Games that killed Franchises?

[crazyjackcsa]

I was sitting here thinking about the rare sequels that managed to kill franchises. I don't mean franchises that kind of tapered off in quality, or games that killed a franchise for you. I mean games that you can point to and say "Yep, that was the end of that,"

For instance: After years of begging from gamers NiGHTS on the Saturn finally got a sequel. A sequel so terrible, I no longer hear any talk of NiGHTS at all. At this point, for all intents, the franchise is dead.

The Saturn actually had a few. Clockwork Knight 2 and Bug 2 strike me as games that killed the franchises, but they were middling in the first place and unworthy of a sequel.

Perhaps Bloody Roar 4? Dino Crisis 3? Alone in the Dark?
Can you think of any others?

[Tempest]

Toe Jam & Earl 2. I know they made a third game that was closer to the original, but the second one just killed the series for me. Of course the third game actually did kill the franchise which is sad because it had potential.

[TonyTheTiger]

Earthworm Jim 3D was so poorly received it completely obliterated an otherwise very popular 16-bit series that had even spawned it's own cartoon. It's only recently people are talking about it again thanks to the HD remake.

[Swamperon]

By the looks of things NiGHTS isn't entirely dead. Sega has said a NiGHTS 3 is a possibility and it strongly looks like the original is going to be ported to HD consoles. Perhaps if it sells remarkably well N3 will get greenlighted.

Sonic the Hedghehog (2006) tried it's hardest to kill of the blue hedgehog...

Banjo: Nuts & Bolts may have very well killed off B&K.

[BlastProcessing402]

PSO pretty much put the nail in the coffin of the original Phantasy Star series. Not because it's a bad game or whatever (maybe it is, I don't know, never played it, don't care about online) but just because it showed they no longer had any interest in the turn based single player franchise.

[j_factor]

Shining Force Neo killed the "real" Shining Force series.

And let's not forget Ultima IX.

[Zama]

If I remember correctly, didn't the Guitar Hero series get the off-switch not too long ago along with Tony Hawk? :deadhorse:

[calthaer]

And let's not forget Ultima IX.

Ultima IX may have been the death itself (because it was the literal "end"), but the death knell was Ultima VIII, which was rushed, had none of the best features of its predecessors, was boring, and IMO "killed" the series.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Earthworm Jim 3D was so poorly received it completely obliterated an otherwise very popular 16-bit series that had even spawned it's own cartoon. It's only recently people are talking about it again thanks to the HD remake.

Speaking of poor 3D games, what about Bubsy 3D? I've been playing both and well, they really are as bad as people say.

[Ryudo]

By the looks of things NiGHTS isn't entirely dead. Sega has said a NiGHTS 3 is a possibility and it strongly looks like the original is going to be ported to HD consoles. Perhaps if it sells remarkably well N3 will get greenlighted.

Sonic the Hedghehog (2006) tried it's hardest to kill of the blue hedgehog...

Banjo: Nuts & Bolts may have very well killed off B&K.

Nah Sonic Colors was great and Sonic Gen looks great as well. Sonic 2006 really begane with Sonic Heroes. Gimmick after gimmick.
Series is finally back on track

[XYXZYZ]

There are also franchises that are dead to some people and not others, like Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy VII was the beginning of the end for the "Final Fantasy ended at VI" crowd. Obviously not for most people, though.

[G-Boobie]

NOTHING can kill Sonic, which is a bummer. He'll be sucking it up until everything is a free to play Facebook game. Annually.

I guess it all depends on what you consider a dead franchise, because there's no longer any such thing. Game franchises don't die; they hibernate until nostalgia makes them ripe for exploitation again. We haven't seen a Myth game in a while, or a Q-Bert, but its only a matter of time. I mean, we've seen a new Sparkster for Christs sakes, and there's some kind of free to play Zork revival out there. Anything is possible.

[GameNinja]

PSO pretty much put the nail in the coffin of the original Phantasy Star series. Not because it's a bad game or whatever (maybe it is, I don't know, never played it, don't care about online) but just because it showed they no longer had any interest in the turn based single player franchise.

I had a long thoughtful response written out and then the forum ate it :(


Basically while PSO was indeed a departure from the original series it was by no means unsuccessful (critically or financially) and still has a fanbase today. Its success simply encouraged SEGA to keep it in the direction that it was moving rather than where it came. I don't think that it quite fits the theme of the thread although it may feel like it killed the franchise to you personally. In fact since I started the series with PSO it seems like that game marked the birth of the series.

