Ninja Gaiden started as a franchise in 1988, in each arcades and consoles just like the NES. Since 2015, the collection was lengthy regarded as lifeless, however it got here up for a shock revival in 2025. Ninja Gaiden fans had been met with a remaster through Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a model new 3D motion recreation through Ninja Gaiden 4, and a traditional 2D motion platformer through Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound.
It’s been an important yr for Ninja Gaiden followers, however not each collection may be as profitable years after being gone for therefore lengthy. Can these seemingly lifeless franchises ever come out of the shadows like Ninja Gaiden did, or are they doomed to obscurity? Let’s undergo a wide range of genres to maintain issues assorted.
Whereas these video games usually are not formally lifeless, they have not seen any motion for a really very long time.
Strider
The Lacking Ninja
- Developer: Capcom
- Writer: Capcom
- Launched: April 1989 (NA)
- Platform: Arcade
The Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden franchises received revived in 2025, however Strider, one other ninja collection, has been forgotten. Based mostly on a ninja manga from 1988, Strider hit the arcade scene in 1989, that includes swift ninja motion.
There have been just a few video games within the 90s, adopted by an extended wait till the 2014 reboot, Strider, which was a Metroidvania. Nearly as good because it was, it by no means led to any extra sequels, however the character, Strider Hiryu, does make playable character appearances in preventing video games often.
Resistance
A Problem To Halo
The Resistance series is what Insomniac adopted up their Ratchet & Clank franchise with. Resistance: Fall of Man was a launch recreation for the PS3 in 2006, that includes an alternate tackle World Battle 2 whereby aliens invaded.
There have been three fundamental video games and two moveable spin-offs, with Resistance: Burning Skies being the ultimate word in 2012 for the PS Vita. Just one recreation is playable on the PS5, with out resorting to the streaming service, which is the PSP recreation, Resistance: Retribution. That’s at the very least one thing, and it’s emulated properly.
Child Icarus
What An Angel
Child Icarus premiered on the NES in 1987 in North America, which was a vertical motion platformer starring an angel character named Pit. This was adopted up by Child Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters on the Sport Boy in 1991, which was a extra horizontal journey, however it largely performed the identical.
Then, followers needed to wait till 2012 to play one other recreation, however it was well worth the wait as Child Icarus: Rebellion for the 3DS is one of the best recreation within the collection. That has been it, apart from Pit showing in Super Smash Bros. games together with different characters from his franchise.
Parasite Eve
Scorching Flashes
Parasite Eve was launched for the PS1 in 1998, and it was like Resident Evil mixed with Closing Fantasy. Gamers explored New York Metropolis as a detective seeking to cease a lethal virus from spreading, and the battle system was a hybrid between motion and turn-based fight.
The second recreation, additionally on the PS1, was extra straight action-based, as was the third recreation, which took on a brand new title, The third Birthday. That was a 2011 PSP title in North America and past the primary two video games getting digital ports throughout the PS3 period, Sq. Enix has largely ignored the franchise since then.
Breath Of Fireplace
The Unique Dragonborn
Breath of Fireplace is a turn-based RPG series from Capcom, and for some time, it was their Closing Fantasy. The unique title was launched for the SNES in 1994 in North America. The final console recreation was Breath of Fireplace: Dragon Quarter for the PS2 in 2003 in North America, which was the fifth entry, and the precise final recreation was Breath of Fireplace 6: Guardians of the White Dragon.
That was a 2016 free-to-play motion RPG launched in Japan just for PC and cellular units, which shut down in 2017. Past that, 2023’s Avenue Fighter 6 had some impressed costumes and characters, like Katt from the second recreation, however there have been no inklings of a brand new Breath of Fireplace recreation for ages.
Zone Of The Enders
Tremendous Preventing Robots
Zone of the Enders was a slick, fast-paced mech recreation produced by Hideo Kojima for the PS2 in 2001. It bought properly sufficient to get a GBA tactical RPG, two anime seasons, and a full sequel, additionally for the PS2, referred to as Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner.
The 2 fundamental video games had been remastered in 2012 through Zone of the Enders HD Assortment, and the second recreation was remastered additional in 2018 through Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner MARS, which included a VR mode. Sadly, there have been plans to make a 3rd recreation across the first remastered assortment, however it was canceled.
Ridge Racer
Riiiidge Racer!
Ridge Racer
- Launched
-
November 30, 1993
- ESRB
-
E for Everybody
- Developer(s)
-
Namco
Earlier than Want for Pace, Forza Motorsport, and Gran Turismo, Ridge Racer was THE premier racing franchise from Namco. All of it started in arcades in 1993, earlier than the console debut in 1995 on the PS1 in North America. There are numerous titles unfold throughout nearly each console that adopted the PS1, and they’re all principally praised.
With all franchises, although, typically issues should come to an in depth. Ridge Racer Unbounded was the ultimate console recreation in 2012, whereas the final precise recreation was a cellular racer referred to as Ridge Racer Draw & Drift in 2016.
Fats Princess
Sony Might By no means Determine Out The Style
Fats Princess is an anomaly as a result of it appeared like Sony may by no means work out what they wished the franchise to be. The titular first recreation was launched digitally on the PS3 in 2009, which was a novel capture-the-flag-style multiplayer expertise. The flags had been changed by massive princesses, and to make it more durable for the opposite workforce to steal their princess, gamers may feed them cake.
There was a PSP model launched in 2010, adopted by two odder 2015 releases. Fats Princess Adventures was a dungeon crawler, whereas Fats Princess: Piece of Cake was a puzzle recreation. In addition to some cameos right here and there, that was about it for these hungry princesses.
