5 Great Gaming Series With One Terrible Release

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We usually remember iconic video game series as a whole, not individual games. For example, when talking about Gears of War, most people don’t immediately think of a specific title. This allows us to overlook weaker installments and avoid judging an entire series based on one game that didn’t quite succeed.

Thankfully, even the best video game series usually only have a few weak installments among many excellent ones. But even the most popular franchises sometimes have games that just donā€™t measure up ā€“ they either fail badly or feel completely out of place. It’s always fascinating to figure out what went wrong with these games, why they stand out from the rest, or even why they’re so bad, and to see if they offer any value at all, even if it’s just a little.

5. Xenoblade Chronicles X

I’m a huge fan of the Xenoblade Chronicles series, and I consider the second game to be one of the best on the Nintendo Switch. That’s why I was excited about Xenoblade Chronicles X. However, XBCX is quite different from the other games. It doesn’t have the same emotional story, high stakes, or strong main character that make the series so beloved. If you’re looking for those things, you won’t find them here.

Look, I really wanted to love Xenoblade Chronicles X. It’s not a bad game, honestly, but it’s justā€¦so much. It feels like it borrowed a lot from online MMOs, which meant tons of repetitive tasks just to progress. The Definitive Edition on Switch definitely smoothed out a lot of the rough edges from the Wii U version, but it still feels a bit dated. If it hadn’t been labeled a Xenoblade game, I think people would be a lot more forgiving of its story, quests, characters, and even the music. But because it is a Xenoblade Chronicles title ā€“ and now it’s officially part of the story with XBC3 ā€“ it unfortunately sticks out as a weak spot in what is otherwise a fantastic series, at least to me.

4. PokƩmon Scarlet And Violet

It’s hard to add anything new to the conversation about how disappointing PokĆ©mon Scarlet and Violet were. From the start, the games were plagued with technical problems, including frustrating bugs and poor performance. Beyond that, they presented a dull and uncreative take on an open-world PokĆ©mon game. This first attempt at a truly open world felt mishandled, the battle system became overly simplistic and easy, and the story was ultimately forgettable.

PokƩmon Scarlet and Violet are unfortunately the weakest entries in the entire PokƩmon series. Beyond the noticeable technical issues and uninspired storyline, the game suffers from a bland region, a step back from the innovative catching mechanics of PokƩmon Legends: Arceus, and a general lack of visual flair, effectively diminishing what little artistic identity the series had left. Ultimately, the biggest problem with Scarlet and Violet is their wasted potential. If the game had focused on making players care about the legendary PokƩmon, built upon the promising elements of its ending, or created an open world as vibrant as those found in the older Game Boy Advance titles, its technical flaws might have been overlooked. Sadly, PokƩmon Scarlet and Violet will likely be remembered as a low point for the franchise.

3. Fallout 76

Fallout 76 has improved significantly since its rocky start, and that deserves recognition. The game initially struggled with poor decisions driven by corporate interests, most notably the long delay in adding non-player characters. Even today, the game feels disjointed, with the remnants of its original, uninspired story clashing with the many fixes and additions made over time.

Fallout 76 sometimes feels like a Fallout game, but it largely falls short of what fans hoped for in a multiplayer version of the series. Even when it’s at its best, the game struggles. I have some fond memories of exploring the world with my sibling before any updates were released, but those are overshadowed by frustrating experiences like losing all my progress, a terrible initial tutorial, constant bugs, repetitive quests, an inconsistent game world, and aggressive attempts to get players to spend money. Ultimately, Fallout 76 isn’t a good game and has unfortunately damaged the reputation of the Fallout series.

2. Sonic: The Hedgehog (2006)

It was hard to choose just one Sonic game for this list, but thatā€™s a testament to how consistently great the Sonic the Hedgehog series has been overall. While there have been a few missteps, Sonic has largely lived up to expectations. However, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) was so remarkably bad that itā€™s amazing the series recovered. This infamous game on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 was so poorly received that SEGA removed it from sale just a few years after it launched, seemingly trying to erase it from history.

Considering the gameā€™s development was cut short due to funding issues and a smaller team, it perhaps deserves some understanding. However, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) was a frustrating experience ā€“ full of glitches, inconsistencies, and strange design choices, and it just wasn’t fun to play, especially compared to previous Sonic games. While it was good that the series tried something new with 3D graphics, Sonic 2006 left a bad taste in everyoneā€™s mouth, including mine. And thatā€™s saying something, considering I even enjoy Left Alive, a notoriously bad game, and I tried to power through Sonic 2006 at a time when Iā€™d play almost anything. If even an eight-year-old me couldnā€™t get into it, I canā€™t imagine anyone else could.

1. Halo 5: Guardians

It’s surprisingly difficult to explain exactly what makes Halo 5: Guardians so disappointing, especially since it’s my job to do just that. However, I’ll try my best, because the game is full of baffling choices that make me wonder how it was even approved. One of the biggest issues is the way the main character was sidelined in favor of a new one. Instead of slowly introducing Locke and his team and making them feel like a natural part of the series, the game just abruptly shifted focus, which doesn’t make sense.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the removal of split-screen co-op, a problem that continues to hurt the series. The story in Guardians is confusing and makes little sense, constantly introducing and killing off characters while treating them as if we should already know and care about them. It’s a shame, because despite its issues, Halo 4 had some promising ideas that could have been explored further if the developers had been more interested. Guardians is easily the worst Halo game ever made, and might even be one of the worst games on Xbox. Itā€™s hard to believe anyone would put it in the same league as Reach, Halo 3, or ODST; thereā€™s so little worthwhile content that deleting it wouldn’t be a loss.

What TV or comic book series do you think have some really bad installments? Share your thoughts in the ComicBook Forum and let’s discuss!

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2026-03-12 01:11