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Games that became big because of their sequel

Lunchbox said:
changed the video game industry

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THIS
 
Trickster said:
But Street Fighter isn't a niche game compared to those?
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Not really no, SF2 was a world wide phenomenon back when it came out, it was in every arcade and on every popular console (and some not so popular systems).

SF1 was pretty much unknown because - well to be blunt - it was terrible, SF2 on the other hand revolutionised the fighting genre for years to come and it could be found pretty much everywhere - even the crappy shop across from my house had a hacked cabinet (a version that had Ryu with 2 crisscrossing fireballs etc) - man I loved that version :D
 
MajorMelchett said:
Not really no, SF2 was a world wide phenomenon back when it came out, it was in every arcade on every popular console (and some not so popular systems).
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Ah, I was thinking more of street fighter 4. Which seems like a popular game, but not really "juggernaut" status
 
First answer is the best example, nobody even knew anything about SF1, which was an awful game, yet Street Fighter II became the biggest game during the arcade era.
 
Rm88~ said:
Street Fighter has to be the best example.
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First post nails it. The original and best example of this. Street Fighter wasn't regarded as good. Hell it wasn't regarded at all. Street Fighter 2 made that series.


A lot of these games people list that yeah, the second games improved on... but none made a series go from "invisible" to "the greatest game in the genre" quite like Street Fighter 2 did.
 
If we're talking about the first game becoming more popular, Mega Man's a good answer. If it never had a sequel, very few people would have remembered the first game.
 
Mega Man 2

Super Metroid

WarCraft 2

Duke Nukem 3D

Doom

never played it but i heard Assassins Creed 2 was better than the first.

In terms of people hunting down and buying the original because the sequel was so good,

Elite Beat Agents made me buy Ouendan
 
Marvel vs Capcom 2
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Marvel .vs Capcom was really popular at his time, and most played by most people, unless MVC2 who was absolutely know for being the most played game at EVO for years.
 
Those saying Diablo 2, there seemed to be more of a logical progression there. Because Blizzard already had a following and track record at the time. Diablo 1 was a pretty instrumental game in the course of history. I do agree though that it greatly expanded with 2.
 
Street Fighter 2 and Modern Warfare changed the gaming industry. Shooters for the last 6 have all tried to copy COD's success and 2D fighters have all followed the SF2 template with combo's.
 
Dunno if COD really belongs here. It was already big (at least from my perspective) even with only the first one - everyone was like "OMG it's like Medal Of Honor, but sooo much better!!!1". Everyone that didn't hate FPS games played it. Can't disagree that Modern Warfare took the series to a whole new popularity level, though. But it took an already big game to the straight top.



And my picks:
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
- Medal Of Honor itself wasn't probably as big before Allied Assault.
- Warcraft
- Tekken (probably any fighter that isn't Mortal Kombat, though)
- GTA
etc., etc...
 
Accoun said:
Dunno if COD really belongs here. It was already big (at least from my perspective) even with only the first one - everyone was like "OMG it's like Medal Of Honor, but sooo much better!!!1". Everyone that didn't hate FPS games played it. Can't disagree that Modern Warfare took the series to a whole new popularity level, though. But it took an already big game to the straight top.



And my picks:
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
- Medal Of Honor itself wasn't probably as big before Allied Assault.
- Warcraft
- Tekken (probably any fighter that isn't Mortal Kombat, though)
- GTA
etc., etc...
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GTA was always a biggish game, it just went to the moon with 3.
 
I guess most of the good one's have already been said, but I'd argue Half Life 2 might be a good example of this. I know the original is really well regarded, but Half Life 2 was released on XBOX/XBOX 360/PS3 and really solidified that series as a must-play franchise.
 
I'm not sure I agree with those saying Dark Souls, personally I don't think that game would have happened without the amount of buzz that Demon's Souls got. Unless maybe you were a Xbox only player that didn't read gaming news much. I saw it mentioned in fanboy list wars all the time.
 
That1BlackGuy said:
Just about every game that had a sequel? Really, how many games can you say that the first entry was more popular than its sequel(s)?
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Rubbish, not every game that has a sequel suddenly makes it big. There's a ton of sequels out there which falls short of expectations, don't follow the recipe or takes a completely wrong direction.
 
Acorn said:
GTA was always a biggish game, it just went to the moon with 3.
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The first one - wouldn't say that. I could agree that before GTA III it was popular, but I always had a feeling that it was the sequel that really made it more known.
And then there was GTA III, which was the same as Modern Warfare - took it to another level, basically.
 
Fatal Fury 2/Special not only made the series great, but also helped to make SNK look like a great developer of Fighting games. Well, SamSho was released around the same time though
 
To a certain extent you could say Pokemon Gold/Silver.

Granted, the first games got trading cards, an anime, and multiple spinoffs on the console scene, but many people I talk to first started in Johto, which is why I believe it gets all the hype it does today.

I was just one of those kids playing Pokemon Red on a Gameboy Colour at the time.
 
This generation? The two biggest ones I can think of right now in terms of influence are COD4: Modern Warfare and Uncharted 2.

I suppose you could say Team Fortress 2 and Killzone 2 as well.
 
That1BlackGuy said:
Just about every game that had a sequel? Really, how many games can you say that the first entry was more popular than its sequel(s)?
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Maybe even Mario. I mean, when the average person thinks of Mario they usually don't think of New Super Mario Bros or Super Mario Galaxy, they think of the iconic sprite and the music from the original Super Mario Bros.
 
I think for a lot of these games you can thank used games for their popularity and the success of the sequels. A lot of games maybe the original doesn't sell insane numbers but the number of people that actually play it is probably a lot more than it sold through word of mouth.

By the time the sequel rolls around everyone who has played it wants the sequel day one. I think its one reason why used games / rentals are good.
 
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