10 Video Game Franchises With Only ONE Good Game

Consistency is crucial for a video game franchise to remain successful in the long run. However, cranking out masterpiece after masterpiece is anything but easy.

As such, even the biggest properties will drop the ball every once in a while. Although Sonic the Hedgehog, Final Fantasy, and Mortal Kombat have had their ups and downs, each IP has offered plenty of solid titles over the years.

But there are certain series that have had some rotten luck, only managing to toss out one great title throughout their entire run. Sometimes, the brand gets it right on their first attempt, and every sequel fails to recapture the magic. Whether the developers try to churn out more of the same or go in a bold new direction, nothing seems to work.

Other times, a gaming property will have to go through multiple instalments before perfecting the recipe. For whatever reason, the creators find themselves unable to deliver the same level of quality again. 

Even though these ten gaming series should be commended for delivering some absolute gems, it's a shame they only managed to pull it off once.

Hideo Kojima's sci-fi hack-and-slash follows a young pilot called Leo Stenbuck who uses his space mech to defeat robotic forces.

Though Zone of the Enders was praised for its camerawork and combat, it was undermined by its brevity, badly translated script, emotionless voice acting, and poor characterisation.

Fortunately, the next entry, The 2nd Runner, remedied these issues and tightened up the already impressive gameplay. Basically, the first sequel was like a superior version of the original. Now the developers figured out what worked and what didn't, Zone of the Enders should've become the next big thing.

But it didn't. Though the Fist of Mars spin-off tried something different by using turn-based mechanics, it was pretty bland.

Konami hoped to renew interest by releasing a HD remaster of the first two titles. Sadly, ZOE HD Collection was so half-assed, the creators shouldn't have bothered.

Though the VR version of The 2nd Runner looks breath-taking, the mech's frantic speed makes it hard to control and harder to lock onto enemies. These sudden movements can be so distressing, some players suffered motion sickness.

If Konami released a straightforward sequel after The 2nd Runner, Zone of the Enders could've become more recognised.