10 DISASTROUS Attempts At Forcing Game Franchises To Continue

Staying on top in any industry is tough, especially when it comes to gaming. However, some games have remained consistent for decades, including Super Mario, Grand Theft Auto, and Call of Du- well, Yakuza/Like a Dragon. Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid, and Final Fantasy have released the occasional flop, but their reputations weren't irreparably besmirched, since they got back on track soon after.

Having said that, it's important to know when it's time to call it a day. If a once-beloved property has more failures than hits, there's no reason to continue, unless the creators can literally step up their game. Obviously, it can be humiliating to give up on an iconic IP, but if a game is haemorrhaging money and bombing with critics, putting it out of its misery isn't just reasonable; it's good business.

Still, there are some studios that don't know when to hang it up, since they keep churning out bad sequels or trying to revitalise dead franchises. Despite the fact some of these follow-ups could've worked, every one of them failed to live up to expectations.

The polygonal graphics of Star Fox were revolutionary for their time. After the blinding success of Star Fox 64, it felt like the 3D rail shooter was among Nintendo's hottest IPs.

But after suffering a bunch of disappointing follow-ups, the Thunderbirds-inspired franchise became a relic.

So, when Star Fox's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, announced a reboot called Star Fox Zero for the Wii U, it looked like the barrel-rolling, space-hopping saga could have a resurgence.

Sadly, Zero didn't make a big comeback for a variety of reasons. The barebones story mode can be completed in under three hours. The voice-acting is somehow worse than the infamously bad performances of Star Fox 64. The gameplay itself has little to offer, since the overall structure is almost identical to previous instalments. Sure, the cinematics look awesome and there are some new vehicles and weapons, but it wasn't enough.

If there's any aspect that deserves criticism, it's the motion controls. If players don't like motion-based systems, they're going to loathe Zero, since there's no option to turn them off. Not only that, players have to monitor gameplay on the GamePad and TV simultaneously, which is needlessly complicated and just exhausting.

In summary, Zero isn't just bad, it may be the last nail in Star Fox's coffin.