- 10 minutes ago
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:06Welcome to Mojo Plays, and if this video sucks, screw it, I'm making a follow-up.
00:10These are 20 games that didn't deserve a sequel.
00:13Let's do it.
00:14Before we continue, we publish content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:19the bell to get notified of our latest videos.
00:22Red Dead Revolver
00:34A surprising number of people forget that Red Dead Redemption was not actually the first
00:38game in the series.
00:39Before Rockstar delivered one of the greatest open-world westerns ever made, or only open-world
00:44westerns ever made, there was Red Dead Revolver, a much smaller and stranger game that barely
00:49resembles what the franchise eventually became.
00:51While both titles share the dusty western setting and plenty of gunfights, the connection
00:55between them is pretty loose overall.
00:57Revolver feels more like an arcade shooter with exaggerated characters and quick missions
01:01rather than the massive emotional cowboy simulator fans know today.
01:04The biggest issue is that it never really captured the atmosphere or sense of immersion
01:08that later made the west feel so unforgettable in Red Dead Redemption.
01:12Honestly, most players finished Revolver, shrugged, and probably rode off into the sunset
01:15without thinking about it again for the next decade.
01:23Resident Evil 6
01:35At the time of its release, Resident Evil 6 felt like the point where the series had completely
01:40lost the plot.
01:40The game sold well, but critics and long-time fans were far less enthusiastic.
01:45Between the bloated campaign structure, endless explosions, and obsession with action over
01:49horror, many players thought the franchise desperately needed a reset rather than another sequel.
01:54In fact, the last thing most fans wanted to see was Resident Evil 7.
01:58Thankfully, Capcom ignored that sentiment and made it anyway.
02:01Instead of doubling down on the excesses of its predecessor, Resident Evil 7 completely reinvented
02:06the series with a smaller scale, first-person perspective, and a renewed focus on tension
02:10and survival horror.
02:11Looking back, Resident Evil 6 absolutely felt like a game that did not deserve a follower.
02:15Ironically, it was only because the sequel existed that the franchise managed to save itself
02:19and become stronger than ever.
02:20Who?
02:22Where did you find this guy?
02:24Give me a break, Pete.
02:25Army Men
02:26You've broken through the eastern line.
02:27Head across the bridge into town.
02:29Proceed to the tan munitions depot in sector B2 and await further orders.
02:33HQ out.
02:34The Army Men franchise is one of the strongest examples of a series surviving almost entirely
02:38on vibes.
02:39On paper, the idea is honestly fantastic.
02:41Tiny plastic soldiers waging war against giant kitchens, bedrooms, and backyards like somebody
02:45turned a child's toy box into a battlefield.
02:47The problem was that the games themselves often felt rushed and clunky and held together
02:52with chewing gum and blind optimism.
02:54Despite that, the series somehow multiplied at an alarming rate.
02:59Sequels, spinoffs, handheld versions, and random side stories started appearing so quickly
03:03that keeping track of them became its own military operation.
03:07A lot of the entries looked and played suspiciously similar too, almost like the developers kept photocopying
03:12the same game until the ink faded away completely.
03:14Still, there was something weirdly charming about blasting plastic soldiers apart next
03:18to oversized cereal boxes and bathroom sinks.
03:25The Surge
03:34When The Surge was first announced, plenty of players hoped it would become the futuristic
03:38version of Dark Souls, swapping medieval castles and dragons for industrial facilities and angry
03:44robots.
03:44What they got instead was a game that often felt repetitive, strangely paced, and determined
03:48to make every corridor look as grey as legally possible.
03:51The combat had its fans, but many players found the difficulty more irritating than rewarding,
03:55with enemies that tested patience more than skill.
03:58Despite the mixed reception, the game managed to do one thing really well, the limb targeting
04:02system.
04:03Being able to selectively chop off robotic arms and legs to steal equipment gave combat a unique
04:07identity that helped it stand apart from other Souls-like games.
