TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open
Tropes Media Reviews Popular Indexes Forums Videos Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Browse Tools
Cut List Image Fixer New Edits New Articles Edit Reasons Launches Images List Crowner Activity Un-typed Pages Recent Page Type Changes Changelog
Tips
Creating New Redirects Cross Wicking Tips for Editing Text Formatting Rules Glossary Edit Reasons Handling Spoilers Word Cruft Administrivia FAQ
Tropes HQ
About Us Contact Us DMCA Notice Privacy Policy Report Bug Terms Of Service
Go Ad-Free Changelog
  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Highlight Links

Follow TV Tropes

Video Games
4 Following

Go To

  • Advance Wars:
    • Even if the relative lack of new content made it feel a bit like a Mission-Pack Sequel, the fandom almost unanimously agrees that Black Hole Rising was a major step-up over the original Advance Wars due to the more balanced gameplay, the more refined enemy A.I., and the vastly improved level design. However, opinion is much more split over the third game in the franchise, Dual Strike. Many praised the game for the wealth of new units and game modes, the new dual-front battle system, and the overall faster pace of battles, while its detractors criticized the weak cast of new COs, the almost nonsensical plot, and the overemphasis on gaming the CO Power system to win.
    • Days of Ruin / Dark Conflict caused an even greater divide than Dual Strike did. While its supporters praise the game for taking a darker, much more serious tone in its story and dialing back the importance of CO Powers and bonuses after Dual Strike took it to extremes (thus bringing the focus of battles back to strategy and planning ahead), its detractors deride it for being so radically different from the rest of the series that it came off less like an actual sequel and more like a knockoff with the Advance Wars name slapped onto it.
  • Amateur Surgeon: After the well-received first game and its Christmas Edition level pack, and Amateur Surgeon 2's widespread reception as the best game in the series, both Amateur Surgeon 3: Tag Team Trauma and Amateur Surgeon 4: Regenerations had more divisive receptions for their turn from Flash to mobile format and their significant shifts in creative direction from the first two games.
    • Amateur Surgeon 3 has been praised by fans for further polishing the gameplay from where 2 left things off, introducing a variety of new injury types and game mechanics to diversify the gameplay, and featuring a more expansive and creative lore than the first two games; while at the same time disliked by detractors for its significantly more outlandish storylines and settings than the first two games' stories, its considerable changes to the level structure and progression, and some business-related aspects it introduced as the first exclusively mobile game (most notably the inclusion of in-game microtransactions).
    • Amateur Surgeon 4 is the most divisive game in the series thus far, in no part thanks to it being developed by Burke & Best instead of the series' original creator MediaTonic and delving further into mobile game standards than 3 did. Audiences who liked the game enjoyed its diverse offerings of playability with its main story that features both remasters of most levels from the previous games plus plenty of original levels, multiple side storylines, and temporary in-game events; its considerable expansion on the story direction and game mechanics introduced in 3; and Burke & Best's notable effort in creating new stuff that stays faithful to MediaTonic's style for the series. Detractors, meanwhile, thought 4 was a step in the wrong direction due to its writing that features new characters and plotlines that aren't as memorable as those from previous games, reduced focus and/or Flanderization of returning characters, a much Denser and Wackier tone without the other games' witty humor, and inconsistent writing choices that leave weird plot holes or justifications (especially when it comes to its framing of the remastered past levels); its Sequel Difficulty Spike with its harsher gameplay (which includes some Scrappy Mechanics not present in the previous games), more demanding rating system, and rehaul of the upgrades and partners that encourage Level Grinding and/or in-app purchases; and its more blatantly mobile-like formatting than 3 with its requirement of downloading portions of the game as one progresses through the levels, simplified graphics to save up memory space, and its much more prominent presence of microtransactions and other offerings used for free-to-play mobile games (plus the gameplay measures established to accomodate said offerings and encourage players to spend their real-life money on them).
  • Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is praised for its story, improved voice-acting, and sound design, and criticized for its length, lack of horror, and removal of many gameplay elements from the original.
  • Is Animal Crossing: New Horizons a huge step forward for the franchise, an entry with improved graphics, new features like the photo studio, allowing changing hair at your will, having a healthy amount of Ensemble Dark Horses among the Funny Animal cast, the increased focus on island customisation, with every part of the island under your control (even down to the layout and which villagers will move away), and a larger inventory for your player? Or was it completely ruined by the increased "gamification" of the mechanics, such as item durability on every tool (even the Golden Weapons), the removal of almost 21 NPCs that have appeared in prior games in some capacity, the reimplementation of those NPCs, content and events prior games had as standard via its new "Live Service" model, all at the expense of Animal Crossing's traditionally laid-back atmosphere, wide variety of content, and interesting/funny villager interactions?
  • Depending on who you ask, Armored Core: Nexus is either a slick, content-packed sequel that finally brought Armored Core up to modern standards by upping the production values and finally giving players the option to use proper dual-analog controls, or a disaster filled with lazy, simplistic missions and ruined by an overly restrictive heat management mechanic that killed much of the fun and choice in building your own mech. About the only things people can agree on are that the soundtrack and the bonus disc with remade PS1-era missions are awesome.
  • Assassin's Creed:
    • Revelations was the first such example. Some enjoyed playing as an older Ezio, moving on to a new setting in the Ottoman Empire, experiencing flashbacks from Altair's life after the first game, and wrapping up both tales. Others considered the story to be boring with a cheap antagonist, didn't like how it removed all the supporting characters players had come to love in II and Brotherhood, and criticized the gameplay as stale.
    • Assassin's Creed III received a fair amount of praise for its unique direction, naval warfare, and portrayal of the antagonists. It was also criticised by fans for its glitches, scripted missions, lack of stealth, a poorly written story, and a protagonist that wasn't as compelling as the previous one. To an extent, the divided opinions extend to the other games set in the Americas.
    • Opinions over Unity were also divided. While praised for bringing the series back to its roots and its beautifully realised setting, some fans thought this entry reeked of Sequelitis due to the plethora of bugs, mixed views on Arno, and the clichéd ending. The fact that this game followed the highly praised Black Flag did not help matters one bit. Rogue, on the other hand, was praised and loved by fans and critics alike.
  • Backyard Baseball 2001 and Backyard Soccer: MLS Edition. Some people say that it is better than the original because of the pros and MLB/MLS teams, making a perfect "Dream Team," and others hate it because of those same pros.
  • Banjo-Kazooie:
    • Banjo-Tooie: While the core gameplay was virtually unchanged from the original (aside from some new moves for Banjo and Kazooie), the worlds were about triple the size, and each was connected to other worlds in some way, thus necessitating some backtracking in order to get some of the Jiggies. While many fans loved and embraced these changes, other fans of the original preferred the smaller worlds and being able to get all of the Jiggies in one sitting.
    • Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Some believe that it's a fun resurrection of the franchise, some think it's a good game on its own but not a good Banjo-Kazooie game, and some say that it destroyed any chance of a more traditional Banjo-Kazooie game being released. (And so far, no new entries have been released since Nuts & Bolts hit shelves in 2008, with Banjo and Kazooie relegated to guest appearances in other games and Microsoft seemingly having no interest in reviving the IP.)
    • Its Creator-Driven Successor, Yooka-Laylee, also gets this treatment. While some say it's a solid collectathon that manages to retain the same kind of charm Banjo-Kazooie had, others who view the game negatively think it retains many of the issues Banjo-Tooie had and ends up trying so hard to recapture what made BK beloved that it fails to establish its own identity.
  • Batman: Arkham Series:
    • Batman: Arkham Origins, though it's a prequel, still qualifies. The game was made to expand the Arkham franchise beyond Rocksteady Studios, and was rushed to the point there were many bugs upon release and the actual gameplay was 90% identical to that of Arkham City (using mostly modifications of the City resources to build upon). Still, the change in production company and story writers is noticeable. The premise is more bare bones, telling a story that isn't overly convoluted and allows more emphasis on Batman's interaction with both enemies and allies. Many fans consider the story, taken by itself, to be the best of the series, even if the gameplay itself is underwhelming.
    • Opinions are varied as to whether or not Batman: Arkham Knight lived up to its predecessors Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City (and to some extent, Batman: Arkham Origins). Some loved the enhanced visuals, the expanded combat, the bigger world and found the story to be compelling and a fitting finale to the series. Others, however, found the story to be lacking, criticized the handling (and frequency) of the Batmobile, missed the on-foot boss battles that the series was well-known for, and were disappointed by the inability to use other characters in challenges (which was later fixed).
  • Bayonetta:
    • Everyone agrees Bayonetta 2 is an awesome game. But fans debate whether this game or the first has the better overall aesthetic and plot themes, as well as whether Loptr as Aesir can top Jubileus (aka the series' equivalent of God) as the Final Boss. And while the easier QTEs and removal of minigame segments were almost unanimously praised, several of the other changes to the combat were quite contentious. Often criticized is the game's overreliance on Witch Time (where the first game removed the mechanic at the highest difficulty), Umbran Climax being unbalanced, enemy design, removal of certain advanced techniques, and scoring system. Critics argue that the changes result in a more restrictive game that while more approachable for new players, forcefully railroads the player into an overly defensive playstyle.
    • Bayonetta 3 quickly proved to be an even more divisive entry among fans. One camp enjoys the game for its fine-tuned combat, varied locales, and diverse gameplay while the other camp dislikes it for its perceived overreliance on Gameplay Roulette and a plot considered to be undercooked in many respects complete with an Audience-Alienating Ending.
  • BioShock: An unusual case, in which its two sequels focused on different aspects of the original. As such, fans of the original will almost always like one and dislike the other (though there are exceptions).
    • BioShock 2 is generally agreed to have much better gameplay than the original, which had flaws in that area. However, it also has a far weaker story overall and feels more like an Expansion Pack Sequel rather than a sequel that moves the series forward and carries on its themes. The Minerva's Den DLC, however, was much better received overall and regarded as a vast improvement.
    • BioShock Infinite is either a deep, character-driven story with interesting game mechanics like the sky rails and the tears, or an extremely streamlined, simplified appeal to mass audiences to justify its huge budget, leaving behind its System Shock 2 and BioShock roots while including enemy research, hacking, different ammo types, etc. and introducing a two-weapon system. Depending on who you ask, it's either the best game in the series or the worst.
  • While agreed to be a solid game, how much Burnout Revenge stacks up to the universally beloved Burnout 3: Takedown is debated among fans. Some found it a straightforward improvement with the new formula complemented by a generous amount of new tracks, cars, and fun new mechanics like the ability to throw cars at other racers and the ability to use Crashbreaker mid-races. Others disliked the new dark and gritty visual direction (particularly pronounced for the Xbox 360 version, which massively amps up the grit and bloom as was typical of the time) and found that the new "Traffic Check" mechanic both overcomplicated the Crash mode and trivialized much of the risk/reward calculus that had been at the core of the series' appeal.
  • Call of Duty:
  • Castlevania:
    • Castlevania II: Simon's Quest attempted to take the platforming gameplay of its predecessor and build an Action RPG around it. Its reception was mixed enough that Castlevania III kept well away from its RPG Elements and continuity and the series would not make another (and far more successful) attempt at an open-world action/adventure hybrid until Symphony of the Night, which released a decade later.
    • Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2: Many people consider this game to be inferior to the original, as it takes place in a modern setting that doesn't quite fit with the Castlevania mythos, has undeveloped characters, and ends with a final "battle" with Satan that's merely fighting your son possessed by Satan — but it actually feels much more like a Castlevania game than its predecessor, playing as Dracula is fun, and it's certainly much darker than the previous game. Its gameplay is also polarizing, as Lords of Shadow 2 improved on the combat mechanics and toned down some of the Fake Difficulty and other contested elements present in the original (such as having only one Titan boss and making the experience less of a slog) while also adding stealth segments generally seen as out-of-place and tiresome. Not helping matters is that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, the game that came between the original Lords of Shadow and LoS2, was overlooked by many players due to releasing for the Nintendo 3DS but praised by many of those who did play it, as Mirror of Fate's more traditional Castlevania gameplay and story won over fans alienated by the more cinematic, God of War-esque nature of the first game (meaning LoS2 is potentially a Contested Sequel on at least two different fronts).
  • 4X games are very prone to this, especially the Civilization series, which is why Civilization IV onward were designed from the start to be easily moddable. That allows fans to do whatever they want, including turn the games into a remake of the non-Sid Meier Civilization: Call to Power.
  • Company of Heroes 2 and Total War: Rome II were both heavily contested sequels due to the DLC commanders, the single player campaign for COH2, and the poor optimization for Total War: Rome II.
  • Condemned 2: Bloodshot added a great deal of depth to the melee combat system, sharpened the graphics, and utilized much more interesting forensic investigation mechanics. You either like it for those elements, or you dislike it for abandoning the creepy slums of Condemned: Criminal Origins and giving the plot a twist that breaks suspension of disbelief.
  • Chrono Cross was destined for this by being the only Chrono Trigger sequel. (Or rather, the only sequel released outside of Japan for a long time.) There are a lot of people who loved the mood of the game, the huge cast of characters, and the plot seemingly tying rather darkly into its predecessor in a way that proved interesting and engaging. The other half of the Chrono fandom hates it for the cast of characters not getting much time to develop aside from a small handful, said ties to Trigger making the whole story a rather dark Retcon, and the plot in general being an epic and not particularly well-explained Mind Screw that finishes on a Gainax Ending. Most of the fandom agrees that Cross is a good game in its own right, with near-universal praise going to the soundtrack, frequently called one of the best original video game soundtracks ever. But the dispute as to whether Cross is a good sequel to Trigger is pure Flame Bait.
  • In the world of Command & Conquer, Tiberian Dawn is the only game that isn't a sequel, and is consequently the only game that doesn't qualify. Red Alert is contested for being nothing but a Tiberian Dawn remake (gameplay-wise, at least); Tiberian Sun is contested for being too dark and Science Fiction-y; Red Alert 2 is contested for being too damn cheesy (oh, and the Canon Discontinuity); Generals is contested for being an In Name Only spin-off; Tiberum Wars is contested for its Canon Discontinuity and its striking resemblance to Generals; and Red Alert 3 is contested for cheesiness that reaches outright silly levels, Canon Discontinuity, and lots of other stuff. Lastly, Tiberian Twilight is reviled for its combat system being a significant departure from previous games and being closer to real time tactics than real time strategy. Suffice to say, epic glame wars have erupted over which games are "good" and which games are "bad." Everyone agrees, however, that Sole Survivor never happened.
  • Crash Bandicoot:
    • The first three games and Crash Team Racing were made by Naughty Dog. Everything after that is hotly contested. Some say Crash Bash and Crash Twinsanity were still good, some say more or all of the games were good, and a very small portion only likes the Titans/Mutant duology.
    • Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time may be the most divisive one yet. Some praise it for its visuals, story and core gameplay mechanics, while others are more critical of the character redesigns and/or immense difficulty spike from the previous games as well as the extremely tedious way of 106% completing the game with many fans even considering the game overly bloated and padded because of it. Fans of the post-Naughty Dog era were also disappointed to see this game essentially reset the timeline back to square one, with it setting itself up as the direct sequel to Warped and no plot elements or characters from those games showing up outside varying cameo appearances.
  • Cytus II. Fans of it prefer it over the original Cytus for its aesthetic, fleshed out story, and increased difficulty, while detractors find the story to be too in the way, despise the excessive use of paid DLC, feel that the game resorts to Fake Difficulty for more difficult charts, and finds the Level Grinding that one has to do to progress said story and unlock new songs tedious.
  • As far as the main Darius series goes, Dariusburst is this to G-Darius. Fans either like it for being less punishing on life losses and encouraging aggressive play with its Burst weapons or feel that it took a serious hit in the level and boss design departments.
  • Dark Souls:
  • Darksiders II was overall well-received, but splits opinions regarding whether it's better than the original or not; those who prefer the first Darksiders feel it's more polished and has a better story, while the sequel camp feels the sheer wealth of content and a more interesting and charismatic protagonist tips it in their favor. Darksiders III, on the other hand, had a more mixed reception, with the decision to ditch its predecessors' gameplay and instead take elements from Dark Souls being deemed as either a welcome change of pace or diminishing for dropping what made Darksiders stand out in the first place.
  • Every Dawn of War game that is a sequel is a Contested Sequel.
