Top Ten: Disappointing Sequels

The biggest sequel disappointments that have ever hit Nintendo consoles!

By Robert Marrujo. Posted 08/13/2014 12:00 7 Comments     ShareThis

7) The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Released: Nintendo DS, 2009

When Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for DS, it had a lot to prove. The game was a sequel to The Wind Waker, one of the more divisive entries in the Zelda series, and was to be played with a touch screen-only control interface. Never one to back down from a challenge, Nintendo produced a fine game in Phantom Hourglass that controlled superbly and had wonderful gameplay. Its sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, sadly stumbled in a handful of key areas.

Spirit Tracks was commendable for taking risks with traditional series conventions, such as featuring Zelda as a constant companion, a slightly more modern flair with the train, and providing a new threat. Unfortunately, not everything clicked into place for Spirit Tracks. The train portions of gameplay could grow tiresome, and the main protagonist Chancellor Cole came across as rather one note. Spirit Tracks‘ variation of the central dungeon introduced in Phantom Hourglass also did little to alleviate the problems players had with the original. It’s a solid game, but a disappointing Zelda experience, overall.


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7 Responses to “Top Ten: Disappointing Sequels”

  • 819 points
    Toadlord says...

    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.

  • 745 points
    OG75 says...

    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!

  • 784 points
    Marc Deschamps says...

    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.

  • 1291 points
    Robert Marrujo says...

    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.

  • 3 points
    Link555 says...

    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.

  • 267 points
    decoupage says...

    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.

  • 690 points
    KisakiProject says...

    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.

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