With the resurrection of the Marathon franchise via Halo developer Bungie (whether it grabs you by the gonads or not), it has got us thinking about what other western video game franchises could use a bit of the zombie juice. Especially since it’s April and Christians are celebrating zombie Jesus day since he came back from the dead. So here are 10 western video game franchises we would like to see resurrected before Easter 2026 comes around in no particular order.
1. NFL Blitz
We know that an NFL Blitz game was released back in 2012. But it was the typical EA corporate slop that didn’t live up to the franchise’s past and, even though it had the official NFL trademark, wasn’t near the quality of previous games and even sterilized to a degree such as not allowing late hits in the game because of the league’s “emphasis on player health and safety.”
Which defeats the purpose of the Blitz franchise.
Let’s see a new game that really embraces the NFL Blitz style and takes it further. We want the outrageously violent actions and a penalty-free system. Forget about mimicking the official NFL teams, player names, and go all out. Give teams funny names like the Carolina Confederates, Mississippi Mutilators, and Florida Flatulents, come up with offensive ideas that are hilarious, mimic NFL player controversies, and let’s make NFL Blitz great again.
Here’s an idea, what about a Hell Difficulty Career Mode where gamers control an all-Asian football team who has an owner named Lee Fund (because the team is so bad that people want refunds).
…what?
2. Soldier of Fortune
The shooter genre continues to dominate the video game market and that isn’t changing anytime soon. However, things have gotten a little stale in some respects as developers and publishers focus on stupid battle passes and live service among other things. We need some gritty, yet humorous, titles and the Soldier of Fortune franchise can offer that.
Known for its gratuitously over-the-top graphic dismemberment where players could blow off various body parts and watch their enemies flounder around and screech in pain, this franchise was something special. Bringing it back means that the developer needs to make sure the character models are top notch, has a more intense gorey and dismembering system, and not be afraid of the censors and pussies. Don’t focus on making it like every other Call of Duty-clone. Players are jonesing to shoot enemy NPCs in the nutsack and watch them do the marionette dance while auditioning for the Vienna Boys Choir. So stick to the brand with over-the-top violence and gore, find its unique hook, and watch the money come pouring in.
Because Soldier of Fortune is a franchise that needs to be brought back and done properly this time. Not slap its brand on an already-developed game because Activision thought that would be a good idea.
We’re looking at you Soldier of Fortune: Payback.
3. Bloody Roar
When it comes to the franchises, some of them get passed around more than a hooker at a frat party. The Bloody Roar fighting series is one such franchise. Activision, SCEA, Virgin Interactive, and Konami have had their turn with the franchise and we haven’t seen a game since Bloody Roar 4 back in 2003.
Considering the rise of furrydom, and the great DEI push from video game companies, it is amazing to think that a new Bloody Roar game hasn’t been developed and released by now. After all, fighters being able to turn into anthropomorphized creatures is all the rage with the youth these days.
So how could Bloody Roar’s Zoanthropes not be a big hit with all the furries?
It’s time to bring this franchise back from the dead and really lay into its main selling point, sexy beast people. If beast people are all the rage in anime and manga, why not bring it back for a video game fighting series?
4. Manhunt
We know Rockstar is focused on Grand Theft Auto 6 and, depending on how that turns out, we may never see another Manhunt video game again. But it would be nice to see a return to this stealth-action franchise with its psychological horror.
So seeing a next-gen Manhunt that is like reality TV meets bounty hunting with a splash of Hannibal Lector would be an interesting thing to see. And, like other games we have mentioned, it needs to have that unapologetic edge that Rockstar is known for.
Of course, this is predicated on the idea that Rockstar hasn’t gone to the woke side which is a valid criticism being made these days.
5. Black & White
When it comes to god games, Lionhead’s Black & White was like no other and put the genre on the map. The intoxicating ability for players to wield divine powers, shape the world, and guide civilizations through a combination of strategy, creature rearing, and morality was an enticing prospect even if the game itself fell a bit short.
It would be great to see this franchise resurrected with modern graphics and fleshed out even more. Maybe pair it with procedural generation for an unlimited amount of worlds for players to mold in their image.
6. Darkwatch
If the success of games like Red Dead Redemption and Hunt: Showdown haven’t shown that there is a lucrative market for the wild west setting, I don’t know what else to say. As a gothic western FPS, Darkwatch certainly deserves to be resurrected and give that vampire gunslinger Jericho Cross another adventure to go on.
