Summary
- Franchises like Alundra, Bushido Blade, and Chrono Cross died off after the PS1 era, leaving fans wondering if they'll ever return.
- Though these games can now be played easily via collections, there have been no new games for these series since the PS1 era.
- Mega Man Legends almost made a comeback with a canceled third installment after the original PS1 games, leaving fans disappointed.
There are still some franchises around that started in arcades, like Pac-Man, but most of the biggest ones began on the NES. There were internal franchises like Kirby or The Legend of Zelda along with third-party series like Mega Man and Final Fantasy. These franchises have been around for decades and are as beloved now as they were when they debuted.
However, other series others to lose their steam in the PS1 era, when they might have died, or started and then died. Some of these games can be played easily today via collections, or maybe got ports after the PS1, but they haven’t seen a new game since the PS1 or other adjacent consoles of this era is the point. Let’s look to the past to see if these franchises ever have a chance of returning.
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7 Alundra
Sony’s Answer To Zelda
Alundra
- Released
- April 11, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Alundra was a series that began on the PS1 in 1997 in Japan, and a year later in North America. It was a top-down action-adventure game similar to the top-down Zelda titles. There was one sequel, Alundra 2: A New Legend Begins, which was a 2000 release for North America. The graphics were a leap forward, featuring 3D environments and character models, but it was still an action-adventure game. Of the two, many find the first game the superior title, but after the PS1, there has never been another sequel or even a collection for these two games.
6 Bushido Blade
Everybody Dies
Bushido Blade
- Released
- September 30, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
Bushido Blade is similar to the Alundra series, as there were only two games on the PS1 and then that was it. The first game was released in 1997, which was a fighting game published by Squaresoft and centered on samurai and ninjas duking it out with various weapons similar to the Soulcalibur games.
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The catch was that players and their rivals would die in a single blow. Weapons could be deflected, but the results were always the same once a blade made contact. The sequel, which was released a year later, added more characters, weapons, and bigger environments, but that was it for this feudal fighter.
5 Chrono Cross
A Glitch In Time
Chrono Cross
- Released
- August 15, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Animated Violence, Mild Language
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Chrono Trigger is one of the most beloved RPGs on the SNES, releasing in 1995. In Japan, there was an attachment for the SNES called the Satellaview, which offered players online games. Radical Dreamers appeared on the service in 1996, which was a light novel and semi-sequel to Chrono Trigger that set up events more for the real final game.
Chrono Cross made its North American PS1 debut in 2000. While Square Enix has filed for trademarks like Chrono Break, and there have been ports of all these games, the Chrono series has yet to receive anything major in the realm of a sequel or remake.
4 Fighting Force
Brawler Origins
Fighting Force
- Released
- September 1, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Fighting, Beat 'Em Up
Fighting Force was a brawler that was released in 1997. Players could choose one of four characters, and then go to town on hundreds of baddies throughout a handful of levels. There was even co-op, which all good brawlers should have. Its 1999 sequel was still technically a brawler, although gunplay factored more into the action. The game also focused on one character and eliminated multiplayer, which was an odd choice many fans disliked. Still, there was going to be a third game set up for the original Xbox and PS2 but it was later canceled.
3 Gex
Slip Of The Tongue
- Developer: Crystal Dynamics
- Publisher: Crystal Dynamics
- Released: December 18, 1995 (PS1 Version)
- Platforms: 3DO, PC, PS1, Sega Saturn
A million and one platformers popped up on the PS1, but one of the more infamous series was Gex. It started as a side-scrolling platformer on the 3DO and PS1 in 1995 before making the leap into 3D in 1998. What set the Gex series apart from other mascot platformer characters was its comedy along with its levels, which were based on TV themes like old horror shows or cartoons.
Dana Gould, a famous comic who has written for many shows, including The Simpsons, brought Gex to life. Technically, the last game was a Game Boy Color port of the third entry in 1999, but since the PS1 version was also released in 1999, it counts as either way. Gex has only had three games in total. That said, the PS1 trilogy of games was it, but the Gex series is seeing a small resurgence via a new collection from Limited Run Games. Will this lead to a new game, or is the series still gone for good?
2 Jumping Flash
Hoppy Robots
Jumping Flash
- Released
- November 2, 1995
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Violence
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Jumping Flash was released in North America in 1995, shortly after the PS1's launch. It featured a robotic rabbit who could jump through levels in first-person. It was a unique style of platformer at the time, and still technically is to this day.
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North America did get its sequel in 1996, and that’s when fans thought the series died. Japan received two games in 1999 called Pocket MuuMuu and Robbit Mon Dieu, but either way, the series still stopped on the PS1.
1 Mega Man Legends
Almost Made A Resurgence
Mega Man Legends
- Released
- August 31, 1998
- ESRB
- e // Animated Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Mega Man made his debut on the NES in 1987 with too many sequels and spinoffs to count. One of his biggest spinoffs started and ended on the PS1 via the action-adventure series Mega Man Legends. The first game was released in 1998 in North America, followed soon after by The Misadventures of Tron Bonne and then Mega Man Legends 2.
Beyond these games getting ports, the series almost had a triumphant return after a decade of being in the dark. Capcom was going to release Mega Man Legend 3 on the 3DS. People even played demo builds, but then it was canceled. It was beyond heartbreaking, to say the least.
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