These Legendary PlayStation Series Will Likely Never Be Allowed To Create Another Masterpiece

While PlayStation is currently the home to many critically acclaimed and beloved game series, like God of War, The Last of Us, and Horizon, Sony has been criticized by its fans for having forgotten about some of its most beloved IPs in the past two generations, even the ones that shaped the PlayStation brand during its early years.

The PS1, the PS2, and the PS3 used to have exclusives of quality so high that they were instantly considered masterpieces, not to mention that they helped PlayStation become one of the “Big 3” of the home console market. Unfortunately, aside from the occasional cameo in games like Astro Bot, the brand has mostly forgotten about these excellent IPs, and it’s highly unlikely that they will ever come back. The following eight 10/10 series are the most notorious examples of this unfortunate phenomenon.

Wipeout

The Quintessential Futuristic Racing Game (And F-Zero’s Biggest Competitor)

There was a time when Wipeout was one of PlayStation’s biggest and most emblematic franchises. Born quite early in the PS1’s lifespan, these futuristic antigravity racing games gave players thousands of hours of fun with their thrilling, fast-paced gameplay and their stylized graphics and music. It really felt like Sony’s answer to Nintendo’s F-Zero franchise.

Wipeout saw most of its success during the PS1 generation, but new releases eventually slowed down during the PS2 and PS3 eras. Unfortunately, this franchise has been dormant since 2012, and with its original developer, Psygnosis, shutting down that same year, it will most likely never get another entry. Nevertheless, Wipeout’s spirit still lives on in indie spiritual successors, like Antigraviator and BallisticNG.

PaRappa The Rapper

One Of The Most Important Rhythm Game Series Ever Made

While it may look quite silly at first, it’s worth mentioning that PaRappa the Rapper was quite groundbreaking for its time. The concept of a rhythm game with gameplay that relied on well-timed player inputs was absolutely mind-blowing back in the mid-90s, not to mention that its unique art style, wacky characters, and lighthearted tone helped this series stand out even more.

PaRappa himself became one of PlayStation’s most beloved unofficial mascots during that period, but after two mainline entries and a spin-off, he was slowly forgotten by both Sony and his own fans. While these types of simple but charming projects are not as popular as they used to be, similar IPs like Rhythm Heaven and Taiko no Tatsujin do have massive fan bases today, so it would technically be possible for PaRappa the Rapper to make a comeback if Sony decides to give it another chance.

MediEvil

This Gothic Action-Adventure Franchise Briefly Came Back A Few Years Ago

MediEvil was undoubtedly one of the PS1’s best and most underrated franchises. These two action-adventure games were not only incredibly fun, but they also had a unique “Tim Burton-esque” aesthetic and an impeccable sense of humor that made them extremely memorable. Weirdly enough, the first MediEvil title was remade twice: the first time in 2005 for the PSP in 2005, and the second time in 2019 for the PS4.

As a matter of fact, the recent PS4 remake was a huge (but delightful) surprise to seasoned PlayStation fans, and many of them were sure that it was going to lead to a much-needed revival of this franchise. Sadly, nothing came from it, as it seems like the mixed reception and disappointing sales of MedieEvil (2019) discouraged Sony from green-lighting either a MediEvil 2 remake and/or a MediEvil 3.

Ape Escape

A Once-Innovative Franchise Has Been Relegated To Random Cameos

It’s important to note how vital the Ape Escape IP was for the growth of the PlayStation brand during its first years on the gaming landscape. Just when it seemed like the Nintendo 64 had gained the upper hand thanks to its innovative controller with an analog stick, Sony released the PS1’s Dual Analog Controller in response and made an exclusive that would take perfect advantage of its features.

Needless to say, the combination of groundbreaking 3D platforming gameplay and a bunch of colorful and likable characters allowed Ape Escape to become a major success, and just like PaRappa, the Pipo Monkeys eventually became one of PlayStation’s most iconic characters. While the IP still saw moderate levels of success during the PS2/PSP era, the very last Ape Escape title was released exclusively for the PlayStation Move in 2010, and the franchise has been pretty much dead ever since (most likely caused by the advent of hyperrealistic AAA games during the 2010s). Weirdly enough, despite not getting a new game in over fifteen years, the Pipo Monkeys themselves have cameoed in a vast number of modern titles like Astro Bot and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.

