20 Game Franchises We Want to See Make a Triumphant Comeback

It's been long enough. Whoever owns the rights to these, quit sleeping.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Trends in major gaming, at this point in history at least, seem to be circling in a somewhat static and predictable pattern. A pattern of a pattern, if you want to be completely honest.

We see many of the same franchises recycled year after and year, spawning sequel after sequel. Which is...fine. Pizza is a beautiful thing, but who wants to eat it everyday? Thankfully, outlets like Kickstarter and Steam (and Microsoft and Sony..to a degree) provide the resources that allow developers to produce original titles that are the occasional shrimp tempura used to break up that pizza binge. 

When developers aren't producing new intellectual properties, they should look to the past for some gems that could just as easily be dusted off. What always blows our mind is the rich history of franchise just laying around waiting for some evil genius to breathe new life into. Sure, sure, we're nearly positive that some of these are tied up in ownership and licensing hell, but who wouldn't love to get a new Shinobi title?

Here are 20 Video Game Franchises We Want to See Make a Triumphant Comeback.

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Crash Bandicoot

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TIE Fighter

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Legacy of Kain

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Mutant Football League

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ToeJam & Earl

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Shinobi

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Strider

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Banjo-Kazooie

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Ghosts and Goblins

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XIII

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Earthworm Jim

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F-Zero

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Battle Toads

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Psychonauts

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TimeSplitters

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Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

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Altered Beasts

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Def Jam: Vendetta

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MDK

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Shenmue

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