10 RPG Video Game Sequels We Desperately Need (But Won’t Get)

3. The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age

What it was: A 2004 release for Xbox, Gamecube and PlayStation 2, TTA took Final Fantasy X's basic template with fairly linear areas that looked impressive graphically, but were not fully explorable and had invisible boundaries around the edges. That said, it was distinct enough to have a plot and characters that shadowed the progress of the characters in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, whilst giving players the chance to set up their own mixed party of elves, dwarves, wizards and rangers. It meant there was a solid connection to the trilogy of films but full knowledge of characters and events was not a pre-requisite for enjoyment. A solid and competent game - not out-of-this-world, but competent.

Why we need a sequel: The Lord of the Rings has never gotten old in terms of its video game appeal. The most recent high-profile release was an action game: 2014's Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Whilst it had light role playing elements and an excellent combat system (albeit real time not turn-based) it was no RPG. The chance to return to Middle-earth and journey through another epic story with a fully customizable character set and turn based combat system would be great.

Why we won't get one: Despite having a new film trilogy in the form of The Hobbit between the years 2012-14, there was no role-playing game to go with it. The success of 2012's LEGO Star Wars and the more recent LEGO The Hobbit has eclipsed the older titles and most players seem happy to chug along with more action/platform oriented games rather than pushing for a role playing game. Warner Bros. currently own the rights to Lord of the Rings after EA's contract finished in 2009; their penchant is for the action genre and LEGO titles.