Hey MyIGNers! It's been a while! Almost a week since my last blog! The culprit for this would be the amount of school essays I've had to write which coincidentally are all before the Christmas Holidays. That must mean that we won't have any essays to write over the holidays... hopefully. So aside from this, just a few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about how reviews don't necessarily matter towards our perspective. We all have our own ideas and opinions but I think that since the Human brain is so complicated, we're not always going to enjoy every single thing in the world and from what I've noticed from fellow entertainment fanatics is that sometimes certain sequels or perhaps prequels may not be considered as amazing or perhaps eventful as the previous installment. Sometimes I felt like I could enjoy all the sequels of my most favourite franchises but then I came to realise that this wasn't always the case and many sequels of my most favourite games make me think that they could have gone much better. So I do understand where many people are coming from especially since we all have our thoughts about the original or previous installment and how that might have affected us more. Although there are many reasons as to why we may not enjoy sequels, prequels, reboots and (one that makes some people shiver) remakes of the original... if that particular one can be counted of course. Enjoy! 
Hype
There is always hype around a video game, movie or episode of a TV show waiting to be released, both in terms of advertising which makes pretty much everyone who's hoping to play or watch it go crazy and our own personal hype. Each of which may reinforce one or the other. For example, when Destiny and Assassin's Creed 3 were ready to be released, there was a whole bunch of advertising for them but there was also a lot of talk leading up the releases. I mean these were the games which were making people wonder what Bungie have been up to the past few years and Assassin's Creed 3 was the game that gamers were waiting for as many as 3 years! Therefore, as a result of this continuous development, it's no doubt that many were going to think that these games would be the ultimate game of the existing franchise, perhaps a milestone for the developers or even perhaps the best game ever! For some, this might have been the case but for many, it wasn't exactly what they expected.
This maybe due to the fact that the hype just doesn't match the actual game. Mostly because there will be a great emphasis on the best parts of the game or from what we've seen from numerous E3 announcements, a version of gameplay which doesn't really seem that close to the product. Particularly if the game scraped what people loved and became more scripted. During the E3 2012 announcement of AC3's gameplay trailer, it appeared that there were a lot of ways in which you could traverse and a whole bunch of side missions which was true in a sense but the missions of collecting meat or fur in the trailer seemed more interactive. When considering the actual game, it was more like "Hello" and "Forever in your gratitude" ... and there were dozens of these individuals... and that was just within one area. Thus, the side missions kinda became a let down to me because it just became repetitive which was unfortunate to see when Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood had so many enjoyable side missions (which to me felt like the primary reason to play the game) and it was difficult to see how a game which took 3 years would have less interesting side missions than the previous installments. It could have at least become on par with the previous games at least.
We're all going to have different perceptions of hype and advertising and therefore, we might develop higher expectations. If people are saying how amazing something is going to be and then more start to join the bandwagon, if it wasn't as great as they hoped it would be, it could potentially backfire unless they find something about the entertainment enjoyable. Especially if the developers are making the full force of their advertising like the company depends on it.
Then again, hype is usually something that shows the expression of how fans want the game or movie and how companies may utilise this as a way of advertising to further their interest... but just advertising and hype in itself doesn't show what makes people react in certain ways completely and sometimes, hype simply reinforces people's attitudes and expectations which leads on to the next factor.
Thoughts and speculation
As we begin to enjoy a specific game, movie or book, we may see in different respects to others. With Ratchet and Clank, I always saw it as delving in to the vastness of the Universe with so many varieties which made it seem like there were infinite possibilities. So when games such as Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One arrived, it made me think that the franchise was heading in a direction that I didn't enjoy as well. In some ways, it became more of the opposite of what the first games stood for since it became more linear and barely any regions of Space and other planets were discovered. New Aliens and variety was pretty limited. Despite the fact that I was really hoping the franchise would move on from R&C: A Crack in Time, this wasn't the way in which I hoped and in some ways, I wish that the game should never have been released.
I'm not a close minded person and I would have loved to have seen co-op in some way as well as new things but it almost felt like it should have been the basis of a new franchise and I suppose it was with Overstr... I mean Fuse. It just seemed like the series was lacking in what it was built up towards and since there were already changes with a cartoony format, it was like it was abandoning the direction it was heading with huge exploration and varied planets and species and instead, emphasising games with single planets and shiny graphics which made my eyes hurt. This shows what I believe the series is. A franchise which made me fascinated about the vast topic of the Universe and even many principles of science fiction such as robotics so when it came to a brand new style, it just didn't kinda go for me. However everyone's gonna experience games and movies in different ways. It's going to have a different impact on them. Thus for me, the older series and in some respects the Future series remain the games which close fit my favourite aspects of the series.
