Game & Movie Sequels That Just Never Should Have Been Made

[pikaporeon]

Ew who said FF9 - That was the best game in the series
[7 was just an angsty episode of Captain Planet with swords and prettyboys]


Monkey Island 4 had a terrible interface and that soured it to me.

Airplane 2 just came out and screamed BAM! BAD MOVIE

[Solarkid]

Home Alone 3- everything about it just sucked! I don't think I even need to explain or justify this one. Home Alone 1 & 2 were my favorite Christmas movies as a child, and I guess still are. But the third movie just plain should NOT have been made.

Yeah i totally agree, also, casting it with Micheal Jackson as the bad guy was a BIG mistake


Dave

[FamousAdventurer77]

Ha at least the Mad TV sketch with MJ as the bad guy was entertaining. Home Alone 3 was just another defribrillated (Sp?) 90's movie franchise they should've let die. Like they need to stop trying to pump life into the whole American Pie franchise.

The first 3 movies = mark of a generation for all the kids who went to/graduated from high school right at the turn of the century. For me it felt especially appropriate as American Wedding came out right when I was graduating. A great end to a great triology, and I felt it was slightly iconic signifying an end of a few personal eras.

The subsequent crappy straight-to-DVD releases= just stop em! They're bad overdone tangents chock full of shoddy references.


Seriously, look at all these really bad sequels out there. Not only was it probably for the better than there wasn't a Full Throttle 2, it's also probably a good thing there wasn't a Ghostbusters 3. It probably would've been a butchered CGI-loaded piece of crap.

[Senor Matt]

I thought Airplane 2 two was just as funny as the first one, if not funnier, and I don't see why anyone who liked the first one wouldn't like the second, they're practically the same movie. And I also don't know why everyone is so down on Monkey Island 4, I thought that was just as good as the others as well.

[malekdarshin]

I guess I'll have to float on this tide and say my peace.

I liked Rocky Balboa. It had an interesting concept that heroes just don't disapear with the sunset. Did the Hero's story end with QFG5?

I don't really concider Mask of Eternity to be a sequal to KQ7. It's like taking Al Emmo and making the game Al Emmo Vs. the Space Aliens, and making it a first person shooter. Al Emmo 2 might make mention of it, or not. With MOE it should be concidered part of the KQ story line, but it's in its own series. KQ8 (if it ever happens) should make mention of it, but not let it take it's place in the KQ line. I liked MOE by the way.

As far as a sequal that should never have been made: Actraiser 2.

[FamousAdventurer77]

I remember reading in an interview with Roberta Williams that she took on a total and absolute company-first stance when it was obvious the golden age of adventure gaming would soon come to a screeching halt.


Her whole gist was that Mask of Eternity sold big to appeal to a different gaming market while it pissed off all the hardcore fans like us.


I think that a compromise just should've been made... for instance, LucasArts published that they were going to cancel Full Throttle 2, and yeah, it was a disheartening disappointment. But at least all I knew was the greatness of the original game.


I feel the same way about King's Quest...the compromise should've been that Mask of Eternity was a stand-alone game she designed, for that whole different gaming demographic she wanted to appeal to in best interest of the company. Then published a statement that there wouldn't be a King's Quest 8. I mean come on. I think that would've satiated everyone.


Because yeah, dropping all our bias about Sierra and KQ and whatnot? Mask of Eternity really isn't that bad of a game in general. Finding lost of pieces of something is more of a video game concept than an adventure game concept and sometimes can be fun. In fact, I think that compared to other games in the first and third person fighting/RPG genres it had a fairly nice feel to to it. Thus, I probably wouldn't be saying such awful things about it if it were a stand-alone game that I knew had nothing to do with my favorite childhood adventure series.


But the fact that it had to be labeled as a King's Quest game...well, there's a lot of our wasted childhoods/preteen years summed up right there. You get all excited about this game wondering what would possibly be next... I mean, Graham's retired. Rosella and Alexander married off and left Daventry to be with their spouses. but at least they each got 2 games to be the main star in...would it mean Valanice goes on another adventure? Maybe a playable character change game similar to Day of the Tentacle and Two of a Kind, only involving all or part of the royal family (and possibly tying two plotlines together with the Black Cloak Society and Lolotte? Such as they plotted for something much larger than just wanting to take over their respective lands?)


