That game series/franchise you used to love, that you think have destroyed themselves?

[mjc0961]

First let me start of by saying that I think that not only did Ruby and Sapphire did not ruin Pokémon (it was Gold and Silver that tried really damn hard to do that), but they're still the best set of games in the series.

and there's an "ice cream cone" Pokemon or something?

Yep, because the ball of vines, pile of goop, and mime (among many many many other piss poor designs) from Gen 1 were so much better than an ice cream cone. I will never understand this cockamamie complaint. I guess sometimes people really do refuse to take off their nostalgia glasses.

Gold/Silver's crew did feel like actual undiscovered Pokemon.

Gold and Silver's crew didn't feel like Pokémon at all. They felt like regular ass animals. A spider? A ladybug? A cow? An owl? WHOA HOLY SHIT LOOK OUT THERE'S MASSIVE CREATIVITY GOING ON IN THAT GENERATION! It's so creative your head will explode. That, or make you wonder when you stopped playing Pokémon and started playing "Go Make Real Animals Fight Each Other."

Anyway, I don't care of some guy thinking he's clever said "inb4" on this, the thread title perfectly describes Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm done with all that new mess SEGA keeps pumping out. I'm happy with my copy of Mega Collection for GameCube thank you very much.

Spyro and Crash are also worthy nominees, as is Command and Conquer. Yes, it only had one bad game (4), but it completely and utterly destroyed itself right then and there.

 

[Mr. Omega]

I'm genuinely (but pleasantly) surprised the people here haven't been confusing destroying with stagnating. I was expecting 20 posts going along the lines of "Mario! So many sequels and as we all know sequels are EVIL!"

OT::
Wow, it took this long for someone to mention Guitar Hero? It literally destroyed (in terms of being a franchise) itself, unlike the rest of the choices I'm going to mention. It died for me at 5, but then again, I hoped on the bandwagon at 4...

Tony Hawk. It's on life support, and that life support is failing. It died for me after the second.

Sonic. I don't care if Colors is a step in the right direction. The damage has been done. And if wasn't for the fact that the Sonic Fanbase's reaction to most games no matter how bad it is was "Thank you sir, may I have another?", the series would have died at 06. Or at least would be on hiatus. It died for me at Shadow.

Spyro. Spyro has gotten TWO reboots. The first was mediocre, not terrible, but passable. And the new one looks to be the one that descends from "passable" to just plain "bad". It died for me at the end of the first reboot.

Edit: How could I forget?

Bomberman. I'm not happy about this. If Sonic can get a second (and third and fourth) chance after 06, Bomberman deserves a second chance after Act Zero. I loved the SNES games and the N64 games, and I enjoy the DSiWare game as a time-waster. I never played Act Zero, but from what I've seen... I'm glad I haven't.

 

[OptimisticPessimist]

Fable.

(in the style of Captain Kirk) MOOOLYNEUUUUUUUUUUXXX!!!!!!

 

[mjc0961]

Sonic. I don't care if Colors is a step in the right direction. The damage has been done. And if wasn't for the fact that the Sonic Fanbase's reaction to most games no matter how bad it is was "Thank you sir, may I have another?", the series would have died at 06. Or at least would be on hiatus. It died for me at Shadow.

It died for me at Rush, and it's also why I refuse to trust reviews and fan reaction (myself NOT being a fan anymore because fans like something and I do not like this) anymore. Everyone was going on about how Rush was so awesome and just like the old games. No it wasn't. It was everything bad about Sonic Advance 2 all over again.

People can go on about how Colors is so awesome all they want. My reaction to that is. "Yep. Uhuh. Sure it is. Just like Rush was awesome." People are going to quote this now and try to convince me, but I'm not going to believe any of them either.

 

[Dark Prophet]

Need for Speed - Porsche was the last good one, though Undergrounds were moderatly enjoyable, but after that it all went to shit and I blame EA. I've heard that the new Hot Pursuit has taken NFS back to its roots so I'll probably pick it up when it lands in the bin.
C&C Red Alert - 3rd one fucked everything up, yet again EA dosen't know what does the word "fun" means.

 

[Rivers Wells]

Final Fantasy.

It's already been said here but it still breaks my heart. Square - Enix is doing everything it can to recoup their losses over the years and its just getting silly how bloated their games are getting in proportion to how arbitrary their controls are. Honestly, the best thing for SE would be too just die and sale FF to another company to try and cover the cost of slowly bleeding out across the JRPG landscape. Blasphemy? Maybe, but tell me this: If SE went down and a smaller studio with less resources decided to push forward with Final Fantasy by limiting the need of top tier graphics and instead focusing solely on gameplay and extensive storytelling, would you be all that heartbroken?

