Top 10 Xbox Franchises that Need to be Revived

Xbox has actually collected some great franchises and unique IPs over the years, but really hasn’t done anything with a lot of them. I thought it would be interesting to dig into the library and see what exclusives should definitely be given another shot, especially considering the recent revival they've been doing for certain games. The big mention there would be Phantom Dust, where ever that game is.

#10: Blinx

Blinx: The Time Sweeper last graced the original Xbox with two games and there was an apparent desire for Blinx to be the Xbox mascot at once point since The Master Chief was deemed too adult. The Blinx games were a platformer type game featuring the ability to manipulate time which actually sounds interesting and could be done in an intriguing way with current tech.

#9: Viva Piñata

There were actually quite a few Viva Piñata games released on Xbox 360 and this could be the perfect family friendly series to bring back into the Xbox ecosystem. The games were also rather addicting with their advanced gardening, shocking destruction of pinatas and just looking after the garden was highly entertaining.

#8: Fuzion Frenzy

The Fuzion Frenzy games are composed of fun party games similar to Mario Party though it's done in somewhat of a futuristic style minus the recognizable gaming stars thrown into the mix. It would be great to have a fun smaller party game to play with others and this would be the series to build it from. This wouldn't be anything crazy though something enjoyable to play and perhaps add some of the big Xbox names into it as well.

#7: Crimson Skies

It's been a long time since I last played Crimson Skies, but it'll always be one of those classic original Xbox games that I remember. It was a blast engaging in dog fighting with a wide range of odd planes and it would be fantastic to see something come from this series in the future.

#6: Shadowrun

We've seen Shadowrun appear on PC recently in a couple separate titles though these are just spin-offs that have been licensed out and while they're decent I'd like to see another Shadowrun 2007. This was an online only game and one of the first cross-play titles for Xbox.

It's actually an incredible game not only in design, but also with how tactical it's mixing modern weapons and magic abilities beautifully. I feel the big issue with this one was that it came out too soon as it would have probably thrived on the modern platform being somewhat free to play or even cheaper of a release with steady extra content. It would be a perfect candidate for the Xbox Play Anywhere program and I'd like to see it get another chance.

#5: Conker

The most lovable badass squirrel ever has been teased a couple times recently in Project Spark (RIP) and also in an apparent HoloLens type game with a young version. Conker is a great mature title and it's odd we haven't seen any proper new versions of this character. The game would not only be comedic, but also quite dark and I would be assumed to feature some random competitive multiplayer.

#4: Perfect Dark

I'm not quite sure why Perfect Dark has never been given a reboot considering it features a rather interesting story line with a strong female protagonist. It would fit well onto the current Xbox line-up not only providing a possible agent stealth type shooter, but also having the option of a competitive multiplayer space with wild weapons.

#3: Banjo

Another interesting character that's been sidelined is Banjo and his pal Kazooie which are featured in a delightful platforming series and the pair could be a solid start in capturing a younger audience. I'm very surprised that Xbox hasn't attempted to push Banjo into being more of a mascot for the platform.

#2: Age of Empires

Honestly, it's really shocking that Microsoft has left this series to rot considering it's one of the premium RTS franchises. Oddly enough the HD remaster for the second game is still getting DLC and with Halo Wars 2 releasing shortly I think it's about time that Age of Empires gets a proper fourth entry.

#1: Fable

It just doesn't feel right not having a Fable game and it's saddening that there's been nothing this far into the generation. I know the whole issue with Lionhead (RIP) being closed down due to Fable Legends, but there should have also been a core entry in the works.

There are not many RPGs out there that carry the charm and sense of wonder that the Fable series has brought in the past. While not everyone had wonderful things to say about Legends, the assets for the world are beautiful and could be transferred to some sort of new game in the series.

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