Seeing as we’re stuck in kind of a gaming drought and I don’t have regular access to my PC to play me some sweet, sweet StarCraft 2, I’ve been replaying the original inFamous after I got it for free during the PlayStation Network’s Welcome Back program. Coming fresh off of the sequel, it’s given me appreciation for just how different inFamous was when it came out and reminded me about some of the things that the first game did that were awesome that Sucker Punch removed for the second game.
While I am glad that Sucker Punch changed the horrible side-mission structure, some of the powers and the main quest designs in the first game were pretty awesome. The ability to absorb energy while grinding and using your basic lightning bolt to redirect your rockets akin to a laser-guided missile have me really enjoying the game, even on hard difficulty.
While I still maintain that inFamous 2 is truly deserving of the grade that I gave it, the original still holds up even two years later (at least in the sense of gameplay, the graphics are still pretty rough). This got me thinking about the original games in franchises that have a better reputation than their sequels. Games like Knights of the Old Republic and Deus Ex are obvious, but I’d count Halo (which is better than three of its four successors) and Dead Rising among those. Dead Rising 2 was good, but the original sucked me in in a way that the sequel never did.
What about you guys? Any games that you like more than their sequels? If your thoughts go against popular opinions, I definitely want to hear about it.
Parasite Eve.
I loved the original PE for a variety of reasons (unique gameplay, good story, fantastic music, great cutscenes) and then Square went and turned the sequel into a totally different type of game. It went from being a unique rpg to a mediocre Resident Evil clone.
I REALLY hated Parasite Eve 2. I remember buying it because I loved the first game and then not being able to bring myself to finish playing it. I’ve heard that some people like the second game and it’s true that I didn’t give it a fair chance, but even at the time, I couldn’t stomach playing through any game with those god awful Resident Evil “tank” controls.
It didn’t make sense narratively, either. By the end of the first game, you were a psychokinetic bad ass and the combat system allowed you to mow enemies down with gunfire and psychic fireballs but then you got stuck with a game that kept killing you because you couldn’t navigate your character around a freaking desk in time to avoid whatever fanged awfulness was chasing you down.
I’m getting angry just thinking about it…
I much prefered Banjo-Kazooie to Tooie, but I’m not sure why. Everything was bigger and better in Tooie, the worlds were more interesing, you got many more moves/attacks… But Kazooie will always be better to me, maybe its just the rose-coloured glasses.
Also, I dipute the fact the Kotor 1 is better than 2 🙂 But thats just me, and I know I’m in the minority there, its OK.
Dragon Age. I am enjoying DA 2, but all it really makes me want to do is get the expansion and play Origins some more.
Dragon Age and Bioshock. I LOVE the sequels loads but the originals are vastly superior.
In terms of Bad Company 1 & 2 I prefer BC1’s single player. Better a great single player shooter with fantastic dialogue and open maps than Call of Bad Company: Modern Warfare 2. Seriously, BC2’s single player would have been better left out entirely than included at all (it was a poor man’s MW-Clone which was why I was down on BF3’s single player for the longest time). WHERE’S THE JOKES!? 😛
The original Modern Warfare is better than the second but I doubt I’m the only one thinking that am I?
What else? Um, Timesplitters 2>3… Oh, I know! Time Crisis!
The first is easily the best (I never played Project Titan though) but 2 and even 3 were pretty good. 4 was abysmal.
I’ll add Fable to the list. While I enjoyed the two sequels enough, the first game (especially when the Lost Chapters were added) was such a revelation to me that I couldn’t stop playing even after I was through. The more Molyneaux tried to make it casual gaming, the more of the magic was lost, in my opinion. The story, the brutality, the characters, are all much more memorable in the original.
I’ll also second zayven’s Parasite Eve, something I never would have thought of since it’s been so long. I, too, loved the original, but couldn’t even bring myself to finish the second.