Recently, I started to think about old games, specifically how some of them will get another shot at life after a few years away and it made me think about all those series that have not had that.

To be clear when I say another shot at life, I don’t mean via a remaster or a remake, but I mean a from the ground up, original entry in that series. A prime example is F-Zero, that series saw a number of games released over the first 14 years of its life, with F-Zero: GP Legend being the last one to release in the West. But then it went 19 years before it got a new game, or really any game.

So with that in mind, I wanted to have a look through the big publishers to see what series they are leaving behind. There are a few conditions for this list:

1. There must be at least 2 games in the series, so one off titles are not included.

2. There must be at least 2 console generations between the last game and now, so if a game was released on PlayStation 4, but there is no entry on PlayStation 5, that does not count.

3. We are not including Game of the Year, Deluxe, Complete or any other word used to describe a re-issue of the game with DLC or other extra content.

4. Finally, remakes and remasters do not count, they must be original.

So let us take a look at Take Two Interactive. Just one thing of note, in the art above you will see Pirates! included, but that was before I realised that the 2004 game was a remake of the 1987 game and as we don’t count remakes, the series has only had one original game.

Midnight Club

First Release: October 2006 | Last Release: October 2008 | Total Number of Games Released: 4

What is funny about the Midnight Club series is that it was a semi-spin-off from Midtown Madness, were the basic idea was the same, a large city where you race, but rather than it being all nice and clean, this series hit the streets.

At the start of each game, players get a basic, slow vehicle. As they race against other club members, they can win or buy faster, high-performance vehicles. The ultimate aim is to beat all the other racers, including the "city champion" and "world champion," to become the top racer of the Midnight Club. In later versions of the game, players can choose from actual car brands and customize them extensively, and there are "club" races where everyone races with vehicles from the same class.

Bioshock

First Release: August 2007 | Last Release: February 2013 | Total Number of Games Released: 3

Look I know the inclusion of this one is a bit weird, but while Take Two have announced a new Bioshock is coming, that happened almost 5 years ago and we have heard nothing since, so we are counting it as invalid.

The Bioshock series let players explore these unique locations, in what is considered a rpg shooter. What gave the games their hooks were the moral ideas and characters that you would meet as you played them. The twists to each game also put your choices and the events into a different perspective. The series has been highly regarded from both critics and consumers, which has cemented its space as a series worthy of playing, which is why the delay for more is annoying. The series also got a browser based game called BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution and a PlayStation Vita release of the first game was planned, it never happened.

Amped

First Release: March 2002 | Last Release: March 2006 | Total Number of Games Released: 3

The Amped series feels like it had a bit of a rough run down the mountain, the first game released and did ok, the sequel was thrown into the XSN brand and included online, then the series got a new publisher and went crazy for Amped 3, and I love them all.

The first two games are mostly the same, you would travel to different slopes, compete in various competitions, like trick events, all the while listening to some banging tunes. If the first two games were more like Tony Hawk, fun but with a little realism, then Amped 3 is more like SSX, as in utter bananas. There is just no way to understand just how different the game felt, the game starts you out in a pink bunny suit and then gets crazier from there. Think if Robot Chicken and South Park had a baby, the vibe of that child would be Amped 3 and that doesn’t count the story that the game has, but it is so good and I am sad its not around anymore. One little nugget, the studio behind Amped, also made Links and created the Top Spin series.

Army Men

First Release: April 1998 | Last Release: February 2009 | Total Number of Games Released: 22

When the first Army Men game was being considered, the use of the plastic figures was considered a way to avoid censorship issues, who knew that it would grow into such a series, with more than 20 games over its run.

The series is also a little unique in that the genre the games fit in, changes with each release. The original games were real time tactics, but the third game was a third person shooter. In between the back and forth of those two, we have also seen isometric action games and even a platformer and some top down shooters. While the earlier games were successful, due to the leaders at The 3DO Company demanding more games, the release cadence ramped up to unsustainable levels, which dropped the quality and players were no longer willing to sign up for battle.

Brothers in Arms

First Release: March 2005 | Last Release: December 2014 | Total Number of Games Released: 10

I know that Gearbox was only officially bought out by Take Two just a few months ago, but the series is too good not to include in the list, so a little cheating for this one. When Medal of Honor and Call of Duty were the big shooters of the day, Brothers In Arms took a more tactical approach and it paid off.

While the series is a first-person shooter, the big change is that you can issue orders to your squad, so if you wanted to take a house from the enemy, you could tell your guys to lay down fire, or even flank around the other side. The series did diverge a little with the 2008 release Art of War being a top-down shooter and the third mobile game being a third-person shooter. In 2021 it was reported that a new series was in development, but there has been nothing on the game since then. Something that is good is the Wii release Double Time, which brough the first two games to the platform, which let players use the motion controls to actually issue orders, which was very military.

Duke Nukem

First Release: July 1991 | Last Release: June 2011 | Total Number of Games Released: 9

When Duke Nukem first released, many were unsure what to make of it, it wouldn’t be until Duke Nukem 3D that the series really found its groove though and it also the first time Duke uttered the now iconic line about bubblegum, though he said it about 8 years after it first appeared.

That last entry released on just about everything, but it was not the end of the road. While there was a fourth game in development, Forever took forever to get out, finally arriving in 2011 and it was a total snore of a game. In between 3D and Forever though, fans were treated to a host of new titles, like Time to Kill on PlayStation or Zero Hour on Nintendo 64. There were also a host of mobile games and even a Nintendo DS title, which wasn’t received well, in fact Forever scored better in reviews.

