5 Video Game Series From the 1990s That Are Dead (but Need to Come Back)

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As a longtime gamer, I’ve seen so many series come and go. Every now and then, a new one really captures everyone’s attention, and some manage to stick around for years with sequels and spin-offs. But sadly, a lot of amazing games just disappear. I’ve been thinking about the 90s in particular – there were so many fantastic series that just faded away and I’d love to see them make a comeback! We put together a list of five that really deserve another shot, but we’re not talking about just re-releasing old games. I’m hoping for totally new content – new stories, new gameplay, the whole package! Let’s bring these classics back to life with something fresh.

1) Darkstalkers

The Darkstalkers series began in 1994 with Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors (known as Vampire in Japan). Four more games followed, but the series went silent in 1997. While there have been updated versions and collections of the older games since then, there hasn’t been a brand new Darkstalkers game in almost thirty years. The franchise did expand with an anime series and appearances in other Capcom titles, but fans have been waiting a long time for a new standalone Darkstalkers fighting game.

2) Gex

The Gex series is a platforming game that first came out in 1995 for all popular gaming systems. Players control a funny, talkative gecko obsessed with TV who battles bad guys within the world of media. Three Gex games were released in the 90s: Gex, Gex: Enter the Gecko, and Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko. A fourth game was started but never finished. Later, Gex Trilogy collected the original three games into one package. It’s a really enjoyable series and a solid platformer, and with the genre still popular today, it’s time for a new Gex game for modern consoles.

3) Wing Commander

The Wing Commander series was a groundbreaking and expansive franchise known for its high-quality games. Five main titles were released in the 1990s, starting with the original Wing Commander in 1990 and concluding with Wing Commander: Prophecy in 1997. While a spin-off game, Wing Commander Arena, came out in 2007, it’s considered separate from the core series. Overall, the franchise delivered impressive games with large, engaging stories. Wing Commander III stood out for its use of full-motion video, featuring notable actors like Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and John Rhys-Davies. I’d eagerly buy a new Wing Commander game if one were ever made, but unfortunately, that seems improbable.

4) Earthworm Jim

Growing up, the 90s were full of awesome platformers, but Earthworm Jim really stood out – it was just so wonderfully bizarre! You play as, well, an earthworm named Jim who somehow gets into a high-tech robotic suit and uses a machine gun to battle bad guys. What made it special was how they used Jim being a worm – he’d swing around with his body and all sorts of crazy worm-based moves kept the gameplay fresh. The first game came out in 1994 and kicked off a whole series. We got a few sequels over the years, with the last one, Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy, appearing on the Game Boy Color in 1999. There have been re-releases since then, but sadly no new games have come out – just a couple of projects that got canceled. Remember when they announced Earthworm Jim 4 back in 2008? We’re still waiting for that one!

5) Descent

As a huge fan, I still remember how groundbreaking Descent was! It was a first-person shooter where you flew a ship through these crazy, twisting space mines, and you could rotate in any direction – total freedom! The multiplayer deathmatches were amazing. The original series had three games come out in just a few years, from 1995 to 1999. Sadly, we haven’t seen a new official Descent game since. I even backed the Kickstarter campaign in 2015 hoping to change that, but licensing problems got in the way. The developers ended up releasing Ships That Fight Underground instead, which is a fantastic game in its own right and definitely captures the spirit of Descent, but it’s not quite the same. I’m still hoping we’ll get a proper new entry in the series for modern consoles and PCs someday.

Which ’90s TV shows would you love to see revived? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-03-24 20:14