Top 10 Video Game Sequels Players Hated (Loved by Critics)

#10: “Dragon Age II” (2011)

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A sequel is supposed to take the elements in the original that worked and fine-tune the less savory parts. For the highly anticipated follow-up to "Dragon Age: Origins," BioWare nuked the open world, simplified the combat, and killed most of the character customization. Averaging an 82 on Metacritic, "Dragon Age II" garnered a respectable enough critical reception; however, fans were far less forgiving. For the most part, the writing for the characters remained decent, but the campaign's over-reliance on recycling the same maps quickly grew tiresome. Opting for a more action-oriented combat system, the game-play lacked the tactical nuance of "Dragon Age: Origins."

#9: “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” (2008)

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Hype can serve as a game's best friend or worst enemy. As a stand-alone title, "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" has a solid car building mechanic that allows for a great deal of experimentation and creativity. As a sequel to one of the best platforming franchises of all time? "Nuts & Bolts" can only be seen as a huge disappointment. Reviews were generally fine, but the complete departure from "Banjo-Kazooie's" classic formula caught fans by surprise and left many feeling almost betrayed. "Nuts & Bolts" is a decent game, but a terrible "Banjo-Kazooie" sequel.

#8: “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” (2011)

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Without exception, every new "Zelda" attracts widespread claim, but pushback from certain sections, but those tend to be a small minority. Unsurprisingly, "Skyward Sword" garnered universal acclaim from critics, but certain design choices were not quite as appreciated by some fans. After the densely packed "Twilight Princess," "Skyward Sword's" overworld offers little in the way of exploration, as well as repeated backtracking to the same areas, although Nintendo compensated by increasing the number of dungeons. The motion controls require some getting used to, which might explain why the prologue seems to last forever, and Fi constantly disrupts the flow of play to educate Link on the most basic of matters.

#7: “Diablo 3” (2008)

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Fueled by more than a decade of anticipation, "Diablo II's" successor needed to be perfect to meet expectations. Critics showered praise upon Blizzard's action-RPG, but the playerbase was permeated with widespread negativity. Starting with always-on DRM that caused congested servers at launch, an opportunistic real-money auction house and no PvP. While others took aim at the campaign’s dialogue, underwhelming endgame and a loot system that prioritized quantity over quality. In due time, Blizzard removed the auction house and greatly altered the loot system, so these criticisms were clearly justified. "Reaper of Souls" was a huge step in the right direction, but "Diablo III" is still arguably a more casual experience than the second game.

#6: “Assassin's Creed III” (2012)

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With Ezio's storyline out of the way, Ubisoft skipped forward to the American Revolution and introduced Connor as the main character. "Assassin's Creed III" brought to a close Desmond's arc and seemed to hit the spot with reviewers, but Ubisoft's open-world is plagued by countless issues that ensure the 2012 game ranks among the most divisive in the franchise. Putting aside the various glitches and bugs, Fans found "Assassin's Creed III's" settlements afford little room for parkour, the story wasn’t as interesting as its predecessors and the new main character Connor Kenway came off as bland and uninteresting. On a more positive note, the ship segments are an absolute blast to play.

#5: “Destiny 2” (2017)

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Bungie needed three expansions to finally deliver on "Destiny's" potential, so the sequel really has no excuse for being such a disappointment. At launch, "Destiny 2" was hailed as the answer to all of its predecessor's problems, but the honeymoon period did not last particularly long. For a property promising to entertain players for hundreds of hours, the postgame content was shockingly shallow at release, and the game-play loop remained essentially unchanged from the first "Destiny." To make matters even worse, Bungie's post-launch expansions have regularly attracted more controversy than acclaim. However Bungie splitting from Activision in January 2019 has started to see public reception recover, perhaps 3rd time’s the charm?

#4: "Battlefield V" (2018)

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Here is a game that fans decided they hated before it even came out. Cosmetically, Battlefield V is a big departure from the franchises other numbered titles. With the series going back to World War 2, fans were also hoping for a return to the series' roots. Instead, new cosmetic customization brought back people of colour from Battlefield One and... gasp... playable female soldiers! A lot of series fans felt, in a completely not racist or sexist way we swear, that people of colour and female soldiers ruined the game's establish immersion and gave the game negative review scores while critics were more positive by focusing on the gameplay and content. Hmmmm.

#3: “Dark Souls II” (2014)

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Out of all the "Souls" games, the entry with the highest average on Metacritic is also the one that tends to split the fanbase. The only release not directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, "Dark Souls II" increased the number of bosses and improved upon many of the first game's mechanics, but those elements do not necessarily define FromSoftware's series. In comparison with "Dark Souls'" interconnect level design, the sequel's open-world lacks cohesion and rarely compliments the lore, which was also a point of contention for many fans. "Dark Souls II" is not seen as a bad game, but it is definitely the franchise's black sheep.

#2: “Call of Duty” franchise (2003-)

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Even at the franchise's lowest, reviews seldom dip below the mid-70s, but everything released after "World at War" has been subject to fan backlash. Home to an underwhelming multiplayer and an only sporadically entertaining single-player campaign, "Modern Warfare 3" is simultaneously a critical darling and among the most despised entries in the series. Whether referring to "Infinite Warfare's" impressive campaign or "Black Ops III's" zombie mode, each "Call of Duty" boasts a couple of positives, but the consistently high critical scores do not really align with the fanbase's general consensus.

#1: “Mass Effect 3” (2012)

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As the final chapter in an ambitious character-driven space opera, BioWare strived to deliver a conclusion worthy of the "Mass Effect" name. Adored by reviewers at the time, "Mass Effect 3" encountered near-instant criticism from fans, with the ending drawing most of the attention. The backlash was so severe, BioWare released a DLC to try and make amends, but "Mass Effect 3" was a fundamentally different experience from the previous games. Sacrificing character interactions for a more plot-driven campaign, BioWare streamlined most of the RPG elements in favor of third-person shooter action. Love or hate it, "Mass Effect 3" is nothing if not controversial