04:10Apparently, the idea was strong enough to earn a second chance, because The Surge 2 arrived
04:14and improved on many of the original's biggest problems.
04:17Sometimes, all it takes is one genuinely cool mechanic to keep a series alive.
04:20Sometimes, all it takes is one genuinely cool mechanic to keep an eye on the other side.
04:26Attention of all prisoners.
04:29This facility is under attack.
04:31Hello, neighbour.
04:42Huh?
04:46Huh?
04:53If there was an award for turning internet hype into a long-running franchise, Hello Neighbour
04:58would have a trophy cabinet the size of its protagonist's bizarre house.
05:01Long before release, the game exploded online thanks to YouTubers and streamers, like myself,
05:06fascinated by its promise of a smart AI neighbour who would adapt to your tactics.
05:11Unfortunately, the finished product never quite lived up to the idea.
05:13Players, instead, found themselves wrestling with bugs, frustrating stealth sections and
05:17puzzles that often felt more confusing than clever.
05:20Reviews were rough, yet none of that seemed to matter.
05:24The game sold incredibly well, spawned books, spin-offs, and eventually led to Hello Neighbour
05:292.
05:29Somehow, despite the criticism, the franchise keeps growing.
05:32At this point, The Neighbour might be the least persistent thing in the entire series.
05:43Rise of the Robots
05:50Back in 1994, Rise of the Robots looked like the future.
05:53The screenshots were incredible for the time.
05:55The cyborg designs were genuinely cool, and the flashy pre-rendered visuals convinced plenty
05:59of kids that they were about to play the next great fighting game.
06:03Then, they actually picked up the controller.
06:05Beneath all the shiny graphics was a fighter, with painfully limited movesets, stiff controls,
06:10and gameplay depth roughly equivalent to a puddle after light rain.
06:14Even die-hard fans struggled to defend it.
06:16The strange thing is that despite the critical mauling and disappointing reception,
06:19somebody still decided a sequel was a good idea.
06:22Just 18 months later, which is not enough time for a good sequel,
06:26Rise 2 Resurrection arrived, and somehow failed to fix most of the original's problems.
06:31Color me shocked.
06:36Dead Island
06:45Is Dead Island a bad game?
06:47No, not necessarily, but few games have ever been sabotaged by their own marketing quite
06:54as badly as Dead Island.
06:55That famous reveal trailer painted a picture of a tragic emotional zombie story filled with
07:00heartbreak and human drama.
07:02Then the actual game arrived and said, what if instead you hit zombies with an electrified
07:05paddle for 20 hours?
07:06The disconnect was impossible to ignore, so please apologize while I rail on it for a little
07:11bit.
07:12There was fun to be found in smashing undead hordes and collecting ridiculous weapons.
07:16The game itself, unfortunately, was riddled with bugs and rough visuals and enough jank
07:20to qualify as its own gameplay mechanic.
07:22The story never came close to matching the tone of the legendary trailer, leaving many
07:27players feeling like they'd bought a completely different game.
07:29Somehow, the formula was entertaining enough to sell millions of copies, spawn spin-offs,
07:34DLCs, and eventually Dead Island 2, which miraculously emerged from development hell
07:39as a much more polished and confident sequel.
07:47Postal
07:52While Grand Theft Auto was busy shocking players with crime, violence, and controversy, Postal
07:57seemed determined to ask, what if we remove the brakes entirely?
08:01The entire game revolves around causing as much destruction as possible, with very little
08:05concern for subtlety, storytelling, or restraint.
08:08Unfortunately, controversy can only carry a game so far.
08:11Beneath all the headlines and outrage was an experience that many players found surprisingly
08:15dull.
08:16The controls felt clunky, the visuals were unimpressive even for the time, and the core
08:20gameplay quickly became repetitive.
08:22Causing mayhem sounds entertaining in theory, but when every objective boils down to mowing down
08:27endless crowds, the novelty wears off fast.
08:30Postal earned plenty of attention for how far it pushed the envelope, but being shocking and
08:34being fun, aren't always the same thing.
