People are jut using this thread as an excuse to bash. Calling out games that have had less than 4 titles is absurd, as those series still have potential. I mean really, Halo? ALL 3 games have been AAA. Not just here but on GR as well. Oh and Anshul saying Gears of War needs to die? Only 2 installments and it's being lumped with the likes of Sonic and Dynasty Warriors? Way to demonstrate your fanboy there. Same would go for MGS series.
Just because you don't like a successful series (mainly for being on the console you don't have) is NOT a justifiable reason to say it should die.
As for my death list;
Dynasty Warriors - too many titles that are all pretty much the same repetetive gameplay. If you played one, you played them all.
Sonic - just a series that has continued to go downhill, which is sad for one of the 16bit icons. Maybe if they stuck to 2D gameplay (with polished 3D graphics).
Tony Hawk - just like DW, too many of the same thing.
Gundam - bad gameplay compounded by even worse story, music, and voicing
Madden - a series that comes out each and every year, mainly just to update the roster. sure there are some new tweaks and features that come out here and there, but hardly enough to justify the annual releases.
And TC... you just leave Tomb Raider alone now!!! :P :P
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I know some people think it just went into decline after the first two games, and that isn't much in dispute. But that stopped when Crystal Dynamics took over and reinvigorated the franchise. With Legend, they took it back to its roots with what made the 1st games so great, and improved upon it. Even despite the still persistent camera issues, the gameplay is solid and enjoyable. They even polished the game with more fleshed out story telling.
Some people will still insist that it's got nothing more going for it beyond the "big boobed babe". But really, Tomb Raider is a different flavor of gaming experience. It places much more emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving than action. This is what I would categorize as a game that gives the player a sense of wonder and discovery. It really places you in some fantastically exotic locations and creates authenticity of actual perished civilazations (Mayan, Aztec, Norse, etc...) where the ruins and tombs feel like realistic representations of those ancient peoples. TR is a series that doesn't just explore the ruins themselves, but of ancient mythologies as well (Camelot in Legends, and Norse in Underworld) with it's own renditions of the reality behind the theologies.
Granted with all that I said, some people might not be into this sort of thing. I can say the mythological exploration aspect is what I really LOVE about Tomb raider, as well as the environmental puzzle solving. Sure you can say PoP does the latter as well, but Lara was doing it first :) I remember how in the 1st game people complained about the lack of action, where animals and enemy hunters showed up only occasionally. But that didn't bother me. I was so wrapped up in the exploration and awe of scale of the environments. All I wanted to do was figure out how to get the that portal on the far side of the massive catacombs, employing all the repertoire of Lara's moves (shimmying, climbing, chimney jumping, swinging on ropes and poles, wall flipping, etc....). I was glad not to have to fight so many creatures, that I felt would just get in the way of my enjoyment of exploration and discovery. But maybe that's just me :)
I don't care what GS or GR says, Underworld is by far the better game than Legend, and has surpassed all the game before, to be the best of the series. It incorporated all the best elements of exploring ancient ruins, mythologies, puzzle solving, acrobatic maneuvering, authentic cultural architecture... all combined for that vintage gaming experience of wonder and discovery.
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Damn, this post ended up longer than I thought it would :oops:
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