Net Ten: Downward Spiral: Game Series That Jumped the Shark (page 1) Subscribe to this RSS feed

"Jumping the shark" is used to describe the moment when a TV show sharply drops in quality. But who said we can't apply that principle to video games, too?

Here are several big-name game franchise that, for one reason or another, have ground to a screeching halt.

#10 Medal of Honor - [ PS2 ]

EA has the unfortunate habit of burning its own quality franchises to the ground under the weight of numbing repetition, and Medal of Honor is a prime example. The series was standout material in its earliest days, but starting with Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, the formula went stagnant. Gamers were tired of unpolished level design and idiotic soldier tactics, and instead opted for groundbreaking WWII shooters like Call of Duty and Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30. We're happy to report that the latest game, European Assault, is a cautious step in the right direction. But EA will need to be far more aggressive if Medal of Honor is ever to rejoin the top ranks.

Shark Jumping Moment: Medal of Honor: Rising Sun proved to be the first unfortunate casualty of EA's profit war. Much of the blame can be placed on EA's desire to release sequels with ruthless regularity, often as frequently as every 12 to 16 months. Medal of Honor suffered greatly under this approach, especially as UbiSoft and Activision moved in with characters, scenarios, and gameplay you could actually care about.

#10 Medal of Honor
69% average
critic
score

#9 Mega Man - [ PS2 ]

Who would have thought that a squat little blue hero could spawn so many crappy games? While the Mega Man franchise started off with a bang, with the first three titles in the series effectively nailing down the series' place in the annals of video game legend, what soon ensued could only be described as desperate. Carrying on the trademark system of naming boss characters after certain elements or items, such as Fire Man or Guts Man, Capcom soon ran out of names. And so, it started to scrape the bottom of the creative barrel. Then came the NT revolution, which took the Blue Bomber to the Internet, where he met up with an all-new cast of generically-named characters. What happened to the fat little blue hero that we all fell in love with? Not surprisingly, he got addicted to the Internet and the rest is history.

Shark Jumping Moment: After Mega Man 3, Capcom just couldn't keep up with the fact that they had effectively tapped out their stockpile of cool boss names. C'mon, Colored Man does not strike fear into my gaming heart. It makes me laugh, and that's a big part of the problem.

#9 Mega Man
83% average
critic
score

#8 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six - [ Xbox ]

The series' magic bullet: total team-based first-person shooting. Back when developer Redstorm was actually an independent publisher, the Rainbow Six games were not only progressive in this gameplay direction, but they were also reflective of real-world close-quarter combat. Over the years, however, Rainbow Six has been off target. Only recently does it seem like the games are getting recognized again, and not for its team-focused gameplay. Online domination has taken center stage, but is it enough to bring Rainbow Six back to the glory days of innovative team tactics in the first-person shooting genre?

Shark Jumping Moment: As soon as Rainbow Six 3 appeared on the Xbox did the lack of realism and true team-focused gameplay become most apparent. The series suddenly turned into a dumb-downed, linear shooting spasm that had no depth. This isn't real-world urban warfare anymore--it's an arcade shooter meant for the mainstream.

#8 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
86% average
critic
score

#7 Twisted Metal - [ PSP ]

Ugh, here's a bad one. Much loved by fans, the first two Twisted Metal games practically invented the car combat genre. But the magic was wearing thin by the third installment, which piled on disappointment after disappointment. The bouncy new physics system meant that the slightest breeze could flip over your car, while the newly-nerfed arsenal meant that rockets became about as damaging as spitballs. The result? Competitive matches that drug on for hours at a time, set to ear-splitting industrial noise (thank you, Rob Zombie). Twisted Metal: Black pulled the series out of the fire, but Twisted Metal 3 was the beginning of the end. If we ever see a PS3 follow-up, there are many lessons to be learned.

Shark Jumping Moment: Constant fiddling with the core gameplay infuriated diehard fans, while the car designs and themes grew weirder and weirder. Raw speed deserves some of the blame, too. As the later games became faster and faster, migraines became a serious driving hazard. Word to the wise: If you're going to delve into Twisted Metal: Black or Twisted Metal: Head-On, be sure to stock up on plenty of Advil.

#7 Twisted Metal
81% average
critic
score

#6 Tekken - [ PS2 ]

Tekken had a great run. Tekken 3, for instance, was as fantastic game and weighed in as one of the best-selling PlayStation titles of all time. But that spree headed south with Tekken 4, a dismal regurgitation that stripped out most of the characters (18 fighters versus the army of 34 from Tekken Tag) and in an obnoxious change of pace, encouraged players to pin their opponents against walls. Early 2005 saw the release of the dreadful Death by Degrees, an adventure spin-off that put buxom brawler Nina Williams in the spotlight...but the less said there, the better. Tekken 5 showed the King of the Iron Fist still has plenty of fight left in it, but it's hard to argue that the series hasn't lost some of its magic.

Shark Jumping Moment: It could be argued that Tekken Tag Tournament started the downward trend, but at least that game offered a refreshing team-based twists (as well as the infamous Tekken Bowling!). Tekken 4 added little and subtracted much to the dismay of series followers. It's been mostly downhill since then, with the notable exception of Tekken 5.

#6 Tekken
91% average
critic
score