10 Video Game Franchises That ALWAYS Get It Wrong

10. Duke Nukem

Despite some solid sales and an infamous reputation amongst gamers, Duke Nukem has always felt like a franchise decades behind everyone else. The two 2D side-scrollers that kicked off the series were hardly revolutionary in their day, and even the franchise's high point in Duke Nukem 3D came with just as much controversy as success.

Having been accused of promoting everything from pornography to murder, Gearbox were forced to release censored versions of the game and were even banned in certain countries.

And this unapologetically brash tone would plague the franchise for well over a decade as Gearbox struggled to release a new entry.

For fifteen years the Duke Nukem series would be stuck in development hell, during which time its already polarising themes became even more repugnant with gamers. When Duke Nukem Forever finally dropped in 2011, it quickly became clear the developers hadn't taken the time to realise this.

It's quite an achievement to have overly-simplistic gameplay that still feels unpolished, but that's what Forever managed to nail following its release. Couple this with an abundance of dated references and toilet humour, and it's a recipe for a franchise-killer.