History Sequelitis / VideoGames

* The ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater'' series started off as a unique concept to the industry and garnered hundreds of fans, with the [=PS2=] port of the third installment being one of the most critically-acclaimed games of its time. As the series progressed through the ''Underground'' titles, however, the changes became minimal and predictable, the over-the-top tone got stale really quickly and the series declined in overall quality, with the peripheral-based ''RIDE'' and ''SHRED'' installments getting intense lashings from critics and fans alike. It didn't help that EA's ''VideoGame/{{Skate}}'' had stolen the market from Activision, too. Like the hip-hop examples, they tried to rekindle interest with a ''Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5'', which was [[ObviousBeta very incomplete]] and slammed hard by fans and critics alike.

** Regarding the ''VideoGame/MariovsDonkeyKong'' subseries, after the third game in the series, ''Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!'' was released, a fourth game sequel was released in just a little over a year, ''Mini-Land Mayhem!'', afterwards three more sequels were released between the 3DS and Wii U in less than three years: ''Minis on the Move'', ''Tipping Stars'', and ''amiibo Challenge''. The majority of the time, these games are forgotten or ignored in terms of the subseries as a whole, and those that do have an opinion on this set of games usually consider those reactions to be [[SoOkayItsAverage pretty reasonable for ''Minis on the Move'' and the final game ''amiibo Challenge'']], [[MissionPackSequel the others]] [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks not so much]].

** The ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' series is filled to the brim with this trope. Every sequel has had a few new gimmicks and mini-games to stand out from the game before it, but eventually, the games started to rehash older mini-games/boards/gimmicks with a slight tweak to them. Fan-favorite Donkey Kong was quickly demoted to an NPC starting with the [[VideoGame/MarioParty5 fifth game]] and wouldn't return until the [[VideoGame/MarioParty10 tenth game]], with each entry having a wildly varying roster of characters. Since the party games kept being released on a near yearly basis, fans started to notice just how stale the series was getting, which may explain why ''VideoGame/MarioParty9'' came out nearly five years after ''[[VideoGame/MarioParty8 8]]'' and revamped the basics of the game. It was poorly received by the fanbase, viewed as neither interesting ''nor'' unique. That being said, even detractors preferred it over ''[[VideoGame/MarioParty10 10]]'', thanks to Bowser Mode being weighed ''heavily'' in Bowser's favor, to the point where it's almost impossible for the other players to win. The handheld titles, on the other hand, were largely exempt from the scorn the home console installments received, with ''VideoGame/MarioPartyDS'' generally being seen as legitimately good. However, it wouldn't be until ''VideoGame/SuperMarioParty'' was released on the Nintendo Switch that a ''Mario Party'' installment would be generally warmly received by the fanbase, and ''Mario Party Superstars'' was seen by and large as a true return to form.

** The ''VideoGame/MarioTennis'' subseries hit this trope with its Wii U installment, ''Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash'', getting significantly worse reviews than its predecessors for its abysmal lack of content. Many of its players have noted that, in some respects, it feels more like an open beta for the significantly more polished and much better-received ''Mario Tennis Aces''.

** ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXII'' had big shoes to fill, being the third DreamMatchGame of the series, and practically everyone accepted that it completely and utterly failed to meet the standards that both '''98'' and ''2002'' set, having a paltry roster that even [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters94 the very first installment]] outnumbered, no proper Arcade Mode (and there's no [[SNKBoss brutally hard boss]] either), and overall feeling more akin to [[ObviousBeta a glorified demo]] for ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXIII XIII]]'' than an installment in its own right.

* ''Contract J.A.C.K.'' was a MissionPackSequel to ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever 2'', created solely as a side project so that the artists and level designers at Creator/{{Monolith|Productions}} would have something to do while the programming team worked on the next iteration of their in-house game engine that would power the later and much better ''VideoGame/CondemnedCriminalOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon''. The end result shows it, in its lack of concentrated effort [[ObviousBeta or polish]]; as just one example, there are several pickups for an ammo type used by a gun that is never acquired in the game except by cheating -- which resulted in the series being getting canned.

** ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2001'' was the point that the Striker system, the NESTS Chronicles' defining feature, finally reached rock-bottom, as the changes made to it ensured that zero-to-death combos, the aspect most criticized, were easier to perform. Aside from that, there was also common consensus that the soundtrack was of drastically lower quality than usual, and that's without mentioning [[OvershadowedByControversy the K9999 fiasco]].[[labelnote:Wait, what happened?]]K9999, a newcomer in ''2001'' crucial to its plot, was so much of a CaptainErsatz of Tetsuo Shima from ''Manga/{{AKIRA}}'' that SNK, for 20 years, [[BuryYourArt acted as though he never existed]].[[/labelnote]]
** ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXII'' had big shoes to fill, being the third DreamMatchGame of the series, and practically everyone accepted that it completely and utterly failed to meet the standards that both '''98'' and ''2002'' set, having a paltry roster that even [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters94 the very first installment]] outnumbered, no proper Arcade Mode (and there's no [[SNKBoss brutally hard boss]] either), and overall feeling more akin to [[ObviousBeta a glorified demo]] for ''XIII'' than an installment in its own right.
* The first game in the ''VideoGame/KunioKun'' series was localised for western audiences as ''Renegade'' and considered to be a fine BeatEmUp, enough so that Ocean Software made their own separate sequels to it. The first sequel, ''Target: Renegade'', combining the original game with cues from the then-nascent ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' franchise was also well received and considered a worthy sequel. The third game, ''Renegade III: The Final Chapter'', received a very poor reception, was widely considered to be an InNameOnly entry in the series, and ended up prophetically being a FranchiseKiller -- no new ''Renegade'' games were released after it.