No...it's a tanner who has nothing to do with the royal family aside from just living in the same realm. Who runs around killing things called "spriggins" and eats mushrooms for health points, ripped right off from Mario Bros.


It's more the fact that it bore the name "King's Quest" that makes it bad. If it was just called Mask of Eternity, or anything else other than that, then I probably wouldn't be so harsh towards it.

[Senor Matt]

I don't know Famous, I agree that I probably would not have hated MOE as much had they gone with your suggestion and said that the game, while set in Daventry, was not a King's quest game. That probably would have gone far in sedating the anger of the more loyal fans. But even if it had had no connection with Kings Quest whatsoever, MOE is still a pretty crappy game that likely would have been long forgotten by now had it not been attached to the king's quest series.

[seraphimdreamer777]

I'd have to say I agree especially Terminator 3 I think that it Should of had a better ending or at least I don't know I just like happy endings and Home Alone 3 would have been O.K. if not for trying to pass it off as Home Alone so I have to disagree if it had a different title instead of rehashing the name Home Alone it may have been a little better but I think it was alright.4 Though was probably the idea of some guy living in a sewer that saw a piece of crap float by and decided to make a movie about it and called it Home Alone 4.

Edit:Please no laughing Land Before Time 3 and all the ones after it the first two were good but it got old fast and then they tried to make a series to boot and why did they give Chomper a lame voice in 5 he was the coolest one and they gave him a crappy voice at least they didn't make Spike talk but one time in 4 and even that was a mistake cause his voice sounded like a fart gone bad. And on the same note An American Tail 3 never saw it never will.

[FamousAdventurer77]

Hey I loved the Land Before Time movies when I was a kid...though I only saw the first 2...but I remember there were a whole bunch of sequels that I never saw. It's no surprise they sucked! Kids' movies are also subject to increasing crappiness in sequels...

Although I have mixed views about the quality of today's cartoons and animated movies. I still prefer traditional cel animation from the 80's and 90's but at least computer-aided cartoon design is still aesthetically pleasing...unless it's 3D! 3D is bad enough in games. Although CGI taking the place of real special effects in most live-action movies is worse. CGI is just lame.

[Muadeeb]

My biggest problem with T3 was its message completly contradicted what T2 said.

T2: You can change your future
T3: You're screwed.

[FamousAdventurer77]

Remember that movie Cruel Intentions?
I had no idea there was a Cruel Intentions 2 until I was bored at 3 AM looking random crap on Wikipedia....

Does it belong on this list?!

Also, some people may or may not realize this but before the TV series "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", there was an actual movie with the same title that had a similar premise yet was completely different. I remember liking the movie and not caring for the TV series, and totally didn't get why all these girls my age at the time loved it and looked at me like I was an idiot when I talked about the movie.

Edit: It may not be a crappy sequel per se, and heh I'll probably get flamed for bringing it up since I remember being acquainted with so many hardcore Buffy fans back then, but it's just a continuation of the same franchise that was SO weakened.

[Senor Matt]

Yeah, I'm going to have to definitely disagree with you on that one Famous. Both the movie and the series were made by the same guy, Joss Whedon, but according to him, the studio messed with his movie and it ended up being almost nothing like what he wanted. The series, which in my opinion was infinitely better, was completely his creative product.

[FamousAdventurer77]

True...look at how some movie directors end up butchering something great! But I liked the original movie better. Maybe it's just because I find Sarah Michelle Gellar annoying, and never got most people around me at the time. ^_^

[Maxor127]

About Monkey Island 4, I liked it. I agree, I didn't like the interface and controls but it was still a good game, except for maybe the annoying Monkey Kombat section but that section was also kind of good in that it made you break out a piece of paper and use your brain instead of making things too easy. But the interface is basically the same as Grim Fandango and the other LucasArts 3D games of the time. I didn't like the interface and controls in that either, but it was still a good game.

[Anonymous Game Creator 2]

My biggest problem with T3 was its message completly contradicted what T2 said.

T2: You can change your future
T3: You're screwed.

I thought that was what bothered me too when I first saw it, but realistically, the war against man and machines/Skynet HAS to occur, otherwise the cyborgs will never be sent back in time to assassinate/protect the future resistance leader and the events off all Terminator movies would cease to exist.