    • The original game's agreed-upon high-water mark is the Dark Crusade expansion, which featured seven playable races (expanded to nine in the less-well-received Soulstorm expansion), a "Risk"-Style Map as its primary single player experience, and emphasis on large armies and building a traditional tech tree. Vehicles and infantry used separate population caps, requiring different weapons to counter effectively (for example, heavy machine guns mowed down infantry but did little more than tickle tanks, while rocket launchers kicked infantry around somewhat harmlessly but were very effective against vehicles), and Heroes were powerful units that could attach to squads and were improved by research.
    • Dawn of War II, by contrast, was a tactical combat game that focused on smaller numbers of smaller squads (for example, a Tactical Marine squad in I started at four, could reinforce up eight and then add a Sergeant for nine, while the same squad in II started and maxed at three with an option to add a Sergeant) and no base building. There were three single player campaigns released, of which two were playable only by Space Marines. II started out with four playable factions, capping out at seven in the final expansion, Retribution. The large armies and separate population caps were removed in favor of a simple 1-100 system shared across all units. In place of huge army and economy management, cover, positioning, firing arcs, and ability rotations were the game's core micro skill. Hero units were both expanded and restricted, with each player starting the game with a single hero unit that could be revived if killed and grew more powerful as the game progressed. These two games offered very different experiences, meaning that while there were many fans of both, most players had a distinct favorite.
    • Then came Dawn of War III. It tried to split the difference between I's huge armies and II's intimate micromanagement and made... something else. MOBA elements were worked into the multiplayer, with the single player being a single linear campaign shared by the game's three races (fewer than in any previous entry, and all whom had been present in the base games of I and II). Hero units became the primary micro skill, drawing criticism for the perceived MOBA influences. Vehicles became more like elite units, being less of a unit type to be countered and more of a Lightning Bruiser to be endured. The game has not fared well and has not seen post-release content in the vein of the expansions for the previous two games, and all planned content and official support was cancelled a little under a year after its release.
  • Deadly Premonition 2 is viewed as either another So Bad, It's Good art game that offers a deeper look into York and his charmingly quirky surrounding cast with some surprisingly emotional moments, or a frustrating, Flanderized mess of an attempt to capture lightning in a bottle twice whose myriad of technical issues were probably made to run badly on purpose.
  • Dead or Alive:
    • Dead or Alive 4. Most competitive players hate the game and blame it for the stigma attached to competitive DOA, but the more casual fans love it due to its unique online mode and flashy aesthetics.
    • Dead or Alive 6, for being Tamer and Chaster and Bloodier and Gorier.
    • For the spin-off Xtreme series, Xtreme 2, which while offering more than just beach volleyball (jet skiing, butt bumping, flag races, water slides) was decried by some for retreading, technical problems in spite of superior hardware, and unrealistic Jiggle Physics. Xtreme 3 received praise for its improvements in the graphics department, but still divided fans by removing plenty of features found in the previous two games along with the absence of fan favorite characters.
  • Dead Space 3. People who like the game cite the weapon customization, the co-op mechanics, the side missions and new character Carver's story additions as positive aspects. Detracters criticize it for adding common Third-Person Shooter elements (taking cover, being able to kill previously-regenerating enemies with enough shots, fights with gun-toting humans, etc.) to a Survival Horror, mixing in microtransactions and including those very same co-op mechanics that further dilute the horror aspect.
  • Deus Ex:
    • The original Deus Ex is often called "one of the greatest games of all time" so from the get-go its follow-up, Deus Ex: Invisible War, had a lot to live up to. Due to factors like the removal of the skill points system (meaning the only thing players can upgrade are their biomods), smaller levels as a result of also developing the game for the Xbox, being an overall shorter game, and feeling like an Actionized Sequel, many are in agreement Invisible War ultimately did fail to live up to the standards set by the original. However, the "contested" part comes in when people try and discuss if Invisible War is still a good game in its own right if you forget for a moment what it's a sequel to, as some argue that if it is seen more as a sci-fi FPS from the era when games like Halo were hitting it big then Invisible War stands out as one of the more unique FPS titles of the era.
    • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was yet another Contested Sequel. Coming off the well-received Deus Ex: Human Revolution, this game was praised for evolving the gameplay of the previous game and having a well-written story, while placing more emphasis on dialogue-based bosses and giving you a bunch of cool new experimental augmentations to play with. However, there were two major complaints about the game: the length, clocking in at about twenty hours (including heavy sidequesting), and the experimental Augs you get. Regarding the latter, you have to permanently disable other Augs or else you will be penalized for using them, and while a sidequest to obtain an item to fix this problem is introduced and can be completed fairly early in the game (after the first few story missions), the actual solution is not implemented until much later in the game. Then add an online multiplayer mode that few asked for and microtransactions. Making things even worse were the reports that Square Enix was apparently developing a sequel to Mankind Divided since mid-2015. This report, when combined with the relatively short length and the fact that there was only a single hub area, left many people to speculate that Mankind Divided was just the first part of what was supposed to be a much larger game. For the most part, more advanced players appear to gravitate towards Mankind Divided for being more in line with the original game and addressing issues they had with Human Revolution, while more casual fans seem to favor Human Revolution for providing a more complete experience.
  • Devil May Cry:
    • Devil May Cry 4 is either one of the best or one of the worst sequels. Detractors found Nero a Replacement Scrappy and hated the high amounts of Backtracking and Recurring Bosses, while fans, especially more advanced players, hold 4 in high regard thanks to the gameplay tech that's only found in this game due to the depth that mechanics such as Nero's Exceed and Dante's Style Switch and Weapon Swap provide.
    • DmC: Devil May Cry was a reboot hated by old fans for simplifying the gameplay while adding ham-fisted themes and making the characters unlikeable, but has fans that call it a fun, accessible title with great art direction, a protagonist that actually develops and grows rather than remaining static for most of the time, and a story that's more than a somewhat confusing Excuse Plot — a common defense is that it might not work as a Devil May Cry game, but is a decent title in its own right. It's also worth noting that there are some fans of the series that will call the Definitive Edition the good version of the game (or at the very least, the most tolerable version), as it addressed some of the gameplay-related criticisms the original release received. There are also fans who attest that the gameplay was always good and that it was the tone, characterization, and poor use of the Devil May Cry brand that turned away people from the game.
  • Dino Crisis 2 split the fanbase, with some praising the Actionized Sequel aspects while others criticized the lack of Survival Horror elements from the first game. Fans of either game and those who liked both will still ultimately come together to condemn and ignore the existence of the third game (Dino Stalker notwithstanding), as Dino Crisis 3 leaned even further into action, was only released for the Xbox (the first two games were PlayStation exclusives while Dino Staker was on the PS2), had a plot that didn't even follow up on the second game's cliffhanger ending, and ended up putting the series on ice.
  • By the same token as Dino Crisis, Disciples III featured a significant departure from the previous two games in terms of graphics, storyline, battle mechanics (units can now move Heroes-style), changes in types of leaders, resource management, etc. Once again, the fanbase is split.
  • DonPachi:
    • DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu, particularly version 1.5. The over-the-topness of the gameplay is either a fun diversion from past games' strictness, or a mockery of its own series.
    • DoDonPachi Saidaioujou. You either like it for going back to the series' roots after the bullet-cancelling craziness of DaiFukkatsu, or the Sequel Difficulty Spike is too off-putting for the game to be enjoyable.
  • Doom:
    • Everyone agrees Doom II is still fun to play, but debates about the game's level design are quite common, with a significant amount of people considering the levels from Doom II way too gimmicky and inconsistent, as well as thinking that the maps are too plainly textured and just ugly, with an overuse of brown. Some people only take issue with Sandy Petersen's maps, which have an abstract feel to them and aren't necessarily up to par with the style or quality of the rest of the maps. There are even those who consider Final Doom to be a superior sequel, particularly the Plutonia Experiment half thanks to improvements like higher difficulty and more consistent level quality.
    • Doom³ was either interesting and refreshing for incorporating a survival horror-inspired take or inferior to its predecessors due to the lack of in-your-face fighting the previous installments were known. The shift of tone in BFG Edition may have fixed this by making it more action-orientated than the original.
    • Doom Eternal:
  • Donkey Kong:
    • Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! gets a lot of flak for Kiddy Kong being an uninteresting replacement for Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, the weak ending, and its greater emphasis on exploration and item collecting. The SNES version's more subdued soundtrack, with only a few songs composed by series veteran David Wise, is also divisive. It's generally seen as the weakest game of the 2D Country series no matter who you ask, but whether said fan will follow that up by saying it is still a perfectly fine game in its own right or decry it as being truly awful varies.
    • Donkey Kong 64 is easily the most divisive game in the Donkey Kong series. Those who love the game praise its huge levels, emphasis on exploration, the ability to play as many different members of the Kong family, and slapstick humor. Others who despise the game see its massive amounts of content as tedious bloat that, when mixed with its gameplay structure of nearly every item being color-coded and only collectible by one specific Kong, make it one of the most annoying Collect-a-Thon Platformer games to 100% complete, on top of feeling that DK64's heavy focus on collectibles (plus its bevy of minigame challenges and general presentation) make it come across more like a Creator-Driven Successor to Banjo-Kazooie than a proper continuation of the SNES Donkey Kong Country trilogy.
  • Dragon Age:
    • Dragon Age II. Take away the tactical elements that made Dragon Age: Origins a call-back to the oldies like Baldur's Gate and replace them with an emphasis on interactive combat. Take away the epic storyline of saving the world and replace it with a more in-depth and character-driven storyline with more personal stakes. Add a simplified item crafting system, a Suddenly Voiced main character, and choices that have actual meaning to the protagonist, and you've got all you need for a nice, long discussion about its merits as a game on its own and as a sequel. However, many fans praise the more in-depth writing and the unusual storyline (which starts as a struggle for survival and develops into a clash between Well-Intentioned Extremist factions) as a refreshing departure from the usual CRPG "save the world" type of plot.
    • Dragon Age: Inquisition. Though typically seen as an improvement over II for bringing back the epic scale of Origins along with having more combat options and more opportunities to make decisions that impact the world and its characters, there's also a not insignificant and very vocal subset of fans who were — and still are — disappointed in Inquisition for not bringing the franchise back to its Baldur's Gate roots, if not doubling down on the second game's attempts to make the series more akin to "fantasy Mass Effect." Change of direction aside, there was also a significant deal of criticism regarding the game's technical flaws and side content, which was often decried as repetitive, shallow, and not always optional. There are fans who see Inquisition as a Surprisingly Improved Sequel, those who view it as an inferior though still decent follow-up to II, and others who think it marked the beginning of questionable design choices that would come to a head with BioWare's subsequent releases in the second half of The New '10s.
    • Origins itself actually got some flack as a Contested Creator-Driven Successor to Baldur's Gate, initially criticized for being a poor tactical RPG due to class imbalances.
  • Drakengard 2 wasn't directed by Yoko Taro, and it shows, such as with the replacement of Caim with the much more generic Nowe and a lighter atmosphere overall. The gameplay is significantly improved, though, and those who found the first game was too dark might prefer a less gloomy game.
  • Dynasty Warriors:
    • For a long time, the unanimous recipient for this dubious award was Dynasty Warriors 6. While most fans will say it sucks due to its many changes to the usual DW formula (such as the Button Mashing-centric Renbu system that governs combos and several characters losing their trademark weapons) as well multiple characters receiving design overhauls many fans deemed unnecessary, there are a significant number who actually enjoyed the game. And though Dynasty Warriors 7 undid the most radical of gameplay changes, some of the revamped character designs and other aspects were reworked and incorporated into future installments without much in the way of signifcant backlash.ex. The sixth game also has a very memorable level at the end of Lu Bu's campaign, where the player is pit against nearly the entirety of the game's cast and wins. Almost most everyone agrees that the other games are better, though, save for...
    • Dynasty Warriors 9, which, in addition to having to follow the well-received Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends, had its own major gameplay shakeups, most notably the widely debated shift to a Wide-Open Sandbox and the regression of multiple characters into Moveset Clones (after several games of working to avoid this), plus DLC practices many found to be predatory (including legacy weapons and entire campaigns being paywalled) and a new (and largely panned) voice cast for the English dub. On the other hand, a Chinese dub was added, history buffs appreciated the story's faithfulness to the source material, and DLC updates worked to address several of the playerbase's complaints. Tellingly, DW9 only received a single expansion (whereas every game from 4 and 5 onward had multiple updates and/or offshoots to its name) and the series would go dormant for seven years until the announcement of 2025's Dynasty Warriors: Origins, an Origins Episode/Soft Reboot that mostly reverted to the pre-9 style.
  • Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, mainly due to completely abandoning the older games' storyline for a story written by someone who'd never played them.
  • The Elder Scrolls:
    • Oblivion. Though critically acclaimed and a financial success, it is a contested sequel for fans of Morrowind. Many dislike the Level Scaling and claim that it was dumbed down for console users and casual players. In this vein, a lot of old-school Elder Scrolls fans have complained about one or the other facet of Oblivion's gameplay. Oblivion did shake things up. The Shivering Isles expansion, however, is generally well received by both sides.
    • Morrowind was contested among Daggerfall fans at release, but it's died down a little since Morrowind's release, and it has become something of a Sacred Cow to some.
    • Eventually, things settled between Morrowind and Oblivion fans. Then Skyrim came around, and shook up the fandom once again. Though often praised for its enormous world and content, beautiful environments and more dynamic design, while also frequently being accused of butchering the "true" RPG elements the series held so far and seemingly not having learned anything from previous games as far as writing quality, locational variety/depth, and especially pacing goes.
  • Etrian Odyssey:
    • For Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard, both versions of the game fall into this.
      • Time hasn't been especially kind to the original version, being stuck between the well-known first game and the series-refining third game. By comparison, Heroes of Lagaard can come across like a Mission-Pack Sequel due to reusing the first game's classes and its plotline hitting many of the same beats, and it has plenty of its own issues such as odd experimental mechanics, very lopsided class balance (with top-tiers from Etrian Odyssey being nerfed into uselessness while low-tiers became overpowered), and being very buggy. Still, it has its fans for improving on aspects of the first game (mainly by refining mapping and removing level correction) as well as its faster pace, beautiful strata environments, and more interesting town dialogue, and ultimately most still find it a decent game in its own right.
      • The Fafnir Knight is potentially the most divisive game in the series. Its fans love it for the at-the-time largest class roster, the customization offered by the improved Grimoire Stone system, numerous quality-of-life changes kept for the rest of the series, and a more interesting Story Mode with better character writing. Non-fans dislike the aspects of the first Untold that were retained, the questionable balance (if not as much as the original game), the overly complex FOE and boss puzzles, and the high amount of paid DLC. The vastly different boss encounter design from every other game in the series (featuring fights with very high health, strict but dangerous patterns, and frequent summoned minions) tends to be the deciding love-it-or-hate-it factor.
    • Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth: There are fans who appreciate the game for refining the tried-and-true "create your own guild and explore a 30-floor dungeon" formula, especially the four-race system, expanded cosmetic customization options (such as RGB sliders for hair and eye colors and choosing voices for characters), and some of the more unique selections of new classes (the Harbinger/Reaper and Necromancer in particular stand out). Others don't like that the game did away with the Story Mode of the Untold games and the world maps of the past two non-Untold games, resulting in what feels like a bare-bones product.
  • Fallout:
    • Fallout 3: Being made by a different developer and released a decade after Fallout 2, it's no surprise that this game ended up being a very different type of game than its predecessors, most notably dropping the isometric perspective for a first-person view and taking many other inspirations from The Elder Scrolls. Depending on your familiarity with earlier entries, it is either a marked improvement over what came before or a lazy rehash of Oblivion with guns.
    • Fallout: New Vegas. While closer to the original games in atmosphere and story, some fans who preferred the atmosphere and style of Fallout 3 found New Vegas to be lacking. Among fans of the original games, reception was more positive.
    • While many regard Fallout 4 as an improvement over Fallout 3, how it compares to New Vegas is a major source of contention among fans. Much of this is due to Bethesda toning down the RPG Elements that Obsidian brought back in New Vegas in favor of placing more emphasis on combat and exploration. The decision to include a voiced protagonist and shortened dialogue tree akin to Mass Effect games didn't help matters.
  • Final Fantasy:
  • Fire Emblem:
    • The Elibe games are incredibly divisive when compared to past games, but they both have their own reasons:
    • Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn was the most divisive game in the series before the 3DS titles.
      • Narratively, its fans like the moral complexity, and argue that its storytelling cliches are at least different cliches from the rest of the series. Its detractors loathe that its story made plentiful haphazard changes of the mythology of The 'Verse to do it, and are especially critical of the cut-down Support conversations and rampant Ship Sinking (rumor has it, in an attempt to pander to the Yaoi Fangirl crowd).
