12 Abusive Video Game Sequels That Completely Missed The Point

3. Guitar Hero 5

Guitar Hero was an instant phenomenon upon release, somehow taking the ludicrous idea of rocking out with plastic peripherals in your living room and transforming it into a multi-billion dollar franchise. For three games, Guitar Hero was an insanely addictive rhythm game series and seemingly a license to print money, but once the Rock Band franchise came about, offering an experience that included drum and microphone play, the series' days were numbered. Though the ridiculous number of spin-off titles helped Guitar Hero over-saturate its market, the fourth game marked the beginning of the end, with an insanely cost-prohibitive package that, while great fun, was simply trying too hard to beat Rock Band at their own game. This reached an apex with the fifth main Guitar Hero title, which tipped the setlist balance too far in the favour of popular indie music while including less of the classic rock and metal that made the series famous in the first place. The game sold like malaria pancakes compared to the previous game, and a sixth title was subsequently cancelled mid-development.