If you're going to make a sequel, or clone a game, make sure you keep the parts that people like the most. A lot of times, it isn't the core gameplay, but some aspect of the gameplay. It's like devs don't even know why their or others games have appeal.

Example:
Monster Hunter
What makes Monster Hunter so amazing is the armor and weapon crafting. Obviously the core gameplay is slaying big monsters, but I'm sorry, the crafting is literally the most important part. I can't even describe how many clones fail to do implement this properly.

Example:
Super Smash Bros
Yes, the core gameplay is socking each other around until they die, but one of the most important things about the game is the ringout. Without ringouts there is no real tension. Sorry.

Example:
Settlers
This one is actually perpetrated by the most recent settlers game. They copied everything except the things that made the game cute and fun. Settlers is about your villagers making their own roads, and harmonizing your economy with your cute little buildings. It's not an empire sim.

Basically I just got Settlers, the latest one, and I had to build my own roads, and there was no more terrain overlay, and everything was just....bland. All I wanted was a game where my villagers made their own roads. I really really fucking liked that feature.

How do devs fuck up this bad?

Cause deep inside.. we just want some guns to kill everyone on screen..

I don't agree with this.  The weapon crafting is the most important otherwise you won't be able to progress with a weapon that takes off next to nothing or the sharpness won't allow you to pierce the boss, however the games enjoyment comes from fighting the bosses.

It's the main reason Dragon's Dogma is good.  The bosses literally make the game.  The exploration and such on Dragon's Dogma is great, but I don't think anything holds a candle to how enjoyable it is fighting the bosses on the game.

Shadow of the Colossus is nothng but bosses.  Not being able to do anything else doesn't take away from the experience.

I'll add Sim City:
The core gameplay is building cities alone, preferably in an endless mode. The newest just scratches all that and limits the space and puts in some unneeded online features.

Gothic:
The core gameplay is a completely open world with almost sandbox like gameplay. The new devs of Arcania shat all over this and created a tube of uninteresting environments with minimal freedom.

Also inb4 anything FF13 related.

Have you played games other than monster hunter? I've played several. There is no enjoyment in beating the bosses because there is no real reward for doing it. MH rewards you for beating bosses in a certain way..really, truly hunting them, and using them for parts. I've tried soul sacrifice...I've tried Ragnarok...I've tried everything. Nothing compares. It's like, Ok just go fight something else now, and I'm left feeling like 'well this doesn't matter at all' this is just questing like in an mmo but without getting gear.

This would be more similar to say, an mmo, where beating an instance or boss didn't give you any items.

And wow, how you can miss the point with your other examples is beyond me. I have nothing but good things to say about both those games, and literally niether one is like Monster Hunter in any shape or form, aside that there are monsters that you hunt.

EDIT: It would be like if a metroid game was released with absolutely no collecting or upgrading and I complained about it and you turned around and said "so what, you don't collect anything in Mario and that doesn't take away from the game at all".

EDIT2: WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT

I just read what you said about monster hunter again. You are a madman.

Great addition with Simcity.

Wow, was I hyped to hear a new simcity was coming out with all these cool features. Unreal level of disappointment from what was released. How do you axe the main tenet of the game?

Settlers II 10th Anniversary FTW!

Is there s Smash Bros. with no 'ring outs'?

TMNT, PSABR

That's what I should have bought. Unfortunately reviews don't cover arbitrary things like roads and such