True, the idea that the war was inevitable in T3 is a little disheartening compared to the message of T2, but it's the only way they could go on to make a T4! I guess with T3, they really couldn't do much with Arnie's character that hadn't already been done in the previous two films. He'd already been the bad guy, he'd already been the good guy, and now he was just a good guy again. What made it feel 'set apart' for me was the fact that him and Dr Silberman (who voices LeChuck in MI, I might add) were really the only recurring characters who used the same actors from previous films and also there was something about the first two movies where the Terminator targeted more vulnerable characters (a woman and a teenager) that was lacking here. The pacing of T3 wasn't very well done either. I'd say that the story begins and ends exactly how it should, but the filler material leaves you feeling apathetic toward the characters and wanting more.

And yeah, I heard the thing about Eddie Furlong having drug-related issues at the time. Though, even his involvement wouldn't have made T3 a great film (kind of like Disney getting Robin Williams back to re-voice the Genie in Aladdin and the King of Thieves - it still had nothing on the original Aladdin.)

As for Rocky Balboa, I DO like the message and I must admit Stallone has a very impressive ability to shelve both his Rocky and Rambo characters for close to 20 years and then bring them back out again, portraying them flawlessly once more. His acting and portrayal of the characters was certainly the highlight of both films. I liked John Rambo a lot more than I liked Rocky Balboa, but even John Rambo changed a lot of the format from the original Rambo trilogy (well, the last 2 Rambo films, at least) - becoming more realistic in style, rather than having that classic 80's action-movie charm. Overall, John Rambo was a more satisfying conclusion than Balboa, although the ending still did seem rushed.

What bothered me with Rocky Balboa is this: I was always big fan of previous Rocky films and there has never been a Rocky sequel that I've watched and felt a jarring feeling like, "Uh oh, this doesn't feel right." ... until Rocky Balboa. I think the message that the sixth film portrays was also portrayed well enough in Rocky V, but my issue with the film isn't that or Rocky's age.

I know that Stallone tried to make this film closer in style to the original Rocky, and many people think he succeeded. In a way, I guess perhaps he did, but something about the film seems like it tries too hard to make references to the original, and I think it ends up over-focusing on unimportant little details from the 30-year-old film, rather than fresh plot aspects. The old, nostalgic references needed to be kept in check, because the balance is all messed up. For example, including Little Marie as a nod to Rocky I -- sure, it was a nice touch, but she has WAY too big a part and her son "Steps" has an equally big part which is pointless. Rocky doesn't hook up with her, and her involvement seems like a big waste of sceen-time. I truly believe she would have made a better cameo and most fans would have been just as satisfied with that.

Secondly, Adrian's death -- BIG mistake. This was the largest problem I had with the film. The "death as a plot device" thing is so overused in film these days that I'm rather desensitized to it, unless it's done really well. In Rocky Balboa, they just opted to kill Adrian off somewhere between Rocky V and this film; and that was quite unsatisfying. More so, than if she had actually made an appearance in Rocky Balboa and died early on in the film. But I really don't think they should have killed her off at all. It surrounded the entire film in a depressing tone, which kills the joy of the previous films and ends the franchise in a tone that it will now probably be remembered for. Plus, the music was sparse and I cringed every time I heard those violins and strings start playing the 'Rocky' theme music whenever he reminisced over Adrian. I can see the 'emotion's Stallone was trying to evoke in viewers, but the execution and tacky violin music made it turn out to be trite. Apollo Creed's death in Rocky IV, now THAT was well-done and made you really root for Rocky and understand his motives to want to win the fight.

Sylvester Stallone is a surprisingly good writer, but I think his later films are heavily influenced by fan pressure and input, whereas his previous writing was probably done in a more relaxed style. Thus, in his later film scripts, he often seems to end up straying from his usual writing style in an attempt to appease the majority.

Oh, and another one to add to the list... Although it's not a film sequel, but rather a game to film cross-over. Most of those are notoriously bad anyway. But I think the Doom movie should be in this catergory. For the amount of time this movie was in 'development hell' it raised such high expectations, but turned out bland and average for such a highly anticipated title. Not only that, but they COMPLETELY changed the story from the game. Instead of Demons from Hell invading the moons of Mars and ultimately Earth, the enemies were rewritten as mutated super-humans with an extra chromosome? WTF? These Hollywood writers can really mess with a good thing sometimes. Anyway, this is just another example of a movie that could have been great if the producers didn't try to fix something that wasn't broke.

