It happens, and it sucks. The first game in a series is stellar, and then the sequel just... doesn't hit the mark. Either by bad game design, rough story, a change in direction, etc. Yesterday I finally just sat down and watched some Youtube videos for the last sections of a game I haven't picked up in a month, and had no desire to. And after seeing what I missed... I'm not exactly bothered that I didn't finish the game. I think I would've been more disappointed in the end if I spent 6-10 more hours of gameplay to experience what I saw. I'll post my feelings on said game in a spoiler tag below if anyone is interested.
Which games have come out, in the past or recently, that had a sequel that simply didn't do it for you and left you bummed out? Let it all out!
Hoo boy, what a roller coaster... I got the first game via its "Overclocked" 3DS release. The voice acting was passable and helped flesh things out a bit, the music was pretty good if not very plentiful, and the art direction was nice. I liked the cast well enough. Things were sign posted clearly enough that important characters would only die through sheer negligence and forgetfulness, or just not reading the cues in one character's case. The story was really cool and seriously drove the tone of "Everything is falling apart around us, now we need to survive." I LOVED the plot. It's one of the few games I ever beat once, then immediately picked up for another run. Hell, I did 3 runs total, AND a run of some of the extra story content. I turned a 25-30 hour game into a 70 hour game. That's not even including the other 2 extra endings they added in Overclocked that I didn't do.
And then... the sequel happened, also its improved 3DS release, "Record Breaker." To its credit, it improved the mechanics, made an even more awesome soundtrack, and improved some visuals as well and gave some spells more impact and flair. Record Breaker even added an entire second arc after the plot of the first, which is pretty slick. That's where the praise ends.
The plot, which was once a gritty and overbearing feeling of dread as Tokyo crumbles around you, where demons come in and ruin everything... suddenly turns into a stupid anime plot where demons AND aliens invade the world, attempting to destroy it, while some uncaring god-being commands them. Why are demons here? Who knows. They don't fit with the aliens at all, and as far as I'm aware of, don't get explained why the aliens command them in their fights.
DS1 got a bit silly sometimes, but it always kept it within reason. Like any tropey anime, DS2 has a goofy light hearted song that plays every time anime antics happen. Every girl wants the MC's dick (Even the ones 8 years older than him), you can call said person a pervert every time she tries entering your room, she falls on top of you ass first at one point and you can say "Mm, this is nice" cause THAT's what a series story needs. You recruit a demon by showing off a character's navel to him, and subdue another by having a character beat the shit out of him with laptops and stuff till he gives up...
The voice acting is over the top in ways that kill a few of the cast. Ones that aren't trying to be dramatic come off as stilted at times. There's no real feeling of threat cause the stakes are so high that you feel like the typical anime protagonist team that just happens to be strong enough to slay god. "How do we beat it? Our attacks do nothing! But wait, there's a convenient thing we have to go and find/do that will let us do the thing to make the bad guy weak! Let's go do that! OH NO, the thing we're trying to get is attacking us! Phew, it's done. Now to go fight the bigger bad." It just draaaaaags. At least in DS1 there was a clear cut reason why your character was as powerful as he is. I don't recall DS2 going over it beyond "You have the potential."
And the thing that really demoralized me the most... DS1 had a death timer. And if you paid attention, you'd have a pretty good clue when the event was gonna happen. Even when it wasn't clear, it would be soon enough. In DS2, you don't have that timer. Just a video telling you a death WILL happen. When? Where? No clue. Just choose the right events till you find them and try to save the character. Mistakenly did an event that put you 30 minutes behind schedule? Too bad, they're gonna die now. You had no idea they were gonna die at 11:30AM, and you did an extra event at 10:30AM instead of the right one? We're sooooo sorry... 2 people died on me in this manner, and it really sucked. "Do every battle that shows up, do every event that might be related to them, and you might be on the right track. Just... bluh.
Rant over!
And then... the sequel happened, also its improved 3DS release, "Record Breaker." To its credit, it improved the mechanics, made an even more awesome soundtrack, and improved some visuals as well and gave some spells more impact and flair. Record Breaker even added an entire second arc after the plot of the first, which is pretty slick. That's where the praise ends.
The plot, which was once a gritty and overbearing feeling of dread as Tokyo crumbles around you, where demons come in and ruin everything... suddenly turns into a stupid anime plot where demons AND aliens invade the world, attempting to destroy it, while some uncaring god-being commands them. Why are demons here? Who knows. They don't fit with the aliens at all, and as far as I'm aware of, don't get explained why the aliens command them in their fights.
DS1 got a bit silly sometimes, but it always kept it within reason. Like any tropey anime, DS2 has a goofy light hearted song that plays every time anime antics happen. Every girl wants the MC's dick (Even the ones 8 years older than him), you can call said person a pervert every time she tries entering your room, she falls on top of you ass first at one point and you can say "Mm, this is nice" cause THAT's what a series story needs. You recruit a demon by showing off a character's navel to him, and subdue another by having a character beat the shit out of him with laptops and stuff till he gives up...
The voice acting is over the top in ways that kill a few of the cast. Ones that aren't trying to be dramatic come off as stilted at times. There's no real feeling of threat cause the stakes are so high that you feel like the typical anime protagonist team that just happens to be strong enough to slay god. "How do we beat it? Our attacks do nothing! But wait, there's a convenient thing we have to go and find/do that will let us do the thing to make the bad guy weak! Let's go do that! OH NO, the thing we're trying to get is attacking us! Phew, it's done. Now to go fight the bigger bad." It just draaaaaags. At least in DS1 there was a clear cut reason why your character was as powerful as he is. I don't recall DS2 going over it beyond "You have the potential."
And the thing that really demoralized me the most... DS1 had a death timer. And if you paid attention, you'd have a pretty good clue when the event was gonna happen. Even when it wasn't clear, it would be soon enough. In DS2, you don't have that timer. Just a video telling you a death WILL happen. When? Where? No clue. Just choose the right events till you find them and try to save the character. Mistakenly did an event that put you 30 minutes behind schedule? Too bad, they're gonna die now. You had no idea they were gonna die at 11:30AM, and you did an extra event at 10:30AM instead of the right one? We're sooooo sorry... 2 people died on me in this manner, and it really sucked. "Do every battle that shows up, do every event that might be related to them, and you might be on the right track. Just... bluh.
Rant over!
Which games have come out, in the past or recently, that had a sequel that simply didn't do it for you and left you bummed out? Let it all out!