08:36Sometimes a train wreck is just a train wreck.
08:45Risen
08:46Given their freedom, humanity must fight for survival.
08:50Some cling to safety, others fight.
08:53It is a time where a man's choices define him.
08:57The original Risen arrived with plenty of ambition, positioning itself as a spiritual successor
09:01to the beloved Gothic series.
09:03Unfortunately, while it had flashes of charm, it also inherited many of the rough edges that
09:07made those games difficult for newcomers to love.
09:09Combat was clunky, animations were stiff, and the quest design often wandered dangerously
09:14close to frustration.
09:15There was a dedicated fanbase that appreciated its old-school RPG approach, but mainstream players
09:21largely saw it as another case of Eurojank striking again.
09:24Given the mixed reception, many assumed the franchise would quietly fade away after that
09:29single entry.
09:30Instead, it somehow earned not one, but two sequels.
09:33Risen 2 Dark Waters dramatically shifted toward a pirate theme, while Risen 3 Titan Lords doubled
09:38down on the formula.
09:39It was a surprising vote of confidence for a series that often felt like it was held together
09:43by equal parts passion, duct tape, and stubborn determination.
09:46If you even suspect you've any link to the Inquisition, they'll kill you.
09:50So I can't even trust our own people.
09:52They may have a connection to the pirates.
09:54There's no way of knowing.
10:04Knack
10:05When Knack launched alongside the PlayStation 4, Sony clearly hoped it would become one
10:10of the console's biggest family-friendly mascots.
10:12The next Crash Bandicoot.
10:14Turns out it was the next Car Crash Bandicoot.
10:16Stupid.
10:17On paper, the ingredients seemed promising.
10:19A colorful world, a likable hero who could grow into a giant monster made of relics, and
10:23enough action platforming to appeal to younger players.
10:26The problem was that actually playing it often felt like a chore.
10:30For many people, the combat boiled down to repeatedly punching the same enemies while
10:34moving through levels that rarely did anything fun or surprising.
10:37The core idea had plenty of potential, but the game never seemed willing to do much with
10:41it.
10:41As a result, a lot of players were baffled by the idea of a sequel being greenlit at all.
10:46It felt like Sony built a shiny new mascot, only to forget to give him an interesting adventure.
10:56Home Front
11:05The original Home Front managed to grab attention thanks to its alternate history setup, imagining
11:10an occupied United States fighting back against foreign forces.
11:13It was the kind of premise that practically sold itself.
11:16The problem was that once players got past the intriguing concept, they found a fairly
11:20ordinary shooter underneath.
11:21The campaign was over almost as soon as it started, the enemy AI often seemed confused
11:26by its own existence, and the multiplayer community faded away really, really quickly.
11:30Despite the lukewarm reception, the franchise somehow earned another shot with Home Front The
11:35Revolution.
11:35Instead of redeeming the series, the sequel launched in a spectacular state of disrepair.
11:41Bugs were everywhere, crashes were common, and performance could be so rough that firefights
11:46occasionally felt like they were happening in slow motion.
11:48It takes a special kind of franchise to turn a promising idea into two completely different
11:53varieties of disappointment.
12:01Cain and Lynch Dead Men
12:09On paper, Cain and Lynch sounded like a winner.
12:12A co-op crime shooter starring two deeply flawed criminals should have been the perfect recipe
12:16for chaotic fun, especially when playing with a friend.
12:19What players got instead was a third-person shooter that seemed far more interested in attitude
12:23than execution.
12:24Cain and Lynch was certainly memorable, but not always for the right reasons.
12:28Their constant hostility and abrasive personalities made it difficult to become invested in their
12:32journey, while the shooting itself felt clunky and unremarkable compared to its competition.
12:37Unlike some disappointing games that eventually found redemption through a stronger sequel,
12:41this series never really managed to turn things around.
12:44The concept had plenty of potential, but the final results felt like a great elevator pitch
12:48that forgot to include the great game part afterwards.
