The new God of War came out recently to a standing ovation of top scores. I found myself wanting to play it, especially since I enjoyed the first two games, but then I remembered I never actually finished the third installment, even after multiple attempts. The game just never clicked with me. I’m not saying that entry is bad, just that something never clicked with me. There are certainly some series though with titles that stop the momentum cold, or have gained a reputation as the black sheep of the franchise after some time, but either way they are the installments that should be skipped by anyone who isn’t a die-hard fan.
Continue reading this article…
Also, there were some entries I had to cut out of this one, so I’ll post those here for anyone who wanted to see what didn’t make the cut.
Gears of War: Judgment
This entry is at the bottom of the list because it does several things right and could still be a lot of fun for anyone who just wanted to focus on the gameplay. Although it isn’t a numbered entry, it tries so hard to be like one without balancing its content or adding anything meaningful. My issue with that aspect is that this title seems to try and move past its cover shooting roots without replacing that in some new way, making it feel like a battle of attrition, where dying feels more random—lacking in strategy and timing. Combat is faster and brings in more things to kill, while sacrificing elements of style, even though they added a scoring system to try and hide that. Some of the new elements slow down the pacing and make sections feel segmented into combat hot spots instead of a flowing journey. The story takes place fifteen years before the other entries and is missing something, adding nothing to the world that should feel different from the other three previous entries, and wastes a ton of potential in what feels like a streamlined story, at the cost of substance. It wasn’t memorable at all, as I found myself trying to remember what actually happened in the game just days after beating it. Only play this one for the co-op, and perhaps the Aftermath section for those wanting to see all of the story bits, otherwise, move on to the next cover.
Zelda II: The Adventures of Link
Yes, there is a huge fan base for this game, and it isn’t bad really, but more that it was different and the first created some major expectations that were not met. In a world where the initial game had not existed, the sequel would have been upheld as a masterpiece. It isn’t just the side-scrolling that throws people off, the leveling up system felt out of place and awkward, the overworld was also annoying when dodging mobs and navigating, making the game feel like it tried to have a baby with Final Fantasy. The game is also just hard and sometimes unfair, especially with its enemy placement. This is an adventure where death puts the player back to square one, magic is a heavy requirement, and the sword is just too short to get the job done. The towns are neat, even if the residents are a bit cryptic, but there are some things to like about what the title does for sure, things that would help shape the lore and future titles. It’s just left with this reputation of being the black sheep in the series, and with a franchise that has so many entries, this is an easy one to skip. It’s that, or keep seeing that deep red screen while Gannon’s evil laughter booms.
Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls
At least when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wanted to branch off into a horrible fighting game, they decided not to make it a main entry in their series. The fifth Double Dragon game however wasn’t made by the original developers and based itself off of the cartoon show, which was decent, but much different from the earlier games. The result was a cobbled together mess that set the franchise back. It was another title in a long line of games that tried to follow in the success of a new genre, basing much of its systems off of Street Fighter II in what could best be called a pale imitation, having a weird mechanic to alter character stats and clunky controls that make performing special moves a chore. Gameplay has zero flow to it, and the simple act of moving is rough, resulting in a game that doesn’t just play poorly, but discourages enjoyment. Stage design is forgettable, graphics are bland, and the music is unimpressive to round out a horrible presentation. The game wastes its story and entire roster of twelve characters in something that simply shouldn’t have tried to be different and might have worked had they not been chasing a trend, but the result was a black mark that most beat ‘em up fans refuse to acknowledge.