Also, I am a fairly big fan of PSO and I never even played it online. I only played it offline with a buddy, developing my character and hunting for rare items. It is outdated by today's standards but if you have a buddy I would suggest giving the game a try, the true sequel is coming out fairly soon :)

[TonyTheTiger]

I think there's a difference between a series that just simply ran its course and no longer has new entries and a series that came to an abrupt halt because of a very bad or poorly received entry.

For instance, we aren't getting a Shenmue III any time soon but I'm not sure it's fair to say Shenmue II "killed" the series. Same with Killer Instinct.

[Ryudo]

NOTHING can kill Sonic, which is a bummer. He'll be sucking it up until everything is a free to play Facebook game. Annually.

I guess it all depends on what you consider a dead franchise, because there's no longer any such thing. Game franchises don't die; they hibernate until nostalgia makes them ripe for exploitation again. We haven't seen a Myth game in a while, or a Q-Bert, but its only a matter of time. I mean, we've seen a new Sparkster for Christs sakes, and there's some kind of free to play Zork revival out there. Anything is possible.

I really don't get the hate for Sonic. Have you played Sonic Colors? It's fantastic. They are done with gimmicks. Not to mention they got some solid voice acting. It's Story light gameplay heavy with some real good level design. Instead of pushing forward it does something genesis games used to. Platforming. I was really down on sonic since Heroes til I played colors. Many seem to overlook it on wii

[ubersaurus]

Yeha, I mean, Toejam & Earl 2 wasn't bad, nor was 3. Quite frankly with how many Sega franchises skipped the Saturn it's not a shock.

Nights 2 was fine outside of the levels with the kids, and there comparatively weren't that many.


The recent Shining Force games, though? Sega should not be proud of those abominations.

[crazyjackcsa]

I think there's a difference between a series that just simply ran its course and no longer has new entries and a series that came to an abrupt halt because of a very bad or poorly received entry.

For instance, we aren't getting a Shenmue III any time soon but I'm not sure it's fair to say Shenmue II "killed" the series. Same with Killer Instinct.

That's what I'm talking about, the first example. Series will run their course, some stick along longer than they should.

I'm interested in the ones that imploded upon themselves. I think EWJ 3D is a great example. A winning franchise toppled in one swoop.

I'm not sure about the Tony Hawk Franchise, or the Guitar Hero, that seems to be a developer hitting the well one too many times. (or in the case of Tony Hawk, desperately tacking on something new).

[TonyTheTiger]

I'm not sure about the Tony Hawk Franchise, or the Guitar Hero, that seems to be a developer hitting the well one too many times. (or in the case of Tony Hawk, desperately tacking on something new).

Yeah, I would consider Tony Hawk more along the lines of Army Men. A series that just simply ran dry for people over the course of many games.

There are actually very few examples I can think of in which a bad entry flat out ruined the franchise. Usually when you see franchises falter they have enough juice in them to still move forward.

[ishashobar]

I would say Crash Bandicoot died for home consoles (but not handhelds) after the party game. Spyro killed itself after the 3rd game as well.

[G-Boobie]

I really don't get the hate for Sonic. Have you played Sonic Colors? It's fantastic. They are done with gimmicks. Not to mention they got some solid voice acting. It's Story light gameplay heavy with some real good level design. Instead of pushing forward it does something genesis games used to. Platforming. I was really down on sonic since Heroes til I played colors. Many seem to overlook it on wii

Nope. Because I spent some time with Unleashed and Shadow, effectively killing the franchise for me. Colors might be great; the decade of garbage that preceded it means I'll never know. And this is why the question of dead franchises gets weird, because I'll never touch a Sonic or Soul Calibur again, my brother thinks Final Fantasy died at XIII, my friend thinks that Street Fighter died after Third Strike, and my girlfriend refuses to acknowledge a Silent Hill game after three.

With X-Com and Syndicate being rebooted, and Tomb Raider, Sonic and Ridge Racer marching on, we also know that no franchise really dies anymore. It just might take twenty years for a new game to be revealed. Or to show up on Facebook or as a downloadable game.

[Emperor Megas]

Silent Hill 4: The Room. The franchise never recovered, and probably never will again. Having Western developers design the next installment didn't help matters any, either.

And I couldn't agree more about Phantasy Star Online. The success of PSO meant SEGA would never invest resources creating another single player Phantasy Star RPG.

[crazyjackcsa]

Silent Hill 4: The Room. The franchise never recovered, and probably never will again. Having Western developers design the next installment didn't help matters any, either.