      • Mechanically, its fans like the uncompromising challenge of the gameplay and shake-ups to the series formula at work. Its critics consider it to be overloaded with Fake Difficulty, opaque or badly designed mechanics, and uselessly weak characters.
    • Both of the Jugdral titles also attract this kind of reaction.
      • Genealogy of the Holy War attracts a lot of praise for its interesting and complex plot, willingness to move on from the Archanea universe, and many interesting and experimental gameplay choices, particularly the Love and War system and the resulting "Second Generation". Yet, at the same time, the huge levels make avoiding the series' trademark Permadeath really hard (with the Love and War system adding further consequences to losing someone), many of the mechanics are either opaque or artificially complex, particularly the item management system, and there are lots of "newb traps" that can only really be discovered via Trial-and-Error Gameplay.
      • Thracia 776, in turn, has fans who call it a deep, uncompromising, well-designed game with many experimental features of its own, and critics who describe it as unfair, almost-fatally complex, and thoroughly unfun, with the "experimental" features being either hated whenever they come up in later titles (Fog of War is the most obvious culprit), terribly implemented (Escape chapters where Leif has to wait until everyone else has escaped before escaping himself or lose them forever, the Rescue ability) or just plain bad ideas that add little, detract from the experience, and have never returned (Fatigue, Dismount).
    • The 3DS titles caused a major Newbie Boom. Awakening saved the series after Nintendo was seriously considering shelving it, and the strong sales of Fire Emblem Fates saw the company acknowledge the series as a major IP in the U.S. — a big deal, given that it was strictly Japan-exclusive for a long time, and the studio had frequently been skeptical of its ability to succeed outside its native country. However, in making the series more accessible, they attracted criticism from many series fans, who dislike that lighter difficulties and "unskilled newbs" will be heavily influencing its direction for the foreseeable future.
      • The fans that love Awakening enjoy the high-headroom reclassing system and Pair-Up mechanic, the shipping-friendly Support system and the way it interacts with the Time Travel plot, and the player-built protagonist. Its critics despise it for many of the same reasons.
      • Fire Emblem Fates is largely held as improving on Awakening in terms of gameplay, but a step back in terms of storytelling. While the reworked Pair-Up, reclassing, and weapon mechanics are seen as well-made, and while it features some of the best, most-nuanced map designs in the series, the story is seen as poorly written, and not well served by the business model that undergirds it. As a result, its overall quality compared to Awakening is difficult to determine, and often relies on what the individual subjectively values more.
    • The reception to Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, though generally positive, can be at least partially chalked up to a combination of Old Guard Versus New Blood and the Casual-Competitive Conflict. Not only was it coming off the heels of Awakening and Fates' commercial and critical success, Shadows of Valentia was also a Video Game Remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, widely considered to be the Oddball in the Series. To say that Intelligent Systems had their work cut out for them modernizing Gaiden over two decades later would be an understatement. On one hand, the writing is generally considered to be a marked improvement over Awakening and Fates, expanding upon the original story while making Gaiden's somewhat nebulous ties to its connected installments much stronger and cohesive as well as taking a far better crack at Grey-and-Gray Morality than Fates did, though the largely minimalistic implementation of Supports was bemoaned (for both gameplay and characterization purposes). And while some of Gaiden's strange quirks found their way into later games (such as a traversable world map with optional skirmishes in The Sacred Stones and Awakening or Unbreakable Weapons in Fates), SoV retained enough of them to make new and longtime players alike scratch their heads ("No Weapon Triangle?" "Magic is Cast from Hit Points?" "Mercenaries promote to Myrmidons?" etc.), to say nothing of the poor growth rates and the Fake Difficulty it can cause in the second half of the game. Those who were used to the idea of a customizable Player Character, marrying off their units, and getting to use said couples' kids in battle also found the omission of these features to be a strike against, even if there was no narrative or gameplay purpose to their existence this time around. (To wit, New Mystery garnered criticism for inserting a spotlight-stealer into the original story, whereas Fates' narrative justifications for including second generation units were seen as flimsy compared to Genealogy and Awakening, amounting to little more than simply being there because it was a popular aspect of the previous game.)
    • Fire Emblem Engage is the second lowest-reviewed mainline Fire Emblem game on Metacritic in terms of critical scores, after the similarly controversial Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, and the lowest-rated mainline mainline Fire Emblem game overall in terms of user reviews (even lower than the DS remake of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light and the Revelation route of Fire Emblem Fates) due to a divide between high and low ratings. The reason for this divide is in large part how the game compares to Fire Emblem: Three Houses, as it features more challenging and traditional gameplay that appeals to long-time fans, while lacking much of what newcomers liked in Three Houses, such as the story and characters.
  • Fire Shark, the sequel to Sky Shark. On one hand, you have players who love this game because of the iconic flamethrower weapon and the absoultely fantastic synthesized metal soundtrack, considering it to be a vast improvement upon Sky Shark. On the other hand, there are people, even fans of Toaplan's other games, who dislike this game because of its sadistic difficulty even by arcade game standards, not helped by the game's intentionally unhelpful power-up system that can force the narrow-range green beam onto the player, and prefer Sky Shark for being simpler yet much more fair and refined.
  • Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich split the fanbase. The additional powers were nice. The new characters were well developed. The plotline was good (although the disappearing teammates angered people who liked those character and/or had invested a lot of experience in them). But they dumbed down the power consumption mechanic from a wide spectrum to three possible values of one-third, two-thirds, or all of your power bar, which nerfed many of the concepts, and minor changes in the engine meant most of the third-party models no longer worked in-game.
  • Frostpunk 2, while generally well-received, has attracted debate among fans of the first Frostpunk over whether it's better or worse. This largely comes down to Frostpunk 2 having a significantly different scope and narrative themes — whereas the first game is all about eking out survival during a Glacial Apocalypse by establishing a city of a few hundred people, the sequel is all about maintaining the societal balance of the increasingly large city of thousands, with a larger focus on political division and decisions being made based on ideology over bare survival. Fans of 2 find this to be a natural and worthy evolution of the first game's themes without just being a retread of the same premise, while detractors dislike it for being less intimate and more distant, taking away from the primal intensity of the original.
  • Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 is viewed as this compared to the original Fuga: Melodies of Steel. On one hand, its gameplay is viewed as a natural (yet safe) evolution to that of the first Fuga — characters have more varied skillsets in battle (though less skills overall), there are greater varieties of enemies to fight, the first game's bartering system has been replaced with in-game currency which can also be used to alter progression, and the addition of the Managarm (as a "diet Soul Cannon" that incapacitates one of the children rather than killing them) allows for a wider range of strategies. The major point of contention is the story itself: likely in response to Angst Aversion critiques levied at the first game, the game aims for a more fantastic Shonen-esque style of writing and humor akin to Solatorobo: Red the Hunter, and while some players find it to have more personality and feel the individual character writing is much stronger (the characterizations of Malt and Jihl tend to be among the more well-received ones), others feel it clashes far too much with the more grounded War Is Hell theming that Fuga is meant to be based around. Likewise, quite a few take issue with plot decisions such as two particular Ass Pull cases regarding the characters of Flam Kish and Cayenne, along with the blatantly Nazi-esque surviving antagonists of the first game being too Easily Forgiven. The general consensus from critics is that while the gameplay has improved, the writing isn't anything to write home about, and those who didn't already like the first game likely won't be swayed by this one.
  • Fuga: Melodies of Steel 3 is easily the most controversial entry in the entire Little Tail Bronx franchise, even moreso than its predeccesor, as while the gameplay itself is considered fine even if the changes feels rather superfluous, it's story is easily the most hotly debated topic whenever this game gets brought up. Much like the last game, this game tries to have its cake and eat it too by re-treading on the same writing styles and story beats as Solatorobo: Red the Hunter while still trying to put focus on the War Is Hell aspect of the first game despite those two not meshing well, resulting in a heavily unfocused and rushed story that seems more interested on making Kudzu Plots rather than provide decisive ends in a heavily promoted Grand Finale. However, no one can seem to settle on just how bad the story is because of this, as some are willing to overlook its faults due to the interesting new elements introduced, while others detract those additions by lieu of them heavily contradicting earlier established lore.
  • The existence of F-Zero 99 was polarizing from the get-go, thanks to a longstanding collective desire for a new F Zero game and the expectations that stemmed from it. On one hand, there were players upset that they waited nearly 20 years for a new F-Zero game only to be met with a multiplayer remake of the original that didn't incorporate any of the lore or other content from later games (or even the content from the two BS F-Zero Grand Prix titles for the Satellaview), and wanted something similar to or even topping the critically acclaimed F-Zero GX — or at least something that could salvage the series' reputation after F-Zero: GP Legend (GBA) and F-Zero Climax were met with series-stopping disappointment. Others were just glad that a new F-Zero title existed in the first place and consider it one of the best fits for the Battle Royale Game format, upgrading the game for modern times while keeping true to the look and feel of the original and being an addictive, fun game in its own right and not just nostalgia-pandering.
  • Grand Theft Auto IV. Some love it for its realism, rich characters, production values and gritty nature, while others chastize it for those very things, preferring the zany, cartoony, over the top style of Vice City and San Andreas. Notably, the developers put considerable effort into building a digital recreation of New York City with appropriate levels of detail, but they took away many popular gameplay features from previous games, like military vehicles, character customization options, non-urban environments, and every aircraft model except helicopters; some fans consider this an appropriate trade-off, while others disagree.
  • Guild Wars 2 has very little to do with the original Guild Wars gameplay-wise, making any comparison between the two challenging.
  • Guilty Gear -STRIVE-, depending on who you ask, is either an enjoyable fighting game with solid netcode, good aesthetics, and mechanics trimmed down to make it more accessible to all players, or the absolute worst thing to happen to the entire franchise. The latter opinions hold true especially to veteran Guilty Gear and fighting game fans, who have a lot to criticize about every aspect of the game, all the way from the game's mechanics having less depth due to characters being reworked to play much differently, the removal of certain mechanics like gatling combos, and damage being way too high and resulting in wins and losses feeling cheap, up to the game's presentation, comparing its animation style, UI, lobby graphics, and music unfavorably to XX and Xrd. Strive also has a massive Fan Hater hatedom against the Periphery Demographic against the Newbie Boom and LGBT+ Periphery Demographic it's garnered, which only makes the discourse about the game even more toxic as a Flame War regarding Bridget's gender breaks out and derails the conversation for the thousandth time.
  • Halo has a few complicated cases. Everyone agrees Halo 2 and Halo 3 are Even Better Sequels with beloved additions such as online play. But each game also has its share of detractors for things such as the weapon sandbox and how 2 ended the single player campaign abruptly. Halo 4 had people decrying how it incorporated aspects from other shooters and lacked the polish of what Bungie had done, along with those who liked that the core gameplay and elements were left intact and there was also a more emotional story in the campaign. And then came Halo 5: Guardians. While many fans accepted the gameplay changes in the multiplayer mode, what was done in the campaign was very divisive, as the four player co-op stunted the One-Man Army feel and gave numerous characters that didn't contribute much to the story, to say nothing of Cortana becoming the Big Bad of the franchise.
  • While many fans of the Heroes of Might and Magic series despise the fourth installment due to turning the heroes into regular units (and allowing you to have your entire army composed of seven uber-powerful heroes) and other gameplay changes, as well as destroying the old world developed in the first three games as well as Heroes Chronicles. Others actually enjoy finally taking their heroes into the thick of battle and like exploring the new world. Then came the fifth game — developed by a completely different company (in Russia) — which created yet another world (this time completely unrelated to the rest of the franchise), changed the game mechanics (the heroes are once again merely generals, but still get their turn, during which they can attack or cast), and added 3D graphics. But wait, there's more. The sixth game was made by a third developer. The fans are probably confused by this point.
  • Imperium Galactica II upgraded the series to 3D graphics. However, battle mechanics changed as well and, in most fans' opinion, were dumbed down. For example, Space Fighters can no longer be directly controlled, with the player instead being able to adjust the Attack-Defend behavior scale. However, fighters were also almost useless in this installment — the first game focused the fleet on the flagships, a special class of powerful ships that were the only ones who could carry invasion forces, but II removed the flagships and instead allowed each capital ship to carry a certain number of tanks.
  • After the original Inazuma Eleven ended, its sequel Inazuma Eleven GO got mixed reactions from the fanbase. Some people thought that it was much better than the original while other thought it was a step backwards, which is not helped by how gimmicky GO felt with the introduction of Fighting Spirits, Mixi Max, and Totems. That said, GO is better received nowadays since Inazuma Eleven: Ares and its continuity, prove to be even more divisive in several ways.
  • Initial D Zero departed from a lot of the traditions set by the first Initial D Arcade Stage that lasted until Initial D Arcade Stage 8 Infinity, and as such proved to be divisive:
    • Was the move from an up/down shifter to a 6-gear H-shifter necessary?
    • Is the new J-rock soundtrack a refreshing change of pace, or They Changed It, Now It Sucks!?
    • Was moving from data cards to the online-requiring Sega Aime infrastructure a wise move? While it does mean that the player doesn't have to worry about outright losing their data — since the data is stored server-side, card corruption ceases to be a concern and a registered Aime user who loses or otherwise is unable to use their card anymore can simply buy another card and tie it to their account — it also means that the game, which is Japan-only, cannot be played outside of Japan; even if one were to import a cabinet and somehow able to get it running, they would not be able to save their data.
  • Jak II: Renegade is one due to how much of a departure it is from the first game. Some preferred the more traditional Collect-a-Thon Platformer gameplay of the first game, disliked the increased difficulty of the sequel, and thought the Darker and Edgier setting and tone were a dumb attempt to make the game more "mature" and, when combined with the Genre Shift, resulted in the series suffering an identity crisis, while others liked the new gameplay additions and enjoyed the more complex story and fleshed out characterization compared to the first game.
  • jubeat saucer. Fans like it because it is always being updated with new songs to play, but detractors were turned off by the monthly deletion of songs; not only were non-Konami originals not removed until saucer, but this was the first BEMANI game to delete songs through updates.
  • Kingdom Hearts:
    • The biggest Contested Sequel in the franchise, at least until 2012, was undoubtedly Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Some say the story was refreshing because it lacked the complicated narrative beats of Chain of Memories and II, returning to a simpler Star Wars-esque story while explaining some of the more confusing aspects of previous games, while others say this is when the story started going off of the deep end, with the formal introduction of Master Xehanort and Vanitas complicating the plot of the numbered games. Some say that the action finally had more variety and that there was great exploration. Others feel that in terms of action, it was terrible all-around because of the lack of combos, non-staggering enemies including bosses, lack of a magic bar/summons/multiple shortcuts, lesser mobility, etc.
    • One could say that every game that's not the original or II gets this sentiment for some reason or another. Chain of Memories for its card-based battle system; coded for its perceived contrived and Filler-esque story; and 358/2 Days for the character portrayal of several fan favorites, a Parody Sue that some say Crosses the Line Twice, and the new ability system. And then there's Dream Drop Distance, contested for the Virtual Pet mechanics, its epic Mind Screw nature (especially coming after Birth by Sleep), and a controversial surprise or two.
    • Kingdom Hearts III is one compared to Kingdom Hearts I and Kingdom Hearts II. It's generally agreed that the scope, level design, combat, action scenes and emotional stakes are the best the series has ever had, but many fans still don't consider the game to be an Even Better Sequel the same way they felt II (particularly its Final Mix edition) was to I, primarily due to the easier difficulty with no Critical Mode at launch; no Final Fantasy characters until the DLC (even then, they only show up for two scenes while Cloud and Sephiroth are still missing); the lack of battles against Disney Villains (with most of the bosses of the worlds being giant Heartless); most of the plot being Filler until after all the Disney worlds are complete (with half of the Disney worlds not only following the plot of the movies to the letter but also having the tendency to relegate Sora and co. out of the plot); the lack of post-game content; the lack of a big midway event (like the second visits to Traverse Town and Hollow Bastion) which makes the game feel less evenly paced; and the quality of the writing of the game. Some people were also not too keen with the implementation of Kingdom Hearts χ content in III due to the relative obscurity of the mobile game and its microtransaction-heavy nature, and also felt like this meant the game spent too much time promoting the next big saga of the series instead of bringing a satisfying close to the saga at hand.
