for too long, the series just ran out of time.

Sega Bass Fishing

First Release: April 1999 | Last Release: August 2001 | Total Number of Games Released: 3

I know what you are thinking, you are seeing 3 games listed above, but there are four boxes below, that is because there was a spin-off as part of the series, but its not considered part of it. Weird I know, but that is what they did, but the entire series was great, no matter the platform.

I really shouldn’t have to explain how fishing works, but for the Sega Bass Fishing series, it was made all the more enjoyable by the fact that you could use a rod and reel controller, which was inspired by the arcade release. Most of the games let players just fish, or you could test your skills in contests, in order to prove who can hook the biggest catch. The original Dreamcast release did get an enhanced port on the Wii some 9 years later, but it had more stages and unlockables to discover. The series as a hole was well received, but it seems that digital fishing was just not as a-lure-ing as Sega were hoping for.

Virtua Fighter

First Release: October 1993 | Last Release: November 2007 | Total Number of Games Released: 12

Considered the first 3D fighting series, Virtua Fighter has been around for a long time and while there are only 5 mainline entries, the series has seen a considerable number of spin-offs released, which touch upon countless game genres.

Much like other fighting games, players need to win the best of three rounds and can punch and kick to do so, but can also guard against attacks directed at them. Where things were quite different from other fighters of the time, is that you can rotate around your opponent, giving you a new angle to attack from. The games themselves were in 3D, but the characters still moved on a 2D plane, which kept some familiarity for those coming in from other fighters. Some of the spin-offs were Virtua Fighter Kids, which was the same core game but with ‘children’, given some of them have beards and boobs, kids might not be the right name. The weirdest entry though is Virtua Quest, a fighting adventure game set within a virtual world, strangely it did not do that well.

Outrun

First Release: September 1986 | Last Release: April 2009 | Total Number of Games Released: 6

The OutRun series is one of those ones that anyone who spent any time in an arcade in the late 80s or early 90s knows, a racing game where the challenge was to get to the finish line before your time ran out.

In a period of 7 years, from the moment the series hit arcades and became a hit, Sega created a number of spin-offs for it, including Out Run Europa and Battle Out Run. While the first game is ambiguous in its European location, Out Run Europa has signs on roads for Paris and Berlin, along with others, giving you an actual point of reference. It would 10 years between the last game in the series and the first official sequel, but OutRun 2 hit arcades and was later ported to Xbox in 2003. That game saw many updates to the arcade release, those were then packaged up in the 2006 release, OutRun 2006: Coast to Coast. The final game was a digital only port of OutRun 2, but taking advantage of the newer consoles power and that released in 2009.

Alex Kidd

First Release: September 1987 | Last Release: August 1990 | Total Number of Games Released: 6

While the name is the same, the games are not, as the games in the Alex Kidd series were generally different to those that came before it, apart from the one that had a direct sequel. Fans really embraced the original release, but the other games were a bit hit and miss.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World was the first game and was the only get to get a direct sequel, which continued the gameplay, but titles like Shinobi World were quite different. While the first game was a traditional platformer, the Shinobi World game had gameplay more aligned with Shinobi, which included the character have a sword. The random title though, not counting ones like BMX Trial which was a Japan only release, but the weird one is High-Tech World. That game was not made in Japan to be an Alex Kidd title, but in the West it was branded as such and while the character is present, there are no other characters from the series included.

Panzer Dragoon

First Release: March 1995 | Last Release: March 2003 | Total Number of Games Released: 5

The Panzer Dragoon series has its fans, not me, but it has its fans and there is a lot to like about the series, namely it has dragons. The series has four mainline entries, one spin-off and the recent remake.

The first game set the standard for most of the games, but things went out the window when the second title, which has II in the name, was revealed to be a prequel to the first game. The third game contains gameplay that is that of a RPG and not an on-rails shooter and while people liked it, it was not what they wanted. The last original game was the 2002 release Orta, which was a Xbox exclusive at release, it took the series back to the on-rails that people wanted. The spin-off was a Game Gear title that kept the action going, but it combined elements from the first two games, it was not that well received.

