Sequels are a fantastic opportunity for developers to build upon successes and fix the failures of previous titles, and take our favourite characters on fantastic new adventures.
But then there are the sequels that ruin our beloved franchises by taking a big old dump on everything that made previous games good.
Here's five sequels that we felt were disappointing follow-ups to great games. As always give us your picks in the comments below....
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was a charming and fresh adventure game when it was released in 2003, and most critics agreed that it was one of the years top titles.
But for some god forsaken reason, whether a decision by the developers or the executives, they decided to turn Prince of Persia in to a dark, gritty action game with decapitations - the complete opposite of what a Prince of Persia game should be.
It also did away with the witty and likeable Prince of the first game, the Prince in Warrior Within wasn't happy go lucky so much as grumpy go killy. His fourth line in the game -"You bitch!" - accurately sums up our feelings on the sequel.
Warrior Within wasn't necessarily a bad game - it played pretty similarly to Sands of Time after all - it just took an unnecessary turn in direction. The original creator of Prince of Persia, Jordan Mechner, even said the game "sucks, and I hope everyone involved in the development of that title perishes in an unfortunate accident involving super glue, bird seed, and a cage full of mutant cassowaries."
Well, actually he said 'it wasn't to his taste', which to us is more or less wishing a killer bird-based death upon the developers.
Comments
107 comments so far...
MithEd on 10 Feb '12 said:
Although I do agree with you guys that MGS 2's lack of Snake-ness was and is a disappointment, I disagree that it should still be on this list for that reason. I'm currently playing the HD version on PS3 and I still love it as much (if not more) than I did back then! Awesome game. But in my opinion, all the MGS sequels' main characters have been a little bit of a disappointment. Whether that's not playing as the real Snake in MGS 3, or playing as an old man Snake in MGS 4. They're all still amazing games though!
rbt2 on 10 Feb '12 said:
As a game in it's own right, I think MGS2 was very good. In my opinion and point of view, it followed such a great, innovative game that expectation levels were unrealistic.
Christ! My last 4 or 5 posts have been reasonably intelligent.
I must be starting to get half sensible.
*shudder*
higgins78 on 10 Feb '12 said:
I agree with @MithEd in that while MGS2 was a small disappointment it is in no manner worthy being on a list of top 5 most disappointing sequels EVER. Yes the "fan boy" in me was slightly aggrieved as not being able to play as Snake during the entirety of the game, however, the game itself was still above par and I completed it joyfully. For me in fact I would place MGS4 a more disappointing sequel coming off the back of the majestic Snake Eater, far, far too talky and one particular duff mission in what is a game already gameplay-lite, all style over substance.
STARSTyranT on 10 Feb '12 said:
Jesus christ what are you smoking CVG?!
MGS2 is one of the finest video game sequels of all time! It was daring in that it did something absolutely no-one expected and was a bloody (albiet short) excellent game on top of that.
What a travesty of an article this is.
The term disappointing I can just about respect, but classing it as a game 'so bad it made us cry' is laughable.
lloydy280 on 10 Feb '12 said:
Invisible War... oh the pain...
FixBeatGames on 10 Feb '12 said:
this site and it's writers are becoming more of a joke on a daily basis. MGS2 on 'most disappointing sequels ever'. think it's definitely time i found a new bunch of writers to read. christ.
Samildanach on 10 Feb '12 said:
A disappointing sequels list, with no mention of DMC 2?..................the f**k?!
Sleepaphobic on 10 Feb '12 said:
It is just opinion I guess but when you slag off MGS2 like that you are just asking to be ridiculed and you pretty much deserve all of it.
Sum1 said invisible war and yup that was a gigantic let down. What about MW2? Technically it's not the 2nd in the series (Unless it's judged just by the MW name) but damn it was a disaster. It's still the only game I went to a midnight launch for thinking it was going to be super bad ass but it turned out to be a complete clusterf**k.
dwhlufc on 10 Feb '12 said:
I think their just trying to be controversial,yes MGS2 didn't quite live upto expectation (what would after such a brilliant debut title)but to say its one of the worst sequels ever is to put it blunt......moronic.
Imaduck on 10 Feb '12 said:
Surprised there's no Invisible War here or that DA2 got no mention.
Budly Moore on 10 Feb '12 said:
I enjoyed PDZ's mutiplayer mode, though I did'nt finish the 2nd level of the main game.
Paul_Boland2 on 10 Feb '12 said:
Command & Conquer 4!!! EA should be SHOT for releasing such a horrific pile of CRAP that was to be the so called "epic end of the decade and half long Tiberium Kane franchise!!"
steve w on 10 Feb '12 said:
I Still Like dmc2 great game dmc4 for me is the worst also pop ww is okay when get use to it the 2008 game is the most dissapointing for me also never really liked perfect dark much rare died when ms brought them they could of been microsofts version of naughty dog instead of a kinect shovel ware studio.
gmcb007 on 10 Feb '12 said:
Get MGS2 off now!
Why isn't Red faction armageddon or Saints Row The Third not present on the list. Two recent games that took a step backwards from their previous game.
TheLastDodo on 10 Feb '12 said:
No Skyrim, Arkham City, Uncharted 3, any CoD since CoD4?
MJ-Thriller94 on 10 Feb '12 said:
I must be the only one on this planet that actually liked DMC 2 haha
Anyway, i have to completely and utterly disagree with the inclusion of MGS2 on this article. MGS2 was one of the ps2's greatest games in it's early years , and would still make a top 10 list of ps2 games even now. I must have played through the game like 10 times on ps2. Have the HD collection for PS3 now, and currently playing through it again, and loving every second of it. I can see your point with the character change. Personally I liked Raiden, even more so in MGS4, hence i am looking forward to Revengeance (or however it's spelled). I do not feel that the character change is reason enough to include it in a article titled 'Most DISAPPOINTING sequels ever'.