That was just a simplified example. When it comes to a franchise like Assassin's Creed, it becomes much more... complicated... to say the least. In particular, the sense of the first game made me think that there was a whole mystery of God and religion which made me much more intrigued with the series. However, even though Altair was one, I still thought that he would be a part of the franchise in the future as well as Ezio and so when I first heard about Assassin's Creed: Revelations, I went a little crazy about the game especially since I thought there were many things which needed to be answered including Altair's true fate and eventually how the Templars were able to develop after Ezio... Although even though my mind was spinning with ideas and speculation, the game wasn't really what I anticipated. The game itself just felt like more filler and even though Brotherhood's story wasn't hugely great, the side missions made it feel like I was a part of rebuilding Rome and it was really leading up to something interesting. Instead, Revelations just wasn't the game I was looking forward to because after playing it, I realised the story was very simplistic and I couldn't connect with Constantinople. To be honest, there weren't really any side missions aside from a few Assassin recruitment missions and delivering a few boxes up to the 4 steps... seriously. I see many people enjoy the game much more even for it's story so I guess that maybe I was letting my thoughts get away with me but then again, for a series that was amping a cool story, it's no wonder why I expected so many plot twists and understanding of the characters.
What I love(d) about the franchise is (was) that there was a connection between the historical and modern day character since it felt like I was witnessing their journeys... which made me double excited. When it came to Revelations though, the characters such as Altair, Ezio and even Desmond and Clay didn't seem to have a whole lot of relevance. So much so that Revelations was (in my eyes) skipable because it essentially had no impact on the final game whatsoever. Therefore, I'm not really surprised that I think this way. I mean if AC3 was released instead of Brotherhood, the final Desmond game, then I think we would have seen more relevance involving the characters. It was like the series had the potential to compete with other story arcs including Kingdom Hearts and Metal Gear Solid and at least it they made standalone games, it could have been after AC3. Unfortunately, even though there was a storyline leading up to AC3, characters including Lucy and Daniel have really no impact. I mean nothing's really explained about them and they're more like an after thought and that's if you talk to the other characters in the game! Therefore, when considering this Desmond arc, I wish that the new historical character would have been affected by the actions of both Altair and Ezio or perhaps the character would impact them. I'm not saying I hated Connor or the American Revolutionary setting. Everything has potential but in my view, it was the point at which new characters were simply thrown in the franchise in a popular setting and time frame with a quick standalone storyline.
So Assassin's Creed has ultimately become the opposite of what I believed the franchise to be which is pretty sad... and hurting! Developers aren't supposed to give up on their story and hint towards so many possibilities! Sure, AC2 was another vengeful story but it had twists and turns and it was really leading up to something special... unfortunately they went backwards with the story and when considering the most recent games, it's not even that simple for new audiences because old stories are being brought up. I believe that the final Desmond game could have got many up to speed and then could have ended it with a brand new series. Maybe it would create the premise of the new series but with the latest games, it's like they're throwing in new questions and nothing will be answered. 
Although many people will like and hate certain Assassin's Creed games for a variety of different reasons so it might not just be me talking in an incomprehensible language. This is why I've pretty much had to write numerous blogs about where the games went wrong and how they could have been better... in my view.
Much of the reason why I believe that speculation is influential is yes, it made me think that the games would be much greater and build up on the original games but I also noticed these signs when I was younger... before Ubisoft betrayed me. Take Star Wars for example. I didn't mind the prequel trilogy (dodges arrows), the first was kinda boring, the second was okay and the third was pretty exciting but when I look at the original trilogy, I can see what people mean. Many of the remaining Jedi would talk about the dark times and that could have opened the doors to many things like consistent conflicts around the galaxy, disconnected star systems in terms of communications and a very dark atmosphere. So when reflecting back to the series, I could see their point since there was a lot of politics in the movies... which I don't really think many people would want. I mean the characters of the original trilogy had other ways of confronting the enemies...
Then again, some of these franchise are also down to other factors too...
Franchises becoming mainstream and nostalgia
A series like Star Wars is one of the many that has survived to this very day but ultimately, it has changed in some respects in order to support the developing technology of entertainment with the use of special effects. In addition, a whole bunch of new audiences are now keen to watch the franchise from what they enjoy such as dark and sometimes realistic themes. I'm not quite sure whether this will apply to the the new upcoming Star Wars movie since we haven't really heard much about it... until most recently...
Of course this isn't everything that we have yet to see about the movie but I've been pretty skeptical about the movie ever since it was first announced (dodges further arrows) because I can't help but think that this the new series is just to get the attention of the fans of the original series. To say it will work for every fan would be incorrect because some may not enjoy it more than others. Some may prefer the story of the very first movies and even the style of the movie with the graphics and special effects. I mean it's been a while since the very first movies and many still prefer to watch 70s and 80s movies over the most recent movies. Maybe this is a sign of the nostalgia effect kicking in.
