PC Gaming has a long, rich history, that is full of genre defining titles. 2012 - 2014 is going to see some of the heavyweights return from their slumber; we have a new MechWarrior on the horizon, two new XCOM games, not to mention another DOOM that is lurking somewhere in the shadows.
Here's five more PC franchises that we would love to see return to the spotlight.
TIE Fighter Series
While Wing Commander and the Privateer series were at the forefront of space combat titles, nothing came close to the experience Lucasarts delivers with TIE Fighter. For the first time ever, players jumped behind the cockpits of the Empire's menacing fleet, completing secret missions for the Emperor himself. It had amazing music, fantastic controls, jaw-dropping graphics (for the time) and a story that fit so well with the Star Wars universe. We'd love to see it come back, even if it was another X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter scenario.
Blood Series
We always thought Blood got a bad wrap; this unique shooter was released around the same time as Duke Nukem 3D, which hurt sales but it still managed to carve out a cult following. The strange steampunk vibe, unconventional weaponry and exciting maps still make it stand out today. Unfortunately the sequel was horrible, and we haven't heard form the series since.
Descent Series
If you were a PC gamer back in the day, then chances are you sunk hours into the thrilling universe of Descent. Piloting a ship through treacherous mine tunnels, blowing your enemies to kingdom come and feeling a little motion sickness coming on was all in a days work for armchair pilots across the globe. There was a spin-off series which spawned the critically acclaimed Freespace series, but we'd love to see a claustrophobic Descent back soon.
Dark Forces / Jedi Knight Series
Okay Lucasarts, you've had your fun with The Force Unleashed, and now it's time to give fans what they want. Even though this is our second Star Wars game in the list, you can't deny how exhilarating the original Dark Forces and then the Jedi Knight series were. It was the first Star Wars game to act as a first-person shooter, and the multiplayer in subsequent releases were simply divine. Bring back Kyle Katarn, we need to see more of that scruffy looking nerf herder.
No One Lives Forever Series
How
dare they try to innovate the first-person shooter! No One Lives Forever put just as much emphasis on fancy footwork and crafty stealth as it did on the shooting action, and had a unique 60s setting topping it all off. The characters were genuinely interesting, which is more than we can say for most FPS games since.
By Stephen Heller - Tweet @Heller_MMGN