A sequel can be a blessing or a curse. When handled by people who genuinely care about the property, it can expand a beloved universe in meaningful and significant ways. A sequel can also allow a studio to improve upon the foundation established in the preceding game.

Then there are those follow-ups that are merely products of greed. I won’t mention any names, but I will say that my favorite ice cream is Ruitar Zero made by Smactivision Sblizzard.

Over the years, I have amassed a huge list of titles that I would like to see get the sequel treatment. There are simply too many games to cover in a single article, so this might turn into a regular column. Though, if you hold me to that, I will use black magic to transform you into Rosie O’Donnell’s seat cushion.

Join me after the jump as I plead for War of the Monsters 2.

Published exclusively for the PlayStation 2 in January 2003 by Sony Computer Entertainment, War of the Monsters was a fighting game developed by Incognito Entertainment, the studio behind the best game vehicular-combat game ever created, Twisted Metal: Black. The story centered on humanity’s attempt to quell an alien invasion in the 1950s, but all you need to know is that you could destroy entire cities as towering monsters. Probably sounds a lot like Rampage, but I promise that this game was actually good.

War of the Monsters featured 10 beasts, including a preying mantis, a four-armed magma monster, an ape and a Japanese robot. The goal wasn’t to level entire cities, but to defeat opposing creatures using various projectiles (cars, boats, rubble, etc.), ranged attacks and melee attacks. It was possible to unleash lengthy, impressive combos, but I usually relied on a few four-hit attacks.

The coolest thing about the game was that certain actions in certain battlegrounds triggered specific disastrous events. For instance, if you hit a floating alien craft in Tsunopolis, the invader would start a massive tidal wave that would engulf the city. Also, you could create a sizable earthquake in Baytown by razing a significant portion of the area.

All things considered, it was a pretty solid game. However, since I am begging for a follow-up, I might as well make a few suggestions.

The most disappointing aspect of War of the Monsters was the multiplayer component. It was certainly fun, but it could have been so much better. Despite the ability to take on up to three foes in versus combat, the game only featured local multiplayer for two individuals. For a sequel, there would definitely need to be online and local play for up to four human-controlled goliaths. Also, I hope the developers would go beyond battle royal and team deathmatch. I would enjoy a cooperative mode where a team of players fend off global military forces.

Speaking of co-op options, I demand a cooperative adventure to supplement the single-player campaign. The story mode from the first game was essentially a series of battles against varying numbers of foes. There were one-on-one encounters, but sometimes you had to face two or three titanic mutants. It was fun at first, but it quickly became a tedious way to unlock additional levels and costumes.

The ability to tackle massive bosses with up to three friends would significantly enhance the adventure mode. Besides, people always whine when a new console release doesn’t have some form of multiplayer. Unless that game is BioShock 2, then people cry about how multiplayer will ruin the franchise.

Keep reading for more of what I’d want to see in a WOTM sequel…

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