10 Long-Running Series That Need a God of War-Style Revamp
God of War has won over the hearts of critics and fans with its surprising new entry. Despite being radically different in terms of action and perspective, the game keeps the satisfying combat feel of the original games while also freshening it up with new mechanics. It’s pretty much the perfect example of video game franchises reinventing itself right when it needed to and should be an inspiration for other developers not to play it overly safe.
With that in mind, here are 10 long-running series that need God of War-like revamps. We’re not saying that all video game franchises need to have a fatherhood-focused narrative, or even follow the template God of War used, but it just needs a refresh that keeps some elements while losing the rest. Let us know which ones you’d like to see in the comment section below!
Sonic
This is sort of low hanging fruit, but 3D Sonic definitely needs…something. Even as one of the few people that wound up enjoying Sonic Forces, it felt more like a guilty pleasure than a great game. To move past being the gaming equivalent of fast food, the 3D series needs a complete reworking. The ultra-scripted levels are fun but lack much in terms of replayability, and it’s time for Sonic Team to really go back to the drawing board.
Gears of War
While God of War was a slightly older series, the two “GoW” franchises largely mirrored each other. They started off incredible, quickly got repetitive, and started to really lose steam once unessential titles like Judgment and Ascension were released. The original Gears of War had more of a horror focus to it compared to the more blockbuster sequels, and moving more towards that aspect could definitely give the established franchise a new look. Either way, something needs to be done as more of the same isn’t going to cut it for much longer.
Ratchet & Clank
Insomniac Games showed with the Ratchet & Clank remake that the series still was fun in its current status, but they’ve also shown with Spider-Man and Sunset Overdrive that they can do so much more than a nostalgia grab. If the series is to continue, they’ll have to shake things up. This doesn’t mean that we need a gritty reboot (that’d be terrible), but give it a new twist while staying true to the wacky weaponry. For example, a move to first-person could help freshen things up or doubling down on platform elements if they stay third-person. After all, when’s the last AAA platformer that challenged Mario?
