I've been revisiting anno 2205, infamously the ugly duckling of the Anno series of RTS games. I don't mind so much the fact that it's different, lacks customisation and random map generation - I'm bothered because the game is so slow to progress through on challenge settings, and it feels like a game designed just to artificially waste your time; in other anno games, you can always pull tricks to dig yourself out of economic crisis - selling off assets and surplus goods, completing quests for other parties, or taking loans. 2205 is very very confined in terms of what you can do to financially recover in the early game and forces you into a lot of military events.
This is my experience almost to a T. I'll add that I think the environment design is the most beautiful in all gaming history (ESPECIALLY the first town in Rebirth), but hardly matters with the story changes and the gameplay just not being strong enough.
I think a lot of people had this reaction and the sales figures reflect it. I was an OG FF7 fan and the tone change is drastic. I wanted to believe it would get better but it didn't and I don't think will.