One & Done: Games Without Sequels - Part Three

After a year's absence, "One & Done" is back, talking about those games that didn't receive sequels of any kind--whether spiritual or straight-out sequels. There could be multiple reasons for this: a game just didn't sell well, isn't marketable anymore, or the creator/development team simply wanted to move on to something else. We have games from a variety of eras on this edition of "One & Done", so sit back, get comfortable, and prepare yourself for a trip down memory lane.

For a look at SPC's previous two editions of "One & Done", check out part one and part two.

Tearaway (PS4, Vita)

Media Molecule became well known for a plethora of PlayStation fans for its work on the LittleBigPlanet series and have gone on to work on an even more ambitious creative gaming suite with Dreams. However, in between these two projects came a game that didn't receive as much buzz by virtue of being on the PlayStation Vita. That game was Tearaway, a charming 3D platformer that utilized the Vita hardware in glorious and ingenious ways. From using the rear touch screen to raise up platforms from below to utilizing the camera to take a picture, thus using the image to colorize a papercraft creature in need of color, Tearaway remains one of the best games to feature the Vita's various knickknacks and tools. A PlayStation 4 version would release--Tearaway Unfolded--adding new content and retooling the controls to work with the PS4's DualShock. Here's hoping that some day Sony brings back Tearaway in some shape or form.

The Bouncer (PS2)

Squaresoft's first game for the PlayStation 2 was little more than a title to get its proverbial feet wet with development on the system, and while the end result, The Bouncer, was gorgeous game for its time, it left a lot to be desired. The main point of contention critics and players of this 3D brawler was that the game was ridiculously short. In fact, the generous helping of cutscenes fattened the length of the game up tremendously, and without those, you were left with a quick romp for a full priced game. Still, The Bouncer was something of a project that I would have loved to have seen expanded upon, fleshed out more, and made into a fuller experience. This obviously did not happen as Square's attention understandably turned to its Final Fantasy games, its cash cow of sorts. That said, there's always a part of me that wonders what could and would have been had The Bouncer been more than a mere tech demo under the guise of a full game.

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS)

If one were to give an elevator pitch to Intelligent Systems' Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., it could be given as such: "Historic and storybook figures like Abraham Lincoln and the Lion from the Wizard of Oz take on an alien threat in a game with Valkyria Chronicles-like combat." Of course, if one were to give such a pitch, hopefully the person they were giving the pitch to wasn't drinking a cup of coffee, as they would be sure to spit it out in surprise. It's quite an odd premise, but Intelligent Systems managed to make it work with tactical gameplay, focusing on a steam mechanic that is exhausted as players move and attack enemies. Efficiently managing their steam to an effective degree is all the difference between a mission's success and a total failure. Battles were unpredictable and kept players on their toes with their stiff challenge, making for one "One & Done" game that makes this strategy RPG fan lament that we won't be seeing a sequel any time soon.

Dewy's Adventure (Wii)

We conclude this edition of "One & Done" with a trio of Wii titles beginning with Konami's Dewy's Adventure, a delightful fixed camera 3D platformer with a unique control scheme. In Dewy's Adventure, players held the Wii Remote NES controller-style and tilted it forward, backward, leftward and rightward to move the water droplet protagonist through eight worlds of unique challenges and perils. Dewy himself could take on new forms by being frozen or being exposed to heat to solve puzzles and take down enemies that were otherwise invincible in his normal dewdrop form. Dewy's Adventure entered and exited the gaming sphere like morning dew, only to have what little hype it had evaporate into nothingness as many looked past the game. While Konami's other all-new Wii-centered exclusive, Elebits, managed to find enough success for a sequel--though on the Nintendo DS--Dewy's Adventure, unfortunately, did not.

Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Wii)

Despite struggling with the motion controls (and sometimes to the point of utter frustration) in this next game on this list, Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure brought with it a charming art style, set of characters, and gorgeous, colorful art style that suited the weak Wii hardware quite well. The game itself was a puzzle adventure game where players needed to find and use tools correctly in order to complete each level, and some of these tools required the use of the Wii Remote's motion and gyro control functionality. Most of the time these worked well, but when they didn't--woo boy! Regardless, part of why I'm devoting three spaces on this edition of "One & Done" to Wii games is because I'm nostalgic for that era of experimental gaming--damning to hell the poorly implemented motion controls that plagued the system notwithstanding. It was an era where we saw some really "out there" ideas and games put forth by big publishers--something in this HD era that is mostly left for indies nowadays (though still appreciated).

