The Top 7… [game] series run into the ground

As reported in this GamesRadar article:

A game is made, and it turns out to be good. The game comes out, becomes popular… and then becomes a series. Usually, we have nothing bad to say about that. Until, inevitably, things start to slide. The creator that made the game what it was bails. Or it fizzles in the transition from one console to another. Maybe the staff just forgot what made it great. Whatever the problem, we've selected seven of the biggest offenders, for your displeasure.

These are pretty much console games except for #7, Tomb Raider … which was a PC game that has become a console-centric game also released on PC. I agree hat 'Legend' is pretty good … but they are still living on borrowed time …

Great concept--have a feeling if they were doing pc rpg series we'd see the transition from Might and Magic I-VII turning into VIII, IX and gone.

M&M would certainly be the poster child in the PC realm. Just to stir the pot a bit, I'd include the Civilization series on my list.

Contract JACK could warrant putting NOLF on the list as well …

[QUOTE=txa1265;17049
These are pretty much console games except for #7, Tomb Raider … which was a PC game that has become a console-centric game also released on PC. I agree hat 'Legend' is pretty good … but they are still living on borrowed time …[/QUOTE]

I think you might be mistaken there. I remember Tomb Raider starting out on the original Playstation and later being ported to the PC. I'm pretty sure Tomb Raiders 1, 2, and 3 were all released for the PS1 before the PC versions were made. Later on in the series they eventually started releasing the console and PC versions of the TR games at the same time.

Have you guys heard about Tomb Raider Anniversary? It's a remake of the original Tomb Raider using an updated version of the TR Legend graphics engine.
http://www.tombraiderchronicles.com/…sary/info.html

Ohh, thought of another one-- MOO.

yes-the grisly collection of graphically rendered spreadsheets which was know as MOO3 definitely killed that one.

Originally Posted by JDR13
I think you might be mistaken there. I remember Tomb Raider starting out on the original Playstation and later being ported to the PC.

Well, I've never been a big fan of the series, seemed to cater to the 'hehe … teh b00beez' crowd …

But checking on it, it seems that it was released for PS, Saturn & PC all at once.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Have you guys heard about Tomb Raider Anniversary? It's a remake of the original Tomb Raider using an updated version of the TR Legend graphics engine.
http://www.tombraiderchronicles.com/…sary/info.html

Yeah - I have that on my '2007 watch list' for PSP.

I really enjoyed the original Tomb Raider, but I thought all the rest were ho-hum.

I'll definitely check out Anniversary when it comes out for the PC. I hope it includes the extra levels from Tomb Raider Gold.

I think Tomb Raider has been revitalized, starting with Legend. The remaking of the original game is something I'm really looking forward to. So while yes, I agree that TR was run into the ground and at one point was better left for dead, this particular story is looking like it's going to have a happy ending after all.

Personally, one of my favorite game personalities is Lara.

I even like the movies, really ='.'=

There is no Might & Magic 9, it's all a lie!

Perhaps, but it was an expensive one!!

Interviewer of a gaming magazine : "How does it feel to have a lie standing in your shelf ?"

There are more examples than theese. Might and Magic as someone mentioned, but also Ultima that burned out with Ultima 9: Ascension.

Noone nailed their coffin better than the adventuregame makers though.

Simon the Sorcerer 3d. Now can that one be topped? The first two was loved for their whacky british humor and parody of fantasyworlds everywhere. The third could probably be given a price for the ugliest game ever made. Even if you look past that it's buggy, broken and even trying to play the game is painful.

King's Quest VIII. The King's Quest series was widely loved all over the world, until Sierra decided that adventuregames do not sell anymore. The frenchise did not survive this action 3d game.

Larry V… We had an excellent ending in Larry III and while Larry V at least keep true to the story, it was the start of the complete decline of the series, each one moving further and further away from the first games.

Gabriel Knight III. Granted, one of the best stories ever made in a computer game, but the jump to 3d graphics did not only produce one of the ugliest 3d games ever made (although not as bad as Simon 3d), it also convinced both Sierra and their public that the age of Sierra adventuregaming was over.

Police Quest IV. Cashing in on the name established with Sonny Bonds as the main character, PQ4 did not only forgot the earlier games, it was also the only of Sierra's main series to go from beautiful handdrawn graphics to cheap photographed images. It was safe to say that the era of Police Quest was over.

I have to say though, like mentioned, that Legends really made Tomb Raider great.

A few close cases.

Myst V. Honorable mention. Even if Myst V officially ended the series, most fans agreed it was a complete letdown compared to Myst IV that remains as one of the most beautiful adventuregames ever made. Not only the jump from prerendered environments into an aging polygon engine, but also a game where the most known NPC is barely seen in the entire game.

