Games You Wish Didn't Have a Sequel.

[wkrepelin]

As a companion to the "Games You Wish Had a Sequel" thread I thought it might be interesting to have the other natural question to that.

Mine is Bioshock hands down. I know this may draw some criticism but I really thought Bioshock was a rock solid stand alone experience that has had it's narrative cheapened ways by it's sequel (yes, I own Bioshock 2 as well as the original before you bother to ask).

So what about you? What game franchises do you think would have been better as a single entry or should have ended at some point when they didn't?

 

[tlozoot]

Bioshock.

Sure, the second was better gameplay wise, but the second didn't add anything to the story in my eyes. I loved the first one, and ended up looking at its narrative in depth for my media a2 coursework.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

Two Worlds. It was a shitty rip-off of Oblivion and failed in so many regards.

 

[Furious Styles]

bioshock, definitely. or at least a better sequel

 

[Chamale]

Modern Warfare. The first game was better, the second was full of flaws. Not only did did Modern Warfare 2 have a weaker campaign, not only did the unbalanced multiplayer clutter up The Escapist with threads complaining about it, it also gave video games a black eye with the No Russian massacre.

 

[Scrubbed account]

Modern Warfare. The first game was better, the second was full of flaws. Not only did did Modern Warfare 2 have a weaker campaign, not only did the unbalanced multiplayer clutter up The Escapist with threads complaining about it, it also gave video games a black eye with the No Russian massacre.

This. The original had more balance and better maps, and was generally a lot more fun than the overrated MW2.

 

[Woodsey]

Bioshock.

Sure, the second was better gameplay wise, but the second didn't add anything to the story in my eyes.

Well, they gave a new story and showed the first development team how to actually pace a game; personally I far preferred it over the first.

The first just made me angry. Very angry.

 

[The Austin]

Two Worlds. It was a shitty rip-off of Oblivion and failed in so many regards.

I hate to butt in, but the second one looks really, REALLY good. I'm actually quite excited.

OP: Overlord.

The first one was fun and all, but was it REALLY worth a sequel?

 

[wkrepelin]

Bioshock.

Sure, the second was better gameplay wise, but the second didn't add anything to the story in my eyes.

Well, they gave a new story and showed the first development team how to actually pace a game; personally I far preferred it over the first.

The first just made me angry. Very angry.

That's interesting. I think you're the first person I know of to express that opinion. To each their own ya' know?

 

[AlternatePFG]

Mine is Bioshock hands down. I know this may draw some criticism but I really thought Bioshock was a rock solid stand alone experience that has had it's narrative cheapened ways by it's sequel (yes, I own Bioshock 2 as well as the original before you bother to ask).

Totally agreed. The fact that BioShock 2 existed kind of weakend the impact of the first. If it was a prequel, okay, that I can handle, but by the end of the first I assumed that all loose ends were tied. It wasn't a bad game gameplay wise, but it just felt like a retread in some ways.

KOTOR II also. Loved the first, the second was a horrible buggy mess. And it wasn't even finished.

 

[Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon]

COD:MW. I wanted COD:future warefare.
FFX. I wanted a prequal!

 

[[BDS]Omega]

Not so much a specific game that doesn't have a sequel, but any game like say Chrono Cross where it not so subtly invokes the name of the first game while having absolutely none of the memorable characters or only a vague connection to the story of the first. I actually wanted a sequel to Chrono Trigger (and I first played it back in 1995 on the SNES) and Chross was an utter disappointment. So i guess my answer in a very roundabout way is Chrono Trigger

 

[Judgement101]

Silicon Knights are making Too Human 2 so I am going to preemtively say that.

 

[tlozoot]

I guess alot of it rode on how Sophia Lamb was a weaker character than Ryan. Ryan was freaking cool. Lamb got annoying. I like how they made the player choice reflect more by having Eleanor influenced a bit by you though.

I just thought the firsts story was perfect on its own - to me it didn't need expanding.

 

[MrShowerHead]

Operation Flashpoint

Would be my favorite game series, but thanks to Codemasters and their "Dragon Rising" it's not.

 

[Woodsey]

Bioshock.

Sure, the second was better gameplay wise, but the second didn't add anything to the story in my eyes.

Well, they gave a new story and showed the first development team how to actually pace a game; personally I far preferred it over the first.

The first just made me angry. Very angry.

That's interesting. I think you're the first person I know of to express that opinion. To each their own ya' know?

I'm pretty sure I've seen others comment on the (hideous) pacing before, but I guess that could be because I've mentioned it in the first place, then they've commented back.

I admit it obviously can't have been a problem for many - although I really can't see how - as it's so well loved.

 

[Coppo]

Final Fantasy X. I'd rather live with the tragic ending than see butchered character development out of Yuna, Rikku and Brother.

 

[Lt. Sausage]

Bioshock. I didn't even have to think about this one. I talk to people all the time about this, using this game as a prime example of why we shouldn't sequal some games. Bioshock is personally my favorite game of all time. (Don't say anything half life fans. HL2 was a basic shooter that is not unique in any ways beside decent voice acting and last gen physics. Stop claiming that it's the best game of all time, it's not! I don't care what it revelutionized, nowadays, it's aggressively average.) Bioshock 2 isn't a bad game, don't get me wrong; it just unecessary.

 

[bynacular]

Deus ex. Invisible War was so unfortunately bad especially compared to the original. worse graphics so it could fit on console, linear missions, less character customization, universal ammo (i.e. pistol ammo == rocket ammo), horrible stealth, even more horrible ai, a story that vaguely mocks the first game, especially towards the end, unlikable main character. I could sum it up and simply say "less depth, less story" but that would not illustrate the next point as well: those were all strengths of the original and in all those ways it was leaps and bounds beyond almost anything else at the time.
My opinion should be taken with a grain of salt, i suppose, given my general dislike for bioshock simply for the implication that it was a spiritual successor to system shock 2, where the spirit of such a beautiful fps-rpg was reincarnated into a body of better graphics and a decent story, but lacking depth in both story and gameplay that made the original so playable.

Supreme Commander 2 is in the same vein as deus ex 2, albeit sligthly more successful due to, as i see it, improvements over supreme commander's BSD system requirements and expansion of the franchise into not just a better story, but A story. The sequel, however, dropped most of what made the original great, such as the battles so large and involved that you felt as if you could use two more monitors, two more mice, and a friend with the same just to survive the next minute. The sequel dropped the truly massive levels for levels that just looked massive and the 3 sides in the sequel felt almost identical except in their super weapons, which came easier, were more numerous and unfortunatly less effective, making the accomplishment of getting one up feel like building just another unit.

I am sure i could list more, but two or three is enough, right?

 

[Nossy]

Metal Gear Solid. Yes, MGS is a sequel, but it should have stopped right there. MGS2 was horrible, MGS3 was surprisingly fun (you just have to plug your ears and scream during story bits), and MGS4 was just...just...let's leave it at just. The remake of MGS was good, so I will allow that.