Fatality: Games That Killed Their Franchises (Or At Least Put Them On A Long Hiatus)

Sometimes all it takes is one game to make a long-running or promising franchise become dead in the water, maligned to irrelevancy and just a memory in the annals of gaming history. It's a dog-eat-dog industry where it doesn't matter if the franchise has been around for ages or for milliseconds--just one or two failures and you're done. That's the case with these franchises, all of which I'm sad to see are currently nowhere to be found. Whether any of these will return for a kick-ass comeback or not is up in the air, but what is known is that for many, these franchises met truly unfortunate ends.

Tony Hawk Ride/Shred (PS3, 360, Wii), 
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 (PS4, XB1)

We start with a series that was crazy popular in the late nineties and early aughts--the same series that brought extreme sports fever into our hobby. That series was none other than Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. The series did a lot of experimentation: changing the rules of Classic mode, adding a story to the game, and even adding an interconnected world. However, the biggest and most radical experimenting to the Tony Hawk series was ultimately the one that killed it: Tony Hawk Ride. This game and its sequel, Tony Hawk Shred, both utilized a skateboard peripheral for its controller, as back in the day, pieces of plastic and convoluted controller peripherals were all the rage (e.g. Guitar Hero and the Wii). While an interesting idea in theory, the execution left a lot--I mean, A LOT--to be desired. Crashing in both critical and commercial feedback, Activision's skateboarding series was put on a hiatus until a couple of years ago when Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 came out. If Ride and Shred put the Tony Hawk series in its coffin, Pro Skater 5 drove the nails into it.

Dead Space 3 (PS3, 360, PC)

The survival horror genre doesn't get too much representation for the most part. That's why it very much stinks that Dead Space as a franchise is no more. What killed such an impressive series? Well, Dead Space 3... but mostly because of its publisher EA's ambitions. Wanting to make the Dead Space series more mainstream (i.e. a way to make even more money than the first two games), EA had the idea to put in two-player co-op into the game, making for a much less scary experience. To add insult to injury, Dead Space 3 introduced unnecessary microtransactions as an extra "we don't value our consumer that much" proposition. Despite selling well, Dead Space 3 didn't meet EA's lofty sales expectations, making the series get eviscerated like a Necromorph. The future of the series is a horror story all on its own. At least we got two (three if you count the on-rail shooter Dead Space: Extraction) excellent entries in the Dead Space franchise before things turned dark.

Ninja Gaiden 3 (PS3, 360),
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge (PS3, 360, Wii U)

The exit of Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki was definitely felt with Ninja Gaiden 3. The third game took a more streamlined approach to the series, making it friendlier for audiences. In doing so, it isolated many of the franchise's biggest fans. When you have to make a course correction to your own game with an updated version as a way to apologize and make it up to the fans (and still ends up being a weaker entry compared to Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2), you know you've done something majorly wrong. The original Ninja Gaiden 3 had many faults to it, both on a gameplay and a technical level. The action was just shallow, and those who yearned for the challenge exemplified in early entries were left out in the cold. Razor's Edge, originally released on the Wii U before being ported over to the PS3 and 360, attempted to right the wrongs of the vanilla version of Ninja Gaiden 3, but Team Ninja could only do so much when the foundation was on shaky ground to begin with.

Dino Crisis 3 (XBX)

An entry so bad that developers opted not to continue with the series, Dino Crisis 3 put the Dino Crisis franchise into what essentially amounts to extinction. The game was originally set to be on both the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, but only the latter (un)fortunately survived. Packed with one of the worst cameras in a survival horror game, especially considering how fast the player sometimes had to move, Dino Crisis 3 was put the wringer review-wise for this main reason. There was nothing like crossing an invisible boundary in a room, only for the camera to suddenly change angles, having the player totally become disoriented in the process. This also made aiming and targeting the dinosaur-like mutated beasts in the game all the more challenging. Sure, Capcom has given us some scraps pertaining to the Dino Crisis franchise since the failure of the third game in the series, like Regina's inclusion in the now-defunct mobile game Puzzle Fighter, but that isn't enough for most Dino Crisis fans out there--the dozen or so of those out there.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (360)

Sometimes it's a smart idea to stick with the basics. Rare did not do that in 2008 when it developed and released Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts for the Xbox 360. The game was actually really good, allowing players to take on challenges their own way by creating their own custom LEGO-like vehicles. The problem was that Nuts & Bolts was such a dramatic departure from what Banjo-Kazooie fans loved about the franchise--the excellent, open 3D platforming--that this game unfortunately drew a lot of ire. This was especially so after Microsoft and Rare teased a more traditional experience with this trailer, which many now consider a bait and switch. Regardless of the high quality of the game, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts stopped the promising platforming series right in its bear tracks, as well as Rare doing anything other than working on Kinect-related projects for a sizable duration of time. Sure, Rare's back with Sea of Thieves, but Banjo isn't and that just sucks.

Klonoa (Wii)

As much as I hate to face it, sometimes quality means nothing if your game just isn't appealing to the market. Unfortunately, even with Namco Bandai's Klonoa releasing on a Nintendo platform with the Wii, where platformers were generally quite welcomed, this remake of the PS1's Door to Phantomile cratered hard sales-wise. Again, the quality was definitely there. You had one of Klonoa's best adventures remade for a new generation, but strange marketing, including the decision to possibly alter Klonoa's look to this ghastly creature, made for a less than stellar sales showing for the floppy-eared feline. There is good news, however. Since Klonoa's ten-year hiatus, rumors of a new game, possibly tying into the upcoming film adaptation, have sprung up. At least Klonoa will get a second chance in the spotlight after a decade off.