Sega Superstars

First Release: October 2004 | Last Release: November 2012 | Total Number of Games Released: 4

The first title in the Superstars series was a weird one, because it required the Eye Toy to function. The camera meant that players could enjoy the game without a physical controller, as their bodies would be the controller.

As the name implies, the series includes a heap of characters from the Sega line up, like Samba de Amibo, Billy Hatcher and and of course, Sonic. The games were party style versions of gameplay you would find in the series that each of the included characters came from, so it was familiar to fans. The second game in the series dropped the party mode and picked up a racquet, as they focused on Tennis. Not to be content with just one genre swap, the third game did the same, tweaking the name a bit and throwing everyone off the court and onto a race track. The fourth and final game kept the characters in the racing space, but modified their carts so they could transform, thus the name.

Nights

First Release: July 1996 | Last Release: January 2008 | Total Number of Games Released: 2

If there was one game that I never understood the appeal of, it would be Nights Into Dreams for the Saturn, the game just looked weird and the gameplay looked boring, but I am not a fan of on-rail shooters, so maybe that is why.

The gameplay had you taking control of one of two teens, in order to gather enough power to stop the evil Wizeman from destroying Nightopia. In some sections of the various Dreams, the name of levels in the game, players could transform into the titular Nights and fly along a fixed plane. If players wanted to unlock the final stage, they needed to get a minimum score in order to unlock it. In 2008, more than a decade later, a Wii exclusive sequel was released and offered the same gameplay, but with better visuals and a richer soundtrack. While the original release is considered a cult classic, the Wii sequel didn’t quite reach the same heights.

Jet Set Radio

First Release: June 2000 | Last Release: March 2002 | Total Number of Games Released: 2

It is rare for a single game to inspire such love, but in 2000 when Jet Set Radio, weirdly called Jet Grind Radio in North America, released and people fell in love with it and for good reason. Not only was the gameplay great, but it had fun visuals and a pretty amazing soundtrack.

In the game, you step into the shoes of a rebellious inline skater, part of a graffiti-tagging crew. The game unfolds across three thrilling level types: Street, Rival Showdown, and Trial. On the Street levels, you're either racing against the clock to cover the city in your gang's colours while dodging the cops, or you're in a high-stakes chase, tagging rival gang members in dynamic boss battles. As you claim more territory with your graffiti, the stakes get higher as the authorities intensify their pursuit. It's a wild ride through urban landscapes, with spray cans as your weapon of choice. The 2002 title is more of a reimagining of the original Dreamcast release, but as it changed so much, we count it as a new game.

Fantasy Zone

First Release: March 1986 | Last Release: January 1993 | Total Number of Games Released: 6

In the game series, players take command of a sentient spaceship known as Opa-Opa, navigating through levels filled with bases that must be destroyed using just two buttons: one for firing projectiles and another for dropping bombs.

Fantasy Zone set itself apart with its use of bright pastel colours and cheerful music, a stark contrast to the dark "space" themes common in shoot 'em ups of its era. It's frequently acknowledged for pioneering the "cute 'em up" sub-genre, a category it shares with Konami's TwinBee. While the character hasn’t had their own game since 1993, they often appear in countless other Sega title as either collectable items, background decoration or even a playable character. The series is not the strongest game in the shoot ‘em up genre, but it has its fans to be sure.

Golden Axe

First Release: January 1989 | Last Release: October 2008 | Total Number of Games Released: 8

Side-scrolling beat ‘em ups were all the rage in the 80s, the streets were full of them, but Golden Axe was different. In this players could control of one of three warriors each bent on revenge against the vile dictator Death Adder.

Much like Lost Vikings or the recent Trine series, the game focuses on three heroes, with each of them specialising in a different attack style. While the first few games were quite similar in their approach, including characters that all moved the same, the forth game, Golden Axe III introduced a different move system for each playable character. While most of the games are side-scrolling in their nature, the final game released in 2008 was a 3d adventure game and featured the return of one character from the original games. The series did get three spin-off titles, two of which evoked The Legend of Zelda in their design and the final was a traditional fighting game.

