10 Amazing Video Game Sequels That Won Back The Fans

4. Resident Evil 7

Speaking of franchises that became so bloated they required a whole reset to get back on top, Resident Evil had become so bogged down by bad business decisions and lore before the seventh game came around to essentially brush all that under the carpet. The fifth main entry got the ball rolling by pushing the IP into action territory (even giving the zombies guns!), but it was the sixth which made everything go off the rails.

Probably high on power and under the assumption they could attract every market possible, Capcom drafted in 600 developers to create a sixth instalment with three unique campaigns. The idea was to have one classic survival-horror experience to appeal to old-school fans, one action-oriented story to get people in who liked Gears of War and one which doubled down on the co-op elements to sell as many copies as possible.

Even though I quite like it, it was an utterly bloated trainwreck, which sold under expectations and received a critical kicking.

Perhaps realising that trying to please everyone only results in you pleasing nobody, Capcom went back to the drawing board and conjured up Resi 7 a few years later. This franchise is no stranger to reinvention, but this was the most radical departure yet, and proved the franchise still had what it takes to deliver a cutting edge horror experience.