Dead Space (PS3, 360, PC) Review

If you recall, the following game was nominated for Best New Franchise and Game of the Year during my big, star-studded Best of 2008 awards. I still have my buzz from the afterparty! Read up on why Dead Space was nominated in this brand-new, fashionably late review.

A Dismember to Remember.

The PS1 was truly the golden age of the survival horror genre. You had big guns like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, but you also had littler known titles like Clock Tower. Now we’re not seeing as much horror in the survival horror genre. Resident Evil 4 and 5 turned the series into a more action-oriented affair while Silent Hill has suffered in quality. From EA, Dead Space is seeking to help revive the genre, at least on HD platforms. It’s decidedly pure survival-horror with gratuitous violence and bloodbaths for all. Will Dead Space give you thrills and chills, or is this new single-player game one that goes and blows?

An engineer, Isaac Clarke, is onboard a repair ship heading towards the U.S.S. Ishimura, a mining hull. After being bombarded with asteroids, Issac's ship makes impact onto the Ishimura. What was a routine repair mission is now a desperate fight for survival. The crew is dead, some form of alien force has inhabited the ship, and the hope for escape is all but lost. Each chapter of Dead Space showcases how the situation is becoming more and more hopeless. Cut-scenes are minimal throughout the game. The narrative is provided in-game while you have full control over Isaac giving the game a more scare-filled feeling. There are many moments where you will feel truly disturbed watching such as seeing a Necromorph tearing up a crew member with you forced to watch, seeing the crew members lose all rationale and start killing one another, and so forth for starters. The big mysteries of the game are where is Nicole, a possible wife or girlfriend of Isaac, and who are these creatures infecting the ship, and where did they come from?

The opening scene of Dead Space.

The core gameplay of Dead Space revolves around Isaac moving through the Ishimura, blasting away the necromorph threat infesting the ship. Dead Space plays like Resident Evil meets space (but not like Dino Crisis 3) only this time you can actually move while shooting. There are some attempts at changing things up, but they tend to fail such as an asteroid shooting mini-game around the fourth chapter. Like Resident Evil 5, item selection is done in real time which makes needing a med kit during a skirmish a very hectic and tense experience indeed. Ammo can be scarce in later difficulties (which there are four) bringing the amount of anxiety, as well as annoyance, to an all-time high.

Each of the game's twelve chapters take place in different parts of the Ishimura. That doesn't mean areas don't overlap and have you revisit familiar areas of the ship, but that is to say there's little to no backtracking involved. If you get lost in the dark, you can click down the left analog stick to have Isaac's RIG suit point the way you need to go leaving getting lost a worry for other games in the genre.

Routine repair, my foot.

Isaac's suit also allows him to enter zero gravity and vacuum sections. Zero gravity sounds just what it's like. Isaac and enemies alike can walk on walls, floors, and launch themselves across the room when in zero gravity. Vacuum rooms require Isaac to pass through them quickly as there's no oxygen in these areas. A time limit of how much oxygen Isaac has left will be displayed on his suit as will everything in the game such as his health and kinesis power. Kinesis power allows Isaac to slow down pursuing enemies to a crawl or slow down a malfunctioning door which would otherwise smash Isaac in two or three bloody pieces. It also allows Isaac to pick up or hold various objects and even some enemies' projectiles, giving him the ability to toss them back with a push of a button.

As you progress through the game, you find new schematics which unlock new items, weapons, ammo and upgrades for purchase in the shop. Each area has multiple shop machines where Isaac can buy and sell these goods with credits (Dead Space's currency) found throughout the ship's rooms-- some massive, some claustrophobic. There's several weapons for Isaac to use, the sniper rifle of the future, the pulse rifle, the limb-detaching plasma cutter, and the heat-inducing flamethrower to name a few. Each weapon has a second fire to double their usefulness, and each can be upgraded at bench stations using hidden power nodes. You can upgrade the power, accuracy, firing rate, and reload time of each weapon.

This wasn't in the operations manual.

What good are weapons if there's nothing to fire them on? Necromorphs are the cast of cretinous characters that prowl the Ishimura, and they can come in all shapes and sizes. Some are just truly terrifying and unrelenting, haunting players as they turn that corner only to be surprised by a sickle slash, cutting Isaac's head off like a knife to butter. Some are swift movers needing Isaac to be quick on his feet or else he’ll lose them (along with everything else), some can shoot projectiles from far away, and some have exploding sacs that when shot release an army of tiny creatures that when in a group are lethal. To avoid wasting ammo, you'll need to shoot strategically at the enemies' limbs to truly damage them. Each dismemberment damages them, and while they cower on the ground, Issac can give them one last curb stomp goodbye.

The heat is on with the flamethrower.

Dead Space is one of the most breath-taking games of this generation. The art design is fantastic as the Necromorphs really are unpleasant to look at (and listen to). You get a sense of dread visiting areas not knowing what's coming thanks to how suspenseful and terrifying the Ishimura is. Then again there's always the bloodthirsty creatures, too. A problem I see mostly with the game is that everything looks similar since for the most part, you're always on the Ishimura. Sound design is superb with the music crescendoing when an enemy pops up, or when things aren’t so crazy and you hear terrifying ambient sounds. Voice acting is terrific and performed in a believable manner. Case in point: the entire presentation package is spot-on.

A great stress release-- stomping on corpses.

Dead Space succeeds at borrowing the gameplay of Resident Evil 4, tidying it up a bit, and putting it into a brilliant stand-alone game. Survival-horror fans will love it, and those old enough to take on the ultra-violent action of the game will enjoy the game, too, despite a few flaws. Dead Space gets a huge approval from me– regardless of which of the three platforms you get it on.

[SuperPhillip Says: 9.25/10]