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[RBIYF]

Silent Hill 3 to 4. The series died that day.

Agreed.

Though 4 wasn't as bad as some of the other games that followed, it certainly marked the turning point of the series toward a downhill spiral from which it never recovered and things only got worse and worse.

It's as if the series suddenly ceased to capture the magic that made the first three games so great, and instead the series started to feel like really bad fanfiction....which, from a storytelling standpoint, is actually what happened, since the key writer who wrote and co-wrote the first three games left and was no longer involved with the series starting with 4.

Silent Hills looked like the much needed redemption and return to glory the series needed, so of course Konami cancelled it.

Mafia. 2 was worse than 1, 3 was way worse than 2.

Also agree with this.

 

[mrmickfran]

Mega Man has varieties of this

Mega Man 5 > 6, 7 > 8
Mega Man X4 > X5 > X6 > X7
Mega Man Battle Network 3 > 4
Zero 3 > Zero 4 (Zero 4 was great, don't get me wrong, but 3 was God tier)

 

[kswiston]

Uh, also

Sonic Adventure 2 to Sonic The Hedgehog 2006....i'm baffled im not seeing more of this here.

Probably because Sonic Heroes was the immediate follow-up of Sonic Adventure 2.

 

[ForkNetwork]

Mega Man has varieties of this

Mega Man 7 > 8

Nope, 8 is so much better, and even if it wasnt, im not sure you could call it a massive drop in quality

 

[Shaanyboi]

Saints Row 2 to Saints Row 3. Never seen a franchise take such a sudden nosedive.

Is today Opposite Day? Saints Row the Third made Saints Row actually worth a shit.

 

[Mass Effect]

Uh, also

Sonic Adventure 2 to Sonic The Hedgehog 2006....i'm baffled im not seeing more of this here.

I think you skipped a couple of games here. Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog. Also, the handheld games (Sonic Advance 1-3 and Rush)

Smash Bros. Brawl to Smash for WiiU....or, "when a developer throws an even bigger hissy fit. This game is basically Brawl, except with ALL of the technical cool shit removed."

But Smash 4 is better than Brawl in literally every conceivable way. And what "cool technical shit?" Tripping? Brawl is as simple as it gets. (also, Smash 4 has bidou, so no)

And one that everyone should agree with me on:...

Mario Kart Double Dash to every Mario Kart since...Double Dash was and remains the best MK game, had the best physics, concept, multiplayer playability, stages, ect. It even had better visuals than every sequel until the WiiU one.

Hell no. DS, Wii, 7, and 8 are all better games than Double Dash.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Blood to Blood 2.

Blood is the best FPS ever, and Blood 2 is just awful.

 

[jimboton]

Tomb Raider Underworld to Tomb Raider 2013. One of the worst of recent times.

 

[Pizza con salsiccia]

Galaxy 2, a terrible sequel to Galaxy, which was a terrible sequel to the pretty good game Mario Sunshine.

 

[atomic moth]

Haha I think page ten is where this thread should die

 

[visiblemode]

For me, Resistance 2

Yes! I came here to post this exact thing.

Loved Resistance 1 but Resistance 2 was trash. It also wins another category though, it flips the other direction for the 3rd entry to the same degree or even moreso. The 3rd game is the best in the series.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Brood War > Starcraft 2

Diablo 2 > Diablo 3

ActRaiser > ActRaiser 2

Resistance > Resistance 2

The Legend of Zelda > The Legend of Zelda 2

Metroid Prime 3 > Metroid The Other M

Unreal Tournament 2004 > Unreal Tournament 3

Warhawk > Starhawk

Crysis > Crysis 2

 

[aett]

Nope, 8 is so much better, and even if it wasnt, im not sure you could call it a massive drop in quality

Mega Man has varieties of this

Mega Man 5 > 6, 7 > 8

It's funny how different everyone's opinions can be. I think MM6 is much better than 5, and I think that 7 is worlds better than 8.

My submission, which hopefully hasn't been said yet: Suikoden 2 to 3. One of the most beautiful and well-paced JRPGs followed up by an ugly slog through the same areas over and over. And then you could say 3 to 4 - the graphics and sound improved, but the gameplay, story, and character design (and encounter rate) are MUCH worse.

