History FranchiseOriginalSin / VideoGames

** The decision to make a direct sequel to the first ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'' game on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, rather than on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, helped build a great deal of hype for the game. However, it also created a good deal of ContinuityLockout when ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' was released and many people got back into the games and were immediately faced with characters and plot points they had never seen before, and led the charge for many plot-relevant games in the series to be spread across all available portable systems. Following the story became a much more challenging and expensive prospect when it required one to have a Playstation 2, a [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 Nintendo]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded DS]], a [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep PSP]], and a [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsDreamDropDistance Nintendo 3DS]] to fully understand what was going on. This was, thankfully, addressed somewhat by the 1.5 and 2.5 Remix compilations for the PS3: all the Kingdom Hearts games up to ''Birth By Sleep'' on one console... either as a full game or just as a 'movie' of the game's cutscenes so you can at least get the story.

** The characters were hard to make out due to the limitations of 8 and 16-bit graphics, but judging by concept art, many characters were intended to be ridiculously pimped-out and beautiful anyway. In fact, the simplicity of his (early) art style is exactly what led to Square giving Creator/TetsuyaNomura character design duties for ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' (also, let's point out that that game's hero, Cloud Strife, was at least beautiful enough to ''[[WholesomeCrossdresser pass for a woman]]''. However, once technology was able to allow artists the freedom to go nuts and show off the graphical power of the game engines, they leapt at the chance. While American games were moving more towards [[RealIsBrown brownish realism]] and military authenticity, Japanese designers decided to go whole hog with the artistry.

** Fans became rather burned out on the series after ''[[CapcomSequelStagnation Ultra]]'' ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' came out, adding yet ''more'' characters to an already [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters overcrowded]] roster and making the combo system even more complicated with Red Focus. Casual fans complained because now they were being asked to spend even ''more'' money on what is essentially a single game that cost roughly $100 in total (even more if you purchased all the DLC) and had now become so ''incredibly'' difficult to play that getting started now would take ''months'' of training just to learn the ''basics''. Fans of ''Street Fighter'' since 1991 can tell you that this sounds ''very'' familiar. ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' went through the same problems--although the competitive scene reveres the ''Super Turbo'' edition as the series' MagnumOpus, by the time it came out, the casual fans were just about done. Further sub-series in the franchise (such as ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIII III]]'') increased the complexity of the fighting system, making it nigh-inaccessible for casual players, and by the time the console version of ''Alpha 3'' hit shelves, the roster had expanded to ''thirty-six''. These problems are why the series took such a long hiatus between ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterEX EX3]]'' and ''SFIV''. Creator/{{Capcom}} is taking a "back to basics" approach with ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' in terms of gameplay, focusing on fundamentals and accessibility, and will start off "small" much like many of the other sub-series' initial iterations (16 starting characters + 6 DLC characters for Year 1) [[AuthorsSavingThrow in response to these complaints]].

** On a plot level, ''ChainOfMemories'' was the debut of a slide into a DarkerAndEdgier plot tone and the newer antagonists, Organization XIII and the Nobodies. By the time ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' was released, the KudzuPlot and influx of original characters became highly controversial among the players and reviewers.

** Some later games in the series, particularly those developed by Dimps, came under fire for featuring setpieces that the player must wait to finish before continuing, with not-unsubstantiated claims that they bring the game's momentum to a screeching halt. What many of these complainers don't seem to realize is that ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'', considered excellent on most accounts, has one of these setpieces in almost every zone - the carpet-bombing airship in Angel Island, the barrels in Carnival Night, the moving wall in Flying Battery, the rising pyramid in Sandopolis, and that's just the worst of them.

* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' fans became rather burned out on the series after ''[[CapcomSequelStagnation Ultra]]'' ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' came out, adding yet ''more'' characters to an already [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters overcrowded]] roster and making the combo system even more complicated with Red Focus. Casual fans complained because now they were being asked to spend even ''more'' money on what is essentially a single game that cost roughly $100 in total (even more if you purchased all the DLC) and had now become so ''incredibly'' difficult to play that getting started now would take ''months'' of training just to learn the ''basics''. Fans of ''Street Fighter'' since 1991 can tell you that this sounds ''very'' familiar. ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' went through the same problems--although the competitive scene reveres the ''Super Turbo'' edition as the series' MagnumOpus, by the time it came out, the casual fans were just about done. Further sub-series in the franchise (such as ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIII III]]'') increased the complexity of the fighting system, making it nigh-inaccessible for casual players, and by the time the console version of ''Alpha 3'' hit shelves, the roster had expanded to ''thirty-six''. These problems are why the series took such a long hiatus between ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterEX EX3]]'' and ''SFIV''. Creator/{{Capcom}} is taking a "back to basics" approach with ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' in terms of gameplay, focusing on fundamentals and accessibility, and will start off "small" much like many of the other sub-series' initial iterations (16 starting characters + 6 DLC characters for Year 1) [[AuthorsSavingThrow in response to these complaints]].

* While the gameplay of the ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' series is well-received for the most part, its plot is definitely something that many take umbrage with. Namely, the questionable way the TimeyWimeyBall is handled, the over-reliance on [[AllThereInTheManual supplementary materials to explain things within the games]] ([[NoExportForYou said materials never being translated for US readers as well]]) and some... [[WhatTheHellHero questionable]] [[IDidWhatIHadToDo actions]] some of the characters do. All of this can be seen in [[VideoGame/BlazBlueCalamityTrigger the very first game]]. You could argue it was even worse back then because so many things went unexplained until later sequels expanded on them a bit ([[JigsawPuzzlePlot only to beg]] [[KudzuPlot even more questions]]).

* While the gameplay of the ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}'' series is well-received for the most part, its plot is definitely something that many take umbrage with. Namely, the questionable way the TimeyWimeyBall is handled, the over-reliance on [[ExpandedUniverse supplementary materials]] to explain things within the games ([[NoExportForYou said materials never being translated for US readers as well]].) and some... [[WhatTheHellHero questionable]] [[IDidWhatIHadToDo actions]] some of the characters do. All of this can be seen in [[VideoGame/BlazblueCalamityTrigger the very first game.]] You could argue it was even worse back then because so many things went unexplained until later sequels expanded on them a bit (only to beg even more questions).

* ''Franchise/MetalGear'' has always has problems with its female characters, like holding onto TheSmurfettePrinciple with an iron grip, many of them being MsFanservice, MaleGaze out the wazoo, repeatedly sidelining them, and often [[StuffedIntoTheFridge killing them off to give a male character angst]], but the earlier games always gave them interesting characterisation and at least some vital importance to the plot to make them decent characters in their own right. But with ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots Guns of the Patriots]]'' all recurring female characters lose all the importance they previously had and the female villains exist as nothing but eye-candy, a boss fight in ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker Peace Walker]]'' starts with numerous lingering chest and butt shots of a sixteen-year-old in her underwear, and the same character [[spoiler:is killed off]] in the most gratuitously sexual manner possible in ''Ground Zeros''. This eventually leads to ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain The Phantom Pain]]'', where the only prominent female character [[TheVoiceless never speaks]], has no plot importance, spends her entire screentime in a bikini top and ripped tights, and has multiple [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment completely out of nowhere]] scenes that serve as nothing but excuses for her to make sensual poses in front of the camera.

* VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}: While the gameplay is well-received for the most part, its plot is definitely something that many take umbrage with. Namely, the questionable way the TimeyWimeyBall is handled, the over-reliance on [[ExpandedUniverse supplementary materials]] to explain things within the games ([[NoExportForYou said materials never being translated for US readers as well]].) and some... [[WhatTheHellHero questionable]] [[IDidWhatIHadToDo actions]] some of the characters do. All of this can be seen in [[VideoGame/BlazblueCalamityTrigger the very first game.]] You could argue it was even worse back then because so many things went unexplained until later sequels expanded on them a bit (only to beg even more questions).

* VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}: While the gameplay is well-received for the most part, its plot is definitely something that many take umbrage with. Namely, the questionable way the TimeWhinyBall is handled, the over-reliance on supplementary materials to explain things within the games (said materials never being translated for US readers as well.) and some...questionable actions some of the characters do. All of this can be seen in [[VideoGame/BlazblueCalamityTrigger the very first game.]] You could argue it was even worse back then because so many things went unexplained until later sequels expanded on them a bit (only to beg even more questions).