  • Go to a Sierra fan board and ask if King's Quest: Mask of Eternity is a King's Quest game. Then ask them if it's a good game. Make sure to bring chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers for the inevitable cookout. Quest for Glory V gets this to a lesser extent. Most fans will still say it still feels like a proper QFG game in terms of story and humor, and appreciate the return of beloved characters for the final installment; the main points of contention are how poorly executed the Video Game 3D Leap is and the change in focus from puzzle-solving to combat.
  • Kirby:
    • Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, due to the Metroidvania aspect of the game. While plenty of fans enjoy this take on a Kirby game, other fans have criticized it for being overblown, confusing, poorly designed, and not meshing well the Kirby formula.
    • It is often debated whether or not Kirby Star Allies holds up to the previous three games. Defenders of the game enjoy the return of the helper system from Kirby Super Star, the HD graphics, many fan-favourite characters becoming playable and the new lore (particularly with the final boss), while the most common criticisms are the more streamlined level designs due to the greater multiplayer focus, the helpers making boss fights and puzzles trivial and the game too easy, the short length of the gamenote , and the game feeling rushed, especially around the ending, as well as the Return to Dream Land formula, itself being a revised Super Star formula, becoming stale after its fourth consecutive use in a mainline game.
  • Regarding Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, most fans agree that the lack of an ending (due to LucasArts wanting the game out for Christmas) sucks. Other than that, they're largely divided over whether the story provides a much-needed Deconstruction to the Star Wars universe, or comes off as mean-spirited fan fiction written by someone who hates Star Wars. Then there's the sequel, Star Wars: The Old Republic, an MMO, with all the usual polarizing aspects about PvP, PvE, "pay to win" with the Cartel market, which class is best, a large portion of the fanbase Rooting for the Empire, and at least a dozen controversial decisions about the handling of Revan, Exile, and the legacy of their companions.
  • The Last of Us Part II has many fans, but the many who don't like it argue that the game isn't a huge improvement on the original in terms of gameplay. The plot, on the other hand, is extremely controversial and opinions vary wildly from "masterpiece of the medium" to "unnecessary and incoherent disaster." Accounting these highly vocal opinions along with the Silent Majority's few words regarding the game, the major consensus seems to be leaning on "average."
  • Left 4 Dead 2 is hotly debated over whether or not it's an improvement over the first game. Fans who like the sequel love the varied environments and having levels take place during the daytime instead of always being at night, while others feel that the horror of fighting zombie hordes goes out the window when the sun is introduced. Melee weapons, a new mechanic that was not present in the first game, are either liked for giving players more means of self-defense or are hated for being "silly" (i.e. attacking zombies with a guitar or frying pan).
  • Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy is a somewhat divisive follow-up to the original and prequel trilogies in the Professor Layton series, partly because it has a looser and more episodic plot, fewer ties to past games, and more "trick question" puzzles compared to previous games.
  • The Legend of Zelda:
    • Any Zelda sequel, going at least as far back as Ocarina of Time, has been immediately divisive among fans and gamers. Majora's Mask, for example, was not widely liked at the time of its release for being too different from Ocarina of Time (and darker) but some fans consider it the best game in the series. The subsequent games, The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, went as far as causing a Broken Base, as the former departed from the overworld mechanics and changed the visuals to cel-shading, while the latter followed the more traditional conventions, both to praise and criticism.
    • Skyward Sword. Defenders argue that the game fixed the problems Twilight Princess had with items that were useless after their intro dungeon, pushed Wii Motion Plus to its limits with an amazing control scheme, gave Link a personality unseen since The Wind Waker, and had a stronger, more cinematic plot behind it than most of the past games, while some of its dungeons (Ancient Cistern, Sandship, Sky Keep), bosses (Koloktos, Ghirahim), and in-game mechanics (Timeshift Stones, RPG Elements) are ranked by longtime fans among the finest in the franchise. Detractors found the story clichénote , viewed Fi as one of the most annoying guide characters in the series (if not the most) due to her constant interruptions and stating the obvious on where to go nextnote , and felt the motion controls were gimmicky, and there were also frequent criticisms of the game's linear progression, constant tutorials, and hand-holding.
    • Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was a contested sequel long before the post-Ocarina trend. There are fans who welcome the RPG and platformer elements of the game, while others preferred the traditional format instead. Whether its extreme difficulty is a strength or a flaw is also a point of debate. So far, it's the only game of its type in the main series — its 2D platformer style was copied for the CD-i games, which are pretty self-explanatory.
    • The Wind Waker itself has spawned contested sequels as well, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. The games took advantage of the DS' touchscreen, and as a result are almost completely button-free, both to the rejoice of those looking forward to a more unique gameplay style, and the dismay of those preferring button controls.
    • Even The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, while widely popular, has been controversial for making some of the most massive changes to the formula since the NES era. Some fans consider it a much needed reimagining of a series that was going stale, and a return to the roots of the first game. Others think that while it's overall a good direction for the series, too many staple elements of the series like dungeons and item collection were removed in favor of extreme open-endedness and non-linearity. And some fans of the previous games feel it's so different that, regardless of whether it's a good game in itself, it isn't what they want in a Zelda game.
    • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, as a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, could never hope to avoid comparisons given the nearly identical cast, world, mechanics, items, and general plot trajectory. People who have played both games typically fall into one of two camps: Fans of ToTK will note that the gameplay has been greatly polished up and expanded upon with improved UI, QOL features, reduction of annoying mechanics like arrow scarcity, and just a lot more stuff in general. BotW fans will instead note that the first game is a far more groundbreaking title with a much better story and often express a preference for the Champion features of BotW compared to TotK while also pointing out that the depths and especially the sky islands are pretty empty. Notably, both camps often agree on both arguments but merely differ in their priorities.
  • LEGO:
    • Island Xtreme Stunts, compared to the first LEGO Island (though it's considered a Surprisingly Improved Sequel compared to LEGO Island 2). On one hand, it is a welcome return to the free-roaming sandbox approach of the first game, now combined with the increased freedom in movement introduced in the second game, and gives players a much larger island to explore, plus a hefty dose of Awesome Music provided by L.E.G.O. Radio. On the other hand, it has unprofessional voice acting, carries over its predecessor's poor platforming (which becomes apparent, once again, when you must ascend the Brickster's tower), and has numerous Game-Breaking Bugs including one particularly infamous one which corrupts your save file. Some fans of the series also thought that the Extreme Sports Plot felt out-of-place in the LEGO Island setting, while others didn't mind it at all.
    • Lego Racers 2. It tried to be anything except a sequel to the original. If anything, it tried to be the polar opposite. The game was a lot more open than the original (it had a Diddy Kong Racing-esque Adventure Mode), the power-up system was changed to randomization (in the original, you had four colors for different types and could add three additional levels of power to it), the controls were changed to be more realistic, there was a new car damage system, and every world now has five courses taking a different route through the world. These changes led to a wide variety of opinions.
    • On the Traveler's Tales side, there's LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2. Some like it and consider it one of the best in the series, citing the attention to detail in Chronopolis, the story, several improved mechanics, and the large roster that includes many an Unexpected Character. Others dislike it for lacking Expected Characters from X-Men and Fantastic Four due to Marvel's Fox Embargo, as well as a copious amount of bugs — and not of the good bad variety.
  • Like a Dragon:
    • While Yakuza 3 received good to average reviews, it was widely deemed inferior to its predecessor Yakuza 2. Many fans who had played the previous two games weren't fond of the game's sudden emphasis on the new direction focusing on the orphanage or the children, felt the plot wasn't on par with the previous gamesnote , and found the Final Boss of this game wasn't nearly as memorable as Ryuji Goda, but there's a good portion of fans who consider it one of the better games of the series due to its sole emphasis on Kazuma Kiryu (which would be lost in the sequels, Yakuza 4, Yakuza 5, and Yakuza 0), loved the Slice of Life moments involving the orphanage, felt the game had its own memorable characters and story, and found the game's Final Boss not only to be a memorable and complex villain in his own right, but found the fight against him to be one of the best in the series.
    • Yakuza 4 is either seen as an improvement to its predecessor or inferior to it. Some fans believed the series would begin to go stale if the series continued to focus solely on Kiryu, and found that introducing more protagonists was a needed breath of fresh air, enjoying what they had to offer to the story. The game's plot, however, was seen by many as a convoluted mess filled with Chronic Backstabbing Disorder and twists galore, and were torn on how the game's story played out between the four characters, who each have their fans and detractors.
    • Yakuza 5 is seen by fans as either one of the best entries in the series or inferior to its predecessors by trying to be too grand for its own good while suffering from the same gameplay and story problems as 4. Many fans enjoyed every aspect of the game from beginning to end with the game's new engine, improved combat, Anti-Frustration Features, and variety of gameplay, while others were torn on the characters' unique side story quests, Saejima's chapter, Haruka's gameplay, Shinada's combat and his story, and some features, moves and mini-games from the previous games not returning. Many agree that from a gameplay perspective it's the best in the series, but reactions to the story itself are all over the place, although some of those who claim the story is the worst in the series maintain that it's only the weakest in a lineup of strong stories, and is still leagues above those offered by its triple-A competitors.
    • Yakuza 6 was the first game released on the Dragon Engine, meaning that while it was the most immersive and impressive-looking entry in the Yakuza series yet, and finally leapfrogged the visual quality of the games to contemporary levels, it was offset by a host of technical issues, a feeling of unrefinement, as well as a far lower amount of content relative to previous games, though some appreciated its more focused nature with 5 being as large as it is. Most of these issues would have been a lot more forgivable for a spinoff game, but the fact that it's meant to be the Grand Finale for the Kiryu saga means it was held to higher standards. Points of contention are the fact that Kiryu is the only playable protagonist once more, the characters intoduced in the entry, how a certain romantic relationship (Haruka and Yuta) was handled, the way the game treated longtime recurring characters, the Final Boss in terms of both story and gameplay, and finally, Kiryu and Haruka not receiving a happy ending after everything they've been through, with the former faking his death so the latter is no longer marked as a target due to her ties with a legendary ex-yakuza. In spite of that, the game did receive a lot of positive reception for its Slice of Life aspects and its themes of family and humanity.
    • Yakuza: Like a Dragon, almost solely due to its Genre Shift from a real-time Beat 'em Up to a turn-based JRPG after 14 years.
  • LittleBigPlanet 3 had a load of Game-Breaking Bugs at launch, and the community members were divided between going to the third game, with its new characters, 16-layer gameplay, and loads of new possibilities for creating, but having to contend with the bugs that plagued the game, or sticking back with LittleBigPlanet 2, which had fewer choices for creating, but wasn't completely broken.
  • Mafia III is easily the most controversial game in the Mafia franchise. Fans of the game believe the game is good in terms of storyline, cutscenes, soundtrack, and cinematics. Detractors of the game often feel that the storyline (the mafia is actually Lincoln Clay's enemy) does not fit the series, criticize the shift from a linear mission path to an open sandbox game, the fact that some of the more realistic features from Mafia II (such as dressing in different outfits and repairing, refueling, or modifying cars) were cut, and claim Lincoln is nowhere near as strong of a character as Tommy or Vito were.
  • maimai Deluxe, the first hardware upgrade to the then-7-years-old maimai series, was met with mixed reception from fans. Fans enjoyed the improved hardware (especially for slide note detection; the original hardware is known for having a relatively primitive touchscreen) and new note types. Others disliked the idea of arcades having to chuck out all their existing maimai cabs, the larger cabinet dimensions, how out-of-place the new note types are, and the phone holder replacing the camera, i.e. "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
  • Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, the sequel to Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. While both Mario + Rabbids games were well-received, some fans argue that the first game is superior for its X-COM-style strategic gameplay and having a greater amount of Super Mario Bros. series elements involved in the narrative (namely in the form of Yoshi as a playable character in the main game and Donkey Kong getting his own DLC campaign), whereas others prefer the second game for the integration of Real-Time Strategy elements into the combat, much deeper plot, and having Rayman as a DLC character with his own story campaign.
  • Mario Kart: There are multiple fandom divides over various aspects of every game released after 64, but these two titles in particular are the most contested:
    • Mario Kart Wii had this reputation since it came out. This is due to lacking both the two-driver system from Double Dash!!, the Mission Mode from DS (although it has an equivalent to it in its competitions), or the extra Battle Modes from Double Dash!! (with this game's iteration of the mode often seen as lackluster and being restricted to teams-only, making it more divisive), but it the sentiment only intensified thanks to the divisive nature of its sequels. The game is praised for its "loose", sportlike gameplay, which can be accredited to the introduction of bikes, the unique stats of each character in its large and varied roster, and enhancements/mechanics such as the half pipe ramp (which did not return in the series until Tour), 12-player races, and tricks. Its detractors, on the other hand, criticize it for many of the same reasons, particularly with the fact that each character and kart having unique stats allows only a handful of combinations to be viable, and the significant advantages bikes have over karts that, against its name, Mario Kart Wii ends up being more "Mario Bike Wii".
    • Mario Kart World wound up being a divisive followup to the more beloved Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The biggest point of contention is if the open world is a worthy successor to the high volume of content 8 Deluxe and its DLC packs had, being seen as a vast space to play around with or sightsee by fans or an undercooked feature dominated by boring "route" courses that go for quantity over the quality of 8 Deluxe's track roster by detractors. Defenders cite the new mechanics adding more tech to basic races, the major visual and music upgrade, and the tracks themselves still being enjoyable. The fans who preferred 8 Deluxe believe that the increase to 24 racers and the linear route design encourage "bagging"note . Others still think that the game had a lot of good ideas, but lacked in execution, and as of March 2026 believe that potential future updates or DLC could easily make the game even better than 8 Deluxe.
  • Max Payne 3 went through a long development cycle and a change in developers,resulting in it being very different stylistically than the previous games, both in gameplay and in general aesthetics. Those who favor it praise the detailed graphics and environments as well as the scale of the gunfights, and feel the changes don't detract from the story. Those who don't like it feel that the gameplay isn't as polished and lost some of the series' appeal, that the long and unskippable cutscenes are a poor replacement for the graphic novel segments, that the noir aspects aren't as well done, and that the story is too dark for its own good. There are those who would even say that it's a good game, just not necessarily a good Max Payne game.
  • Mega Man:
    • The franchise has entire series that are contested in this manner, particularly Mega Man Battle Network and its follow-up Mega Man Star Force. RPGs and platformers being such different genres, this is probably to be expected.
    • In the Classic series, there's Mega Man 3. The general consensus is that it's still a great game, but the debate is whether it lives up to the Tough Act to Follow that was Mega Man 2. Those that find it as good or better than its predecessor point to the more colorful and imaginative stages, new mechanics such as the slide, the excellent soundtrack, the length of the game (18 stages as opposed to 14, counting revisits), and the introduction of the popular new characters Proto Man and Rush. Those who find it worse bring up that it was rushed to market and has several flaws as a result, namely occasionally sloppy and unpolished level design, a lack of context for anything that happens in-game, various glitches and slowdown issues, a rather weak selection of Robot Master weapons (including the infamous Top Spin), and a general lack of difficulty, particularly in the Wily stages.
    • Among the Mega Man X series, there have been feuds between the games after Mega Man X4 (which is generally seen as the only game on par with the first) and which one either stands as one of the better games in the series or the worst. This typically rounds to out to Mega Man X5 being deemed a worthy title on the merit of its narrative but not necessarily its (often luck-based) gameplay, Mega Man X6 and Mega Man X7 duking it out to determine which entry is the lowest point of the series (with X7 typically "winning out" due to Axl and poorly executed 3D elements on top of retaining the already bemoaned wounded Reploids mechanic from X5 and X6), and Mega Man X8 serving as a Surprisingly Improved Sequel (and solid entry in its own right) that had the misfortune of coming after the widely panned X7.
  • Metal Gear:
    • Depending on whom you ask, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is either a crowning achievement in gaming and video game narrative or an unspeakable abomination. There is no in-between on this.
    • Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is either a masterpiece of storytelling and a fitting conclusion to a great series or the worst game in the entire series that ruined everything with its anticlimactic "nanomachine" garbage and took away all ambiguity and weirdness that defined the series.
    • Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is either the pinnacle of the franchise and the entire video game stealth genre in its gameplay and attention to detail and a fitting send-off of the series under Kojima's hands... or an absolute disgrace and horrible way to end the original run of the series due to an absolutely clumsy and horrendous narrative that soiled the series even harder than the previous main titles.
    • Most Metal Gear games get this to some extent. The two PSP titles (especially Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops) are sometimes ignored, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater has its detractors for mixing up the gameplay and introducing features such as the camo index and maintaining your stamina.