** The ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' series. While they all received a generally great critical reception and were huge commercial successes for Nintendo, the sequels have also fallen under criticism for [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks not bringing much to the table]]. The biggest point of contention are the games' static presentation, with the games reusing the same music and level tropes (as well as the same sequence order of level tropes), and all having a similar artstyle (though the fourth game, ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU'', is generally credited to have at least significantly tweaked the aesthetics). The third game in particular, ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros2'', is usually considered the weakest entry in the series, due to the only real major addition to the formula being a coin-collection gimmick.[[note]]Tellingly enough, an interview with the game's directors revealed the game's development team [[BTeamSequel was primarily composed of newcomers]], while veteran 2D Mario developers worked on ''New Super Mario Bros. U''.[[/note]]

* The ''VideoGame/{{Soul|Series}}'' series got hit with this pretty hard in TheNewTens. ''Soul Edge'' was a respectable 3D fighter, though it wound up being overshadowed by [[Franchise/{{Tekken}} its sister series]] and then [[SequelDisplacement displaced by its sequel]] ''Soulcalibur'', which became a major KillerApp for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast. ''Soulcalibur II'' [[EvenBetterSequel continued to improve upon its predecessor's refinements]] and is considered one of the best fighting games of all time. The third and fourth ''Calibur'' games aren't bad, but couldn't match the standards set by ''II''. Then came ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV'', which was full of FakeBalance and a number of changes to the story that were met with a lot of derision from the fanbase. Major League Gaming, the crowd that ''V'' was meant to appeal to, rejected it outright. Then, the series shifted focus with ''Soulcalibur: Unbreakable Soul'' and ''Soulcalibur: Lost Swords'', which got even more backlash from the inclusion of {{microtransactions}} and online DRM, respectively. [[note]]The always-online DRM was seen as a particular sticking point since it was a single-player-only game.[[/note]] Couple that with all three of those titles coming out in a twelve-month period, and for a long time, the subsequent fall from grace had left the fate of the series up in the air. Subverted with ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'', which fortunately managed to reverse the downwards spiral and [[WinBackTheCrowd won acclaim from critics and fans alike]].

* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' is considered one of the best Nintendo 64 games. Prequelitis ensued with ''Perfect Dark Zero'', you can essentially call it an InNameOnly prequel. The continuity of the first game is only glanced upon, Joanna is a spunky [[{{Stripperiffic}} oddly clad]] girl with red hair and a penchant for [[BondOneLiner one liners]]. The Carrington Institute makes an appearance... with Carrington himself having become 200% more Scottish, complete with a kilt. The aliens are non-existent and only hinted in one cutscene, the main antagonist being a company connected to [=dataDyne=] being run by a small stereotypical Chinese man. The gameplay? The game was developed by a different team (because the original developers left Rare), which speaks for itself; it plays more like ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' or ''VideoGame/GhostReconAdvancedWarfighter'' than a follow-up to the original ''Perfect Dark''.

* ''VideoGame/InitialDArcadeStage'' started to suffer from this after ''Ver. 3'', not necessarily because of game quality, but because the game changes way too much with each new game in a series where the player can transfer their personal data from one installment to the next, and as a result playing a new game is like relearning how to walk in an adult body.

** ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2001'' was the point that the Striker system, the NESTS Chronicles' defining feature, finally reached rock-bottom, as the changes made to it ensured that zero-to-death combos, the aspect most criticized, were easier to perform. Aside from that, there was also common consensus that the soundtrack was of drastically lower quality than usual, and that's without mentioning [[CaptainErsatz the K9999]] [[BuryYourArt fiasco]].

* The first game in the ''VideoGame/KunioKun'' series was localised for western audiences as ''Renegade'' and considered to be a fine BeatEmUp, enough so that Ocean Software made their own separate sequels to it. The first sequel, ''Target: Renegade'', combining the original game with cues from the then-nascent ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' franchise was also well received and considered a worthy sequel. The third game, ''Renegade III: The Final Chapter'', received a very poor reception, was widely considered to be an InNameOnly entry in the series, and ended up being a FranchiseKiller -- no new ''Renegade'' games were released after it.

* ''VideoGame/TombRaiderII'' was generally considered almost equal or an EvenBetterSequel on release. By ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles Chronicles]]'', the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' series had firmly fallen into this and ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderTheAngelOfDarkness The Angel of Darkness]]'' was the last straw before the series began recovering by being moved from Core Design to Crystal Dynamics. The reason the franchise fell into the trope was due to the huge success of the first ''VideoGame/TombRaider''. Because the game sold so well, Eidos demanded that a new ''Tomb Raider'' should be made every year. This caused a big burnout with the developers and they killed off Lara at the end of ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation'' [[TorchTheFranchiseAndRun in the hopes of ending the series and going to do something else]]. [[FranchiseZombie It didn't work.]]

** The ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' series is filled to the brim with this trope. Every sequel has had a few new gimmicks and mini-games to stand out from the game before it, but eventually, the games started to rehash older mini-games/boards/gimmicks with a slight tweak to them. Fan-favorite Donkey Kong was quickly demoted to an NPC starting with the fifth game and wouldn't return until the tenth game, with each entry having a wildly varying roster of characters. Since the party games kept being released on a near yearly basis, fans started to notice just how stale the series was getting, which may explain why ''Mario Party 9'' came out nearly five years after ''8'' and revamped the basics of the game. It was poorly received by the fanbase, viewed as neither interesting ''nor'' unique. That being said, even detractors preferred it over ''10'', thanks to Bowser Mode being weighed ''heavily'' in Bowser's favor, to the point where it's almost impossible for the other players to win. The handheld titles, on the other hand, were largely exempt from the scorn the home console installments received, with ''DS'' generally being seen as legitimately good. However, it wouldn't be until ''Super Mario Party'' was released on the Nintendo Switch that a ''Mario Party'' installment would be generally warmly received by the fanbase, and ''Mario Party Superstars'' was seen by and large as a true return to form.

** ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2001'' was the point that the Striker system, the NESTS Chronicles' defining feature, finally reached rock-bottom, as the changes made to it ensured that zero-to-death combos, the aspect most criticized, were easier to perform. Aside from that, there was also common consensus that the soundtrack was of drastically lower quality than usual, and that's without mentioning [[CaptainErsatz the K9999 fiasco]].
** ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXII'' had big shoes to fill, being the third DreamMatchGame of the series, and practically everyone accepted that it completely and utterly failed to meet the standards that both '''98'' and ''2002'' set, having a paltry roster that even [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters94 the very first installment]] outnumbered, no proper Arcade Mode, and overall feeling more akin to [[ObviousBeta a glorified demo]] for ''XIII''.

