15 Resurrected Video Game Franchises That Should Stay Dead

Because who needs Tony Hawk's Pro Glitcher 6?

By Jack Pooley /

After reboots, remakes, re-imaginings and whatever else you want to call them took over Hollywood, it was surprising to no-one that they soon enough began invading the world of gaming. After all, if a brand name has been exhausted to death, why not just wait a few years, dress it up in different packaging and try to sell it to a new generation who's never played the original? These 15 games have all been bought back from the brink of bankruptcy, either creative or financial, but sadly there's not a whole lot here to suggest that their revival was actually worth it. There's a lot to be said for a publisher or developer knowing when enough is enough and not pushing their luck, but in these instances, they just couldn't resist trying to milk the cash cow bone-dry. The results, however, range from underwhelming to flat-out embarrassing (ain't that right, Tony?). Nobody was really crying out for these games to get belated sequels and gritty reboots, especially like this, and so it's probably best they don't tarnish our memories of the originals any further...

15. Rainbow Six

The Originals: Rainbow Six began in 1998 and quickly became renowned for its intense, gritty gameplay in which bullet damage was realistically lethal and smart strategy was key. The last AAA entry into the series was 2008's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, which was solidly received, but the planned follow-up, Rainbow 6: Patriots, stalled continuously until it was eventually scrapped last year. The Resurrection: Patriots' replacement is a new, squad-based online shooter, Rainbow Six: Siege, which dispenses with a campaign entirely in favour of focusing on the ever-popular multiplayer gameplay. It hits stores this December, and has been extensively beta-tested. Why It Needs To Stay Dead: General player reception to the beta was incredibly mixed, with the consensus among many being that Ubisoft haven't really come up with a game worth a full retail asking price. It's intermittently entertaining but also frequently tedious, and the visual presentation is incredibly lacking. If Ubisoft are trying to scrape through with something this low-effort, there's not really much need for it to exist at all. It's a nice idea in theory, but everything considered, the series has had a good run. With the likes of CoD and Battlefield proving so successful, is there even a place for more slower-paced, strategic FPS games anymore?