15 Video Game Franchises That Tried Something Wildly Different (And Failed)

Capcom's Dino Crisis quickly built a cult following upon its release in 1999. Known as Resident Evil with dinosaurs, the game combined Resident Evil's trademark camera and control scheme with a new threat- prehistoric dinosaurs on the rampage. It was scary, atmospheric and full of tension, so it came as no surprise when a sequel followed the year after.

The sequel leaned much heavier into action, but it was still a critical and commercial success, and it felt like the franchise was going from strength to strength. Then, in 2003, along came Dino Crisis 3, the game that single-handedly derailed the entire franchise.

An Xbox exclusive, Dino Crisis 3 is still an action game at its core, and players still fight against dinosaurs. This time though, the action bizarrely takes place 500 years into the future, aboard a space station. The dinosaurs themselves have been cloned and mutated from various DNA strands, and players must battle their way through the station, which also doubles as a giant puzzle they must solve.

It felt like an awfully strange decision for the series. Coupled with the character's rapid movement speed being completely offset by the game's camera, and frustrating controls and mechanics, the game failed to live up to its predecessors. Even more disappointing than the game itself was the fact that its failure meant fans never got to see a Dino Crisis 4. Capcom has recently revived a couple of its dormat IPs like Onimusha, however, so fans will be praying there is still hope of a sequel.