I referenced Silent Hill 4: The Room, and Phantasy Star III a few times the past weeks as games that I didn't care for, mainly because I judge them as a part of the canon series whole. In short, if they were released as individual games, with different names, and independent of their respective series', than I'd probably enjoy them a little more.
The bizarre thing is, in most cases if they did something as simple as substituted the installment number for a subtitle, I probably wouldn't have have any issues with the game. It probably reflects more on my psychology than the developers marketing strategy, but something as meager as a number on the case and title screen can be the difference between me enjoying a game or dismissing it. For example, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest I've got no problem with, however if it was called Final Fantasy III, I'd probably dislike the game. Fantasy Zone: The Maze is actually one of my favorite Master System games, but if it was named Fantasy Zone III, I think it would bother me a little. Super Mario Bros. 2 was always a black sheep to me, not because of the Doki Doki Panic gameplay, but because it's actually billed as SMB2. I think it bugged me even more when SMB3 came out and was such a welcome return to what I came to expect from a SMB title.
I don't have any problems with an offshoot or an odd installment if it's billed as one (Resident Evil Chronicles, Metal Gear Acid, etc.), but making odd duck games like Silent Hill 4: The Room canonical by giving them an installment number makes me feel a little burned.
Do any of you feel this way too, or are you generally able to separate the odd or weak installments from the series and judge them as individual games? If not, what are some of the games you view as 'series black sheep'?