And I couldn't agree more about Phantasy Star Online. The success of PSO meant SEGA would never invest resources creating another single player Phantasy Star RPG.

Right, but they're still around and games still get made. It just killed it for you, not for others.

[Robocop2]

I think that Splatterhouse 2010 killed all hope for a conclusion to its story. People clamored for years for a new SH and while I was personally very pleased overall; the general reception was so abysmal that I have doubt about ever seeing another one. Namco abondoning the game shortly before its release didn't help any either though.

Another series I think that is dead is Golden Axe. Not that it had much life left in it but Beast Rider sealed its fate. As an aside; its interesting that a significant portion of this thread is in relation to games that have Sega somewhere in the details no?

[Emperor Megas]

Right, but they're still around and games still get made. It just killed it for you, not for others.Seriously? They actually sold some of those shit shingles?

[kedawa]

Actraiser 2 was a series killer. It's not a bad game, but it's hard as hell and omits the hybrid gameplay that made the original game so charming and unique.

Another series I think that is dead is Golden Axe. Not that it had much life left in it but Beast Rider sealed its fate. As an aside; its interesting that a significant portion of this thread is in relation to games that have Sega somewhere in the details no?
Everything that came after the original has been a disappointment.
Space Harrier, Alien Syndrome, and Altered Beast got shafted as well.
It's gotten to the point that I'd rather see fanmade remakes and sequels to Sega's games than anything official.

[Baloo]

Let's face it, SEGA doesn't know how to handle their IPs from their Golden Age for shit. Sonic is whored out, and everything else has gotten one or two sequels MAX on a recent console, if it's not being outright ignored. See:

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams
Sega Rally
Virtua Fighter
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Jet Set Radio Future
Outrun 2
Phantasy Star Online
Golden Axe: Beast Rider
Altered Beast (PS2)

And lets not forget Ecco, any Sega Sports franchise, Streets of Rage, Vectorman, Eternal Champions, Comix Zone, Sega is sitting on tons upon tons of useable IPs that won't go anywhere because they're simply forgotten about. I suppose it's for the better, that means we don't have to see the Sonic treatment and get 4000 shitty sequels.

As for everything else, usually the companies have gone bust or the games have just sucked, a la TJ&E3 or Banjo and Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts.

[kedawa]

I actually liked Outrun 2 and PDO.

[Emperor Megas]

I haven't played any of the others listed, but OutRun2 is fantastic, and Panzer Dragoon Orta and Jet Set Radio Future were both great.

[kedawa]

Reading through it again, I don't think he meant those were all bad games, just series that got lacklustre sequels or were neglected entirely.

[jonebone]

Actraiser 2 was a series killer. It's not a bad game, but it's hard as hell and omits the hybrid gameplay that made the original game so charming and unique.


Good one, I agree completely.

I'd nominate Twisted metal III, which is right when 989 Studios took over. I've actually seen new publishers kill many series, as it happened to one of my favorites...

When EA took over Westwood Studios and Command and Conquer. It was never the same afterwards. I actually enjoyed a bit of C&C Generals made by EA, but I'd say the series lost me at Red Alert 3 or C&C 4, whichever one was first. Both were garbage and I'll never buy another.

[calthaer]

When EA took over Westwood Studios and Command and Conquer. It was never the same afterwards. I actually enjoyed a bit of C&C Generals made by EA, but I'd say the series lost me at Red Alert 3 or C&C 4, whichever one was first. Both were garbage and I'll never buy another.

It's the same thing with when EA took over Origin, and Ultima & Wing Commander sucked it up ever after. Looks like this is exactly what happened with Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (http://www.petroglyphgames.com/forums/index.php?/topic/2554-original-intentions-with-tiberian-sun/page__p__40427#entry40427).

I do have to begrudgingly admit, however, that C&C: Renegade was an apt swan song for Westwood Studios and the series as a whole. The campaign mode was very competent - what made it extremely fun IMO was the ability to see the world of the original C&C from the first person perspective (there's one moment where the 2D map transforms into the 3D FPS which was awesome...Youtube is crapping out on me or I'd find it and link to it; think it was the first or second mission). Then, towards the end of the campaign, you drive a mammoth tank and start tearing things up in the final assault on Kain's temple - it's a pretty memorable gaming experience. The multiplayer online mode got bogged down by too many cheats that EA never bothered fixing, but early on it was an amazing team-based competitive FPS - maybe the best I've ever played, to be honest, with a great balance between 3rd-person vehicular combat and FPS.