* In ''VideoGame/WarioLand3'', Wario farts as he climbs ladders. This was the first attempt at ToiletHumour involving Wario, and it comes across as subtle and downright witty compared to the games that took the vulgar humor and ran with it, with ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' and ''Master of Disguise'' featuring a greater proportion of crude humour.

* Creator/SquareEnix's [[UpdatedRerelease updated rereleases and ports]] of some of their older games once got a great deal of excitement from many RPG fans, especially those in the US and Europe. It gave many people the chance to play some of Square's classic catalog but with far less of the NoExportForYou, BlindIdiotTranslation, and [[CrackIsCheaper financial difficulties of hunting down certain SNES cartridges]] that RPG fans dealt with before the very end of TheNineties. In some cases, Square even remade entire games for the purposes of rereleasing them. However, during the later half of the 2000s, many of these same consumers started complaining about this practice. It became viewed as oversaturation, partially due to the huge numbers of systems that these games were playable on. Between 2005 and 2011, SquareEnix rereleased ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' alone ''4 times'', for example. The TroubledProduction of both ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' and the lack of a game to really fill that gap did not help either.

** Some consider the introduction of Tails in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'', Knuckles in ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic 3]]'', and '''ESPECIALLY''' Amy Rose and Metal Sonic in ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD Sonic CD]]'', while well-liked additions to the series overall, to be the beginning of the franchise's (at times overexaggerated) troubles with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters and [[GameplayRoulette juggling different styles of gameplay]]. Plans for sidekick characters went as far back as the initial development of the franchise. The fact that none of them made it into the first game, and ended up being introduced slowly in the next few games, gave a very different impression of the series to early fans. This makes it an odd sin that was planned to be there from the beginning, but by accident was kept in check early on (though it probably wouldn't be seen as a sin if it was a necessary barrier to like the franchise from the beginning).

* [[HijackedByGanon One of the biggest criticisms]] aimed toward ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' is present in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' where, despite Hugo Strange being marketed and presented as the main vilain in the beginning of the game, you'll spent almost the rest of it [[spoiler:curing the Joker from his disease]] to the point that the game needs to remind you who the real villain is from times to times. Making him the BigBad of the first game was quite sensible because, well, who else would you pick? The second game was intended to be Creator/{{Mark Hamill}}'s swansong for the character, which nobody would have wanted pushed to a side mission. By the third game, the promoted main villain Scarecrow (Considered one of the most memorable villains in the original game, and who had only made a full appearance there) is overshadowed by [[spoiler:the Joker hallucination, who ends up being the final encounter while Scarecrow is defeated in a cutscene]], and certain other villains who hadn't been utilized very much (such as Two-Face) are either not present or encounted only in side missions.
** On another note, while ''Asylum'' PC port was quite good, ''City'' 's PC version came a month after the consoles ones and wasn't well optimized. Then, ''Origins'' was filled with bugs (both graphical and technicals). And then the ''Knight'' port [[PortingDisaster happend]].

** ''Final Fantasy VII'' was well-praised at the time and still often today for its dramatic and over-the-top DysfunctionJunction cast, with the main characters more complex and developed than anything ''Final Fantasy'' had managed before. The protagonist Cloud was an especially successful innovation, his arc about his cool demeanour being a fabrication of the secretly weak person he really is striking a chord with a mostly teenage playerbase. While in ''Final Fantasy VII'' these elements are mostly in the background, they were pushed into the foreground in future ''Final Fantasy'' games, causing a descent into more psychological, melodramatic plotlines featuring moody teenagers at the expense of strong plots and goofy humour. As for Cloud, his success caused the entire JRPG genre to spend the next five years furiously trying to FollowTheLeader with {{Wangst}}-ridden, {{BFS}}-swinging teenagers with murky origins and ridiculous hair to the point where it's now the [[DeadUnicornTrope stereotype of the genre]] and has retroactively tarnished ''Final Fantasy VII'''s reputation.

