The gaming industry has always been fickle. One minute a developer and their franchise are riding high, then the next people forget they ever existed. Just ask Medal of Honor, a franchise which was just as big as Call of Duty at one point, but these days is lucky to get a VR game.
Some franchises get quite a bit of leeway, messing up again and again because the fan support ensures they keep selling, or because the developer would rather not try to make a new IP. Other franchises are immediately boxed up the second they don’t perform, leaving fans without future entries to their favorite series.
10 One Bad Game: Dino Crisis 3 Was A Massive Departure From What Fans Enjoyed
Dino Crisis was basically Resident Evil but with dinosaurs — what’s not to like? The first two games in the franchise were fairly well-received, even though they were a mess plot-wise. There’s all sorts of discussions about time travel and special agents amidst the T-Rex battles. The third game, released on Xbox in 2003, was unfortunately so poorly received that Capcom hasn’t gone near the franchise in nearly two decades.
9 Multiple Chances: Mass Effect Keeps Coming Back Despite Negative Fan Reaction To The Last Two Titles
Mass Effect: Andromeda debuted in 2017 after years of teasing and hype. By the time Andromeda was finally released, fans had been left wondering where the franchise would go after the ending of Mass Effect 3 for five years. Of course, Mass Effect 3 itself hadn’t exactly been well-received, with fans furious at the way the game’s ending turned out. Most franchises would’ve been in trouble with a second questionable game…and Andromeda was thought by most to be much worse than any other Mass Effect game before it. Where Mass Effect 3 was a good game that didn’t stick the landing, Andromeda was seen as a mediocre game all-around.
Nonetheless, the franchise continues, with the recent release of the remastered Mass Effect Legendary Edition and a new game presumably forthcoming within the next few years.
8 One Bad Game: Turok Was A Reboot With Little Of What Fans Loved About The Original Series
Turok was a fairly beloved franchise in the late 90s and early 2000s. It was a ridiculous concept, but “dinosaur hunter” resonated with the teenagers and kids of that era. The series was so popular it made everyone forget it was originally based on a comic book.
But all good things must come to an end, as with the Turok reboot that boasted worse controls, inferior combat, and a more generic approach to fit the Call of Duty-izing the developers were going for. In the end, this sunk the franchise for good.
7 Multiple Chances: Call of Duty Had Several Poorly-Received Entries At The Start Of The Last Generation
Call of Duty was on a questionable path at the start of last console generation. Call of Duty: Ghosts was horribly received for not doing anything meaningful to push the franchise forward, and the next few games became increasingly futuristic, which the fans didn’t want. By the release of Infinite Warfare in 2016, Activision got the message, and the next game went back to the much safer setting of World War II. That was after four games fans were lukewarm on, but Activision is far too invested in Call of Duty to give up on the franchise at this point. Fortunately for them, they’ve got the battle royale Warzone, which isn’t going anywhere.
6 One Bad Game: Marvel vs Capcom Infinite Lost Many Of Its Best Characters And Changed Its Playstyle
Marvel vs. Capcom was one of the most beloved franchises in gaming that didn’t involve Nintendo. The first two games aren’t just arcade classics, but great home console games too. The third game left a bit to be desired, admittedly, thanks to controversy surrounding Capcom releasing such a massive re-work only a few months later. Nonetheless, fans eventually fell in love with the third installment as well.
But Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite ran into multiple problems all at once. Switching to 2v2 gameplay combined with being unable to include classic fan favorite characters resulted in a drastically less popular title. These days, the rumor is that the next Marvel fighting game might come from a different developer entirely.
5 Multiple Chances: Mortal Kombat Had Several Weak Titles In The PS2 Era
The Mortal Kombat series has always been a bit shaky in terms of quality. The early games got by on the intensity of their gore and violence, having something few other franchises had at the time. But by the PS2 era, the games left quite a bit to be desired as they continued to introduce new characters that the fans were increasingly less invested in. It wasn’t until Mortal Kombat 9 on the PlayStation 3 that NetherRealm figured out how to engage both long-time fans as well as the competitive audience.
4 One Bad Game: Street Fighter X Tekken Put An End To The Collaboration Between Two Popular Fighting Game Series
It’s easy to think that the Street Fighter and Tekken crossover isn’t a series, but that’s not true. There were supposed to be two games in this franchise: a Street Fighter X Tekken and then a Tekken X Street Fighter. Each game was supposed to be developed by a different studio, with Street Fighter X Tekken being more of a Street Fighter game and Tekken X Street Fighter playing like Tekken.
But the first game’s strange gem system combined with DLC controversies turned fans off. The game was abandoned early on, and Bandai-Namco chose not to develop Tekken X Street Fighter, with the only sign that it was ever going to happen at all being Street Fighter‘s Akuma appearing in Tekken 7.
3 Multiple Chances: Final Fantasy Has Faced Rough Fan Reception Since Final Fantasy X
Some fans consider Final Fantasy X on the PlayStation 2 as the last good Final Fantasy game. While the follow-up XII was well-received, fans didn’t take to the new combat system which basically played itself. Afterwards, XIII came out and fans were turned off by the incredibly linear maps provided as Square tried to acclimate to HD graphics. Even Final Fantasy XV was a rushed game and fan opinion varies wildly. It wasn’t until Final Fantasy VII: Remake that a game in the franchise received near universal acclaim.
2 One Bad Game: Lunar: Dragon Song Made Gameplay A Chore
The Lunar franchise was never that long-running to begin with. It was a beautiful high-fantasy JRPG series with two entries, Lunar: Silver Star Story and Lunar: Eternal Blue. Both games received remakes for the PlayStation and the first game was even ported to multiple other consoles, but there was never a Lunar 3 in mind. It wasn’t until Lunar: Dragon Song that fans got a new title, but this next entry immediately ruined the series with tons of baffling gameplay choices, including not even being able to target enemies. Needless to say, there hasn’t been another Lunar since, outside of remasters.
1 Multiple Chances: Sonic Endures Despite Having More Bad Games Than Good Ones
Want to start an argument with Sonic fans? Ask how many good games the franchise even has. Many will argue that the classic 2D games are the only good ones, others will include Sonic Adventure, while others still will cite newer games like Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations. One thing is clear: this is a franchise with more bad games than good.
But Sega’s entire identity is tied to the little blue hedgehog, so there’s no chance they’ll abandon the series. They’re working on Sonic Rangers right now, even after Sonic Forces was shunned by fans and critics alike.
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