285
rate

How to Kill a Franchise

June 17, 2007 in News comments 19

There a number of great games that start off with a bang. Having a huge fan following, only to see the franchise crumble with bad sequels. Click the link for the list of games.

Seeing a beloved franchise crumble into a defunct mishmash of horrid ideas and misconstrued concepts seems to happen all too often in this day and age of money grabbing bottom-liners. A great game is relatively easy to create in comparison to what it takes to sustain that greatness throughout an entire series. Some franchises are great at keeping a high level of quality, whereas others take a swan dive into the shallow end of the pool. It might not be so bad when a company makes a one-hit-wonder that then flops, but when a series has been in our hearts for generations of systems and then takes a downturn in quality, that's when we have to turn our gaze to the publishers responsible.

We're usually not in the business of calling people out for shoddy development jobs, but in some cases, an exception must be made. In this article we'll detail some of our most beloved series that have taken a grave turn for the worse, and then tell you how future installments can right the ship. And yes, not even Electronic Arts will be spared this time around.
Linkin Park Fan via au.insider.ign.com »
Favourite this article Add source
| More
Report!
Latest comment:
Most recently commented on by on Jun 20, 2007

Comments

Register as a member to subscribe comments.
  • 0
    Reenee Jun 18, 07
    They totally neglected Mario Party.
    • 0
      Ameer* Jun 18, 07
      Was Mario Party ever really alive to begin with?
  • 0
    Rinkydink Jun 18, 07
    It was a fair bit in the N64 days, I bet the N64 Mario Party games were thought out to be very good back then. At this stage though, the amount brought out is starting to turn into a joke, though the games aren't so bad I guess.
  • 0
    Miss Razz Jun 18, 07
    Aren't there, like, seven Mario Party games now? I didn't even know they were still being made. I got quite a shock when I saw the seventh one being advertised.

    - - -

    I'm also surprised that the FFVII Compilations games weren't there. What's a good way to screw up an originally great game? Release an action movie, an average cell-phone game, and a sub-par shooter to "expand" a story that didn't need any "expanding" to begin with.

    - - -

    Can't say I agree that Tomb Raider Anniversary "saved" the TR series, either.
    I thought Legends did a pretty good job of that.
    • 0
      BANDITO ATTACK Jun 18, 07
      There's 8 Mario Party games.

      I know, its crazy man.
  • 0
    Miller Jun 18, 07
    How to Kill a Franchise - Turn Fallout into a FPS.
    How to Kill a Franchise - Make Oblivion into a mindless console gamer game.
    • 1
      Wolfwood Jun 18, 07
      Ouch that's mean! Indeed, there's always a time when the grognards fear their series goes "mainstream", whether it's on PC or console.
      • 0
        Miller Jun 18, 07
        Grognard, not heard that word in many a year. *Thumbs up*
    • 0
      Seeker X Jun 19, 07
      Oblivion worked wonderfully on the console, dunno what you're talking about.
  • 0
    Marcibanjo Jun 18, 07
    Mario Party was, it was a really good game, original and unique.
  • 0
    Linkin Park Fan Jun 18, 07
    There truely are too many mario party games. How do they not run out of ideas for those mini games?
  • 0
    Final Blade Jun 18, 07
    Hey i liked the new sonic games. I mean the new characters are cool. I dont see how getting rid of them will help. Though some stuff isnt the same as the classics but i still enjoy them. I think ppl complain to much.
  • 0
    Goyun SSJ15 Jun 18, 07
    Too many spin-off titles/mini-game games is what can kill a franchise.

    Not a spectacular example, but when they turned Pokemon TCG into an actual video-game.

    But that brings forth a good example- DBZ TCG. wtf?
  • 0
    Marcibanjo Jun 18, 07
    Linkin Park Fan, Mario Party 1 2 and 3 were the best. Later 4 become the best of the GC. 5 and 6 are really unoriginal. So i havent 7. But i will buy 8.
  • 0
    Jeterocks Jun 18, 07
    What about 007 Games...Goldeneye was killer on the N64...then it completely DIED after that...nothing even came close to what goldeneye did for 007
  • 0
    bbb7002004 Jun 19, 07
    Yeah, but the James Bond franchise extends beyond the games into movies and such, which aren't in much danger.

    I was really hoping to get a descent Mario Party for Wii, with the advantages of the Wiimote. It is really disappointing Nintendo did such a crappy job moving a GC game over.
  • 0
    Team Xtreme Jun 19, 07
    You also have to take into account that Goldeneye was made by Rare, and if memory serves me correctly they were purchased by Microsoft after Perect Dark and Conkers Bad Fur Day. They didn't get a chance to make another 007 game.
  • 0
    Goyun SSJ15 Jun 19, 07
    You can kill a franchise by not knowing when to stop- an example being the Pokemon series. People only still buy them because they're hooked, not because they actually like the new games. Look at the rediculous Pokemon we have now.
  • 0
    Crystal Creation Jun 20, 07
    That's true. They are trying to make everything out of anything when really there is no need to.

    Poor Mario Party. I loved the first 3 of them, but when it turned all 3D on Cube, it felt really...un-natural, like it lost it's actual meaning. That's what I hate about Franchises sometimes.

This news story is archived and is closed to comments now.