Tut tut CVG
Megatrons_Fury on 10 Feb '12 said:
The simple fact that DINO CRISIS 3 does not appear on this article shows how little the so called staff (cough) on this website actually know about videogame history.
I could sit down and list tons of others that are far worse than metal gear solid 2 which although rubbish both as a sequel to one of the most iconic games of all time and a game in its own right is still better than Dino crisis 3.
Also the second prince of persia game was fine, it scored very well at review stage across all popular magazines from official xbox and playstation mags to multi format mags like Edge and games tm i know because i checked with my own issues before writing this so how that made the list is beyond me.
Also if CVG are saying the criteria is for the 2nd game in a series then Duke Nukem forever is also wrong, its like number 5 or 6 in the series after land of the babes, time to kill etc etc
On another side note one of my mates worked on Tomb raider 5, at the time i ran a shop and cancelled my entire day one pre-order of 250 units of the game after he told me the horror stories of the games development, less than 10 days before it was due to go gold it didnt even launch from the option screen they almost forgot to test a final so called build version, amazing right? Also there is still a door in the game that indicates a key to open it, that key does not exist because they gave up on the idea but couldnt be bothered to change the scripting or the graphics for that section.
When we spoke to centersoft (im sure it was them that stocked it) and told them we wanted to cancel, the guy at the distributer told us we were mad to do so and that we would come to regret it, surfice it to say we rang them back after its release to tell them thats why we ran a shop and they just sat at a desk as glorified stock controllers. I still remember all the negative press on that game. Centersoft if you happen to work in the industry hire all the very best liars in the country, the same people once told me that Arthur and the invisibles was a sure fire hit because it had the vocal talents of David Bowie........... That conversation was the most surreal and funniest thing that year as i informed the guy that the game was aimed at 6 -12 year olds who had no idea who the hell that was.
If any of you ever want to hear despiration call a UK supplier, GEM, Centersoft, Advantage....... Any of them, the pressure they are under to sell absolute crap is both scary and hillarious.
Ahhhhh Good days
Also i thought you liked ARKHAM CITY dodo???? You had a right go at me when i hated that, and uncharted 3 come to think of it, although the patch to fix the aiming did help a lot.
Anyway as i said DINO CRISIS 3................... I win, hire me, i actually know what i'm doing!!!
Villanous on 10 Feb '12 said:
Get back under your bridge, you big ugly troll (although i agree somewhat about CoD).
Dralel on 10 Feb '12 said:
MGS2 are you crazy...? Where is Modern Warfare 2??
ShadowAviation on 10 Feb '12 said:
I can see the point about MGS 2, but it wasn't that bad. If you're going to have a go at sequels for deviating a bit, then why isn't NMH 2 up there? Simply because it's crackers and fun. As was MGS 2.
starsail on 10 Feb '12 said:
The Raidan snippet is probably one of the funniest things ive read on CVG for I while (im still giggling like a at it)
Just want to say Rare are to Microsoft what Torres is to Chelsea (or Carrol is to Liverpool).
Mmmmgrolsch on 10 Feb '12 said:
MGS2?
That's a good one. Got to agree with Megatron about Dino Crisis 3, what a huge huge step backwards that game was after the amazing 1st 2 games! The whole Space ship b*****ks killed the franchise 
Although not a direct sequel by story but sequel by name, I would have to say FF13 is one of the most disappointing games of all times, tarnishing the great name Square built.
Megatrons_Fury on 10 Feb '12 said:
Just want to say Rare are to Microsoft what Torres is to Chelsea (or Carrol is to Liverpool).
The absolute best and most trutfull thing said this year.............. And i support Chelsea...... Sigh...... Please god kill me now!!!!
Rare should pack up and just die already, to go from Jet force Gemini, Diddy kong racing,Goldeneye, banjo Kazooie 1&2, conkers bad fur day etc to making crappy avatar stuff and shoddy Kinect titles is embarassing, if i worked for them i would have to do a capello and walk to regain dignity
TheLastDodo on 10 Feb '12 said:
@Megatron and @ the new guy
I enjoyed Arkham City & Uncharted 3 but if you look on forums on many sites you'll see a healthy amount of disdain for both.
Skyrim is s**te, everyone knows that
rbt2 on 10 Feb '12 said:
Do yourself a favour, Megatron......find yerself a laydeeeeeee.
Megatrons_Fury on 10 Feb '12 said:
@RBT2
Who uses a quote that long dude????? YOU DO thats who lol lol Also exactly how does having a wife/girlfriend/f**kbuddy etc have relevance here, did you get your winky licked recently and you want to show off..... Who's a good little boy.... Good boy RUFF RUFF
@lastdodo
Ok now im totally lost, in the past few days you have been handed the mantle of champion of the JAP game when from your trophy lists it seems as if none have ever seen your consoles drive lol lol and apparently your love of shadows of the damned makes you some sort of cult hero here (yeah because thats a small unknown game eh? lol) Now your lolliopop chainsaw love is starting to make me wonder if your the same DODO as the one who told me that all i play is rubbish Anime porn games??????!?!?!?!?!!? You see the confusion here right???? Disgaea bad Lollipop chainsaw good eh????....... ok
At exactly what point did you become me, say all the things i say and not get hammered for it all?? Because i would love to know how you did this trick
Its a surreal week to be fair, even that Grolshhh guy agreed with something i said today, i think someones playing a joke on poor old megatron, was my coffee spiked? Am i on crack?
