10 worst video game sequels

worst video game sequels

Over the years, there have been games, a huge number of them. Some have managed to make a mark through their visuals and gameplay while some have been the ultimate disappointments. Several successful titles have had a diverse variety of sequels. Games like Call Of Duty, FIFA and many others are examples of games which have got better and better with every oncoming sequel. On the other hand, there are a number of games whose initial editions were hugely liked but the sequels turned out to be utter disappointments. Here are the 10 worst video game sequels ever.

#10 Star Wars : Knights of the Old Republic II

worst video game sequels

There is much more disappointment in the game than what can be predicted given the convoluted title. Obsidian’s Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords was a game that failed on multiple fronts. The original game was one of the best RPGs at that time. Although the sequel adopted the same mechanics, it was basically ruined by what was clearly a development window the developers just could not meet.

Though not in the hands of the same developers as the first game, it should not have been too difficult to take the original framework and just build on it a little; what clearly wounded the game most was that it was basically released unfinished, something corroborated by the fact that exploring the game’s files shows lots of missing data. Well, a third game in the series is still awaited and well, it is all but guaranteed that it won’t be as diappointing as this one. Not to mention the numerous bugs and glitches experienced by gamers.

#9 Deus Ex : The Invisible War

Deus Ex was a game that had a lot to offer and an undoubted fan base. But all that the fans received in the form of Deus Ex : The Invisible War disappointment and more of it. The title, on its initial release was tagged as “revolutionary” due to its exploits in terms of its thought-provoking, intelligent narrative, its choice system, and specifically its array of augmentations.

The sequel was very much hyped before release but ended up with a complete absence of the intelligent thrills that characterised the original game while opting for a far more generic sci-fi shooter with highly disappointing RPG elements. Overall, The Invisible War is a game that is difficult to recommend to even the most ardent Deus Ex fan beyond mere morbid curiosity, because in every way, it just feels like the inferior sibling.

#8 Pac Man 2 : The New Adventures

Pac-Man is a game known by all, played by most and loved by many. The highly successful original title was followed by its less known and far less engaging sequel, Pac-Man 2. Well, the game was one of the greatest disappointments of that time failing to impress the vast Pac-Man fanbase. Termed as confusing and haphazad, the game never really seem to be aiming for a fair display.

Honestly, the game is a really off-putting game, which at times makes you feel uneasy about the things you do and how Pac-Man reacts to the things around him. Depending on how Pac-Man feels at the time, you might feel a bit depressed at the tone of the game. Also, going into peoples houses and doing things with a strangers kid while they arent home just feels insanely wrong. All that and much more was responsible for the game's fate but somehow, the Pac-Man lovers were sustained.

#7 Prince of Persia : Warrior Within

Prince of Persia : Warrior Within was one of the most hyped games ever after the resounding success of its predecessor, The Sands Of Time. The game stands as one of the best big-budget reboots of any classic video game franchise; it not only had thrilling platforming mechanics, but the time-rewind gimmick worked far better than surely most of us expected it to. However, with ‘Warrior Within’, every bit of aspiration suffered a major setback due to the utter disappointment delivered by the game.

The gothic look, themetal soundtrack, and the dark tone might have brought a pinch of freshness to the game but all of it eventually took away everything that was loved by the gamers. The general opinion was that the original was simply a lot more fun to play and truly so. The sequel, in less words was a needless comedown. Thankfully, the third game, The Two Thrones, is far, far better.

#6 Devil May Cry 2

Despite being one of Capcoms best games to date, Devil May Cry has a black spot in the name of DMC 2. Well, the later sequels are actually pretty good but this one was a total mess to say the least. The first game had lush visuals, immensely violent action and a thoroughly likeable protagonist. The second game was definitely in place for something even better. But there was nothing better to be seen as the game turned out to be a huge disappointment.

Poor texture detail, poor anti-aliasing, terrible gameplay and a jagged, ugly look... this was all that the costomers experienced in the game which was far worse than its very much liked predecessor. The game was a complete degradation with substantial fall in the standard of the plot as well as the overall feel.

#5 Duke Nukem Forever

15 years was the time taken by the franchise to have a sequel to the original title. That makes Duke Nukem Forever allthemore disappointing from the off. Fans had hoped that the ridiculously long development period would have reaped something impressive. But the game turned out to be massively underwhelming, somehow managing to remove almost every bit of fun involved in the game. The previous Duke Nukem games in all their iterations were a lot of fun, presenting us with a lewd, foul-mouthed protagonist and much more. But htis one just wasnt meant to be the same.

The game is a failure not just due to its own drawbacks. The current FPS landscape is also to be blamed which has changed a lot since Duke last went there. This means that the awkward gameplay mechanics of the game can no longer be ignored. Nor can the foolish aspects which once seemed interesting. Well, much more was expected from this sequel but it delivered very less.

#4 Resident Evil 6

The Resident Evil series has undergone a number of modifications over the years. The first three games had the fixed camera coupled with awkward tank controls, before a complete revamp that saw Capcom come up with the more fluid, action-orientated thrills of the fourth and fifth games.

However, complaints had begun to surface by this point that the series had moved too far away from its survival horror thrills towards action, and this reached an all-time high with the sixth game. Resident Evil 6 is said to be completely devoid of the scare and thrill that was once an identity for the game. While others are more of a survival horror this one’s a mediocre third person shooter and nothing more.

#3 Super Mario Bros. 2

Super Mario Bros 2 has a different story altogether. The game was initially released only in Japatually, Nintendo took a Japanese game calledYumi Kj: Doki Doki Panic and re-skinned it with Mario-appropriate characters, while the story was represented as a random dream that Mario had one night. Hence, it hasnt really got much to do with the Mario titles and feels like a downgraded version of the much loved original game.

The overall feel just isnt of a Mario game, and as a result its held in fairly low favour by most hardcore Mario fans. However, Nintendo were quick to get to work on the third Mario game, which had enough good things in it to forget the previous disaster.

#2 Driv3r

worst video game sequels

Driver has been a fan-favourite game ever since its first release. The first two titles in the series were very well accepted by the gamers due to their diverse and interesting gameplay. The third title however, Driv3r was more of a notorious sequel to its fairly successful predecessors. Apart from being technically inferior, the game was also in the news due to the uncovering of a scandal in which Atari essentially bribed several video game magazines to give the game a 9/10, whereas the most scrupulous publications gave it an average of about 3/10. That explains most of the story and well, the standards of the game as well.

The game did not belong to the family really, involving more on-foot gameplay, something which definitely does not characterize a game called ‘DRIVER’. Numerous more glitches and poor outlook saw the game eventually turn out to be a huge flop overall. The later titles in the series were far better though, taking the title to a whole new level.

#1 Perfect Dark Zero

Perfect Dark Zero was a hugely disappointing follow-up to one of the best FPS games of its era, Rares revolutionary Goldeneye. The game had a loopy, futuristic sci-fi plot, and most importantly, a massively addictive multiplayer offering, neither of which were met by the hugely-anticipated Xbox 360 sequel. The game didnt even manage to come anywhere close to its predecessor in terms the liking of gameplay or even outlook. The modern FPS landscape is also to be blamed, though.

Rare clearly had to step their game up to compete with how the FPS landscape had changed since the first games release, but in light of FPSbehemothslike Halo, Perfect Dark Zero just felt incredibly dated and not at all akin to the masterful first game in the series. With Rare's failure to come up with something big enough to follow up its classic and compete with the latest FP Shooters, it resulted to this massive let down of a game that has now pretty much faded into obscurity.