Has any game series improved with every sequel?

[TheMigrantSoldier]

The Warcraft RTS series. The leaps made from Warcraft 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 were definitely noticeable in gameplay. I'd argue that the only thing keeping WC3 back is the upkeep. The lore also branched out quite a bit by the time of the TFT expansion for 3.

I haven't played Thieves in Time but I think the Sly series has definitely gotten better with each installment. The stealth felt smoother in 3 than both of its predecessors.

Metal Gear Solid to me is the one series where each game improves on its formula. They feel like proper sequels since each iteration improves over the last game and brings in interesting gameplay elements that fit the theme of the game for the most part.

True, if you leave Peace Walker out. It was more like MGS3 lite with base management. And even though they improved the gameplay elements in MGS4, MGS3 still kicked its ass.

Peacewalker was my second favorite probably because of the base management. I'd argue it was an improvement over Portable Ops.

 

[Samael Barghest]

I think the WWE games were a good example of getting better with every game. That is until they decided that they no longer needed to put a story mode in. Look, I miss the days of old when I could win a belt then get stripped of it due to some made up clause about the title can't being defended in May. Or like that time when Steph propose to you and it caused Vince to hunt you down.

 

[Mikejames]

Downpour took an aspect of each previous installment and made them better:
It took the weapon system from Origins but combat wasn't as common so it didn't feel like an overwhelming annoyance.
It took the Pyramid Head figure from Homecoming, but unlike Homecoming's totally-not-Pyramid-Head, Downpour's was not supposed to represent your guilt but your hate figure.
It took the chase sequences from Shattered Memories but you could explore most of the Otherworld and Downpour wasn't held back by the Wii mote deciding that enemies should be immune to flinging it about.

Shattered Memories has the better story imo, I just don't like that I can't explore the Otherworld without a flare.

I'm on the fence with monster design. I appreciate that they keep it original instead of rehashing nurses, dogs, and Pyramid Head, but apart from seeing Wheelchair man eerily moving in the distance, I don't recall too many memorable designs. That mailman was enjoyable though, I would have gladly had Murphy deal with him more.

Can't defend the wiimote myself. Picked up Shattered Memories for PS2. I actually really liked the new theme of ice and being forced to watch everything freeze over the second you thought you were uncovering the truth, but I can see how the chase sequences could wear on people.

 

[Black Haze]

Off the top of my head I'd say the Civilization franchise, Roller Coaster Tycoon, and perhaps GTA? Have not played tons of the last one, but out of what I've played I like the newer installments than the older.

 

[Evonisia]

I'm gonna get so much hate for this...

Morrowind was great, especially in terms of atmosphere, but the combat was shit, as was the lack of fast travel (a mechanic that was in earlier installments) something that should be in any open world game.

Oblivion was a huge graphical improvement and the combat was far superior. Story was slightly worse but pretty engaging all the same.

And Skyrim improved on Oblivion in every possible way

Why would you get hate for this? I agree 100%. Guess I'll have to think of my own answer now...

Well if my theory on the modern The Elder Scrolls game is true, then all games get equal hate, therefore liking any of them more than the other will get you hate. Hate Morrowind? Bwuhh you just hate deep experiences and judge graphics. Hate Oblivion? Bwuhh you don't know how to have fun and don't appreciate bugs or beautiful in-game music! Hate Skyrim? You hate pretty things and fun!

I'm on the fence with monster design. I appreciate that they keep it original instead of rehashing nurses, dogs, and Pyramid Head, but apart from seeing Wheelchair man eerily moving in the distance, I don't recall too many memorable designs. That mailman was enjoyable though, I would have gladly had Murphy deal with him more.

Can't defend the wiimote myself. Picked up Shattered Memories for PS2. I actually really liked the new theme of ice and being forced to watch everything freeze over the second you thought you were uncovering the truth, but I can see how the chase sequences could wear on people.

Forgive my nostalgia goggles for trying to ignore the monster design (even if I only played Downpour for the fourth time like two weeks ago). If we exclude Origins and Homecoming (which just copied monsters from the Silent Hills 1-4: The Room), I feel both Shattered Memories and Downpour suffer in terms of monster design. Downpour's are dull, but I would love another game to have monsters mostly designed around another character's journey through Silent Hill (the Abstract Daddy from Silent Hill 2 is like the only Japanese example I can think of). Shattered Memories has one monster which just changes shape, but at the same time they aren't really symbolising much in their appearance, just through their actions. At the same time I would love another game to have monsters change appearances based on what you do (the Scraper from Silent Hill 3 is the closest Japanese example, given it's similar appearance to the apartment boss monster).