  • Metal Slug:
    • Metal Slug 3. A major point of contention is its length; some welcome the epic length of the game compared to other titles, but others feel that it succumbs to Ending Fatigue and as a result is very brutal in difficulty compared to other games. The more supernatural elements are also a point of controversy: While the non-human enemies are beautifully animated and give the game an unmatched visual flare, most of them are bullet sponges who can be a slog to fight.
    • Metal Slug 5 made some considerable changes to the formula, introducing a new set of enemies, a rock/metal soundtrack, a more serious tone, and various gameplay changes like a Mega Man-style slide move. Fans say that these changes make the game a much-needed breath of fresh air and hold it up as one of the best in the series. Detractors argue that these changes were unnecessary and detract from the game, and regard it as one of the worst in the series. Some in the middle believe that while it had some good ideas, the execution wasn't there.
    • Metal Slug 6. Many look down on it for sharing several themes to 3 and being considerably easier than the other games, whilst many others love it for those very same reasons. Either way, though, it is generally agreed that this is where the series got out of its Audience-Alienating Era.
  • Metroid:
    • Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Is it an interesting game with beautiful scenery, fun new power-ups, a Darker and Edgier tone, memorable boss battles, and old-school difficulty, or is it a glorified Mission-Pack Sequel with Fake Difficulty through the roof, unnecessary ammo mechanics, a story worthy of a bad ROM hack, a flawed multiplayer mode, and key collecting ripped straight from an early '90s FPS?
    • Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. While the motion controls work very well and it provides good closure to the Phazon/Dark Samus plotline, as well as varied and beautiful level design (particularly in Bryyo and Elysia), not everyone was happy that the game leaned more towards action than exploration, as they feel the increased prominence of the plot and the presence of NPCs undermined the claustrophobic sense of isolation that had permeated previous entries in the series. Some players also feel that the gunship's features weren't sufficiently exploited.
    • Metroid: Other M is either a fun game with innovative ideas (the switch between two perspectives, the new melee attacks, etc.) and a stellar presentation, only bogged down by a poor narrative, or a complete failure that even came short in providing gameplay that fits with the rest of the series, whether it be due to its linear design, unorthodox control scheme, or simply being too action-oriented to feel like a Metroid game.
  • Every installment of the Monkey Island series has been contested by some fan or other. Some people don't like Monkey Island 2's darker tone, The Curse of Monkey Island's cartoony style (and lack of Gilbert, Schafer, and Grossman), Escape from Monkey Island's poor graphics/controls/grasp on the series continuity, or Tales of Monkey Island's episodic style.
  • The fifth-generation Monster Hunter installments got hit by this, despite (and likely because of) them becoming the most successful and thriving games in the franchise:
    • Monster Hunter: World has received critical acclaim far and wide and gone on to not only become the best-selling Monster Hunter game ever, but also the best-selling game out of all of Capcom's games. Many who enjoy it cite its heavily streamlined user experience (No more breakable gathering tools! Gunner and Blademaster weapons use the same armor now! Planning armors and weapons is more organized now!) and absolutely beautiful visuals that are the result of the game being designed around the PS4's and Xbox One's cutting-edge hardware (as opposed to the respective PS3, Wii U, and Switch ports of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate; the first was originally released on the PSP and the latter two on the 3DS). That said, not everyone was pleased with it, even in relation to past MonHun games, with traditionalists feeling that the game was too dumbed down and many series veterans finding that the game had a sore lack of monsters or G-rank, and others preferring older games due to the portable factor, something that World doesn't have due to being console- and PC-exclusive (even if you did manage to install the PC version on a laptop, it's not as on-the-go friendly as a handheld game system and there's still no local multiplayer, one of the biggest selling points of the PSP, 3DS, and Switch MonHun games).
    • Monster Hunter: Rise was acclaimed for carrying over many of the quality-of-life improvements first seen in World, plus featuring a greater variety of monsters (including classes that were absent in World due to technical reasons, such as Leviathans and Amphibians), introducing the beloved Palamute companions, and more quests by bringing back the dedicated single-player questlines (though, in line with the older non-expanded games, they don't go beyond Low-Rank). However, it also received criticism due to the Rampage quests, not having a very extensive postgame, and once again for having decreased difficulty compared to its predecessors.
  • Mother 3 is almost unanimously viewed as an Even Better Sequel to EarthBound by international fans for a variety of reasons, including its rewarding Sound Battle system, its greater emotional depth, its tighter emphasis on plot, and its better-developed cast of characters. On its home turf, though, reactions are significantly more divided, with a number of detractors slamming the game for having a linear, chapter-based style of progression as opposed to giving the player a semi-open world to explore, much smaller areas, weaker writing of incidental dialogue, abandoning the Eagleland setting that defined EarthBound Beginnings and its sequel, and generally feeling joyless or even glurgey compared to the first two games. While some international fans have these criticisms as well, they're nowhere near as vocal about them as Japanese fans.
  • Ninja Gaiden, more specifically the newer titles developed by Tecmo/Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja from 2004 onward, has its fair share of divisive sequels.
    • Ninja Gaiden II. While the combat was greatly improved and expanded with more weapons, a higher enemy count, and a plethora of new moves, the game also suffered from a troubled development that resulted in issues the first game didn't have — frame rate drops despite running at a low resolution, frustrating enemy design and spawn points (leading to complaints of Fake Difficulty), an overelliance on Recurring Bosses, glitches, and an unbalanced dificulty curve. Whether or not the gameplay made up for these problems (and even resulted in a better, more streamlined experience compared to the first game) is up to the player.
    • Ninja Gaiden 3. The original version is widely seen as a step down from its predecessors due to repetitive gameplay and a misguided attempt at a more cinematic, story-driven experience, though the Updated Re-release, Razor's Edge, has more defenders by comparison. Those in favor of Razor's Edge argue that it feature the best combat loop in the franchise for lacking the flaws of NGII, tweaking the controls to reward constant agression and featuring additional playable characters to help spice up the gameplay. Detractors instead feel that the core game is too rotten to be salvaged, copy-paste too much content and mechanics from previous games and that the Steel-on-bone (a high-risk ability that allowed you to instantly kill an enemy with the proper timing) as well as the increased reliance on combo break the combat flow. Critics also point to how the game's poor reception negatively impacted the series; aside of Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, a 2014 spin-off that received an even frostier reception, the series wouldn't see any signs of life until over a decade later with the announcements of Ninja Gaiden 4 and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound alongside Ninja Gaiden II Black, all released 13 years after NG3. Muddying the waters further is the fact that the game was released after Tomonobu Itagaki, director of the first two games, messy break up with Team Ninja and Tecmo, resulting in a pretty intense case of Only the Creator Does It Right.
  • No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is this compared to the original game. Supporters cite the sequel's more mature plot, detailed levels, lack of entry fees for getting into the next boss fight, more varied enemies and weapons, the tedious sandbox aspect being gone, and the retro style of the side job minigames. Detractors claim that the absence of an overworld (the aforementioned sandbox was replaced with a map screen that allows quick access to city locations) might potentially shorten the game's longevity despite the higher number of rank missions, that some of the bosses are tedious to fight, and have the opinion that the stages starring Ensemble Dark Horse Shinobu need polishing.
  • Pac Man Championship Edition DX to the original Championship Edition. While some players enjoy the massive ghost trains, varied mazes, and intense speeds, various players find that DX is too focused on following a strict and rigid path compared to its predecessor.
  • PAYDAY 2 has a sharp divide among the fan base over several elements. Fans who like the sequel praise the game for having multiple ways of tackling a heist, character skills that lets them customize their abilities to how they want to play, and weapon mods that also lets the player tailor their guns' performance to their liking. People who don't like the sequel feel that the levels are too small and boring compared to the bigger and more grand looking heists in the first game and they also feel that the sequel is just not hard enough.
  • Phantasy Star III does not have the same developers of the rest of the original Phantasy Star tetralogy, and thus a different art style and a story separated from the rest of the rest of the universe (aside from something connected to the plot of II that shows up, and Dark Force eventually showing up) make its borderline Gaiden Game qualities divisive. It works well as an independent chapter due to its standalone qualities, but not for those already familiar who expected something more like its predecessors.
  • Pikmin:
    • Pikmin 2: While there are a number of aspects that are the cause of this divide, from the cave system to the storytelling to the difficulty, the biggest point of contention is the game's removal of a overarching Timed Mission structure. Where the first and third game had one in the form of the player getting a game over if they couldn't fix Olimar's ship in thirty in-game days, or run out of juice, the second gives you as much time as you need to pay off the company's debt. Those who enjoy Pikmin 2 welcome the more relaxed pace, while those who don't find that the lack of a time limit removes all tension from the gameplay unless you're doing a Self-Imposed Challenge.
    • Pikmin 3 is divisive, but for different reasons than Pikmin 2. Fans either like this game for its smarter Pikmin A.I., more expansive overworld maps, focus on a linear narrative, gorgeous visuals, and refined gameplay. Others find it to be a weaker entry due to its different feel than the first two, linear plot, collectables not playing into the game's progression, easier difficulty, removal of caves, and overall shorter length. Those who are critical of the game also dislike how previous elements from the franchise were treated in this game, from the removal of the C-Stick March (replaced by the less versatile charge mechanic) and Piklopedia to the sidelining of the Hocotatians in favor of the new Koppaite characters. In the lattermost example, detractors dislike how the Hocotatians were Flanderized, with Olimar being greedy and somewhat uncaring, Louie being a destructive, gluttonous loadnote , and the President learning nothing from the previous adventure and nearly dooming the company yet again. Deluxe would alleviate some of these issues, with its new content (especially in regards to Olimar's Comeback) and refined controls, though as a whole the game is still seen as divisive overall.
    • Pikmin 4 ended up being divisive from the changes it made to the overall series structure. Fans of the game like it for having more content than any of its predecessors, increased quality of life features, further improvements on the Pikmin A.I., more relaxed and balanced gameplay, caves being reworked to avoid what was considered Fake Difficulty from the way they were in 2, gorgeous visuals, integrating every previous Pikmin type in to the main storynote , rerailing Olimar's character to a nicer guy, and the space dogs being seen as an enjoyable next step in the series' strategy elements. Detractors dislike the further Sequel Difficulty Drop from 3, the Continuity Reboot that left some story threads of 3 hanging, added limitations of Pikmin types and number allowed in the squad at a time, daytime surface enemies never respawning when they are killed, frequent chiming from the Rescue Corps, and the space dogs easily becoming too powerful.
  • Pokémon: Any game following the first two generations qualify.
    • Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire: Some fans consider it one of the best games in the series thanks to the Scenery Porn, new 135 Pokémon, the introduction of new gameplay mechanics like Abilities and Natures which improved a lot with battles, many more Berries (as well as the ability to farm them), Contests, and better graphics; others felt it was too much of a Soft Reboot and consider it one of the worst in the series. This was not helped by how some innovations the last set of games brought were stripped out, such as trading Pokémon with the previous games, (visible) morning/day/night cycles, and being able to visit the previous games' regions. There were obvious technical reasons for this, but it does make the game feel like a smaller and shorter experience compared to Gold & Silver.
    • Pokémon Diamond and Pearl: The games are praised for retrieving some of the features scrapped in the previous games (like day/night being visible in the overworld), introducing the Physical/Special split so Pokémon would not be restricted to certain Types based on their stats, and increased connectivity. However, they are also frequently criticized for a slow frame rate and a needlessly restricted selection of Pokémon (both of which were somewhat addressed in the Updated Re-release Platinum), as well as a questionably large number of the new Pokémon consisting of evolutions for older Pokémon or legendaries.
    • Pokémon Black and White is well-liked for its greater focus on story, characters, speeding up the battles from Gen IV and for providing a deconstruction of the franchise's basic premise. It is criticized, though, for limiting all past Pokémon to the postgame, the new 150 Pokémon having debatable competitive viability, and many of them being expies of past Pokémon.
    • Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 are also susceptible to this. Some fans also consider it one of the best in the series due to its large Pokémon selection and many new features such as the new legendary Pokémon forms, the Pokémon World Tournament and Black Tower/White Treehollow, and being a continuation of the story from the originals. Others have criticized it for its weaker story elements, and claimed that it introduces nothing original or new to the series. Additionally, while the original Black and White were criticized for being too easy, the sequels have often been criticized to be even worse on that matter.
    • Pokémon X and Y have become a particularly pronounced example, especially as time goes on. The people who dislike the game tend to point to Kalos being a rather uninteresting region overall that, despite the "French" theme, doesn't do a whole lot of interesting things mechanically or story-wise to make it memorable (especially compared to the fifth generation, which it comes right on the heels of) and what new mechanics there are, like Mega Evolution, feeling somewhat out of character for the series, with the very easy difficulty and lack of post-game not helping matters. The fact that the games feature a considerable amount of references and call-backs to Pokémon Red and Blue has also drawn the ire of those irritated by the prevalence of GenwunnersExplanation in the fandom, believing the references to be an overexaggerated response to Generation V's detractors or an attempt to win back older fans who grew up with Gen I but lost interest in the franchise overall.

      Those who like the games, though, tend to be very passionate about it, and are very attached to things like the huge Pokédex with two sets of starters and legendaries, trainer customization, Pokémon-Amie, the orchestral-sounding soundtrack, the more diverse cast, the vastly improved competitive breeding/training mechanics, and Mega Evolution and how it gives a number of old favorites a new lease on life and shakes up the metagame. Additionally, the aforementioned Generation I pandering attracts many fans who enjoyed Gen I and its Pokémon, especially its iconic starters and legendaries, whether or not they identify as "Genwunners." All of these opinions came into particularly sharp relief in online debates during the prerelease of Pokémon Sun and Moon about what direction future games should take.
    • This happened with Pokémon Sun and Moon, though the divide is pretty straightforward: It being more plot-heavy than any previous Pokémon game to date, either players enjoy the story and like the new characters, or they see the story as unskippable padding and just want to get to the end of the game as soon as possible to be ready for competitive play.
    • Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon seems to have become this with critics, with the games either being considered better than Sun and Moon due to the positive tweaks they made to the gameplay or slightly weaker due to the games being a bit too similar. The story is also subject to this as a few story events that occur in the base Sun and Moon games either play out differently, are replaced by new scenes, or do not occur at all.
    • Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! is one to Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, as both are Kanto remakes that include and exclude a variety of different mechanics and story builds. Visuals aside, those who prefer Let's Go! praise its vastly improved and modern mechanics made long after FR/LG came outnote , enjoy the multitude of references to other games and the various manga seriesnote , and see the more simplified and streamlined experience as the better series starting point, particularly for players who primarily or only play Pokémon GO. Those who prefer FR/LG cite its more standard if not dated gameplay and it containing all Pokémon from the first three generations upon completion, giving it more than double what Let's Go! offers, as well as the Sevii Islands arc. They often criticize the Let's Go! games for sticking to just the Generation I roster and the Meltan line, not having the Sevii Islands, replacing traditional wild encounters with the GO catching mechanics, and being an incredibly simple and easy experience. Putting brand new main characters in place of Red and Blue did little to allay fans' displeasure.
    • Pokémon Sword and Shield caused split reactions within the fandom, becoming one of the most divisive mainline games in the series. The games have received praise for improving access to competitive battling, a smoother gameplay pace which includes faster transitions between the overworld and battles, their lineup of new Pokémon including Galarian forms, introducing several much-needed mechanics such as mints or having online competitions taking place in-game rather than via the Global Link, well-implemented camping and cooking mechanics, many quality-of-life improvements (such as removal of random encounters and a dedicated large area for catching Pokémon), plus new characters and Pokémon that many fans (and detractors) enjoyed. The games have also received flack for their short length and increased linearity compared to previous installments, the poorly handled online modes, the controversial removal of the National Dex, which left more than half of all 890 then-current Pokémon on the chopping blocknote ; graphics of debatable quality, the Dynamax phenomenon replacing more popular Mega Evolution and Z-Moves, which detractors consider more gimmicky; a smaller postgame than past titles; the continued lack of Battle Frontier in favor of another Battle Tower clone; and the bare bones plot that spends most of the game shunting the player to the side while other characters like Sonia and Leon investigate the more interesting things and then shoehorning in a generic "save the world" plot in the game's 11th hour. The divisiveness of these games seems to somewhat coincide with a "casual vs. hardcore" and Old Guard Versus New Blood mentality, with most of the game's most ardent critics being the more hardcore and/or "old guard" fans of the series and most of the game's most ardent defenders being newer and/or more casual fans who generally don't examine the Pokémon games to the same level of meticulousness.
    • Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness to Pokémon Colosseum. Despite the gameplay improvements, some felt that the Lighter and Softer take on Orre, using a more traditional Kid Hero protagonist, and in general recycling a lot of plot elements from Colosseum made this game seem like a step backwards. The only thing people never seem to criticize about the plot is Shadow Lugia.
    • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity. Some people like it for conveniences such as Companion Mode, new items, and the 3D environments for the Pokémon in the dungeons. However, it has been largely panned for some of the gameplay elements that were added, its weaker story, and only having 144 Pokémon, most of them from the fifth generation. To add on to that, the text speed in cutscenes moves very slow and it can't be sped up by pressing A, which is another thing for players to dislike about it.
    • Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon is praised for increasing the Mystery Dungeon aspect of the series, making more Pokémon available than those in Gates of Infinity and having a better plot than its predecessor. Others note much of the plot is recycled from past games, the game is too hard and it spends too much time in the starting village and not enough on the main action.
  • [PROTOTYPE 2] featured a new protagonist, new writing staff, and a greatly refined gameplay system. Quite a few fans were upset at the new protagonist, especially given that the previous one was now the Big Bad. After the game came out, fans were split over those who felt the new protagonist was a genuine improvement, and those who didn't (many also felt that the villain's motives, given in side materials and never even explained in-game, were out of character). While there is more consensus that the gameplay was improved, whether that made up for the perceived story faults is subject to debate.
  • Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is the most polarizing installment in the Sands of Time trilogy. While the combat mechanics were improved and more time-based powers were added, the game got rid of the Arabian Nights atmosphere of its predecessor in favor of an extremely Darker and Edgier one. The huge contrast between the characterization of the Prince in the first game and in the second one (in which he might've predated Kratos as a 2000s example of the '90s Anti-Hero archetype) was a big turn off for some. The third game, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, fixed this by making it somewhat a compromise to the tone of the two games and having the Prince, portrayed much closer to his original characterization in Sands of Time, acknowledge (and move past) his depiction in Warrior Within. Then again, while The Two Thrones was a Surprisingly Improved Sequel for those who hated Warrior Within and had somewhat higher critical reception than its predecessors, those who were fans of Warrior Within found it weaker for those very same reasons.
  • While both Radiant Silvergun and its Creator-Driven Successor Ikaruga are highly acclaimed, some fans tend to argue over which game is better. RSG is praised for its complexity while Ikaruga is lauded for having the opposite.
  • Rayman:
    • Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc had half the fanbase think it was the last good Rayman game before Origins hit, while others think this was the game that made the series go downhill for several years, and preferred the more serious tone and large, exploration-based levels of Rayman 2: The Great Escape.
    • Reception towards the Rabbids, which grew out of the Rayman series, has been extremely mixed, ranging from open hostility to passive acceptance. The controversy comes from the cancelled Rayman 4, which would've featured the Rabbids as the main enemies of a 3D Rayman platformer similar to 2 and 3; the game was ultimately canned and resurfaced as a party game on consoles, while the technically inferior GBA and DS salvaged the remnants of the cancelled platformer as mediocre 2D sidescrollers. The Rabbids completely displaced Rayman for the next eight years, and no major Rayman games came out until Origins.
    • Rayman Origins and its sequel Legends get this in a variety of ways. Some viewed them as fantastic games that were long overdue the return to the series' 2D platforming roots, others enjoyed them but not as much as the older titles, and still others felt they were disappointments that paled in comparison to the 3D installments. The games also took a Denser and Wackier approach to its characters and narratives, with some people liking the approach, while others felt it was too silly for their tastes, with the latter group including those who viewed it unfavorably to its more serious predecessors. Legends also gets contention when compared to Origins, as some people felt the sequel was an grand improvement in terms of level design, Art Evolution, and its additional Murphy and musical levels, while others saw it as a Mission-Pack Sequel that failed to bring much new to the table.
  • Resident Evil:
    • Resident Evil 0: Depending on what you think of its new partner system and how it changed the inventory system, this game is either a classic Resident Evil with a new twist and a gorgeous presentation or a lazy rehash of the original game with shoehorned mechanics that made the game more frustrating than scary, showing how much the old-school Resident Evil formula had overstayed its welcome and deserved to be shot dead. Releasing the same year as the REmake only made the comparisons to the first game all the more inevitable, providing ammunition for both camps.
    • On the opposite side of things, many fans cannot stand Resident Evil 4 and 5 because they're not like the previous games (and contain horrific Eldritch Abominations). However, some players who had never played a Resident Evil game beforehand enjoy both games due to tight controls and an emphasis on action and shooting. Others who experienced both the classic entries and the post-Code: Veronica/Zero titles saw the newer controls as a welcome change from the tank controls of previous games, which were becoming antiquated. There is also a good chunk of series veterans who enjoy 4, but look down on 5 for going even further on the action at the expense of horror, with the addition of co-op and more explosives setpieces.
    • In spite of its attempts to cater to both crowds (and then some) via multiple scenarios, Resident Evil 6 suffered from such a pratfall. Cue one half of the broken base claiming that Capcom sold out and completely abandoned survival horror for the sake of competing with other titles (such as Call of Duty) and staying fresh, while the other claims it was a well-done next step of the formula introduced in RE4 that simultaneously incorporated the best elements from the classic titles. The fact that Revelations and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, much closer in tone and style to the pre-RE4 titles, both garnered significantly better critical reception did not help RE6's case.
    • Much like how Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 attempted to repeat the formula of Resident Evil 4 but were met with increasing backlash, the same story repeated itself with the 2020 remake of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. As with its 2019 precursor, the complaints center mostly around changes in the storyline and characterization, as well as related gameplay — most prominently the interactions with primary antagonist Nemesis. Whilst still very beloved, it is far less adored than its 2019 counterpart.
  • While many people consider Rivals of Aether II a worthy sequel, it still sits at Mixed/Mostly Positive reviews on Steam (as of November 2025) compared to its predecessor's Overwhelmingly Positive. Reasons include lack of content at launch (inevitable when the first game has 10 years' worth of updates and everything has to be made or remade from scratch, in 3D, with significant changes) and the addition of more defensive mechanics like shields and especially floorhugging that slow down the action compared to the first game's lightning-fast pace.
  • RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. While many people enjoy the game's Video Game 3D Leap and new additions, there are also many people who say it didn't translate well to 3D, mainly due to its Obvious Beta release, and the game was developed by a new developer, Frontier Developments. While the first two games' effective simplicity and Chris Sawyer's Genius Programming holds up a lot better than 3 even decades later, it's now seen as a decent entry in the series, and its concepts would later be refined by its Creator-Driven Successor, Planet Coaster.
  • R-Type Final is easily the most divisive game in the series, even more so than R-Type Leo and the following Tactics game that changed the genre entirely. Supporters like the game's expansion to the series lore, large amount of content for a shmup (most notably its roster of 101 playable ships) and its dark, moody tone that provides a fitting closure to the series storyline, but there is a considerable contingent of fans who criticize Final, finding it an unexciting shooter with boring, uneventful levels and dislike the game's roster gimmick, citing the amount of grinding required to unlock new crafts and its redundant and unbalanced (in both directions) nature.
  • Every Saints Row sequel except Saints Row 2 (widely seen as the best in the series) is controversial:
    • Saints Row: The Third is divisive due to its Denser and Wackier tone. Many players (especially those who started with this game) love how it seems to be an experiment in pushing the Rule of Fun and Rule of Cool as far as humanly possible. However, some fans feel that it ruined the series by irrevocably changing its identity. Others don't mind the tone shift, but feel that the game is a downgrade in terms of its map (Steelport is near-universally seen as a less interesting city than Stilwater) and content.
    • Saints Row IV took the Denser and Wackier nature of The Third and applied a hefty dose of Sequel Escalation to it. The result is that the game is now about the Boss being a superhero (who's also president of the United States) fighting aliens and robots in Cyberspace, a far cry from the series' root of Gangbangers fighting over turf, which many fans obviously detest, claiming that it's Saints Row In Name Only. However, others (especially those who liked The Third) feel that it's great in its own right, and that few other games manage to better capture the feeling of being an overpowered superhero. The writing has been praised for delivering some surprisingly emotional moments and relying less on Toilet Humor and sex jokes, but others dislike its increased use of referential humor and Pandering to the Base.
    • Saints Row (2022) was a Continuity Reboot that toned down the wackiness, but also shifted to a Lighter and Softer tone. Most Saints Row fans loathe it, and it ended up being a Creator Killer and Franchise Killer in part due to its negative reception. Since it's a reboot, none of the beloved characters from the previous games return, and the replacements are seen as either bland or cringe-inducing. The game also launched in a horrible Obvious Beta state, with a high number of Game Breaking Bugs. However, some fans still like it, especially those who focus on the gameplay over the story, viewing it as a great Wide-Open Sandbox full of fun activities. It helps that Santo Ileso is a much better map than Steelport, though it's debatable whether it's anywhere near as good as Stilwater. And then there are those who say the story isn't THAT bad... You can easily start a Flame War by mentioning that you didn't hate the reboot.
  • Senxin Aleste is seen by many as a Surprisingly Improved Sequel to the Compile-era Aleste games as a whole due to being a much beefier game with Bullet Hell, hyper modes, multiple playable characters, and an in-depth scoring system (something that previous Aleste games notably lack, typically amounting to "just kill stuff and collect items"), while others don't like it precisely for that reason, feeling that it strays from what gives the Aleste series its own identity and is just another CAVE-like shmup in a market that has so many of them already.
  • All of the mainline Serious Sam games after the first two encounters have been divisive for one reason or another:
    • Serious Sam II got a cold reception from the fanbase at release due to its intensely Denser and Wackier direction, easier difficulty and somewhat pared-down enemy count. Its relative failure would cause Croteam to dismiss it as non-canon and backpedal hard from the "cartoon" era of Serious Sam for the following games. However, in the following years, the game would amass a growing fandom who love it precisely because it's such a weird and wacky game, with praise going to its lengthy campaign filled with many unique worlds, characters and enemies. Some (including, notably, popular "boomer shooter" reviewer Civvie 11) also praised it for toning down the frustrating qualities of the previous games.
    • Serious Sam 3: BFE: Some think it's a great sequel that got the series back on track after the cartoonish excesses of the previous game and features some of the most intense and exciting combat in the genre thanks to a generous case of Sequel Escalation while others think it's one of the weaker installments with criticisms going toward the Slow-Paced Beginning, the abundance of Demonic Spiders (which the Fusion release goes some way toward rectifying), and the uninteresting modern Egypt setting. The additions of modern shooter conventions like sprinting, reloading, and aiming down sights were also contentious.
    • Serious Sam 4 is either a rough gem that successfully fixed all of the gameplay problems of BFE for the deepest and most balanced core game yet, or an unfinished mess that looks little better than BFE despite releasing nine years after and suffered from overhyping features (specifically the open map and "Legion System") that ended up undercooked in the actual game. The extra focus on story is also divisive: some feel it added some unexpected emotional depth to the series while others found it annoying and unfunny.
  • Shantae: The series ran into this trope with Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, after every previous installment was generally considered to unquestionably improve upon the last. Defenders praise its higher budget, the new art style, the soundtrack, and the various additional modes such as "Friends to the End". Meanwhile, detractors bemoan the switch to a level-based progression system, the significantly more linear stages in a series that had been a pure Metroidvania up to that point, and feel that the decision to make the game a Soft Reboot wasn't for the better.
  • Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, depending on whether you ask someone who prefers story elements or focuses on game mechanics, is either:
    • An improvement over Shin Megami Tensei IV for refining its mechanics: Smirk is no longer hideously overpowered, death no longer costs a fee to come back from let alone just kicking you back to your previous save except in the second-to-final dungeon, battle partners are chooseable, have useful abilities, and are not as stupid as in SMT IV, and there's no 1/256 encounters (Want to fight the Fiends? Just come to this late-game dungeon!). Or...
    • A downgrade for its messily handled lore: The Law and Chaos alignments are effectively "straw" alignments in a series where debating over which side is better is a major point, and in fact their respective endings are "bad" early endings. In the Bonds route, Danu forcefully fixes the problem of her son Dagda trying to kill the protagonist by killing her son and replacing him with a new one in a manner too close to Abusive Parent for comfort in a route about trying to achieve a peaceful resolution to the cosmic series-traditional Forever War.
  • Silent Hill: The first three games tend to be liked universally among series fans. Every game since has been controversial to some extent:
    • Silent Hill 4: The Room was the final, and remain to this day the most controversial game of the Team Silent era. It has its detractors who hate it for what they see is an "In Name Only" sequel that lacked the themes and symbolism of the past three games and strayed too far from the original formula with more combat and some questionable at best gameplay decisions (a greatly increased emphasis on melee fighting without any major improvement to the combat mechanics, unkillable and unavoidable stalker enemies, multiple stages that are revisited several times, and an Escort Mission that makes up the game's entire second half), marking it as the "beginning of the end" for the series, but it also has a good-sized fan following who love it for its surreal atmosphere and a uniquely dark and twisted story, all while expanding on the mythos of a serial killer previously mentioned in the second game.
    • Silent Hill: Origins, was the first game in the franchise made in the west. Depending on who you ask, it is an enjoyable return to the series roots that stands on its own just fine or a poor retread driven by a bad, fanfiction-esque plot that only bloated the series mythology with needless details while adding unnecessary gameplay elements like Quick Time Events and breakable weapons.
    • Silent Hill: Homecoming: Taking a page from Resident Evil 4, Homecoming opted for a more action-oriented approach by giving the players melee combos, a dodge move, a lock-on, and the ability to use guns manually along with having the protagonist involved in fully fleshed-out boss fights. Whether or not this approach worked or even belonged in a Silent Hill game in the first place has been hotly debated. There was also controversy over the game borrowing elements from the 2006 movie, an adaptation that happens to be its own can of disagreements.
    • Silent Hill: Shattered Memories: This game was destined to be controversial from the moment it was marketed as a reimagining of the original game, one of the series' Sacred Cows, as it obviously raises questions regarding tone, plot, and characterization, but the differences don't stop there — the game doesn't play like any other title in the series either. Combat is entirely absent with the emphasis being solely put on puzzle and exploration and Wii motion controls are in full use. Some people consider it one of the most unique and interesting entries in the series, others a betrayal of everything the series stood for, and another camp a good game on its own but not a "real" Silent Hill.
    • Silent Hill: Downpour: A tricky one. From one side, you have fans who praise it for finding a balance between the action-oriented Homecoming and the actionless Shattered Memories, evolving the exploration aspect by turning the town of Silent Hill into an open world with optional sidequests, and featuring a plot that didn't try to ape the original trilogy like many of its predecessors were accused of doing. On the other hand, there are those who accused the game's plot structure and themes of being too derivative of SH2 to really stand out, felt like the side content didn't add much to the experience, and criticized its glaring technical issues as well as the loss of Akira Yamaoka as series composer. It's either an underrated gem that was Screwed by the Network or a series low point.
    • Even Silent Hill 3 has been viewed as this to a lesser extent, especially when compared to its predecessor Silent Hill 2. Though most will agree that it is a respectable entry overall, debate continues on whether it was a good idea to make a direct sequel to the first game with the Order returning and the cult being fleshed out, or a misstep for not continuing with the personal demons direction the second game established.
  • In The Sims 2 fan circles, The Sims 3 is jokingly referred to as "The Dark Side." While the game has its fair share of fans, many Sims 2 players write it off completely. Reasons vary from being too attached to their Sims 2 projects to not liking the way Sims 3 Sims look. The Sims 4 got even worse treatment, especially since the original release lacked basics like toddlers or pools, and went even further in the direction of "RPG-ish" "quest-based" gameplay which were part of the reason many Sims 2 fans scorned the third installment.
  • Skylanders: The last three games proved to be the most contested of them all.
    • Skylanders: Trap Team, while not as controversial as the following two games, do have its quality often debated within the fandom. Some fans consider it to be among the best games in the franchise for the trapping gimmick, some of the best boss fights in the series such as the Doom Raiders and Kaos, the introduction of Skylanders Academy to the franchise, and the fact that you actually get to team up with Kaos for a good majority of the game. Other fans consider it to be among the worst games in the franchise due to having less content than the games that came before it, removing several popular game extras such as PVP, Heroic Challenges and Quests, the game being considered far less polished than previous ones and the fact that the game all but outright forces players into using Trap Masters due to them being the only ones who can open Elemental Gates.