13:00Dragon Ball Z The Legacy of Goku
13:08For a lot of Dragon Ball fans, Dragon Ball Z The Legacy of Goku was exciting simply because
13:13it let them play through the story of the anime on their Game Boy Advance.
13:17Unfortunately, once the novelty wore off, there was not a whole lot beneath the surface.
13:21The game mostly consists of wandering from area to area, throwing some punches at some enemies,
13:25and repeating the process until the credits roll.
13:27Combat is incredibly basic, offering little variety or strategy, and progression often
13:32feels more like busy work than an epic Saiyan adventure.
13:35Even by handheld standards, at the time, it could feel surprisingly repetitive.
13:40The strange part is that despite its shortcomings, the game sold well enough to earn follow-ups.
13:43In fairness, those sequels improved dramatically, proving that sometimes a franchise just needs
13:47a few training arcs before it can finally unlock its true potential.
13:57Red Steel
14:02As a Wii-launched title, Red Steel had one very important job.
14:06Convincing people that waving a controller around like a lunatic was the future of gaming.
14:11Unfortunately, it did not exactly ace that assignment.
14:13The idea of combining first-person shooting with motion-controlled sword fights sounded incredible
14:18in trailers, but the reality was far less exciting.
14:20The controls often felt sluggish and imprecise, turning what should have been thrilling duels
14:25into awkward battles against both enemies and the Wii remote itself.
14:28Even setting that aside, the crime story and characters were about as memorable as a supermarket receipt.
14:34Despite the criticism, the game sold well enough thanks to the novelty of the Wii,
14:37and earned a sequel a few years later.
14:39Ironically, Red Steel 2 fixed many of the original's problems with improved motion plus support,
14:44and much smoother combat.
14:46By then, though, many players had already moved on, making it a rare case where the game got
14:50better, but ended up being less successful.
14:58Bubsy 3D
15:10Most failed mascots disappear quietly into gaming history.
15:15Bubsy, on the other hand, seems to possess the survival instincts of a horror movie villain.
15:19While the early games were serviceable enough as Sonic the Hedgehog imitators,
15:23Bubsy 3D was the kind of disaster that normally ends a franchise permanently.
15:27Released in the shadow of Super Mario 64, it featured really awkward controls and ugly
15:32environments, and voice acting so irritating it rivals me.
15:36For decades, Bubsy became less of a character and more of a punchline, yet somehow the series
15:41kept returning.
15:42A couple of spin-offs arrived in late 2010s, and then Atari stunned everyone by announcing
15:47Bubsy 4D.
15:48The reaction was largely confusion, mixed with disbelief.
15:52Strangely enough, early impressions have been surprisingly positive.
15:55After 30 years of being the underdog, Bubsy might finally have stumbled into a genuinely
16:00good game, by accident.
16:09Overwatch
16:10Overwatch 2 is a strange sequel, because the biggest question surrounding it was never whether
16:19it was bad, but whether it needed to exist at all.
16:23The original Overwatch was still hugely popular, packed with players, and offered some of the
16:27most enjoyable team-based multiplayer on the market.
16:29For many fans, a steady stream of updates would have been more than enough.
16:33Instead, Blizzard positioned a sequel as a major evolution of the formula, promising new
16:38features and ambitious PvE content.
16:40When much of that vision either changed or disappeared, players were left wondering what exactly justified
16:45the number 2 in the title.
16:47The gameplay itself remained fun, because it was fundamentally still Overwatch, but that
16:51was also kinda part of the problem.
16:53Rather than feeling like a bold new chapter, the sequel often came across as an update, wearing
16:57a sequel's name tag and hoping no one would notice.
17:06Two Worlds
17:15Few RPGs have earned the label of Eurojank quite as thoroughly as Two Worlds.
17:19Released in 2007, it quickly became famous for all the wrong reasons.
17:23The graphics looked rough, the menus felt like they were actively fighting the player, and
17:28the voice acting was so bizarre that it often sounded like the developers had grabbed whoever
17:32happened to be walking past the office that day.
