Team Talk | Sequels that may never happen

---

VR prequel Half-Life: Alyx released last week and though it may not be the sequel we were all wanting, it gives us a faint glimmer of hope that Valve could finally bring the series to a satisfying conclusion one day. Will that ever be the case for these sought-after sequels that seem unlikely to see the light of day, though?

---

by Chris Brand

@SuperCrisco

---

by Team PTC

@pass_controller

---

Chris | Splinter Cell

Following on from Splinter Cell Blacklist's finale could be tricky as the big bad, Majid Sadiq, warns Fisher that his death will draw the ire of The Engineers, a shadowy terrorist cell that wishes to take down America. Team Fisher decides to interrogate Sadiq, in secret, whilst telling the world that he was killed. Presumably, this would have the same effect as actually killing him, thus painting a bigger target on America's back.
​
Not that any of it matters. I'll go along with whatever deus ex machina Ubisoft pulls out because Blacklist reignited my love for stealth games. Sam Fisher's Batman-esque collection of gadgets allows for multiple playstyles, even within the same level. Distracting enemies and slipping by unnoticed is the gold standard for spies but, if one of those goons happens to catch a glimpse of someone skulking through the shadows, Sam can swiftly turn the tables with sleeping gas, a few rounds from a silenced pistol or a grenade, if you're feeling aggressive.

With practice, it's possible to run through levels at breakneck pace, taking out guards with nary a pause. That feeling of momentum is often missing from stealth titles, which typically promote a more considered approach. Hopefully Sam Fisher is fast and agile enough to stay safe from Ubisoft's lifeless open-world template.

Though, a Far Cry-like skill tree is almost certain to feature.

---

Liam | Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 4

Rogue Squadron is my favourite Star Wars gaming series, and, as unlikely as it seems, it would be great to see it revived in some way on modern hardware.

According to the video below, which I only recently saw for the first time, it appears there were numerous attempts to reboot the franchise following the series’ successes on the N64 and Nintendo GameCube, including remasters and all-new entries for the Xbox 360/PS3/Wii era.

None of those projects ever came to fruition, sadly, and it doesn’t look like that will be rectified anytime soon, since original developer Factor 5 ended up closing down for good more than a decade ago following financial trouble.

A shame, because the Dark Squadron spin-off that was said to have been in production at some point, in which you played as Darth Vader as he took the fight to the Rebels, sounded like an interesting new direction for the series to go in, what with Luke and Co. having been firmly in the spotlight previously.

While it’s very unlikely we’ll ever get Rogue Squadron 4, I’m still hopeful there’s an old fan somewhere at EA that’s championing this fantastic series. Perhaps a Xbox Series X/PlayStation 5 remaster is in order, just to test the waters?

With multiple new entries in the Star Wars canon, Rogue Squadron 4 could us on an interesting journey.

---

Sam | Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

2002’s Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was well ahead of its time. Released exclusively for the GameCube, it’s a psychological thriller featuring several different playable protagonists that occupy different historical periods.

In itself that was ambitious for the time - and still would be today, to an extent - though by also breaking the fourth wall in creative ways things were taken that bit further. Eternal Darkness definitely took cues from the iconic Psycho Mantis boss encounter in Metal Gear Solid, and is perhaps just as fondly remembered on the whole.

After scoring an impressive 92/100 on Metacritic, its sequel seemed like an inevitable matter of when and not if. Until no confirmation came for over a decade and then developer Silicon Knights went out of business, that is…

We’d learn that Eternal Darkness 2 had been in active development, and that the team’s demise brought an unfortunate end to the project. Despite that, key figures reconverged as Precursor Games and sought to crowdsource a follow-up titled Shadow of the Eternals.

Unfortunately, the game failed to meet its funding goal… twice over. Precursor disbanded and Eternal Darkness has remained dormant ever since, much to the disappointment of survival horror fanatics.

Though it may look like a simple Resident Evil clone, Eternal Darkness had a unique take on psychological horror.

---

James | Left 4 Dead 3

While it’s a running joke that Valve can’t count to three, the real joke is this teasing they are doing in raising our hopes for the return of Half-Life at all.

As far as other sequels we might never be graced with though, I was torn between Portal 3 and L4D3 for this topic and in the end it feels as though the Left 4 Dead world has more to offer, despite how played-out zombies as a concept may seem.

The joy of a game of Scavenge in Left 4 Dead 2 may be one of the most rewarding and exciting new game modes for cooperative multiplayer in the last 20 years (or, if you’re being picky, simply a clever twist on the capture the flag).

It’s been tried of course, with original game creators Turtle Rock spinning up Evolve and more recently Earthfall trying to tread a similar path, but perhaps - just like Half-Life: Alyx - Valve’s urge to innovate and change the game could be the missing ingredient.

Imagine the vindictive AI director - a key factor in giving the game its replayability - beefed up with the power of cloud computing, and a few procedurally-generated elements thrown in for good measure, keeping the experience fresh, exciting and an unexpected challenge every time.

Rather than relying on the tropes of zombie games to carry it through, Left 4 Dead built its foundation on solid gameplay and well-executed, simple ideas. Then, on top of that, it sprinkled its lore naturally throughout, with suggestions scrawled on walls by survivors and campaigns which only hint at the extent of the event which ravaged its world. It’s time to lock and load, and don’t forget the pills.

Will Valve ever release a properly numbered second sequel?

---

Let us know which unlikely sequels you'd like to see.