Sequels are a tricky beast. Finding the right balance between old and new in a sequel means knowing exactly what aspects of the original game could have been better, as well as just how much that initial concept can be bent without snapping it completely. Many games are followed up with sequels that trump their predecessor, but there are also those titles that fall short, for a variety of different reasons. Some are just plain awful, while others might be entertaining, but don’t have the special spark that made the game(s) before it so endearing. Let’s look at the most disappointing sequels to grace Nintendo consoles!
Top Ten: Disappointing Sequels
The biggest sequel disappointments that have ever hit Nintendo consoles!

This story is featured in...
Issue 17: Wrong Turn
Issue 17: Wrong Turn
- Backlog Summer: 08.16.2014 by Nintendojo Staff
- Zant Highlighted in Latest Hyrule Warriors Trailer by Kevin Knezevic
- New Mega Evolution Announced for Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire by Kevin Knezevic
- A Salute to Cheap Characters by Mel Turnquist
- The Assassination of Samus Aran by Robert Marrujo
- Future Plans Revealed for Hyrule Warriors by Jon Stevens
- Wii U Sizzle Reel Released by Jon Stevens
- Nintendo Download: 08.14.2014 by Jon Stevens
- Retro Scope: Donkey Kong 64 by Robert Marrujo
- Meta Knight Returns for Super Smash Bros. by Robert Marrujo
- Disk Wars Avengers Heading to Japan by Robert Marrujo
- Super Smash Bros. Arrives With a Limited Edition 3DS XL in Europe by Robert Marrujo
- Hyrule Warriors Art Book Has Concept Art for a Female Link by Sam Stewart
- GameStop Officially Unveils Its New, Simplified Trade Program by Sam Stewart
- Amazon Now Taking Pre-orders for Super Smash Bros. GameCube Controller and Adapter Bundle by Sam Stewart
- Nintendojo Toy Box: Pokémon School Supplies Set by Robert Marrujo
- Review: Strike Force Foxx by Marc Deschamps
- Robin Williams Dead at 63 Years Old by Marc Deschamps
- Ocarina of Time Costumes for Hyrule Warriors Are GameStop Exclusive by Marc Deschamps
- Game Boy Stage Unveiled For Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo 3DS by Marc Deschamps
- How The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures Missed Its Mark by Robert Marrujo
- Track of the Week: Main Theme (Star Fox Assault) by Marc Deschamps
7 Responses to “Top Ten: Disappointing Sequels”
![]() ![]() |
Log in or register to grow your Ninja Score while interacting with our site. |
Nintendojo's RSS Feeds All Updates Podcast News Comments |














Warrior Within SO HARD. I’ve blasted the game on here before, so I won’t retread my old posts, but I completely agree with its inclusion. Their desire to go “hardcore” with the sequel ultimately hurt the final product.
Warrior Within is pathetic! At least “Two Thrones” was an attempt to right the ship.
Great list Robert! I completely agree with number 1. While I enjoyed the gameplay, I wasn’t a fan of the story.
My own personal list would look quite similar. However it would include Phantom Hourglass in place of Spirit Tracks as my personal tastes lean toward the rails rather than the sails.
Besides Other M and Warrior Within, the sequel that let me down the most was New Super Mario 2. Your description of “autopilot” is spot on.
I might also include Kid Icarus: Myths & Monsters (yeah, I’m old school.)
Also, I’d definitely put Paper Mario: Sticker Star on there.
I would also put Zombi-U2 on here (This game only exists in my fantasy, but there’s no way it lives up to part one!)
Some others (sorry I’m veering out of Nintendo territory here)
Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2
Metal Gear Sons of Liberty (still not a Raiden fan)
Any Resident Evil after 4
Any Final Fantasy after 12
Mass Effect 3 (the ending “ended” my enthusiasm)
Any Splinter Cell after Chaos Theory
Rygar: Battle of Argus (NES Rygar is one of my favorites.)
Lastly, I might include the story about Conduit 2’s twist ending….if I were making a list of my top ten favorite moments in gaming!
Some great picks on this list. Agreed so much on DKC3. Also, I intentionally skipped Return to Dreamland and NSMB2 for exactly the reasons you stated. Loved NSMB and Epic Yarn, but felt no real tug towards the follow-ups.
Thanks, everyone; Toadlord, totally agree, OG75, haha, Zombi-U2, and Marc, I can’t do the skipping, man, I suffer through it all, lol. NSMB2 always makes me sad, though I definitely don’t hate it.
It is a crime against humanity that Act Raiser 2 was not on this list.
Act Raiser was one of my favorite games on the SNES. Part 2 eliminated the overworld strategy part and was a huge flop. Never has there been a worst sequel to such a great game.
The coin thing was a bit of a cheap gimmick, but I enjoyed NSMB2; my only other difference of opinion is Spirit Tracks, which I enjoyed all the way until the end (the last bit of the tower was obnoxious). My main reason for liking both of those games was they made me smile; between the fun, familiar platforming of NSMB2, and the toot toot of the train whistle (I’m in my 30s, but still a child at heart), I enjoyed almost every minute with those two games.
I gotta disagree hard on 2 of these. I actually liked Conduit 2. It felt like a throw back to Halo 2 and early 2000s console FPS. I spent a lot of time online with it.
Spirit Tracks is one of my favorite Zeldas. First off the incredible interaction between Zelda and Link is unmatched in any other Zelda. Secondly, the dungeon puzzles were some of the coolest in the game. Third, the music is probably the best in the series. That tribal pan flute does it for me. Also I am a sucker for model trains.