All that was done while EA owned Westwood, so I can't say their track record is 100% bad. Just mostly bad.

[xelement5x]

It's hilarious that there's all this talk about rebooting older franchises from Sega, and they just announced this sweepstakes: http://blogs.sega.com/2011/10/03/sega-sweepstakes-name-that-game/

Name the game the song is from and you get the chance to win it. I won't spoil it for those of you who want to test your mettle :p

[FrankSerpico]

Strider Returns. I know they came out with Strider 2 years later, and it's a game I like, but Capcom had the chance to develop the franchise into something huge back in the early '90s. It was one of the most successful arcade games of all time, and then they decided to farm out the property to some European developer that made an awful sequel. IIRC they didn't even publish the game in the US

[Crocket]

Strider Returns. I know they came out with Strider 2 years later, and it's a game I like, but Capcom had the chance to develop the franchise into something huge back in the early '90s. It was one of the most successful arcade games of all time, and then they decided to farm out the property to some European developer that made an awful sequel. IIRC they didn't even publish the game in the US

Actually it did get released in the States. It was developed by Tiertex who also made their own Street Fighter knockoff called Human Killing Machine. They must have a knack for butchering Capcom franchises.

I guess I'd throw Clay Fighter 63 and a 1/3rd in there, but it's not like the Clay Fighter series was critically acclaimed to begin with.

[Gameguy]

It's hilarious that there's all this talk about rebooting older franchises from Sega, and they just announced this sweepstakes: http://blogs.sega.com/2011/10/03/sega-sweepstakes-name-that-game/

Name the game the song is from and you get the chance to win it. I won't spoil it for those of you who want to test your mettle :p
Worst contest I've seen in awhile, the grand prize is a digital download. Not worth having your last name plastered all over their blog.


(5) First Prizes – Ten (10) winners will be randomly selected and each will receive a FREE digital download of the game (in the PlayStation® 3 format) associated with the song correctly named in the contest, Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) $10. The prize will be fulfilled as a code, which the winner will use to unlock the game on his/her console using an Internet connection. There are a total of ten (10) prizes with a total ARV of all prizes of $100. The odds of winning depend upon the total number of eligible entries received.

[Cryomancer]

Dear thread: Toejam & Earl III is awesome, and stands as one of the best examples ever of how to take an old franchise into 3D. It combines elements of both previous games while also being it's own thing, and is very much a strong entry in the series for me. I'd rate it above 2. I really hope we get that 4 player co-op title some year.

also hilarious thing: spellchecker wants to change "Toejam" into tomatoes, how fitting.

[Robocop2]

I really need to go back to TJ&E 3 and finish it. I just wish it was on the BC list for the 360 :(

[aryoshi]

There are also franchises that are dead to some people and not others, like Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy VII was the beginning of the end for the "Final Fantasy ended at VI" crowd. Obviously not for most people, though.

I agree, it does depend on the person in some cases. I'm actually one of those people that hated Final Fantasy VII and every entry after it, but adored VI and all before it. I think when Sonic went 3D is when it started to die out for me, SA 1 and 2 were pretty good but after that, it just went way downhill from there. And Zelda, I really stopped caring about it when Windwaker came out.

I also do agree about what one user said about EA taking over Westwood and practically destroying Command & Conquer, they totally butchered it. I grew up playing that game and loved it to death back when Westwood was making them, but wow EA killed it.

Reading through I actually didn't notice anyone mention anything about Castlevania, not that I saw anyway, I could be mistaken. But after Symphony of the Night came out, it really started to die off, there were a couple of good ones here and there but basically they just turned the series into Devil May Cry/God of War clones. Sad, they really had something going for awhile. Though, Castlevania's always been looked at by me as a classic, I always recognize it for the first 4 and those'll always be the ones that defined the series to me.

[Tempest]

Dear thread: Toejam & Earl III is awesome, and stands as one of the best examples ever of how to take an old franchise into 3D. It combines elements of both previous games while also being it's own thing, and is very much a strong entry in the series for me. I'd rate it above 2. I really hope we get that 4 player co-op title some year.

also hilarious thing: spellchecker wants to change "Toejam" into tomatoes, how fitting.
It might be awesome, but it killed the franchise. I think part of the problem was choosing the Xbox as the platform. Had it been released on the PS2 it probably would have done much better.

I heard it was originally going to be a DC game, that would have been a nice send off.

