Topic: Samey Sequels: Are They Really So Bad?

^{I asked this before, didn't I?}

I noticed when I made a thread about "Series You Used To Like", that several people listed series that they stopped liking because every subsequent game was similar (or something along those lines). Myself included, of course. In fact, out of the 10 or so that I listed, half of them were because the sequels were too similar.

Yet, when I thought of my favorite series, a lot of them are similar, too. The original Mega Man series, for instance, is virtually the same game with only small differences between each game. It's as if the entire series could be easily condensed into one gaint metagame. Perhaps it's just because each game is pretty short, I've found that I never get sick of them no matter how many I play, and how often I play them. The "Tales of" and the Super Robot Wars series, on the other hand, are excruciatingly long games with little variation between each installment, and it seems like the recipe for a series that's bound to wear on you. Yet I've played many of them and I've thoroughly enjoyed each, and I'm still looking forward to playing the next installment to see what new adventures, new boss battles, and in some cases new Giant Robots await.

So why is it I've gotten sick of other games? The Legend of Zelda, for instance, actually has plenty of variety between each game, yet the elements that always remain common are enough to make me role my eyes every time I watch the trailer for the newest installment. Then there's games like Pokemon and Armored Core that, like Tales of and SRW that I mentioned, have little variety and are excruciatingly long, yet by now I am thoroughly sick of them, and booting up the latest installment is enough to make me fall asleep. Of course, I'm not sick of the games I played as a kid - I'll probably play Pokemon Blue and Gold until the day I die, and I'm already looking for a used copy of AC3 and Silent Line so I can relive the glory days, yet that just makes it even more odd. It doesn't seem like the series has actually gotten worse, they just haven't evolved.

So here's where I ask the question:

• Does it matter to you whether a new game in a series you like doesn't change, so long as the game is still good, or do you think that a game shouldn't settle for the same-old-same-old and should always try to improve and evolve?
  Obviously, the answer for most will be "It depends on the specific series", so I'll also ask:
• What makes it so some games can get away for being samey while other series are considered "stale"?

In the case of Pokémon the changes ar subtle, but the fans will recognize them and appreciate them, particularly in multiplayer mode. Each game adds another layer of depth to the battle system such as special abilities or new stats to take into account. While this doesn't affect the game in a huge game-changing way when played casually, it is a way of keeping old fans interested who know every trick in the book while retaining the fun gameplay to attract newcomers.

It depends on the game some games I will buy sequels because of very good level design like mega man and others like Pokemon make sequels every year and it gets old pretty quickly.

I admire the risk of an innovative sequel, but I'm more likely to purchase a samey one because I know it'll be good.

I need something different every time. Significantly updating the graphics will do it for me.

I prefer a similar experience because I know what to expect. If the series is good (Like Legend of Zelda), I know I will always get a quality product. Something like Katamari though, I know I'll be getting the whole annoying sound effects, and music, and voices, so I know to steer clear rather than go through another horrible gaming experience all over again.

I think it depends on what is being changed or what is being kept the same. I've enjoyed all the variations that the Zelda series introduced, but what bothers me about the recent games is the slimming down of content outside the main story quest. A Link to The Past had tons of caves, extra items, fairy fountains you could upgrade items with, etc. Twilight Princess felt like there was virtually nothing to do outside of defeating Ganon and saving Hyrule. For me, the element of discovery was what drew me to Zelda as a kid. Now, the games hold your hand to the bitter end, and don't really allow much room for you to figure things out for yourself.

It depends on the gameplay and the person.

Eh, it's kinda 50/50. I like the Kingdom Hearts series because of the various worlds and gameplay tweaks, but some games like Legend Of Zelda get old after playing so many different similar versions.

As a fan of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors I can honeslty say I enjoy games that do minor tweaks one game to another.

I think every game series should try to either be Zelda-like with how it does sequels or have every sequel be the same after the 2nd game if it does what a sequel should do and has the 2nd game fix the major problems of the first game. If you want to do something really different it usually only works as a side game in a longer series (like the Mario RPGs or Ace Attourney Investigations).

I do think that there are too many sequels for any game that is even remotely successful ('sup Dead Space) but I can see why as anytime something new comes out stupid people avoid it for no reason. But more and more I ask "why is this necessary"? when sequels to games are announced. Nowadays outside of some series that have been around since the 90s, I'm only interested in sequels to games that could have been amazing with some improvements or games where it is obvious the story should continue.

Great thread Mickey!

This is a big deal for me as franchises have had there significant wear on me over the last few years. Ill give a few of my favorite series and reactions to the sequels and I guess that will do the trick.

