From here: http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/part-d-oh-the-10-worst-game-sequels-ever/1210463

10. Driv3r
9. Bomberman: Act Zero
8. Rampage: World Tour
7. Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
6. Ultima IX: Ascension
5. Spyro: Enter The Dragonfly
4. Sonic the Hedgehog (360, PS3)
3. Twisted Metal III
2. Turok: Evolution
1. Duke Nukem Forever

So the whole point of the list was a DNF joke? OH MY GOD THAT'S SO FUCKING CLEVER!

Aside from DNF, only three other games on this are problematic. First of all, Driver always sucked balls. Second,Spyro was never anything particularly special. And third, Rampage: World Tour was pretty damn good. It was the first real sequel to the original Rampage and it was faster, prettier, and a lot more fun than the original. Also, it was beatable. The original Rampage went on for so long that beating it was a chore; World Tour was just long enough. Also, the advanced graphics in World Tour meant that you weren't just smashing the same five buildings in front the same old backdrops over and over again.

Yeah, LSL was a good pick. I probably would have included King's Quest 8 as well, but I suppose LSL took the spot of the obligatory raped Sierra franchise.

And maybe Pac-Man World 3 too. The game had some great self-referential humor, but instead of building on the 3D platforming experience in the first two games, PMW3 is dumbed down so that seven year-olds will have no trouble beating it. Even the "collect lots of stuff" aspect was dumbed down. What's more, the game didn't even have any unlockables. PMW2 has a full arcade full of classic Pac-Man games that you unlocked by earning tokens; PMW3 only has the original Pac-Man and it's available from start.

Any of the post-Symphony console Castlevanias would be a good pick too.

Another thing about Rampage: World Tour is that its designers considered it a remake, not a sequel:

Brian Colin wrote:

Marketing VP Joe Dillon made an off-hand comment : "What we really need is a game that appeals to everyone... adults as well as kids, girls as much as guys." My partner, Jeff Nauman, and I looked at each other and said, in unison, "Then let's remake RAMPAGE!" Five minutes later we got the green light to make the game.

Bluey wrote:

The newer Rampage games always seemed like remakes rather than sequels. It's never something like "Rampage 2: The Continuing Adventures of George, Lizzy, and Ralph", it's some new thing that reinvents the creation story

Rampage World Tour is the only incarnation of Rampage with proper sequels. There was Universal Tour released in 1999 and then Rampage Through Time released in 2000.

DarkMaze wrote:

I actually got to meet one of the creators of the Rampage games, Brian Colin, in January. Really nice guy. He gave me a copy of his new game, Arctic Stud Poker Run. I gave him a copy of Press Start. We talked a little about how it would be a lot harder to get a game idea like Rampage past a game studio nowadays, since it's a pretty original concept and not able to be easily compared to existing successful games (e.g. it's not Halo).

OK, Mr. I Live In Illinois So I Get To Meet Everyone Who Works For Midway </jealously>

Also, I think the video game market paradigm has shifted again. With the success of the DS and the Wii, as well as oddball games like DDR and Guitar Hero, companies are more willing to try something new. It's becoming less and less about copying the tried and true formulas and more about coming up with the next big idea.

Yeah, it was licensed by and distributed by Midway. I knew he worked for Game Refuge, but I'm unclear on the status of Game Refuge. There are few truly independent game houses out there anymore, as EA and Activision have started an industry-wide drive for acquistions, so I kinda figured they might be owned by Midway.