    • Skylanders: SuperChargers was the first game in the series to truly split the fanbase. Some fans like it for its more serious story and finding the vehicles to be a welcomed new addiction, while another portion of fans think it's the worst game in the series because of its overabundance on vehicles that doesn't control all that well to begin with, which takes away far too much of the platforming.
    • Skylanders: Imaginators is perhaps the biggest offender of them all. On one hand, it is disliked by a portion of the fanbase for its bare-bones story, varying quality of levels, and skewing everything to be in favor of Senseis and Imaginators, making past Skylanders virtually useless. Meanwhile, there's another portion who enjoys it for still having the same fun gameplay the series is known for, and also the fact that creating your own Skylanders is just very fun. The game probably has this much of a divide in it because it was the Franchise Killer.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog:
    • Sonic the Hedgehog CD is somewhat obscure compared to the lauded Genesis/Mega Drive trilogy, but reaction has been surprisingly split. Fans of the game praise its lush, surreal graphics, high-quality soundtrack (a point of contention itself, as it varies between the EU/JP and US releases), introduction of series longstays Metal Sonic and Amy Rose, and the time-warp mechanic (adding variety and incentives to the game). Other players denounce the labyrinthine, offbeat level design (often featuring gimmicks and loosely scripted sequences that send Sonic to a crashing halt), frustrating special stages (ambitious Mode 7 style fields with less impressive depth perception), and time-warp mechanic (which is difficult to activate due to the choppy level design). It doesn't help that fans are equally split on whether Sonic CD or Sonic 2 is the true sequel to Sonic 1, as they were developed concurrently — Sonic 2 in the US, Sonic CD in Japan.
    • Sonic Adventure 2. The most general consensus is that this is still a good Sonic game, but one of the last ones of the era. Some liked the streamlined level-by-level progression as well as the longer, more linear levels, and the gameplay variety. Others preferred the overworld hub linking to each level and the shorter but more open levels of the first game, and the other playable characters being optional.
    • Sonic Heroes. A good (if not flawed) platformer with fun, (usually) fast-paced gameplay that features a novel and enjoyable emphasis on teamwork, nice little nods to previous continuity, and a feel hearkening back to the Genesis era that managed to be the last good game before everything went downhill? Or a plodding, clunky platformer with poorly implemented ideas and gimmicks, unbearably long stages, Fake Difficulty, Fake Longevity, and an Excuse Plot that was a complete 180 from the Adventure series' narrative- and character-driven drama which caused everything to go downhill? Coming right after Adventure 2 (as well as being the series' first new installment after Sega exited the console race and went Multi-Platform), bringing back Shadow after his presumed Heroic Sacrifice, and directly setting up plot points for Shadow's hotly contested spin-off only add more fuel to the fire.
    • Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episodes I and II. While it's generally agreed that Sonic 4 as a whole is a step back from its direct Mega Drive/Genesis predecessors, the contention comes from its individual episodes. Some people say Episode II is better than the first episode due to its graphical overhaul, more natural gameplay physics, the return of Tails to the gameplay with new co-op moves, and increased originality in levels, enemies, and bosses, compared to the first episode's massive recycling of past gameplay content. Other argue Episode II is worse than the first episode due to Tails being required to progress through the levels, the overpowered nature of the co-op moves, tedious boss battles, and the general feeling that it failed to address many of the complaints pushed concerning Episode I. While fans usually point towards Episode II as the lesser of two evils, critics seemed to think otherwise, as Episode II received a more mixed reaction compared to the mostly positive reception to Episode I. The fact that Episode II came after the acclaimed Sonic Generations didn't help its case.
    • Sonic Advance 3 gets hit with criticisms such as the level design not meshing well with the game's mechanics and the hubs being labyrinthine and unnecessary. Sonic Advance 2 also gets this to a lesser extent for its greatly linear level design, auto-scrolling boss battles, and generally emphasizing a higher focus on speed more than the previous titles (which also invites comparisons to Sonic Rush and the "Boost" formula games beginning with Sonic Unleashed).
    • Once Dimps was relegated to producing handheld tie-ins to console games (Colors on DS, Generations and Lost World on 3DS), opinion on their games became extremely mixed. Many fans deride the handheld versions as watered-down, content-bare cash-ins on the superior console games made by Sonic Team; others, including several outspoken critics, consider the handheld versions to be better than the console versions. Infamously, Jim Sterling gave Sonic Colors a 4.5 on Wii and an 8.5 on DS. Kotaku's review of Sonic Lost World was just as biased: it reviewed both the Wii U and 3DS games in one article, calling the 3DS version "the good one" and the Wii U version "the bad one" in the very first sentence.
    • Sonic Lost World, coming right off the heels of the critically acclaimed Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations. Lost World was Sega experimenting with yet another new style of gameplay, one which took strong cues from later Mario games by slowing Sonic down, emphasizing precision platforming over fast setpieces, and introducing copious amounts of level-specific gimmicks. Fans were split whether despite the flawed execution, it was a step in the right direction as some felt the fast-paced, boosting gameplay of the aforementioned titles had run its course and needed to be scrapped, or that Sega was once again playing around with new styles instead of being consistent with one that worked. Notably, Lost World received more mixed reviews among the critics. However, like most Sonic games, Lost World became Vindicated by History years later thanks to notable improvements made to the game since, combined with the following mainline game, Sonic Forces, receiving an even more mixed reception despite returning to the Boost gameplay of Colors and Generations.
    • The 3DS version of Lost World is a pretty weird example; some players lambast it as one of the worst 3D Sonic games, filled with intrusive Wisp usage, lifeless gameplay, and absolutely tragic level design, while others praise it as one of the best 3D Sonics yet — due to its Wisp usage, tighter controls, and level design.
  • Soul Series:
    • For many fans, Soulcalibur V is this due to the poorly handled seventeen-year Time Skip between it and the previous game — this opportunity to start afresh with a slew of brand new characters and exciting older versions of established extras in the vein of Tekken 3 was instead squandered on either a) bringing the old regulars back with various flimsy Soul Edge magic-related excuses to explain why a lot of them hadn't changed or even aged at all in almost two decades, or b) worse, completely dropping them with little to no word on their fate or current whereabouts and replacing them with a younger Suspiciously Similar Substitute. And most of the cast wound up Out of Focus in the game's story anyway due to the rushed schedule the game was developed under.
    • While Soulcalibur VI is, for the most part, regarded as a welcome return to form, owning to the cast being (mostly) the same as the original Soulcalibur, increased game speed, a larger movepool that was present in the older games, and more fluid animations, there were those that still had issues with the game, blaming the lack of single player content outside the two story modes, connectivity issues, the divisive Reversal Edge mechanic, and perceived bland stages (especially in comparison to, ironically enough, the previous entry).
  • Splatoon:
    • Splatoon 2 is seen as being on par with the first game, if not even better, thanks to building and expanding on the first game with various massive improvements and additions such as its more polished graphics, more customization options, the addition of the long-requested playable Octolings, having just as creative and more balanced new stages/weapons/specials and gameplay changes that discourage mindless one-man army attempts, and the inventiveness of the "Octo Expansion" DLC single-player campaign. Due to this, debates within the community over whether Splatoon 2 was a Mission-Pack Sequel died down pretty quickly, but what would continue are debates over the quality of the "Hero Mode" single-player campaign. Those that liked it cite it directly building off the Audience Participation ending of Splatoon 1, allowing the player to use a greater variety of weapons, and offering more worldbuilding (both in-game and via the Squid Sisters Stories supplemental material that explains what happened during the Time Skip). Those that dislike it felt that the adventure was too much of a re-hash of the first game's Hero Mode (while also lacking fun bonuses like the amiibo challenges), that the story wasn't as deep as the supplemental material implied it would be, and weren't fond of the lack of Callie (as she wasn't present to speak to after the Final Boss fight until the Version 3.0 update). Furthermore, both sides agree that it was a waste that none of the characters introduced in this game were involved in the plot (the aforementioned "Octo Expansion" would address this complaint). There are also those who like Splatoon 1's Hero Mode and characters more but like Splatoon 2 more overall (and like "Octo Expansion" just as much as the first game's Hero Mode).
    • Splatoon 3, though not considered bad, is far more contentious than its predecessor. Defenders enjoy the new gameplay features like King Salmonids, Tricolor Turf War, and Big Runs; the base game featuring a much-improved single-player campaign; added bonus content, like lockers, Tableturf Battle, Splashtags and emotes, the locker room, the catalog system, Battle Replays, the DLC adding the ability to revisit Inkopolis Plaza and Square to see how things have changed, and the downloadable Side Order campaign putting a fresh roguelike spin on the series. Detractors point to the game generally feeling too similar to previous Splatoon games, especially 2, to justify releasing on the same console and that the bonus content leaves the game's main attraction — its multiplayer — with numerous issues; many of the stages feeling similar to each other, with the infamous "Tetrimino" layout running rampant; a number of the new features being poorly balanced or glitchy; numerous balance and connectivity problems that remain unaddressed from the previous game alongside newly introduced ones; a slower update cycle; Return of the Mammalians once again being too similar to previous single-player modes; handling a number of fan-favorite characters poorly (the most infamous cases besides Deep Cut are turning the mysterious Mr. Grizz into a character that many felt was a rehash of Commander Tartar from the Octo Expansion, and relegating nearly all of Off the Hook's appearances to the aforementioned Side Order); still missing certain notable additions that its predecessors had such as a new Ranked Battle mode; and a general feeling of cut corners and lack of polish compared to the previous Splatoon games.
  • There's some hot debate over whether or not Spyro: Year of the Dragon is an Even Better Sequel to Spyro 2, or if it's the weakest installment that shows the original Spyro trilogy isn't flawless. Pros often point to the more fleshed out Spyro parts, the pretty good boss battles, and the storyline being surprisingly deep and creepy when you really start thinking about it. Detractors point out how less than half the game is spent actually playing as Spyro, with the other half usually consisting of being bounced around other characters with greatly different playstyles, with quite a few of themnote  controlling rather awkwardly at times.
  • The general fandom opinion towards Super Robot Wars X is this from Super Robot Wars V. The addition of Expert Mode is generally a plus, for it answered the complaint of Super Robot Wars titles at that time being too easy, but the plot is considered too messy and lazy (as the writer had a tendency to use "teleportations" to explain/solve everything).
  • Each respective entry in the Star Fox series since 64 have dealt with this reaction. Some received fonder looks post-release, while others didn't and/or are still in the midst of debates over their perceived quality.
    • Star Fox Adventures, which is the Oddball in the Series due to changing the gameplay from Shoot 'em Up to Action-Adventure, didn't please the fans of 64. Going by its own merits, though, the game is still quite divisive, being a The Legend of Zelda clone instead of a Rail Shooter. Critically speaking, the game actually did rather well, but it still gets demonized as the entry that marked the series' decline, with some questioning the decision to repurpose the game's original concept (a time-traveling action-adventure title known as Dinosaur Planet) in order to fit into a sci-fi series with a Space Opera backdrop. Not helping matters is how Adventures handled the inclusion of the Arwing — despite being used sparingly after a brief section at the very beginning of the game, the Final Boss (a returning yet barely foreshadowed Andross) sees players suddenly thrust back into the cockpit, making it one of the few times you'll see fans also lambasting a Star Fox game for its inclusion of familiar gameplay elements.
    • Star Fox: Assault is well-liked by a decent portion of the fandom, who like the balance of Arwing and ground missions, the more serious tone of the story, the amazing score and visual design, the completely new villain and storyline (with most of the holdovers from 64 not feeling shoehorned in unlike Adventures), and what is by most accounts the best multiplayer experience the series has ever provided. That said, others (including many professional critics at the time of release) chide its short length, linearity, a relative lack of on-rails Arwing stages, the on-foot controls (especially with the default control scheme), and being in general an easy game to beat, with some of the criticism stemming from the perception that the multiplayer aspect of the game was the bigger focus and therefore took away from the single player content. There are also those who don't like the more serious direction Assault took, equally happy to point out Narm moments and the lack of meme-worthy lines.
    • Star Fox Command returned the core gameplay to pure flying action as opposed to Assault (which was commonly criticized for having too much on-foot action compared to the Arwing sections), but most people didn't like it for a variety of reasons. While the lack of classic rail stages is a valid complaint, fans also objected to everything else, including the innovative touch screen controls (or the lack of a classic alternative) and the game's use of Turn-Based Strategy, Real Time Combat (reminiscent of Star Fox 2 though functioning much differently from it in practice due to that game abiding by Real-Time with Pause). The story was also quite derided, in part because the game couldn't seem to decide if it wanted to keep moving the timeline forward (as seen with developments like Peppy taking over for General Pepper or the Distant Finale nature of several endings) or backslide into another Andross-related threat (unlike the Aparoids, the Anglar Empire is heavily implied to be the result of Andross's experiments when he was exiled to Venom; certain endings suggest or outright show Andross's newly introduced grandson Dash going down the same path his grandfather did; and a Virtual Ghost of Andross that may or may not be the real deal shows up as the penultimate boss in most routes), but also probably because many of the Multiple Endings were rather baffling in nature, although there are people who found the idea a neat evolution of the series' usual branching paths. The only positive addition that most fans seem to agree upon is the lengths Command went to differentiate the various spacecraft piloted by the cast.
    • Star Fox Zero has it likely the worst out of any game in the series. Either it's a beautiful-looking and sounding reimagining of 64 that pushes the Wii U's relatively aged hardware to its limits, with just enough original mechanics and vehicles to keep things fresh and an innovative, if often awkward, control scheme that shows the full potential of the GamePad in a way that few other Wii U games did, or a sloppy, disappointing regurgitation of the franchise's glory days with shoehorned new elements, where the most dangerous enemy is not Andross's army but the (to say the least) unorthodox controls that demand the player pay full attention to both the TV screen and the GamePad at the same time. There is almost no middle ground on the issue.
  • Story of Seasons:
    • Tree of Tranquility and Animal Parade is an odd example, as the latter is more of a retool than an outright sequel to Tree of Tranquility. While both have their fans, the difference in game mechanics and story (for example, ToT has more festivals and is considered to have the better dialogue among the two, while AP has the larger map, new animals and pets, more marriage candidates, and a camera feature) have split the fanbase on whether or not Animal Parade is an actual improvement, although they are generally both recommended for the different experiences.
    • DS has its fans but is also a source of scorn for many older fans, considering it's technically a combo of A Wonderful Life and Friends of Mineral Town which are the most popular titles. The main issue is the Excuse Plot and how everyone was extraordinarily flanderized.
  • Street Fighter:
    • The Street Fighter III series is a big hot point among many fans, particularly "old-schoolers" who are more familiar with the Street Fighter II and Alpha games, who claim that parries (the ability to counter an attack without being stuck in block stun) kill the flow of the game, while its fans say that parries are what make the game great. The original version of Street Fighter III also received a lot of flak for jettisoning away the majority of the series' roster up to that point; the updates 2nd Impact and 3rd Strike tried to address this by adding back some of the original characters.
    • Street Fighter IV tried to find a middle ground; while parries are absent, the Focus mechanic allowed something relatively similar in that you can absorb one hit (or, in special cases, two) and exploit the advantage; the game also restored many characters from the original roster that were absent in the previous title. The original arcade release focused on the 12 original World Warrior and boss characters (plus Akuma) with four new characters. The original home release, and then Super and AE editions added more characters from III and Alpha. However, this brought new complaints, in that the hodgepodge of old gameplay elements and characters were accused of being shallow shells of their former incarnations, with little of what made them fun or interesting.
  • Suikoden III is praised by some for expanding the story by having five different viewpoint characters, one of whom is the villain, but denounced by others for greatly altering the gameplay, in particular greatly reducing the scale of army battles and making them little different from regular party battles. Also controversial was that whereas the first two games were very closely linked and most of the returning characters in II had important roles, in III there were far fewer returning characters and most of them had minor roles. And one was a beloved character who made a Face–Heel Turn; fans are split on whether this was a brilliant twist or done purely for shock value.
  • Super Mario Bros.:
    • Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels: You either like it because it offers a fresh new challenge and the addition of some new kinds of obstacles such as upside-down pipes and wind, or dislike it because it's just a Mission-Pack Sequel that's too difficult. This extends to the meta sense — Nintendo of America was unsure whether fans in America would approve of the game, so they reskinned the Japan-only Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic with Mario characters and released that as Super Mario Bros. 2, in turn another contested sequel because of its origins and the various differences in style and gameplay from the other games. Americans eventually got Lost Levels with Super Mario All-Stars, while Japan got the American Super Mario Bros. 2 as Super Mario USA, but still to this day neither is exempt from this status.
