Success can be its own reward, but it can also be a curse. When developers have something to prove, they’re more ambitious and eager to prove themselves. However, success when unchecked can cause complacency. There’s only so many times a winning formula can prove to be commercially viable.
Oftentimes, publishers will milk a great series for everything it’s worth until they’ve exhausted all the goodwill it had. For whatever reason, these titles suffered from their own triumphs. Many of them are still worth playing as long as players don’t let the games’ popularity bother them.
10/10 Assassin’s Creed Will Never Requiescat In Pace
Originally intended to be a Prince of Persia spinoff, Assassin’s Creed paved the way for its own franchise that spawned countless titles and numerous tie-in media. However, longtime fans have criticized Ubisoft for stripping away the franchises’ unique elements and a gradual decrease in quality with countless releases.
What was once a series that encouraged players to be sneaky and clever has now become a grind-heavy generic open-world sandbox franchise. Additionally, the departure of director Patrice Desilets led to a lack of focus in the games’ convoluted time-traveling narrative.
9/10 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Eventually Wiped Out
Many lament the spectacular wipeout of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater franchise. The first three entries were outstanding extreme sports titles that kept adding fun and intuitive mechanics which improved upon the formula. Unfortunately, Activision’s need to milk the franchise strained NeverSoft and led to a decrease in quality.
The Underground games attempted to mix up the formula with an open-world structure and a higher emphasis on narrative. Eventually, however, the publisher’s contract with the birdman ended with the much-maligned Pro Skater 5. Fortunately, Vicarious Visions’ Pro Skater 1+2 managed to rekindle those happy memories.
8/10 Overwatch’s Heroes Don’t Always Save The Day
Blizzards’ hero PVP shooter Overwatch became an overnight sensation with its solid shooting mechanics, diverse roster, and lively visual art style. Unfortunately, detractors found the lore and characters lacking when compared to the efforts from Valve in Team Fortress 2.
In what seemed to be an attempt to quell the uproar from the Hong Kong protester controversy and studio harassment allegations, Blizzard announced a sequel in 2019. Upon Overwatch 2‘s 2022 release, the game was lambasted by critics for featuring no meaningful differences from the original title while also changing things for the worse.
7/10 Tomb Raider’s Annual Installments Took The Shine Out Of Lara
Lara Croft is another gaming icon who’s been subjected to sequelitis. Core Design’s Tomb Raider brought the step-platforming formula established in Prince of Persia into the third generation. Despite an unsuccessful attempt to kill off the treasure hunter with the fourth installment, Eidos mandated constant sequels from the studio.
This gradual decline eventually culminated in the abysmal Angel of Darkness, which was rushed out in a clearly unfinished state to meet the publisher’s deadlines. Since then, Crystal Dynamics have been given the keys to the franchise and spearheaded two successful iterations.
6/10 Griefers & Hackers Have Made Among Us Even More Sus
A mixture of Agatha Christie, John W. Campbell, and Newgrounds cartoons, Among Us is an online murder mystery PVP that became an internet sensation after its initial 2018 release. The game tasks players with correctly identifying the imposters while the others do their best to bump off the crew undetected.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, the game’s popularity blew up even more, culminating in an even larger player base. Unfortunately, with the increased amount of players came the griefers, the hackers, and the cheaters. Savvy users have grown to dread YouTuber Eric Lorris far more than any imposter.
5/10 Psychonauts Was A Critical Darling, But A Commercial Flop
Double Fine’s debut title Psychonauts was a 3D platformer that incorporated Tim Schafer’s trademark humor and design. It was originally slated to be published by Microsoft as an exclusive for the original Xbox. However, following a regime change, publisher Majesco picked up the title for a 2005 release. The game was lauded by numerous outlets, but it suffered from poor sales.
In time, however, Psychonauts gradually grew a cult following and became the poster child for “critical darling, commercial flop.” Unfortunately, the game was also regarded as overrated by gamers who had known of its reputation but expected more than a solid mid-2000s platformer.
4/10 League Of Legends’ MOBA Nature Is A Blessing & Curse
Regarded as the world’s largest e-sport, League of Legends is one of the many MOBA titles that fans will joke about loving and hating in equal measure. As its many comics, music videos, and other tie-in media have demonstrated, the love for this world and its lore knows no bounds.
Unfortunately, it seems that no e-sport is complete without a rabidly toxic player-base. Gamers have professed to enjoying the massively successful Netflix series Arcane after checking out the game that spawned it out of curiosity and being disappointed by its MOBA nature.
3/10 Activision Made Call Of Duty An Annual Product
Call of Duty is the very embodiment of gaming sequelitis. The first few titles were WWII shooters that aimed to seamlessly blend FPS gameplay with storytelling by eschewing intrusive cutscenes or relinquishing the first-person viewpoint. The fourth installment took on the more gritty and modern setting that would be adopted by most of the subsequent titles.
However, as Activision kept pumping out entry after entry, fans and critics deemed the formula in the main campaigns as tired. It also didn’t help that Activision has had a tendency to turn beloved studios such as NeverSoft and Toys For Bob into dedicated COD developers.
2/10 Portal’s Dubious Promises Of Cake Have Led To Countless Memes
Portal proved to be the ultimate stocking stuffer when it was included in Valve’s The Orange Box in 2007. This seemingly innocuous first-person puzzler took players by surprise with its pitch-dark comedy, ingenious brain-teasers, and unforgettable ending. The game was endlessly quotable with several lines permeating pop culture throughout the late 2000s.
Unfortunately, that was also its problem. In what Yahtzee Croshaw called “the Knights who say Ni effect,” the constant cake jokes made by fans on the internet far overstayed their welcome. Regardless, Portal is still a creative and funny title after all these years.
1/10 Expectations Soared Once Undertale Left The Underground
Undertale absolutely deserved all the praise it received during its initial 2015 release. Toby Fox’s RPG hybrid’s numerous gameplay mechanics blended wonderfully with an emotionally resonant story. Predictably, when a game like this gets as much praise as it does, it tends to fall short of the wild expectations that come from it.
It especially doesn’t help when it attracts a fanbase that’s so fervent in their admiration. While it may not be for everyone, Undertale is still a phenomenal title that demonstrates what the medium can do when it decides to flout convention.