[Dragonfang]

Oh, and another one to add to the list... Although it's not a film sequel, but rather a game to film cross-over. Most of those are notoriously bad anyway. But I think the Doom movie should be in this catergory. For the amount of time this movie was in 'development hell' it raised such high expectations, but turned out bland and average for such a highly anticipated title. Not only that, but they COMPLETELY changed the story from the game. Instead of Demons from Hell invading the moons of Mars and ultimately Earth, the enemies were rewritten as mutated super-humans with an extra chromosome? WTF? These Hollywood writers can really mess with a good thing sometimes. Anyway, this is just another example of a movie that could have been great if the producers didn't try to fix something that wasn't broke.

I was actually surprised that ID Software agreed with the changes. It's their IP after all.

[Schloss Ritter]

Sometimes, once Hollywood gets their claws into a franchise, they end up making changes with or without the original authors' approval, allegedly for stories needing to be told differently in another medium in order to remain "interesting".

Take, for example, the butchering they did to Anne Rice's Vampire novels. "Interview..." had a few tweaks but nothing really unforgivable. But then they went to do the sequel and totally skipped the second novel for supposedly being too long and boring to work on film. Instead, they pulled bits and pieces out and crammed it into the story of the third novel and created the bastardized "Queen of the Damned", a travesty only overshadowed by the death of the actress in the title role soon after the film was finished.

[FamousAdventurer77]

Think about it...which video game to movie crossovers actually ended up being good?

Remember being all hyped up about the Mario Bros movie? Now there's our wasted childhoods right there! It didn't even have the sentimental quality of The Wizard (basically a giant Nintendo commercial and a total mess but still takes you back to simpler times). It was more than a total disappointment...

But I do remember the cartoons being awesome. Super Mario Super Show and they even had another series expressly for Super Mario 3? I loved those! I have the DVDs of those cartoons. So I guess the formula works like this....cartoon series based on video games = great, feature-length films based on the same video games = total crap.

[seraphimdreamer777]

Well Super Mario Brothers wasn't all bad a lot of people that I know thought it was fun to watch but I do agree there was a disappointment with it being about evolved dinosaurs not mushroom people they took the magic out totally. Thank you Yoshi! but not all cartoon series are good though if anyone ever saw F Zero GP Legend it took the spotlight away from Captain Falcon and gave it to some character no one gave a damn about. So I give Mario an E for effort but F Zero an F for (bleep).

Blame Yoshi!

[FamousAdventurer77]

But Princess Daisy...? Who TF was Princess Daisy?! Not Princess Peach from the games? Princess Toadstool from the cartoons? I loved the Mario cartoons, and the Zelda cartoons. I was flipping through the channels the other day and saw there's a new Kirby cartoon? It's cute.

Don't remember F Zero though...I was more into the Mario and Zelda toons, the Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice animated series, Fish City, and some other short-lived series that got taken off the air because they made kids think. (*cough cough* MTV's Daria)

[seraphimdreamer777]

Ah the other hot Princess other wise known as Daisy! When they made the Movie SMB they used the wrong princess that was from some other land I forget the name of the place but in Super Mario Land for Game Boy there was a Princess Daisy. She was later to appear in games like Mario Kart Double Dash and I believe some of the newer Mario Party games as well as a costume for Peach and a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl as for Toadstool despite the hair color differences from cartoon to games from Super Nintendo and later where she first appeared as a blond Peach is Toadstool in Super Mario 64 she sent Mario a letter signed Toadstool Peach.

And F Zero GP Legend may be better known as a game for GBA than a show but it appeared as a cartoon on Fox during the 4Kids TV second season line up two years after the fall of Fox Kids Network of which had shows like Power Rangers of which I hate and X-Men one of the most accurate versions of the comic book favorite to appear on TV and my favorite cartoon ever Digimon.

[FamousAdventurer77]

Hey yeah I remember most of the FoxKids shows...Power Rangers, I didn't care much for them but I remember when they were insanely popular. This kid in my 4th grade class was totally obsessed with the Pink Ranger. Then there was that cheap knockoff, the VR Troopers...and the Goosebumps series adapted from the books...ha I loved those books!
Show was alright.


I remember some other lesser-known short-lived ones like Grimmy, Eek the Cat, Scorch (which only lasted 6 episodes), Fish City...I think an early 90's nostalgia thread needs to start ha