Gaming has come a long way over the last few decades, and while the cynic in me loathes many aspects of ‘modern gaming,’ the medium has made mighty strides.
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Back in the ’90s especially, newer tech brought lofty expectations, forcing some beloved franchises to innovate in unpopular ways. One of those was shifting from 2D to 3D, and while it worked for some titles, it absolutely didn’t for others.
There are some instances where the move was so bad that it made gaming headlines. Others, it forced IPs to go dark for decades, or return to the comforts of two dimensions. Here’s a selection of games where the transition hit them particularly hard.
8
Bubsy 3D
Famous For The Wrong Reasons
Bubsy is hardly the most beloved game industry protagonist, but his antics on the SNES in the 2D realm were fun and appealing.
Unfortunately for Bubsy the bobcat, his 3D outing on the PS1 is legendarily bad. Many call Bubsy 3D the worst game on the entire console. The controls are awful, the color scheme is vomit-inducing, and every attempt at humor falls flat.
I collect PS1 games and can tell you there are far worse titles on the console (Check out X-Bladez Infinite Skater, for example). However, it is a dreadful game, and its radioactive reputation killed the series until a PS4 game came out of nowhere in 2017.
If you’re curious to try it out for yourself, it’s apparently coming in a Bubsy collection later this year.
7
Contra: Rogue Corps
Butchering A Classic
The Contra games are known for their furious run-and-gun gameplay that rewards player skill. If I wanted to ruin the franchise, I’d add mechanics that slow down the game and shove it in an uninspired 3D world.
Unfortunately, that’s precisely what Konami did in 2019, making this one of the most modern entries on the list. Contra: Rogue Corps is a muddled mess with awkward movement, stripping away what the classics are known for. There are several baffling mechanics, but none as egregious as the overheating system for weapons.
Contra has dabbled in 3D several times over the years. The series had some embarrassing entries on the PS1, which tried and failed in the third dimension. If you want Contra on newer systems, the Anniversary Collection remains the best way to go.
6
Prince of Persia 3D
A History Lesson
Prince of Persia started in 2D, had multiple successful 3D outings, and even returned to 2D with The Lost Crown. So why is it on the list?
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a superb 3D Prince of Persia game on the PS2, but before that, we had a much lesser-known title called Prince of Persia 3D.
Prince of Persia 3D was released in 1999 on PC and Dreamcast and is unrecognizable compared to what came before and after. It’s a messy 3D adventure with tank controls, and critics tore it apart. The endeavour went so poorly that Mattel reportedly sold off the development studio.
It wasn’t until Ubisoft obtained the IP that it finally got the treatment it deserved.
5
Worms 3D
An Unwanted Twist On The Formula
Worms is a franchise that still has a dedicated fanbase today, with most players gravitating to Worms Armageddon from 1999.
Needless to say, the series’ journey into the 3D realm was not a smooth one. Worms 3D offers the same addictive gameplay loop as its 2D counterparts, but in 3D maps and environments.
The idea isn’t doomed from the start, and Hogs of War on the PS1 had a decent crack at it. The game even had Rik Mayall as a voice actor! Still, the camera was a pain in Worms 3D, and often got stuck behind obstacles.
The perspective also took away from the snappy turns of the older games and how you could immediately ‘read’ the battlefield. Team 17 learned their lesson, as Worms went back to its 2D roots with Worms: WMD.
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4
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
How The Mighty Have Fallen
Pokémon is one of the most influential IPs on the planet, effortlessly transcending mediums and platforms. It’s just a pity it couldn’t do the same with the third dimension.
The Pokémon games have remained largely unchanged since the Game Boy titles. Sure, they have become more expansive, with a larger Pokédex and changes to the combat system, but you always know what you’re getting.
The franchise makes the list because of Scarlet and Violet on the Switch, and what a horrible, unoptimized mess the games are. The titles were criticized in 2022 for their lack of polish, and rightly so. Pokémon as an IP will always print money, but Scarlet and Violet upset even the most rabid fans.
Titles like Palworld have proved that 3D open-world creature-capturing games can work. I’ll stick to ROM hacks if the next Pokémon game is like the Switch offerings.
3
Earthworm Jim 3D
Groovy!
The 90s were the era of gross-out humor, and Earthworm Jim was a perfect fit.
For the uninitiated, Earthworm Jim is a worm in a spacesuit. He has a blaster, and the suit can even use Jim as a whip. It’s bizarre, and his games on the Sega Genesis/Megadrive are wild romps from start to finish. You can enter a bungee competition against a blob of snot in the original. It’s a 2D platformer where you never know what’s coming next.
Sadly, Jim’s transition to 3D was not a smooth one when it came out on the N64. The game looks bland, in my opinion, and most reviewers at the time commented on how appalling the 3D camera was. Worst of all, Earthworm Jim was up against games like Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64.
N64 games weren’t cheap. Why would you pay top dollar for Earthworm Jim when you could buy one of the best 3D platformers of all time?
2
Mega Man X7
Newer Doesn’t Mean Better
Mega Man is a classic known for precise 2D platforming and its iconic approach to stage selection and player freedom. It also wasn’t immune to hopping on the 3D bandwagon.
Many fans would agree that Mega Man X7 on the PS2 is the series’ low point. Everything you love about the originals is gone in favor of a slow-paced, awkward 3D shooter. Sure, the characters are cool, but you may just end up hating them with how much exposition there is.
X7 doesn’t feel like a Mega Man game, and it’s not what players expected from such an iconic series. Fortunately, the developers got their act back together with later entries.
1
Sonic the Hedgehog
The Redemption Arc
Sonic the Hedgehog is an odd addition to the list because some of the Blue Blur’s 3D adventures are pretty decent. However, many of them aren’t, including 2006’s high-profile embarrassment.
Sonic released on the shiny new Xbox 360 under the title “Sonic the Hedgehog.” It shares the name with the Sega Genesis classic, but has notoriety for all the wrong reasons. The game is a broken mess, despite looking pretty. You can get stuck in many places, and fall through the floor in others.
I could write an entire list of Sonic 06’s biggest flaws, and it’s a game Sega wishes we would all forget about. Sonic never transitioned into 3D as well as a certain Italian plumber. Still, Sonic dabbles in both dimensions these days, to decent success.
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