The reason why I'm pretty skeptical is also because of the fact that the series probably won't delve in to anything new. After seeing Star Trek: In to Darkness, I'm a little worried that it might just be a few fights in HD and trying hard to focus on showing off the Millennium Falcon since In to Darkness did feel more like it was trying to be too close to Wrath of Khan... to which J.J Abrams blamed it on the video game... which is an easy excuse to make when most video game adaptations of movies are often criticised anyway... The next issue I encountered with that particular movie was that it looked like it was trying to use similar themes from other movies such as the villain type of a crazy and dark villain. Why? Because it's been the basis of many films ever since The Joker in The Dark Knight. So if you don't enjoy the themes to which companies utilise to get the attention of much of the public, then you may enjoy is less than others. Plus, with the desert surrounding, it just feels like... Earth rather than a planet far, far away.
However even though a franchise such as Star Wars is already mainstream, appealing to new audiences usually faces a few problems with fans of the original. For example, referring back to series like Assassin's Creed or Mass Effect, after fans enjoyed the very first games, it became much more popular but this rise in popularity ultimately became the demise for many people's love of the franchises. I've met people who love the very first Mass Effect for it's choices but overtime, the series delivered a much more simplistic story, more linear with fewer choices and more combat focused and this doesn't apply to Mass Effect but also many other franchises too and I can't really find a popular series which hasn't adopted a more simplified style. So when considering people's nostalgia, it may or may not influence whether they enjoy the next installment. If the movie, video game or comic book has a big impact on them, then it will be much more special to them.
To be honest, sometimes I wonder if I never played the favourite games that I have in the past and then decided to play them right now. I believe that most likely I probably wouldn't enjoy them as much and I would probably even enjoy some of the most recent installments. Therefore, I think that nostalgia could very well play a role but it's still a complex thing to determine whether someone will like the sequel or not. I mean many might criticise the movie or game for being too similar to the previous ones or perhaps too different and I guess that reinforces what I said about Assassin's Creed and Ratchet and Clank. Both have gone in to a different direction which seems more simplified and less diverse but it has maintained being focused on new audiences for a while. In that respect, it has both become different and similar... if that makes sense. AC2 felt very different from ACB but with AC: Rogue and even other franchises such as Watch Dogs, it seems too similar.
The next aspect is one which is probably the most obvious yet most substantial.
I don't wanna sequel!
Movies, video games, books and TV shows have many different storylines. Many of which people love whole heartedly so when seeing a sequel being announced, it might just send shivers down their spines. Especially if the form of entertainment had a very definitive ending. In some cases, many prefer an open minded ending and would prefer to wonder about the many possibilities of what could happen next... with the resulting consequence of a sequel.
Perhaps the game could be huge already and just seem too perfect to have a sequel and this might be emphasised by some sequels which haven't come to everyone's liking. Maybe the fear that they won't enjoy the next addition may produce more of a pessimistic view in turn. Particularly if they don't really enjoy the sound of where the story's going or if they're worried about the actors or publishers of the movie or game.
In a way, sometimes I think Assassin's Creed might have been better without so many sequels. Maybe just ending with AC3 or at least on hiatus would respect the franchise' integrity. Then Ubisoft could focus on new franchises and then return to the AC franchise with a new series... in a few years.
In conclusion, sequels aren't necessarily a bad thing. There's no definition of good or bad in the entertainment world... or universe. We all arrive at series at different times and experience different moments. I mean I could start playing a franchise now and enjoy one of the games but it might be a sequel which is loathed by many. It brings diversity of the series and even if we don't enjoy them, we can say what we didn't like and how it could have been better in our own perspective. However, in my experience of video gaming and watching movies, the reasons why I may not enjoy a particular sequel is because of the amount of hype which often led me to believe that the game would go beyond what I could even think of. That hasn't been the case and as certain series progress, it might make former fans want to say stop! Then at least the series wouldn't deteriorate further. It happened with Medal of Honor but as series like Assassin's Creed progress, it has made me think about the many disappointments and to never buy too much in the hype. I will always think about my ideas and speculate about particular franchises which might explain why I don't consider many things to be masterpieces anymore. However I think this is something which happens to all of us. To say we're going to like every single thing of a franchise would be crazy! Perhaps some people think that but with series changing either too slightly or too differently and depending on when we arrive to the series, I believe we're all going to think different things and have different opinions. It's only natural to enjoy certain movies or games more than the successor.
So there you have it! Are there any sequels with movies/games/TV series and books which you didn't enjoy as much as the predecessor? Don't be afraid to talk about the biggest disappointments too! 
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.