Mega Man 2 is one of my favorite NES games, the music, level design, bosses, etc its all so perfect. Mega Man 9 came out and I walked straight in the door from work turned on the TV and Wii and downloaded away. I played it until way past when I need to go to bed and continued to do so for days on end. A new version of the great 8bit Mega Man we all know and love was awesome. Mega Man 10 had me instant downloading away as well but for some reason I just cant get into it. Ive only finished like half the fist stages and dont even think Ive played all of the stages even. I just cant get into it for some reason. Mega Man 9 literally tired me out maybe, I dont know.

Super Mario Everything. NES Super Mario is classic platforming that defined what gamers are today and i still love them. I love Super Mario World to death and I think Super Mario 64 is the GREATEST game ever created, as it landmarked 3D gaming that we now know so well today. Gamecube hit and Ive tried to get through Sunshine time and again, I finished Galaxy after like a 5 month gap I took off away from it and Galaxy 2 is still half finished. NSMBWii I think Ive made it to World 3 as I hate the motion control additons forced into the game and the unbalanced stage design. I did finish NSMBDS it was easy but fun and I adored the Mini Game collection more than the actual game. Love all the Mario RPG games as long is there is like a year gap between games. Im just getting tired of the franchise basically. Ive been playing it for 25+ years and I still love it but it doesnt excite me like it used too.

Zelda is hit or miss with me. I beat the original many times. I beat the SNES game and the original Gameboy title as well as Ocarina and love Twilight Princess. After the 80+ hours of Twilight I got Phantom Hourglass and despised its timed dungeons and havent even thought to try Spirit Tracks. Heck I got Oracle of the Ages and got like two hours into it and got bored. OH... 3D Dot Game Heroes is incredible but its still half finished as its a Zelda clone. Again playing the same thing over again eventually gets old.

Halo was a big deal. 4 Tvs and 4 XBOXs linked up on weekends with 4 people on each system fragging it out was AWESOME. Halo 2 launch I took a week vacation for and played it until the day Halo 3 launched after putting prob 50+ hrs into the Halo 3 Beta. About 10+ hrs into Halo 3 I realized Im just doing the same thing over again on a new disc and that was it for me. I tried to push to the end of the game many times and couldnt. Online was fun but Modern Warfare was much better as it didnt take a grenade to knock down a shield and then a whole clip to kill someone. I had Halo Reach in my gameroom a few weekends ago and I didnt even try it out or have a desire to. Its not that its a bad game, Im just over it.

Prob 800+ hours of Modern Warfare and Im not buying Black Ops and nobody can get it, but Im over it.

Kirby I adored when I was younger but the lack of any difficulty literally bores me to death today and as I didnt even realize that Epic Yarn released today, I still just dont really care, even when Corbies awesome review and perfect score. I know Its simply not for me.

I havent even finished Metroid: Other M, but Ive finished like 5 other games that Ive bought after buying it. The crazy control scheme and unadjustable camera, plus the been here done this factor had other games looking more appealing a few hours into it.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 I was dying to get. I got like 30 games in the last few months of last year around Christmas and this was the one game I had to have. Its still the only one that I havent finished. Its so much like the first one it makes it hard to play, with the exception of the lack of blood on PS3 with really sucks because you are slicing off heads, limbs like a bad flippin ninja and getting purple smoke... what the heck? Ninja Gaiden on NES is my favorite game of all time by the way.

Ratchet and Clank Future Tools of Destruction was so much of the same ole Ratchet we have played over and over again, but the whit and humor of the character have you playing on to the end. I was kinda sketchy about buying the PS3 sequel A Crack in Time but Insomiac got it right with it and Im glad I did. They put so many new elements into the game that it really freshened up the genre and Im dying for a sequel already... well not to mention Heroes on the Move is kinda a sequel and another change of pace.

Uncharted gets it right as well. The gameplay was refined with the sequel as well as a great multiplayer option and the killer cast of character and stories will have me buying Uncharted sequels until they quit making them more than likely.

It seem mostly that games that dont have deep stories and character and rely on the same basic gameplay over and over have a problem holding my attention over and over again. The fact that I still play and buy these franchises shows how great the games are but the experience just isnt as great for me as it used to be. Sadly a lot of Nintendo franchises have went this way for me, as Mario and his RPG games I adore but the platforming Mario with new graphics/levels just dosent cut it for me anymore. Zelda need a much new something and maybe Skyward Sword is it and Metroid: Other M has a great story but the experimental control scheme doesnt work for me, I hate that the game feel limited when limitations are really the past in todays world. Old franchises just dont excite me like a new fresh game does today. Vanquish, just watching the trailer and playing the demo had me white knucked with excitement. Its fresh and new and exciting and I have no prior experience with the game and cant wait to give it a shot... that is exciting to me nowadays.

3DS is exciting for me as well, the hardware is looking to be pretty incredible and analog inclusion, plus 3D and the power of the machine itself has me wanting to have one NOW. Im pretty much crazy but hey... whatever lol.