 

[rainsten]

Shenmue > Shenmue 2

 

[sublimit]

Tomb Raider Chronicles >Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness
Tomb Raider Underworld (which was already mediocre-bad) > Tomb Raider 2013
Devil May Cry 1 > Devil May Cry 2
Silent Hill 3 > Silent Hill 4
Final Fantasy VII > Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy XII > Final Fantasy XIII
Tekken 5 DRO > Tekken 6
Resident Evil 5 > Resident Evil 6

 

[mrmickfran]

Nope, 8 is so much better, and even if it wasnt, im not sure you could call it a massive drop in quality

8 was trash.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Final Fantasy games probably shouldn't count since they enter development roughly around the same time (FFIX and X, FFXII and XIII, etc.).

 

[TheAdmiester]

Is today Opposite Day? Saints Row the Third made Saints Row actually worth a shit.

Good one.

 

[LordKasual]

I think you skipped a couple of games here. Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog. Also, the handheld games (Sonic Advance 1-3 and Rush)

Probably because Sonic Heroes was the immediate follow-up of Sonic Adventure 2.

Rats! I loved Sonic Heroes though.

Shadow the Hedgehog to Sonic 06 still works, actually. That's the tragic part.

But Smash 4 is better than Brawl in literally every conceivable way. And what "cool technical shit?" Tripping? Brawl is as simple as it gets. (also, Smash 4 has bidou, so no)

*Triggered*

Changes from Brawl to Smash 4:

No more tripping (yay!)
No more edgehogging (What's stage control?)
No more chain throws (Good thing, crappy way to implement it)
No more special cancelling in any way (RIP advanced techniques, RIP toon link, RIP samus)
No more Edgeslipping (What's stage control? Better camp the ledge for free, not like i'll be punished for blocking there)
Drastically increased aerial landing lag (Unless you're one of the current S-Tier characters, in which case, you're S-tier)
Drastically reduced Shieldpush (RIP anyone with landing lag)
Drastically increased Shield regeneration (What's shield pressure?)
Drastically astronomically increased roll speed and saftey (Spacing? Nah. Lemme just roll across the stage faster than your character can sprint.)
Drastically increased base knockback on most attacks (Get hit, return to neutral)

Ledge snapping is hilariously generous (Losing? Let me help you!)
No more weakened ledge recovery animation (Losing? Let me help you!)
Everyone can recover from the depths of hell (Losing? Let me help you!)
Edge guarding concept watered down more than ever (Losing? Let me help you!)
Blast zones pushed back 2 miles (Losing? Let me help you!)
Rage mechanic rewards you for being ass (Losing? Let me help you!)
EVERYTHING stage spikes (jank)


tl;dr the mechanics of the game got watered down hard and all the characters are watered down versions of their brawl selves. What the game lost in Metaknight it just gained in Sheik / Cloud / Diddy and pretty much every returning character that was in Brawl is significantly less deep in Smash 4.

Hell no. DS, Wii, 7, and 8 are all better games than Double Dash.

No way...all the Wii MK games felt like crap to me. Why do i get bumped by a heavy and lose control of my vehicle. Why do i get hit with a shell and have to watch my character flail their arms until they come to a complete stop.

Biased, i hated it

 

[Astral Dog]

Super Mickey 2 was like a disaster

 

[BossDarkseid]

I'll add on to Dark Souls 1 -> Dark Souls 2, with the disclaimer that I don't think Dark Souls 2 is a bad game on its own.

I could agree. The one thing i hate about DS2 is the feel of the movement, it just feels so off compared to Ds1,Ds3 or BB. Otherwise it feels like fans of the first game made a sequel and didn't quite understand what made it work. It does some things well, introduces some features that are really cool, but a lot of it is kinda...poor in comparison, even if its decent in its own right.

 

[Adam_Vania]

Dark Souls to Dark Souls 2

Dark Souls 2 got so many things wrong from the first game but ultimately it is the world design that is the biggest let down. not so much that the world wasn't interconnected, but it just looked so dull. the texture work was a massive step down from 1 imo, the designs of the levels themselves at times reminded me of N64-generation levels.

thank god they decided to go for quality over quantity in DSIII. it may be more linear but an area like High Wall is 1000000x better than an are like Forest of the Fallen Giants.