* [[HijackedByGanon One of the biggest criticisms]] aimed toward ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' is present in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' where, despite Hugo Strange being marketed and presented as the main vilain in the beginning of the game, you'll spent almost the rest of it [[spoiler:curing the Joker from his disease]] to the point that the game needs to remind you who the real villain is from times to times. Making him the BigBad of the first game was quite sensible because, well, who else would you pick? The second game was intended to be Creator/{{Mark Hamill}}'s swansong for the character, which nobody would have wanted pushed to a side mission. By the third game, the promoted main villain Scarecrow (Considered one of the most memorable villains in the original game, and who had only made a full appearance there) is overshadowed by [[spoiler: the Joker hallucination, who ends up being the final encounter while Scarecrow is defeated in a cutscene]], and certain other villains who hadn't been utilized very much (Such as Two-Face) are either not present or encounted only in side missions.

** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' is cited as the point where this became a problem, as many felt that the game's main missions was basically scripted events, even the Assassination missions which should be stealthy and open-ended. It was also seen as being overstuffed with side activities and additional features. However, this was an ongoing trend since the well-liked ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' and its follow-ups ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'' and ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'', had moved away from the stealthy original and was filled with additional features and content. What made them acceptable was that the games were MissionPackSequel and as such the additional features were condoned, and seen as part of the appeal of the touristy cities with exotic architecture. The fact that the New World setting of AC-3 lacked the tall buildings and fancy architecture only brought these problems forward.
** ''III'' was criticized for its [[TheGump Gump Factor]] with the hero interacting on first name basis with all of America's founding fathers and participating in several key events of the American Revolution which to many beggared disbelief. Yet this was always part of the Franchise's appeal: Altair in AC-1 conversed on even terms with the very Christian King Richard the Lionheart and later fought Genghis Khan, Ezio counted Leonardo da Vinci and Machiavelli among his best friends, and interacted with a "who's who" of the Renaissance, ''Black Flag'' also had the hero interact with every famous English pirate of that time. In the case of ''III'' the American Founding Fathers and the events of the Revolution were perhaps ''too'' prominent, known to every schoolboy, with the setting seen by foreign gamers as {{Eagleland}}. The other historical figures and settings, while somewhat well known aren't held in nearly the same reverence nor are their memories part of current political discourse.
** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity'' is an inversion, an example of a Franchise, as a result of the divisive reaction to ''III'', returning to the Franchise's roots -- greater focus on stealth, less focus on side activities, more assassination missions, toning down TheGump -- and getting thoroughly trashed for essentially repeating its original sins. ''VideoGames/AssassinsCreedI'' was criticized in its time for repetitive side activities, lack of additional interaction with the open world and endless collectibles. ''Unity'' returned with repititive Side Story quests, endless collectibles that dotted out the map to the extent that people became nostalgic for the much reviled flags of ''I''. Where ''III'' was criticized for Connor being too central to the Revolution, ''Unity'' was criticized for [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin the hero being too marginal]] to the events, with the game being highly criticized for its shallow representation of history. The game which followed, ''Syndicate'' [[HereWeGoAgain received praise]] for making more diverse side missions, a fairer look at the historical events and having additional features missing in Unity.
* ''{{Franchise/Halo}}''

