Click4Gameplay have collected some RPG franchise killers:
More information.5 RPGs That DESTROYED Their Franchise
More information.5 RPGs That DESTROYED Their Franchise
I can't agree with that list, though I'd have to watch the video to see the tone in which it's explained. My thoughts:
Sacred 3: The weakest of the Sacred, but mostly because Sacred relied in a graphic style and charm that became obsolete when 3 was out, and the gameplay wasn't as well-received as they hoped.
Dungeon Siege 3: These games were always mediocre as far as I can tell, the third was just glaringly so and came with a generation switch in a way that wasn't compelling. But there wasn't much to destroy to start with, other than a cute Diablo clone that people played just because there was nothing else like it at the time.
Two Worlds 2: These are only two games, not sure how the second can destroy a franchise? None of the two games were something to remember really, and both were "fine" as in, something that you could enjoy if you didn't have high expectations.
Mass Effect: Andromeda didn't destroy the franchise, EA did, long before that, from the whole ME3 ending controversy, the change of writer and the switch from story-telling to cash-grabbing. ME:A had nothing to do with any of that, and was actually a better game than it's given credit for (after patches and stuff).
Gothic IV: Arcania - The only case that can be agreed a bad game "destroyed" a good franchise, but even then, "Destroying" is a big way to put it. It's a bad game, there could be a Gothic V that is fantastic and makes the franchise great again.
This list in general seems to be made by a biased person that only knows a few RPGs (or maybe a lot of RPGs) and doesn't really know what's destroying a franchise, and took the opportunity come Baldur's Gate 3 to plant doom and gloom and get some hits. If they knew more than RPGs, they'd head over to ask Doom fans what's up with Doom 3 in what is probably the greatest blunder in the history of gaming and takes no mention here.
There are other examples that come to mind… two big ones are F.E.A.R. 3 and Dead Space 3 are two big ones, amongst many others like Max Payne 3, Duke Nukem forever and a metric ton of "reboots" of various kinds.
That came as a long post too… can tell how I don't have much to do at the moment.
Ultima IX - As a huge Ultima fan, this one pains me the most. It wasn't a bad game, in fact, I'd say it was fairly good but fell far below expectations. Besides its underdeveloped and questionable storyline with plot holes large enough to dump bodies into, it was a bug ridden mess at launch. Even worse, its state-of-the-art 3D engine push its technical boundaries to the breaking point. It was unoptimized for even the beefiest of consumer PCs. I had one of those high-end gaming rigs, and I was lucky to get 10-15fps. I remember a salesman at Software Etc saying there had been a lot of returns of that one (remember the good 'ol days when you could return PC games?), which turned out the be the death nail in that beloved gaming franchise.
If they knew more than RPGs, they'd head over to ask Doom fans what's up with Doom 3 in what is probably the greatest blunder in the history of gaming.
Eh? I'm a huge id Software fanboy, and I liked Doom 3 just fine. It wasn't nearly as good as Doom 1&2 were for their time, but it's good for what it is. I can think of many sequels that were far worse than their predecessors.
As far as the five RPGs listed by the article, Two Worlds II and ME:A stand out to me as definitely not belonging on the list. The other three are pretty bad imo, but I agree that "destroyed" is probably too strong a word.
Good choice, though I think it died (or at least stuck the knife in) with VIII. …
I think the RPG community shot itself in the face bad mouthing Pillars of Eternity. I'll never understand that one.
I'm sorry, I don't understand. Both Pillars games recently achieved top 10 places on RPGWatch's Game of the Decade poll and in the general gaming world are considered successful games. Both games achieved no.2 spot in their respective year of release.
Who are you referring to when you say "the RPG community" and in what way have those people damaged themselves and what were they saying that you word as "bad mouthing"?
I would add…
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Might & Magic IX - The last real Might & Magic rpg was M&M VIII. I don't know all the details, but Jon Van Caneghem sold out and M&M9 was designed by someone else. It was released in an alpha state as a quick cash grab thanks to 3DO, which soon thereafter went bankrupt.
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