Question Weekend Question: What delisted game deserves a comeback?

[PCG Jody]

I ask the PCG staff a regular Weekend Question and post the answers on the site. If you'd like to throw in an answer here, I'll squeeze the best into the finished article!

This week's question is: What delisted game deserves a comeback?

Tales from the Borderlands is on sale again, but plenty of other Telltale Games are yet to be resurrected, including Guardians of the Galaxy, Game of Thrones, and Bone. Whether because publishers fold or licenses expire, games are quietly removed from storefronts all the time. The lists of games delisted from Steam, from GOG, and everywhere PC games can be found, are long and full of games that were somebody's favorite. What's one you think should return?

 

[Zloth]

The Last Remnant. Rush, the main character, is a dork but the battle system in this game is really unique. PC got a much improved version over the XBox version but, when the PS4 version showed up, Square/Enix decided to de-list it from Steam and never did bring it back. The graphics are getting old but can still hold up OK and the game is really worth at least a partial play-through to see how the combat system works. Also, +1 for having a silence spell that's deadly.

 

[Mazer]

Wolfenstein (2009) is something of a forgotten classic, in large part I think due to its unavailability for the past six years. Admittedly it's a strange beast, with a semi-open world hub that allows access to levels in a varied order and a selection of magical superpowers that were a prerequisite for FPS of the time, but I remember it as greater than the sum of its parts. One standout level started with an investigation of a manor home that leads into an extended exploration and firefight in massive underground base from way out of left field.

Also Transformers Devastation was a treat for both G1 fans with its voice lineup and OG character designs (Bumblebee as an actual VW Beetle! Grimlok!!) as well as having a brilliant combat system courtesy of Platinum games on their best form. Bring it back!

 

[Pifanjr]

From scrolling through the list of all delisted games, Black & White 2 and GTA 2 are the only games I have played that I would perhaps recommend to someone today. Even if Black & White 2 was far inferior to the first game in my opinion, it still has unique gameplay that I haven't seen anywhere else.

 

[Greyfoxcal]

Devotion was a genuinely great horror game that hardly anyone will ever get to experience now.
A reminder that censorship doesn't always stop at borders.

Also, Dragon Quest 11 in it's original form.
I know the definitive version is better in most ways, but the key word is 'most'.
Graphically the original is still better looking, and may even be the better option if you prefer playing with the English dub.

 

[Rensje]

I still think it's a crying shame horror demo PT was taken down from the PlayStation store. The actual Silent Hills game it was supposed to tease got cancelled and that's a bummer, but PT was brief horror perfection. There are ways to play it in 2021, of course, but the delisting should've never happened in the first place.

On the topic of Silent Hill, several of those titles were once available on PC but are nowhere to be found in the digital age. Silent Hill 2 in particular is a classic I would love to experience for myself, but it's simply not currently possible.

Also, is No One Lives Forever still in licensing hell? That game deserves better, too.

 

[mainer]

From that Steam list: Alpha Protocol, Neverwinter Nights 2 Platinum, & Sword Coast Legends. Alpha Protocol was a game that could have been great, given a bit more development by Obsidian. But it was still fun with a great timed conversation system, decent story, kind of janky combat, and bugs galore. Bought it as a boxed cd game when it first release, and again on Steam for about $2 before it was delisted.

NWN2 Platinum (with the 2 dlc), is just a classic D&D game and is still available on GOG, didn't even realize that it had been delisted on Steam.

Sword Coast Legends is another D&D game, kind of in the vein of Icewind Dale (though not nearly as in depth or good). Not a great game, but I had fun with it, and I think they deserve another shot.

 

[Krud]

games are quietly removed from storefronts all the time [...] What's one you think should return?

Honestly, I'm generally opposed to the whole delisting/removal process, so I think they should ALL return (assuming they didn't suck, I mean.) But since that's not the question... *scans list* Oh! The Sam & Max trilogy, for sure. It was chaotic, bizarre, funny and groan-inducing, and Max remains one of my all-time favorite sidekicks.

 

[Brian Boru]

is No One Lives Forever still in licensing hell? That game deserves better

That and its sequel NOLF2 are what immediately popped into my head! They were great fun, and were still in licensing hell last time I checked around 2 years ago. Here's the Kotaku article from 6 years ago:
The Sad Story Behind A Dead PC Game That Can't Come Back

I did see posts somewhere that NOLF can be got working on Win10, but too many hoops to jump thru for my taste.

 

[Zloth]

Well, these are DE-listed games. The NOLF games never got on any digital store's list in the first place, so never got kicked off a list.

 

[Gamehub7$]

I think I have one and only answer of this ❓ is Borderlands.

 

[DXCHASE]

Sierra Games as a whole, like release something with most of the library from this dev. esp Hunter Hunted and Civil War Generals.

There was also a Risk that came out in 96 or so that was really great, cutscenes and all, would love to see that come back with updated scenes.

 

[Proont]

3D Realms Anthology, Black and White 2, Bone: Out from Boneville, Bone: The Great Cow Race, CSI: Fatal Conspiracy, Deadpool, the Duke Nukem games, Grand Theft Auto 1 & 2, Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded, Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, The Horror at MS Aurora, The Sinking City, Universe Sandbox Legacy.

Long list.

 

[Mazer]

3D Realms Anthology, Black and White 2, Bone: Out from Boneville, Bone: The Great Cow Race, CSI: Fatal Conspiracy, Deadpool, the Duke Nukem games, Grand Theft Auto 1 & 2, Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded, Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, The Horror at MS Aurora, The Sinking City, Universe Sandbox Legacy.

Long list.

GTA 1 and 2 are missing from digital stores because they were released for free by Rockstar some time ago.

 

[Proont]

GTA 1 and 2 are missing from digital stores because they were released for free by Rockstar some time ago.

Thanks for the link.