* Nearly any ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}'' game after ''Lemmings 2: The Tribes''.

* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' is considered one of the best Nintendo 64 games. Prequelitis ensued with ''Perfect Dark Zero'', you can essentially call it an InNameOnly prequel. The continuity of the first game is only glanced upon, Joanna is a spunky [[{{Stripperiffic}} oddly clad]] girl with red hair and a penchant for [[BondOneLiner one liners]]. The Carrington Institute makes an appearance... with Carrington himself having become 200% more Scottish, complete with a kilt. The aliens are non-existent and only hinted in one cutscene, the main antagonist being a company connected to [=dataDyne=] being run by a small stereotypical Chinese man. The gameplay? The game was developed by a different team (because the original developers left Rare), which speaks for itself; it plays more like ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' or ''VideoGame/GhostRecon: Advanced Warfighter'' than a follow-up to the original ''Perfect Dark''.

* The fourth game in the ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}'' series switched from the antiquated engine and sketch-like, endearing graphics of the first three to something more powerful and ([[UncannyValley theoretically]]) more realistic, and hence got hit with TheyChangedItNowItSucks. Since the new engine was taken from ''VideoGame/{{Geneforge}}'', it also got hit with TheyCopiedItSoItSucks. And since the plot was quite similar to that of the third game, it was also subject to ItsTheSameNowItSucks. Then there were the complaints when the game was taken on its own merits...

* The ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' series is widely agreed to have peaked at ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'', with ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' facing criticism over [[ScrappyMechanic X-Factor]] and [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks switch to 3D graphics]]. While ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'''s gameplay was applauded, it quickly became infamous for [[UncannyValley poor attempts at realistic graphics]], a ham-fisted story, a lacklustre roster missing a significant amount of series mainstays (especially on the Marvel side), and numerous instances of ExecutiveMeddling.

* ''VideoGame/ChibiRobo'' was a decent little Gamecube-original platformer-adventure game hybrid, known for its large open world and charming concept of being able to explore a house as a tiny robot. It sold satisfactorily, got good reviews, and developed a small but devoted fanbase. However, the franchise seemed to have an odd aversion to just making a newer installment, with most of the results being small-budget spinoffs that failed to impress. It all culminated in ''Chibi-Robo: Zip Lash'', which pretty much ditched the franchise's entire aesthetic and most of its gimmicks in favor of a depressingly bog-standard and mediocre 2D sidescroller, with the baffling gimmick of requiring the player to ''[[LuckBasedMission roll a roulette wheel]]'' to determine whether or not they could advance to the next stage after beating a level. Paradoxically, despite the massive overhaul, the producers essentially said that if the game failed, the franchise would probably never see another entry. [[FranchiseKiller It did]], receiving poor reviews, alienating what little fanbase the franchise had left, and having copies marked down to clearance levels.

* ''VideoGame/EpicMickey'' was an [[SoOkayItsAverage average game]] at worst, suffering mostly from CameraScrew, janky controls, and [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot not living up to the (admittedly impressive) hype]]. ''Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two'' took all the problems the original had and left them basically unchanged (if anything, they got worse), and added co-op play with a broken AI, grating voices and song sections, and boring puzzles. The resulting game collapsed with a quarter of the original's sales and [[CreatorKiller took its developer with it.]]

* The ''Videogame/LegoAdaptationGame'' suffered from this on occasion, be it for installments like ''Videogame/LegoStarWars III: The Clone Wars'' or ''[[VideoGame/LegoTheLordOfTheRings LEGO The Hobbit]]'', that continued on already used franchise without enough novelty to make it worthy, or others like ''Videogame/LegoPiratesOfTheCaribbean'', which were using the exact same gameplay and simply applying it to different licensed themes, being basically made up of levels loosely based on scenes from the original work (with cutscenes that are literally just cheesy re-enactments with no dialogue) and some hanging out in a notable location from the respective franchise in between. Tellingly, the ones based on [[VideoGame/LegoBatman DC]] and [[VideoGame/LegoMarvelSuperHeroes Marvel]] fared better because while the characters were existing ones, the stories were wholly original.

* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'''s ''Mata Nui Online Game'' is a rough around the edges, hastily made and not too challenging, but charming PointAndClickGame that many fans consider the franchise's best piece of media for its memorable characters, commendable writing, great world establishment, and fantastic atmosphere. ''Mata Nui Online Game II'' is a step up in technical terms, it looks more polished and the gameplay is a lot more involved, but has none of the original's story element and likable characters. Grinding is a massive chore, the bartering system is tedious, world-building is replaced with walls of {{exposition}} that read like religious mantra, and the ending is unfulfilling: you don't get to play the championship you trained hours for, because Franchise/{{Lego}} forced the developers to tie the game into their then-upcoming animated film. It is also literally unplayable without fan patches thanks to Lego losing some gamefiles. The ''Voya Nui Online Game'', a RolePlayingGame unrelated to the previous two in all but name and a few characters, is either an improvement for being more fun or even worse for being more tedious in its later parts and not being canon to the franchise's story.

* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' is seen as an unspectacular WRPG. ''Mask of the Betrayer'', its expansion, is seen as one of the best-written games out there and usually gets compared favorably to ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' (it was made by many of the same people). On the other hand, the second expansion, ''Storm of Zehir'', ditched the story-driven aspects (possibly because of ''Mask'' being a ToughActToFollow) in favor of an open-world retro dungeon-crawler in the style of ''VideoGame/IcewindDale''. Though it's not considered ''bad'' by the standards of retro dungeon-crawlers, including one of the best applications of the skill system, it's nowhere near as well-regarded as its predecessors.