Im going to have to go for a lie down
rbt2 on 10 Feb '12 said:
If you're going for a lie down, Megatron, make sure it's wiv a laydeeeeeee.
Before it's too late!
rbt2 on 10 Feb '12 said:
Sorry Megatron.
I was only taking the p**s.
Badly!
TheLastDodo on 10 Feb '12 said:
@Megatron
Shadows of the Damned, Resident Evil 5, Dark Souls, Sonic Generations, Vanquish, Street Fighter IV, Metal Gear Solid 3.
Thats off top of my head.
I've also got ICO Collection & Bayonetta waiting to be played. Three of my most anticipated games of 2012 are japanese (Lollipop Chainsaw, Metal Gear Rising & Anarchy Reigns - you can probably guess my fave japanese developer by now).
Clearly my PS3's drive and myself are not anti-japanese
If you require further proof, look at my sig, out of the big three console makers only one is american, which one don't you see in my sig?
I'm not a champion of japanese games (certainly not that stereotypical anime porno tripe you play
) and I never claimed to be, it was purely coincidental that Shadows of the Damned was japanese, I'm a champion of games that deserve better than they get/got, which is why I've now moved onto Lollipop Chainsaw because it's gonna need all the help it can get.
Stryker89 on 10 Feb '12 said:
MGS2... Oh my God. Come on CVG, I know we were all disappointed when we realised we wouldn't be playing as Snake for the majority of the game, but it doesn't deserve to be on this list. Granted it's actually probably the worst in the main series, but it's certainly not one of the most disappointing sequels ever. For me, that title goes to Halo 2.
MrPirtniw on 10 Feb '12 said:
Looks like I'm in the minority as I couldn't stand MGS2 (and I semi enjoyed the first game)- thought it was mundane from start to finish- I even went and played through it a second time a year later to try and force myself to 'get' its appeal. Dull. Dull. Dull. Sorry!
Halo 2 was also disappointing- didn't like the new guitar riff music, didn't think much of the Arbiter, story was badly told and the ending was missing presumed dead.
Dino Crisis 3 should absolutely be on there though. But at least that was so bad it was funny.
console_whore on 10 Feb '12 said:
Woah there, Devil May Cry 2 should be where Metal Gear Solid 2 is laaaammmmmeeeeeee
Very_Silver_Ownz on 10 Feb '12 said:
I'm sorry Dodo but this has to be done. I agree with Megatron. You praise these crazy japanese games yet when I look at my friends list you are mostly playing the big games like cough Black ops cough
TheLastDodo on 10 Feb '12 said:
You're the worst of anyone on here
Last game I saw you play was MGS Collection then it was FIFA then it was CoD then it was Uncharted 3 then Battlefield 3, Megatron would have a field day with you lol
azz72 on 10 Feb '12 said:
PDZ was s**t because the guys who made the 1st left and formed Free Radical if I'm not mistaken,also Rare have gone down hill big time since leaving Nintendo.
Very_Silver_Ownz on 10 Feb '12 said:
Well you say I don't like japanese games but MGS is japanese so you can't say anything there. The rest though...no comment
You play the exact same games so this is hilarious.
verynaughtyboy on 10 Feb '12 said:
Warrior Within both was and remains a brilliant game. If you don't like the change of direction, mood and tone (frankly it didn't bother me), then the rest of the game would make up for it. Great graphics for the time, a great atmosphere, brilliant level design, great architecture, good plot and most of all... most of all... MONICA BELLUCCI!!!
MattyR95 on 10 Feb '12 said:
I was disappointed about the lack of snake in MGS2 but I didn't mind Raiden after a while, he was still annoying but the engrossing plot & gameplay made up for it, skipped most of Rose's calls though. Dragon age 2 was pretty s**t, surprised I finished it. Deus ex invisible war was also crap, didn't finish it.
middle finger on 10 Feb '12 said:
There's already been more than 5 dynasty warrior games?
El Mag on 10 Feb '12 said:
The Army Men games. Gamings version of Police Academy.
Except they didn't have that bloke who looked like 80's Eddie Murphy after a terrible illness that could do funny things with his voice.
Reegeee on 11 Feb '12 said:
If you are going to pick a s**t COD sequel, pick COD3. It wasn't terrible but was easily the worst of all the cod games.
AND I knew it wouldn't be in the list but surely, SURELY Super Mario Brothers 2! That is the child locked in the attic of the mario brothers games.
There are many you would think would go above MGS2 (Even though I hate those games). Crackdown 2, Earth Defense Force 2017, Dirt 2, Fallout New Vegas, Halo 2 and of course BIOSHOCK 2. That really should've been in this list IMO.
toaplan on 11 Feb '12 said:
MGS 2 was so amazing on PS2! It was one of the first games to really take advantage of the power of PS2, after a bunch of disappointing early games. And a clear step up from the already great MGS1, especially in terms of visual impact. I don't think anyone would have called it disappointing in 2001, when it was released. It's only in retrospective that you could call it lacking in some respects compared to the later games in the series.
