00:11Welcome to Mojo Plays and today we're on a comfortable road heading straight for our
00:14destination. Let's turn off at this street and see where it takes us. These are 10 games that
00:18change the gameplay for the worst. We've done games that change gameplay for the best,
00:23but changing genres worked for Red Dead Redemption. Not everyone's that clever. Let's do it.
00:28Before we continue, we publish content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:33the bell to get notified of our latest videos. Star Fox Adventures
00:49Nintendo has spent years trying to recreate the magic of Star Fox 64, yet Star Fox Adventures
00:55was certainly not the answer. Instead of blasting through space in an Arwing, players suddenly found
00:59Fox running around with a staff in something closer to The Legend of Zelda. Rare, the studio behind
01:04Banjo-Kazooie, developed the game, but it was never meant to be part of the series at all. Once you
01:09know the story behind how it came to be, it makes so much more sense why we got what we
01:13got. The
01:14project began life as Dinosaur Planet, before Nintendo decided to squeeze Star Fox characters
01:20into it, whether they fit it or not. The result is a strange detour that barely feels connected to
01:25what fans loved. It felt like, and is quite literally, a different game with Star Fox characters
01:31modded in. The Bureau XCOM Declassified
01:47Few strategy series carry the same weight as XCOM, so changing its formula was always going to cause
01:52trouble. The Bureau XCOM Declassified took the risk by swapping the familiar top-down battles with a
01:57third-person cover shooter. It still includes squad commands and tactical choices, but the result felt
02:03closer to a cautious action game than the tense strategy experience fans expected. Designed as a
02:08prequel to XCOM Enemy Unknown, it arrived between two far more traditional entries, which made its
02:13strange direction stand out even more. Unfortunately, the experiment did not exactly pay off. Reviews were
02:19mixed, long-time players remained unconvinced, and XCOM 2 wisely returned to the classic format.
02:24Sometimes, a winning recipe does not need extra seasoning, especially when that seasoning is
02:29generic. It's an extraterrestrial element, some sort of space rock. It can't be a coincidence that
02:35these outsiders attacked the only Illyrium lab on Earth. Dead Space 3
02:46Dead Space worked because it made every corridor feel unsafe, every sound feel suspicious, and every
02:52spare bullet feel precious. By the time Dead Space 3 arrived, much of that tension had been traded for
02:57louder combat, co-op firefights, and a crafting system that encouraged players to build increasingly
03:02ridiculous weapons. The snowy planet of Tal Volantis offered more open environments, but it also pushed
03:07the series closer to a standard action shooter. Fighting human enemies certainly didn't help, since
03:12exchanging gunfire with soldiers is far less frightening than being chased by something made from
03:16six corpses and bad intentions. Co-op was entertaining, while weakening what made the game great. I still
03:22believe the series could have worked with co-op, but not while changing everything else that made the
03:26first two games fantastic.
03:27Move! Take cover! Go!
03:32Fallout 76
03:40Fallout may have moved into first person, but its real appeal has always come from exploring alone,
03:45shaping a character and talking away through strange situations. Fallout 76 threw much of that identity
03:51aside in favour of an online world built around multiplayer encounters, scavenging and environmental
03:56storytelling. At launch, the lack of human NPCs made the wasteland feel less mysterious and more like
04:01everyone had simply gone home early. I know its a wasteland, but its also Fallout. Bethesda later added
04:07proper characters dialogue choices and stronger role playing features, but the damage was already done.
04:12Controversies involving merchandise, advertising and aggressive monetisation only made matters worse.
04:18Although the game has improved over time, many fans still struggle to understand why a famously lonely
04:24RPG series needed to become an MMO in the first place.
04:35Banjo-Kazooie Nuts and Bolts
04:43During the N64 era, the Banjo-Kazooie series, or the Banjo-Kasiris, stood out as one of the most
04:49beloved platforming franchises. I'm really sorry about Banjo-Kasiris. Fans absolutely adored its
04:55established formula, which sent the iconic duo exploring diverse environments to gather a
04:59plethora of collectibles. However, the fanbase was left in complete shock when the long-anticipated
05:05sequel Nuts and Bolts completely abandoned traditional platforming and item collection
05:09in favour of vehicle construction. The entire experience revolved around building custom rides
05:14to tackle different in-game challenges. While it was actually a solid game in its own merits,
05:19deeply frustrated many long-time fans by taking such an unexpected and drastic detour.