 

[irmasterlol]

The inFamous series has been on a pretty consistent upwards trend. Hopefully they haven't peaked yet, because they still have major issues to work out, but I think they're all pretty good and getting better with each installment.

 

[Phlogiston]

Off the top of my head I'd say the Civilization franchise, Roller Coaster Tycoon, and perhaps GTA? Have not played tons of the last one, but out of what I've played I like the newer installments than the older.

I think the spanner in the works for considering GTA is San Andreas vs 4...

If you purely consider the numbered versions then yeah it's a pretty clear improvement and a good answer to the OP but between 3 and 4 were probably the two greatest from the series in the shape of Vice City and then SA. Sure the graphics are nicer in 4, the physics is more accurate etc etc...but as a game overall? I think most fans would choose SA over 4

 

[Mikejames]

Forgive my nostalgia goggles for trying to ignore the monster design (even if I only played Downpour for the fourth time like two weeks ago). If we exclude Origins and Homecoming (which just copied monsters from the Silent Hills 1-4: The Room), I feel both Shattered Memories and Downpour suffer in terms of monster design. Downpour's are dull, but I would love another game to have monsters mostly designed around another character's journey through Silent Hill (the Abstract Daddy from Silent Hill 2 is like the only Japanese example I can think of). Shattered Memories has one monster which just changes shape, but at the same time they aren't really symbolising much in their appearance, just through their actions. At the same time I would love another game to have monsters change appearances based on what you do (the Scraper from Silent Hill 3 is the closest Japanese example, given it's similar appearance to the apartment boss monster).

Silent Hill 2 was interesting because you start to realize that other people's otherworlds were bleeding into each other. Shattered Memories was unique, because the different characters started to reflect more about the protagonist than the monsters did. And you know, as much crap as Homecoming gets, I think it had fun with some of the non-copy paste monster designs. (A few of the bosses at least)

Either way, I'd second getting behind another psychological horror that shapes itself around your interactions. The genre isn't explored enough.

 

[lee1287]

Jak And Daxter. One was good, Two was great. Three is bloody brilliant. I'd also say Gears of war, excluding judgement of course.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

I'm gonna get so much hate for this...

...but the Elder Scrolls (single player, the MMO is the first time it's gotten worse).

Morrowind was great, especially in terms of atmosphere, but the combat was shit, as was the lack of fast travel (a mechanic that was in earlier installments) something that should be in any open world game.

Oblivion was a huge graphical improvement and the combat was far superior. Story was slightly worse but pretty engaging all the same.

And Skyrim improved on Oblivion in every possible way

And yet they are all downgrades from Daggerfall in pretty much every factor but graphics. The only thing that can really be said about the Elderscrolls series is that it's consistently gotten more accessible. Now sure that's "better" if you don't like complexity in games, but when the complexity of the game was what turned you on to the earlier games, then Elderscrolls could just as easily be argued as getting worse with every sequel.

And no, I'm not saying it's necessarily "bad" to "cater to casuals". Just saying that every sequel to Elderscrolls seems to remove something I really liked, most likely because it was deemed "too complicated" for most of the people playing the game. To me, Morrowind was the last really good Elderscrolls games. Since then, Oblivion and Skyrim are mostly only good because there's not much competition for RPGs on that scale.

 

[Guffe]

As a few have mentioned, the pokémon serier.
The monsters themselves you can argue all you want which are bad designs and which good, favorites and cool etc. But gameplay-wise those games are going forward with every new game.

Also the DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi series get better all the time. 3rd one still my favorite fighting game.

 

[InkySpines]

A very strong argument can be made for the Civilization series.

Civilization scratched a 4x itch many didn't even know they had.

CivII improved on Civ's mechanics and graphics, and its expansions added some very user friendly scenario building tools that produced countless quality fan made scenarios. 'Brown Man's Burden' was my favorite, in part for inverting Civ's imperialist outlook. I think I must have gotten at least 1000 hours of enjoyment out of Civ2. It also indirectly spawned Alpha Centauri, which would ruin my argument if it weren't technically a different franchise.

CivIII in added more depth and polish without bungling the spirit of the series. I probably got the least enjoyment out of this one, but only because I loved CivII so much. It is a much tighter game that not withstanding.