My list of most disappointing sequels:
- Shinobi 3 and other Shinobi games (including the 3ds one) since "Revenge of the Shinobi"
- Need for Speed games since the brilliant original game on the 3DO (with the single exception of Hot Pursuit)
- Sonic adventure on the Dreamcast, Sonic Unleashed
- Ridge Racer on the PS2 and PS3 (the Vita version apparently isn't that great either)
- Sega Rally 2 and Virtua Fighter 3 on the Dreamcast (should've been closer to the arcade versions)
- every EA NHL Hockey game since the Megadrive days (they just can't seem to get it right after moving away from 2D)
- Starfox adventures on the Gamecube (the beginning of the end for Rare)
- Rage (really was hoping for more from Carmack & co)
sepewrath on 11 Feb '12 said:
Warrior Within was a great game and there was nothing wrong with the tone. The dude was being chased by some a monster will a disdain for those who alter time. Hard to be bright and cheery in a spot like that. If the PoP games were a one off, each game separate, then yeah there was no need for that. But it was a trilogy and he was being chased for seven years before the game started.
When it comes to MGS2, yeah it was a bait and switch, but that was probably one of the last times you've ever gone into a game and been genuinely surprised at what you found. I would love for something like that to actually be able to happen now, unfortunately you know half the game, six months before it comes out. You have to make a serious effort to go in fresh.
HBK_nWo33 on 11 Feb '12 said:
MGS2 should not be in this list.
It is probably my favourite PS2 game, and I liked the couragious move to have a second main protagonist for a different slant on the Metal Gear world. It wasn't like you couldn't play as Snake, if they'd got completely rid of him as a playable character it may have been a different story as to my opinion of it as a sequel. But he was playable, and it was a fantastic game. Let's face it, Solid Snake isn't playable at all in MGS3 or Peace Walker, it is Naked Snake. MGS2 was in no way disappointing.
koimaster on 11 Feb '12 said:
why is FFX-2 not on this list!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Izo on 11 Feb '12 said:
Tbh I find MGS decent at most and overrated while Snake Eater is much better and underrated, it's nowhere near being among the worst sequels as the are an army of candidates for that, 6 others who could be on that list are mentioned below.
Dino Crisis 3
DMC2
Invisible War
Sonic The Hedgehog (2006)
Silent Hill: Home Coming
Banjo: Nuts and Bolts
Cell Fish on 11 Feb '12 said:
Seems to me a lot of people are missing the point of the article. It's a difference between worst and most disappointing. If you have set your expectations very high you can be disappointed even if the game really isn't that bad.
Old Skool Gamer on 11 Feb '12 said:
That's 99.9% of the games out there these days, they make people cry and throw controllers through big screen TV's, or cyber rage.
Barca Azul on 11 Feb '12 said:
Any Mario game in 3D and the same for Sonic.
CoD MW2?
bamozzy on 11 Feb '12 said:
That is quite a good analogy!!! (Although Carroll has done slightly better for Liverpool - more goals per min/assists etc and was cheaper too! - than Torres has for Chelsea)
Rare was definitely the best developer for the N64 and you have mentioned the reasons why. If Rare released a game it was an essential purchase!! They were the best games you could play and I miss them!!!!
I had high hopes when Rare went to Microsoft but they certainly haven't recreated those superb games and certainly not for the 360. (I quite liked conker on the original xbox although I only played the updated bad fur day!) PDZ suffered from poor graphics (Compared to other games of its era) and poor mechanics too. The level design was not inspiring and although I did complete it, had NO replay value. Almost all of the achievements were in the multi-player too! I would not have been surprised if this had been released on the original xbox!
It wasn't helped by having the Perfect Dark name either. After the brilliant N64 version, this was such a let down. If this had been released with a different name and main character and not set in the 'Perfect Dark' universe, then maybe it wouldn't have felt so bad. However it would still have been an average game!!
Rare seem content to give us Kinect based games (Kinect Sports...) instead of the the thrilling games of the past. I would love to see Joanna Dark again, Conker and the Jet Force Gemini team even Banjo Kazooie! I would love to see Rare rise up from the ashes again too...
Although I do love shooters, it seems that nearly all games released are shooters (or RPG games or sport sims) I would really love to see a return of the platformer. It seems that since the latest generation of consoles, this genre has been overlooked. Maybe Rare could return to greatness by giving us a decent platformer with Conker or Banjo Kazooie.
On the subject of sequels though, It is usually quite difficult to surpass the Original if it is a great game. Most seem to be a disappointment (like those mentioned here) or at the very best, the same game with a few additional 'tweaks'. Its almost as if that we as gamers expect 'MORE' and then when it doesn't give you something completely 'NEW' and 'INNOVATIVE' (at least to the series) it is somehow less of a game - even if some or all of the tweaks improve the overall game it is still not enough. It is almost as if familiarity breeds contempt! (Call of Duty is a classic example - I think if MW3 was the first title it would be regarded as the best of its genre - the MP is certainly the best of the series in my opinion and love the new killstreak options and the fact that they are attributed to class rather than match) However sometimes I think things can go to far - I am still not convinced that Saints Row 3 is a better game than SR2.
There are also a number of other sequels that really didn't match the original - Resistance 2, Crackdown 2, Dead Space 2, Bioshock 2, Far Cry 2 but I wonder if the originals were not released and these were the first then maybe they too wouldn't feel quite such a let down and would be a better game.
It is almost as if the title and weight of expectation is what ruins the experience rather than the actual game itself.
Richyrich316 on 11 Feb '12 said:
The Army MEn games man what a pile of sh!t all of them pretty much.
Duke nukem Forever granted that should be on there but was never going to live up to any hype after the amount of delays & restarts.
Tomb raider 3 was rubbish & angel of darkness was a crime against gaming.
I always felt that although PDZ was not as good as the original on n64 it was an ok launch game
Toninho deZoete on 11 Feb '12 said:
That "You Bitch!" moment in Prince of Persia: Warrior Within also had me cringe. Expecting the same kind of elegance that made Prince of Persia: Sands of Time such a joy, this felt like an insult to the user (me).
