Gaming - News
Game Series That Dropped So Many Sequels They Killed The Fanbase
By AARON GREENBAUM
Madden NFL
Once EA signed an exclusivity deal with the NFL in 2005, making "Madden" the only NFL-supported football game on the market, sloth crept into game design. Each annual sequel after "Madden NFL 2005" has been worse than the last, and reviewers such as Angry Joe note that the franchise is burdened by recycled textures with little innovation.
Tony Hawk's
"Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" initially impressed with arcade-like controls, levels, and an iconic soundtrack, and its popularity led to a franchise and culminated with "Tony Hawk's Underground." However, its numerous sequels since then have been panned by outlets like IGN and GameSpot, with some calling the latest installment a buggy cash grab.
Call of Duty
In 2003, Activision introduced "Call of Duty," a World War 2-themed FPS that audiences loved, but GameSpot cited a lack of innovation in the later sequel "Modern Warfare 3," IGN pinpointed bad AI in "Black Ops 2," and Eurogamer was unimpressed by the story in "Ghosts." Critics also have derided the latest entry, "Vanguard," as the laziest and buggiest installment.
Battlefield
After the series peaked with "Battlefield: Bad Company," the IP fell apart. “Battlefield 4” and “Battlefield: Hardline” suffered from bugs and poor quality, but the latest games in the franchise, "Battlefield 5" and "Battlefield 2042," represent new low points, with the latter sporting some of the worst glitches in the franchise.
Medal of Honor
Produced by Steven Spielberg, “Medal of Honor” initially received glowing reviews. However, gamers complained about the weak missions in "Medal of Honor: Rising Sun" and that "Medal of Honor: Warfighter" had poor AI and rampant glitches. The latest VR title "Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond" was also criticized for its poor controls, performance, and story.
