Blood, Shogo, et al.

Blood: Monolith's very first game was this Build engine title that was released in 1997. This horror themed title, released in 1997, has some memorable weapons like dynamite, the flare gun that set enemies on fire and the Voodoo doll that could hurt enemies from a distance. Overall it was a fun entry in the first person shooter market. A sequel, Blood II: The Chosen, was released in 1998 and used the then new LithTech graphics engine. However the game was released with a ton of bugs that really hurt the game's chances of success.

Odds For Revival: Slim to None. Monolith has a number of projects on its plate, including planned sequels to their far superior first person shooter F.E.A.R., but thanks to the bad taste that Blood II left for gamers we can pretty much write off a new game in this series. It just goes to show you that even with a good concept, it can’t save a game from poor bug testing.

Shogo: Released in the same year as Blood II (1998) Monolith's other LithTech 1.0 engine title remains a cult favorite among first person shooter fans. The Japanese anime influenced title had the player take on the typical first person shooter formula (running around with weapons and killing enemies) and also had the player control powerful mechs that could actually transform to faster moving vehicles. The game was self-published by Monolith as well which may have hurt its chances for a commercial success.

Odds For Revival: Possible. With Japanese anime far more popular now in the US than it was back when Shogo was first released, we think it would benefit Monolith to look back at one of its first titles and see what can be done with a Shogo remake or sequel. With the visuals used in the R.E.A.R. engine we can just imagine what mech battles in a new Shogo game would be like.

No One Lives Forever: Yep, it's yet another Monolith franchise. Simply put, this studio knows what it takes to make a solid first person shooter and their 1960's themed spy action game series could be their all time best. Released in 2000, the first game in the series was an enjoyable and fun romp that mixed humor with inventive game design and solid gameplay. The sequel, released in 2002, was equally as fun. Unfortuately, the sales of the games never reached what they deserved and a small stand alone 2003 follow up set in the same universe, Contract J.A.C.K., did away with the humor and style in favor of a straight up shooter that didn't rise to the quality of the first two games.

Odds For Revival: Slim To None. They gave it the college try, but the No One Lives Forever series simply didn’t get enough sales to warrant a third game in the series. We still think they are among the best shooters ever made and if Monolith decided to revive this series at some point we would be first in line to buy a copy. We are still amazed that this series didn’t catch on.


Delta Force: Novalogic developed and published this series of first person action games and it quickly became a favorite for its multiplayer options and for its vast outdoor levels as you fought in the secret US Army team in a variety of hotspots throughout the world. The first game was released in 1998 and two more games were quickly put on shelves in 1999 and 2000. However, the last game in the series, Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, was a major disappointment, especially as other similar titles surpassed the series in terms of graphics and gameplay.

Odds For Revival: Unknown. We say, "Unknown" because quite frankly we don't know what the heck Novalogic is up to these days. The developer has gone silent following the release of the PS2 and Xbox versions of Delta Force: Black Hawk Down in mid 2005. They are hiring for a new project and since the Delta Force series is their most well known brand a new game in the series would seem to be the best choice for a revival but we could be wrong.