Top 10 Sequels RUINED By GREED

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Top 10 Sequels Ruined by Greed

Another name for this list could have been Top 10 Ways to Kill a Franchise. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today, we'll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Sequels Ruined by Greed.

For this list, we're looking at video game sequels that have been notorious for nickel-and-dime-ing gamers, whether it be through a pay-to-win system, crappy microtransactions, or something else that's equally scummy and shallow.

#10: “Tetris” (2006)

EA, how do you manage to screw up Tetris? This updated mobile version of the timeless classic didn't get the gameplay wrong; it was its lousy business model. Would you pay for a thirty-dollar subscription service? For TETRIS? If thirty dollars is chump change to you, then you get exclusive offers on microtransactions! Everyone loves microtransactions, right? Ready for the real kicker here? The version you can get now wasn't even the original release. EA removed the original, which had more game modes, and replaced it with this money-hungry version. No, this wasn't update. They actually pulled the game from stores and rereleased it. All this...for TETRIS!

#9: “SimCity” (2013)

Oh, look, another EA game, complete with an orchestra of long loading times, a bad DRM policy, and a demand for users to constantly have an internet connection, even in offline modes. EA, what was so hard about making a city-building simulator? Well, according to them, it would take a long time to engineer the game into having an offline mode! Players quickly debunked this lie when they found a single line of code could be deleted to make the game completely playable offline. You wanna run that lie by us again, EA?

#8: “Dead Space 3” (2013)

Do you sometimes wish you can fork over extra cash so you can see the game's ending? Neither do we! So it’s a bit of a headscratcher that EA decided to load up the game in DLC packs that allow you to bypass almost any and all obstacles with upgraded gear. Its that overpowered. Plus, if you wanted to see the true ending of the game, you better be prepared to cough up an extra ten dollars. What a way to kill a franchise.

#7: “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” (2015)

No, we're not saying Hideo Kojima snuck microtransactions into a game. Pitchforks down! Konami put microtransactions in, and this was sometime after launch. Not only was the “Forward Operating Bases” feature locked behind a paywall, but Konami also sold what is called “base insurance”. Got a favorite staff member you don't want other players stealing? Konami will recover what was stolen...for a fee! Do you save 15% or more? We doubt it. Your best option is to just not play this mode at all.

#6: “Microsoft Solitare Collection” (2012)

Solitaire has been a staple of Microsoft's computers since the companies first product. While not every computer has the likes of “Space Pinball 3D” or “Minesweeper”, we could always count on “Solitaire” for a good time if our Internet was out. For some reason, Microsoft wants to cash in on the game. Really? After two decades? “Microsoft Solitaire Collection” relies on a “freemium adware” model, because yes, we love being advertised to while we're just trying to play some cards. Selling computers, apparently, just isn't enough.

#5: “Plants vs. Zombies 2” (2013)

How do you manage to decimate the sequel to an award-winning mobile game? Put up a paywall, of course! And EA managed to take that wall and build it ten feet higher. As you progress, you'll find the difficulty spiking so high that you'll be resorting to spending money on “Plant Food” just to power through. That is, if you have enough World Keys to unlock the next set of levels. Did we mention these can also be purchased? Yes, not only do power ups come with a price tag, but progression does, too, because money.

#4: “Deus Ex: Mankind Divided” (2015)

Pre-ordering a game has its pros and cons; you can pay portions of it off however much you like, whenever you like. But, when a game starts showing reliance on those sales, things get icky real quick. When Square Enix launched the “Augment Your Pre-order” campaign, gamers lashed back...hard, so hard that Square cancelled the entire event. It came across as a bad Kickstarter campaign with no rewards to make it worthwhile. Ooh, a new outfit for Jensen and a few days of early access! Just get the damn game out, guys. Pre-orders can be cancelled in a heartbeat, you know.

#3: “The Sims 4” (2014)

Don't let those smiling, charming faces fool you. “The Sims 4” is just as money-grubbing as the rest of the other games we've seen so far. I mean, how do you have so much DLC that there are playlists for all the trailers and charts on what each content pack comes with? Are you kidding me?! For those of us who didn't fork over the extra cash, it's like we're missing 75% of our game. Not only did you charge a full sixty dollars at launch, but you're charging another fifty or sixty dollars for PS4 and Xbox One users. REALLY?? For a game that came out over three years ago? Come on, EA!

#2: “Dungeon Keeper Mobile” (2014)

How shady and vile do you have to be to shell out a mobile game that forces players to spend money on wait times -- excuse me, “cooldowns”? There are plenty of games that do this already, not that this makes them come off as less greedy. However, this was (and still is) the worst of the bunch. I have to wait days just to build a new section of my dungeon? Its microtransactions at its worst, and “Dungeon Keeper Mobile” single handedly ruined what was a solid franchise with a good reputation. Nice going, EA…

#1: “Star Wars Battlefront II” (2017)

What seemed like the best Star Wars game in a long time quickly became one of the worst in the franchise. Even though a good portion of the game was solid, the game was tainted by the presence of loot boxes, a pay-to-win progression system, and a half-assed single player campaign. Players were so outraged that it led to a massive boycott, causing the game’s sales reach only around 800,000 within the first month. Microtransactions and pay-to-win systems would later plague EA’s other franchises such as Need for Speed and FIFA. And with a whopping seven out of ten entries, Electronic Arts dominates this list. What. A. Shame.