There’s so much pure joy that comes with sitting down in front of your gaming console, watching Steam or Game Pass boot up, buzzing over the next game to play with ads and reviews, and all the breakroom chatter of those releases on repeat. What can I do in this game? Look at those graphics! Till your eyes pass over your library and you see it. That one game, dormant, waiting in the wings for the chance to fly on screen again, new and improved itself. If only the developers would give it another shot! Well! I’ve listed the top 10 most beloved games that need that TLC.
Number 1, of course, is Half-Life 3
We can’t talk about dead games without mentioning this outstanding series! This 1st-person shooter’s first game was released in 1998 became one of the most popular games out there, having received over 50 Game of the Year awards and the devotion of a fanbase willing to organize an events The fate of the series is left unknown, as a virtual reality game was released in 2020, the rumors of a possible announcement at the 2024 Game of the year awards were proven unfounded. For now, the fans are left in a dormant limbo, whispering, “Remember Freeman”.
Number 2: Prototype
Have you ever wanted to be throwing yourself up at walls and shifting into our enemies as if you were a far more badass Kirby? Well, now, with this intense open-world action adventure game, you are more than free to play out those dreams! This game puts you in charge of Alex Mercer while he fights against an evil virus called Blacklight. The series had two games under its belt before it was locked in its dormant prison back in 2012. The plans for Prototype 3 were scrapped, and the series was disappointingly cut.
Number 3: Spore
Who else remembers creating creatures that would evolve into the most terrifying things ever? While there are problems, the main thing holding the game back is the limitations of the gaming world at the time. Could you imagine the creatures that would grow if Spore had the backing of the engines we have today? The complex AI we have now? A revamp is needed to secure that ray-traced spice trade!
Number 4: Pet Pet Park
Let’s swing it back round to my browser gamers in the back with this classic! In this online multiplayer, you played as a “Pet pet,” much like the animals in Neopets, since it was built as a closer look at that game’s companions, Sorta as an in-depth look at what that world looked like. It was a bright game with a lot of colors and interesting minigames, akin to Club Penguin. Nickelodeon shut it down around 2014 after being bought by Jumpstart. It was beloved enough that two different groups are making a serious effort to rebuild what was taken from them, PetPet Park Rebuild and the Petpet project.
Number 5: Shadow Hearts
Flicking over to the PlayStation 2, we have Shadow Hearts. The game has many mixed reviews, ranging from one of the most “complete “RPG’s games to “far too linear plot lines.” Regardless, the premise of the story and the conflict it created is something worth a revisit, as well as the snappy turn-based combat. The story was excitingly unique due to its use of alternate history mixed with Lovecraft horror, along with the fantastic soundtrack that left joy and longing in the hearts of many. Unfortunately, the series was left in its dormancy in 2005.
At The End of the Day…
Video games are some of the most used relaxation tools in the modern age. With so many to pick from it’s really hard to keep track of everything you have even played! It’s nice to get a reminder of the good old times, the bits of these games that carried your childhood and left you with that echo, that drive in your chest! If we had that relighted with a good honest to the original, we could free them from their dormant state, and many of these games could rejoin the crowd and create the same joy they did so very long ago.
