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[Ulysses 31]

Because it still used sprites and wasn't a big jump from Doom 2.

Still was a jump from false 3d to true 3d and the lighting was very much improved also.

 

[Cactuarman]

Mario Bros. to Super Mario Bros.

Street Fighter 1 to 2 and Mario Bros to Super Mario Bros are both very good answers though.

Just want to add a third vote to this one.

 

[Xenon]

Streets of Rage 2 vs 1.

Sega must have paid off game mags in 1990 because aside from the music, SoR 1 sucked. Shit graphics, horrible scratchy voices, repetitive gameplay, enemies and hardly any move sets. Yet eveyr mag gave SoR 1 9s and 10s reviews.

SoR 2 at 16 megs (SoR 1 was I think 4 megs?) was amazing. My bro was big into PC games and it's obvious Genesis was better at arcadey fast paced games at the time, but he never made anything out of it, since he preferred slower paced PC games. But when he saw SoR 2 his eyes popped out and even said something like "why can't my computer do that?"

Agree the jump in quality between the two. Completely disagree that SoR1 was a bad game.

 

[eot]

For my money, I feel like Farcry 2 took a pretty stupid game and created a series with a unique voice within the FPS scene.

While I don't disagree with this, I still enjoy Far Cry a hell of a lot more than FC2

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Wolf3D to DOOM is pretty good. the level design shot through the roof. Wolf3D had barely discernible mazes that all looked the same. DOOM had varied floor/ceiling textures, height, lighting, non 90-degree angles, etc. plus the leap to multiplayer 3D was huge. Wolf3D didn't have multiplayer on release. DOOM basically invented the future of fps gaming.

 

[Birdo]

Burnout 1 and Burnout 2.

They almost feel like two seperate franchises.

 

[Nymphae]

Wolf3D to DOOM is pretty good. the level design shot through the roof. Wolf3D had barely discernible mazes that all looked the same. DOOM had varied floor/ceiling textures, height, lighting, non 90-degree angles, etc. plus the leap to multiplayer 3D was huge. Wolf3D didn't have multiplayer on release. DOOM basically invented the future of fps gaming.

Different franchise though?

 

[EightBit Man]

Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario Bros. 3.
Saturn's Virtua Fighter to Virtua Fighter Remix to Virtua Fighter 2.

 

[Nymphae]

Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario Bros. 3.

I meant like sequential games lol

 

[EightBit Man]

I meant like sequential games lol

It technically is, as Super Mario Bros. 2 (in the West) was basically a non-Mario game turned into a Mario game.
It is considered the "true sequel" to the first game, hence my mentioning.

 

[Nymphae]

It technically is, as Super Mario Bros. 2 (in the West) was basically a non-Mario game turned into a Mario game.
It is considered the "true sequel" to the first game, hence my mentioning.

I'll allow it lol

 

[xXRedxSlugXx]

I have a feeling the people listing Zelda: A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening ---> Zelda: Ocarina of Time have not played said 2D games lol. More like Timeless Classic ---> Timeless Classic ---> Timeless Classic, we are talking about arguably the best 3 games in the entire series, all in a row.

 

[Lionel Richie]

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 to 2. The introduction of manuals pretty much created the perfect gameplay loop.

 

[Kharnivore2099]

This is kind of difficult to answer, given that quality is the measurement. Plenty made huge visual/graphical leaps, but that doesn't really mean better. Things like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Zelda, Mario, X-COM etc all have nicer graphics now, but they are arguably much poorer games than their predecessors.

The Zelda:OoT comments always seem off to me, given OoT isn't that great in comparison to LTTP and looks like a dogs breakfast. Fallout 3 and NV were fine games, but they lacked a certain something that Fallout 1&2 offered. The less said about FO4 the better.

 

[Shifty]

Kingdom Hearts 1 to Kingdom Hearts 2 has gotta be it.

Casting aside all the disney aethetics and nostalgia, 1 was a fucking bear to actually play.
2 is one of the greatest ARPG combat systems ever created, doubly so if you're playing Final Mix on critical mode.

 

[SantaC]

Just Cause 1 -> 2

 

[shutup]

GTA 2 ---> GTA 3

 

[bilderberg]

Killzone 1 to Killzone 2

 

[Three]

Does Donkey Kong to Donkey Kong Country count?

 

[Nymphae]

Does Donkey Kong to Donkey Kong Country count?

I guess technically, though one could consider the Country games a different franchise maybe? They were just completely different games.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

Puyo Puyo to Puyo Puyo Tsu.

 

[Korso]

God of War Ascension to God of War 2018.

 

[Thanati]

GTA2 to GTA3

I actually think this is /thread

 

[FStubbs]

Since this got bumped and we're counting declines in quality:

Breath of Fire 5


Breath of Fire 6

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Looking Glass Studios is a kinda-sorta answer to this thread.