Perfect Dark Zero was nothing like the N64 Perfect Dark expected and really was a perfect example of a game badly put together. And the amount of graphical shinyness was way too high.
Megatrons_Fury on 11 Feb '12 said:
@lastdodo
How was SKYRIM last night???? Have fun?, you know that game you just spent the last few days slagging off lol lol lol
Only joking......... hugs?
Anyway bottom line lets see you get behind Ashuras revenge and hyperdimension neptunia 2 then maybe you can sit at the jap games table with me, its nice there i promise.
Wasnt vanquish the game i reccomended to you by the way when you were talking about bayonetta? its so cool right?
Anyway thanks for backing me up very_silver always a pleasure good sir
Some of the games being mentioned on here to be put in the rubbish game categories are unbelievable, somebody made the huge mistake of trying to tell people that Bioshock 2 was rubbish?????? Are you mental, has your carer gone missing, shall i call the doctor for you? Also every mario 3D game...... Ummmmm NO, mario galaxy 1&2 are stunning examples of the genre as is the new 3DS mario
Sonic 2005 was also going to be a game i mentioned and so was crackdown 2 both are filthy excuses for videogames crackdown 2 is one of the biggest letdowns of this generation and sonic simply does not work in 3D because of the very nature of the speed needed most gamers use random luck playing htese games, you know it, i know it, the world knows it.
@RBT2 dont worry dude, it was all taken in jest buddy, my brain has been frazzled this week from all the weird things happening
............ Like DODO playing a jap game....... (Nudge Nudge)
Reegeee on 11 Feb '12 said:
Bioshock 2 was rubbish. It lost all of the character of the first game and turned it into virtually a straight up fps. The big sisters are also up there with the s**ttest enemies in videogames ever IMO.
Oh and who gives a s**t whether a game is made in America, Japan, the Uk or f**king Liechtenstein? If there's one thing I cannot stand it is gamers who think they are superior because they play any old s**t the Japanese bring out. Every now and then you get an absolute gem from over there, but there are some people that will literally play anything that is Japanese.
Ali_ on 11 Feb '12 said:
I have a soft spot for PDZ. The single player game was, indeed, complete turd, but the multiplayer was a huge amount of fun back in the early days of 360. And look how well BF3 has done with a great MP mode and a thoroughly s**te single player campaign...
TheLastDodo on 11 Feb '12 said:
I was testing the new Skyrim patch out last night, still plenty of bugs but no lag yet so yay? I just like trolling the internet darling
You may have recommended me Vanquish I can't remember, I played it well before I'd ever talked to you on here or PSN, but yes it's a great game, probably my favourite shooter on PS3.
Oh and it's Asuras WRATH not Revenge, a true fan of Jap games would know that
Megatrons_Fury on 11 Feb '12 said:
@lastdodo
Well spotted sir, that was a test to see if you actually knew something, you do, im stunned. Now i look silly lol lol
Regee..... Shhhhhh you have gotten involved in me and dodos little wind up spat the fact you hate Bioshock 2 makes you pointless to me so thats the last time you get the honour of me responding to you.
Just to make things clear im not being deliberately elite about stuff like jap games i just happen to have a soft spot for the stuff everyone seems to hate without even having played it, you know..... Stupid people.
Right time for footy, Man Utd v Liverpool should be a corker
Reegeee on 11 Feb '12 said:
I haven't got involved in anything, I was just telling you Bioshock 2 is s**t because it is.
And I tell you, if I don't receive the honour of a response I may well just cry myself to sleep tonight. Nothing would upset me more than not hearing from an apparently transformers obsessed 38 year old man.
Barry316 on 11 Feb '12 said:
Yes, how dare you have an opinion on anything on a public forum!
He needs to keep his Dodo flirting to one thread though, or at least just pm him instead.
dangermou5e on 11 Feb '12 said:
MGS 2 should be on the list! MGS 1 is still the only game that I have ever taken a sick day off work just to complete so I was extremely excited over the sequal only for this idiot Raiden to turn up and me being forced to play as him, It completely ruined the game for me.
Oh and crap sequals that you missed Cvg, MW 2 and 3, Crackdown 2, Halo 2.
KK-Headcharge78 on 11 Feb '12 said:
I can't agree with MGS2, although the disappointment of now Snake and a much less Boss heavy gameplay of MGS1 made it a different proposition. Raiden was a true travesty of a character and I hated him within hours.
As for COD games since COD4, what are people smoking, look at the numbers???? ) oh I forgot that doesn't mean anything does it and it's why all games sell 10's of millions....
)
illage2 on 11 Feb '12 said:
How on earth can MGS2 be a bad sequel? Just because you couldn't play as Snake that automatically makes it a bad game? FFS. That is not how you should judge a game, I for one thought it was good to be someone other than Snake all the time, it gives the story a fresh perspective and keeps the game interesting.
I agree that Raiden didn't turn out as good as he could have, in MGS2 he was somewhat ... ... ... well not like an action hero. I don't like his hair style either it makes him look like an old man.
TheLastDodo on 11 Feb '12 said:
And Avatar is the greatest movie of all time because it's grossed more money than any other movie in history.
For once KK, you deserve the
gmcb007 on 11 Feb '12 said:
Sorry KK but that comment makes you sound as bad as the 'haters'. That really was a fanboy thing to say.
DaveBasement on 11 Feb '12 said:
Crackdown 2 was a real stinker. The game never moved on from the original apart from 'let's destroy a few buildings' look to the game, the AI was very poor and the patronising achievements made me glad that I had only bought this rubbish 2nd user and not a penny went to the developers.
