When it comes to gaming sequels, consumers are often unsure of what to expect as far as developers living up to the expectations set by a🔜 classic title. This is especially true when an anticipated release follows a long break or goes in an entirely new direction. Sometimes a completely new developer may take on a project from a company that has gone belly-up or wishes to move on from a franchise. This can bring a sense of uneasiness to a fanbase looking for more of what they love.

Unfortunately, some gamers' reservations about gaming sequels have been realized more often than many would like. Perhaps it's a case of a studio taking too great a creative risk, or not enough of one. It might be a simple case of a lack of funds or time, or perhaps a sense of complacency🐠. Whatever the reasons, successors certainly don't always do a franchise proud.

Still, more often than not in the games industry, studios have stepped up to the plate and created memorable sequels, as well as complete remakes or reimaginings. With reboots, in particular, developers often face the even more daunting task of completely reinventing a series with an overhaul in a game's engine and/or graphics. They will often have to balance the glitz and glamor of new features and aesthetics while retaining attributes and the "soul" that gamers fell in ✱love with in the first place.

In this list, we will look at some of the massive leaps and overhauls in classic games that not only matched but sometimes even surpassed the iconic status of their predecessor🌄s. We'll also examine cases in which direct sequels failed to live up to the hype of earlier entries, became a low point in a beloved series, or other𒈔wise turned into a disaster.

30 Worst Sequel: Tony🐎 Hawk: Shred

Here we have a shining example of how over-milking a series can bring about an abrupt crash, like a clumsy skateboarder taking a hard spill after attempting a Noseblunt Slide on a railing. Somewhere Between Tony Hawk 4 and Underground, the quality of the series began to take a noticeable dip in quality. This only accelerated, and eventually plummeted to the ultimate lows of Ride, and especially Shred.

The progression system is drawn out and repetitive, the missions feel dull and pointless, the c♌hallenge mode is watered down, and the c꧑ontrols feel cheap. And good luck fumbling around with the awkward skateboard accessory!

29 Worst Sequel: Blitz🍎: The League II

The fact that this game tries to run with a single player narrative should give one pause by itself. The original NFL Blitz titles (in the days before EA locked down the NFL properꦕty) were known for their arcade-style action and over-the-top smashmouth football.

Blitz: The League II takes these qualities to a ridiculous, almost cartoony level, which, coupled with a rushed feeling campaign, just comes up as cheap and pedestrian. And while the first Blitz: The League at least tried something new from the NFL Blitz games years earli🌄er, this sequel just feels like "more of the same".

28 ❀ Be💞st Reboot: Metroid Prime

There are few cases of a game reboot truly reinventing itself, and yet capturing that classic feel of the original. Metroid Prime achieves exactly that, and in the process, creates a more immersive way to play a Metroid game. Samus' first foray into the 3D realm gives you a first-person perspective, in which you must explore the vast ♚and imaginative lands of Tallon IV.

The game makes you feel💙 like you'r𝄹e the iconic bounty hunter herself. as you blast, dash, and roll your way across the treacherous terrain crawling with alien baddies.

With the immersion and the desolate nature of the game, Metroid Prime recaptures that feeling of eerie solitude and vulnera💖bility that made the original NES titl♕e stand out.

27 Worst Sequel: Dr๊agon Age🀅 2

Considering BioWare was given a slim timetable of just over a year to crank ♌out this anticipated epic RPG sequel, they managed to create a game that's, well, at least "competent". Though the game fails to live up to the awesome standards set by the original hit in a number of areas.

While the combat is more streamlined in a sense, many more hardcore players of the original have criticized it as being rather simple or "dumbed-down". The story, characters, and dialogue are al🦂so forgettable and 🌠less inspired. This takes you out of the experience in a franchise that relies heavily on its immersion.

26 Worst Sequel: Wii Music 🐼

Nintendo struck gold when it released its flagship Wii series during the early years of its memorable motion-controlled console, starting with the ever-appealing Wii Sports. While simplicity was part of its charm, Wii Music took that to rid﷽iculous lows, to the 🌱point where it felt more like a digital toy than a video game.

This game is little more than a musical waggle-fest.

The minimalist gameplay hinges on you essentially using your Wiimote as an instrument and mimicking the motions you'd make with those instruments. It's basically a glorified version of Mario Party's Mario Bandstand, with a bland soun🎉dtrack to boot. It's all musi❀cal style and very little substance.

25 Best Reboot: The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild🦄

Nintendo has truly succeeded with this Zelda reimagining, creating a new, more free-roaming gameplay engine. At the same time, it adheres to the essence and "feel" of the older entries with action and exploration. Breath of the Wild injects a sort of Skyrim style of freedom and 🦩adventure to the series, which was verging on stale with some semi-linear gameplay and overbearing NPC🐻 dialogue.

Breath of the Wild is like an epic fantasy toy box at your disposal.

It throws in a ton of diverse areas to explore, items to toy with, and paints it all with a gorgeous cell-shaded aesthetic. The game merges the attributes of the NES Zelda which hinged on action and freedom and enhances it with modern ep🃏ic sensibilities.

24 Wor🍷st Sequel: Resident Evil 6

It's remarkable that a series could extend to both lofty heights – see Resident Evil 2 and 4, while also plummeting to the lows of the mediocre RE5 and near disaster level of RE6. While the series was continually being nudged in stripped down, over-the-top action direction, with RE6 it became apparent that Capcom r🃏an too far with these chara🐲cteristics.

The lame cover system also makes this feel like Gears of War lite at times.

The amount of cheese and nutty action makes this title feels more like a cheap, campy action flick rather than a heart-thumping, nuanced survival horror. Thankfully, its successor managed to return to these more teജnse, horror-based roots.

23 ෴ Worst Sequel: Legend Of Mana

This sequel to one of the greatest action RPGs not named "Zelda" isn't horrible in its own right. Though, the anticipated follow-up to Secret of Mana proved to be more of an obscure spin-off rather than a direct sequel, with bo🍷th its aesthetic style and gameplay.

Gone were the colorful sprites and charming action-oriented gameplay that was relatively easy to jump into. Instead, we got drawn-out, convoluted RTS-like mechanics, a weird and gimmicky map system wღhere you must place your own locations, and graphics that seem to resemble a cheap CD-i game.

22 Best Reboot: Star Fox 64 🌄

The original Star Fox on the SNES gave Nintendo fans a taste of epicness 3D gaming could offer. This follow-up on the N64 brought us into this immersive realm full t🐽hrottle and produced one of the most thrilling space shooters to date. Gone were the somewhat archaic "Mode 7" pseudo-3D landscapes, making way for full-fledged 3D land and space battles.

This also gets points for providing the classic gaming meme – "Do a barrel roll!"

The effects were neater, the Charlie Brown-like gibberish was replaced with actua🌄l voice-overs, and the diverse environments were richer. The missions were also more exciting and detailed, and we got the inclusion of an addictive multi♏player mode.

21 Worst Sequel: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XI𝔉II ಞ

Ok, so you might say this is a decent RPG in its own right. But when judging through the lens of the high standards of the Final Fantasy series? It just doesn't measure up.⭕ Being a spinoff to🍰 a sequel alone doesn't bode well, especially when the narrative manages to be as cheesy, stock, and forgettable as it is.

But Lightning Returns' blemishes don't end with its story...

The gameplay itself feels quite uninspired and repetitive, often amountiꦜng to boring fetch quests, and a convoluted combat system that doesn't even grant you XP upon completion. While many of the environments are pretty and imaginative, it's mostly style over substance.