Nowadays, game sequels rarely end at the number two mark. Just recently it was confirmed that the latest God of War title would be the start of a new trilogy. And while developers are planning on setting up extensive, multi-game franchises, there are plenty of games that unfortunately came to a premature end after only one sequel. So here are five two-game series in need of a third installment.

Left 4 Dead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZgybPDuNDI

Many games have tried to emulate what Left 4 Dead the magic was able to capture: frantic four-player cooperative gameplay with a whole lot of attitude.  Payday and Evolve tried their best to recreate what made the Left 4 Dead series so memorable but it seems that the formula isn’t so easily reproduced. And while we are all aware of Left 4 Dead 3 never being a thing due to Valve’s apparent allergy to the number ‘3’, a boy can dream, right?

Army of Two

I know what you are thinking: ‘this guy goes from Left 4 Dead to Army of 2?!’ And yes, I admit that Army of Two doesn’t have quite the following as the FPS zombie shooter, but man this game was a complete blast as a cooperative experience. Though the goofy plot was serviceable at best, the combat was solid, and being able to run through a entire campaign with a buddy sitting next to you made the experience a tad more special. With two unique characters in a balls-to-the-wall action movie scenario made the Army of Two series a unique enough experience. Given today’s advancements to the third-person shooter genre, we can a whole host of remarkable changes to Army of Two that would make a third installment a standout title.

Dark Cloud

You didn’t think I would write a list article and not include Dark Cloud in some way, did you? The first Dark Cloud was a revelation for me as a gamer. Deep weapon customization, world building, engaging combat and fun characters were only a few things of what makes this game so prominent in my memory. Dark Cloud 2 changed art styles and refined the combat, but almost did a little too much different from the first installment. A third installment could take all the lessons learned from the past two generations and create something truly special. Just thinking of the amount of weapon permutations makes me giddy.

Jade Cocoon

Jade Cocoon was  a unique experience when it came out for the original Playstation back in the day. It was a monster breeding game that took the best parts of Pokemon  – the creature capture aspect – and mixed with something like Spore. Oh, and it is actually a decent RPG as well. I am actually shocked that Genki hasn’t revisited this franchise, especially since it hasn’t done anything worth a damn ever since. Seriously, how awesome would it be to capture, raise, combine and fight with monsters that are not Pokemon? Oh and when I say combine, I literally mean combine’ you combine monsters and make completely unique monsters out of them. Why isn’t there more of this game?!

Mega Man Legends

It is extremely rare that a traditional 2D franchise can make the leap to 3D with the same style and grace that made its sprite-based origins so appealing. Nintendo’s lovable plumber and green tunic hero are arguably the a few exceptions to the rule. But Capcom’s Blue Bomber is not to far behind them. Mega Man Legends was far from perfect. In fact, it is often criticized for its semi-awkward control scheme. But despite a few technical shortcomings, the game took the basic structure of its 2D counterparts and translated it into a 3D adventure game that felt fresh for series fans and newcomers alike. And – big shocker – the game actually told a compelling story. Unfortunately for fans of the series, Mega Man Legends 3 was canned and a sequel is as unlikely as…

BONUS ENTRY BECAUSE I KNOW YOU WILL DESTROY ME IN THE COMMENTS

Half-Life

Because…you know…what did you expect?

So what do you think? Do you have any favorite yet short-lived series deserve more than two entries? Did Valve not make any of them? Let us know in the comments section below.