[NE146]

Count me as one of the "Final Fantasy VII was the end of the FF series" crowd. But honestly I didn't think FFVI was all that great as well. Of course I played and finished it completely, but was ultimately left feeling a little dissatisfied (unlike after playing FF1/ US FF2)

[pseudonym]

How about Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter? Capcom doesn't seem intent on making another one after 10 years.

[Ze_ro]

Banjo and Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts.

Seriously, am I the only one who liked this game? I thought it was great! Okay, so the whole "building" aspect didn't really tie into the previous games, but I still thought it was a lot of fun.

I would argue that Crash Team Racing, while not a bad game, pretty much ended the Crash Bandicoot series. Somehow, the industry still hasn't gotten the message yet, since they keep making them anyways.

Time will tell, but I bet these games will have killed their series, or at least set them back a decade:
Dead to Rights: Retribution
Bionic Commando (2009)
Lost Planet 2
Red Faction: Armageddon

--Zero

[Scissors]

How about Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter? Capcom doesn't seem intent on making another one after 10 years.

If I'm not mistaken, Dragon Quarter sold pretty well in Japan, so I don't think it's to blame. According to this interview (http://www.1up.com/news/keiji-inafune-talks-mega-man) with Keiji Inafune, Capcom isn't very interested in making any RPGs.



There are currently no plans on making a new Breath of Fire game. Apart from that, regarding RPG titles, they are very popular in Japan, but only certain RPG titles sell so Capcom doesn't really need to even consider making these titles as an option. There's a low possibility that we'll be making one in the near future. But, I realize that there are fans of the series, and we have staff who are interested so it's not out of the question. We actually have a lot of titles in a similar situation, where there's an interest by users and our staff, but where we just don't have the resources. Square Enix and Namco Bandai have 1,200 development staff but we only have 600. There's a lot more that we want to do, titles that would probably sell well if we made them, but we just don't have enough staff.

[BlastProcessing402]

I had a long thoughtful response written out and then the forum ate it :(


Basically while PSO was indeed a departure from the original series it was by no means unsuccessful (critically or financially) and still has a fanbase today. Its success simply encouraged SEGA to keep it in the direction that it was moving rather than where it came. I don't think that it quite fits the theme of the thread although it may feel like it killed the franchise to you personally. In fact since I started the series with PSO it seems like that game marked the birth of the series.

Also, I am a fairly big fan of PSO and I never even played it online. I only played it offline with a buddy, developing my character and hunting for rare items. It is outdated by today's standards but if you have a buddy I would suggest giving the game a try, the true sequel is coming out fairly soon :)


I'm not saying it's unsuccessful or terrible or anything, merely that it killed the original series. Chance of ever seeing a Phantasy Star 5 after PSO came out went from slim to less than none.

[Gameguy]

I'm not saying it's unsuccessful or terrible or anything, merely that it killed the original series. Chance of ever seeing a Phantasy Star 5 after PSO came out went from slim to less than none.
When they made Phantasy Star IV they intended it to be the end of the series, they weren't planning on making any more of them.

[j_factor]

Phantasy Star IV concludes the story, but there is definitely room for a prequel or side-story.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

The Saturn actually had a few. Clockwork Knight 2 and Bug 2 strike me as games that killed the franchises, but they were middling in the first place and unworthy of a sequel.


I think most people feel Clockwork Knight 2 to be more polished than the first. The first one was rushed out to meet the launch, and was actually released unfinished. If anything, that's the one that killed the franchise.

[Rickstilwell1]

Alundra dropped off after #2 because nobodly liked the fact it had nothing to do with Alundra himself. It was even made by a different developer it seems.

[The 1 2 P]

The release of Star Wars: The Old Republic will most likely be the final nail in the coffin for the original Knights of The Old Republic series. Both games were very well received(especially the first one) and sold pretty well but we never got a third one and with the new MMO focus for the series we probably will never get another single player version.

To slightly spin the topic alittle bit, I'm going to say that Microsoft is responsible for killing some series as well. They own Rare and are not taking advantage of all their properties. They have owned them for close to a decade(atleast) and we still haven't gotten a new Battletoads or Killer Instinct. And for this I wouldn't blame any particular game of either series, I would blame it on Microsoft's seemingly unwillingness to re-release the older titles or release any newer versions.

[Buyatari]

A lot of these picks are sequals to what should have been one hit wonders or games that just ran their course. If the entire genre dies it is hard to say a single game killed a series.

For my pick I'd say Halo III.

