A game is made, and it turns out to be good. The game comes out, becomes popular... and then becomes a series. Usually, we have nothing bad to say about that. Until, inevitably, things start to slide. The creator that made the game what it was bails. Or it fizzles in the transition from one console to another. Maybe the staff just forgot what made it great. Whatever the problem, we've selected seven of the biggest offenders, for your displeasure.

Tomb Raider

Ah, Tomb Raider. If we'd written this piece a couple of years ago, Lara Croft's increasingly terrible games would be number one - no contest. The adventure was over.

But last year, Tomb Raider: Legend re-energized gamers, thanks to its wise decision to go back to the well the series original drew from. When you think about it, the developers just did the obvious: made Lara raid tombs. We got the same thing we'd always wanted - it did the job right. We could even ignore the dire motorcycle bits.

If our optimism is being taxed right now, it's because the next game in the series is a cash-in  instead of something new. Don't you think it's a better idea to let the series catch its breath before whoring it out? 

But we give a lot of credit to Legend for setting the series straight, and for that reason, it's rocketed back down the charts to a position of honor at the tail end. It's mostly here just as a warning to Eidos: don't try any funny stuff. We're still watching you.