9 Video Game Franchises That Never Beat Their First Instalment

3. Dragon Age

While we continue to watch the Bioware of today, hoping and praying they'll turn something around that gets close to their unrivalled 2000s output, Dragon Age as an IP has provided the bumpiest ride.

After producing a stellar first instalment that remains many peoples' most cherished third-person RPG of all time, EA forced a brutally inhuman crunch on the sequel, asking the majority of the project to be turned around in just over one year.

The result was clear after shipping, and though some enjoyed the flashier combat and easier access to fancier movesets, it was largely derided by the fanbase.

For Dragon Age: Inquisition, things markedly improved, but were still nowhere near the original, thanks to the Bioware of the 2010s being an altogether different beast.

The studio's take on open spaces continued to favour barren lands with scattered quest markers, the takeaway being that you "must be missing something" and the game "just hasn't kicked in yet", but that higher gear just never engaged.

With Dragon Age 4 on the horizon, but 14-year vet and creative director Mike Laidlaw departing, it's going to be a vertical uphill battle for quality from here on out.