![It’s been over a decade since ‘Left 4 Dead 2’ dropped and the video game still has an audience. [Source: Tom Francis - Flickr]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2020/3/2/660x290/b_502x220x82/its-been-over-a-decade-since-left-4-dead-2-dropped-and-the-video-game-still-has-an-audience-source-tom-francis-flickr_2410807.jpg "It’s been over a decade since ‘Left 4 Dead 2’ dropped and the video game still has an audience. [Source: Tom Francis - Flickr]")
The gaming market is full of wonderful franchises to choose and play but not all of them are ongoing. There are duologies among them--particularly those that deserve to be trilogies if not long-running franchises. Here is a list of some video game franchises that fit the bill.
Condemned series (PS3/Xbox 360/PC)
Hands down, Sega's ‘Condemned’ duology was one that deserved to be a trilogy. The series consisted of a couple of first-person psychological horror games— ‘Condemned: Criminal Origins’ and ‘Condemned 2: Bloodshot’ —that combined forensic-style puzzle solving with improvised melee combat. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a follow up since 2008 because the sequel had failed to sell enough copies, plans to greenlight a trilogy became financially unsound.
Left 4 Dead series (Xbox 360/PC/Mac/Linux)
It’s been over a decade since ‘Left 4 Dead 2’ dropped and the video game still has an audience. However, there’s growing concern over its longevity. The first game deserves its praise for kickstarting the zombie slaughter fest but expired due to a shrunken player count. And while it lives on as a free add-on to its successor, it too will eventually expire. Furthermore, Valve admitted that ‘Left 4 Dead 3’ isn’t in development and that makes sense given they “can’t count to 3.”
Kane & Lynch series (PS3/Xbox 360/PC)
The Kane & Lynch duology has quite the cult following. Despite both titles not being among the best video games on the market, the franchise still has great potential. The first game subtitled ‘Dead Men’ featured the duo teaming up to pull off some crazy, blood-soaked heists. The sequel ‘Dog Days’ not only reunited them but also ramped it up with a cool cinematographic footage aesthetic. Unfortunately, due to a string of cancellations to some prequels and a lawsuit, the third might never happen.
The Darkness series (PS3/Xbox 360/PC/Mac/Linux)
Comic book adaptations in gaming are a dime a dozen. Batman. Spawn. Punisher. Take your pick. ‘The Darkness’ also received its own video game duology that ended prematurely. Based on the popular comic book series of the same name, ‘The Darkness’ was an FPS that introduced players to Jackie Estacado, a Mafioso turned anti-hero out for. The first game didn’t exactly light the world on fire but the sequel, ‘The Darkness II’ more than made up for it. That’s why it deserves a threequel.
Super Mario Galaxy series (Nintendo Wii)
Undeniably, Mario is the reigning king of the platformer genre. Nintendo’s little Italian plumber racked up a catalog of critically acclaimed platformers, spanning across eight generations. Among them is the ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ duology on the Nintendo Wii. Both games saw the plumber to boldly go where no plumber has gone before with new and improved mechanics. For years, fans have been begging Nintendo to release a third outing but all requests have fallen on deaf ears.