The Legend Of Dragoon

The Biggest Turn-Based RPG On The PS1 (That Didn’t Have The Words “Final Fantasy” In Its Title)

Sometimes it’s easy to forget how popular turn-based JRPGs were during the 90s, especially on the original PlayStation. In fact, the massive critical and financial success of Square’s Final Fantasy 7 inspired Sony to make its own first-party game in this genre, which led to the creation of The Legend of Dragoon.

JRPG fans immediately fell in love with this title, praising its dynamic combat system with quick-time events (which is quite similar to modern masterpieces like Expedition 33), its stunning presentation, and its deep and fascinating narrative. Unfortunately, Legend of Dragoon is basically a one-and-done series, as Sony has never been able to bring it back in shape or form (not counting a digital PS4/PS5 port). Its protagonist, Dart, was going to be a DLC fighter for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, but he was ultimately scrapped (he luckily appeared in Astro Bot alongside many other forgotten PlayStation icons).

Resistance

A Gritty First-Person Shooter From Another Time

As previously mentioned, the gaming industry was riddled with dark, gritty, and hyper-realistic shooters during the late 2000s and early 2010s, to the point that even Insomniac Games — the developer behind colorful and whimsical franchises like Spyro the Dragon and Ratchet and Clank — created an original series of FPS games during that time period, simply titled Resistance.

Fortunately, since Insomniac is such a talented studio, these games ended up being masterpieces of that era and are now considered some of the best exclusives in the PS3’s catalog. As expected from the creators of Ratchet and Clank, the Resistance trilogy boasted satisfying shooting mechanics, a variety of inventive weapons, and an array of intimidating enemies known as the Chimera. As entertaining as these first-person shooters were, they are also a remnant of a different time within the industry, and Insomniac is now busy with titles that appeal more to modern audiences, like Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Wolverine.

InFamous

PlayStation Used To Have Its Own (Non-Marvel) Superheroes

In a similar vein, Sucker Punch Productions (creators of the Sly Cooper franchise) also went on to make a more mature and darker series during the PS3 era, but they opted for an open-world game with playable superheroes instead of making an FPS like everybody else. The result was InFamous, which quickly grew to become one of PlayStation’s most popular exclusive IPs during the late 2000s and early 2010s.

These games not only allow players to explore vast open-world environments in which they can use an assortment of superpowers to their heart’s content, but they also have a mind-blowing morality system that alters the plot depending on whatever decisions they make. This franchise was successful to the point that Cole MacGrath became one of the most iconic superheroes to not originate from a comic book, not to mention that InFamous Second Son was one of the PS4’s first true exclusives that actually encouraged people to buy that console in 2014. Nevertheless, Sucker Punch is now busy with the Ghost series, and Sony has exclusive video game rights to Marvel superheroes like Spider-Man, so it’s unlikely we’ll see InFamous again anytime soon.

Puppeteer

The PS3’s Biggest Hidden Gem

While the PS3’s catalog was filled to the brim with mature and violent exclusives like The Last of Us or God of War 3, Sony’s seventh-generation home console also had a solid variety of colorful, more experimental platformers, of which only LittleBigPlanet seems to have been somewhat successful. Among these forgotten hidden gems, Puppeteer is the most remarkable one so far, and it’s a real shame that not many people have heard about it.

Developed by Sony’s Japan Studio, Puppeteer is an endlessly charming 2.5D platformer with a unique puppet theater aesthetic and a vibrant art style that made it stand out during a generation in which most people did not pay attention to this genre. Despite receiving glowing reviews from critics, this game failed to make an impact and did not receive any sequels or ports. It’s not all bad news, however, as Japan Studio eventually merged with Team Asobi and some of the people who worked on Puppeteer went on to work on Astro Bot (which, of course, features a cameo from this game’s protagonist, Kutaro).