We Love Golf! (Wii)

Speaking of Capcom and loosely tied with Zack & Wiki is We Love Golf! Nintendo didn't develop a Mario Golf game for the Wii/DS generation, so instead, its usual golf game partner Camelot turned to Capcom to create We Love Golf! While the assortment of golfers were vanilla and generic as all get out, one could unlock Capcom-inspired costumes from such series like Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Phoenix Wright, and yes, Zack & Wiki. The actual golfing was inspired, and while players didn't swing the Wii Remote like an actual club, a swing motion was required to drive, putt, and otherwise hit the ball through the game's eight 18-hole courses and three unique par 3 courses. I spent so much time with We Love Golf!, and it's a shame that the series didn't continue, though sales show the obvious reason why it didn't. At least we'll always have Mario Golf to look forward to with Camelot and Nintendo.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - "Down and Dirty With the Dark and Edgy" Edition

No, SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs isn't sharing depressing music or anything somber this week! Far from it! Instead, it's delivering music from games that have dark undertones and/or settings, games with a bit of an edge to them, and songs that are featured in final boss fights against sinister villains.

Beginning with Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, we will listen to a fantastic arranged theme from this third Castlevania on the Nintendo DS. Then, we move on and take flight with the arcade shmup Ikaruga before feeling the edge of Jak 3. Intelligent Systems' attempt at creating a successful new franchise for Nintendo may have backfired commercially, but Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. offers great music and gameplay to boot. Ending this edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs is a final boss theme from Final Fantasy XIII.

Just click on the VGM volume name to go to the YouTube page where you can hear that song. Per usual, check out SuperPhillip Central's VGM Database for every song mentioned on this weekly segment. Now, let's get on to the music!

v1446. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS) - Dusk Holy Mark (Arranged)

I have editions of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs planned out in weekly chunks, already having what games and songs I want to feature each week. A song from Anarchy Reigns was set for this edition to kick things off, but because of the horrific and terrifying events over the weekend in Charlottesville, the game, song, and lyrics in question were too inappropriate, tacky, and tasteless to use in this week's edition.

Instead, we have a wonderful replacement with Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia! It's an arranged track from the game in the form of Dusk Holy Mark. The original song used in the Nintendo DS release was great enough already, but this arranged version is simply delightful as well. I find Order of Ecclesia to be one of the most difficult of the Metroid-styled Castlevanias out there. Would you agree?

v1447. Ikaruga (Multi) - Chapter 01 - Ideal

Take flight in this color-coded shmup that was originally released on the Sega Dreamcast and then later the Nintendo GameCube. Ikaruga's main gameplay feature is being to change colors to avoid enemy bullets. It's quite the bullet hell shooter, but this ability to change between two colors on the fly brings something new to the table. Plus, the game is addictive as all get out. This theme that represents Ikaruga on SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs launches players into the fast and fluid action with some spirited music to accompany them.

v1448. Jak 3 (PS2) - Haven City Battle

It's no secret that I thought that Naughty Dog changing Jak from the first Jak and Daxter into an edgier version with guns was laughable at best and worthy of cringing at worst, but the games that succeeded The Precursor Legacy ended up being okay affairs all to their own. Influenced by open world games at the time like Grand Theft Auto--and what better way to connect with the kids than turning a colorful platformer into a gritty and edgy third-person shooter/platformer hybrid--Jak II and more impressively Jak 3 offered engaging gameplay and solid enough music to be enjoyable experiences.

v1449. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS) - Deadly Dance II

Intelligent Systems churned out challenging, innovative, and interesting new IP with Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., a strategy RPG that was quite atypical compared to its competition. The slowness of enemy turns created a lot of disinterest for the game, and while it was very quickly fixed with a patch soon after launch, the damage had already been done. Now, one can readily find a copy of Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. lingering in bargain bins for low prices. It's a shame, as not only is the gameplay really rewarding, but the style of the game in both creativity with the story and characters, the settings, the art, and of course, the music were all terrific. Well, I'm obviously speaking subjectively here.

v1450. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, 360, PC) - Nascent Requiem

Last Thursday, SuperPhillip Central showed off a special edition of Best Boss Battles in Gaming History which showcased some recent awesome final boss battles. To round out this edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, let's hear the theme for the final boss of Final Fantasy XIII. Despite a lot of things within the game that went wrong, leading to its negative critic and fan feedback, one part of Final Fantasy XIII that truly shined was Masashi Hamauzu's incredible score for the game. Seriously, take an afternoon to listen to the full soundtrack. You won't be disappointed.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2015 Awards - Top Five Most Overlooked Games

SuperPhillip Central seemingly is constantly talking about overlooked games. In fact, the site holds a Most Overlooked Games segment, detailing titles from current gen to past gens, console and handheld. Regardless, even with my best effort, titles slip between the cracks and fail to deliver impressive sales. The five titles on this list are overlooked to varying degrees, whether by consumers or by gamers at large. Perhaps through reading this list you can be persuaded to try out one or all of these games you might have missed out on!

5) Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)

The main issue with the first game on this list not seeing as great of success as it could have was that Nintendo of America delayed the release compared to both Japan and PAL territories. While Yoshi's Woolly World released in those two areas of the world in the summer, North American gamers had to wait until this past fall. What further complicates things is that a lot of critics blew through the game, not bothering to go after collecting the well hidden goodies, which is a totally different and better experience than just beating the levels. It is these reasons that Yoshi's Woolly World makes it to the starting position on this Most Overlooked Games of 2015 countdown.

4) Fossil Fighters: Frontier (3DS)

Battling dinosaurs-- excuse me-- Vivosaurs, like Pokemon is a very exciting prospect. It didn't lead to sales, but it did have an awesome commercial (your mileage may vary), so at least there was some kind of victory to be found. Exploring multiple parks, unearthing fossils buried deep in the soil, bringing said fossils to life as powerful Vivosaurs, and watching them battle one another in fierce combat made for some enjoyable times for SuperPhillip Central. Unfortunately, all this did not make the sales of Fossil Fighters: Frontier anything to boast about. This is disappointing, as the game is quite entertaining and should have had a great impact especially with the kiddies.

3) Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash (3DS)

Nintendo developers said that this game was essentially Chibi-Robo's last chance to shine. Sales were less than impressive, to put it kindly, so we might not be seeing Nintendo's small helper robot again for a while. A true shame, as the game was more than a decent 2D platformer, offering a unique hook with Chibi-Robo's whip that could pull him to far away platforms, defeat enemies, and nab collectibles. Rightfully so, Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash was raked over the coals for its ludicrous level select system and some less than stellar vehicle levels, but if you can get past those two things (the former can be cheesed for maximum enjoyment), then you have a game that is incredibly capable and full of fun.

2) Transformers: Devastation (Multi)

Platinum Games' titles don't jump off store shelves and rake in gigantic boatloads of money, but the developer is so successful and keeps getting work because they're absolutely fantastic at creating fun games. This is no truer than Transformers: Devastation. A Transformers game made by the developers of Bayonetta and Vanquish, to name a couple? While the mainstream audience wouldn't know heads or tails of who Platinum Games is and their body of work, gamers should have jumped at the chance to play this game featuring the robots in disguise. It's a phenomenal action game that shouldn't have been overlooked, but unfortunately was.

1) Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS)

An unfortunate side effect of having a demo that failed to engage players, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. failed to light up sales charts in any territory. The demo put a lot of potential players off due to its slow enemy turns. This was understandably a big griping point for critics. However, soon after its launch, Nintendo released a patch offering the ability to fast forward through enemy turns, making what was a tedious experience far less so. Still, the damage was already done and it was too little too late for this turn-based tactical title. Nintendo gets a lot of grief for not coming out with a lot of new IP, so it was disappointing that one of their new IPs not named Splatoon didn't do hot by any stretch of the imagination.

The Unpopular Opinion 4: Games We Liked That Many Did Not

The staff at SuperPhillip Central loves games. We live them, we breathe them, we bathe with them, etc. However, we sometimes go outside the norm with our reviews, bashing titles that many others enjoyed, and heralding other games that have received poor scores or negative feedback within the gaming community. This article focuses on the latter type of games. As the title suggests, this is our second go at representing the games that a sizable chunk of gamers and critics lambasted yet we still enjoy. To check out the first, second, and third articles, click this link, this link and this link. After you're done reading our choices, why not list some of your own?

Dragon Ball: Xenoverse (PS4, XONE, PS3, 360)

Docked points by many critics for having shallow gameplay, repetitive battles, and a clunky camera, we still ended up enjoying Dragon Ball: Xenoverse for what it was. It was a Dragon Ball Z fan's dream come true, allowing deep character customization, a story that didn't mind moving away from the typical scenarios of past Dragon Ball Z games, and had a rich variety of characters, character archetypes, and mind-blowing anime graphics. If you're a lover of games with a multitude of customization options, RPG style gameplay, and intense aerial and ground battles, Dragon Ball: Xenoverse is the game for you.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS)

While we're not head over heels in love with the latest Legend of Zelda release from Nintendo, the game is a far cry from a disappointment. With The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, Nintendo took a different approach to the series, offering multiplayer for up to three friends or total strangers to go through the game's 32 levels, solving puzzles as a team, defeating foes as a team, and collecting loot to create new, advantageous costumes. While the lack of voice chat hurts the online experience when more complicated puzzles poke their head into the player's way, and the online setup in general isn't the most optimal, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, an enjoyable and well designed level-wise multiplayer experience unlike any other was crafted by the fine folks at Nintendo.

