Sequels that aged worse than their predecessors

[DemonKing]

FEAR 2 & 3 - the original is still fun and benefited from being released as a PC exclusive. The two sequels are basically console trash that look and play worse than the original and haven't aged half as well.

Icewind Dale 2 - the original is a timeless classic that still plays well today with excellent music, combat and atmosphere. The second has a nice interpretation of the 3rd Ed rules but is otherwise a step backwards with a clunky interface, inferior music, misplaced puzzles and a number of rehashed levels from #1.

KoToR2 - first is another classic despite its patented Bioware Intro + 4 zones and a twist format with generally very good voice acting and characters. Second scores points for the wonderful Kreia dialog and voice acting but otherwise is a step backwards especially with the supporting characters and limp rushed ending.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider: I loved the 2013 reboot for it's pacing, environments and willingness to step out from the series' heritage. The first sequel was ok but the most recent effort is not sure what it wants to be with the pacing failing to find the right mix of combat, exploration and puzzling.

 

[Falksi]

Mass Effect 2. So much potential from 1, all wasted.

Even ME3 is better.

ME1 felt like a great date with a hot woman where you got to second base & were well up for more.

ME2 felt like having another date with her, but still only getting to second base and her technique being more clumsy, and her personality going from interesting to bland. However the date itself was watching a band which was up your street so you were distracted still hopeful for what may come.

ME3 felt like she'd text you loads beforehand about making a home run, rushed you round to her house, stripped you naked, tied you up, then squat over your face and took a steaming shit.

Everytime I read someone praise ME3 I just know they love scat-play.

 

[Lagole Gon]

I should check out the original Tropico. It probably aged a bit better than some of the sequels.
But to be honest, the memories about the entires series kind of merged inside my head.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

Every Fallout after the first one, with Fallout 2 being the one I least enjoyed in the series.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

Mortal Kombat 4

 

[DalekFlay]

Every Fallout after the first one, with Fallout 2 being the one I least enjoyed in the series.

I totally get preferring the original, and I do as well. But Fallout 2 worse than 3 and 4? No fucking way.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

Every Fallout after the first one, with Fallout 2 being the one I least enjoyed in the series.

I totally get preferring the original, and I do as well. But Fallout 2 worse than 3 and 4? No fucking way.

Fallout 2 felt like a real slog after a certain point. Didn't get that with any of the others, including FO4.

 

[ASTRAL]

Fallout 2

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Ultima VII compared to VI.
There's very good reasons why that UI wasn't copied by anyone.

 

[Beastro]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution (it's amazing how much of Human Revolution was gimmicky stuff that felt cool back in 2011, like a cover-based stealth system or the dumb "press E to KO, press space to slit throat, even though the mechanics to do both are identical" stuff)

Those were never good to begin with.

Taris is worse.

TBH I find the opening planet of the first game to be worse. You're not as "stuck" in the crap, but you have to go through so much more.

I'd very much prefer to play KOTOR2 until it opens up than the first.

 

[TheHeroOfTime]

Another thread about bitching on Fallout 2 isnt it

 

[deuxhero]

Everything or Nothing has aged a lot worse than Nightfire. Everything in EoN except the driving (which is about the same) is quite clunky and most of the levels are quite a bit more linear than Nightfire's were.

Fire Emblem Awakening (13) has not aged well. Many of the earlier games (particularly 7, but really anything from 3 onward) were quite replayable due to variety in strategies and units, as well as the ability to improve by completing the game with high rankings or in as few turns as possible. 13's maps are so straightforward and many of your units so OP it has essentially been solved, with the main character able to solo the game in half an hour with not all that much luck. Even a tool assisted run, which had acces to perfect luck, struggles to beat earlier games in an hour (though I'll admit the ability to skip enemy turns does save a lot of time) with strategies a human can't possibly pull off.

 

[laclongquan]

Seal of Evil, the sequel of Prince of Qin. PoQ is a great and pretty original RPG but SoE try to transition into the vein of Diablo2 AND/OR mmorpg and fail miserably.

Sure, it's an unknown title that tarnish the fame of PoQ.

 

[blessedCoffee]

ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. I was glad the new game was based on the original T&E! Panic on Funkotron is a cheap platformer, and if you're after a challenge, you'll be greatly disappointed. It's much easier.

Earthworm Jim 3D. There's still a charm about the 2D animations (Like when Jim is throwing his gun in the air, and accidentaly shoots his face) of the first two games. EWJ3D graphics didn't age well, in comparison.

Tropico 2.

Heart of the Alien :


The worst sequel of this list. It's not a surprise that Eric decided to not include it in the anniversary editions (2007, 2011).

 

[Sigourn]

Street Fighter IV.

 

[Swigen]

Jet Moto 3 and Twisted Metal 3. Gawd, 989 Studios are a buncha fuckin’ assholes.

 

[Gerrard]

Pretty much every Settlers game after 2.

 

[adddeed]

Many retards here. Question was not which sequels were worse than the predecessors, but which aged worse. Two different things. Bunch of imbeciles

 

[Harry Easter]

Desperados 2, compared to Desperados 1. It's good, that they go back to the old perspective, the gameplay got needlessly complicated through the new 3D-view and the story had all the worse clichés of the genre, compared to the straightforward "get the bounty" - narrative of 1.

But what bothers me the most is how they handled the characters. Cooper turned from a Sergio Leone - inspired Antihero, into John Wayne; Doc McCoy is not a cynical sniper anymore, but a crumpy old man; Kate O'Hara turned into an lovesick airhead, where she kicked ass as a Femme Fatale in 1; Sam had no personality at all and Sanchez... my god, what did they do with Sanchez? He was maybe no major in literature, but he wasn't THAT stupid and deformed in.

Helldorado did make things a little bit better, but only so much. Gameplay got better, but those graphics already started to look bad, considering Bioshock was published 2007, one year later after the base game. It was inovations for inovations sake.

 

[McPlusle]

I was horribly addicted to Civilization III back in the day (it was the only game ever to give me carpal tunnel problems) but in hindsight it definitely doesn't have the elegance of the first two.

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Many retards here. Question was not which sequels were worse than the predecessors, but which aged worse. Two different things. Bunch of imbeciles

Some of my sequel game discs have a bit more dust on them than the originals. And some were so horrible that I used them for coasters. Does that count?

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Ultima 7.

 

[Harry Easter]

Ultima 7.

Why's that?

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Every Blizzard sequel after War3.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Why's that?

Terrible UI. Terrible combat. It has good seamless open world exploration, but while seamless open world exploration was quite new at the time, now is it is very common.