A great video game can be like lightning in a bottle. That one perfect game that comes out at the right time and place. A breakthrough title that rewrites the script and shatters expectations.

Then comes the sequel. With a publisher breathing down your neck and fan expectations sky-high, can any sequel really live up to that first legendary title?

Even the most revered video game studios have put out a blunder or misstep when it comes to their flagship franchises. Whether it's rushing a title to cash in on a lucrative holiday season or simply a limited budget or an unrealistic deadline - many video game sequels have left fans with a bitter taste in their mouths, either by missing the mark completely to just being "okay".

Obvious disappointing video game sequels include Duke Nukem Forever - a game that took 14 years to release to a triumphant "humph"; Nintendo's Metroid: Other M - a game with a laughably bad story and frustrating controls; Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link - a game that upended its predecessor and lost a lot of what made the first game so esteemed in the first place.

But, what are your most disappointing video game sequels? Did a sequel to a game ever resonate so poorly with you that you lost interest in the franchise altogether?

Let us know your most disappointing video game sequel in the comments below.

 

[lauty29]

Final Fantasy X-2

 

[zeroultima6]

R & C: Size Matters, this game didn't hold up well as 1-3 and deadlocked, and stiff controls. the otto boss fight kinda sucked

 

[dude1]

fallout 4, they built up so much good will with fallout 3 and it's several full DLCs that I pre-ordered the expansion pass and even though I got it before they had the audacity to increase its price post launch

I still feel gypped by the fact it was only 2 short and mediocre DLCs and a stupid crafting/base-building DLC that ripped off a free mod

 

[ZeroT21]

Final Fantasy VII Remake, cus I liked 'em deformed monstrosities they made in the original

 

[tmnr1992]

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. I really liked the first one a lot, but this one is just bad.

 

[JuanMena]

Tetris™ Worlds... disappointed me 10 minutes after getting it.
I'm a huge fan of Tetris™ and of course had to have it when I found out it was released on the GameCube.

The gameplay sucks, the graphics are moody, uncolorful, the music sucks, the different "game modes" are bullshit.

I grew up with TENGEN Tetris™, Tetris™ & Dr.Mario, Tetris™ for Gameboy, Tetris™ DS and Tetris Party.

Got very used to see colorful tetriminos, good old original gameplay and hearing Loginska, B-Type and C-Type... all that made Tetris™ good for me wasn't present in that particular title and that killed it for me.

Boooo!

 

[UltraDolphinRevolution]

Probably Rome II: Total War

This was my second game in the series after Troy. Troy is much better in my view.

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

Final Fight 2 on snes. It's better than the first one on snes, but it's just fixed the problems with the first one and made a new game. It's so underwhelming.

 

[sKoMo]

Resident Evil from 6 to Village

 

[DS1]

I have a ton, but put most of them out of my mind because they're that bad.

Those I can remember:

Mass Effect 2 - absolutely awful, considering I loved the first one. I actually stopped playing games altogether for a year after since I was so disappointed with that garbage. I sold the trilogy without ever playing the 3rd (which was supposed to be better?).

Way of the Samurai 3 - I love this series, one of my all-time favorites, but 3 was a mess. Half of the time the sidequests would be bugged so that you couldn't complete them, and completing them had a big impact on the route the story takes. I always see people saying they love this one, but I have no idea why.

Chrono Cross - Outside of the soundtrack (and honestly it's just a handful of tracks that people love...) and the random Escher-meets-Monet part, the game was a huge letdown. The characters were awful, the graphics were absolutely terrible, battle system was OK but slow, and I'll be damned if I remember a fraction of the boring meandering story.

OH - Valkyrie Profile 2. Honestly I'd like to give it another chance, but I sold it off a looooong time ago. I did enjoy Resonance of Fate, so who knows.

 

[UltraDolphinRevolution]

All soccer games past PES 2013 are a disappointment because they do not feature the genius Wii gameplay.

 

[Originality]

I think it would be fair to count Dungeon Keeper Mobile and Diablo Immortal as the most disappointing sequels.

 

[Panzerfaust]

Shenmue 3

Phantasy Star Online 3

Fire Emblem 3 Houses

No More Heroes 3

Xenoblade 3

I don't know... something often goes wrong with those threes.
Not that they are so bad, that I hate them (maybe PSO3), but compared to other entries, they are (much) worse imo.

 

[FriendlyPolygon]

Sims 4

 

[SPAC3W4IFU]

LittleBigPlanet 3 for me.

It was outsourced to Sumo Digital instead of being developed by the team at Media Molecule, and it really shows. Feels super unpolished compared to the first two and the improvements in the engine were nowhere near as significant compared to the leap from 1 to 2.

I always preferred the PS Vita game as a successor to the OG games.

 

[pintcat]

Command & Conquer 4 Tiberian Twilight

What Sypherone said. Big disappointment.
Also Turrican 3 on the Amiga. While 1 & 2 were awesome, 3 was blatant crap.

 

[JMSH]

Halo after Bungie.

 

[abda]

Last of Us Part 2

 

[IC_]

Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it unfortunately continues to be a disappointment compared to the previous games, even after the updates that all should have been in the base game. Not even mentioning what happened to the Animal Crossing community ever since New Horizons released. I sadly lost hope in this franchise. Even Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival is a game I'm more positive about than New Horizons.

 

[UltraDolphinRevolution]

the Animal Crossing community

What about it? Just curious.