We Got This Covered
After toiling away for several years following their formation, Finnish developer Frozenbyte hit the big time in 2009 with the release of Trine. The fantasy-based platformer garnered praise for its pleasant looks and creative puzzles, and the 2011 sequel achieved even higher scores, as the studio refined their approach to the genre to near perfection. Having already conquered the world of 2.5D platforming, the studio decided to aim even higher for the next chapter in the franchise, Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power. After hitting Steam Early Access this past summer, the sequel has now officially made its way to the PlayStation 4.
Game Chronicles:
I’m well aware that this review seems overly negative, so it may be confusing to read that for the most part, I enjoyed my time with Trine 3, however short the overall experience may be. There are visual and conceptual design choices on show that make the world feel alive and like an enticing place to be, but these are hampered by technical issues and structural decisions that hold the game back from being as good as it could be. Trine 3 attempts to build on what’s come before to make a bigger and better experience, but it feels a little too much the ambition overshot the reality, resulting in a game that doesn’t quite know what it’s trying to do. It’s a shame, as shooting for the stars is often praiseworthy, but Trine 3 is unfortunately an example of what happens when such an approach falls short.
As the name would suggest, Trine 3: the Artifacts of Power is the third game in a series, following the same trio of characters. While it follows a cohesive narrative, there were several major changes in the way Trine 3 played out. It was the first in the series to become a fully 3D game, and that results in some interesting and frustrating moments in some of the levels. It also broke away from the leveling and skill learning/upgrades that were both part of the first two installments.
Phil writes, "Sometimes you're waiting years for a video game sequel only for it to finally come out and your excitement and hype end not with a bang but a whimper due to the game's lackluster quality. With how long it takes for sequels to be developed nowadays with longer dev times and bigger budgets, this pain can sting even more.
With that said, some things come in twos, and that's the theme of this installment of The Most Disappointing Video Game Sequels. From Xbox first-party efforts to retro revivals, SuperPhillip Central has several themed pairs of disappointing sequels this time around. After checking out this edition's selection of six disappointing sequels, which would you personally add to a future installment?"
You mean like State of Decay 2? Sea of Thieves would be on that list if not for patching (and fan defense).
Puttin things out half @$$ed seems to be standard for MS. Still CD3 should get if not a pass then buried and forgotten for being sacrificed as a - failed - proof of concept for trying to prove cloud servers.
Crackdown 2 is even more disappointing than 3 though that might be because 2 was a direct sequel to the awesome Crackdown 1.
Other on my list include:
God of War 3
Xenosaga 2
Devil May Cry 2
Tekken 6
Spider-man the Movie 3 (thought not as bad as the film)
Duke Nukem Forever
Saints Row: Gat out of Hell
No More Heroes 2
Crysis 2
Walking Dead Season 2
Def Jam Icon (this one hurts my soul)
Street Fighter 5 launch version
Mortal Kombat 10
This game is better than people give it credit for
The developers themselves admitted they ran out of money and released the game unfinished...such a shame. I don't think a 2.5 is warranted though.
That sucks.. Why would they downgrade content from part 2?