** Additionally, the complaints about ''Halo'' devolving into a ''Series/CallOfDuty'' rip-off after 343 took over. Many complained about the focus on gimmicks such as Armor/Spartan Abilities, the addition of sprinting, the removal of Elites as a playable model, increasing the pace of the game, blatantly mimicking ''Call of Duty''[='=]s class system, and finally, the addition of ADS (Aiming Down Sights) which sparked the most controversy. Many of these things, beside the ADS, were present in ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', the last ''Halo'' game Bungie created. ''Reach'' added Armor Abilities; including the ability to sprint, reduced playing as Elites to exclusive modes, and added loadouts for each match for differentiation. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAwRp7Il4LY Sprint was even considered for]] ''{{VideoGame/Halo 2}}'' at one point. The difference is that Bungie knew when to draw the line, making sure that it was its own original game. Specifically, the loadouts were pre-determined and could not be customized in matchmaking, the gameplay still felt like Halo despite the Armor Abilities as opposed to being blatantly influenced by ''Call of Duty'', and the emphasis on balanced, map-oriented gameplay was still there (just not as much as before). 343 on other hand, took it to another level and turned ''Halo'' into something that's barely recognizable from the older games. All by doing what Bungie did, but going even further with it than they dared to go.
* The ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' had been fairly consistent with the roster until ''Soulcalibur V'', which was the first game created by Daishi Odasima. Many complained about ''V'' jumping forward 17 years while removing fan-favorites such as Sophitia, Taki, and Xianghua, while replacing them with [[ReplacementScrappy considerably less-liked successors]]. However, a smaller-scale variation of this happened in the earlier games. Specifically Hwang and Li-Long, who appeared in the original ''Soul Edge'' (''Soul Blade'' in America), were removed from subsequent games and replaced by Yun-Seong and Maxi respectively. This caused considerable outcry back then, but had since subsided over time. Additionally, Cassandra was ''meant'' to replace Sophitia in ''II'', as she was the only one in the original arcade release. However, due to popular fan demand, Sophitia was brought back. Now that Daishi has left the team and has been replaced by Masaki Hoshino, who appears to have different views over the series, only time will tell if this remains.
* One of the biggest complaints about the ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' roster is that the roster has become increasingly unbelievable as the years went on, focusing less on actual martial artists and more on made up styles that look cool with blatant {{anime}}-influences. It reached a sort of critical mass in ''Tekken 7'', with Lucky Chloe, an extremely {{kawaii}} pop-idol with GratuitousEnglish who fights by [[DanceBattler dancing]] was made into an official character leading to unbridled ''rage'' [[AmericansHateTingle in the west]]. While Harada said that he would replace her with a [[RatedMForManly muscular skinhead]] in the US, it was confirmed he was only [[TrollingCreator trolling]]. Western gamers shared a CollectiveGroan over having to deal with her. That's not with mentioning other unrealistic characters, such as Kazumi, Claudio, Gigas, and [[Franchise/StreetFighter Akuma]]. However, as it turns out, this type of unbelievability was there from the beginning. The original ''Tekken'' featured Yoshimitsu, a cyborg ninja that seemed completely out of place amongst a roster of mostly martial arts-based fighters. There was also Kuma, a ''bear'' as a playable character, which was also out of place. The sequel even adding a {{Boxing Kangaroo}} and a freaking ''utahraptor''. The primary difference here is the fact that these characters were few and far-between, instead of being shoved in as the stars of the game and taking up a sizable portion of the roster.
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' fans became rather burned out on the series after ''[[CapcomSequelStagnation Ultra]]'' ''Videogame/StreetFighterIV'' came out, adding yet ''more'' characters to an already overcrowded roster and making the combo system even more complicated with Red Focus. Casual fans complained because now they were being asked to spend even ''more'' money on what is essentially a single game that cost roughly $100 in total (even more if you purchased all the DLC) and had now gotten so ''incredibly'' difficult to play that getting started now would take ''months'' of training just to learn the ''basics''. Fans of ''Street Fighter'' since 1991 can tell you that this sounds ''very'' familiar. ''Videogame/StreetFighterII'' went through the same problems--although the competitive scene reveres the ''Super Turbo'' edition as the series magnum opus, by the time it came out, the casual fans were just about done. Further sub-series in the franchise (such as ''[[Videogame/StreetFighterIII III]]'' and ''[[Videogame/StreetFighterAlpha]]'' increased the complexity of the fighting system, making it nigh-inaccessible for casual players, and by the time the console version of ''Alpha 3'' hit sshelves, the roster had expanded to ''thirty-six''. These problems are why the series took such a long hiatus between ''[[Videogame/StreetFighterEX EX3]]'' and ''SFIV''.

