Nintendo and its consoles are famous for massive video game franchises with countless installments. Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon have many mainline titles, remakes, side games, and spin-offs to boast about, and each contains sub-series with sequels of their own. However, not every Nintendo game meets this same fate.
Some Nintendo games, despite their quality, never receive a sequel. Poor sales or questionable fan interest often stop a sequel from being commercially viable. Some of Nintendo’s best games have never seen a sequel, from The Simpsons: Hit & Run to Super Princess Peach.
10 The Simpsons: Hit & Run
The Simpsons has had many video games over the years. Of these, few have been as successful or well-liked as The Simpsons: Hit & Run. Its humor, send-up of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, and genuinely enjoyable gameplay makes it the single best tie-in game The Simpsons has ever had.
However, The Simpsons: Hit & Run is a standalone title. It’s a spiritual successor to The Simpsons: Road Rage but not a direct sequel. Likewise, it never had a sequel. There have been other franchise games since, including The Simpsons: Tapped Out and The Simpsons Game, but they are very different and have no real ties to Hit & Run.
The original Dead Space has never come to Nintendo consoles. However, Nintendo developed a spin-off on the Wii after the first game’s success. Dead Space: Extraction is a rail shooter prequel to Dead Space. It uses very different mechanics and features on-rails movement and character switching as the cast attempt to survive a Necromorph outbreak on Aegis VII and USG Ishimura.
Players praised Dead Space: Extraction for its impressive design. It manages to recreate some of Dead Space‘s feel and mechanics in a very different genre and makes good use of the Nintendo Wii’s limitations and advantages. However, it sold poorly. While there have been Dead Space games since, none have followed up on Extraction or been for Nintendo consoles.
8 Code Name S.T.E.A.M.
Intelligent Systems is most famous for creating the long-running Fire Emblem and Advance Wars series for Nintendo consoles. Code Name S.T.E.A.M. is a 2015 3DS game from them outside of either franchise. It tells its own story that’s inspired by comics, the Steampunk subculture, and American history.
Code Name S.T.E.A.M. combines a unique aesthetic with an entertaining story and a fun spin on tactical combat. It’s unlike anything Intelligent Systems has created before. However, the company has gone on to create several Fire Emblem games since with no mention of a follow-up for Code Name S.T.E.A.M.
7 Radiant Historia
Nintendo consoles have a long association with classic roleplaying games. Radiant Historia is an Atlus game that attempts to live up to this legacy on handheld consoles. Radiant Historia’s classic RPG storyline, which mixed with bold mechanics like time travel and grid-based combat, has earned extensive praise and a fan following.
Many players consider Radiant Historia to be a worthy successor to 16-bit and 32-bit JRPGs like Chrono Trigger and older Final Fantasy games. While it has held up as one of the best RPGs on the Nintendo DS, it hasn’t had a sequel. Instead, 2017 saw the expanded 3DS remake Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology. Nonetheless, many fans want a true sequel.
6 Super Princess Peach
The Mario franchise is one of Nintendo’s most varied. As well as the lengthy Super Mario Bros. series, it has countless spin-offs and side series. Series like Mario Party, Mario Kart, and Super Mario 64 have many sequels, but one of Mario‘s best side games is a standalone spin-off.
Super Princess Peach reverses the roles because the titular Princess has to rescue the iconic brothers from Bowser. The game plays similarly to the Super Mario Bros. games with a few new mechanics representing Peach’s own ‘Vibe’ abilities. Super Princess Peach is one of the Nintendo DS’ best-selling games, but it has yet to see a follow-up.
5 Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is the sequel to the original Sin & Punishment game. It follows a trend of Nintendo games gambling on unconventional genres. Star Successor a rare rail shooter from the 2000s that won acclaim from both critics and fans. Sin & Punishment: Star Successor limits players in their movement but gives them great freedom within its limited space.
Star Successor has won praise for its tense and fast-paced gameplay. Its mixture of rail shooting and melee combat still stands out in the genre. Many fans would like to see a sequel to the acclaimed game, but there’s been nothing from the franchise for well over a decade.
4 Viewtiful Joe 2
Viewtiful Joe 2 is the sequel to Viewtiful Joe, which is available on the Nintendo GameCube. Fans and critics have applauded both mainline Viewtiful Joe games for their distinctive art style, humor, and deep gameplay that blends cinematic action and fourth-wall-breaking puzzles.
However, Viewtiful Joe 2 is the final mainline game in the franchise. There were two spin-offs instead, the multiplayer brawler Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble and the Nintendo DS side game Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble. Viewtiful Joe 3 has never materialized, despite the considerable praise for the franchise.
3 Killer7
Killer7 has been an unconventional, divisive, and cult game ever since its release. There’s no other game quite like it. Its heavily restricted controls blend the difference between rail shooter, first-person shooter, and puzzle game. Its story is a mind-bending combination of noir, conspiracy thriller, and science fiction.
Nothing about Killer7 is conventional. Its stylized art, complex plot, and limited gameplay have won over some critics and alienated others. However, there’s no denying that the game has a large cult following and is still discussed. Despite its enduring legacy, no sequel is in sight. This is partly due to legal matters as Capcom own the rights.
2 Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is an action-adventure game that makes extensive use of horror storytelling and aesthetics. Despite this, it stands out from contemporary GameCube titles by not being a survival horror title. Instead, it follows battles against ancient evil across Earth and two millennia of human history.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is still a distinctive part of Nintendo’s history. It’s the first M-rated title that the company ever published, and modern critics consider it one of the best games ever made. Despite this, a sequel is almost impossible. Eternal Darkness developer Silicon Knights no longer exists as a company following its downfall in the 2010s.
1 The Last Story
The Last Story is a JRPG that adds action and stealth mechanics to its gameplay. Unlike many JRPGs, it isn’t a turn-based affair, despite being made by Final Fantasy‘s original director Hironobu Takaguchi. Despite this, many critics have discussed its similarity to many RPGs of the time while praising its strengths.
The Last Story‘s narrative and gameplay have earned it praise as one of the best RPGs on the Nintendo Wii. It was a commercial success and even a significant part of Operation Rainfall to encourage the localization of more Japanese games. However, there have been no sequels or other installments in the franchise, despite this success and clear fan appreciation.
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