CivIV is often considered the deepest of the series, and also was the platform for the Fall from Heaven mods. If you like Civ or the fantasy genre but haven't played it, stop reading this and download Fall from Heaven 2 right now. IMO the best fan mod ever made for any game.

CivV wasn't initially as deep as IV in empire building mechanics, and created some fan consternation in its changes, but it seems internet consensus has come around to it as the most enjoyable and accessible installment, and that hexes and 1 unit per tile have improved (practically created) the tactical element. With the expansions, it arguably eclipses Civ4 in depth or at least comes close. Also, for the first time, it is a pleasure to see and hear rival leaders on the diplomacy screen (if not actually negotiate with them, CivV's only major blemish.)

Here's hoping Firaxis can navigate a similar trajectory for the reborn XCOM franchise.

 

[Best of the 3]

I'd say Torchlight. Considering first came Fate, and Torchlight being it's spiritual sequel and then Torchlight 2. All really good games.

 

[lord.jeff]

Ratchet & Clank is a big one for me. I haven't played the most recent games, but everything from the original to Crack in Time has just been a slow, steady increase in quality. I admit they do get a bit samey, but the gimmicks and improvements they add with each game like the upgrade system and arena fights from 2 onwards, the war sequences in 3, and the time puzzles in Crack in Time are enough to make each game fun and interesting in it's own right.

This was the first game series that came to mind for me but Deadlocked kind of ruins the trend.

 

[crazygameguy4ever]

Took me a bit to try and figure out which game series has improved continuously over the course of the series cause I couldn't think of many.. but.. after careful consideration I'll go first with the Saints Row series.. the first game was GTA clone, Saints Row 2 was GTA clone with some major improvements over both the first game and the GTA series like the create a character mode and the wacky side activities like riding around in a sewage truck and spraying raw sewage at people, houses and cars. Then there was Saint's Row the Third.. a game I still consider a high point of the series..the graphics are good, the controls are perfect, the missions are insane yet fun and everything is over the top in a good way..

Then there's Saints Row 4.. which took what worked so well in Saints Row the Third and cranked up the wacky meter to 1000+.. adding super powers, even more bizarre missions, an interesting story line and more patented Saints Row brand humor.. I hope the 5th game can outdo it somehow..


Another series that comes to mind is the Rocksteady developed Batman Arkham games.. The first game Batman: Arkham Asylum blew people expectations out of the earth by making a game that was not only a great superhero game, but a great action game, a great licensed property game and great Batman game.. Not to say it didn't have a few flaws like the boss battles and there not being enough thugs to fight. Batman: Arkham City took al that worked in the first game and improved greatly on the first game with better boss battles, more enemies, side missions and a larger area to explore. I don't count the horrible Warner Brothers Montreal developed Batman Arkham Origins game as part of the series since it didn't add anything or do anything different other then be filed with bugs and glitches.
Assuming the upcoming Batman Arkham Knight game is as good as the first 2 Rocksteady games then I'd say the Arkham games have definitely improved over the series.

 

[Phlogiston]

Completely agree with Civ not so sure on Xcom because of the dodgy Interceptor/Enforcer/Apocalypse parts - Not sure on the order but I missed out on those iterations and haven't heard much good said about them. They're all sitting in my steam library as part of a bundle I bought many moons ago but I was never interested in actually playing them when I can play the original two or the latest one (or Jagged Alliance 2 or Frozen Synapse) to scratch that itch.

 

[Kingjackl]

Ratchet & Clank is a big one for me. I haven't played the most recent games, but everything from the original to Crack in Time has just been a slow, steady increase in quality. I admit they do get a bit samey, but the gimmicks and improvements they add with each game like the upgrade system and arena fights from 2 onwards, the war sequences in 3, and the time puzzles in Crack in Time are enough to make each game fun and interesting in it's own right.

This was the first game series that came to mind for me but Deadlocked kind of ruins the trend.

I see where you're coming from. I didn't really mind Deadlocked, since it felt more like an arena spin-off and not a full game. At least the commentators were entertaining.

In hindsight, I think Tools of Destruction may have been a bit of a come-down, since it's main draw was being the first one to have PS3 graphics, but those aren't really that exciting any more. I'd still say the series has been mostly consistently good though.

 

[NuclearKangaroo]

Half-Life 2 was better than Half-Life 2 is basically every single way