Top 10 Video Game Reboots That SUCK

Top 10 Video Game Reboots That SUCK

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the video game reboots that completely missed the mark.

#10: “Flashback” (2013)

Oftentimes, it’s best to just leave the classics in the past. The original “Flashback” released in 1992, and gained a lot of praise for its use of rotoscope animation. It got a sequel a couple of years later, and then nothing until Ubisoft remade it in 2013. Things could have gone really well. The development team consisted of those who created the original and fans that worked within Ubisoft. Sadly, very well is not how it went. There was nothing really that memorable about this reboot. It could be beaten in about 4-5 hours and its gameplay was incredibly bland. In fact, one of its most frequent criticisms at launch was its lack of personality. But hey, at least it came with the original!

#9: “SimCity” (2013)

The “SimCity” series was once a titan, showing everyone that the seeming simplicity of maintaining a virtual landscape could actually be incredibly addicting. This 2013 reboot brought that reputation and longevity to a screeching halt. At launch, it had a ton of technical issues that made it unplayable. This included lost save files, if you could even connect because there were also frequent network outages. More than a decade later, it remains one of the most disastrous launches we’ve ever seen. Even still, when you could play, reduced map size and missing features from previous entries made it an overall lackluster experience. A mobile game released the following year, developer Maxis closed the year after that, and “SimCity” has stayed silent since.

#8: “SpyHunter: Nowhere to Run” (2006)

“SpyHunter” was a huge arcade hit for Midway in the 80s that eventually branched out to consoles with sequels. 2006’s “Nowhere to Run” served as a reboot, though not in the traditional sense. Starring Dwayne Johnson in the lead role, it’s a tie-in to a movie that was never made. And in keeping with many other tie-ins of the era, it’s a pretty bad one. While the cinematic quality of the game was praised, almost no one enjoyed actually playing it. This was the first entry to let players leave their car, as the others all focused on vehicular combat. But doing so was extremely boring, and brought down everything else that wasn’t even that remarkable to begin with.

#7: “Alone in the Dark” (2008)

“Alone in the Dark” is a forerunner of survival horror, and has had a few reboots over the years. For the failed 2008 comeback, quality depended on your platform, with the Wii’s version being particularly rough. However, even looking at the platforms it was best-suited for, the reboot left a lot to be desired. Most didn’t care for its poorly-written, episodic narrative, nor the grander emphasis that directly impacted the scares the series was known for. The bigger, city environments didn’t leave as much room for the spooky atmosphere, nor did the large set pieces. Add on poor controls, especially during those driving sections, and you’ve got a reboot that should stay in the dark.

#6: “Homefront: The Revolution” (2016)

2011’s “Homefront” was so mediocre, we would have been surprised for it to get a sequel, let alone a reboot. And yet, that’s exactly what happened. Like its predecessor, 2016’s “The Revolution” had you fighting against the occupation of the US by North Korea. Only here, it happened under different circumstances. However, the premise failed to entice players even more this time around. The story was uninspired, the characters were bland, and, although it had solid weapon customization, the gunplay was about as basic as you could get. But the element that truly hindered “Homefront” were its many bugs that genuinely hurt the player’s experience. Even if everything else hadn’t been generic, its performance was still a mess.

#5: “Sonic the Hedgehog” (2006)

It's a good thing Sonic was already so popular, because something this bad would have killed lesser franchises. Released in celebration of the series’ 15th anniversary and holding the same title as the original, “Sonic 06” was meant to take the series in a more realistic direction. Considering it’s about a superfast, talking hedgehog who collects rings and fights a mad scientist, that line of thinking is completely baffling to us. Regardless, the tone, story, and romance between Sonic and a human princess clashed horribly with what Sonic was meant to be. There wasn’t any solace to be found in the gameplay either; the camera and controls are both poor while the frequent bugs are rage-inducing.

#4: “Golden Axe: Beast Rider” (2008)

Sorry, Sega, we’re going to pick on you again. The beat ‘em up “Golden Axe” stood out in the arcade among others thanks to its fantasy setting. It got several sequels before going quiet in the mid-90s, until Sega attempted to reboot it with 2008’s “Beast Rider.” Games at the time were growing darker and grittier, and so Sega attempted to follow suit by upping the violence and sex appeal. Not only was this hamfisted and cringey, but it was in disservice to the original games. Playing was even worse. Gameplay grew repetitive very quickly while the actual controls were a nightmare, including while riding on beasts, which was unfortunately the game’s main selling point.

#3: “Space Raiders” (2004)

Many companies have taken a simple but effective arcade classic and completely ruined it by trying to expand on it. “Space Raiders” is a reboot of Taito’s “Space Invaders,” and thankfully one most don’t remember since it’s horrible. Instead of the top-down view, players fend off waves of aliens as a third-person shooter. Unfortunately, that’s about the biggest update the game offers. Moving from left to right and clicking a single button may have been fine in the arcade days of old, but it’s entirely dull here. We’d rather have gotten retro graphics with a spin on gameplay than the other way around. Those graphics didn’t even look good, making the whole experience sting even more.

#2: “Dungeon Keeper” (2014)

Even today, the concept of “Dungeon Keeper” is incredibly inventive. The 1997 original and its sequel put you in the role of the villain, designing and defending your dungeon full of loot and monsters against an invading hero. Fans may have killed for a reboot at one point. But in a classic Monkey Paw scenario, what they got was a mobile, microtransaction-heavy atrocity. Gone was the strategic dungeon designing, replaced by generic tower defense. Worse, the amount of time you had to wait in order to do something was excruciating, which, of course, could be eased by purchasing several in-game currencies. This level of predatory greed is one of the things that turned EA into such a hated company.

#1: “Bomberman: Act Zero” (2006)

There are many things that can ruin a reboot, from poor design choices to a complete disinterest in the legacy that came before it. “Bomberman: Act Zero” ticks all the boxes. For those unfamiliar with the series, there would be almost no way to tell that this dreary, muddled dud was in any way connected to the cartoonish, decades-spanning franchise that came before it. There isn’t a single aspect that wasn’t panned, including its drastic shift to a darker tone. But the repetitive gameplay and level design, an unnecessary and poorly-implemented first-person mode, and issues with AI made it pretty unfun to play, too. Thankfully, “Bomberman” abandoned everything about “Act Zero” and is still going today.

What reboot hurt a favorite series of yours? Share your thoughts in the comments below!