Worst. Sequel. Ever.
toaplan on 11 Feb '12 said:
A few more:
Castlevania 64. Released after the classics that were Symphony of the Night (PSOne) and Castlevania 4 (Snes), this has to be one of the most crushingly disappointing sequels ever. Luckily the franchise found a new home on the GBA and DS.
All X-com sequels. Perhaps Firaxis will soon deliver a worthy sequel?
F-Zero 64. Completely ruined the atmosphere of the original. F-Zero GX was a happier return to form on the GC.
Pilotwings 3DS. I initially liked it, but there's no way around the fact that it's criminally short of content, compared to the N64 version.
Actraiser 2. I could list so many disappointing 16-bit sequels, but this is on top the shortlist for worst offender. They inexplicably cut out most of the good bits of the original. The same goes for "Legend of Mystical Ninja 2".
Metroid: Other M. I've never actually played this, but I thought I'd add it as a suggestion, as it is often mentioned as the black sheep of the Metroid series.
Izo on 11 Feb '12 said:
It's best you play Metroid OM it's more a Wind Waker situation where traditional fans don't like it but everyone else does, GamesTM and Edge describe it best in their reviews.
toaplan on 11 Feb '12 said:
Ok, maybe it's just that the traditional fans have been particularly vocal critics.
ladycroft142 on 11 Feb '12 said:
Warrior Within was certainly a surprise move away from its predecessor, but it was actually a really enjoyable game, with fluid combat and levels that were a joy to navigate. Granted the story and feel of the game weren't as good as the first but the gameplay was top notch! The latest instalment, the movie cash-in that was The Forgotten Sands, with its vastly limited in ideas, substandard gameplay and forgettable story should really be in here!
Also I wish Tomb Raider the Angel of Darkness just didn't exist, not because I think it's a bad game, it had great potential let down by limited technology and time restrictions, but because development may have never moved to Crystal Dynamics. Their games are good but they lack the magic of the original developer, Core Design.
Very_Silver_Ownz on 11 Feb '12 said:
'' How on earth can MGS2 be a bad sequel? Just because you couldn't play as Snake that automatically makes it a bad game? FFS. ''
MGS2 was awful and that was before you were forced to play as Raiden. It was just so in love with itself it wasn't funny. I even tried giving it another chance in the HD collection and its still as bad as I remember it.
thirdwatch on 11 Feb '12 said:
Dragon Age 2. Half the predecessor's game and just boring throughout.
I hear in the next instalment you can play a Dragon. woo.
PevMaster on 11 Feb '12 said:
Why isn't Fable 3 on the list? Fable 2 wasn't perfect, but in the end of the day it provided weeks of fun. Fable 3 was quite a risky game to begin with: it was going head-to-head with juggernauts like Dragon Age 2 and of course the almighty Fallout: New Vegas. All of these games gave you the option, or were about, claiming power. Dragon Age 2 was about the rise of a great leader or something and New Vegas was the most open RPG ever created.
Fable 3 decided you'd become king. According to an older issue of GamesMaster, "don't like someone? Throw them in the dungeon!" The game promised you 'endless options' and 'total control' over how Albion's future panned out. The clunky menus and all the useless bits from Fable 2 were supposed to be filtered for a more streamlined sequel. There was supposed to be a top-notch cast from the likes of Stephen Fry and some other people.
Instead what we got was a bland, mediocre fantasy RPG that destroyed everything the previous Fable games had worked so hard for. The menu may have been quite unique, but it was a chore to move around your sanctuary to do every little activity. The graphics were basically the same as Fable 2. Even Half-Life looked more appealing than this. (But to be fair, HL 1 graphics are pretty timeless, in my opinion.)
But the most dissapointing thing about the sequel was the 'king' feature. You were supposed to make 'challenging and morally difficult' decisions that affected Albion's future. But instead you made face-palmingly simple decisions that you knew exactly what effect it would have in the kingdom. Be nice, more people die in the end. Be evil, you spare more of your people. Perhaps this system could have worked, but since the game skipped crucial decision-making days (you only got to do about ten decisions, when it was one year until 'The Darkness' or something like that hit. TEN DAYS) and you knew what would happen anyway, it's very hard to call this game even remotely 'open-ended'.
But there's little to care about even if millions of people died. Because the AI is ATROCIOUS. Yes, Fable 2's wasn't the best either, but you expect that if the Queen of England punched a citizen, they wouldn't viciously attempt to murder you. Well, you were wrong. Citizens basically treat you the same: be nice, they like you, be mean to them, they don't. The relationship building mechanic is like the Sims games: spam friendly interactions until you sleep with them.
And it doesn't make the game 'adult-themed' or 'edgy' either to include male prositutes, sex and condoms into the game. What is the point in giving you STIs if they don't even afflict you? And what's the point in even having sex for pleasure when it has no effect on you and the actual act is just a blacked out screen and a woman saying 'eww that's rather good. Oh, yes! Wow!'. Again, they didn't trim ALL the fat from the first one.
Well there have been many excellent games with poor main quests, but the sidequests aren't even worth your time. They're the same, repetitive fetch or kill quests, traversing around a world full of copy-and-paste environments. Really, guys? Really? If damn Peter Molyneux though he could square up to the all-round excellence of New Vegas, he was wrong. Gravely wrong.
