Major Video Game Franchises That Never Recovered After One Bad Game

It’s incredibly satisfying when a beloved game series makes a comeback with a quality title, especially after a long wait. 2025 was a great example of this for fans of Ninja Gaiden, with the release of two new games – Ninja Gaiden 4 and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound – and a well-received remaster of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. All three games were praised by critics.

Fans and developers hope for successful revivals of beloved franchises, but a single, poorly received game can seriously damage a brand’s reputation, and sometimes, that’s enough to end it. While these franchises might get another chance in the future, right now, their downfall seems certain due to one critical failure.

Dino Crisis

Beyond Extinction

First Game: Dino Crisis (1999)
Disastrous Game That Spelled The End: Dino Crisis 3 (2003)

Originally released for the PlayStation in 1999, Dino Crisis blended the survival horror of Resident Evil with a *Jurassic Parkstyle dinosaur setting. The first two games were very popular and suggested a promising future for a new Capcom horror franchise, but the series lost momentum with the release of next-generation consoles.

Released in 2002, Dino Stalker was a light gun spin-off game that wasn’t very popular. Because it had a different title and wasn’t a core installment, it didn’t significantly damage the Dino Crisis brand. However, Dino Crisis 3, released on the original Xbox in 2003, was a major disappointment for PlayStation fans. Critics widely disliked the game due to its poor camera and weak gameplay, effectively ending the franchise.

Duke Nukem

All Out Of Bubblegum

First Game: Duke Nukem (1991)
Disastrous Game That Spelled The End: Duke Nukem Forever (2011)

Many modern gamers might not realize that Duke Nukem began as a 2D side-scrolling shooter for MS-DOS computers back in 1991. Though it was a decent game, the series really took off a few years later with Duke Nukem 3D in 1996, also for MS-DOS. What set Duke Nukem 3D apart from games like Doom and Wolfenstein 3D was its sense of humor.

Duke Nukem became a huge hit in the 90s thanks to the Duke’s memorable lines and the games’ fast-paced action and appealing character designs. The original games and even later versions were generally praised by critics. However, the long-awaited sequel, Duke Nukem Forever, which took over ten years to make, was a critical failure. Released in 2011, it disappointed fans with outdated jokes and a very short story mode, ultimately not living up to the hype.

Final Fight

From Brawling Champion To Dud

First Game: Final Fight (1989, Japan)
Disastrous Game That Spelled The End: Final Fight: Streetwise (2006)

Final Fight first appeared in Japanese arcades in 1989, and came to North America a year later as a popular new action game. Players loved the original trilogy and eagerly spent their money playing it. Later, a more lighthearted version called Mighty Final Fight was released for consoles, along with versions of the main Final Fight games.

The Final Fight series was initially successful, but faced trouble when Capcom tried to turn it into a traditional fighting game in 1999 with Final Fight Revenge. That game wasn’t well-received by fighting game fans. While the series briefly returned in 2006 with Final Fight: Streetwise for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, it was a critical failure and is still considered one of the worst games on those consoles due to its poor gameplay.

Genji

A Promising Samurai Series Cut Short

First Game: Genji: Dawn of the Samurai (2005)
Disastrous Game That Spelled The End: Genji: Days of the Blade (2006)

The Genji series didn’t last very long, which is a shame because the first game showed a lot of potential. Genji: Dawn of the Samurai was the first title in the series – a brief but enjoyable samurai action game released exclusively for the PlayStation 2 in 2005.

In 2006, Sony planned to release the PlayStation 3 with a new game called Genji: Days of the Blade. However, the game faced early criticism after a poorly received demo featuring “giant enemy crabs” at E3. While bad demos aren’t always a dealbreaker, the final version of Genji was also poorly reviewed. Critics found the combat slow and relied too heavily on quick-time events.

The Getaway

London’s GTA

First Game: The Getaway (2002, Europe)
Disastrous Game That Spelled The End: The Getaway: Black Monday (2004, Europe)

Man, I remember when the first Grand Theft Auto blew up on the PS2 back in 2001. It felt like every game after that tried to be just like it! Even Sony jumped in with The Getaway, which first came out over in Europe in 2002 and then made its way to North America the next year. It was a really promising game – a grittier story, set in London, and it tried some cool new things with how you played. But the sequel, The Getaway: Black Monday, didn’t quite live up to the hype, sadly.

Following disappointing sales of the PlayStation Portable game Gangs of London, plans for a third installment in The Getaway series were scrapped. However, the name Gangs of London has seen a revival with a new TV show of the same name, which first aired in 2020, though it isn’t directly connected to the original game.

Lost Planet

Starship Bloopers

First Game: Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (2006, Japan)
Disastrous Game That Spelled The End: Lost Planet 3 (2013)

The Lost Planet series first appeared in 2006 as a game exclusive to the Xbox 360 in Japan, originally titled Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. It was later released in Western markets a year later. The game appealed to both horror and shooter fans because it prioritized action and a scary atmosphere, unlike many puzzle-focused horror games from Capcom. After the success of the first game, Capcom seemed unsure about the future direction of the series. Lost Planet 2 shifted focus towards multiplayer gameplay and battling large creatures, similar to Monster Hunter. While the sequel received some positive feedback, it wasn’t as well-received as the original.

The third game in the series wasn’t as well-received. It changed direction, focusing on a more emotional story about a father working to support his family. Before that, Japan received a unique spin-off game called E.X. Troopers for the 3DS and PS3, which presented a very colorful, anime-inspired version of the series. Unfortunately, because the games weren’t popular in Western countries, E.X. Troopers never left Japan, and the entire franchise eventually ended.

Medal Of Honor

Can’t Emulate Call Of Duty

First Game: Medal of Honor (1999)
Disastrous Game That Spelled The End: Medal of Honor: Warfighter (2012)

Before games like Call of Duty and Halo became popular, the Medal of Honor series was the leading military-themed first-person shooter on consoles. It first appeared on the PlayStation in 1999 and quickly gained a following thanks to its World War II setting, leading to several sequels. Many fans consider Medal of Honor: Frontline, released on the PlayStation 2 in 2002, to be the best game in the series, and it was groundbreaking in how it portrayed the D-Day invasion.

Despite the success of games like Halo and Call of Duty, Electronic Arts continued to support the Medal of Honor series for a long time, even trying a fresh start with the 2010 Medal of Honor game. While this reboot received generally positive feedback, it ultimately signaled the beginning of the end for the franchise. The 2012 sequel, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, didn’t perform well. EA made one last attempt to revive the series in 2020 with Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, but because it was only available for virtual reality and didn’t receive great reviews, it appears the Medal of Honor franchise is finished.

Steel Battalion

Hit The Eject Button!

First Game: Steel Battalion (2002)
Disastrous Game That Spelled The End: Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor (2012)

Released in 2002 for the original Xbox, Steel Battalion quickly became a favorite among players who could justify its high price tag. What made the mech game so expensive was its incredibly detailed controller, designed to feel like the cockpit of a giant robot. It even included an eject button – a fun feature with a catch: failing to hit it before your mech was destroyed meant losing your progress!

The original Steel Battalion was a hit with both players and critics. Its sequel, Steel Battalion: Line of Contact, wasn’t quite as popular, but still considered decent. The series then went on an eight-year hiatus before returning with Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor on the Xbox 360. Unfortunately, this new installment was a significant disappointment. Players struggled with the game’s controls, which relied on the Kinect motion sensor, and reviews were overwhelmingly negative – a common fate for many Kinect games.

2025-11-23 14:38