10 Awful 3D Video Games That Should Have Stayed 2D

Final Fight – the king of classic beat ‘em ups – is another example of a series that should have translated into 3D effortlessly, yet struggled to preserve any sense of personality. In 2006, Final Fight: Streetwise completely reimagined the series, changing pretty much everything about it in the process.

For one thing, the game took itself very seriously – almost too seriously – favouring grittier environments, stronger language and more realistic depictions of violence, meaning the majority of the game lacked any sense of self-awareness, any whatsoever. Worse, the colourful environments, exaggerated visuals and cheerful music were replaced with reproachable characters, a dreary soundtrack and an environment so dark you can barely see two feet ahead.

Honestly, the game’s so edgy you could cut yourself. As a result, the game falls flat on its own face, completely misunderstanding the appeal of the original arcade versions. You see, just because a series is transitioning from two to three dimensions, doesn’t mean its attitude needs to mature.

In fact, the contrast makes the whole thing somehow even more laughable, the developers clearly suffering from tone-depth-syndrome, as well as incompetence.