Wonder Boy topped the series with Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, also known as Monsterland II. The platform roleplayinggame formula started with Wonder Boy II: Monsterland but Wonder Boy III made it perfect. The rest of the frenchise is generally unknown though. There was an actionplatform game also called Wonder Boy III that nobody remembers. Wonder Boy IV and V actually exist but they could just never beat Dragon's Trap in all it's perfect glory.

Splinter Cell and Raven Shield appears to go into the same direction: Ubisoft.
While both frenchises was very strong on PC, Ubisoft do not believe in PC gaming anymore.
The broken mess of a console port that Splinter Cell 4 was can be forgiven if they make a better attempt with SC5.
However, the change of genré in Raven Shield from Tactical Shooter to a Shooter Shooter was enough to make fans feel that thoose games will never be the same again. Now the old fans will probably move over to S.W.A.T.

Alone in the Dark V is not yet released, and might still end up great. However, AITD5 finally skips the adventuregenré and fully convert into an actiongame.

UFO: Enemy Unknown is a frenchise that decided that what made the original good was not good enough. Since then we have had shooters, space sims and then some weak attempts to go back again but none have sucessfully hit the spot that made the original a classic.

Widely loved game, not so good sequel/expansion.

Alien vs Predator 2: Primal Hunt
Most people barely knew there was an expansion to AVP2 and if they loved the original they can keep doing it and forget about this one. "Better replay the original instead" sums up most reviews.

Dungeon Siege 2: Broken World
While Dungeon Siege 2 was widely praised even among thoose who hated Dungeon Siege, Broken World felt like a thin fan-made mod rather than an attempt to continue what made DS2 great. Gone was the talking companions with their own subquests, the deep background story, and left was a completely linear bash that at least gave us a nice ending.

Beyond Divinity
What is it that makes people love the original but hate the sequel? Well, there's a whole thread for that so I wont go into it again.

Pools of Radiance II
Trying to continue a classic is a risky subject. Trying to do it with a broken team that was changed 3 times during the production as well as changing rulesystem from AD&D to D&D3.5 mid-run, was enough to create one of the most broken games ever known.

Deus Ex 2 was decent, despite being dumbed down to fit consolegamers, but the PC conversion was simply terrible. It ran like crap even on the latest PC's at the time. Despite fans work with the game, it remains as a game only recommended to them who loved the original.

KOTOR 2 was great up to the last few areas when Obsidian ran out of time. With a story just as good as the original it was just a shame we never got to see the ending.

Originally Posted by JemyM
Raven Shield appears to go into the same direction: Ubisoft.
While both frenchises was very strong on PC, Ubisoft do not believe in PC gaming anymore.
The broken mess of a console port that Splinter Cell 4 was can be forgiven if they make a better attempt with SC5.
However, the change of genré in Raven Shield from Tactical Shooter to a Shooter Shooter was enough to make fans feel that thoose games will never be the same again. Now the old fans will probably move over to S.W.A.T.

Objection, your honor . I thought that Raven Shield was still a "true" Rainbow Six game. They didn't change too much from Rogue Spear except that you could now open doors incrementally by scrolling the mouse wheel. But I never cared about the planning mode (always chose the default plan) so if that's where they made dramatic changes then I wouldn't know.
The action gameplay part, however, was not seriously screwed with until Rainbow Six: Lockdown. It was Lockdown that "killed" the franchise IMHO. And from all I've heard it's only gotten worse with Vegas (haven't played the game yet). A refreshing health bar that refreshes faster the more accurate you shoot and kill? In a Rainbow Six game? Hello? Anyone at home at UbiSoft? Jeez…

Originally Posted by Moriendor
Objection, your honor . I thought that Raven Shield was still a "true" Rainbow Six game. They didn't change too much from Rogue Spear except that you could now open doors incrementally by scrolling the mouse wheel. But I never cared about the planning mode (always chose the default plan) so if that's where they made dramatic changes then I wouldn't know.
The action gameplay part, however, was not seriously screwed with until Rainbow Six: Lockdown. It was Lockdown that "killed" the franchise IMHO. And from all I've heard it's only gotten worse with Vegas (haven't played the game yet). A refreshing health bar that refreshes faster the more accurate you shoot and kill? In a Rainbow Six game? Hello? Anyone at home at UbiSoft? Jeez…

I missed Lockdown actually so maybe you are right.

Some other examples - Disciples 2 was a great game, but the subsequent expansions were pretty bland. I know they are attempting a 3rd try with Disciples 3 Renaissance, but so far it looks like quite a mess. Warlords/Battlecry is/was a good franchize and I know that work has started on both sequels (though at an early stage) but still things are looking grim. Age of Wonders is a blast as far as TBS go, but's been like 5 years since there's been news on that.

I'd say the X-Com series does qualify, as JemyM points out.