Top 10 Ruined Video Game Franchises
There have been many great video game franchises. However, there are some that have either been going on too long or have had terrible sequels that have ruined the franchise for good.
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Crash Bandicoot
It's hard to believe this franchise fell as quickly as it did. It's not like Crash Bandicoot became a hit-or-miss series like Sonic. After its first four games, Crash never had another good game. The 20th anniversary of Crash Bandicoot would have meant something if the franchise had good games after the first four.
If game developers (apart from the franchise's creators) couldn't make a good Crash game 15 years after the first four, I guess this once-great franchise will never make a comeback. The most ruined series in history.
Come on, we need a new game. At least other franchises like Sonic and Final Fantasy are still making games (although they are hit-or-miss). Crash hasn't had a full console game since 2008. His last appearance was in a mobile kart racer in 2010.
Complain about other franchises as much as you like. At least a good game will come sooner or later. In Crash's case, despite endless rumors, he won't see another game for quite some time.
Also, this is why Activision sucks.
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Sonic the Hedgehog
To the person that stated they don't know why people think Sonic is dead because of 2 games, the people were talking about a ruined franchise that hit a bunch of bumps, probably before you were born.
Now, Mario had a few bumps in the road, but those bumps were eclipsed by several noteworthy games. Sonic's bumps on the road are more infamous than Mario's. After the Genesis, Sonic (as well as Sega) went into a dark age with the Saturn, which didn't have one good Sonic game nor any good games that weren't on the PlayStation. Sonic Labyrinth from Game Gear wouldn't have helped things either.
Sega did have decent Sonic comebacks with the Sonic Adventure games, but they (along with the below average Sonic Shuffle and good games that could also be played on PS1, PC, or N64) weren't enough to save Sega as a console maker.
After Dreamcast, Sega made the Sonic Advance games, but when they made Sonic the Hedgehog for the Game Boy Advance and the abomination in 2006, people really started to lose hope for the Blue Blur. Adding insult to injury, The Black Knight, Shadow the Hedgehog, The Secret Rings, and Boom made the Blue Blur look like a joke.
Now Sonic isn't dead, but he has been ruined. At least there's more to Sonic's history than a strong start with no good or decent follow-ups, unlike Crash Bandicoot.
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Banjo-Kazooie
I think this franchise was ruined because of Nuts and Bolts. Also, I didn't like the fact that they changed the characters' designs.
After the disastrous Nuts and Bolts, Rareware was shut down for good. So no chance of redemption as far as I can see.
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Call of Duty
Back in the day, it used to be considered an absolutely great series. Now, it's known for annoying 12-year-olds and rehashing to the max.
Today, hackers can always win in this video game franchise. Activision doesn't seem to care.
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Vectorman
This franchise fell way too quickly. Some claim that what ruined this series was Vectorman 2 being released around the same time as the PlayStation 1 and Nintendo 64. I think that's a big misconception, considering that side-scrolling games were still being made after the 3D consoles came out.
I think the main issue with this franchise was that Vectorman 2 lacked the same appeal as the first game. Vectorman 2 is one of the most disappointing games I had ever played.
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Final Fantasy
They should go back to their roots, get back to what made the games great: good gameplay, excellent story writing, and epic music. Care more about those three things than graphics.
This franchise has taken such a drop in quality that even hardcore fans are doubting Square Enix.
How many Final Fantasy games are there? I mean, it's too much of a downer.
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Pokémon
Just my opinion - Pokemon Sword and Shield is horrible and a disappointing sign for the future of Pokémon games. I'd say I had a blast with every generation before 8, but Sword and Shield were awful, like Game Freak just doesn't care anymore.
It's been going downhill for me with this franchise since X and Y, and it hit absolute rock bottom with Sword and Shield. Black 2 and White 2 were the last games where Game Freak put heart, soul, and care into the series. Now, it's all about making as much money as possible while doing as little as possible.
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Five Nights at Freddy's
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Super Mario Bros.
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Spyro the Dragon
Spyro was great until Skylanders turned him into a statue among many others. He was used as a marketing point and then discarded once Skylanders became popular enough to stand on its own.
I agree. Activision may have used him, and now he's treated like a toy (a toy that is garbage). I say Activision should give this franchise to Sony.
While Skylanders did improve the purple dragon's reputation, Enter the Dragonfly left a bad taste in the mouths of most Spyro fans.
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Guilty Gear
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Pro Evolution Soccer
Konami ended the franchise and started eFootball. We all know how that went.
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Halo
Halo 4 left a horrible taste in the mouths of even the casual Halo fans with small maps and a subpar story.
Basically, anything that came after Halo 3. The series is dying slowly for me.
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Rayman
Rayman has had good entries. It's just that Ubisoft no longer cares about him. We got absolutely nothing for his anniversary - nothing! Would it be so hard to just do The Art of Rayman?
Ubisoft literally announced a new Rabbids mobile game on the day of Rayman's anniversary. Crash Bandicoot's been treated way better than this poor little thingamajig.
Still waiting, hoping for Rayman 4...
Origins and Legends were good and fun, but not the Rayman games I wanted.
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Assassin's Creed
The sequels have been losing quality. And now with the AC: Unity fiasco, one has to wonder if the series might go down in flames.
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Paper Mario
This series was good until Sticker Star.
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Pac-Man
Pac-Man is like the Felix the Cat of video games. He wasn't the first video game, but he was the first video game star who started to get old and tried to mimic other popular characters at the time. At this point, the poor little yellow ghost-muncher is on life support.
Namco isn't even allowed to use Ms. Pac-Man anymore, so instead of trying something new, like the Pac-Man World series, Namco just keeps giving him cameos in other games and re-releasing the original arcade game. "Holy moly! I can play Pac-Man on my modern console for the 20th time!" At least Pac-Man Museum+ is coming out. Hopefully, that will do well, and Namco will realize they can do more with the Pacster.
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Metal Gear
The first game was brilliant back in 1998. However, the sequels were severely overrated. Although there were some improvements to the gameplay, the storyline in the Metal Gear saga became more and more ridiculous, resulting in an over-convoluted mess. The series overall is severely overrated.
Progressive drop in quality with every sequel after the first one.
Hideo Kojima is a supremely overrated hack.
The cutscenes are too long, and the story and dialogue just get worse and worse.
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Mega Man
This series was my favorite until Capcom ruined it. I used to have fun with everything in the games, and after Mega Man 10, I was excited for a new official game... but it never came out! Instead, it was canceled, which then led to the end of the franchise.
Oh, Capcom, how we used to love you... Please release a new game for the 30th anniversary.
This franchise used to be amazing! However, after Mega Man 10, things went downhill for the series - going from the great old Capcom to the new, less impressive Capcom. After Mega Man 10, the series just vanished! Street Fighter X Mega Man was merely a fan game promoted by Capcom. More Mega Man games were canceled. And OH MY GOD, DO NOT REMIND ME OF Street Fighter X Tekken Mega Man... Why, Capcom, why?
Then, in 2015, we finally got an announcement for a new Mega Man game, but wait... it's another collection! Nobody wants that. At least it had Amiibo compatibility. After Keiji Inafune left Capcom, he made Mighty No. 9, but... it wasn't great, although I liked it! It seems the series will never see the light of day again at this point. Let's hope Capcom does something good for the franchise's 30th anniversary, besides the new TV show.
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Mass Effect
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The Last of Us
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Castlevania
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Super Smash Bros.
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Star Wars: Battlefront
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God of War
God of War 2016 just isn't God of War... The series is ruined because of it.
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Duke Nukem
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Resident Evil