* [[HijackedByGanon One of the biggest criticisms]] aimed toward ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' is present in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' where, despite Hugo Strange being marketed and presented as the main vilain in the beginning of the game, you'll spent almost the rest of it [[spoiler:curing the Joker from his disease]] to the point that the game needs to remind you who the real villain is from times to times. Making him the BigBad of the first game was quite sensible because, well, who else would you pick? The second game was intended to be Creator/{{Mark Hamill}}'s swansong for the character, which nobody would have wanted pushed to a side mission. By the third game, the promoted main villain Scarecrow (Considered one of the most memorable villains in the original game, and who had only made a full appearance ther) is overshadowed by [[spoiler: the Joker hallucination, who ends up being the final encounter while Scarecrow is defeated in a cutscene]], and certain other villains who hadn't been utilized very much (Such as Two-Face) are either not present or encounted only in side missions.

* [[HijackedByGanon One of the biggest criticisms]] aimed toward ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' is present in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' where, despite Hugo Strange being marketed and presented as the main vilain in the beginning of the game, you'll spent almost the rest of it [[spoiler:curing the Joker from his disease]] to the point that the game needs to remind you who the real villain is from times to times. Making him the BigBad of the first game was quite sensible because, well, who else would you pick? The second game was intended to be Creator/{{Mark Hamill}}'s swansong for the character, which nobody would have wanted pushed to a side mission. This had the adverse effect of making the series ''dependent'' upon the Joker by the third game. Further, since pretty much every known iconic Batman villain had been used multiple times by then, in order to keep things fresh, the developers had to start digging through the CListFodder. By ''Arkham Knight'', the series had become so dependent on the Joker as a main villain that it simply ''had to'' use him, despite him being quite dead.

** Far less extensive but still notable enough to deserve a mention, {{Counter|Attack}}. It has been a staple of nearly every ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' character's moveset since ''Melee'' as a nod to their series' battle flow, with Peach having a variation in the form of Toad. However, whereas only five fighters ''total''--and no more than four per game--in a cast of 25+ had access to moves of that nature between ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'' (Marth, Roy, Peach, Ike, Lucario), the amount suddenly doubled in ''[=SSB4=]'' (Lucina, Little Mac, Palutena, Greninja, Shulk, and Mii Swordfighter), greatly reducing its novelty, frustrating players who had to endure fights that devolved into Counterfests, and simultaneously bypassing potentially more inventive attacks that could've been used in their place. Some characters have justifiable reasons for having a counter,[[note]]the aforementioned Lucina is a ''FE'' rep and [[MovesetClone a clone of Marth]], Greninja gets Substitute (a move it can legitimately use in [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} its home series]]), Shulk's Vision is a pragmatic adaptation of his CombatClairvoyance in ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'', etc.[[/note]] but there's been lengthy debates about who actually deserves to keep the move and sarcastic remarks that [[SerialEscalation everyone might as well have a Counter in the next game]].

* The ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'':
** They had been fairly consistent with the roster until ''Soulcalibur V'', which was the first game created by Daishi Odasima. Many complained about ''V'' jumping forward 17 years while removing fan-favorites such as Sophitia, Taki, and Xianghua, while replacing them with [[ReplacementScrappy considerably less-liked successors]]. However, a smaller-scale variation of this happened in the earlier games. Specifically Hwang and Li-Long, who appeared in the original ''Soul Edge'' (''Soul Blade'' in America), were removed from subsequent games and replaced by Yun-Seong and Maxi respectively. This caused considerable outcry back then, but had since subsided over time. Additionally, Cassandra was ''meant'' to replace Sophitia in ''II'', as she was the only one in the original arcade release. However, due to popular fan demand, Sophitia was brought back. Now that Daishi has left the team and has been replaced by Masaki Hoshino, who appears to have different views over the series, only time will tell if this remains.
** Also, the {{fanservice}} and the HotterAndSexier tone. It was there from the start with characters like Taki with her skin-tight bodysuit that revealed everything and Ivy with dominatrix-inspired outfits. Overtime, as graphics improved, all the girls were given [[BreastExpansion bigger breasts]] and [[{{Stripperiffic}} skimpier outfits to match]]. By ''IV'', it reached truly ridiculous [[{{Pun}} proportions]] when practically ''all'' the girls were 16th century exhibitionists apart from TokenWholesome Hilde. ''V'', under the leadership of Odashima, dialed things back by removing most of the female characters and giving Ivy a more modest costume. He knew ''IV'' gone too far. Only, it turned out to be a case of ZigZaggingTrope since, as mentioned above, Daishi left the team and was replaced by Hoshino. He released the FreeToPlay ''Lost Swords'' subsequently went back to the HotterAndSexier route. In fact, it seems he took {{sex sells}} to heart, since he made costumes for the female characters that would be revealing by ''VideoGame/{{Dead or Alive}}'' standards. Practically all advertisements for the game were nothing but shameless fanservice. If ''Soulcalibur VI'' is released, one can't help but wonder what the costumes are going to look like. Whether you think this is a good thing or not depends on your tastes.