* After the release of ''VideoGame/{{Painkiller}}'' and its expansion pack, developer People Can Fly moved on to greener pastures and the publisher hired a revolving door of developers to produce a slew of sequels, which were generally buggy and suffered from amateurish graphics and game design (one of them, ''Overdose'', literally started as a [[RunningTheAsylum mod before being upgraded to a full-blown retail game]]). The last game in the series, ''Hell & Damnation'' fared slightly better due to being a remake of the first installment with some of the original developers on board, but even then it faced harsh criticism for its decision to withhold levels that were in the base game and make them paid DLC.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' received an overall mixed reception compared to previous installments, with most of the professional reviews being extremely polarized as really positive or really negative. This critical schism (and ''[=RE6=]'' falling short of Creator/{{Capcom}}'s sales expectations despite the game selling close to 5 million copies in less than a year[[note]]Capcom's projections were 7 million[[/note]]) led to the series RevisitingTheRoots for its next several installments (''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2 Revelations 2]]'', ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard RE7]]'', remakes of ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake RE2]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Remake RE3]]'', ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage Village]]''), with ''7'', the ''Resident Evil 2'' remake, and ''Village'' managing to WinBackTheCrowd -- though the ill-received ''VideoGame/UmbrellaCorps'' (another multiplayer-focused tactical shooter in the vein of ''ORC'') was also released during this period and the third game's remake was seen in a less favorable light compared to its predecessor.

** ''VideoGame/SilentHill1'' was good. ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' and ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'' were better. ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'' was debatable. ''VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/SilentHillHomecoming''... were really debatable. Although some people think ''[[VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour Downpour]]'' helped the series get back on track, but is still the subject of debate.
** On the other hand, ''VideoGame/SilentHills'' and the related demo, ''P.T.'', received mostly positive responses. Unfortunately, the game was cancelled and its demo removed from the PSN store, leaving the world to imagine WhatCouldHaveBeen.

* ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim'' was a weird and well-received game. The second game was even better in nearly every aspect. Then the series met the PolygonCeiling courtesy of a different developer, and anything resembling quality went out the window. Then Shiny Entertainment themselves [[CreatorKiller threw their own quality off their windows]] some time after dumping Jim.

* The general fate of the ''VideoGame/RollerCoasterTycoon'' series. ''[=RollerCoaster=] Tycoon 2'' is generally still well-regarded, but gets some accusations of being an unambitious MissionPackSequel with less creative scenarios. ''3'' switched developers to Frontier Developments, and while it was eventually VindicatedByHistory, it was a somewhat buggy ContestedSequel at launch and spawned many arguments over whether or not the franchise hit the PolygonCeiling. ''[=RollerCoaster=] Tycoon 3D'', released [[SequelGap eight years later]] as a 3DS exclusive, did ''not'' split fans over hitting the PolygonCeiling, being viewed as excessively limited even taking the handheld's limitations into account and bogged down by constant tutorials. ''4'' is viewed as a straight-up bad game for being [[AllegedlyFreeGame "free"]], and as such being the perfect embodiment of all the things people hate about the freemium business model. Atari tried to WinBackTheCrowd with ''World'', but it flopped with unimpressive reviews due to being even buggier than ''3''. ''[=RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch=]'' was better received than ''4'' (not like that was hard), though still not viewed as much better than SoOkayItsAverage; it was followed up by the low-effort Switch/PC port ''[=RollerCoaster=] Tycoon Adventures'', which had an investment strategy handled so poorly and so bizarrely that some suspect it may have been part of a tax write-off scheme. Even these games' defenders have nothing nice to say about ''[=RollerCoaster=] Tycoon Story'', an InNameOnly mobile MatchThreeGame that was universally panned as a cheap cash grab and had fans clamoring for Atari to either sell the IP or put it out of its misery already.

** The franchise eventually made its 3D leap (with [[PolygonCeiling questionable results]]) through the ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' series on the Sega Dreamcast. While they are regarded as good games (particularly the sequel) they are widely considered to be a step down from the classics, due to various bugs and glitches, a poor camera, and the contentious alternate playstyles. From there, the series continued its first decline, with ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' being considered to be average, the ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' spinoff being mostly panned, and the series hitting its low point with ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic 2006]]'', a rushed, glitch-ridden mess that is near-universally despised by gamers and critics alike. The trend initially started to reverse with ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', with the subsequent console versions of ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' and ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' being lauded by fans as the best 3D titles in the franchise; only for ''another'' decline to occur with ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' seriously dividing reviewers and fans alike, the ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'' spinoff games being outright duds, and ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' considered an unremarkable disappointment. (With that said, the {{retraux}} side-game ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', developed by a different team, received widespread praise as the best ''Sonic'' game in years, indicating that there may still be some hope for the Blue Blur as of yet.)

* The ''Videogame/LegoLicensedGames'' suffered from this on occasion, be it for installments like ''Videogame/LegoStarWars III: The Clone Wars'' or ''[[VideoGame/LegoTheLordOfTheRings LEGO The Hobbit]]'', that continued on already used franchise without enough novelty to make it worthy, or others like ''Videogame/LegoPiratesOfTheCaribbean'', which were using the exact same gameplay and simply applying it to different licensed themes, being basically made up of levels loosely based on scenes from the original work (with cutscenes that are literally just cheesy re-enactments with no dialogue) and some hanging out in a notable location from the respective franchise in between. Tellingly, the ones based on [[VideoGame/LegoBatman DC]] and [[VideoGame/LegoMarvelSuperHeroes Marvel]] fared better because while the characters were existing ones, the stories were wholly original.

** Zig-zagged with ''Dawn of War II'', a SoftReboot of sorts that [[AuthorsSavingThrow addressed]] many of the issues present in ''Soulstorm''. That said, while generally well-received, it has a mild ContestedSequel status for being a very different manner of [[RealTimeStrategy RTS]] compared to the original.

* The Hub's ''VideoGame/AdventurePonies'' is an amusing little {{retraux}} Flash platformer that, while not amazingly good, is a fun way to kill an hour or two. ''Adventure Ponies 2: Wait! There's More?!'' wasn't as warmly received; besides the loss of the colorful backgrounds of the first game in favor of brown forests and caverns, the game is essentially a MissionPackSequel to the original game with different characters. Even looking past that, it's a lot buggier than its big brother (the game has been known to crash to a sprite sheet or debug menu on occasion).

