Creating a follow up to a video game, especially a popular game, can be very difficult. One of the biggest issues that game developers have with creating sequels is that they have to find the perfect balance of innovation, and keeping things similar enough to the original game. Often, video game sequels would take the mechanics and gameplay of the original game and simply polish them. Sometimes a new game would forego everything that is established in the initial game, and go into a completely different direction.
Usually, polishing up certain gameplay features and adding new content in a sequel is more than enough to salivate fans of the original game. Some of my favorite video game sequels, like Batman: Arkham City and Kingdom Hearts II, are more or less upgraded forms of the original games. They are also games that I would argue are better than the originals.
Every gaming franchise has their share of good and bad sequels. A lot of the time, there are sequels that have completely hurt iconic console game franchises. Some of these hurtful games nearly destroy prestigious game franchises, and others were able to successfully end a major game series. Don’t worry, though; for every game that hurts an iconic franchise, there is also another game that saves an iconic franchise. That’s why for this list I’ll be going over both: 15 Sequels That Hurt Iconic Console Games, and 15 Sequels That Saved Iconic Console Games.
30 Hurt – Batman: Arkham Knight
After creating two of greatest superhero video games ever, Rocksteady Studios seemed like they were on their way to a hat-trick with Batman: Arkham Knight.
Maybe fans’ expectations were too high, or maybe it’s impossible for any gaming company to strike lightning three times, but Arkham Knight did not end the trilogy on the highest of notes. Certainly not a bad game by any means, it failed to match the same level of grandness as the previous two. Add in an overall weaker story and too many missions involving the Batmobile… the Arkham games have been silent since Knight.
29 Save – Super Mario Party
Maybe it’s too early to say that Super Mario Party has saved the Mario Party sub-franchise. Nonetheless, the mostly positive receptions from fans and decent early sales of the game have painted a much prettier future for the series. Recent outings of Mario Party games before Super have been heavily criticized for their mediocre mini-games, and for forgoing the competitive aspect of the series. Super is a return to form for the franchise, with great mini-games. It returns the series to its friendship-ending roots, with players once again competing with one another.
28 Hurt – Mass Effect: Andromeda
With the heavy controversy surrounding the ending of Mass Effect 3, there were expectations that the developers, BioWare, would have learned their lesson. Excluding the ending of Mass Effect 3, that game was still pretty solid. The sequel, Mass Effect: Andromeda, was not a solid game. Though the game had some impressive visuals, it had a lot of bugs and creepy facial animation. The story was also very uninspired, and many fans were left cold after playing it. It is definitely not the worst game in the world; however, it does put serious doubt on the future of the franchise.
27 Save – Mortal Kombat (2011)
The original Mortal Kombat arcade trilogy is some of the most popular fighting games ever. The franchise lost its footing when it went to consoles, starting with Deadly Alliance on the PS2. The games on the PS2 and original Xbox lacked the innovation and memorable characters from the original trilogy. It was decided to reboot the series with the 2011 version of Mortal Kombat on the PS3 and Xbox 360. The reboot was a complete success, with fans praising the game for its graphics, engaging story mode, and for being the most innovated game in the series.
26 Hurt – Metroid: Other M
Personally, I find hating a game purely on the story to be a completely ridiculous thing. Sure, bad stories in video games can ruin a person’s enjoyment of said video game. However, a video game’s focus should always be about the gameplay. Metroid: Other M is one of the few exceptions towards my stance, as Other M makes it difficult to enjoy the game without experiencing the story. The gameplay is reasonably fun, but the story is extremely bad and the cutscenes are unskippable. Even if you just want to play the game for the gameplay, Other M makes it impossible.
25 Save – Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Some fans claim that Resident Evil 4 is the game that saved the Resident Evil franchise. I disagree since I remember Nemesis and the RE remake being well-received and popular games at the time. There were also successful movies during that period. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is the real savior of the franchise, as it is the game that returns the series to its horror roots. After going full action in Resident Evil 6, Biohazard decides to be a more methodically paced and atmospheric game. While it didn’t sell as well as 6, Capcom is pleased with Biohazard’s results.
24 Hurt – Halo 5: Guardians
After Bungie decided to move away from the Halo franchise after Halo: Reach, fans were rightfully concerned about the future of the popular FPS. There are many gamers who had issues with how 343 Industries developed Halo 4. However, it did really well commercially, and personally, I think it’s a great game. The sequel, Halo 5: Guardians, is what drove fans away. While the gameplay was still solid, the lack of split-screen co-op multiplayer upset many players. The upcoming installment, Halo Infinity, has a lot to prove in order to earn back their fans’ trust. Hopefully, they’ll add split-screen.
23 Save – Street Fighter II
To this day I still don’t know anyone who has played the original Street Fighter in the arcades. That’s for good reason, too; the original Street Fighter is pretty much unplayable. The controls are clunky, and the playable characters are hard to move.
It’s an awful game that deserved to have been forgotten by time, and was only saved from obscurity by its masterpiece of a sequel. Street Fighter II literally changed fighting games, and that’s no hyperbole. From its wonderfully weird cast of characters and addictive gameplay, Street Fighter II would inspire nearly every future fighting game.
22 Hurt – Star Fox Adventures
After the insanely popular Star Fox 64, Nintendo decided to follow up the game with Star Fox Adventures. Initially a totally separate game called Dinosaur Planet, the game was retooled to include Star Fox characters. Rather than be a 3D shooter set in space, Adventures was more an action-adventure similar to the Legend of Zelda games. The game isn’t bad, but it isn’t a Star Fox game. If Adventures stayed as Dinosaur Planet, it may have proven to be more popular. Proceeding Star Fox games would continue to fail to find the same success that 64 had.