Maybe one redeeming factor is the story, which is decent I guess, but its bone-crushing linearity and lack of a real enemy (the darkness is just black smoke, not even a character) cripple it. If I was to give Fable III a mark out of ten, I would give it a 3.5. Thanks for destroying a great franchise, Petey.
richardr on 11 Feb '12 said:
Perfect Dark was awesome. And I remember being super psyched for the sequel, and then being blown away with crushing disappointment at it's blandness. However it did have an incredible soundtrack that was marvellously dramatic and possessed some nicely wacka wacka crunchy guitar work. That alone made the game a little more playable, but it was not an enjoyable experience.
richard99 on 11 Feb '12 said:
I actually really liked Warrior Within. Gameplay wise it's as great as SoT or Two Thrones, the Dahaka chases were damn cool and while I get why other people have issues with it those problems have never really bugged me.
Off the top of my head my most disappointing sequels are probably Dragon Age 2, GTA 4 and Modern Warfare 2.
billysastard on 12 Feb '12 said:
2 prince of persia games on the list and not even that cell shaded atrocity?
how about a little controversy?
lets put skyrim on that list, after all it looked great, sounded like it was going to be fantastic but what we bought was a bug ridden pre-beta, broken game. now that was disapointing.
you could say the same about fallout: new vegas or gran tourismo 5 as well.
Skyly on 12 Feb '12 said:
I'm surprised Super Mario 2 (or USA depending on where you come from) isn't on this list.
Was it good? it was decent enough, was it better than 1/lost levels? or 3? not a chance.
& people expecting more or better than Mario 1 would've been disappointed.
any thoughts? anyone?
silent moose on 12 Feb '12 said:
@PevMaster
Yes finally someone else agrees with me that fable 3 was one of the worst sequels ever, an absolute turd, take Peter Molyneux's bafta fellowship away because he doesn't deserve it and for god sake get him away from kinect before he creates the ultimate defilement of the franchise
MonkeyWrench127 on 12 Feb '12 said:
I think Halo 2 deserves a good mention for that terrible ending...
MonkeyWrench127 on 12 Feb '12 said:
Also Fable II AND Fable III were both terrible sequels. The original was without a doubt the best game of the lot, as long as you go into it without expecting too much
sevvybgoode on 12 Feb '12 said:
I can't believe I've seen people suggest virtua fighter 3tb and f zero x as suggestions for worst sequels ever... They're the pinnacle of their respective series IMO.
I'm going to have to suggest half life 2 episode 2. Simply because of the magnusson device...
You may now unleash your hate....
http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media ... Thread.gif
toaplan on 12 Feb '12 said:
Virtua Fighter 3 on Dreamcast was a good launch title, but so very disappointing as an arcade conversion. I was expecting a much closer conversion, considering that VF2 on the Saturn managed to be a practically perfect port. VF3 Dreamcast was a so-so port of what (I would agree) is the best game in the series, VF3 the coin-op. As someone who played a lot of the incredible VF2 Saturn and VF3 arcade, I couldn't help but feel let down by the VF3 home version, even if it was one of the reasons for being an early purchaser of the DC.
F-Zero 64 was a stylistic failure, which lost the cool factor and tight handling of the original. It felt bland next to Wipeout on PSOne and wasn't very exciting visually, unlike its predecessor with the groundbreaking mode 7 visuals. Pilotwings 64 was more succesful in this respect. The soundtrack of F-Zero 64 was also way inferior to the memorable soundtrack of the original.
toaplan on 12 Feb '12 said:
I remember Super Mario 2 as a really fun game and wasn't at all disappointed by it. It was great to have 4 playable characters and the game had more interesting graphics in comparison to the rather spartan SMB1. I only played Lost Levels, when it was included in the SMB All-Stars collection on the Snes, but by that time SMB World had already changed the world of Mario...
sevvybgoode on 13 Feb '12 said:
I get what you mean about vf2 and how close it was to the arcade version but barring the difference in visuals I thought vf3 was a pretty good port of the greatest fighting game ever. Competing with model 3 hardware was a non starter until Xbox as well IMO.
Fzero x and it's bland visuals is a good point in some ways with it's minimal use of textures but when you have 30 cars flying round a track at what seems like the speed of light it makes sense. I'd rather that than 4-6 vehicles and nice gfx though. Imo as the newer burnouts have shown the more track detail the harder it is to spot gaps at high speed.
WHERESMYMONKEY on 13 Feb '12 said:
Did anyone crying over MGS2's inclusion in this article even bother reading it. Seriously they said it was one of the best games of its generation. (i'd beg to differ but whatever). The dissapointment was because you weren't playing the character that you did in every other metal gear game since the NES and was replaced with Raiden, who in MGS2 was a complete wet blanket.
If you were old enough to remember the launch of MGS2 you'd understand this. I remember raging for days about it. The game was still great and in retrospect the whole crazed campain worked well with the story they were trying to tell but still. Untill MGS4 rolled and Raiden got recassed as NInja mk2 No bugger liked him.
toaplan on 13 Feb '12 said:
I remember the lauch of MGS2... Already the demo they showed at E3 2011, the incredible graphics and effects (such as rain falling on the tanker) made you very eager to get the game. And after all the mediocre early games of the PS2 (Fantavision, Ridge Racer V, the Bouncer etc.), MGS2 felt like a proper game that truly utilized the expensive tech of the PS2, "emotion engine" and all.
MGS1 was the first Metal Gear game I played, and was more about the gameplay, atmosphere and story for me than Snake as a character. So switching to Raiden wasn't such a big deal. Looking forward to MGS: Revengeance...
toaplan on 14 Feb '12 said:
E3 of 2001... of course.
MGS2 was hyped up there and everywhere, so expectations were running particularly high for the game. The final product was a match even for the heightened expectations.
Picnic12 on 14 Feb '12 said:
Perfect Dark Zero needs to be exempt from these topics. Not only did it get good reviews in general at the time but its multiplayer is still universally praised. And the single player game is fine - you just have to treat it as if it is an arcade game so that you can excuse the dialogue and the sudden changes in difficulty. It's a pretty good arcade-style game.
