Sequels that Squandered Potential

[-Drifter-]

Which (game) sequels do you think squandered the potential of their franchise?

I think the big one for me has to be the Fable series. Fable was a fairly enjoyable action RPG, light on complexity but heavy on charm and with a few novel ideas and mechanics to hold it up (not to mention an excellent soundtrack [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2iBSfPcWb0]). Unfortunately, its sequels were both steaming piles of disappointment, focusing more on the moral choices and NPC interaction (though failing to improve either) and considerably dumbing down what was never a very deep game in the first place.

 

[WolfCross]

-Ninjas in-

DA2

*vanishes

 

[Andy Shandy]

-Ninjas in-

DA2

*vanishes

That was fast.

Ummm.... Mercenaries 2, now that I have to think of another one.

 

[Dandark]

I will say ME2 and ME3 although this will get me flamed.

Other than that i'd also say the abomination that was Red faction: Armageddon.
Also Prototype 2 and FEAR 2 but these were still good games.

 

[Aeshi]

Red Faction: Armageddon

Only thing about that game that was good is that Magnet Gun.

 

[Azure-Supernova]

I will say ME2 and ME3 although this will get me flamed.

I'm going to agree on this. As enjoyabe as Mass Effect 2 is, there's a sense that they didn't really expand or improve anything from Mass Effect. That whole tedious scanning mechanic replacing exploring in the Mako. Sure the Mako wasn't a stellar experience, but that was something to improve not outright replace. Also I found myself disappointed by the lack of variety in weapons and armour, as well as the new restricted Citadel.

 

[Ultress]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Wild Arms 4,the series has always stood out for it's Spaghetti Western style and creative puzzles. Wild Arms 4 took a step in the right direction with the Hex based battle system(broken as it was) but decided to drop the former two aspects for a generic post apocalypse setting and crappy platforming.

 

[TrevHead]

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reavers 2-3 while a continuation of one of the best stories in gaming the gameplay and world just don't hold a candle to the original Soul Reaver.

Just about any horror game series.

Crimson Dragon, made by the same devs behind Panzer Dragoon, it's a clone in everything apart from the name and crappy kennect only controls. It's not REZ or Child of Eden, but a game where controlling your avatar is a core feature of the game. Sin and Punishment 2 is a great example of a motion control game due to the use of the nunchuck to control the avatar.

So many sequels on handhelds feel like they should be on a normal console, especially psp games.

Ninja Gaiden 3

 

[OrpheusTelos]

XIII-2. After the (relative, since we all know gamers are capable of keeping things in perspective, right?) dissapointment of XIII, I was sincerely hoping XIII-2 would take what XIII did well (a very interesting, yet underdeveloped setting) and expand upon it in an interesting way. Instead, we got this time travel crap that had bugger-all to do with XIII's science-fiction flavored universe. Not to mention, plot points that directly violated established lore.

 

[Scrustle]

I think the big one for me has to be the Fable series. Fable was a fairly enjoyable action RPG, light on complexity but heavy on charm and with a few novel ideas and mechanics to hold it up (not to mention an excellent soundtrack [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2iBSfPcWb0]). Unfortunately, its sequels were both steaming piles of disappointment, focusing more on the moral choices and NPC interaction (though failing to improve either) and considerably dumbing down what was never a very deep game in the first place.

Well done. This is the correct answer. Have a banana sticker.

But seriously, you hit the nail right on the head there. Fable 2 was the biggest disappointment of my entire gaming life. I can't think of any sequel I've ever played that fucked up as much as that.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

-Ninjas in-

DA2

*vanishes

As I've said before in other threads where I could get away with saying this: even the spin-off Dragon Age games (like Lilliana's Song and, Darkspawn Chronicles) added more to the overall plot and, world of Dragon Age than the second full game. I really, really hate Dragon Age 2 though...

---

I'm going to agree with the OP: I remember really liking Fable (never having played Lost Chapters...yet) and while I thought Fable 2 was a step back in terms of over-all plot (ok, so being a hero isn't something everyone can aspire to anymore) the biggest thorn in the side of this franchise was the third game which might as well have been packaged with an apology letter.

 

[Jhooud]

Force Unleashed 2. The first game had its problems, but I thought was a refreshing take on the Star Wars universe and a solid third-person action game to boot. I was pretty stoked for 2...and...ugh.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. The original was, for the most part, well-done with great characters and a deep story. The sequel... not so much.

But for me, the biggest annoyance was the fact they replaced most of the voice actors in the English version for some reason. Not that there weren't some good voices, mind you, but I'm peeved that I COULD have had Scott Menville and Johnny Yong Bosch, two of my all-time favorite English Language voice actors in the sequel to one of my all-time favorite JRPGs! GAAAHHH!!!

...Sorry, I always get a bit of Nerd Rage thinking about it...

Also, Prototype 2. I understand why they wanted to focus on another character, but did they have to make Mercer the villain?!?!?

 

[scorptatious]

For me, that would probably be Valkyria Chronicles 2.

The most obvious reason would be it being on the PSP, something that isn't nearly as powerful as the PS3 (the console the original game was released on). But I have many other issues I have with this game besides the hardware it came on.

1. The characters weren't nearly as likable as the last game's.

2. The way the new class system works requires a whole bunch of grinding and farming in order to upgrade each and every single recruit's class. Which completely contradicts the last game's leveling system, which made it so that you level everyone up by class instead of individual soldiers. You can still level up everyone by class in this game, but the new class system just adds needless grinding and complication to the whole thing.

3. The art style. This is more of a subjective thing I guess, but I just didn't like the art style as much as I did the last game's.

The sad thing is, this game does provide things that improve on the first game's issues. There's more mission variety, the enemy A.I. is smarter, and the way that the battlefields are split into different areas to make up for the PSP's inability to have really large levels is pretty clever.

Unfortunately, the bad kinda outweighs the good for me when it comes to VC2, and I feel this game doesn't live up the original's greatness.

 

[templar1138a]

Red Faction 2. I loved the first game (and I'm a veteran of the multiplayer), but Red Faction 2 was just awful. A poorly constructed plot that had nothing to do with the first game, one-dimensional characters, a plot twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan say, "Dude, even I saw that one coming," and a morality system that boiled down to "If you're an asshole, you're evil. If you use your head, you're good" that only had an impact in the form of deciding which ending you got.

I was thinking of playing Red Faction: Guerrilla, but Yahtzee's pointing out some of the stupidities in the game mechanics made me decide not to get it. And when I saw that Red Faction: Armageddon involved aliens, I just said, "No."

 

[templar1138a]

[accidental double-post]

 

[templar1138a]

[accidental triple-post]

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Deus Ex: Invisible War
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Duke Nukem Forever
Resistance 2
Sonic 4 Episode 2