Think of DOOM’s gameplay with Dead Space’s atmosphere thrown into a gothic wild west setting and this could be a new installment for a potential Darkwatch franchise. Not to mention the multiplayer options would be endless.
Now excuse us while we take a swig from this blood canteen…
7. Aliens vs Predator
It’s time.
Time to bring back the Aliens vs Predator franchise. Sure, throw in the colonial marine faction so humans can have some representation…we guess. The multiplayer potential of this franchise has, in our opinion, never been truly fleshed out properly and, with all the changes in multiplayer, that could finally change with the right developer.
Not just as an action-oriented, adrenaline-pumping massacre of mayhem, but a horror-inducing frightfest that will leave you curled up in a corner crying for your momma after playing against some really sadistic players out to put you in that state. From Aliens crawling through ducts or ambushing you, or overwhelming you with numbers, to a Predator’s stealth abilities, and then the stupid little humans bumbling around trying to survive, the three-way combat has quite a lot to offer.
Which is why we would love to see the Aliens vs Predator franchise make a comeback.
8. Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force
Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force was a first-person shooter that nailed the Star Trek vibe, which has been lost since that loser JJ Abrams initially gutted the franchise and was further pilloried by Alex Kurtzman with Nu Trek slop. Elite Force let gamers step into the role as a member of Voyager’s Hazard Team in which they fought the Borg, Klingons, and other races in a campaign that felt like a Star Trek episode.
There is so much potential for this franchise to not just please Star Trek fans, but entice new ones to the franchise that Gene Roddenberry created. And there is no end to what kind of settings can be utilized for the franchise.
Sure, we want to see the original Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force get a remaster, but can’t we also wish for a new installment as well? Just don’t use any of that Kurtzman drek that is a Star Trek skinsuit for pushing mediocre, anti-Trek crap that was made for frat kids and mentally stunted adults.
9. Bloodrayne
When it comes to western game development, it has really devolved. Especially when it comes to designing attractive characters both male and female. But especially females as these uglified, man-chin paragons of Leftist propaganda have been designed to combat the “male gaze.”
What better way to combat that than to bring back the Bloodrayne franchise that features our favorite vampire assassin Rayne. Sexy, sultry, and capable of fighting vampires and anyone else who crosses her path, she is what western development needs to go back to. And the side-scrolling game that came out in 2011 doesn’t count for anything.
Bloodrayne needs to return as an action-adventure, hack-and-slash game that will rock our worlds. And no, we are not obsessed with the redheaded dhampir just because we talked about her as a potential Valentines or New Year’s Eve party date.
We’re just trying to get western developers to start bringing sexy back!
10. Command & Conquer
The RTS Command & Conquer franchise was done dirty by EA, a company known for running great franchises and IPs into the ground for the sake of greed. Back in 2018, it was proved once again when Command & Conquer: Rivals was released in 2018 – as a pathetic little mobile game that was another cash grab hoping to lure in the fans.
When it comes to the RTS genre, the Command & Conquer franchise was one of the best and also iconic. It even branched from the RTS genre with a first and third-person shooter titled Command & Conquer: Renegade.
We would love to see the Command & Conquer franchise return, creating not just strategy games, but even a first person shooter set in that universe. Of course, it was shocking to see EA releasing the source code for Red Alert, Generals, Renegade, and Zero Hour this year, so new Command & Conquer games might be possible.
So developers and publishers need to be on Red Alert because fans are always ready to remind them that we Renegades have Tiberium in our veins.
Just looking back on these games, it’s sad to see how much western triple-A game development has devolved over the last 10 years. The industry needs to take a few steps back to reflect and reassess what it is that made video games awesome and profitable. Of course, the industry also needs talented people like we had back then who want to make games for the sake of making great games and not making great political statements or pursuing a “modern audience” that doesn’t put their money where their mouth is.
The money is with the gamers that have been pushed to the side. Gamers who aren’t interested in the woke crap, uglified chicks, and stale writing that goes out of its way to be as inoffensive as possible.
Before these franchises can be resurrected, like we are currently seeing with Bungie’s Marathon, the industry itself needs to go through its own rebirth and resurrection. If not, then don’t touch our classic games with your filthy hands.
What franchise do you want to see resurrected? Let us know in the comments below!
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