21 Save – Doom (2016)
I’m not saying that the Doom series was in desperate need of a game to save the franchise before the release of Doom 2016. But the 2016 version of Doom was such a return to form for the series that it put the Doom franchise back on the map. The latest Doom on the PS4 and Xbox One is extreme, fast-paced, and plays wonderfully. After including a more elaborate lore within Doom 3, Doom ‘16 was a simple game of you just destroying demons from another dimension. What more do you want in a Doom game?
20 Hurt – DmC
DmC, the reboot of the classic Devil May Cry series, is actually a pretty fun game. It plays well and looks great. The main problem stems from the redesigns of the lead characters, particularly Dante, the main protagonist of the franchise. Not only did Dante lose his white hairdo, but his new personality in DmC did not sit well with fans. Though DmC sold decently and gained mostly positive reviews from critics, Capcom decided to have Devil May Cry 5 be a direct continuation of Devil May Cry 4 rather than DmC.
19 Save – Wolfenstein: The New Order
We really love WWII games. That is the reason why the Wolfenstein games have endured to this day; everyone loves playing the good guy. Despite that, Wolfenstein games post-2000s haven’t captured mainstream attention until The New Order was released in 2014. Akin to what Doom ’16 did for the Doom franchise, The New Order was able to put Wolfenstein back on the map. Taking place in an alternate history where the bad guys took over the US, The New Order was praised for its gameplay and its portrayal of the controlled USA.
18 Hurt – Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem Forever is a game that stars a mostly forgotten gaming icon from the 90s and has been in development purgatory for 14 years. This game clearly had no chance surviving in 2011, the year it was released. And it didn’t; the game bombed both critically and commercially. There are glimmers of a good shooting game within Duke Nukem Forever; however, it is ruined by poor graphics and an outdated story. It doesn’t really play well, and it further solidifies Duke Nukem as a relic of the 90s.
17 Save – Tomb Raider (2013)
Comparable to other games on this list, the Tomb Raider series wasn’t necessarily in dire need of help when the 2013 version of Tomb Raider came out. With that said, the Tomb Raider series was clearly losing relevance. The franchise, particularly lead character Lara Croft, was one of gaming’s most iconic ever in the late 90s. There were even two live-action movies starring Angelina Jolie. The 2000s weren’t kind to the franchise, and the reboot Tomb Raider 2013 was what the doctor ordered. Solid gameplay and a more grounded Lara Croft made the 2013 game a success.
16 Hurt – The Legend Of Zelda CD-i Games
Nintendo is notorious for being protective of their IPs, and their refusal to lend out some of their biggest franchises to other companies. The two Legend of Zelda games on the Phillips CD-i are good examples of why Nintendo should never allow others to play with their brands. The CD-i games are hard to play and the animated cutscenes are worse than a little kid’s drawing. The utter failure of the CD-i and the terrible reception of the Zelda games embarrassed Nintendo so much that they have refused to borrow out their iconic games ever again.
15 Save – Sonic Mania
The Sonic games have been going through a rough patch since the end of the 90s. While there have been some pretty good Sonic games in the 2000s, the franchise has received a reputation for its mediocrity. Sonic Mania, a game made for and developed by fans, was not only a triumphant success for the franchise, but it also proves that the series can still create amazing games. Made with old-school pixelated graphics, Sonic Mania was a loving tribute to the Sonic games of the 90s. It succeeded in gaining back the trust from fans, who have been upset for years…
14 Hurt – Sonic Forces
…Only to squander that trust with Sonic Forces. To be fair, Sonic Forces can be a fun game. The character creation is pretty cool, allowing fans from across the globe to create their OCs. That doesn’t excuse the game for being buggy and painfully short. You can really beat the game within an afternoon. Sonic Forces is a game worth playing, and it is certainly far better than some of the other entries in the franchise. However, compared to Sonic Mania, which was released the same year, Forces comes off lacking.
13 Save – Donkey Kong Country (And Donkey Kong Country Returns)
The Donkey Kong franchise actually became dormant after Donkey Kong 3 in 1983, with Donkey Kong Country reigniting the series in 1994. Country not only reignited the series but it also completely redesigns Donkey Kong as a hero rather than a villain. The Donkey Kong Country trilogy would become one of the most infamous gaming trilogies in history, influencing Donkey Kong for future generations.
Donkey Kong Country Returns in 2010 would also bring back the dormant franchise, reintroducing elements that have disappeared since Country 3. While Returns and its sequel, Tropical Freeze, haven’t sold well, they are both critically acclaimed games.
12 Hurt – Final Fantasy XIV
Already one of the biggest video game franchises in the world, the Final Fantasy series was hoping to find even more success within the MMORPG gaming circle. While the franchise’s initial MMORPG, Final Fantasy XI, had okay success, the series clearly wanted to make Final Fantasy XIV a much bigger deal. Advertised as the next big MMORPG that could rival World of Warcraft, XIV was not even remotely close to the same quality as WoW. Final Fantasy XIV didn’t even work when it was first released, embarrassing the developers and staining the once prestigious reputation of the iconic franchise.
11 Save – Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
Fortunately for the Final Fantasy franchise, the developers decided to not quit on XIV quite yet. Instead of cutting their losses, the developers decided to remake the game from scratch and re-release it as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. A situation where a developer had to literally turn lemons into lemonade, the gambit paid off, and A Realm Reborn is a critical and commercial success. Realm Reborn currently houses around fourteen million players in the world, making it one of the most successful MMORPGs.
