Spyro the Dragon
The original PS1 was host to an absolute plethora of classic franchises, with Spyro the Dragon being one of the original greats that just couldn’t keep up with its contemporaries. The original three Spyro titles were pioneering examples within the early advent of the 3D platformer, but the series hasn’t had a good game since. Hell, even Spyro’s latest game is side-lining him out, being more of a spin-off than a full Spyro game.
Duke Nukem
Duke Nukem 3D was a defining title of the early FPS, and its humour has become one of the more memorable elements for a generation of gaming culture. Then Duke Nukem Forever got announced and, despite a plethora of weaker spin-off titles, fans continued to hope that Forever would be the true sequel they wanted. It wasn’t, putting the final nail in the coffin that Duke Nukem had been lying in for some time.
Pokemon
It would be a bit out of line to claim that the Pokemon series has seen a lack of quality as of late, but there is a definite lack of innovation that needs to be addressed. The original games were classics of their time, revolutionising social gaming on handheld platforms, but what has the series done for us since then? The once awesome Stadium spin-off series keeps getting worse and worse and, whilst the handheld games remain very playable, there haven’t been any new major gameplay mechanics or ideas since the series’ inception in 1996.
Star Wars
There are so many Star Wars games that this one becomes tricky to pin down, but it all becomes clear if we contrast the games over the years. Six or Seven years ago things were different, we had the full Rogue Squadron series in the back of our minds and Knights of the Old republic was going strong, all the while framed by classic memories of the X-Wing fighter series and Star Wars arcade. Nowadays we have Lego Star Wars and The Force Unleashed. Can you spot the difference?