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (3DS)

The majority of reviews slammed this next game from Intelligent Systems and Nintendo for the slow pace of enemy movement. Thankfully, Nintendo quickly patched in the ability to speed up enemy turns dramatically (either 2X on regular 3DS and 3DS XL models, or 3X on New 3DS models). This made for an experience that was much more tolerable and enjoyable than what was previously available to players. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. remains a challenging turn-based strategy game that requires patience and great strategy to complete. Since you're limited in your view to what your characters can see in their third-person views, smart tactical decisions must be made to stay alive and in one piece. It may not have sold anywhere near expectations (it actually bombed quite magnificently), but Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is far from a bad game.

Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash (3DS)

Many critics of this next 3DS game and fans of the Chibi-Robo! series in general came off disappointed by Zip Lash's 2D platformer direction, which went against everything the series had been up to this point, save for the 3DS photo game. That is a shame, as Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash is a well put together game, only marred by a bewildering addition of a level wheel that selects which level you'll play next in a given world. Fortunately, it's quite easy to get around the seemingly random picks of levels and get the levels you want, so this is not as big of an issue as many players and critics led us to believe. While the vehicles levels are the weakest part level-wise, Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash is all around an entertaining platformer with a lot of heart.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U)

The main complaint of many behind Kirby and the Rainbow Curse was that it was unfortunate that players had to focus on the Wii U GamePad's screen when the game was so beautiful that it was a shame that they couldn't keep their attention on their television screen for the HD visuals. The lack of copying powers and repetitive boss encounters also saw points deducted by various sources. Still, the claymation art style delights, the stylus-driven gameplay is as innovative as it was when the Nintendo DS original Kirby Canvas Curse released, and the level design, though somewhat linear, houses  a profusion of captivating secrets and hidden treasures. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is by no means the best the Wii U had to offer this year for system owners, but it was also by no means the worst.

Legend of Kay Anniversary (PS4, Wii U, PS3, 360)

An imperfect 3D action/adventure game in every sense of the word, Legend of Kay Anniversary is a remastered version of the PlayStation 2 release Legend of Kay. Of all the games from the PS2 generation that could have been remastered or even remade, Legend of Kay was certainly an odd choice. Regardless, while the game suffers from plenty of problems such as the inability to return to past areas, grating voice work, and some repetitive combat and scenarios, Legend of Kay Anniversary is a very capable game whose budget price made it much easier to overlook the game's issues and become fun enough by SuperPhillip Central's standards.

Star Fox Adventures (GCN)

Shigeru Miyamoto suggested to Rare that instead of using an all-new protagonist and using the Dinosaur Planet new IP, Rare should bring in Fox McCloud and the Star Fox moniker to the game instead. Whether this was because Miyamoto figured the Star Fox license would work better for the game or because he knew that Microsoft would be soon buying Rare, and thus, taking the Dinosaur Planet IP with them is unknown. Regardless, this Zelda-like game was a far cry from what fans of the Star Fox franchise were expecting. However, the actual game, though not without its own problems, wound up as a captivating action/adventure title released in the first two years of the Nintendo GameCube's life. While not the desired finale to Rare's partnership with Nintendo's home consoles, Star Fox Adventures remains a compelling and enjoyable game.

Jet Force Gemini (N64)

Speaking of Rare-developed games, Jet Force Gemini's biggest annoyance to many fans is how in order to reach the final level, the final boss, and see the credits of the game, players need to rescue every Tribal in the game. This requires plenty of returning to past planets and areas to reach new locales within said planets and areas. While many saw this as pure filler, we at SuperPhillip Central found a new appreciation for the levels and planets we previously had explored. The collection and usage of new items opened up grand new areas that were a blast to journey through, mowing down Mizar's insect horde while rescuing innocent Tribals. Of course, it was a pain when we got a little trigger happy and blew the head off a Tribal and had to restart an area...

Banjo Pilot (GBA)

We just can't quit you, Rare! At least when it comes to The Unpopular Opinion 4. Rare has had many divisive games through its impressive lifespan, and one of the final games released on the Game Boy Advance by Rare was Banjo Pilot, a kart racer that originally starred the cast of the Donkey Kong Country series. There are still remnants of that game in the final product, such as the music, for instance. Banjo Pilot isn't a perfect arcade racing game, as the rubber-band AI is indeed an annoyance, but for all of its quirks, the game is in general fun to play. The colorful cast and areas of the Banjo-Kazooie franchise were well-represented in Banjo Pilot, and the actual flight mechanic felt great too. Sure, the game wasn't worth the five year wait for it, but the end product of Banjo Pilot isn't awful by any stretch of the imagination.