A defining moment when you know that your favorite television program has reached its peak. That instant that you know from now on...it's all downhill. Some call it the climax. We call it "Jumping the Shark." From that moment on, the program will simply never be the same.
http://www.jumptheshark.com/
So which of your favorite game series have "jumped the shark" and when?
A few of mine:
-Mortal Kombat - MKIII: I played the first two games like crazy in college. Then I saw the third and realized it was over. Suddenly it was filled with Killer Instinct style "combos" and cheesy "animalities".
-Pac-Man - Pac-Land: I like Pac-Man but there's only so much you can do with the character. Pac-Land was the first attempt to expand the series beyond the maze and it was awful. They tried to revert back with Pac-Mania but it was too late, they should have let him die with dignity years prior.
-Sonic the Hedgehog - Sonic Adventure 2 Battle: I thought Knuckles Chaotix was a low point for the series but was impressed with how Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast turned out. It looked like the series had a second life. "Regular" Sonic Adventure 2 was kind of a letdown but the Gamecube version (which I bought new for $5 if that's a sign) was horrible. The gameplay was dreadful and "plot" even worse. Maybe the series will recover again, but I think it's done.