05:36Resident Evil 6
05:37Stay right where you are!
05:44Mr. President!
05:45This is a complicated entry, because the majority of the changes actually came from Resident Evil 4,
05:51which was a phenomenal game, but it led us down a path that arrived at Resident Evil 6.
05:56But RE6 changed a lot too, so let's focus on those smaller changes that created arguably the worst game
06:02in the franchise. Its over-the-shoulder camera made combat smoother following tradition from RE4,
06:06but the focus on combat over horror? That's where things got loud, and not in a good way.
06:12Taking the story focus that was on Chris and Chevrolet in RE5 or Leon in RE4,
06:16and spreading it across Leon, Helena, Chris, Piers, Jack, Sherry and Ada,
06:21made for a really overwhelmingly busy narrative that felt nothing like previous games.
06:30I... I can't believe this.
06:32Mortal Kombat Special Forces
06:40Most people hear Mortal Kombat and immediately picture brutal fights,
06:44ridiculous amounts of blood, and sometimes losing a spine. Mortal Kombat Special Forces decided all
06:49of that was apparently too predictable. This prequel places Jax in the lead, and turned the series into
06:54a third-person adventure filled with exploration, puzzles, locked doors, and a disgusting amount of
06:59key hunting. You can rip someone's rib cage out of their body, but you can't kick through a door. Get
07:03out of here.
07:04Rather than facing opponents in polished one-on-one battles, players wandered through open areas and
07:09dealt with clunky combat that never captured the appeal of the main games. Critics hated it,
07:14fans hated it, and the experiment quickly earned a dreadful reputation. I love Jax, but not that much.
07:27Pac-Man 2 The New Adventures
07:30Pac-Man 2 The New Adventures
07:48turned him into the star of a point-and-click comedy about running errands around town.
07:54Yep, winning formula. Even stranger, players could not control Pac-Man directly. They aimed
07:59a slingshot at objects to grab his attention, guide him forward, or stop him from doing something
08:03incredibly stupid, like making this game. Somehow the game was not a total disaster,
08:08I guess, but it barely resembles the series people knew. Later releases like Pac-Man Championship
08:13Edition prove that the classic maze formula still had plenty of life. This sequel remains a
08:19fascinating little oddity, although absolutely nobody was begging for Pac-Man to collect milk.
08:29Final Fantasy XIII
08:32It's an out-and-out massacre. Most people won't even live long enough to die on pulse.
08:39There was a time when Final Fantasy felt like the gold standard for huge RPG adventures. The series helped
08:46popularize the genre in North America during the 32-bit era thanks to memorable stories, massive worlds,
08:51and combat systems that kept changing without losing their identity. Later entries became a little more experimental,
08:57with mixed results. Final Fantasy X Part II leaded to pop music and outfit swapping, alienating the fanbase.
09:03The biggest disappointment, however, was Final Fantasy XIII. Instead of offering a sprawling world to explore,
09:09it spent roughly 30 hours marching players through one narrow corridor after another. It looked beautiful,
09:15but so does a fancy hotel hallway, and nobody wants to explore one for an entire weekend.
09:20This wasn't Final Fantasy VII's Midgar. This was a departure from the formula that just plain sucked.
09:37LORDS OF SHADOW
09:50Castlevania earned its reputation through careful platforming, memorable boss fights, and the Belmont
09:55family's endless commitment to ruining Dracula's life. Many fans still consider Castlevania Symphony of
10:00the Night the series at its best, blending exploration, atmosphere, and precise combat into one of gaming's
10:06top games. After years of similar handheld releases, Konami attempted a major reinvention with Castlevania
10:12Lords of Shadow. The modern visuals looked impressive, but its loud, combo-heavy battles felt more like
10:18God of War wearing a vampire costume. Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 made matters worse,
10:22with awkward stealth sections and uneven pacing. The series completely lost its personality,
10:27and started the trend of bringing back classics for modern audiences, and absolutely nose diving them
10:32into the ground. Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from MojoPlays, and be sure to
10:50subscribe and ring the bell to be notified of our latest videos.
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