PlayStation, as a console brand, has been around for 27 years. Some laughed when they entered the console race, thinking they could not compete with Nintendo and Sega. After 1994, when the PS1 debuted in Japan, they not only replaced Sega as the number two brand but even beat out Nintendo in regard to the N64 and GameCube.
Their rise to power is a fascinating one, but what would a console be without games? Some of the best franchises are exclusive to Sony but many games, despite how beloved they may be, failed to become nothing more than one-hit wonders. There are plenty of PlayStation games waiting in the wings to get a sequel.
10 The Legend Of Dragoon
When rumors were flying about what Bluepoint Games was working on for PS5, many of them were about The Legend of Dragoon. It turned out to be another PlayStation RPG exclusive, Demon’s Souls which excited some while disappointing others. This PS1 classic released in 2000 in North America which was a year after Japan‘s date. It has had no sequels or real remasters of any kind since.
9 Vagrant Story
The PS1 was seemingly Squaresoft’s time to experiment as they released not only Final Fantasy games, but new IP as well. Some of them went on to spawn sequels while some, like 2000’s Vagrant Story, did not. It was placed into the Ivalice cannon after the fact so in a way it is related to Final Fantasy but that history is a bit complicated. This blend of action gameplay with turn-based RPG orders was unique at the time and is still well-loved.
8 Lifeline
Lifeline was an odd experiment from Konami that didn’t work, but there were kernels of good ideas in it. This was a PS2 exclusive which released in 2004 in North America. The premise was that aliens invaded a vacation space station and one of the staff members, Rio, had to rescue it from certain annihilation.
Instead of controlling her directly, players would instead guide Rio along via a headset that didn’t take commands well. Voice recognition software is better in 2021 so now might be the right time to test it out again.
7 Samurai Western
This was another PS2 exclusive which released in 2005 in North America. As the name might suggest, it was a Wild West game starring a samurai cone to find a new life in the great West. It clearly had a low budget so it didn’t get a lot of attention after middling reviews. The execution was not the best but the idea was solid. Imagine a Red Dead Redemption quality game but with samurai and that could be a good sequel.
6 Jeanne d’Arc
This was a PSP strategy RPG made by Level-5. It released in 2007 in North America. As the name might suggest, it’s based on the heroine from real history albeit in a fantastical land. It had all the qualities one would want in a tactical game like Final Fantasy Tactics. While it reviewed well, it never got a sequel presumably due to low sales which was a big problem on the PSP.
5 3D Dot Game Heroes
This PS3 exclusive released in 2010 in North America. It is a clear homage to the original Zelda game. It’s top-down, features similar dungeon layouts, and the graphics are reminiscent of the NES game albeit in 3D. What set it apart was the ability to customize one’s avatar from a normal knight to a shark. Plus the giant sword power-up was deadly.
4 PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
This was Sony’s attempt at creating a Super Smash Bros. game. It released in 2012 on both PS3 and PS Vita. While the cast of characters was good, it was still missing some iconic characters from the console’s history including Crash Bandicoot and Cloud from Final Fantasy VII. It had its fans on the PS3 system and it could be argued that it was better than most gave it credit for but that still wasn’t enough incentive to get Sony to try again.
3 Tearaway
Tearaway was first released on the PS Vita in 2013. Then in 2015 it went to the PS4 via Tearaway Unfolded as a reimagined title with lots of new content but still the core game.
It pretty much got two attempts to capture an audience and while reviewers gobbled it up both times, it never really hit a cultural smash, unlike other platformer stars. One could see this series again in Dreams DLC maybe.
2 Bloodborne
One could argue that Bloodborne has seen sequels and was in itself a sequel to Dark Souls. Bloodborne was and still is its own thing though. Since 2015, fans have been clamoring to get this PS4 exclusive both ported to PC as well ad a sequel. Rumors about both have been flying around for a while now but neither has yet to come true. Since Demon’s Souls got a remake, maybe this one will at least get that too although this PS4 game can still be played on PS5.
1 The Order: 1886
The Order 1886 was also a PS4 exclusive in 2015 although less beloved. It received middling reviews with most of the praise going toward the graphics and the faults pointing out its story and average gameplay. The story may have gotten hate but the premise is inarguably rad. It’s set in the steampunk world of London in 1886 with Knights of the Round Table fighting off werewolves. The time for The Order: 1887 is now.