10 Divisive Video Game Sequels That Deserve A Second Chance

6. Wolfenstein

Wolfenstein 2009
Activision

While Wolfenstein is back on top thanks to The New Order and The New Colossus both soft-rebooting the franchise, there was actually an attempt to bring the seminal shooter series back to life in 2009, from Activision of all publishers. Titled simply "Wolfenstein", the game picked up (as always) with B.J. Blazkowicz on the hunt of Nazis in WW2, who are this time looking to harness a supernatural power and open up the "Black Sun" dimension.

The previous titles had always been interested in the Nazi's pursuit of the occult and the supernatural, but this 2009 game embraced that element wholeheartedly, delivering an enjoyable WW2 shooter with a cool twist. It didn't exactly break new ground, but it was a worthy entry in the series, and genuinely tried to do something new after the IP had languished for a few years.

Dropping at a time where 1940s shooters were poison to the industry didn't help it garner any fans though, nor did the middling reviews, and the game launched to a shocking 100,000 sales in its first month. Activision subsequently dropped the IP entirely, which led to another reboot five years later.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.