 

[pejhmon]

Empire Earth. 1 was great but 2 was horrible. I don't even want to know what 3 is like ....

Age of Empires. Loved 1 and 2 but 3 ...... just lost it for me. IMO they really should have expanded on Age of Mythology instead of making AoE 3.

Call of Duty. 1 was alright, but I did only paly it for the 1st time a year ago so it's slightly out of perspective. Haven't played 2. 3 was god awful. 4 was great. WaW was meh. MW2 had a good campaign but the multiplayer became a "who has the cheapest kill tactic?" and I cba to buy Blops (played it at my uni's gamesoc event and just thought "nope.avi"). However, if they sold the single player for MW3 separate from the game (i.e. for the £30 they'd charge (PC) for the full game sell the campaign for £10-15 as an optional standalone much like DoW 2: Retri's Last Stand(alone)) then I would consider getting it, since the story was interesting (but too short in MW2), but even then only in a steam sale.

Total War. Rome is one of my favourite games of all time, then played empire and gave up on the series. Tried the Shogun 2 demo and wasn't impressed since it seemed too heavy on the graphics and not enough on gameplay (when I say to stop shooting arrows you STOP GODAMNIT). Need to play Medieval (2) at some point.

Pokémon. Yellow = awesome. Silver = great, but not as good as yellow. All others after aren't worth mentioning. Seriously, now they are just out of ideas and trying to make every possible combination of types. I bet there's a water/fire or fire/grass or rock/electric pokemon out there

Red Faction. I liked 1. 2 sacrificed story for combat, which I think was a loss (much like Bioshock 2) but guerilla / arma really should drop the Red Faction name. I'm not saying that's really killed the series, because Guerilla wasn't that bad (but it wasn't that good either), it's just that they don't belong with 1 or 2

On a side note, 2 series that have improved with each instalment. Gears of War and Half Life

 

[Adam28]

Oh man, where to begin....

Call of Duty - Modern Warfare was one of my first Xbox 360 games and I really enjoyed it, the multi-player felt fresh and new (especially since it was of my first online games) and it was just great fun. 3 - 4 Years later and not really any major improvements.

Final Fantasy - X was the last classic Final Fantasy and whether you enjoyed it or not was up to you. XI was apparently a decent MMO. XII was completely different but a great RPG nevertheless. Now, XII on the other hand, what overrated garbage. I can understand the need for a new battle system but not one (somehow) less engaging that the previous one. Even more linear than X, and the story wasn't great either. I haven't played XIV but from what I have heard, I am not missing anything. Don't know how Square Enix is going to save this sinking ship.

Spyro - Just look at the latest game, you need to buy toys to unlock in-game content... and what did they do to Spyro, looks like they performed some sort of experiment on him.

Rayman - Replaced with rabbids, guess it sells better... Reminds me, I need to change my avatar.

Ridge Racer - Type 4! Should of sticked with the formula used in this game as well as it's soundtrack (although they do sometimes use it's songs in newer RRs)

Knights of the Old Republic - Lucasarts kind of ruined the final product of KOTOR2 with their deadline, and now we have an MMO... I can't tell you how much I hate series that turn into MMOs...

Crash - Did he die or something?

Pokemon - Kind of, I still enjoyed Black but it didn't seem to offer much things new and was just a huge disappointment in my opinion.

 

[TheLastSamurai14]

Sonic. Oh dear god, Sonic.

Final Fantasy. What the fuck happened guys?

This too. Although I thought XIII was actually pretty innovative. I know, I know, shun the nonbeliever and all that, but come on, after what a lot of the gaming industry has been through (Treyarch, Infinity Ward, and SEGA, most prominently), they actually put out better stuff than a lot of other companies.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

First let me start of by saying that I think that not only did Ruby and Sapphire did not ruin Pokémon (it was Gold and Silver that tried really damn hard to do that), but they're still the best set of games in the series.

and there's an "ice cream cone" Pokemon or something?

Yep, because the ball of vines, pile of goop, and mime (among many many many other piss poor designs) from Gen 1 were so much better than an ice cream cone. I will never understand this cockamamie complaint. I guess sometimes people really do refuse to take off their nostalgia glasses.

Gold/Silver's crew did feel like actual undiscovered Pokemon.

Gold and Silver's crew didn't feel like Pokémon at all. They felt like regular ass animals. A spider? A ladybug? A cow? An owl? WHOA HOLY SHIT LOOK OUT THERE'S MASSIVE CREATIVITY GOING ON IN THAT GENERATION! It's so creative your head will explode. That, or make you wonder when you stopped playing Pokémon and started playing "Go Make Real Animals Fight Each Other."