Thief -> Thief II: The Metal Age
System Shock -> System Shock 2
Flight Unlimited -> Flight Unlimited 2

I'm not sure if Ultima Underworld II was better than the first Ultima Underworld...

 

[markusho3k]

Id say, Simcity 3000 to Simcity 4

 

[TGO]

It's GTA2 > GTAIII
Although MGS > MGS2 was a big jump as well

 

[Larsowitz]

The drop in quality of The Evil Within 2 after the original was insane.

I still can't believe the same team made both games.

Yea what a letdown.

I really hope Mikami will direct the third one (or any other game)...

 

[cartman414]

All these YI -> SM64 and LA -> OoT entries are shortsighted takes IMO. The 32/64 bit era was the 2600 of 3d games.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Playing Luigi's Mansion 2 right now and think the series may just fit into this thread. The increase in quality is staggering.

 

[intbal]

Yars' Revenge (1981)

Yar's Revenge (2011)

Saboteur (2004) takes place in the Yar Universe, but it's not part of the main series. Different characters and different gameplay. So I'm calling Yar's Revenge (note the switch in spelling between the first and second game) the actual sequel.

 

[anthraticus]

Looking Glass Studios is a kinda-sorta answer to this thread.

Thief -> Thief II: The Metal Age

Have to disagree here. Both great games, but the levels in 1 were a bit more memorable for me. The The Lost City , The Sword, The Cathedral, The Bonehoard, Song of the Caverns...All interesting and unique showing a great variety.

Thief 2 has great levels which were still excellent in design, but felt a lot more same-y.

I'm not sure if Ultima Underworld II was better than the first Ultima Underworld...

Like the Thief games, both are great and worthy of a playthrough in order.

Ultima underworld 2 is very similar to 1 only longer and more vast, the gameplay a bit more expanded and better implemented taking advantage of the new engine. The alternate dimensions have interesting settings and twists although it can feel like a series of opposing ideas bundled together compared to 1.

Ultima underworld 1 is one whole dungeon with variable themes....a tighter, more focused & coherent experience. Searching for all the items you need across the several levels is a fun aspect, very well implemented for the time.

 

[Jigsaah]

Splinter Cell to Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow was a huge leap. They added Spy vs Mercs. A longer and larger campaign, and it was one of the first games that eventually had DLC to my memory. Graphics improved, fun factor improved.

Second choice would be Assassin's Creed to Assassin's Creed 2. For similar reasons. Campaign was larger and had more to do, they added multiplayer, which I loved.

 

[MrCunningham]

Half-Life - Half-Life 2

I guess on some technical levels, Half-Life 2 is a better game. But for me, in many ways, I still prefer the original more. Part of it has to do with the original GoldSRC engine, which is based o the Quake 1 engine, and shares many of the same qualities. The control in HL1 always felt much tighter to me, and the gunplay is still fantastic. HL2 always felt a bit sloppy (but not bad) in this respect

lol it really isn't. An important game, yes, but not one many people care to spend much time with these days.

Street Fighter 1 is an odd case. It is only important because it is the starting point of the Street Fighter franchise. But back then, the game was not overly well received, it wasn't a particularly big hit for Capcom.

It was only ported to one console, which is the PC Engine CD ROM/ TG-16 CD ROM, and was released under the name "Fighting Street", which made it really obscure. The game was ported to many other 8-bit and 16-bit home computers, most were very poor quality conversions. Street Fighter 1 arcade machines were rare to come by. The arcade game did not generate large amounts of revenue and passed through most arcades with little fan fare. I have never seen a Street Fighter 1 machine in person.

To be honest, Final Fight had a bigger influence on Street Fighter 2 than Street Fighter 1 did. Final Fight was a huge success in the arcades, the machines hung around for a long time and Capcom incorporated everything they learned from that game into the development of Street Fighter II. Even though SF1 was never a big hit, they felt that the concept was worth revisiting for a sequel.

For its release in 1991, Street Fighter II was one of the biggest games on a worldwide scale. Street Fighter II brought new life to arcades, and really, changed the arcade landscape. The arcade cabinets were everywhere globally. Even bootleg versions of Street Fighter II, like Street Fighter II: Rainbow Edition were widely popular in some parts of the globe. The SNES home console port sold like crazy too, even though the console itself didn't have the same reach as the arcade machine worldwide. Street Fighter II: Turbo is one of the best selling games on the SNES. All the home console ports sold really well.

 

[longdi]

FF5 - FF6, graphically.
MGS2 - MGS3, graphically and everything in fact.

 

[Paradicia]

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow to Chaos Theory on the OG Xbox. It was like a generational leap in graphical fidelity but on the same platform.

 

[Nymphae]

Street Fighter 1 is an odd case. It is only important because it is the starting point of the Street Fighter franchise. But back then, the game was not that well received, it wasn't a particularly big hit for Capcom.

