10 Video Game Franchises That Never Topped The Original

Not content with cornering the zombie market with Resident Evil, Capcom developed another undead franchise in 2006 called Dead Rising.

The open-world title separates itself from other undead titles, since it focuses on being entertaining rather than scary. The eccentric characters and countless methods to dispose of braindead flesh-eaters are so hilarious, people who don't normally gravitate towards zombie stories should have a ball playing this.

While future instalments would lose this tight balance between horror and comedy, the original Dead Rising doesn't rely on its wackiness, since it's still a demanding game that offers a diverse range of combat, imaginative objectives, and challenging escort missions.

But since Dead Rising is renowned for its quirky comedy, the sequels cranked the zaniness up to 11. Sadly, this decision caused the developers to neglect basic components, which led to weak stories, performance issues, and rampant glitches. 

Sure, the follow-ups have some gut-busting moments, but that doesn't excuse the underwhelming gameplay. Also, the DLC for the last two instalments is so bare-bones, it's clear they were tossed out just to make a quick buck.

Though Dead Rising is incredibly successful, it could've been better if the later titles focused on the same values as the original.