Entries in franchises that are bad as sequels but still good games - Think Star Fox Adventures, Chrono Cross, etc

[SSj_Ness (Yiffed)]

I was thinking of Metal Gear and how some people didn't like Metal Gear Acid. It's too different from what they expected from the series, but it's still a good game, I liked it a lot. I guess others did too since it got a sequel, and later received mobile ports as well.

What are games you played in a franchise that you wouldn't consider to be a good part of the series per se, but still good games? They don't have to be wildly different from the rest of the series like MGA.

 

[alright fine]

AC: Black Flag is a recent-ish example. Feels nothing like an AssCreed game, even when it allows AC style missions on land, instead it's a really fun pirate game with AC elements stapled haphazardly onto it.

 

[StacticShock]

Deus Ex: Invisible War and Thief - Deadly Shadows, basically console-styled games that had to fill massive legendary PC game boots but still good in their own merit.
fite me.

 

[The Mass Shooter Ron Soye]

Deus Ex: Invisible War and Thief - Deadly Shadows, basically console-styled games that had to fill massive legendary PC game boots but still good in their own merit.
fite me.

RIP Looking Glass

Is there where I can say TES IV: Oblivion and not get flamed?

 

[byuu]

3rd Birthday aka Parasite Eve 3.
Pretty fun game, but the only thing it shares with former Parasite Eve titles is the main character's name.

 

[Mega Black]

RIP Looking Glass

Is there where I can say TES IV: Oblivion and not get flamed?

I'd say Oblivion would count if every Elder Scrolls wasn't pretty different from one another. In that same vein I suppose the modern Fallouts from Bethesda would count.

 

[A Very Big Fish]

AC: Black Flag is a recent-ish example. Feels nothing like an AssCreed game, even when it allows AC style missions on land, instead it's a really fun pirate game with AC elements stapled haphazardly onto it.

Assassin's Creed is at its best when its being as least Assassin's Creed as possible. Every time they bring you to present day to play as some dipshit meandering around an office building, I got irritated.

I'd say Dishonored 2 is my answer. The first game ends and the epilogue goes until the death of the protagonist, and then Dishonored 2 comes in and crowbars in a whole new story in between those events. The worst part of that, is that Dishonored is a universe that's effectively a cosmic horror, where no one really matters, and powers beyond human comprehension are behind the scenes, disinterested in humanity, having a protagonist unconnected to the first game would not only work just fine, but would probably work with the themes of the setting better. That said, I enjoyed the story for what it was, and thought it was an extremely fun game.

I heard Prey 17 had nothing to do with previous Prey games, but it was a fun scifi horror. The introduction where you break out of your apartment simulation and escape onto the spaceship, the visual is striking.

 

[Lord of the Large Pants]

Command and Conquer: Generals

That is all.

 

[ColonelCadaver]

Command and Conquer: Generals

That is all.

How come? Imo cnc generals looks great even when compared to previous entries. Real banger.

 

[Celebrate Nite]

Streets Of Rage 3

The US version gives the story a re-do, which also cuts out content. The new dialogue even omits what you're supposed to do (eg, in the japan version, Zan specifically says you need to destroy the machines in the two control rooms to rescue the general. In the US version, it just says "find the chief". This is very important if you want the good ending, as the path splits depending on whether or not you were quick in time to save the general/chief.). For some reason the game is more difficult than the japan version (i.e. Normal is actually Hard, Hard is Hardest, etc...). if you set the game to easy (i.e. Normal), after Mr. X you get a cliffhanger ending, so you have no choice but to play the harder difficulty. Also the colors are wrong and characters (specifically women) have been censored.

In general, hit's don't have the same impact as the last game did. Sounds more like bubble-wrap popping than actual fists to the face sounds. The attacks themselves also seem weaker than the last game outside of weapons. The soundtrack is also VASTLY different than the last game, which while having a few catchy tunes, is jarring considering SOR went from 90's dance/house to hard techno.

Otherwise it's a good game. Just make sure to google the Bare Knuckle III Translation patch before playing it.

 

[YE24]

Fallout 3, allegedly. People seem to like it (I don't), but it is absolutely not a proper sequel to the hex-based, turn-based-combat 2D RPG series known as Fallout.

 

[skykiii]

I agree about Acid, though I never did beat it.

(Also this could probably go in the "Terms you thought meant something else" topic but when I see the acronym "AC" I think it means either "Armored Core" or "Air Conditioning")

Probably the ur-examples would be either Shining Force (how many people remember it was a sequel to Shining in the Darkness, which was a Wizardry-style dungeon crawler?) or good old Symphony of the Night....

.... That said I've always thought Simon's Quest and Zelda II were underrated.

Hands down, my favorite Dragon Quest games are the two Builders games, which eschew the traditonal RPG in favor of being more minecraft-esque.

I find Pokemon Puzzle League imminently more playable than the actual Pokemon games.

 

[XL xQgg?QcQCaTYDMjqoDnYpG]

DISCLAIMER: I haven't finished playing it yet
Saints Row IV is fun, but sure as shit should not be Saints Row

 

[Lord of the Large Pants]

How come? Imo cnc generals looks great even when compared to previous entries. Real banger.

It really just has nothing to do with the rest of the CNC series. No Kane, no Tiberium, no alternate timeline created by killing Hitler, completely different gameplay style. It's a perfectly fine near future RTS, but it's not CNC.

 

[McMitch]

Star Fox Adventures is a bad game in general.

Fallout 3, allegedly. People seem to like it (I don't), but it is absolutely not a proper sequel to the hex-based, turn-based-combat 2D RPG series known as Fallout.

Fallout was grid-based

MGSV, even in the state it was released, would have been better without trying to cram itself into the rest of the series.

 

[Kit Marz]

Super Paper Mario was disappointing as a sequel but when I decided to just play it as another Mario game divorced from the Paper Mario series I had a lot of fun with it

 

[Ed Weed]

I'd say Oblivion would count if every Elder Scrolls wasn't pretty different from one another. In that same vein I suppose the modern Fallouts from Bethesda would count.

I usually count them as pre Morrowind and post Morrowind with each successive title slowly stripping away the RPG elements over time.

I enjoyed Skyrim, but it was more about exploration than RPG elements at that point.

 

[Epoch]

I would say Quake 2, but Quake 2 isn't even good. Quake 3 is good, but not a good sequel at all.

Also I think Chrono Cross is a fine sequel, despite its messy story. It seems a lot of the hate comes from people upset that Trigger didn't get a happy ending because of it, but to be honest I'm sick of games/movies/shows that are all just happy endings all the time. There is a real issue in media these days where everything has become escapist, no conflict can exist. I'm glad that there are still things that aren't happy 100% of the time, and I think the story Cross tells is absolutely worth being a sequel to Trigger.

 

[Fatniggo1488]

AC: Black Flag is a recent-ish example. Feels nothing like an AssCreed game, even when it allows AC style missions on land, instead it's a really fun pirate game with AC elements stapled haphazardly onto it.

I always felt like they should have just completely separated Black Flag from AssCreed.

 

[Dysnomia]

Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals. It's actually a pretty fun game on it's own. It has a nice skill system and multiple play styles depending on the character you are controlling. Once you figure out how to control Selan's weapon it's really fun to use. and someone must have felt bad for Tia. Because she does actually stand up to Maxim's clueless insensitivity and her special attack is really overpowered.

But even though it takes some lore cues from Energy Breaker it doesn't feel like a Lufia game. I feel like it should have been another side story or just it's own thing.