Halo II was THE online shooter everyone had to have and its been a COD world ever since.

GTA IV would also be another huge disapointment but unlike the situation with COD no other has really come to take its place as #1.

[Buyatari]

If I remember correctly, didn't the Guitar Hero series get the off-switch not too long ago along with Tony Hawk? :deadhorse:

For Guitar Hero it had to have been GHIII and the whole battles aspect.

[Sunnyvale]

Ikari Warriors 2. Dead as dead can be after that pile.

[dendawg]

I think most people feel Clockwork Knight 2 to be more polished than the first. The first one was rushed out to meet the launch, and was actually released unfinished. If anything, that's the one that killed the franchise.

I don't know about either of you, but I don't consider 2 entire games to be a "franchise." If anything, CK2 was the conclusion to the first game, which, if you'll recall, ended in a cliffhanger.

Not a franchise, IMHO.

[Haoie]

Alundra 2

And no doubt many, many more.

[HappehLemons]

Final Fantasy XIII

[Emperor Megas]

Ikari Warriors 2. Dead as dead can be after that pile.Victory Road was amazing. It was Ikari III that put the nails in the coffin.

[jonebone]

A lot of these picks are sequals to what should have been one hit wonders or games that just ran their course. If the entire genre dies it is hard to say a single game killed a series.

For my pick I'd say Halo III.

Halo II was THE online shooter everyone had to have and its been a COD world ever since.

GTA IV would also be another huge disapointment but unlike the situation with COD no other has really come to take its place as #1.

Hmm interesting nomination on Halo. I think the series is as robust as ever, and that they simply had more market share when 1 + 2 were out. I enjoyed 3 just as much as 2, though I was a working professional and not a college student anymore.

And I just have to flat out disagree with GTA IV. That is the first GTA game I ever owned as it finally felt worth the $60 price tag IMO. GTA III was a lot of fun, but the missions got to be redundant and you resort to killing random people just to pass the time (at least I did). GTA IV was varied enough that I got a solid 30-40 hours out of it and felt it was worth every penny.

And it also lead to Red Dead Redemption, which is one of the best current gen games I've ever played by the way. But spinoff games are probably another thread...

[RPG_Fanatic]

Breath Of Fire V killed that franchise. haven't seen another one since.

[TonyTheTiger]

It's arguable but Lunar: Dragon Song seriously crushed everybody who up to that point had been looking forward to a Lunar 3. Since then the series hasn't made a peep outside of the recent remake on PSP, released to little fanfare.

[Edmond Dantes]

I want to ask: having not played the newer Shining games, what exactly are people's issues with them?

Now, here are my contributions:

World of Warcraft. Hey, remember when Warcraft used to be an awesome series of Real-Time Strategy games? Orcs said zugzug, and if you clicked on sheep enough times they'd explode? Yeah, good times. Admittedly, it may be wrong to blame WoW because all it did was allow Blizzard to make use of their IP after Starcraft became everyone's favorite RTS (personally, I still think Warcraft II is the best they've ever made).

I never played it, but I heard Prince of Persia 3D left a big enough stain on the franchise that they had to wait nearly a decade before trying again. And then Sands of Time is basically its own franchise.

Oddly, Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures and The Bard's Tale Construction Set were meant to do this--both were made because SSI and Interplay were tired of making games themselves. I'm half-suspecting this is also the reason Sword of Moonlight (similar concept, except for King's Field) exists.

Speaking of, I'm not sure if King's Field IV: The Ancient City counts. It's an awesome game, but afterwards From basically said the series was too expensive to keep making (which I find to be BS but, whatever).

And I'll end with a completely personal one: Metroid Prime does not exist and the series ended on the Super Nintendo. I don't think Nintendo will ever make a true Metroid IV.

[calthaer]

I still think Warcraft II is the best they've ever made).

What about Warcraft III? I thought that game was a lot of fun, and definitely better than WC2. I went back and tried to play WC2, but without some of the innovations in RTS in the last 10-15 years (whenever it was I tried to play it again), I found it almost unplayable. For example: you couldn't assign units to a "squad" (1-0) and then send them places...you had to select all units every time you wanted to give an order.


And I'll end with a completely personal one: Metroid Prime does not exist and the series ended on the Super Nintendo. I don't think Nintendo will ever make a true Metroid IV.

What about Metroid Fusion? Zero Mission was kind of a remake of the original, but it did expand upon it. Either one of those was a pretty solid entry in the series, IMO.