You obviously didn't read my other post...

I actually haven't played any of the Pokemon games after Gold/Silver (except for FireRed, the GBA remake of Red). I'm sure that there were plenty of solid, non-bizarre additions to the Pokedex in the post Gold/Silver days. I only singled out Ruby/Sapphire because it was when I started seeing promo stuff for Ruby/Sapphire that I first got a feel for where the series was headed.

I mean, let's compare the aesthetic of the art design and name of "Charizard" (featured on the cover of Red version) to the aesthetic of the art design and name of "Rayquazza" (featured on the cover of Emerald version). Google these names and compare the pictures if you don't know what they look like.

I'm not at saying that Ruby/Sapphire (or any of the post-Gold/Silver releases) are necessarily BAD games or that they didn't bring anything good to the table for the Pokemon franchise. Like I said, I haven't played them, so I can't really judge them in that regard. It's just that, for me, the introduction of the Ruby/Sapphire Pokemon line-up is when I realized that they were going to keep milking the franchise forever by making weirder and weirder creatures, and that's why I just got turned off from the franchise.

So, here's a few things to consider...

-I never stated, nor am I now stating now, that Ruby/Sapphire (or any of the games that came after them) were BAD games. I did say that I haven't played them and, therefore, I'm not going to judge them.

-I never said that the Red/Blue Pokemon set designs weren't "weird" or that they "made sense." I said that as time went on the designs got "weirder and weirder." If you need me to spell it out for you, here it is: the Pokemon designs, in my opinion, started out weird in a simple and charming sort of way, but over time just got weirder and weirder to the point of being too weird, in my opinion.

-Whether you enjoy the new designs or not, there IS a certain aesthetic difference that began to be really noticeable during the Ruby/Sapphire days. The Red/Blue set had a simple charm aesthetic. The Gold/Silver set retained much of this, but began to go for a more over-the-top design (compare "Articuno" to "Lugia"). Ruby/Sapphire is, for me, where the line was crossed and the newer Pokemon designs started to really show a more "over-the-top anime" design as opposed to the earlier "simple charm anime" design. Compare the cover creature of Red (Charizard) to that of Ruby (Groudon). There's a definite aesthetic difference.

-If you LIKE the newer aesthetic, that's fine. More power to you. I don't like it. Pure and simple.

-Why the Ruby/Sapphire generation crippled my love for the series has nothing to do with the games themselves; it has to do with the fact that when I saw images for the Ruby/Sapphire set I realized that they were going to milk the franchise by continuing to add new Pokemon with each new release, and in order to maintain that, they'd have to keep making the designs weirder and weirder, more deeply embracing the newer design aesthetic that I was not fond of.

-You might want to read thoroughly and have a more reasonable tone in your replies before you dismiss someone as having "cockamamie" complaints and being blinded by nostalgia.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

and there's an "ice cream cone" Pokemon or something?

Yep, because the ball of vines, pile of goop, and mime (among many many many other piss poor designs) from Gen 1 were so much better than an ice cream cone. I will never understand this cockamamie complaint. I guess sometimes people really do refuse to take off their nostalgia glasses.

...

Anyway, I don't care of some guy thinking he's clever said "inb4" on this, the thread title perfectly describes Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm done with all that new mess SEGA keeps pumping out. I'm happy with my copy of Mega Collection for GameCube thank you very much.

Also, it's funny how in one breath you accuse me of wearing nostalgia-glasses because I prefer the older Pokemon games, then almost immeadiately afterward you talk about how you love the old Sonic games and the new ones suck. Without a solid case for why you don't like the newer Sonic games, I could accuse you of wearing nostalgia-glasses.

Don't get me wrong, the newer Sonic games do suck, but you sir need to work on how you present your opinions, especially if you're going to start something with someone who can argue circles around you.

 

[kayisking]

Call of Duty
Heroes of Might and Magic
Deus Ex
Fallout

Let's be honest, Deus Ex never was much of a franchise it only had two games, and of the two, one was crappy and the other was pure gold. And what the hell is wrong with Fallout? Sure, New Vegas was bugged up the bum but that's not really a good enough reason to condemm the whole franchise.

OT: The Tony Hawk series. Man I used to love those games.

 

[Levethian]

Might & Magic.
Doom.
Master of Orion.
Gothic.

