We all make mistakes, even our favorite game developer. This list looks at the biggest blunders in good video game franchises.
10. Paper Mario – Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Many Paper Mario fans felt let down because the game no longer feels like a traditional Paper Mario experience. It has shifted away from its RPG roots, focusing more on resource management by having players collect stickers for battles.
While it's not necessarily a bad game, the stark contrast with the other titles in the series makes it a significant disappointment for longtime fans.
9. Zelda – The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
The problem with this game was that it was exclusively multiplayer. While that's not inherently a bad thing, fans of the series cherish the single-player experience.
If you wanted to play solo, you had to awkwardly manage two lifeless player stand-ins throughout the levels, which, unsurprisingly, wasn't enjoyable.
8. Castlevania – Castlevania 2: lords of Shadow
The initial installment was a third-person action game that didn't perform well. Then they released a sequel, which only made things worse.
Although the combat system improved compared to the first game, it still fell short of its competition, and the stealth segments were awful. The franchise effectively vanished after that, with the only traces being a few remastered collections.
7. Marvel vs. Capcom – Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
Even before its release, fans were already upset about this game. First off, the character models looked like cheap plastic, and to make matters worse, there were no X-Men characters, despite the franchise being rooted in X-Men fighting games.
After the launch, the developers went silent—no updates or patches followed. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Dragon Ball FighterZ emerged with similar fighting mechanics and stole a large portion of the fanbase.
6. Silent Hill – Silent Hill: Homecoming
New idea, new concept, but poorly executed. We explore a new city through the perspective of Alex, an ex-soldier returning to his hometown. Unfortunately, the atmospheric tension found in other Silent Hill games is missing, largely due to monster designs that often feel out of place, along with an underdeveloped combat system.
This title leans heavily on melee combat, which feels unfinished and unfair. While it's meant to emphasize survival horror, the movement of the character doesn't blend well with the environment or the enemies, leading to a disjointed experience.
5. Hitman – Hitman: Absolution
What do you think of when you picture Hitman? Expansive levels and countless creative ways to eliminate targets? Well, this game offers less of both and instead delivers a mediocre story with bizarre characters, like four assassins dressed as leather-clad nuns.
Don't get me wrong, funny disguises for Agent 47 have always been entertaining, but they were more of a meta joke than something meant to drive the storyline seriously. Fortunately, we later got some near-perfect Hitman games to make up for it.
4. Mass Effect – Mass Effect: Andromeda
After the Shepard saga, fans were eager to explore a new galaxy. We hoped BioWare had learned from the mistakes of Dragon Age: Inquisition, but we were wrong. The game featured a dull story, forgettable characters, and planets filled with collectibles but lacking any meaningful narrative. Thankfully, this game didn't mess with Shepard's legacy.
3. Metroid – Metroid Prime: Other M
The game delves deeply into Samus' inner monologue, which ends up feeling a bit excessive. Additionally, her portrayal here is quite different from how she is characterized in other entries. The gameplay is fairly linear, even compared to other Metroid Prime titles. The controls are clunky, and the first-person perspective on the Wii just doesn't work well.
2. Sonic – Sonic the Headgehog (2006)
I know the Sonic franchise has had its share of bad games, but Sonic the Hedgehog for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is easily the worst of them all. It features the strangest visual style for a Sonic game, with Sonic interacting with real people.
On top of that, the controls and performance were a complete mess. Can we all agree that nobody wants to see Sonic or Mario interacting with realistically proportioned humans?
1. Devil May Cry – Devil May Cry 2
The worst entry in the series turned the franchise known for its great combos into something with the most uninspired gameplay. Despite having a range of weapons, upgrades, and enemies, the game replaces the thrill of acquiring new skills with simply buffing your sword, which quickly becomes dull. Devil May Cry fans are still left wondering how the ideas for this game even came together.
What are your top picks? Do you have any games that challenge your love of your favorite franchise?