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Jack Keane 2, Secret Files 3… sequels getting worse?
I’ve read several German reviews for Jack Keane 2 and the scores are unanimously lower than the original. Secret Files 3 is even bigger letdown. What’s the deal here? Why it seems that nowadays many sequels are no up to the original, or previous installments?
In the last year or so, I can only think of Daedalic games like Deponia 2 or Harvey’s New Eyes which seemed to be a worthy successors. Or Critter’s Chronicles, although TBOUT still received higher scores. I don’t want to jump to conclusions here, and judge the things based solely on scores and before playing it myself (because some of my all-time favs hadn’t score all that good either), but something is obviously happening, especially looking at the fact that some of the best games in the genre are sequels - Monkey Island 2, GK 2, Myst and Tex games…
Recently finished: Four Last Things 4/5, Edna & Harvey: The Breakout 5/5, Chains of Satinav 3,95/5, A Vampyre Story 88, Sam Peters 3/5, Broken Sword 1 4,5/5, Broken Sword 2 4,3/5, Broken Sword 3 85, Broken Sword 5 81, Gray Matter 4/5\nCurrently playing: Broken Sword 4, Keepsake (Let\‘s Play), Callahan\‘s Crosstime Saloon (post-Community Playthrough)\nLooking forward to: A Playwright’s Tale
The original Jack Keane is garbage. I can’t believe that game ever got a sequel in the first place.
KQ2, LSL2, SQ2, Phoenix Wright 2, Simon the Sorcerer 2, The 11th Hour, Syberia 2, Laura Bow 2, GK2 (yes, I’m putting it on this list), DotT, Dreamfall, Broken Sword 2 (and then 3; and then 4), etc., etc., etc. Inferior sequels are hardly exceptional.
So not much has changed. I can’t think of a sequel I like much better than an original. Aside from Kuru’s mentions,
Myst>Riven
MI>MI2
GK>GK2
However: at least those games did justice to the originals, especially Riven (which I don’t consider a proper ‘sequel’, just a similar setting). In my opinion, developers should not try to do ‘more of the same’ following a successful game. You can never top it doing that. That’s why I think Harvey’s New Eyes was a great sequel. They could never have topped The Breakout.
Edit: I’m wrong. Kyrandia 2 is easily better than 1. Gobliins was also better, although not by a whole lot.
Still, 9 out of top 13 games in Top 100 are sequels.
Recently finished: Four Last Things 4/5, Edna & Harvey: The Breakout 5/5, Chains of Satinav 3,95/5, A Vampyre Story 88, Sam Peters 3/5, Broken Sword 1 4,5/5, Broken Sword 2 4,3/5, Broken Sword 3 85, Broken Sword 5 81, Gray Matter 4/5\nCurrently playing: Broken Sword 4, Keepsake (Let\‘s Play), Callahan\‘s Crosstime Saloon (post-Community Playthrough)\nLooking forward to: A Playwright’s Tale
DotT isn’t a sequel. Is it?
To Maniac Mansion.
It certainly is, albeit quite different to the original.
Recently finished: Four Last Things 4/5, Edna & Harvey: The Breakout 5/5, Chains of Satinav 3,95/5, A Vampyre Story 88, Sam Peters 3/5, Broken Sword 1 4,5/5, Broken Sword 2 4,3/5, Broken Sword 3 85, Broken Sword 5 81, Gray Matter 4/5\nCurrently playing: Broken Sword 4, Keepsake (Let\‘s Play), Callahan\‘s Crosstime Saloon (post-Community Playthrough)\nLooking forward to: A Playwright’s Tale
Only on paper. You would hardly know it playing the games.
Sequels generally tend to be worse than the original. While it’s true that games often have the best track record when it comes to sequels (definitely better than movies, for instance), it’s still no guarantee at all that they’ll live up to their promise.
Nothing out of the ordinary, imo.
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
Sequels are hardly/rarely up to the Originals ! .. its just the way it is
Sequels are hardly/rarely up to the Originals ! .. its just the way it is
I would make an exception for many Sierra games.
King’s Quest VI
Space Quest IV
Police Quest II
Quest for Glory IV
Conquests of the Longbow
Leisure Suit Larry (almost any of them)
The games that leap to my mind in terms of superior sequels are Curse of Monkey Island (which was my favorite, though I’m sure I’ll get plenty of disagreement on that), Riven (which I thought was FAR superior to Myst, as much as I DID enjoy Myst), and Buried in Time (which was far more enjoyable than the original Journeyman Project IMHO).
I’m sure there are others if I thought about it more (and looked back through the games I’ve played), but those three are the ones that stand out in my memory when I think of sequels improving on the originals.
Sierra has better sequels, just not the number 2 in most cases.
Even the few Lucasarts sequels are exist are usually better (DotT ; Indiana Jones) or least close or on the same level (Monkey Island).
But I don’t think the quality of sequels is a recent issue.
Sequels up to the Originals (old AG)
i just remembered we had been through this issue before
All the examples of better sequels (or sequels just as good) are coming from the 90s. So I think diego has a point, sequels are getting worse, however ordinary they may have always been.
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