15 Hit Video Game Franchises That Should Have Ended Long Ago
Video games are a lot like movies. Once one of them becomes a hit, developers lean in and try to create a successful franchise. Sometimes,...
Published 4 years ago in Ouch
Sometimes, these franchises give us some unforgettable games. But there are some franchises that clearly should have ended long ago. And here are a few that really deserve to die!
1
Halo
As a major Halo fanboy, it hurts my heart to say this. But the Halo franchise is long, long past its prime.
The franchise arguably reached its highpoint with Halo: Reach, a game that offered a complex and epic story along with a killer multiplayer. But then we got an incomprehensible story in Halo 4 and a bland multiplayer in Halo 5.
Considering most franchise fans are just playing the old games on the Master Chief Collection, it may be time to put this franchise on ice.2
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat has had a weird history. It went from an ok fighting game with a gimmick to a great fighting series that just happened to be gory as hell.
But modern MK games are just recycling old ideas while trying to get you to shell out for insane DLC. Was anybody really demanding the ability to play as the Joker or the Terminator? Time for this series to throw itself into a spiked pit and be done with it.3
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog was more than the face of the Sega Genesis. With his sarcastic and slick attitude, he is dangerously close to being the voice of an entire generation.
The only problem is that that generation has moved on. And Sonic has failed to evolve in terms of character or game design (and when they try, we get insane things like Sonic ‘06 or Shadow the Hedgehog).
This little guy should have been left in the 1990s. Search your heart: you know it to be true!4
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy is a beloved franchise, but it has to go. I mean, be honest: when was the last time you were genuinely excited about a title from this franchise?
Plus, most Final Fantasy games have nothing in common except battle mechanics, spells, and enemies. By ending the franchise, Square Enix could challenge themselves to do an entirely new kind of game. Or maybe give us the Chrono Trigger remake players have been waiting for!5
Space Invaders
Yes, Virginia, it’s true. They are still making Space Invaders games, with Space Invaders Forever coming to Switch and PS4 in 2020.
But the core gameplay mechanic of these titles never really changed. You are simply shooting invading forces before they kill you. This was revolutionary stuff in 1979, but if the game can’t evolve, it needs to stay in the past where it belongs.6
Warcraft
World of Warcraft deserves credit for making the MMORPG accessible, profitable, and even cool. But it’s also time for this franchise to die or, at the bare minimum, make way for a sequel.
After all, WoW came out back in 2004. We’ve been getting expansions and recycled content and ideas for 17 years now. If you ever want to see Blizzard do something innovative, or simply give us an RTS game based on a new property, then it’s time to let WoW die.7
Mega Man
The Mega Man games are fan favorites. But here’s a take hotter than Heat Man: these games have been giving us diminishing returns since Mega Man 2.
And like other franchises on this list, the Mega Man core gameplay is so well-liked that it can’t be changed in any substantial ways. If there is nothing new to do with the character, then it’s time for Capcom to get equipped with “NEW FRANCHISE.”8
Tetris
The best thing about the Tetris franchise is that the gameplay can’t be beaten. But in its own way, that is also the worst part.
The core Tetris gameplay is beloved, and for good reason. But that means that you can’t really change anything about it without driving players away. Instead of finding new ways to give us the same game, maybe it’s time to try some other puzzle games instead!9
Madden
The Madden titles have given us seemingly countless sports titles. And it all goes back to the classic John Madden Football game released in 1988.
But if we’re being honest, these games haven’t really changed much in recent years. As with other sports games, it feels like you are simply paying for the same time year after year. It’s time for players to stop buying these recycled games and encourage some real innovation.10
Wolfenstein
Wolfenstein deserves full points for trying to change the formula up. For example, the series eventually shifted away from a World War 2 focus and instead into an alternate reality where Nazis won the war.
That was cool, but we are now several games deep into this growing and confusing mythology. And even though the story is growing ever more complex, the gameplay is very static.
Long story short? If the natural fun of shooting Nazis is getting boring, then it’s time to try some new ideas!11
Leisure Suit Larry
It feels incomprehensible that Leisure Suit Larry games are still coming out. In fact, the most recent release was in 2020.
Sadly, these games never really grew up. As in the 1980s, the main draw of these titles is bad puns and badly-drawn cartoon nudity and sex. In an age of Youtube and Pornhub, all of our bad comedy and bed sex needs are covered, so what is Larry even doing?12
Devil May Cry
For a game that started out as a Resident Evil title, Devil May Cry felt so fresh and transgressive when it came out. It was the perfect combination of run-and-gun gameplay, over-the-top characters, and an insane plot.
All these years later, though, and these games are essentially the same. Sometimes the story is better and sometimes it is worse, but nothing really feels all that different.
When a franchise refuses to evolve, the only thing left for it to do is die.13
Diablo
How do you know when it’s time to retire a franchise? Well, it’s a big clue when even the developers understand nobody wants their new material.
Diablo 3 had its moments, but it failed to capture the fervor that Diablo 2 did. Now, after an especially tepid response to announcements about the mobile Diablo Immortal, Blizzard is focusing on remaking Diablo 2.
The remake sounds fun...but it also sounds like an admission that the devs are all out of new ideas and are simply coasting by on old material.14
Assassin’s Creed
Assassin’s Creed has achieved a kind of dubious honor: this is a franchise that is very much a victim of their own success.
The gameplay of this franchise is tough to beat, and many other games settle for trying to copy this style of stealth and action. But the Assassin’s Creed games have been going downhill starting with Unity.
Let’s let this series die a quiet death before it is nothing but a vehicle to sell gamers awful DLCs.15
Fallout
The Fallout franchise is all about characters surviving in a world after nuclear bombs annihilate or mutate almost everything. But in the real world, the main bombs we have had to survive have been the latest Fallout games.
Fallout 4 was a hollow experience that traded fun RPG mechanics for boring gunplay. And Fallout: 76 was a disaster on every level, from the launch to the multiplayer design and every canvas bag between.
If they can’t replicate the magic of New Vegas, then it’s time to bury the franchise out in the desert.
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