 

[DealWithIt]

Way of the samurai two way of the samurai 2

WoS2 had a horrible instant kill counter system, and an endless spree of quest to save lost babies. I get sad every time I think about it.

 

[sublimit]

Dark Souls to Dark Souls 2

Dark Souls 2 got so many things wrong from the first game but ultimately it is the world design that is the biggest let down. not so much that the world wasn't interconnected, but it just looked so dull. the texture work was a massive step down from 1 imo, the designs of the levels themselves at times reminded me of N64-generation levels.

thank god they decided to go for quality over quantity in DSIII. it may be more linear but an area like High Wall is 1000000x better than an are like Forest of the Fallen Giants.

Lol come on now.

 

[pretty done]

Counter-Strike -> Counter-Strike: Source

Source legitimately is the worst sequel of all time. It nearly killed competitive CS and retains absolutely nothing of what made the game good. It's pretty clear that a bunch of ignorant Valve devs created this shit to try out their new engine, but to push it out as the sequel to Counter-Strike was an insult. If you ever wonder why the hardcore CS players hate Valve, it's probably because of this gigantic turd. Even TF2 wasn't as bad.

Dark Souls 1 -> Dark Souls 2

I just don't understand why the devs would even THINK of touching things like rolling hitboxes (the infamous ADP change) and dead angling attacks. Couple that with a plethora of bosses that are all free as fuck, hitboxes online and offline that just make no sense and level design that was nothing special and you've got yourself a widely disappointing sequel to the best game of last gen. Still a pretty good game when compared to your average RPG but I expect more of FROM Software.

SF3: 3rd Strike -> Street Fighter IV and all it's shitty sequels

Everything downgraded from graphics to music to gameplay mechanics. Started the trend of comeback mechanics. Just an overall ugly as fuck game that is not fun to play, with awful combo timings.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

Streets of Rage 2 --> Streets of Rage 3

 

[mfsteve]

Twisted Metal 2 to Twisted Metal 3

From vehicular combat perfection to absolute turd.

 

[Greddleok]

Far Cry 2 to Far Cry 3

 

[jotun?]

The correct answer is Master of Orion 2 to Master of Orion 3. The former is the most beloved game in the Space 4X genre and an instant classic and the sequel is an unplayable mess. For whatever you can say about games like Other M, at least they function as games whereas Master of Orion 3 does not.

Oh yeah, that's a huge one


People saying things like Mass Effect 2 or Starcraft 2 don't understand the difference between quality and personal preferences

 

[Adam_Vania]

Lol come on now.

a bit of exaggeration, i admit it, but i hated hated hated the Shaded Woods.

 

[786110]

Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door -> Super Paper Mario

 

[mrmickfran]

Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door -> Super Paper Mario

Super Paper Mario -> Sticker Star

 

[Fbh]

Twisted Metal 2 to Twisted Metal 3

From vehicular combat perfection to absolute turd.

Man, twisted metal 3 gives me some of the fondest memories from my Childhood.

My neighbour had it and we played it all the time. Loved the stages, secrets and the various cars.


But in recent years I learned that it was badly recieved. With bad reviews and lots of people that hate it. I guess it's one of those games that would absolutely NOT hold up if I played them now

 

[Lumpy Onion]

Arc the Lad 3 was pure trash after the magnificent Arc 2. Traded up the beautiful 2d art for a sloppy mishmash of 2d and 3D that looked awful. Story feels unnecessary and is mostly a series of bland mini missions (i.e.: find a lost dog) with the occasional story mission. I remember looking forward to this one on the Arc Collection but shelved pretty early when I realized how this one turned out.

 

[ambar_hitman]

Mafia 2 to Mafia 3

Very strange this wasn't mentioned on 1st page.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

Console:
Super Metroid ----> Metroid Prime

Kid Icarus ---> Kid Icarus 3ds

Front Mission 5 ---> Front Mission Evolved

Ninja Gaiden Sigma ---> Ninja Gaiden III ps3

God of War II ---> God of War 3

Wizards and Warriors ---> Wizards and Warriors 2


Arcade (for those born in the era):
Double Dragon II ---> Double Dragron III the Rosetta Stone

Ikari Warriors ---> Ikari Warriors III The Rescue'

Star Wars 1980s (Atari Vector Graphics) ---> Return of the Jedi

Twin Cobra ----> Twin Corbra II

Twin Eagle, Revenge Joe's Brother ---> Twin Eagle II The Rescue Mission

 

[Bergerac]

Would someone kindly list the flaws of DMC2?

