Sometimes - not often - there comes along a game series that brings so much joy and is so expertly created that it would be far better to simply stop making new games than to make inferior sequels so as not to sully the memory of the original experience. That might sound like extreme nostalgia talking, but when you've played the ridiculously sublime Banjo-Kazooie and the even better sequel Banjo-Tooie, not much else really comes up to snuff. Original developers Rare were in their heyday in the late '90s, creating several classics for the Nintendo 64 including but not limited to the Banjo games, Jet Force Gemini, Perfect Dark and of course Goldeneye. Unfortunately, not long after Microsoft entered the home console market with the Xbox, they bought out the company and half of their staff left to form their own companies, most notably Free Radical Design, which was responsible for the aforementioned Timesplitters games until they got bought out. As a result, the next home console Banjo game ended up being delayed until 2008, when Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts landed on Xbox 360, and...didn't really impress anyone. A major disappointment to fans, then, and a testament to the quality of the first games. There are no further sequels in development, and while there's still hope in the hearts of some that we'll one day see Banjo-Threeie and it'll be the best thing since sliced bread, perhaps it's best that don't. Which other franchises do you desperately miss and pray for a reboot or sequel? Let us know in the comments!
