Continuing our article:
5. Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem is one of those characters that undoubtedly was a product of its time, yet still managed to remain an iconic symbol. With his bold style, massive and unreasonable arsenal of weapons, and mastery of short, humorous phrases, he has the appeal of a classic, cheesy action hero.
A lot was riding on the release of Duke Nukem Forever in 2011. The game had to fully honor Duke’s not-so-good name and be a worthy addition to his previous works. Unfortunately, the project seemed doomed to fail from the start.
The sad fate of Duke Nukem Forever is one of the most famous “development hell” stories in the industry’s history. And when it finally reached the hands of players, it was evident how much progress this genre of games had made, while Duke lagged behind everyone.
It was proven to be a very traditional FPS game, and to add insult to injury, its performance was extremely poor on a variety of platforms as well.
4. Mass Effect: Andromeda
Just like with Dragon Age, the Mass Effect series from BioWare is celebrated for its vast creative scope, deep character-building, and story elements that leave a real impact on the player.
The story with the Reapers and the tragic choices that had to be made is the kind of thing that sticks in a player’s mind for a lifetime. The game Mass Effect: Andromeda from 2017 ultimately fell victim to high expectations. At that time, the previous games had built up a large fan base, but for many, Andromeda failed to live up to its predecessors.
In an era of games being released without meeting performance expectations, and then being later patched, this was a prominent example of that trend. The storytelling in Andromeda also seemed lacking in focus and urgency, qualities the series had successfully achieved in earlier times.
In the end, the shortcomings of Andromeda jeopardized the future of the Mass Effect series.
3. Crash Nitro Kart
The game Crash Team Racing, as kart racing enthusiasts know, was a great success. The Mario Kart series inspired many attempts and imitative versions, but in the end, it was only the Crash Bandicoot game from 1999 that truly challenged it.
The problem, after Sony’s system acquired its own classic kart racing game, was in the follow-up. Crash Nitro Kart appeared after four years, but the PlayStation 2 release did not push the boundaries of innovation.
The driver roster was always a sensitive point, as the Crash Bandicoot series lacks the prominent characters found in games like Super Smash Bros. versus PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. However, what Nitro Kart did elsewhere was simply to offer more of the same and open the box of crazy kart races to see what could be found.
Vicarious Visions did not take the opportunity to put their own stamp on the original provided by Naughty Dog, and the game was very similar to the original in some respects to the point where it felt like just an expansion pack. Fortunately, in 2019, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled merged content from both games together.
2. Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Old-school players of the Paper Mario series usually know what they’re getting into: a colorful and fun experience, focused on the idea that everything is made of paper and highlights that throughout the game.
For many, the GameCube release in 2004, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, was the pinnacle of the series. The game was immensely enjoyable and varied, with a large cast of characters, each with useful abilities in battles. The RPG elements were well balanced to allow for strategy without being overly complex or too shallow.
Later games seem to have struggled to achieve this delicate balance. The 3DS game, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, remains a controversial example, as it left behind the RPG elements in favor of the innovative sticker system it was named after.
It may not be a bad game (using stickers can be fun, and the writing is distinctive as usual), but it did not live up to its predecessors.
1. Fable 3
The original Fable game was truly a revolution in the gaming world. The problem, as discussed, is that developers simply cannot please everyone. When it was released in 2004, the massive and ambitious RPG game designed by Peter Molyneux provided an innovative and engaging gameplay experience. The land of Albion was completely different from what fans of this genre had explored before, and the game became a legendary icon over the years.
With the high acclaim the first installment received, it was truly disappointing that the subsequent parts perhaps did not reach the same high level. Fable 3, in particular, remained a controversial game.
For some, the game lacked the important decisions players had to make in previous installments and in other similar games. This was particularly disappointing due to the royal role players were eagerly awaiting to step into later. Without this depth, the experience was not the step forward it could have been.
The series still holds a great appeal as a Microsoft exclusive, and there is significant pressure on the upcoming installment, Fable 4, to deliver an excellent experience that meets expectations.