    • If you ask any classic Mario fan which Mario game is the best, chances are they'll choose either Super Mario Bros. 3 or its sequel Super Mario World. Fans of 3 cite the more plentiful power-ups, slightly smoother controls, higher number of levels (90 versus 73) and the addition of Airship levels (absent in World). World fans prefer its smoother level of difficulty, longer levels, availability of secret exits and a fully featured World Map, addition of Ghost House levels, addition of a save system (at least until it was added to the Super Mario All-Stars version of 3), and the introduction of Yoshi. Most will admit to enjoying both, however.
    • Super Mario Sunshine, with its very different direction from Super Mario 64, is certainly one of the most divisive titles in the series. Mario travels to a foreign resort island with only a few of the series' staple characters and enemies (Bloopers, Bob-Ombs, Pokeys and Boos)note  and levels revolve around cleaning up dynamically generated goop and exploration-based platforming with the help of a water cannon. Public opinion was rather mixed at the time of release. As time went on, in the wake of criticism on games like the New Super Mario Bros. series and Super Mario 3D Land, Sunshine has been mostly vindicated, and many fans long for its daring creativity.
    • Super Mario Galaxy 2. Was it better than the first, or didn't live up to the excellence of the first due to the removal of story elements among other things? Its status as the first truly direct sequel in the 3D lineup also caused some minor division in the fanbase.
    • Opinions are divided on which of the New Super Mario Bros. games is the best — although the first game and New Super Mario Bros. Wii are generally favored due to their improvements and additions to the franchise and not significantly reusing content like the latter two games — and whether or not that best entry can compare favorably to the old-school installments released during the 1985-95 era. New Super Mario Bros. 2 is generally seen as the weakest of the subseries, but even whether it's still a good game in itself or not is also debated.
    • Super Paper Mario is even more divisive thanks to abandoning the series' turn-based gameplay in favor of the main series' platforming action, and a greatly simplified version at that. The story is generally well liked, though.
    • Color Splash is universally viewed as a step up from Sticker Star, a game that was hit hard by Sequelitis, but how much is debated. The game attracts complaints about how it took too many pages out of Sticker Star's book (the entirely consumable-based battle system that leaves you helpless should you run out, few new characters, most of the NPCs being generic Toads, etc.) and solving none of its problems; some, though, view it a good game in its own right that actually does address a lot of Sticker Star's problems (an improved battle system, better developed characters — including Bowser, who was The Voiceless in Sticker Star — a much more tolerable Exposition Fairy, puzzle hints that alleviate its predecessor's infamous Guide Dang It! aspects, and far more clever writing).
    • Some believe Mario & Luigi: Dream Team is overloaded with tutorials, the story is bland and the antagonist is a Generic Doomsday Villain. Others think the game is a worthy successor to Bowser's Inside Story with tight gameplay, an interesting story and a detailed new location, often pointing to many of the flaws as showing up in earlier games. This is to say nothing of the twist Bowser is the true Big Bad, not the original villain, which was either a clever twist or a sign the RPGs were getting too reliant on having Bowser as the main villain.
    • Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is lambasted in some circles for retaining some of the flaws of the much hated Sticker Star (an overabundance of Toad NPCs, generic enemies and locations, and having Bowser as the villain) plus not using Paper Mario elements outside of those found in Sticker Star, having a weirdly mean-spirited tone for such a playful concept, and using the same gameplay as past games with few changes. Others like the game for adding to the characterisation of previously flat characters, removing the emphasis of forced tutorials, and streamlining the gameplay.
    • While Mario & Luigi: Brothership itself is considered a very solid title that served as a good comeback to the series after it remained in dormancy for five years, it also comes off as the most divisive in the series. Some detractors feel like the game is the weakest (or more commonly second weakest after Paper Jam) because of its slow pacing, the different musical direction, and Luigi not being totally controllable on the overworld like the previous games. However, there are also defenders that bring up Dream Team in terms of Forced Tutorial sessions, something that Brothership manages to avoid despite the pacing issues, and really like the new characters and their designs as well as the overall story of the game with many fans claiming it to be the best story in the Mario & Luigi series surpassing Partners in Time. Additionally, the true main villain of the game, Reclusa, is generally praised, especially because his existence means the Final Boss isn't the seventh Bowser battle in a row. It's usually agreed that the game hits its stride after its Slow-Paced Beginning, when you have more mechanics and freedom to explore, but the first few hours turn a lot of players off.
  • Super Smash Bros.:
    • Super Smash Bros. Brawl greatly suffers from this in the communities of the previous games.
      • The nerfing of many characters, the poor character balance, the extremely floaty physics, the slower-paced combat, the removal of many advanced techniques, and the tripping mechanic made many think of this game as a step backward from both Melee and Smash 64. However, many non-competitive players don't care about those changes (or even see some as improvements themselves), and enjoy the expanded roster and the expanded modes.
      • The Adventure Mode, The Subspace Emissary, is contested enough to be considered almost separately. It's either the kind of thing players really, really wanted when they first played the original Adventure Mode from Melee, making it a favorite mode, or it's overlong, overblown, and just plain subpar. Ironically enough, it was only when the next game dropped Adventure Mode completely that the fanbase started uniting behind SSE.
    • Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U: While both versions had the same roster, item list, and mechanics, they each got different stages, game modes, and extras, with the 3DS version focusing on handheld gaming history while the Wii U version highlighted consoles instead. The general consensus is that the 3DS version ended up with better content, since its stages were less frustrating, its Classic Mode was better implemented, Smash Run blew Smash Tour out of the water, and its menus were laid out better; however, the Wii U version won out in terms of playability, with superior graphics and control options.
  • Supreme Commander 2 removed the epic scale maps and unit options in return for intimate battles and more detail, making it easy for casual gamers to fight short battles. Combined with changes to the resource system and a graphical downgrade, this erased most things the fans of the first game liked.
  • Tales Series:
    • Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World: While not the first direct sequel to a Tales game, it is probably the most well-known, given that it continues the events of the game that made the series popular and well-known to Western audiences. Some people enjoyed new characters Emil and Marta, the deconstruction of what happens after the goals of the previous game were achieved, and seeing their old favorite characters come back to kick ass. Some other people hate it for Emil and Marta, the reuse of the first game's locations, the Mons system, and their old favorite characters not getting enough screen time. There is no middle ground. DOTNW also gets a lot of hate for the fact that the old characters stop gaining levels at certain point, much earlier than Emil and Marta, forcing you to always rely on Emil and Marta and the monsters you recruit.
    • Tales of Xillia 2: Following the 15th anniversary title Xillia, the sequel was loved and hated by fans on various aspects. Xillia had been rushed to meet the anniversary date, which resulted in the plot being rushed at the end and the game missing things, which included playing as Gaius and Muzét, a Hot Springs Scene and similar. All of this was put into the sequel and while some fans loved to see it, others found that throwing out a sequel to add things which should have been in the first game was a poor excuse to throw the complaining fans a bone. Xillia 2 also had a darker story, including having no perfectly happy ending, with the best being a bittersweet one; once again fans were torn between loving the darker atmosphere compared to the previous Tales games while others thought it too dark. While the Xillia cast still remained as your party and often had screentime, the fact that — aside from Jude and Milla — none of them played too big of a role in the plot was once again a split-point for fans. Happy to see their favorite characters, unhappy that majority of them were mostly there to fill up your party and do little else.
  • While Team Fortress 2 is extremely popular, many of the fans of the original Team Fortress Classic were not happy with the changes Valve decided to make to the formula for the sequel and have not accepted it as a successor to TFC in favor of the mod known as Fortress Forever, which is more faithful to the original Team Fortress mod for Half-Life. However, there are also fans of the original Team Fortress who prefer what Valve did in TF2 instead and take it as the natural progression from TFC (helped slightly by nods from Valve themselves to TFC itself occurring in TF2's murky past). The Fortress Forever vs. TF2 debate was also very contentious because Fortress Forever came out the week before TF2 did, and it felt very much like deliberate counter programming; not only did the mod have quite a few issues when it launched, but some of the decisions made to further distance itself from TF2 post-launch happened at the expense of gameplay balance. Ironically enough, by the time Fortress Forever had become a much more polished experience, it had (begrudgingly?) adopted some of the improvements TF2 made to the core experience (this was all before TF2 had turned into the different beast it is today).
  • Tetris: The Grand Master 3. Some TGM fans view it as an improvement on TGM2, raising the challenge through faster speeds and at the same time making the game more intuitive to play through a 3-piece preview, hold piece, and a fix for the problem involving trying to rotate an I piece into a hole one cell wide. Others see these features as dumbing down TGM and the increase in speed as Fake Difficulty.
  • Thief: Deadly Shadows, the conclusion of the original Thief trilogy, gets this sentiment. To some fans, it's a perfectly fine game that did justice to the atmosphere and lore of the first two games, brought Garrett's story to a satisfying end, and made some welcome improvements to the gameplay refinements already present in Thief II. Other see it as a step down due to the removal of rope arrows and the smaller levels (due to the limitations of the original Xbox), and felt that certain additions (the hub world, the faction system, the third person camera, etc.) were poorly executed. It doesn't help that Deadly Shadows was made after the demise of original developer Looking Glass Studios, leading to questions over whether Ion Storm Austin lived up to its predecessor's legacy. (For a measure of irony, many ex-Looking Glass employees worked for Ion Storm after LGS's closing and aided in the development of Deadly Shadows.)
  • Thunder Force V is divisive compared to the beloved Genesis games and the poorly received Thunder Force VI. Those who like it cite its excellent presentation (particularly the soundtrack), exciting boss battles and a surprisingly dramatic and elaborate (by shmup standards) storyline; those who don't lament the flat level design lacking in physical obstacles and unique level gimmicks, and the decision to design the entire game and its scoring system around the overpowered Free Range weapon, giving players no reason to use anything else in their arsenal.
  • Tomb Raider began running into rocks starting with Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, alternatively considered either the most ambitious, atmospheric game in the original series, or an unfinished glitchy mess of awful controls. Tomb Raider: Legend was a reboot of the series by a different developer, with as much changes as that implies. Let's just leave it to the Broken Base whether this is the point where it grew the beard or jumped the shark. This happened again when the series was rebooted in 2013 and took on Survival Horror and Third-Person Shooter elements, although if the 2013 game did one thing, it brought Tomb Raider back into the mainstream, full-time. But even then, there is a fair amount of debate amongst those who liked it on whether or not its two sequels, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, are worthy follow-ups or lazy retreads.
  • It's agreed that the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise fell off a cliff at some point, but when exactly that happened is frequently debated, with a valid case being made for every game after Pro Skater 2:
    • For the hardcore set of fans who view Pro Skater 3 as the beginning of the series' decline, they cite the introduction of Reverts, which made landing jumps and maintaining combos much safer, and subsequently the game is a lot easier than its predecessors.
    • Pro Skater 4 dropped the two-minute time limit and experimented with being more open-ended, which depending on who you ask was either a fresh take on the formula or something that lost the strategy elements of the previous games with finding the best line through a level.
    • The two Tony Hawk's Underground games remain popular, but have their detractors for abandoning the pure skateboarding focus of the franchise, as well as for their jackass-inspired humor. There are plenty of fans, however, who enjoy that irreverent streak, and still think the skateboarding and open world gameplay remain fun.
    • American Wasteland is probably the game most commonly cited as the Jumping the Shark moment, but it does have fans who consider it a good continuation of the Underground games and appreciate it for toning down the divisive humor of them.
    • Finally, there is a set of fans who maintain that the series was enjoyable through to Project 8 and Proving Grounds, the last games developed by Neversoft. While the "Nail the Trick" gimmick remains unpopular, these two games still represent the last entries in the series that stayed true to the formula before the Waggle-infested RIDE games.
  • Depending on what mood The Other Wiki is in on a given week, Vandal Hearts II is either "vastly superior" or "vastly inferior" to the original Vandal Hearts. If you bought the second game after playing through the first expecting more of the same (at least semi-)realistic looking characters, nasty-looking animated monsters, and floating backgrounds, as well as gore, character classes, intriguing narration, and CGI cutscenes, you're definitely going to be disappointed to find that all the characters in the second game are now animeish (with tiny bodies, oversized heads and no mouths), that the first monsters you encounter are now just cartoonish snakes, that there's no cutscenes, and that character classes are now based on equipment along with enemies that can dodge attacks.
  • Wario:
    • Wario Land 3 became one in the years following its release, primarily due to the Metroidvania style of its gameplay unlike the more linear style of Wario Land II, the amount of backtracking, and several Scrappy Mechanics, particularly the Golf minigame. Some think the execution, pacing and progression are a downgrade from II, while others still consider it an overall improvement over II and the best game in the series.
    • Though still considered a good game, Wario Land 4 is more divisive than the titles before it. This is mainly because it makes Wario able to be killed again, there are fewer transformations he can turn into, it makes every level a time-trial mission to escape before it explodes, it becomes mandatory to find every single treasure to beat the game, the level designs go back to the more linear ones of the first two games, and it is much shorter in length than the previous titles.
    • Every game since Wario Land 4 is even more contested. Which one is the "true" sequel to the previous games? Well, you'll get a lot of different answers to that question, as each has different gameplay mechanics and game design. Do you prefer the 3D beat-em-up/platformer hybrid approach of Wario World, the stylus-oriented gameplay of Wario: Master of Disguise, or the more return-to-form 2D platforming of Wario Land: Shake It!? As for whether any of them are even good games... That's pretty debated as well. Wario Land: Shake It! gets flak for being too much like Wario Land 4 except with less new ideas in it, Wario World has a very mixed critical reception in general, and Wario: Master of Disguise is seen by quite a few fans and critics as just plain bad. You can see this by the Metacritic scores of each game: 88 for Wario Land 4, 71 for Wario World, 60 for Wario: Master of Disguise, and 78 for Wario Land: Shake It!
    • WarioWare: Touched! is either a worthy installment that successfully delivers on showing off the promises of the Nintendo DS's new technologies or fails to live up to Twisted! with shallower and more repetitive microgame design. As Twisted was either released after Touched! or not released at all outside Japan, one's opinion often hinges on which game they played first.
  • The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Many consider it an Even Better Sequel with top-tier production values, and an extensively player reactive, complex, mature, and adult storyline that elevates it above many games in its genre. Others, however, consider it something of a Sophomore Slump, with consolized design choices and a highly unbalanced combat system, and complain that it replaces much of what made the first game charming and unique with overly convoluted political intrigue that comes off more like a Game of Thrones knockoff.
  • Yoshi's Island:
    • Yoshi's Island DS was fairly well-received critically bar the music, while fans either like it for its various additions to the gameplay (in the way of new characters/abilities, enemies, level features and additional minigames and Time Trial modes) that make it feel like a worthy successor to the the original game or hate it for its huge Sequel Difficulty Spike and certain unintuitive changes in comparison to the original.
    • Yoshi's New Island is the the most divisive entry in the franchise for being too similar to the original, its aesthetic, its music, having none of the things DS introduced, and caused controversy among fans of the original because of the complete retcon of the first game's ending. There are also mixed opinions over how it was developed by Arzest (who is comprised of the same staff who made Yoshi's Island DS).
    • Yoshi's Crafted World, especially compared to Yoshi's Woolly World, which is considered by series fans to rival the original SNES game in quality. The music is agreed to not be as good as previous Yoshi games and the souvenir hunting can make the game feel incredibly slow and repetitive for those who are trying to get 100% Completion. Those who can get past those two elements generally think it's an Even Better Sequel, since the stages are larger, more exploratory and creative in terms of settings.
  • Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II: Is it an Even Better Sequel or a sequel that lacks the punch its predecessor had? Both StarTropics games have their fans (and sometimes they like both games). However, some fans of the first don't like how. in the sequel, it can be easy for Mike to get killed by monsters due to no Mercy Invincibility. Another common complaint was the addition of Time Travel to the plot, most of which had nothing to do with the tropics. This angered some of the fans of the first game. It's still by no means a bad game or a bad sequel. The ending of StarTropics II is also divisive for seeming to directly contradict that of the original. The Argonian children who'd established themselves on Earth were whisked back to their home planet by their king who's inexplicably alive despite Zoda supposedly killing him, even though the eight of them will seemingly be the only living things on Argonia.

Previous

Index

Next

  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Wide Load

Important Links

Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Browse Go Ad Free!
Crucial Browsing
Resources
Top