 

[TheDuckbunny]

Assassin's Creed for me. The first game was a breath of fresh air in the gaming industry, with true next gen graphics, innovative game mechanics along with awe inspiring animations and a pretty unique setting and story on top of that. The second game felt to me like a generic action title in every way and little was done to actually improve upon the gameplay of the first, instead adding extra things like earning money and buying shops, deluding the focus of the first game where everything you did lead to these big set piece assasinations. The story felt very far fetched and again seemed to lack focus, instead throwing alot of names and characters at you that I could personally not care less about and felt like they didn't belong in the historical setting of old Italy. They all felt like modern American actors to me trying out their rehearsed Italian accents.

The sequels still look great and I bet they're a blast to play but they're just not what I had expected from the franchise going forward.

 

[Terminate421]

Sonic the Hedgehog went from a great childhood icon to the Gaming version of Twilight. It won't stop sucking.

 

[Terminate421]

I've played very few series games, aside from the obvious Zelda and Mario games. I guess the only series I've given up on is Pokemon. The first two generations were awesome. Stadium was awesome. Pokemon Pinball rocked right up until I somehow magically lost my cartridge and broke my own heart. But Ruby was a mess, and Pearl...just ugh. It was a major disappointment. Now I don't even care when they announce new games.

Yeah...

I was all into Pokemon during the Red/Blue days. I played the game religiously, trained and maxed out TONS of uber-powerful level 100s to challenge my friends with. When Gold/Silver came out, they introduced some interesting new gameplay elements, brought a lot more balance to the different types to prevent Psychic-type domination, and did away with glitches. The new Pokemon were cool and felt like a natural growth for the series. Also, there were minimal compatibility issues between Red/Blue and Gold/Sliver, so all my master Pokemon from Red/Blue were still viable. I loved it!

Ruby/Sapphire is when the series hit the wall hard for me (and from what I understand, many other old-school Pokemaniacs as well). That's when I realized that they were just going to keep adding creatures game after game and that the creatures were just gonna get weirder and weirder and now there's well OVER FIVE HUNDRED CREATURES if you wanna "Catch 'em all" and there's an "ice cream cone" Pokemon or something?

I've got two words for that noise...

Screw. That.

You mean to say you didn't love NOSEPASS?! But he's a NOSE POKEMON! Don't you get how clever it is?!

Gold/Silver's crew did feel like actual undiscovered Pokemon. They fit so well with everything else. And some of Ruby/Sapphire and beyond were good too (I love Furret forever), but for the most part it just seems like they're taking a body part/inanimate object and mixing it with an animal/alien/elemental. There's even a goth Pokemon now. A GOTH POKEMON! It's just too much.

Ah, but heres the problem with all the reasonings former fans bring to the table with pokemon, they mainly focus on the bad ones. Heres what I ask former fans to do. Bring at least three good ones from each generation and then see for yourself, if you can't pick three or you refuse to do it, you may be a nostalgia fag.

Heres a little comic I want you guys to read about pokemon, trust me, its kinda funny. And it presents my argument to Nostalgia fags (Not accusing anyone here of a nostalgia fag, YET)
Also, make sure to click on it to enlarge it

http://amastroph.deviantart.com/art/Spheal-with-it-nostalgiafags-205335603

As for MY opinion, I like newer pokemon. 2nd and 4th generations were the best and most needed.

 

[OliverTwist72]

Hmm lessee so many choices.

Dead to me:
Final Fantasy
Resident Evil, I want horror not action =/
Command & Conquer
Tekken (yea I might catch a little flack here for putting a fighting game since it technically doesn't change much but after playing Tekken 6 I have no wish to play another Tekken)
Suikoden and Wild Arms but these seem to be dead so no use complaining about them.

In need of a reboot
Shining Force (buahhhhhhhhhhhhh!)

 

[Physics Engine]

Need for Speed. After Porsche Unleashed it really went downhill fast. Introducing a story mode in Underground pretty much started to put the series in the grave, Pro-Street was just shoveling dirt on a corpse. EA can't quite figure out what to make out of NfS, so instead they simply pump out different games with the same title just confusing the potential customers.

Gran Turismo. OK, I've played this game 5 times already, yes the physics and handling is unmatched and there's a thousand cars to play with, but there's still no game here. It's a great sim, with nothing to do in it... The game is the same one it was in 1998 only shinier.

Wing Commander. Where do you go when you've already made the most expensive game ever? If anyone knows I'll be over here waiting for a new one.

 

[Stormz]

The Gothic series. 1 and 2 were amazing games that I've replayed several times. 3 was alright, not amazing but still worthy of the Gothic title. Arcania, my lord that is an atrocity. The people who made it had to be idiots. They ditched EVERYTHING that made Gothic...Gothic. I feel the series should either rest in peace or go back to 1 and 2s formula. It's sad because Gothic 1 was the game that actually got me into seriously into RPGs and games in general. I would love to see a new Gothic game that played like the original.