Video games aren't made to be one-offs. As game development becomes more and more expensive, publishers have outright admitted that new titles just aren't created anymore unless they have the potential to be spun out into bankable franchises. So while there are some exceptions to the rule, when it comes to big AAA releases, developers and publishers are looking to milk just about every new hot property for all it's worth - even when they should leave things well and truly alone. As a result, rarely is a video game series allowed to go out on a high. For the most part, franchises end up outstaying their welcome, and even when their supposed "finales" hit shelves (we're looking at you, Halo 3 and Mass Effect 3), companies always think up of another reason to bring these popular heroes back into the limelight. Unfortunately for players, this means that once-loved franchises can become the most blacklisted property in the industry, all because of one bad sequel. Whether the developers couldn't recapture the magic of the original or simply didn't understand what made it great in the first place, some attempts to keep a property relevant only managed to completely tarnish the entire brand going forward. And when all is said and done, the gaming world would have been better off without the release of these ten flawed follow-ups in the first place...