** The [[VideoGame/AloneInTheDark2 second game]] is generally seen as one of the worst in the series, due to a combination of rushing it out to try and capitalize on the original's success (the director later acknowledged in an interview that they knew the game was buggy and unbalanced but weren't concerned about the quality) and [[ActionizedSequel attempting to cash in on the success]] of ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D''. The end result is it's essentially a shooter, but it made no attempt to change the base gameplay (you'll often end up getting shot at from offscreen, and in the unlikely event that you do manage to get an enemy in your view, good luck aiming at him) and ends up borderline unplayable. The entire "horror" thing is also completely absent, with it taking the little moments of silliness that were common in contemporary horror games and cranking them up to eleven until the game became a self-parody. It really says something when the most famous part of a "survival horror" game involves bludgeoning zombie dwarf cooks to death with a frying pan while wearing a Santa outfit. Fortunately, the third game reintroduced the adventure elements from the original and took itself a bit more seriously.

* ''[[VideoGame/ArcTheLad Arc the Lad: End of Darkness]]'' is widely considered inferior to ''VideoGame/ArcTheLadTwilightOfTheSpirits'' and is one of the worst-rated [=PS2 RPGs=]. The game features a new, but slow and clunky, ActionRPG battle system, and most of its maps and character models are cut-pasted from its predecessor. The reception was so bad that no new game was announced until ''Arc The Lad R'', a mobile game, in 2018 (14 years later).

* ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield}}''

* ''VideoGame/ChibiRobo'' was a decent little Gamecube-original platformer-adventure game hybrid, known for its large open world and charming concept of being able to explore a house as a tiny robot. It sold satisfactorily, got good reviews, and developed a small but devoted fanbase. However, the franchise seemed to have an odd aversion to just making a newer installment, with most of the results being small-budget spinoffs that failed to impress. It all culminated in ''Chibi-Robo: Zip Lash'', which pretty much ditched the franchise's entire aesthetic and most of its gimmicks in favor of a depressingly bog-standard and mediocre 2D sidescroller, with the baffling gimmick of requiring the player to ''[[LuckBasedMission roll a roulette wheel]]'' to determine whether or not they could advance to the next stage after beating a level. Paradoxically, despite the massive overhaul, the producers essentially said that if the game failed, the franchise would probably never see another entry. [[FranchiseKiller It did,]] receiving poor reviews, alienating what little fanbase the franchise had left, and having copies marked down to clearance levels.
* ''Videogame/CommandAndConquerTiberianTwilight'' was such a step down [[FranchiseKiller it killed the franchise]], which has barely had releases ever since. The biggest problem was its dramatic departure from the traditional ''C&C'' experience, having removed many of the series' trademark gameplay elements for no discernible reason. Its infamous ending, intended to be the conclusion of the overall series, ultimately failed to answer many of the central questions that drove the main story, and as such is widely considered a tone-deaf entry that undermined the once-popular RTS series.
* ''Contract J.A.C.K.'' was a MissionPackSequel to ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever 2'', created solely as a side project so that the artists and level designers at Creator/{{Monolith|Productions}} would have something to do while the programming team worked on the next iteration of their in-house game engine that would power the later and much better ''VideoGame/CondemnedCriminalOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon''. The end result shows it, in its lack of concentrated effort [[ObviousBeta or polish]] - as just one example, there are several pickups for an ammo type used by a gun that is never acquired in the game except by cheating - which resulted in the series being getting canned.

* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWarIII'' is considered a serious step-down from its [[VideoGame/DawnOfWarII celebrated predecessor]], downgrading to only three playable factions in the base game instead of the traditional four, and adopting a cartoonish, exaggerated art and gameplay style that drew plenty of {{Narm}} and [[FollowTheLeader unfavorable comparisons]] to ''VideoGame/StarCraft''. Few of the returning characters from previous games had their original voice actors, and the campaign's bare-bones plot and GenericDoomsdayVillain left a sour taste in a lot of mouths. The backlash and lack of sales that were generated by these factors caused Relic to announce ten months later that support was ending for ''DOW III'', and all planned content for the game was cancelled.

** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'' is generally considered to be far inferior to the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 first game]] with its lousy story, bland combat, and greatly lowered difficulty level.
** ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'' is despised by fans due to its "Westernized" approach, overly simplified combat system, and Dante's new immature and unfunny characterization. The negative reaction to ''[=DmC=]'' led Capcom to shelve the reboot continuity altogether and eventually release [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 a new game]] set in the original continuity, to considerable acclaim.

* ''Videogame/DukeNukemForever'', thanks to its long development that sought a worthy if not better follow-up to ''Videogame/DukeNukem3D'', wound up falling short instead, as the gameplay was less fun in both the addition of clunky minigames and an attempt to incorporate mechanics from all shooters that came out in the decade as {{Vaporware}}, the humor didn't work as well with its [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece outdated references]], [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic Duke felt more like a chauvinistic, sociopathic douchebag instead of a cool badass]], and the writing showcased [[ValuesDissonance very]] [[UnfortunateImplications outdated]] views on race and sex.

* ''VideoGame/Fallout76'': In what seems to be a trend for ''Fallout'' spinoffs, the game is generally considered by gamers and critics to be the worst game in the series since Bethesda bought the franchise. Dated visuals, buggy gameplay, an outdated engine, the absence of a story and human [=NPC=]s, and insipid and asinine gameplay all add up to a game that has been savaged by review outlets and fans alike. The result is a game that seemingly pleases no one. It's worth noting that many fans and critics agree that the idea of a multiplayer ''Fallout'' game is a great one, but its implementation leaves a lot to be desired.