The Darkness

First Release: June 2007 | Last Release: February 2012 | Total Number of Games Released: 2

11 years after The Darkness took to comic book shops, the first videogame adaptation arrived and was a great hit, as it took players through a dark and sometimes disturbing tale, but it had such fun gameplay most didn’t care.

Both games are played from a first person perspective and while you can pew pew with guns galore, you do have The Darkness within you, so taking advantage of that is a good idea. One of the things is that you can summon little creatures to help you out, or use the tendrils of darkness to attack foes and even get through some walls. But as the name implies, it needs dark to thrive, so rooms that have a lot of light within them or out in the day stripe you of your powers. The sequel kept most of the gameplay but added in a little light RPG to keep players growing and it really resonated with fans.

Battleground

First Release: November 1995 | Last Release: October 1999 | Total Number of Games Released: 9

From all the games in this list, the Battleground series is the one that most players will have never heard of, which makes sense given it released over 5 years and then came to an end. The big draw for the series was that it dove into every aspect of its chosen battle, not just the highlights.

Unless you were insanely into a specific battle that the series used, then you would likely be bored of the games unique approach, but for fans they were perfect. Battles were turned based and your actions could change the course of the battle, if you were horrible at the game of course. After an attack you were given stat updates, like which unit attacked and who they attacked, how much damage was done, along with impacts to the unit that was hit. You also had to deal with elevation, ammo counts and much, much more. Think of Battleground like Advance Wars, just without the fun anime visuals and more technical information and you will have a good idea.

The Bigs

First Release: October 2007 | Last Release: August 2009 | Total Number of Games Released: 2

Now normally we don’t like to include licenced games in these lists, I know The Darkness is as well, but most people don’t know about the original comic. However The Bigs series from 2K was different for a sports game, it was more arcade in its approach and we have not had a good arcade baseball game in forever.

In Australia the first game only released here on Wii, even though it was made for other platforms, but the sequel hit all platforms. The first game let players take a rookie through the ranks, take part in some home run derby challenges or take to the streets of New York City and treat the billboards around the place as targets, which is why it was called Home Run Pinball. The BIGS 2 offers an immersive baseball experience, letting players navigate a complete 162-game season while juggling the dual roles of general manager and field player. Engage in trading, drafting, and managing front office tasks. Plus, the game introduces fresh stats like Power, Glove, and Contact to enhance gameplay.

Mall Tycoon

First Release: February 2002 | Last Release: October 2005 | Total Number of Games Released: 3

Tycoon games are a big business, from theme parks to hospital and beyond, but there was only ever one that let you truly embrace capitalism, Mall Tycoon. Much like other games in the genre, you start with a blank plot of land and then build your ideal mall there.

The sequel expanded what you could do, but added more, like adding more customer types, store offerings and even unique scenarios for players to conquer. The third entry added a big change, outside of new mall locations and that was the ability to create your own custom store. It wasn’t just that you could make a food store and call it Deez’ Nuts, but you could also tweak the appearance of the people that worked there. The story layouts were also more customisable, with players now able to make any layout they wanted. Sadly reviews of the last game were not as high as the first two entries, which shuttered this mall, at least for now.

Jetfighter

First Release: May 1989 | Last Release: September 2005 | Total Number of Games Released: 8

Microsoft Flight Simulator might be a big name now, but in the 1980s, it was one of a good number of flying based games, but where it focused on commercial planes, Jetfighter took a more militaristic approach.

In these games, players take the helm of combat jet aircraft, soaring against enemy forces. At the time of its release, the game was a marvel of technology, featuring state-of-the-art 3D graphics and landscapes modelled after the real world. Despite its innovative approach, the game found itself in a niche too narrow for commercial success—it was a hybrid that didn't fully satisfy either action game enthusiasts or the dedicated flight simulator fans, who tended to gravitate towards more complex simulations.

Railroad Tycoon

First Release: July 1990 | Last Release: October 2006 | Total Number of Games Released: 4

In the 1990s Sid Meier created a number of games and while now his name is just attached to Civilization, the Railroad Tycoon series steamed ahead. What is a little unique about the series is just how long between each release the games were, with an 8 year gape between the first and second games.

The objective of the game is to build and manage a railroad company by laying track, building stations, and buying and scheduling trains. The railroad must be built in a certain time to win the game. The second and third games dropped the Sid Meier part of the name, as he was no longer involved, but they evolved the series further. The second game moved the view point from above to an isometric and the third game went full 3D, with the new view on the third game giving players more options for placing things as well. The last game in the series was back under control of Meier, with his new studio Firaxis making it, it also dropped the slower nature of the earlier games and went for a more real-time approach.

Spec Ops

First Release: May 1998 | Last Release: June 2012 | Total Number of Games Released: 7

Over the course of 5 years 6 of the games in the series were released, with three different developers making them and three different publishers. After Ranger Elite, it would be 10 years before the series returned and boy did it, Spec Ops The Line is one of those games with near universal adulation.

The series is very much a tactical shooter, like SOCOM and Rainbow Six, but unlike those games which kept the action closer to the player, this one had the camera pulled back a bit further. The final game, at least for now, evoked a more Gear of War camera, bringing it right up to the player and it made for the combat encounter to feel more grounded. While the series was focused on story, the last game did offer multiplayer and it was ok, but players really loved the story and the impact it left. Sadly the love for the final entry didn’t translate into sales and the series has been MIA ever since.

So there we go, Take Two Interactive and their forgotten games. Were there any in the mix that you played or were they unknown to you?