For the most part, the run up to the release of a popular sequel is often a double-edged sword; for every piece of hype and press a new game in a franchise gets, more and more pressure is added to the developer to deliver an experience that can live up to often impossible expectations. As a result, a lot of sequels to popular games leave players with a feeling of disappointment, and whether a franchise sticks too close to its roots or diverts too far in a new direction, pulling off a great sequel is an incredibly difficult task. But some games feel like they wouldnt have been good experiences even without this over-mediated burden. More than just slight disappointments that didnt live up to the original game, these titles delivered experiences that were so haphazard, confused and muddy that they call the integrity of the entire franchise into question. While sequels to beloved games will never be able to please every fan of the originals, these games felt like such a step backwards and featured so many questionable design changes that it became impossible to come away from them feeling anything other than deflating and bitter disappointment. The tail end of the last generation saw plenty of games take a nose-dive in quality all round, and with a new generation signalling the rise of new and original IPs, unfortunately theres a good chance that a lot of these games will be the final word for their respective franchises.
