Given the long history of gaming, it's only a given that several franchises have come up that utilize most of its established tropes and mechanics to give their fans a steady stream of immersive and enjoyable gameplay. However, there are times when these long-running franchises do end up stumbling on their way to success and release a few duds as well.
It's genuinely surprising to see how many great franchises have been tainted with their fair share of terrible entries that most people would just prefer to forget entirely. Thankfully, regardless of how many bad games might come out in these long-running series, there's no denying that the allure of these iconic names will still remain for quite some time.
8 Sonic The Hedgehog
There was a time when Sonic the Hedgehog is as high regard as Mario. However, hard times have befallen upon this beloved SEGA mascot, with Mario skyrocketing upwards in quality with each successive entry while Sonic followed more of a wayward path with several ups-and-downs.
There's no denying that the classic Sonic games and some of the modern 3D iterations have been a ton of fun to play in their own right. However, other abominations have also been released that Sonic fans would prefer to forget entirely.
7 Resident Evil
Recently, the Resident Evil series has been on an upward trajectory with its string of new and remade titles in the franchise. However, there was a time when this name was just slapped on every mediocre game and rushed out to dupe as many fans as possible into believing that these games were class.
Fans of Resident Evil are thankful that Capcom has treated this franchise with the respect it deserves in recent times. The low times of the franchise are better forgotten by many, who can't believe the sheer number of absurd and downright broken titles that have been released in this series.
6 Final Fantasy
There was a time when Final Fantasy was hailed as the golden standard of JRPGs, with each mainline numbered entry being something to eagerly await and covet. It helped that the franchise's spinoffs also used to be pretty great in their own right.
However, ever since the Enix merger, the quality of the franchise has been pretty wayward. That being said, the best MMORPG around right now is a Final Fantasy game, so it would be highly short-sighted to see that the franchise isn't at its amazing heights anymore.
5 Call Of Duty
It seems that the internet will forever have mixed feelings when it comes to quality. Many people believe that the games are completely devoid of creativity and only push the same game with a fresh coat of paint... only for Call of Duty to quickly shoot up the ranks as one of the most popular multiplayer FPS titles around.
That being said, there are times when Call of Duty has released entries with half-baked campaigns, predictable stories, and paper-thin characters that deserve the criticism. However, for every Ghosts, there's an Infinite Warfare that actually puts a ton of effort into their campaign... despite being lambasted by the internet all the way till release.
4 Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed is another series that was absolutely beloved during its high period before turning into another shameless cash cow. It's a shame that the lack of sales was what prompted Ubisoft to change the formula of the series, not realizing that Syndicate had some good ideas despite its by-the-numbers gameplay.
The latest string of Assassin's Creed titles still feels like the same game with different settings being recycled over and over again. The truly great games in the series are in a class of their own... but most other titles feel like a chore to play at times.
3 Pokémon
Pokémon was bound to make this list at some point. After all, there's no other popular franchise around that has received as much criticism and backlash as Pokémon has during the current gaming generation.
The lazy work that was apparent in Sword & Shield might've reduced a bit in Arceus, but there are still many areas where GameFreak is just behind the times. Perhaps the release of Scarlet & Violet might change this perception... although that's an answer only time can give.
2 Need For Speed
Need for Speed is a franchise that has seen many bumps during its run in the industry. The latest reboot has been a pretty great idea, but it's just poetic that the games have still seen many drops in quality.
Need for Speed Payback almost feels like a mistake, but Heat is a step in a good direction. However, fans still have no faith in the next entry in the series, which could either be a smashing hit or a complete mistake.
1 Fallout
Fallout was a beloved CRPG series that turned into an open-world action-adventure shortly after Bethesda's acquisition. The franchise has seen a pretty rocky time since then.
Fallout 3 was a promising title despite its narrative flaws, and New Vegas still stands strong as one of the greatest games of all time despite its rocky launch. However, Fallout 4 and 76 have seen a mixed reception of sorts — the former was criticized for its poor writing, while the latter was absolutely bashed across the board for being a soulless MMO that was completely broken upon launch, further exacerbated by Bethesda's poor handling of this situation.