Top 10 Video Game Franchises on Life Support
#10: “Crackdown” (2007-)
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Microsoft had a pretty good thing with “Crackdown.” in 2007, As well as it’s sequel in 2010 though not as much as the first one. But when it came to “Crackdown 3” things just went from bad to worse. Originally announced in 2014, Microsoft advertised this game to make impressive use of cloud processing, promising to create destructible environments unlike anything we’ve ever seen. After multiple delays “Crackdown 3” finally released in 2019. And not only did it…kinda sucked. None of that cloud promise was anywhere to be seen. We don’t know if they’re going to do a fourth at this point, but we seriously doubt it.
#9: “Angry Birds” (2009-)
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We know what you’re thinking – but WatchMojo, “Angry Birds” IS dead! But that’s where you’re wrong. Against all odds, “Angry Birds” is still holding on, despite not being relevant since about 2011. In 2019 alone there were four “Angry Birds” games – “Dream Blast” and the virtual reality “Isle of Pigs,” plus the spin-offs “Angry Birds POP 2” and “Angry Birds Explore.” Sounds…fun. Oh, and who can forget “The Angry Birds Movie 2,” which was released that August? Everyone. Everyone forgot about it. It made $150 million off a $63 million budget. The first movie made more than double that amount. Don’t they know that all the kids are playing “Fortnite” now?
#8: “Dragon Age” (2009-14)
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“Dragon Age” was another slam dunk for BioWare. “Origins” was very well received and sold over three million units. Unfortunately, everything was ruined with “Dragon Age II.” While it received pretty good reviews from critics, “Origins” fans absolutely detested it due to the tedious fights filled with respawning enemies and the lazy, copy-paste design. “Inquisition” fared better with critics, but a Kotaku expose has since revealed that development was a nightmare. A fourth “Dragon Age” is currently in the works, but given the drama going on behind the scenes with Bioware and EA, we’re very … very skeptical about this one.
#7: “WWE 2K” (2000-)
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We have long since passed the peak of the wrestling game. These games were genuinely great in the early 2000s, with titles like “Here Comes the Pain” being particularly acclaimed. The series has oscillated in quality ever since – “SmackDown vs. Raw 2010” was great, and “WWE 2K15” was particularly poor. But that game is a masterpiece compared to “WWE 2K20.” Visual Concepts took on development duties after Yuke’s left, and the result was an unmitigated disaster. The game was fiercely condemned for its lack of polish, which includes numerous glitches and bugs, terrible graphics, and a wonky physics engine. If there is a “2K21”, it’ll need to REALLY impress fans who were burned by the last game.
#6: “Star Fox” (1993-)
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Once upon a time, this series was one of the most popular Nintendo franchises in the world. 1993’s “Star Fox” was a fantastic success, and “Star Fox 64” was the second highest selling game of 1997, behind “Mario Kart 64.” But then the series went through an identity crisis, “Adventures” tried to take the series in another direction, but some fans weren’t having it. While both “Assault” & “Command” were met with mixed reception. The last half of the 2010’s saw two attempted revival; “Star Fox Zero” was a critical and commercial failure for it’s awkward motion controls. And Ubisoft implemented Star Fox into their own space exploration series “Starlink: Battle For Atlas” only to also meet a commercial disappointment. Is there any hope for Fox McCloud and his crew?
#5: “Silent Hill” (1999-)
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Once a hallmark of the gaming horror franchise, This series hasn’t really been in the pop culture discussion since about 2003, when “Silent Hill 3” was released to critical acclaim. “Silent Hill 4” was decent enough, but the following games have ranged from passable to pretty darned bad (looking at you “Downpour” and “Book of Memories”). Things were looking up with “P.T.” and for the first time in a very long time, the “Silent Hill” series was back in the mainstream consciousness. Only for that to get unceremoniously cancelled. Reportedly, Konami is now looking at bringing back the series in a new way, but given their disastrous modern takes on “Contra” and another series we’ll get to later, we’re not holding our breath.
#4: “Mass Effect” (2007-)
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It’s frankly amazing that BioWare managed to bungle this series so badly. The first two “Mass Effect” games were incredibly well received and insanely popular, with “Mass Effect 2” being regarded as a certifiable masterpiece. And then “Mass Effect 3” came along. Despite being a great game, the finale of the trilogy was poorly received by fans. Then along came “Andromeda”, a complete mess that completely changed people’s perception of the series, due to it’s technical issues and poor character animations. Then, just like “Dragon Age,” came a Kotaku expose that highlighted mismanagement conditions. Combine all this with “Anthem’s” mismanagement, and it’s hard to get excited about Bioware anymore.
#3: “Alone in the Dark” (1992-)
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There once was a time when “Alone in the Dark” was THE name in survival horror. The first game, released back in 1992, revolutionized the survival horror genre. There was absolutely nothing like it at the time. A few sequels followed, but no one seemed to care about them too much. and now “Resident Evil” effectively took over the survival horror mantle. Unfortunately, all the latest efforts have been truly embarrassing affairs. The 2008 game was a hot mess, and the less said about 2015’s God awful “Illumination,” the better. THQ Nordic has since acquired the rights to the franchise, but they’ve made some blundering mistakes of their own lately.
#2: “Fallout” (1997-)
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The story of “Fallout,” and by extension Bethesda, hasn’t been pretty recently. The “Fallout” series grew in stature before peaking with “Fallout 3,” a magnificent Adventure-RPG often touted as a masterpiece of its genre. 7 years later “Fallout 4,” came out, which while critically praised, was found to be disappointing by some fans.. And then “Fallout 76” happened, which has been an utter travesty by all accounts. Not only is it a bad game, but its been surrounded by controversy since its release owing to things like accidental data breaches, crappy nylon duffel bags, a tone deaf subscription service and the list goes on. To really add insult to injury; Obsidian Entertainment released their own critically acclaimed Adventure-RPG “The Outer Worlds” And it put Bethesda to shame over the fact that it actually works.
#1: “Metal Gear” (1987-)
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It’s a sad day for “Metal Gear,” and therefore, the world. “Metal Gear” has long been Hideo Kojima’s baby, and he’s been actively involved in the series since its inception back in 1987. His final output, “The Phantom Pain,” received widespread acclaim and shipped over six million units. Unfortunately, a feud between Konami and Kojima meant the campaign was left unfinished. Meanwhile The first Metal Gear game following Kojima’s departure was ridiculous – a bland zombie survival game “Metal Gear Survive.” It was insulting to the franchise’s legacy. “Metal Gear” simply cannot be without Kojima, and seeing as how Konami owns the rights to “Metal Gear,” we don’t have much hope for its future.