* The first two ''VideoGame/FlatOut'' games were well-known for their destructible environments and ragdoll driver physics - the most amusing parts being the mini-games that involved the player launching their driver out of his car into various targets and watching him flop around in pain. Five years separated the second and third games, and development was taken up by Team 6 Games (of ''European Street Racer'' infamy) while Bugbear Interactive worked on ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer: Unbounded''. Unfortunately, Team 6's ''[=FlatOut=]'' game looks ugly, is riddled with bugs, and none of the tracks are fun to navigate. That said, a fourth game has since come out and while it's not as good as the original two, it's at least an improvement over the third one.

* For being such a guilty pleasure, ''VideoGame/HuniePop'' still had a rock-solid puzzle gameplay and a nice {{animesque}} visual style. When the pseudo-sequel ''VideoGame/HunieCamStudio'' came out, many disliked how it ditched all of its most popular features. The puzzle/DatingSim hybrid was substituted by a shallow and repetitive Tycoon-style management game, the animesque style replaced by a more cartoony "Western" style that clashed with the game's erotic themes and, while the offensive humor abounded and in some cases was turned UpToEleven, the actual explicit content was reduced to a minimum. The girls received little to no characterization outside of the fetishes they embody, unlike the previous game. And, all in all, HCS is really not that different from the browser and Facebook games it's meant to parody. Thankfully, the [[VideoGame/HuniePop2 actual sequel]] is much closer to the predecessor.

* The first game in the ''VideoGame/KunioKun'' series was localised for western audiences as ''Renegade'' and considered to be a fine BeatEmUp, enough so that Ocean Software made their own separate sequels to it. The first sequel, ''Target: Renegade'', combining the original game with cues from the then-nascent ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' franchise was also well received and considered a worthy sequel. The third game, ''Renegade III: The Final Chapter'', received a very poor reception, was widely considered to be an InNameOnly entry in the series, and ended up being a FranchiseKiller - no new ''Renegade'' games were released after it.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManX7'' is generally considered the worst game in the franchise due to its terrible gameplay in the 3D stages, awful English voice acting, and for Axl being a whiny ReplacementScrappy to X. Thankfully, the [[VideoGame/MegaManX8 sequel]] improves matter by taking out the 3d stages and making Axl more tolerable.

* The UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} games from the same publisher (EA Sports) and developer (EA Tiburon) as ''Madden'' suffered a particularly bad case of this, with sales dropping off with each increasingly sub-mediocre entry. The series was eventually killed outright after having a particularly awful faceplant onto 7th-generation consoles.

* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' is considered one of the best Nintendo 64 games. Prequelitis ensued with ''Perfect Dark Zero'', you can essentially call it an InNameOnly prequel. The continuity of the first game is only glanced upon, Joanna is a spunky [[{{Stripperiffic}} oddly clad]] girl with red hair and a penchant for [[BondOneLiner one liners]]. The Carrington Institute makes an appearance... with Carrington himself having become 200% more Scottish, complete with a kilt. The aliens are non-existent and only hinted in one cutscene, the main antagonist being a company connected to [=dataDyne=] being run by a small stereotypical Chinese man. The gameplay? The game was developed by a different team (because the original developers left Rare), which speaks for itself; it plays more like ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' or ''VideoGame/GhostRecon: Advanced Warfighter'' than a follow-up to the original ''Perfect Dark''.
* In spite of being the most story-driven of the ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' series, ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyon Yon]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyo7 7]]'' are often seen as this due to its usage of {{Scrappy Mechanic}}s.

* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series:
** The series was heading this way starting with [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis the third game]] which re-hashed [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 the second game]] only giving more emphasis on the Raccoon City outbreak. ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'' (the technical fourth game) hardly added anything new to the formula save some improved camera angles. The remake of the first game picked up some interest but that fell with ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilZero'' which coasted by on a gimmick that let you switch between the two characters. After a few side games (''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilGunSurvivor Survivor]]'', ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilGaiden Gaiden]]'', ''Dead Aim'', the ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak Outbreak]]'' games), the series did an overhaul with ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' which was praised as one of the better games. Then [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 part five]] came and it was considered more of the same only with co-op added. The less said about ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilOperationRaccoonCity'' the better.
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' got an overall mixed reception compared to previous installments, with most of the professional reviews being extremely polarized as really positive or really negative.
* The general fate of the ''VideoGame/RollerCoasterTycoon'' series. ''[=RollerCoaster=] Tycoon 2'' is generally still well-regarded, but gets some accusations of being an unambitious MissionPackSequel with less creative scenarios. ''3'' switched developers to Frontier Developments, and while it was eventually VindicatedByHistory, it was a somewhat buggy ContestedSequel at launch and spawned many arguments over whether or not the franchise hit the PolygonCeiling. ''[=RollerCoaster Tycoon=] 3D'', released [[SequelGap eight years later]] as a 3DS exclusive, did ''not'' split fans over hitting the Polygon Ceiling, being viewed as excessively limited even taking the handheld's limitations into account and bogged down by constant tutorials. ''4'' is viewed as a straight-up bad game for being [[AllegedlyFreeGame "free"]], and as such being the perfect embodiment of all the things people hate about the freemium business model. Atari tried to WinBackTheCrowd with ''World'', but it flopped with unimpressive reviews due to being even buggier than ''3''. ''[=RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch=]'' was better received than ''4'' (not like that was hard), though still not viewed as much better than SoOkayItsAverage; it was followed up by the low-effort Switch/PC port ''[=RollerCoaster=] Tycoon Adventures'', which had an investment strategy handled so poorly and so bizarrely that some suspect it may have been part of a tax write-off scheme. Even these games' defenders have nothing nice to say about ''[=RollerCoaster Tycoon=] Story'', an InNameOnly mobile MatchThreeGame that was universally panned as a cheap cash grab and had fans clamoring for Atari to either sell the IP or put it out of its misery already.
* ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom: Card Fighters DS'', despite its much wider variety of playable cards compared to its two UsefulNotes/NeoGeo Color Pocket predecessors, is commonly perceived as having a weaker and more [[GameBreaker easy-to-break]] battle system. First-run English copies also contained an unavoidable GameBreakingBug that prevented completion of the NewGamePlus.
* The ''VideoGame/ShiningSeries'' really was ''the'' fantasy series in the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis era topping off with an amazing if little-known [[VideoGame/ShiningForceIII three-part finale]] on the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn. Attempts to branch off into the action-adventure genre have varied between mediocre-but-passable (''SF Neo'', ''SF EXA'', ''VideoGame/ShiningSoulII'') to forgettable (''VideoGame/ShiningTears'', the original ''Shining Soul''). Atlus and Sega did a competent job with the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance EnhancedRemake of the first ''VideoGame/ShiningForce''. Fans have been waiting for years to see if a remake of ''Shining Force II'' will surface, but it's looking increasingly unlikely every day.
* ''Videogame/SimCity'' already faultered with ''[=SimCity=] Societies'', which tried to put a new focus on social development but the community found it disappointingly easy and shallow, while its 3D engine was prone to grinding even hulking great PCs to a halt at higher zoom levels. And then ''Videogame/SimCity2013'' was an outright disaster, specially as upon launch the very controversial decision to make the game always online led to [[DemandOverload the servers becoming so overloaded]] that getting into the game was nearly impossible, and thus the game was effectively unplayable for anyone who bought it on day one. And that's not counting unpopular changes to the core mechanics (an expansive, sandbox single player game became an always on multiplayer game with heavy restrictions on the size of a city) and some ambitious ideas that wound up not working in the game itself (the inhabitants of the city having their own lives, the agent system that was supposed to handle resource distribution). Even if EA did their best to fix the bad first impression, including creating an offline single player, the fanbase eventually migrated to ''Videogame/CitiesSkylines'', and along with ''Videogame/TheSims4'' coming out severely lacking content, [[CreatorKiller it spelled a death knell to Maxis]], [[FranchiseKiller as well as for the series]] aside from the mobile version ''[=SimCity BuildIt=]''.

