Sequels that make earlier games feel obsolete

[noiseredux]

Do you guys have this thing, too? There are some games where a newer iteration makes me feel like there's no point in playing the older one anymore. Something like Mario Kart 8. For yearssssssssss Double Dash was my favorite Mario Kart game, but I feel like 8 sort of makes it so if I'm in the mood for Mario Kart, why would I play any other game? (To be fair, I guess I could see an argument for playing the SNES game since it feels very different). Maybe a better example is Smash Bros. Given the roster of Ultimate, I can't see any reason why I'd want to play the original N64 game. Things like that.

[Ack]

Well, I'll go with perhaps the most obvious example I can think of: Street Fighter, Street Fighter II, and Street Fighter II Turbo. There is no reason I can think of to ever go check out the original game, especially not after the sequel was released. But then that was topped with Turbo to the point I don't want to ever go back to the base release of II.

[pook99]

I'm sure there are tons of examples but only for specific genres. For any level based game it is nearly impossible for a sequel to make the original obsolete, so for example as good as Castlevania 3 is, I still like to play castlevania 1 because it is a different experience. Having said that some genres I can think of where this applies:

1) sports games, although I don't play sports games I would assume there is no reason to play madden 99 if madden 00 exists, and while I am sure there are counter examples this seems to work here.

2) Certain fighting games, SSFT turbo > all other versions of street fighter 2, Ultra street fighter 4 is superior to all versions of street fighter 4. So stuff like that, this does not apply to all fighting games by any stretch but it is a genre where it will likely apply.

3) Certain puzzle games, like I know new versions of tetris are the same game with new enhancements and often have a classic mode rendering the original versions obsolete.

I'm sure there is more I am not thinking of

[noiseredux]

For any level based game it is nearly impossible for a sequel to make the original obsolete, so for example as good as Castlevania 3 is, I still like to play castlevania 1 because it is a different experience.

absolutely!

1) sports games, although I don't play sports games I would assume there is no reason to play madden 99 if madden 00 exists, and while I am sure there are counter examples this seems to work here.

I don't entirely agree. To use the Madden example, going from generation to generation there are differences in engines that still keep certain older titles interesting and different enough for me. So I might be in the mood for a modern Madden, or I might be in the mood for a 90's Madden and they feel like different games.

You could probably also argue that rosters could make older titles more appealing to some fans.

2) Certain fighting games, SSFT turbo > all other versions of street fighter 2, Ultra street fighter 4 is superior to all versions of street fighter 4. So stuff like that, this does not apply to all fighting games by any stretch but it is a genre where it will likely apply.

Yup! I agree with you and Ack on this. I remember re-playing vanilla Street Fighter 4 last year and being pretty meh on it compared to the updates.

3) Certain puzzle games, like I know new versions of tetris are the same game with new enhancements and often have a classic mode rendering the original versions obsolete.

Pretty much agree. I grew up on GB Tetris, and have played lots of iterations over the years. I've spent something like 150 hours on Tetris 99 this year, and it doesn't give me an itch to go back and play the GB cart. I'm really content with this new iteration and its various features. (The GB skin helps, too).

[pook99]

yeah, I'm completely ignorant on sports games but I can see where your analogy makes sense. Using fighting games as an example, Ultra street fighter 4 may make regular street fighter 4 obsolete, but it does not make street fighter alpha 3 obsolete because they are running on entirely different engines.

Is there a case to be made that, rosters aside, some sports games make their immediate predeccesor obsolete? So for example, you said that sometimes you may want to play modern madden vs something like 90's madden, which are clearly different kinds of games. But is there a case where something like madden 95 makes madden 94 obsolete?

[stickem]

People that buy new sports games want updated rosters, the rookies, breakout stars, and updated stats. You have trades, free agency, retiring etc. I'm sure if you're not a sports fan you could care less. That's the reason I buy them anyway.

[MrEco]

Personally Doom 2 obsoletes Doom 1. It's not really a huge leap in quality, more to do with how similar they are. Doom 2 is basically the same game but with new levels that still have the same feel, a wider variety of enemies, and a super shotgun. Why would I ever want to go back to playing without the super shotgun?

Witcher 3 almost obsoletes Witcher 2. The one thing I think Witcher 2 really has going for it is it's story. It has a very well written plot that's still enjoyable and definitely worth playing the game for. And the different choices you can make to change the outcome of that plot makes it worth playing again. But I can't really say the same of the gameplay. Everything is so much better in Witcher 3. Exploration, quest design, combat, music. Honestly it's a struggle to validate playing a 40-60 hour RPG just for the plotline, so I'd say Witcher 2 is right on the edge of being obsolete. Witcher 1 is not however, it's still amazing and so unique.

King's Field 4: The Ancient City obsoletes King's Field 1 and 2. Honestly it kinda hurts to say this. I loved King's Field 4 and was excited to go back and play the older games in the series. But I ended up only disappointed. I put 10+ hours into both games and couldn't muster up enough interest to finish them. KF4 has much improved controls and vastly better level design. Truly the thing that sapped away my interest in those games was just how bland, repetitive, and lifeless the environments felt. KF4 had really good art and sound direction that managed to make environments with no NPC's at all still feel like living places where you could feel nature around you and see the evidence of people who had been there before. KF1 and 2 were just dead. Here's hoping KF3 does a bit better, I haven't played that one yet.

Last, maybe this is cheating since the two aren't actually in the same series but it's a thought I've had for a long time, Shadow of the Colossus obsoletes Titan Souls. Titan Souls is a 2D indie game about exploring a game world filled with ancient ruins that have been overgrown with nature to hunt down and fight a series of bosses. The bosses play out more like puzzles than typical fights, with the trick being that you have to find their weak point to kill them. Basically it's 2D Shadow of the Colossus. The main difference being that in SotC you climb up the monsters and stab them with a sword, and in Titan Souls you shoot their weak point with an arrow. Personally I found myself bored playing Titan Souls and constantly thinking "Why don't I just play SotC again?" The concept is so similar, but the huge beautiful 3D environments of SotC are so much more fun to explore. Also the faster pace of Titan Souls made it rather frustrating at times. It's mechanics made it feel like a puzzle game, but one where you can die in a matter of seconds and have to walk back to the boss arena each time you mess up the puzzle. Not fun for me.

[Ziggy]

Why would I ever want to go back to playing without the super shotgun?

Because John Romero released Sigil ! https://www.romerogames.ie/si6il

But seriously, even before the release of Sigil, I've always enjoyed playing The Ultimate DOOM as much as I do DOOM II.

[Dikdikvandik]

Almost any fighting game really. The first Mortal Kombat can't compete with the newest, but a lot of that is because of technology advances not necessarily because of improvements to the "story".

Kombat*

Fixed it for you.