The game was only ported to one console, which is the PC Engine CD ROM, and was released under the name "Fighting Street", which made it really obscure. The game was ported to many other 8-bit and 16-bit home computers, most were very poor quality conversions. Street Fighter 1 arcade machines were rare to come by. I have never seen one in person.

To be honest, Final Fight had a bigger influence on Street Fighter 2 than Street Fighter 1 did. Capcom incorporated what they learned from Final Fight into Street Fighter II. Even though SF1 was never a hit, the concept was worth perusing for a sequel.

For its release in 1991, Street Fighter II was one of the biggest games on a worldwide scale. Street Fighter II brought new life to arcades, and the arcade cabinets were everywhere globally. Even bootleg versions of Street Fighter II, like Street Fighter II: Rainbow Edition were widely popular in some parts of the globe. The SNES home console port sold like crazy too, even though the console didn't have the same reach as the arcade machine. Street Fighter II: Turbo was one of the best seeling games on the SNES. All the home console ports sold really well.

I still think SF1 > 2 is the clear winner.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Have to disagree here. Both great games, but the levels in 1 were a bit more memorable for me. The The Lost City , The Sword, The Cathedral, The Bonehoard, Song of the Caverns...All interesting and unique showing a great variety.

Thief 2 has great levels which were still excellent in design, but felt a lot more same-y.


Like the Thief games, both are great and worthy of a playthrough in order.

Ultima underworld 2 is very similar to 1 only longer and more vast, the gameplay a bit more expanded and better implemented taking advantage of the new engine. The alternate dimensions have interesting settings and twists although it can feel like a series of opposing ideas bundled together compared to 1.

Ultima underworld 1 is one whole dungeon with variable themes....a tighter, more focused & coherent experience. Searching for all the items you need across the several levels is a fun aspect, very well implemented for the time.

I can see your point. To me, Thief II was more memorable because the items and the AI gave more opportunities for experimentation, but upon reflection the levels in 1 were very memorable. Also, Thief II was "darker" overall so maybe that muted my impression of the levels.

 

[MrCunningham]

I still think SF1 > 2 is the clear winner.

This is the only western release of Street Fighter 1 on a home console, it was released in 1989 for the TG-16 CD-ROM, two years before Street Fighter II, and released under the name "Fighting Street".

This is honestly a good home conversion of the arcade game.



But the Turbo Graphics 16 did not sell well in the west, and the CD add-on for the console sold even less. Yeah, this was a pretty obscure release. I don't think many people owned this version of the game.

I guess most Europeans were more familiar with the home PC ports. there were conversions for the C64, Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Amstrad and ZX-Spectrum. But most of those conversions were outsourced to other teams, and were generally bad. Just like most Street Fighter 2 home PC ports.

 

[tkscz]

Pokemon Gen 1 to Pokemon Gen 2.

Holy shit where do you even begin? So much more was added to the games that it's hard to keep up with. Holding items, berries, multiple pokeball types, breeding, day/night cycle, two extra types, move additions, changes and balancing., a second campaign after betting the first one. The game was so much of an upgrade that pokemon still hasn't really seen one like it, with Gen 6 being the closest by adding fairy type.

Forgot phone calls and rematches.

 

[mcz117chief]

Pokemon Gen 1 to Pokemon Gen 2.

Holy shit where do you even begin? So much more was added to the games that it's hard to keep up with. Holding items, berries, multiple pokeball types, breeding, day/night cycle, two extra types, move additions, changes and balancing., a second campaign after betting the first one. The game was so much of an upgrade that pokemon still hasn't really seen one like it, with Gen 6 being the closest by adding fairy type.

Forgot phone calls and rematches.

Radio, roaming legendaries, much more color, vending machines, hair dresser, happiness evolutions, animated battle intros (crystal), unique building sprites, option to change gender (crystal) and so much more. Crystal is still the second greatest Pokémon game ever, only behind HeartGold which is basically re-master.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

The one that just came to mind for me is Ninja Gaiden 3 (NES) to Ninja Gaiden (Xbox). Obviously the 14-year gap helps, but uh... man, who woulda thought Ninja Gaiden on Xbox would be so good?

 

[Randall365]

It’s Red Dead Reloaded to Red Dead Redemption

 

[rolandss]

Red Dead Revolver and Red Dead Redemption. Revolver was a pretty lame game.

 

[Caffeine]

I think Nier you have a fairly small budget game, the cutscenes even have the top and bottom see thru bars whatever they are called when scenes are not finalized, A pretty open and barren fields looking like out of a tech demo, and some performance drops with many differing gameplay ideas through-out the course of the game. Its still really good for what it is.

and then Nier Automata clearly higher budget and more time to refine stuff, platinum comes in to refine the action gameplay. The overall quality and polish is leaps above the first.

 

[mr_sockochris]

This would be the next biggest jump, in my opinion.

I actually don't know many people that like Yoshi's Island compared to Super Mario 64.

Yoshi's Island is my favourite 2D platformer and Mario 64 is probably still my favourite 3D one