What game franchises need to evolve?

I'm all for the "if it ain't broken, don't fix" method for sequels. Sequels should maintain the same gameplay formula, but expand and improve upon it. HOWEVER! After the first three entries, the series becomes stale. This was proven, by none other than the original NES Mega Man series. 
 
So what game franchises do you think need to change? 
 
Here are my picks. 
 
The Legend of Zelda Franchise: 
Twilight Princess was a great game, but I have to agree with Jeff. The game didn't feel special, because it practically rehashes the same and overdone formula, with a few new changes. I pray Skyward Sword does something completely new with the series, other than just adding "new Wii controls". 
 
Halo Franchise: 
Anyone who knows me, know that I'm no Halo hater. In fact, I'm a Halo fan. Fuck the haters, they're more annoying than the fucking Halo fanboys. But I have to admit, after Halo 3 (and probably ODST) I became Halo'd out. 343 Industries's Halo 4 is inevatitable, whether you like or not. I wouldn't mind a Halo 4, if 343 Industries does evolve the gameplay formula. If I'm going to fight The Covenant again or play through the same but re-skinned multi-player component, I'm not even going to rent it. Also, for fuck sake, hire talented writers for once. The storytelling in this series always had great potential after CE, but the writers from Bungie never bothered to tap it. 
  
Call of Duty franchise: 
The COD series is a great franchise. Yup, you heard that right haters. I immensely enjoyed Black Ops, and found it to be a great improvement over Modern Brokefare 2. But it didn't bother to overhaul the franchise further. As awesome as the COD formula once was, it has now become tiresome. The new developers for Modern Warfare 3 better step-up, by taking risks with the formula to prevent the series from total stagnation. Whatever they do, I just hope they beta test it.

Call of Duty.

as much as it pains me to say it, GTA ... i fucking LOVE the GTA games, whenever a new one is out i go completely apeshit and buy it, but really R* are gonna have to pull a miracle to make GTA 5 relevant ..

All of them.

FUCKING FINAL FANTASY JESUS CHRIST

" All of them. "

pretty much every big Japanese game...  Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Dead Rising, Zelda and Monster Hunter come to mind.

Resident evil and Call of duty.

" FUCKING FINAL FANTASY JESUS CHRIST "

The Japanese mantra of "because that's the way it's always been" was really depressing in 2010.

Everything, but Mario it needs to get more like Bros. 3.

I really want Zelda to be reinvented. We've basically been playing the same Zelda game for over a decade now. Modern Zelda games are great, but I think it's time for a big change.

Every Japanese game

Fallout.

Dynasty Warriors... srsly 

All franchises need to "evolve".

" Dynasty Warriors... srsly  "

" All franchises need to "evolve". "

Soapbox: People have got to stop saying "Every Japanese game"

" All franchises need to "evolve". "

" All of them. "

I actually don't think Zelda needs to evolve at all. I am honestly so content with Zelda, in all it's forms, that nostalgia plays a huge factor and I love going back to them.

I think the characters from Resident Evil need to figure out how to aim a gun and walk at the same time...just sayin...

I think some evolve too much, to the point they aren't fun anymore.
Mario don't need a 10-15 min intro, let me grab those stars already.

A lot of them, but the first one that I always think of is Ratchet & Clank.
That franchise is LONG overdue for something big - and not just another tack-on like the "time puzzle" or "gun levelling".

I think Resident Evil needs to decide what it wants to be. 4 was GREAT, but 5 was like playing a piece of fanfiction, it was atrocious. 
Final Fantasy definitely needs to dial back a notch, but it likely won't, so in that case it just needs to end. 
Devil May Cry desperately needs to and, hey, looks like it may be. 
But a lot of games I'm seeing pop up are only second iterations, there's no need to reinvent the wheel every single time. I think Fallout's doing just fine, 3 was good and NV was great and they were both RADICALLY different from the previous games. Every franchise needs to evolve eventually, but not every game that comes out needs to be completely new and different, otherwise there'll be no status quo to go against and sequels would take just as long to make as their predecessors. 
Frankly I think Bioware has the right idea: take your time, put out a great, quality product, then streamline it to be a more focussed experience that ultimately still keeps the feel of the original.

Pokemon. And I'm not just saying that so I can say "Pokemon needs to evolve. Herp Derp."
 
I bought platinum a year ago because I heard it was decent. Christ, that game hasn't changed at all since the original. Same 4 options every turn, same gym progression, same attacks, same nurse behind the counter in the pokemon centers.

I think Modern Warfare 3 will be the last big CoD game before it goes the route of Tony Hawk. 

" @Belonpopo said:

" All of them. "

"

The entire rhythm genre.

" Soapbox: People have got to stop saying "Every Japanese game" "

all franchises, but ASAP? Resident Evil. 

" Pokemon, holy fuck, it hasn't even taken a step forward. "

" @CaptainCody said:

" Pokemon, holy fuck, it hasn't even taken a step forward. "

You haven't played Back/White, apparently."

" @extremeradical said:

" Soapbox: People have got to stop saying "Every Japanese game" "

Right, because Japanese developers are well known for their innovation and ability to keep up with current trends in gaming... "

I'm going to change my answer to Farming Simulator. The 2011 release left much to be desired, and they took out the really compelling RPG mechanics that made the game so popular in the first place. I say they reboot the entire franchise, maybe go to a third-person view. I think a new perspective and some more in-depth RPG elements could restore the game to its former greatness.

" @President_Barackbar said:

" @extremeradical said:

" Soapbox: People have got to stop saying "Every Japanese game" "

Right, because Japanese developers are well known for their innovation and ability to keep up with current trends in gaming... "

I'm not saying that most Japanese RPGs and third person shooters don't deserve a good kick in the ass, but saying every Japanese game is clearly overstating it. I mean, what's wrong with Street Fighter, Kirby, Mario & Luigi and/or Super Mario Galaxy? Those are good franchises, and I think they're still pretty relevant. "

Gran Turismo should promptly exit the bubble that's formed around it for the past decade.

Tony Hawk needs to evolve if it wants to stay afloat, and not with another gimmicky controller.

Not even debatable, Resident Evil. Piss poor mechanics doesn't build survival horror tension guys. It's just piss poor mechanics.

" Not even debatable, Resident Evil. Piss poor mechanics doesn't build survival horror tension guys. It's just piss poor mechanics. "

I think most franchises really should not evolve, but simply put to rest. Take Resident Evil for example, I did like RE5, but the characters and settings are so over done already that it just doesn't matter. Back when you where fighting Umbrella the story had at least some meaning, but now its just another random bad guy doing another random mutation thing, you shoot him, the end. And that isn't just RE5, but also already RE4 and RE0. 
 
I don't think anything could be done to Zelda that would make me interested again either. The series has been done so much to death, its just not fun anymore. Getting the boomerang the first few titles was nice, getting it the 15 times or whatever is just a snore. Maybe if they put the next Zelda in space or let you play as Zelda instead of Link or whatever, but that series really needs a large break and a complete reinvention, not just evolution. Skyward Sword looked completly uninteresting, just TwilightPrincess again with a different shader applied, *yawn*.
 
I would like it to see more self-contained games that have simply a beginning, a middle and an end. Not these endless franchises that started some 15 years back and now survive on an endless amount of cliffhanger and inconclusive endings. I don't mind a solid trilogy, but most franchises are already way beyond that point. And keeping them going longer doesn't improve things.

The Legend of Zelda needs a makeover.

the correct answer is Pokemon

EVERYTHING, i think they should stop making games for like a year for developers to brainstorm some things up. they could just brainstorm and not make games.