House of the Dead

First Release: March 1997 | Last Release: October 2013 | Total Number of Games Released: 5

Shooting game were a big thing in the 90s, but most of them were just police type games, House of the Dead was not and while it was an on-rails shooter, the setting helped to elevate it beyond other entries in the genre.

The core gameplay mechanic of games in The House of the Dead series is the on-rails shooting. The player must clear each area of enemies before advancing to the next area. The first two instalments featured pistols, the third featured a shotgun, the fourth and Scarlet Dawn featured a submachine gun. Overkill features different firearms which can be changed to the players' liking. The instructions on the cabinets note that a head shot is the most effective way to kill zombies.. While the series has had four numbered titles, it has had quite a number if spin-offs, including the beloved Overkill and the weird, yet fun Typing of the Dead series.

Eternal Champions

First Release: December 1993 | Last Release: June 1996 | Total Number of Games Released: 4

The Eternal Champions series was spun up as a result of Sega wanting a bit of the home console fighting game pie, even though they had Virtua Fighter, but where that was traditional, they tried to elevate things here.

The first game distinguished itself with distinctive features such as an in-depth storyline, characters from various eras, force fields, and weapon-wielding fighters. It also introduced a special meter that, once filled, allowed players to execute a powerful attack. "Eternal Champions: Challenge From the Dark Side" retained this special attack meter but adjusted most special attacks to consume less of the meter compared to its predecessor. As a result, characters acquired an array of special attacks that didn't drain the special attack meter. Additionally, two titles are acknowledged as part of the series despite their significantly different names and gameplay. "Chicago Syndicate," an action game for the Sega Game Gear, and "X-Perts," a side-scrolling beat 'em up, are considered alternate universe (AU) extensions of the main games.

Ecco

First Release: December 1992 | Last Release: June 2000 | Total Number of Games Released: 5

The Ecco series has a lot of fans, with the original game being the big draw, but I honestly had no idea the series had so many entries, but crazier than that, its about a dolphin fighting alien threats to the planet, go figure.

The gameplay is mostly the same, players take control of Ecco and swim around, attempting to find his missing pod. Ecco can dash into enemies to fight them, as well as finding secret spaces. While the games seem charming and calm, they do get quite extreme with Ecco in space, or swimming through Atlantis. Perhaps what many folks remember about the series, beyond anything else, is the music, which has been described as hauntingly psychedelic. One of the games, which is considered part of the series, was released on the Sega Pico and is a story book adventure game, which is a bit weird, but then again so is a dolphin fighting aliens.

After Burner

First Release: September 1987 | Last Release: April 2007 | Total Number of Games Released: 5

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The game allows the player to control an F-14 Tomcat jet airplane, and if you played the first two games in the arcade, you might have been lucky enough to sit in the motion base. Both the first two games got home console ports, which did quite well and the series was kept alive by some spin-offs in G-LOC: Air Battle, with the sequel being called After Burner III in the home release. In fact all the games in the series, bar one are ports of arcade games, with Black Falcon being the only console original and it was for the PlayStation Portable.

Alien Syndrome

First Release: March 1988 | Last Release: September 2007 | Total Number of Games Released: 2

The original Alien Syndrome was a run and gun shooter, much like Contra and had players taking down aliens and saving the hostages they had taken.

Two players control two soldiers, named Ricky and Mary, who fight their way through large eight-way scrolling levels while rescuing their comrades who are being held by aliens. At the beginning of each level, a time bomb is set onboard the infested ship and the players must complete their task before it runs out which will result in the ship being destroyed. In 2007 a sequel was made, it swapped the view point for a top down look and includes some RPG elements. It is set 100 years after the first game and offers more than 80 weapons for players to use, as they fight through a lot of levels and 20 bosses. Both games were received, but here is hoping we don’t need to wait another decade for more.

So there we go, all of the Sega games that have been left by the way side. Maybe the company can stop making mediocre Sonic games for a year and given one of these another shot at life. What about you, any games that you remember playing?