 

[Sad Affleck]

The correct answer is Master of Orion 2 to Master of Orion 3. The former is the most beloved game in the Space 4X genre and an instant classic and the sequel is an unplayable mess. For whatever you can say about games like Other M, at least they function as games whereas Master of Orion 3 does not.

Good answer.

 

[Octavianus]

Fallout 2 > 3
Fallout NV > 4

Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door -> Super Paper Mario

But Super Paper Mario is a better game.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

Would someone kindly list the flaws of DMC2?

Just watch any footage of the game being played and they will become apparent.

Basically everything beloved about the franchise went wrong.

Really buggy
Ranged weapons are too strong
Combat feels floaty and awful
Way too easy, to the point that you're bored of playing it because it is basically spam one button combat
Enemies are non responsive
Boss fights are long and not difficult therefore feel like chores
Dante acts like a detached prick

Here's what I mean https://youtu.be/n5FrWcrc-XU

 

[Krakin]

Kingdom Hearts to Kingdom Hearts 2.

Flame shield raised. Come at me.

 

[Zombegoast]

Pokemon GSC > RSE.

Would someone kindly list the flaws of DMC2?

Infested Tank is enough reason the game is bad.

 

[Kneefoil]

Super Paper Mario to Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Golden Sun: The Lost Age to Golden Sun: Dark Dawn are the two really notable ones I can come up with. Sticker Star I don't care for mainly due to the battle system, and Dark Dawn is just a run of the mill JRPG with bad story and writing.

DD also gets some things about previous games wrong, changes the world in some nonsensical ways, and suffers from trying to be just as big of a game as TLA was. For example,

Spoiler

in TLA it made sense that you would have 8 party members by the end of the game: you eventually make an alliance with your party from the first game who were originally your enemies. I'm guessing DD does the same thing just because the devs were afraid that it would be criticized for having fewer party members. However, as a result of that, most of your party ends up being completely uninteresting and lacking in character development.

Then they even dare to pull off a sequel bait ending with most of the plot still being left unresolved, with no guarantee that they would be allowed to make any more of these games. I think this game made me more mad than any other game before or since.

 

[A-V-B]

Agreed.

Though 4 wasn't as bad as some of the other games that followed, it certainly marked the turning point of the series toward a downhill spiral from which it never recovered and things only got worse and worse.

It's as if the series suddenly ceased to capture the magic that made the first three games so great, and instead the series started to feel like really bad fanfiction....which, from a storytelling standpoint, is actually what happened, since the key writer who wrote and co-wrote the first three games left and was no longer involved with the series starting with 4.

Konami sent Hiroyuki to rot in the early mobile games divison after SH3. Imagine if Chris Avellone was contractually obligated to work on cutscenes for obscure PS1 children's puzzle games after Planescape: Torment... as not even the lead writer.

 

[kswiston]

Oh yeah, that's a huge one

The history of PC gaming is littered with dumbed down and unfinished, buggy-as-shit sequels to Hall of Fame quality predecessors.

 

[ScaryShark]

All of these. ME2 is a really good game but they kicked the atmosphere to the curb.

Yeah, it was hard to top those empty, generic and repeated warehouses you had to clear out that were the majority of the side content.

ME1 is like a husk of ME2 in terms of atmosphere.

 

[Menitta]

Sonic Riders Zero Gravity -> Sonic Free Riders.

One of my favourite racing series and spin offs destroyed by Kinect. Now I know how Steel Battalion fans feel.

 

[eot]

Blood to Blood 2.

Blood is the best FPS ever, and Blood 2 is just awful.

This would be a candidate for sure.

 

[SargerusBR]

Not exactly direct sequels but FFXI -> FFXIV is another good example.

 

[letmetrythisname]

Civilization IV to V.