* The ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' had been fairly consistent with the roster until ''Soulcalibur V'', which was the first game created by Daishi Odasima. Many complained about ''V'' jumping forward 17 years while removing fan-favorites such as Sophitia, Taki, and Xianghua, while replacing them with [[ReplacementScrappy considerably less-liked successors]]. However, a smaller-scale variation of this happened in the earlier games. Specifically Hwang and Li-Long, who appeared in the original ''Soul Edge'' (''Soul Blade'' in America), were removed from subsequent games and replaced by Yun-Seong and Maxi respectively. This caused considerable outcry back then, but had since subsided over time. Additionally, Cassandra was ''meant'' to replace Sophitia in ''II'', as she was the only one in the original arcade release. However, due to popular fan demand, Sophitia was brought back. Now that Daishi has left the team and has been replaced by Masaki Hoshino, who appears to have different views over the series, only time will tell if this remains.

** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity'' is an inversion, an example of a Franchise, as a result of the divisive reaction to ''III'', returning to the Franchise's roots -- greater focus on stealth, less focus on side activities, more assassination missions, toning down TheGump -- and getting thoroughly trashed for essentially repeating its original sins. ''VideoGames/AssassinsCreedI'' was criticized in its time for repetitive side activities, lack of additional interaction with the open world and endless collectibles. ''Unity'' returned with repititive Side Story quests, endless collectibles that dotted out the map to the extent that people became nostalgic for the much reviled flags of ''I''. Where ''III'' was criticized for Connor being too central to the Revolution, ''Unity'' was criticized for [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin the hero being too marginal]] to the events, with the game being highly criticized for its shallow representation of history. The game which followed, ''Syndicate'' [[HereWeGoAgain recieved praise]] for making more diverse side missions, a fairer look at the historical events and having additional features missing in Unity.

** The ''Halo'' series has been criticized for its games being too dependent on backstory from the ExpandedUniverse, meaning ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'' doesn't make much sense without having read ''Literature/HaloEscalation'', ''[[VideoGame/{{Halo 4}} Spartan Ops]]'', ''Literature/HaloNightfall'', ''Literature/HaloNewBlood''... etc. This reliance on the expanded universe for backstory goes back to the franchise's first two entries: ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'' and its tie-in novel ''Literature/HaloTheFallOfReach''. Without ''The Fall of Reach'', the player had no clue about where [[TheHero Master Chief]] came from, why [[ScaryDogmaticAliens the Covenant]] were attacking, where [[SpaceshipGirl Cortana]] came from, what the ''[[CoolStarship Pillar of Autumn]]'' ship was evacuating from, and so on. But the difference was that ''Combat Evolved'''s plot was self-contained to the events on the titular Halo ring, so all the missing backstory didn't matter to the events in-game. This pattern of keeping the games' and books' plots separate was largely the same until Creator/ThreeFourThreeIndustries took over the series, making the EU more prominent but with mixed results on its games.

* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' only completely entered its DorkAge when it smashed into the PolygonCeiling, but [[VideoGame/MortalKombat3 the third game]] shows at least some of the weaknesses of later installments: overreliance on dial-a-kombo,[[note]]a term in the fandom referring to cheap combos that only require ButtonMashing, without any stick movement[[/note]] unmemorable and often [[TheScrappy easy-to-hate]] new characters, the complete shattering of the Eastern-[[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign ish]] theme (which resulted in people realizing how ridiculous some of the characters looked), and the bosses [[SNKBoss suddenly]] [[PerfectPlayAI getting]] [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard cheaper]]. Yet there's still a lot of fans and defenders of this one.