17:34Despite all of that, there was an undeniable ambition to the project.
17:38Beneath the chaos was a massive fantasy RPG, trying really, really hard to compete with the
17:43genre's biggest names.
17:45Surprisingly, enough players bought into that ambition to justify a sequel.
17:49Two Worlds 2, for God's sakes, why don't they just call it Three Worlds, arrived a few
17:53years later and was noticeably more polished, featuring improved combat, stronger
17:57presentation, and actual professional voice actors.
18:00It still carried some of that lovable roughness, but this time the developer's reach was much
18:04closer to their grasp.
18:13Wrong place.
18:14State of Emergency
18:29Released during the massive success of Grand Theft Auto 3, State of Emergency looked like
18:34it was designed in a boardroom where somebody repeatedly shouted,
18:37people like chaos, until a game appeared.
18:39The premise was simple, throw players into enormous riots and let them smash punch and
18:43destroy absolutely everything around them.
18:45It sounded entertaining for about 10 minutes, which unfortunately is also how long it takes
18:49for you to realize that's all the game has to offer.
18:51Missions quickly blur together, the combat lags depth, and the entire experience feels like
18:55a single gameplay idea stretched far beyond its natural lifespan.
18:58Despite the lukewarm reception, a sequel somehow emerged.
19:02In a baffling twist, State of Emergency 2 abandoned the riot-focused gameplay for stealth mechanics
19:07instead, proving that if the first game suffered from an identity crisis, the second one simply
19:12misplaced its identity altogether.
19:19Grand Theft Auto
19:26Hear me out, please don't click off this video.
19:29This entry is different from the others, because I'm not here to say that the original GTA was bad.
19:33I'm here to say how on earth did that humble game become a franchise that has us literally salivating
19:40for every new entry.
19:41Looking back now, it is almost impossible to believe that the Grand Theft Auto franchise began
19:45with such a humble little game.
19:47Long before cinematic heists, sprawling open worlds, and unforgettable characters, the first
19:52two games were relatively simple, top-down action titles.
19:55Their controversial subject matter certainly grabbed attention, but the actual gameplay was
19:59much less revolutionary than the series would later become.
20:02Most of your time was spent stealing cars and causing trouble, attracting police attention,
20:07and then desperately trying to escape before getting caught.
20:10Fun?
20:10Sure.
20:11Groundbreaking?
20:12Not really.
20:12The original especially struggled to stand out from other action games of the era, beyond
20:17its mature themes and anything-goes attitude.
20:19Still, there was clearly something there.
20:22So, egg on my face, I guess.
20:23You're doing my best shot.
20:25Come on, we're having fun, right?
20:27You wouldn't know fun if it sat on your face.
20:29Ah, come on.
20:30Shaq-Fu
20:39Ending a list of bad games that somehow receive sequels almost has to involve Shaq-Fu.
20:44The original game has spent decades appearing on worst games ever lists, and for good reason.
20:50While the idea of a fighting game starring Shaquille O'Neal sounds entertaining, it also
20:54sounds f***ing stupid.
20:56The controls were sluggish, the movesets were incredibly limited, and the animations looked
21:01awkward even by mid-1990s standards.
21:04More than anything, the game gave off the impression that it started with the celebrity endorsement
21:08and only remembered to build the actual game afterwards.
21:10That should have been the end of the story, yet somehow, Shaq-Fu A Legend Reborn arrived
21:16more than two decades later.
21:18The sequel was certainly more self-aware and mechanically competent, but it still failed
21:22to convince many players that the world desperately needed more Shaq-Fu.
21:26Perhaps the greatest achievement of the sequel was reminding everyone that the first game
21:29existed at all.
21:38Did you enjoy this video?
21:39Check out these other clips from Mojo Plays and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
21:44to be notified of our latest videos.
21:47We'll see you next time.
21:47We'll see you next time.
21:48Bye-bye.
21:48Bye-bye.
21:48Bye-bye.
21:48Bye-bye.
21:49Bye-bye.
21:50Bye-bye.
Comments