[TRM]

And I'll end with a completely personal one: Metroid Prime does not exist and the series ended on the Super Nintendo. I don't think Nintendo will ever make a true Metroid IV.

I feel this way as well.

As someone else mentioned a few posts earlier, I also felt as though Castlevania SOTN killed that series. I enjoyed that game, but have always felt that the countless sequels of this style really destroyed the true feel of the Castlevania series, i.e. 1 - IV. The switch from 2D to 3D did not bother me, and I enjoyed the two Castlevania games on the N64. I felt that the second one was what the first game should have been, if it had not been rushed to meet deadlines, but I enjoyed part one as well. This is akin to me liking both Super Mario Bros. 1, 3 and World, and also enjoying Super Mario 64 and the Galaxy games. But a series of 2D Castlevania games that play in the style of (the real) Metroid and not in the style of Castlevania? SOTN was fun, but one of those was enough, please give me a true Castlevania game again!

[TonyTheTiger]

It may be too soon to tell but Cruis'n for Wii could have killed the franchise and might have even helped kill Midway itself.

[exit]

The 2008 Alone in the Dark reboot pretty much buried a franchise that was on life support for quite some time. It didn't help that they released a "fixed" version for the PS3 that only put a band aid on game that was hemorrhaging with issues, which is tragic since the game really did have some good ideas.

[Richter Belmount]

Speaking of poor 3D games, what about Bubsy 3D? I've been playing both and well, they really are as bad as people say.
Your a idiot that game is a masterpiece!

[Kiddo]

I'm kind of bummed out that this has become more an opinion-fest about "when I think X game franchise jumped the shark" rather than proper analysis of "X franchise that hasn't had a sequel in years because a poor market performance led to publishers avoiding making sequels".

Let me think of games that haven't had a sequel (not counting any simple ports or rehashes) in over a decade, even if logically one could be well-done, probably because a particular game entry performed poorly in the market;

1) A few game franchises appeared to be buried along with the Satellaview - in particular the last Famicom Tantei Club game is still "BS Tantei Club", and "Kaizou Choujin Shubibinman Zero" is the last Shockman game. It appears to occur quite often that a franchise released on a platform that isn't a success tends to not be renewed even if it could easily find success outside said platform. There's probably a good amount of other "Franchises that went down with the console" as well, as I can recall a few sequel-laden franchises on the PC-FX, Dreamcast, and Wonderswan that abruptly stopped when those systems expired.

2) In fact, let me get to the DC now; off the top of my head, the Dreamcast has the Power Stone games, the Shenmue saga, and Space Channel 5.

3) There hasn't been a new "Cyber Troopers Virtual On" proper game since "MARZ", probably because "Oratorio Tangram" is still the pinnacle of the franchise, and since then the newer entries attempted taking it in different directions with mixed results.

4) In a bizarre case of a media tie-in killing a franchise, the F-Zero: GP Legend anime not performing in Japan and not even being dubbed past 12 episodes in America appears to have killed the F-Zero franchise as opposed to any particular game entry. I find this rather sad myself, since the games were great and, while I still don't know an extreme amount about the anime, no one really gave it a chance.

[TonyTheTiger]

I find this rather sad myself, since the games were great and, while I still don't know an extreme amount about the anime, no one really gave it a chance.

Which is funny since one scene of Captain Falcon performing the Falcon Punch became something of a YouTube sensation. I think it goes to show that the series simply started too damn slowly. By the time stuff started happening the ship had sailed.

[Aussie2B]

I can recall a few sequel-laden franchises on the PC-FX, Dreamcast, and Wonderswan that abruptly stopped when those systems expired.

Hmmm, I can't think of anything like that on the PC-FX, unless you're counting the Anime Freak series which weren't games anyway. Most of the PC-FX library is one-offs and sequels in series that started on other systems (and either continued on past said entry or the game was on multiple systems so the death couldn't really be attributed to the PC-FX). Maybe you're thinking of the PC Engine?

Although the cancellation of Tengai Makyou III for PC-FX definitely didn't do the series any favors, and it probably hurt the PC-FX even more. Who knows, maybe the system could've been somewhat of a success had it got that crucial game. The FMV fighter definitely wasn't what Japanese players really wanted. The series did move successfully forward, though, what with the Saturn game and the PS2 Tengai Makyou III. The series does seem dead and buried at this point, though, since the GBA and PS2 games just didn't seem to have the impact of the PC Engine classics.