The shiny graphics do not appeal to everybody but, in general, the art style looks better than a lot of other games.
It's a solid enough launch game. I never got in to Perfect Dark on the N64 anyway.
nezzko on 14 Feb '12 said:
Cheap reason to include MGS2 when you missed out the stupidly obvious Devil May Cry 2
Picnic12 on 17 Feb '12 said:
I disagree. First of all, Free Radical isn't 'all that'. In Timesplitters 2 the single player campaign was extremely small, giving nods to game styles that have been done much more extensively in other games (although I do like the sound in the Notre Dame level). The people (or at least some of them) who made Donkey Kong Country and Banjo Kazooie remained at Rare. Rare had already tested some people's patience with the huge collectathons of Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo Tooie. Starfox Adventures was a relative downslide after Conker's Bad Fur Day (which itself had been started early on in the N64's life).
I actually think that, after a relatively underwhelming Xbox start, they went uphill on the Xbox360 even if it wasn't quite as good as the N64 days on the whole. Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts might be too tricky but you can see that the imagination is kind of in the right place.
evilhippo on 19 Feb '12 said:
How can you speak of Disappointing Sequels and NOT mention that bulbous quivering pustule on BioWare's bum... that festering pile that oscillated between mediocrity and absurdity, that game that turned a successful, much loved and thoughtful RPG franchise into an abominated Action Game aimed at the Short Attention Span Generation... Dragon Age 2?
porkchopz on 24 Feb '12 said:
Disappointed not to see the new Alan Wake game on this list!
Selavie on 24 Feb '12 said:
The new Duke Nuken game was a really disappointment!
I loved Duke Nukem 3d
But I would add to the list some other games too, like the Darkness II (too short).
And I hope I won't need to add to this list Diablo 3. I really looking forward to try that game, I have high hopes for it (and I am not the only one)
gotbuck on 24 Feb '12 said:
DNF... nuf said
tunnard on 24 Feb '12 said:
Yeah I agree with Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. I love the PoP games, but thats the only one I have never got round to finishing. I really did like the latest, Forgotten Sands, I thought that was great fun.
seantheman69 on 24 Feb '12 said:
Duke Nukem Forever was such a let down. Hopefully D3 won't be a repeat of long development and no glory
Azogstyle on 25 Feb '12 said:
I think you placed Metal gear solid 2 in this chart by mistake. It was a very good game, not so good as the first one thats true, but still better than trash like "saint row" or "darkness 2" or other sequels
Spirit6666 on 26 Feb '12 said:
I totally agree with the choice of perfect dark 0.
It's a bit sad what Rare has become after Microsoft bought them.
Forflash on 26 Feb '12 said:
Me too........
Mattoto on 26 Feb '12 said:
Dragon age 2 , ME3 , bioware sequels for me are disapointing nowadays (but they don't reach the mediocrity of those 5 sequels).
I was disappointed by The Witcher 2 too , i don't like the 3rd person view and the new battle system.
TehSlenderMan on 26 Feb '12 said:
I won't say Duke Nukem: Forever was a disappointment, true Duke Nukem fans would have no problem with it, I know a lot of people who said it sucks just cause the FPS style isn't like CoD. I enjoyed Forever, the Campaign was hell of a lot funner than CoD's campaign, the guns were exciting, and the graphics aren't so bad... Definatly better than the graphics in CoD.
Xenohort on 27 Feb '12 said:
Duke was such a shame, it was butchered
chewyxx on 27 Feb '12 said:
MGS 2 needs to def get off there.... and i don't understand why ppl are saying DMC2 haha DMC4 sucked more than DMC2. I loved DMC2. Anyone ever play blacklight tango down? now that game is bad
puscifer91 on 29 Feb '12 said:
PoP WW was awesome...much better than Two Thrones
doom.oculta on 1 Mar '12 said:
well...duke nukem was a bad game...a big fail! But Warrior Within...c'mon man...it's a cool game...not awesome but it's cool and nice...as a personal opinion that's my fav game from the lore the prince was catchy...
iplaytoph on 2 Mar '12 said:
Mr. King did suck...like it was horrible..
piechu175 on 6 Mar '12 said:
I disagree with Your opinion, Prince of Persia : Worrior Within is awsome ! And I'm glad, that is dark ! I am able to agree about Duken Nukem Forever, that was totally not the same as 1st Duke and I don't enjoy that.
Shiki01 on 25 Mar '12 said:
I'm going to have really agree with POP WW and give my reasons on why the defenses for it are rather weak in some areas.
The Combat
It's true that while the combat offered more options the game didn't require you to use most of them. The majority of moves they allowed you to do in WW felt like they were just there for eye candy. It's like me having 80 different move combinations but only 10 are actually useful and rest are just there to play try out. So while they did give more moves almost all of them were rather useless.
The Story
Many people will POP Sot story was too childish due to it be simple and WW was better due it being more complicated. This a rather dumb reason to say a story is not better simply because you think more. Often times complicated stories end up creating or having lots of plotholes while simple story get's straight to the point and ends it.
The personality change of the prince:
Ok many WW fans try to defend the prince's personality change by saying "oh he was chased by the dahaka so of course he'd be like that!". Ok yes he was but answer me this did he need to be? Did the developers have to do what they did and change his personality? No, so while yes there is reason why he's like that the point still remains is that it was not needed or called for. The ending of POP SOT didn't leave any suggestion whatsoever that the prince would change so drastically so they could've kept his personality untouched for the sequel but they chose not too.