I try to keep a balance in my weekly columns. The insightful, “srs bizness” pieces compete for my attention with more light-hearted trolling opinions, usually meandering along the familiar paths of my gaming passions, leaving crumbs of nostalgia in their wake.
I have realized, however, that for the last month I have been upon a soapbox preaching various gospels of gaming, ranging from Thou Shall Not Sin (Piracy) to Thou Shalt Reject the Devil And All His Ways (Kotick, IP Exploitation).
Readers will perhaps be relieved to hear that I will be shaving the beard and setting aside the monocle this week; so put the stress ball aside, grab a bowl of cereal, and bathe in the warm glow of 600 words of reading that doesn’t require a frontal lobe.
***
Movie sequels have a widespread notoriety for being, well, terrible. This is usually a result of excited studios trying to ride the first film’s initial success by rushing out a sequel to send expectant viewers streaming to the box office. Unfortunately, we have all been disappointed time and again by downright crappy sequels.
This epidemic of sequel mediocrity has not been quite as prolific in the video game world, with technological advances resulting in some pretty awesome sequels. However, this does mean that there haven’t been some stinkers. In between the great and the terrible however, lies the worst category of them all – the disappointing. Nothing is worse than expecting the amazing, and getting something quite less than that. These are the games which tarnished the good name of the original, and left an unpleasant taste in everyone’s mouth. This is my list of video game sequels which the gaming community could have done without.
Disclaimer: I could make a list with Knights of the Old Republic 2, Super Mario Bros. 2, Turok: Evolution and other such horrific sequels which many have touted as the worst ever. A list of those games is not only unoriginal, it’s dull. This list focuses on games that were not necessarily terrible, but just disappointing.
Age of Empires 3
It’s always hard to follow a legend. This is even more difficult when the sequel aims not only to build onto a series, but to revive it. This is the hostile environment which Age of Empires 3 was released into, and the game was ill-prepared to meet the challenge. Age of Empires I and II hold a very special place in many gamers’ hearts, and are the source of many fond childhood memories and video game nostalgia.
Unfortunately, what gamers got was a somewhat lackluster sequel, which just didn’t have the magic of its predecessors. It received generally favourable reviews, was perhaps enjoyed briefly by many, but most importantly, was quickly forgotten.
The GUI is extremely intrusive, taking up nearly a third of your screen’s real estate.
Doom 3
Doom 3 faced similar problems to Age of Empires 3; an old, legendary franchise aiming for a triumphant revival. I think the disappointment I felt with Doom 3 cannot be laid at the foot of the development team. They did their best, they really did, but anyone who ever played the originals as a child with the lights off, anyone who felt that icy hand of terror gripping their heart, will know that Doom 3 simply did not deliver.
What I got with Doom 3 was an uninspired plot, cheap scares and a general failure to emulate the terrifying ambience of the original games. Anyone with a penchant for being scared to incontinence whilst gaming will know that there is more that experience than monsters jumping out of dark corners.
Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight
I can’t even imagine what EA were thinking with this one. Possibly the most respected and popular RTS series of all time, in its final installment (or so they said at the time), and they decide this to be the perfect time to alter the gameplay entirely. We’re not even talking about C&C gameplay here; we’re talking about RTS games period.
This wasn’t a mere tweaking of the GUI either. This was like the final installment of Call of Duty being Nerf Arena. In 3rd person. Whatever EA were attempting to do, it failed quite spectacularly, and became a head-on-a-stick to any developer out there who may be wanting to “mix things up” – your franchise is popular for a reason – stick to the formula.
I know what you’re thinking – where the hell are the resources? Yeah… so was everyone else.
Bioshock 2
Don’t get me wrong, Bioshock 2 is a great game. It’s just a great game that isn’t quite as good as Bioshock. There were a few small changes from the original, but for the most part they didn’t do much to improve the overall experience.
Quite simply, the sequel mostly did what the original had already done, except not as well, leaving Bioshock 2 feeling a bit like a watered-down version of its predecessor.
Far Cry 2
The original Far Cry offered some of the most fun you could have playing a video game. The huge, expansive levels, or “sandbox”, as they are now popularly known, were relatively unseen at the time, and the lack of linearity in the approach to gameplay allowed for infinite approaches to each level. This translated into an overwhelmingly immersive experience, made possible by the now-infamous “CryENGINE”.
While Far Cry 2 stuck to its roots with the sandbox style of play, it took what was an intense action experience, and made it feel tedious and slow. While making yet another arduous Jeep journey across the desert, I reflected on a time I was sniggering smugly as I watched a friend of mine play World of Warcraft, taking a twenty minute ride on a dragon to reach some remote corner of whatever world he was in. I remembered how bored he looked, and I felt like I was wearing the same expression.
If one adds to that the laughable storyline and multitude of glitches, the game sadly had large doses of tedium nestling in the folds between the bursts of action, and the whole experience quickly became frustrating. After some time, I simply found myself unmotivated to continue playing.
This was so worth the 45 minute drive!
Which sequels let you down the most? << Share your stories in the forums.
Loading ...
