Sometimes when franchises become so popular and continue, they kind of drift away from where they started. The creator's original vision could be completed in a trilogy, but if that trilogy is successful, publishers usually don't want to leave money on the table. Sometimes stories can get lost with sequels, and sometimes mechanics just get out of hand when developers try to chase trends.
Major video game franchises that never recovered from one bad game
These were once blockbuster video game franchises, but thanks to one bad game, we may never see them again.
Be that as it may, the following games went through wild transitions, which doesn't mean they're inherently bad. In some cases, fans may have liked the development. However, it cannot be denied that all these examples have lost their identity over time.
Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.
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Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.
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Assassin's Creed
I'd Walk A Thousand Desmond Miles
Assassin's Creed was first advertised as a historical stealth game set in the Middle East, but as it got closer to launch it was revealed to be a simulation. The plot of the first game followed a courier named Desmond Miles who was taken in by Abstergo Industries. Due to his bloodline, a special machine called the Animus was able to recreate the past in Desmond's mind so that he could experience the life of his ancestor, Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, who was part of the Assassin's Guild. Abstergo's true purpose was to find out about a mythical object called the Apple of Eden, as the company itself was part of a rival organization, The Templars, with whom the assassins had been fighting for decades.
It may have been a convoluted plot, but fans got into it with sequels involving Desmond escaping Abstergo and trying to find answers through other ancestors in Assassin's Creed 2 trilogy and ended incl Assassin's Creed 3. At the end of this game, it is heavily implied that the end of the world is coming, but then there were sequels that ditched Desmond, and the finale of the game was swept under the rug. Ubisoft tried to continue adding more real-life characters to the assassins' past lives, but none of them ever felt as compelling as Desmond's journey. Fortunately, most Assassin's Creed following games Assassin's Creed 3 they were at least good, like Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed Odyssey, although the real world aspects have declined.
Parasite Eve
From cop to time traveler
Parasite Eve started as a PS1 RPG set in New York and followed a detective named Aya Brea. After witnessing the opera massacre by the monster Eve, Aya tracked down answers all over the city that led to a park, a hospital, a warehouse, and so on. Around town, people dissolved into mud when Eva contacted them, and animals mutated as well. Plot aside, the game was a good combination of turn-based combat and real-time combat, as players could run around during encounters and time would stop whenever players chose abilities or weapons.
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For the sequel, Aya joined the FBI's special division to combat mutant creatures, which led her to investigate a secret underground base in the Mojave Desert. The combat was now fully real-time and this game switch, along with this secret test area, practically screamed Resident Evil clone. It was still fun, but the gameplay wasn't as unique and the plot was a bit more generic. Finally the last game, 3rd birthdayhe brought the stuff back to New York but jumped the shark completely. Aya changed as a character, acting more timid and could now travel back in time to help prevent a disaster in the city where she possessed past people to fight monsters in real-time combat. An evolution between the first two Parasite Eve the games made sense but the final game was a total screw up.
Saints Row
Dialing into the Matrix
Saints Row it started out simple Grand Theft Auto a clone that was very popular in the 2000s because Rockstar was making bank between the PS2 trilogy. First Saints Row the game was silly, sure, with a weird cast of characters and a variety of missions, but overall it was nothing Grand Theft Auto series she hadn't tried before. All that has changed Saints Row: The Thirdwhich went far to the left Grand Theft Autoand it was for the better. The levels of insanity were turned up to eleven and featured missions that broke the fourth wall as a jump into a state of like Matrixwhere players literally became a toilet that could wield dual machine guns.
This change helped to differentiate Saints Row from Grand Theft Auto more so because Rockstar tried to create more dramatic stories and steered away from the truly outlandish. As good as Saints Row: The Third was, the developer, Volition, was in a bit of a bind to outdo the previous game, and they went too far in the process. Players started out as the President of the United States, who then gained superpowers to fight alien invaders. Also, Johnny Gat, the main character of the series, literally went to hell in the DLC. Fans wanted more, but after development and rights issues, the next game was canceled Saints Rowand it was a reboot in 2022. It went back to a more grounded experience, but not in a good way.
Dino Crisis
Never go into space
Hot for success Resident EvilCapcom was more experimental with their horror games going forward, leading to Dino Crisis. Also, Capcom was already used to creating games based on dinosaurs, such as Cadillacs and dinosaurs. First Dino Crisis was basically Resident Evil in combination with Jurassic Parkwhich includes a special unit sent to the island to find out why communications have stopped. Players assumed the role of Regina and her team discovered that the facility had been experimenting on dinosaurs that were now on the loose.
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The sequel was more action-packed, but still featured units fighting dinosaurs. technically speaking, Dino Stalker it's also part of a series that took the characters back in time to when dinosaurs actually lived, which was a big logical leap. That spinoff aside, the third game, Dino Crisis 3was set in the distant future and featured characters fighting a dinosaur epidemic on a space station. Why would dinosaurs be in space? It made as much sense as when Jason was launched into space Friday the 13th movies, which was zero. Just imagine if Capcom decided to bring Resident Evil into space and how it would destroy the franchise.
Dead universe
Straight to Necromorph Moon
Dead universe he was in many ways a spiritual successor Resident Evil 4. This is a game that broke out in space somewhat properly, with engineer Isaac Clarke brought in with the team to find out why the USG Ishimura stands. Inside, they found humans transforming into creatures known as necromorphs, which were rabid mutant zombies. This happened because of a giant stone pillar called The Marker, which hid a deadly disease inside.
The sequel found Isaac on a different space station, leading to more similar shenanigans, but it was still a good space survival horror game. That said, the third game definitely looked like it was a bit of a toss-up. The first act took place on another station and featured a co-op character who joined Isaac on his mission to fight cultists who worshiped the Markers, named John Carver. In singleplayer, John only appeared in cutscenes, causing a disconnect. The ending also featured Isaac fighting a moon that basically became a necromorph, and while it was cool as a final boss, it took things too far from the logical side of things.
Gaming franchises that may have already peaked
While still great, these franchises have probably already released their milestones.