[Edmond Dantes]

What about Warcraft III? I thought that game was a lot of fun, and definitely better than WC2. I went back and tried to play WC2, but without some of the innovations in RTS in the last 10-15 years (whenever it was I tried to play it again), I found it almost unplayable. For example: you couldn't assign units to a "squad" (1-0) and then send them places...you had to select all units every time you wanted to give an order.

Actually you *can* group them into squads. IIRC you have to highlight the units then press Ctrl + number, then pressing that number always picks that squad.

Also, you can mass-select by holding down the button and dragging the mouse anyway.

I've never played Warcraft III but when I heard about some of the plot directions it sounded... iffy.


What about Metroid Fusion? Zero Mission was kind of a remake of the original, but it did expand upon it. Either one of those was a pretty solid entry in the series, IMO.

Never played either one. I kinda wanted to, but after Prime I started having my doubts... especially since near everyone else liked Prime and I was like, "if they like Prime, and they like Fusion, and I hated Prime..."

If I ever find it cheap and boxed though, I might consider.


I feel this way as well.

As someone else mentioned a few posts earlier, I also felt as though Castlevania SOTN killed that series. I enjoyed that game, but have always felt that the countless sequels of this style really destroyed the true feel of the Castlevania series, i.e. 1 - IV. The switch from 2D to 3D did not bother me, and I enjoyed the two Castlevania games on the N64. I felt that the second one was what the first game should have been, if it had not been rushed to meet deadlines, but I enjoyed part one as well. This is akin to me liking both Super Mario Bros. 1, 3 and World, and also enjoying Super Mario 64 and the Galaxy games. But a series of 2D Castlevania games that play in the style of (the real) Metroid and not in the style of Castlevania? SOTN was fun, but one of those was enough, please give me a true Castlevania game again!

I agree, but for a different reason: I honestly felt like Circle of the Moon etc. just weren't as good as SOTN. SOTN was good because it was well designed and interesting, but the GBA trilogy felt rather half-hearted IMO.

I never got to play the third one (Aria of Sorrow, I think?) though.

[kedawa]

Fusion isn't that great.
Zero Mission is reason enough to never play the original again.

[Crocket]

I suppose you can throw in Final Fight StreetWise too. I don't think that game's even in the Street Fighter/Final Fight canon anymore(If it ever was).

[Robocop2]

Zero Mission is reason enough to never play the original again.

I couldn't agree more

[Vlcice]

I suppose you can throw in Final Fight StreetWise too. I don't think that game's even in the Street Fighter/Final Fight canon anymore(If it ever was).

Streetwise and Revenge were the one-two punch that killed the series. Revenge may not have come out over here, but it made sure no one in Japan would ever care about Final Fight again...

[Baloo]

Reading through it again, I don't think he meant those were all bad games, just series that got lacklustre sequels or were neglected entirely.

Yeah, that's what I meant. Not in the sense that those games are bad, just totally ignored. Franchise. You can throw in Shenmue 2, Virtua Fighter, etc. in there as well. Though I suppose it's better that Outrun 2 and Panzer Dragoon Orta and Sega Rally GT and some of those other games WERE good so that the series didn't get tarnished at least.


I feel this way as well.

As someone else mentioned a few posts earlier, I also felt as though Castlevania SOTN killed that series. I enjoyed that game, but have always felt that the countless sequels of this style really destroyed the true feel of the Castlevania series, i.e. 1 - IV. The switch from 2D to 3D did not bother me, and I enjoyed the two Castlevania games on the N64. I felt that the second one was what the first game should have been, if it had not been rushed to meet deadlines, but I enjoyed part one as well. This is akin to me liking both Super Mario Bros. 1, 3 and World, and also enjoying Super Mario 64 and the Galaxy games. But a series of 2D Castlevania games that play in the style of (the real) Metroid and not in the style of Castlevania? SOTN was fun, but one of those was enough, please give me a true Castlevania game again!

I agree, I miss the old style Castlevania. Never cared for the Metroid-vania stuff, too RPG-like for my tastes, and I hate wandering around aimlessly in games.


It may be too soon to tell but Cruis'n for Wii could have killed the franchise and might have even helped kill Midway itself.

Midway went bankrupt a ways back, got bought out by WB.

[ishashobar]

A few game franchises appeared to be buried along with the Satellaview - in particular the last Famicom Tantei Club game is still "BS Tantei Club", .....

But... the SuFami version of Famicom Tantei Club 2 came out over a year after the Satellaview game, just like the Heisei Shin Onigashima carts.