Banjo-Kazooie
Yooka-Laylee was anticipated by some fans as the triumphant return of the 3D platformer. The hope is that would help Xbox see their mistake of abandoning the bird and bear duo to sitting on the sidelines. It didn’t really work that way. Yooka-Laylee did please fans who wanted an old-school platformer but the critical response was not nearly as positive. Though Yooka-Laylee is almost a remagining of the Nintendo 64 era Banjo-Kazooie games, no one really went wild for it. The game established that 3D platformers might be beloved but it is for a very select few.
The success, or lack thereof, of Yooka-Laylee probably puts even more dirt on the grave of Banjo-Kazooie. Since acquiring Rare, Xbox hasn’t done much with the classic characters they now have access to from the 3D platformers’ heyday. Nuts and Bolts, the attempt to reboot Banjo-Kazooie for the Xbox 360, was a relatively well-received game by critics but was absolutely lambasted by Banjo-Kazooie fans. Faith in the brand of Banjo-Kazooie is at all time low, not just among fans, but probably from Xbox themselves.
This post was originally authored by Derek Stauffer.
Blinx the Time Sweeper
Back before Microsoft had firmly settled on being the “adult” console and having their de-facto mascot being a hulking man in power armor, the company was trying to fit a previous mold. Like Nintendo, Sega, and even Sony before them, Microsoft wanted a cute cartoon mascot. This is where Blinx the cat entered the scene and he is the most EXTREME kitty you’ve ever seen. Blinx was Microsoft’s desperate attempt to imitate successes like Mario and Sonic but it failed miserably.
The games surrounding Blinx weren’t all that bad. Blinx was given the title of a Time Sweeper, so there were actually some pretty clever gameplay ideas about time travel buried under Blinx’s aggressive early ’00s fashion sense. The problem with Blinx is that it was such a transparent attempt at mascot fame and the character himself didn’t inspire any loyalty from gamers. Blinx hasn’t had a game since the original Xbox and Microsoft has even abandoned the trademark so it’s safe to say that Blinx, his googles, and his time sweeping guitar are well and truly dead.
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Crimson Skies is an excellent arcade air combat game that was released for the original Xbox. Besides being one of the best games from Microsoft’s first home console the franchise has remained almost completely dormant since that entry. The controls and mechanics for flying are fantastic and precise. The setting, an alternate version of the 1930s, is dripping with creativity and wonder. The characters and story might have been the weakest part, the main hero is basically a poor man’s Nathan Drake, but the games were still a lot of fun. For whatever reason, though, Xbox has no desire to do anything with this series.
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge did see a re-release on the Xbox 360 marketplace but otherwise there has been nothing. There’s never been serious talk of a sequel, just rumors. Rumors which are more than likely just hopeful wishing from fans of this original Xbox gem. Considering that flight simulators, even arcade ones, are a genre that no one is really tapping, it could be the perfect time for another Crimson Skies. Xbox just has to work on and release it, which they probably won’t do.
Jade Empire
Bioware’s Knights of the Old Republic, thanks to its Star Wars license and the fact it is genuinely great RPG, gets a lot recognition for being one of the best games on the original Xbox. Yet, Knights of the Old Republic wasn’t just an Xbox exclusive, it also saw a release on PC. Microsoft’s Jade Empire which hit a few years after Knights of the Old Republic on the other hand released solely for Xbox and is equally fantastic. Yet despite its first stellar entry nothing has been done with the series on Xbox or any other platform. After Jade Empire, BioWare started developing Mass Effect and Dragon Age and they haven’t really looked back, neither has Xbox.
Similar to Crimson Skies: Road to Revenge, Jade Empire did see a release on the Xbox 360 Marketplace. Also similar to Crimson Skies that is all that has happened since. The series is still dead and that’s a shame. While the original Jade Empire did tell a complete story and didn’t leave much in the way of cliffhangers, it did introduce a beautiful and magical world just begging for a modern facelift. Jade Empire also has one of the best combat systems in a BioWare game having the same pace and flow as a hack-and-slash but with RPG customization. BioWare has been in a bit of a critical slump after Mass Effect: Andromeda. The company should work with Xbox and dig even deeper into its catalog for one of their combined hidden gems. Of course it is not completely up to BioWare since they are now owned by EA which makes the potential of a new Jade Empire even trickier.
Kameo: Elements of Power
A launch title for Xbox 360, Kameo: Elements of Power is like a lot of launch titles. It’s full of potential and good ideas but is a little off-center from being the game it should. Kameo’s story wasn’t so compelling that it is a demanding a follow-up but it was passable enough. Even with its flaws, Kameo served as an example that maybe Xbox wasn’t going to waste their acquisition of Rare. Yet despite all the potential Kameo showed (and the fact that she is heavily featured in the artwork of Rare Replay) this cool gaming lady has remained abandoned since her first game.
There is no reason to not bring Kameo back now. Kameo’s ability to transform to different creatures means that a sequel could be much more than just a 3D platformer. And there was so much potential in the world and clever gameplay in her original outing that is just feels like a waste. With video game heroines surging in popularity lately, Xbox should bring Kameo back but it doesn’t seem that likely. If Xbox had any interest in Kameo they would have done something with it far earlier before now. Not to mention that Xbox seems to have very little interest in exclusives that are not based in violence or some other kind of shooting mechanics in recent years.
ReCore
It’s hard to call ReCore abandoned as it is a relatively new release. Yet, it is arguable to say that Xbox abandoned ReCore before it even hit gamers’ shelves, digital or otherwise. ReCore’s release was buried at the tail end of the summer season in 2016. It’s true that the game received middling scores and wasn’t exactly a smash hit, but ReCore does have some really good ideas in it that should be capitalized on in a sequel.
As it stands, ReCore exists as a game that could have used a little bit more time, money, or maybe a combination of both. There are kinks in the design but they could easily by ironed out in a sequel. The dungeons in ReCore were tremendous but the world outside the dungeons was a little too barren to be compelling. While there is nothing wrong with a short game, ReCore was also oddly paced ending just as it really got into a groove. ReCore 2 could be the game that ReCore should have been, but that requires Xbox to care about the game. Considering the way ReCore was treated at release and the fact that it’s discounted every other week on Xbox One, it doesn’t seem Xbox cares much for ReCore.
Fuzion Frenzy
The original Fuzion Frenzy, a launch title for the first Xbox, really has no right to be so fun. Fuzion Frenzy is essentially a Mario Party clone without the whole board game mechanic. It’s a collection of minigames that players compete against each other in during a tournament. Yet despite its very simple and not totally original premise, Fuzion Frenzy has a lot of character and fun to offer.
The game was popular enough to get a sequel on Xbox 360 but it was a flop. Fuzion Frenzy 2 took all the quirky charm of the original and stripped it away for a bland “party” game. The title killed the franchise and there has really been no hope to see another one since. The chances of Fuzion Frenzy seeing another resurrection are very, very slim. This isn’t even to mention that Fuzion Frenzy is best when played in local multiplayer and unless you’re Nintendo that type of gameplay is pretty much dead. If done correctly a Fuzion Frenzy 3 could be a great addition to Xbox One but it is almost certainly not going to happen.
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