** ''VideoGame/SilentHill1'' was good. ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' and ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'' were better. ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'' was debatable. ''VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/SilentHillHomecoming''... were really debatable. Although some people think ''Downpour'' helped the series get back on track, but is still the subject of debate.
** On the other hand, ''VideoGame/SilentHills'' and the related demo, PT, received mostly positive responses. Unfortunately, the game was cancelled and its demo removed from the PSN store, leaving the world to imagine WhatCouldHaveBeen.
* Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog:
** [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 The]] [[VideoGame/SonictheHedgehog2 first]] [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles four titles]] on the Sega Genesis (as well as [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD the obscure installment]] for the Sega CD add-on) were highly praised at the time of their release, and are still largely considered the best titles in the series. The series was largely out of the limelight during the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn era, with Sonic Team pursuing [[VideoGame/NiGHTSIntoDreams different]] [[VideoGame/BurningRangers projects]] and Sega making new ''Sonic'' games without them to little success (with the cancellation of ''Videogame/SonicXTreme'', what would had been the VideoGame3DLeap for the series, being the most [[TroubledProduction notorious]] [[ExecutiveMeddling example]] of this).
** The franchise eventually made its 3D leap (with [[PolygonCeiling questionable results]]) through the ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' series on the Sega Dreamcast. While they are regarded as good games (particularly the sequel) they are widely considered to be a step down from the classics, due to various bugs and glitches, a poor camera, and the contentious alternate playstyles. From there, the series continued its first decline, with ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' being considered to be average, the ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' spinoff being mostly panned, and the series hitting its low point with ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic 2006]]'', a rushed, glitch-ridden mess that is near-universally despised by gamers and critics alike. The trend initially started to reverse with ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', with the subsequent console versions of ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' and ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' being lauded by fans as the best 3D titles in the franchise; only for ''another'' decline to occur with ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' seriously dividing reviewers and fans alike, the ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'' spinoff games being outright duds, and ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' considered an unremarkable disappointment. (With that said, the {{retraux}} side-game ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', developed by a different team, received widespread praise as the best-Sonic game in years; indicating that there may still be some hope for the Blue Blur as of yet.)
** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' compared to its direct predecessors (the aforementioned Genesis titles), upon which its two episodes are considered anything but worthy followups. The main points of contention are the gameplay and controls being [[TheyChangedItSoItSucks virtually nothing like the original games]], while the game at the same time [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks heavily recycled content from its predecessors]] as opposed to bringing new material to the table.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Soul|Series}}'' series got hit with this pretty hard in TheNewTens. ''Soul Edge'' was a respectable 3D fighter, though it wound up being overshadowed by [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} its sister series]] and then [[SequelDisplacement displaced by its sequel]] ''Soulcalibur'', which became a major KillerApp for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast. ''Soulcalibur II'' [[EvenBetterSequel continued to improve upon its predecessor's refinements]] and is considered one of the best fighting games of all time. The third and fourth ''Calibur'' games aren't bad, but couldn't match the standards set by ''II''. Then came ''Videogame/SoulcaliburV'', which was full of FakeBalance and a number of changes to the story that were met with a lot of derision from the fanbase. Major League Gaming, the crowd that ''V'' was meant to appeal to, rejected it outright. Then, the series shifted focus with ''Soulcalibur: Unbreakable Soul'' and ''Soulcalibur: Lost Swords'', which got even more backlash from the inclusion of {{microtransactions}} and online DRM, respectively. [[note]]The always-online DRM was seen as a particular sticking point since it was a single-player-only game.[[/note]] Couple that with all three of those titles coming out in a twelve-month period, and for a long time, the subsequent fall from grace had left the fate of the series up in the air. Subverted with ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'', which fortunately managed to reverse the downwards spiral and [[WinBackTheCrowd won acclaim from critics and fans alike]].

* ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'', despite a lot of early excitement among the fighting game community, never caught on as well as Capcom's previous IntercontinuityCrossover games did (with the exception of ''Capcom Fighting Evolution'', which is perceived to be just as bad), mainly due to its slower pacing and gimmicky "Gem" system that granted temporary status buffs. The decision to lock most of ''[=SFxT's=]'' content behind a paywall (most infamously including a dozen fighters that were coded into the game discs at launch, but not officially added to the roster until months after the game's release) drew even heavier criticism, along with derisive jokes about future Capcom games shipping with disc-locked DLC.

* ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars II'' has gotten a lot of flak from the original's fans for dramatic shifts in the mechanics and unneeded extra complexity for no obvious good reason.

* ''Videogame/CommandAndConquerTiberianTwilight'' was such a step down [[FranchiseKiller it killed the franchise]], which has barely had releases ever since. The biggest problem was its dramatic departure from the traditional C&C experience, having removed many of the series' trademark gameplay elements for no discernible reason. Its infamous ending, intended to be the conclusion of the overall series, ultimately failed to answer many of the central questions that drove the main story, and as such is widely considered a tone-deaf entry that undermined the once-popular RTS series.

* ''VideoGame/Fallout76'': In what seems to be a trend for Fallout spinoffs, the game is generally considered by gamers and critics to be the worst game in the series since Bethesda bought the franchise. Dated visuals, buggy gameplay, an outdated engine, the absence of a story and human [=NPC=]s, and insipid and asinine gameplay all add up to a game that has been savaged by review outlets and fans alike. The result is a game that seemingly pleases no one. It's worth noting that many fans and critics agree that the idea of a multiplayer ''Fallout'' game is a great one, but its implementation leaves a lot to be desired.

** [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 The]] [[VideoGame/SonictheHedgehog2 first]] [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles four titles]] on the Sega Genesis (as well as [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD the obscure installment]] for the Sega CD add-on) were highly praised at the time of their release, and are still largely considered the best titles in the series. The series was largely out of the limelight during the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn era, with Sonic Team pursuing [[VideoGame/NiGHTSIntoDreams different]] [[VideoGame/BurningRangers projects]] and Sega making new ''Sonic'' games without them to little success (with the cancellation of ''[[{{Vaporware}} Sonic X-treme]]'', what would had been the VideoGame3DLeap for the series, being the most [[TroubledProduction notorious]] [[ExecutiveMeddling example]] of this).

* ''VideoGame/TombRaiderII'' was generally considered almost equal or an EvenBetterSequel on release. By ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles Chronicles]]'', the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' series had firmly fallen into this and ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderTheAngelOfDarkness The Angel of Darkness]]'' was the last straw before the series began recovering by being moved from Core Design to Crystal Dynamics. The reason the franchise fell into the trope was due to the huge success of the first ''VideoGame/TombRaider''. Because the game sold so well, Edios demanded that a new ''Tomb Raider'' should be made every year. This caused a big burnout with the developers and they killed off Lara at the end of ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation'' [[TorchTheFranchiseAndRun in the hopes of ending the series and going to do something else]]. [[FranchiseZombie It didn't work.]]
* The ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater'' series started off as a unique concept to the industry and garnered hundreds of fans, with the [=PS2=] port of the third installment being one of the most critically-acclaimed games of its time. As the series progressed through the Underground titles, however, the changes became minimal and predictable, the over-the-top tone got stale really quickly and the series declined in overall quality, with the peripheral-based ''RIDE'' and ''SHRED'' installments getting intense lashings from critics and fans alike. It didn't help that EA's ''VideoGame/{{Skate}}'' had stolen the market from Activision, too. Like the hip-hop examples, they tried to rekindle interest with a ''Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5'', which was [[ObviousBeta very incomplete]] and slammed hard by fans and critics alike.

* ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Xtreme Beach Volleyball'', a girls-only spinoff of the main ''DOA'' fighting games, offered a decent volleyball game to go with its heaping helping of {{fanservice}}. While ''Dead or Alive Xtreme 2'' boasted better character models and a few more minigames, much of its content was recycled from the first ''DOAX'', and the new content wasn't compelling enough to justify its initial cost.
** The third game ''Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Fortune/Venus'' (depending on its console) took the meager plot out entirely, removed old characters like Tina, Lisa and Christie in favor of bringing in ''Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate'''s [[DistaffCounterpart Female Tengu]], Honoka, Marie Rose and [[CanonImmigrant Momiji]], and took out several mini-games from ''Xtreme 2'' [[note]]like the rather well-liked jet skiing[[/note]] and put in a simple button-input rock climbing minigame instead.

* ''VideoGame/Fallout76'': In what seems to be a trend for Fallout spinoffs, the game is generally considered by gamers and critics to be the worst game in the series since Bethesda bought the franchise. Dated visuals, buggy gameplay, an outdated engine, the absence of a story and human [=NPC=]s, and insipid and asinine gameplay all add up to a game that has been savaged by review outlets and fans alike. The result is a game that seemingly pleases no one. It's worth noting that many fans and critics agree that the idea of a multiplayer Fallout game is a great one, but its implementation leaves a lot to be desired.

* The first ''VideoGame/LEGOStarWars'' game was somewhat enjoyable for kids, and since that focused on the prequel trilogy it made sense to eventually follow it up with a sequel based on the classic trilogy. However since then, discounting minor additions they've essentially been using the exact same gameplay and simply applied it to different licensed themes, having now done ''VideoGame/LegoIndianaJones'' (two of 'em), ''VideoGame/LegoHarryPotter'', ''VideoGame/LegoTheLordOfTheRings'', ''VideoGame/LegoBatman'', and ''VideoGame/LegoMarvelSuperHeroes''. Aside from the last two, all the games are basically made up of levels loosely based on scenes from their respective movies (with cutscenes that are literally just cheesy re-enactments with no dialogue) and some hanging out in a notable location from the respective franchise in between.

* The ''Franchise/ShiningSeries'' really was ''the'' fantasy series in the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis era topping off with an amazing if little-known [[VideoGame/ShiningForceIII three-part finale]] on the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn. Attempts to branch off into the action-adventure genre have varied between mediocre-but-passable (''SF Neo'', ''SF EXA'', ''VideoGame/ShiningSoul II'') to forgettable (''VideoGame/ShiningTears'', the original ''Shining Soul''). Atlus and Sega did a competent job with the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance EnhancedRemake of the first ''VideoGame/ShiningForce''. Fans have been waiting for years to see if a remake of ''Shining Force II'' will surface, but it's looking increasingly unlikely every day.