4 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Number of games in series - 11
Average score from Metacritic - 7.2

Take the same premise behind Dynasty Warriors and replace all that button mashing action with carefully planned out menu selections. Overthrow a feuding China by gently tapping the confirm button countless times as sleepy classical music hums in the background. Marvel at the 16-bit graphics on your PS2 and think how great it is to pretend you own most of the tiny squares that pepper the tile-based landscape. Recruit kinda-historically accurate officers to reap wheat, invade neighboring cities or train your brainless army. Wait don't leave, we're not done lulling you to sleep with all our Romance knowledge.

So here's a game that works perfectly fine on its own, but as a whole, across 11 entries, has done little to nothing to attract a new audience. The scores usually hit in the "you like it or you don't" area, and that's been the case since the series' inception. Microscopic changes here and there do not a new game make, yet here we are with a series that includes "3D graphics!" as a selling point. Um, how about some energy in the presentation or something?

It doesn't have to be rock anthems and weedly-deedly guitar riffs, just something to spice up the gameplay. Put something in there that makes you go "damn Romance XII makes Romance IV look like Romance XI!" Otherwise this is just another Koei series that's more concerned with slapping a number on a box and shipping it than creating something truly new for the player. Then again, if they're happy buying the same thing over and over, where's the incentive to innovate? The ball's in your court, Romance fans.