The original tbeory for these change ups is that the developers wanted to expand on the original game without rehashing the original, thinking that why would people buy the second game if it was the same as the first. Some of the games you mentioned are also from early in the NES and series were still being established, so any advancements made in tech and programming were used and may have used some concepts and elements that had to be dropped due to limitations at the time.
I feel like this is a big part of it. And back then, the video game scene was still very new and developers probably had all kinds of ideas they wanted to get out of their heads and try.
Yeah, Nintendo had released the original Super Mario Bros. 2/The Lost Levels in Japan and I imagine the felt it wasn't as received as well as they hoped. In retrospect, there was far less risk in damaging the series' growing reputation at the time by released a sprite-changed game than releasing The Lost Levels at the time.
electricmastro the Lost Levels was received okay in Japan, but it was Howard Lincoln saying that Mario 2 JPN was too hard that got them to create Mario 2 USA. Miyamoto was working on. Anew game that was tied in with a Japanese food brand and it wouldn’t be suitable to port without alterations. So they swapped out the regional branded stuff for Mario stuff and just calle dit Mario 2.
JazGalaxy close... The game was in development before the other company requested a game. It was originally supposed to be Super Mario Bros 2, but they were having some difficulties, so it got shelved so they could work on the Super Mario Bros that japan did get, as fixing the game they wanted would take to long. When the request for doki doki panic came, it gave them a reason to continue development on the original super mario 2. There a still some super mario resources used in doki doki panic. With the game finally completed and a request for a different mario 2 coming from north america, they put back the mario iconography and released the game they intended.
TMNT and TMNT 2: The Arcade Game, Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands, Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2, Back to the Future and Back to the Future II & III, I know I'm forgetting some.
Most likely the reason for these changes was that developers didn't want to release a mere copy of their first game, but instead tried to keep their franchises fresh, try out new things and see what will stick. Releasing more of the same was always a risk, as people didn't want to pay full price for a game that was basically the same as the previous one, with minor additions. Of course there are many exceptions, most notably Mega Man franchise.
I grew up with return of the joker and loved it and was actually kinda shocked to play the original sunsoft Batman as an adult and see how awesomely different it was
It is interesting how many sequels learned from their mistakes and went right back to the original formula that had the ability to like Zelda LTTP and Castlevania III.
Oh christ! Heard "her'd" instead of "har-d"! Then was all; "from da' fuckan' pearl!" Whaddya' at buddah?! Just over here off blackmarsh. Gettin into a half case! *also sharing this all over the facebook
Funny thing is the exact same thing happened on the Master System, many sequels were quite different from there original games: Alex Kidd, Shinobi, Out-Run, Zillion, Wonder Boy, Rambo, all had sequels quite different from the first game.
I would have thought the reason for making them so different would be pretty obvious. They didn't want to be accused of rehashing the same ideas, games would be criticised for that back then just as much as they are today. I agree that an "if it ain't broke don't fix it" approach works well for sequels though, as long as there's enough new or different elements introduced to stop them from going stale.
It's a great game on it's on own. It's just difficult because the game is cryptic. I learned the clues didn't make sense cause the townspeople were under Dracula's influence the further you progressed through the game. Cruel, but understandable. The redacted ROM hack fixes that problem and others to make it the game it was meant to be.
Lots of boring design choices that add up to a lackluster experience. A focus on grinding hearts for upgrades instead of exploring for them, overall unchallenging platforming, etc. The biggest one: No decent boss fights. Every other Castlevania game has awesome bosses. Replacing that oak stake shit with some really cool, climactic battles alone would have done wonders for this snoozefest
It was difficult but in a very different way and that struck and strikes a sour note with a lot of people. No good boss battles, the staple of a Castlevania game, really drives its popularity down as well
For a lot of these I think there just was no precedent for sequels, nor really what was going to be most popular. So as a result, there was a ton of experimentation going on, which got us some interesting things!
The primary reason this happened in the early and mid 80’s so frequently (Street Fighter 1 and Street Fighter 2, Super Mario 2, pretty much every other game with a sequel that wasn’t modeled on an established game-genre from the 70’s) is that there weren’t really clear and concise concepts for what most of these genres even were. Nobody looked at Super Mario Brothers (which is also vastly different from Mario Brothers), and said “this is a side scrolling platformer,” they just said “here’s a video game we made people like.” Zelda wasn’t a “top down, hack-and-slash adventure game,” it was just Zelda, a video game. When they went to make the sequels, they were just trying to make new, cooler video games using a few of the concepts that made their IPs distinct. Genres as hardlined concepts-outside of some of the simplistic, established genres from the 70’s-didn’t coagulate in the collective consciousness until the later 80’s/early 90’s. That gave sequel makers more of a platform to build off of when trying to revisit the experiences associated with their IPs. It’s not super weird that all the sequels made before that phenomena was collectively understood ended up being essentially random games with familiar names.
You know what, i appreciate the hell out of the developers trying to do something different that quickly. Now obviously they all didn't work out but I respect the efforts. For the past 10+ years we are practically begging for an effort to try something new. Nope. Here's GOW4, COD35, HALO5, Uncharted 4, etc..... Last time I can remember a series getting completely changed up was Metroid Prime.
I liked Metroid prime but honestly I hate when a series changes too much. I really don't like GOW 4 just because they changed the lead character...that personal taste on my part
New to the channel and really enjoying your videos. TMNT 2 was totally different from the original and of course Back to the Future and it's classic sequel. I rented BTTF 2 one weekend and I'll never get those 2 days back haha
Awesome video!! I agree with everything but especially with the Legend of Zelda. The original is still my favorite Zelda game to date and I never understood why The Adventures of Link is so different. I did enjoy the game but not as much as the original. I am happy SNES brought back the original likeness.
JLuv81 I answer this in my own post, but the long story made short is that they are so different because, back then, games didn’t go off the shelf because the GameStop needs the space. There was no reason for any quality NES game to stop selling. People weren’t always looking for the next thing like they are now. Zelda 2, if it was made like Zelda 1, would have just been cannibalizing sales from Zelda 1.
We were much more open-minded back then. Mario's playable appearances in Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., and Super Mario Bros. all played completely different. Why expect anything less from the next one? SMB2's changes seemed perfectly "normal" to me and I accepted them without any hesitation. I miss this mindset.
I don't find it weird that sometimes you'd go in a different direction with the sequel. It's fresh, it's innovative, it gives the console's library more variety and it gives the players a new experience. Some games could repeat a winning formula, like Contra and Mega Man, but even Mega Man became less and less relevant with each installment. More of the same isn't always better.
Nice to know other people besides me appreciate and enjoy Simon's Quest. It's flawed to be sure, but considered as its own game it is a pretty damn fun adventure game on the NES.
I'm glad you made a point of saying the sequels in question weren't necessarily bad but just different, because I have to admit I get irritated when people give Zelda 2 a hard time. As different as it was I still really enjoyed it as well, and it's worth noting for the Zelda purists that they did mostly return to the original formula when the Zelda games made their way to the SNES and Game Boy. Great video, thanks for posting!
I think most of the “hard time” comes from internet kids who discover these games via emulation. When they play each game for 3 minutes each, they single out anything too different from their expectations as being “bad”.
Zelda 2 and Castlevania 2 still rank in the upper 20th percentile of NES games. I often speculate that there are 150 to 200 games in the library that are playable, challenging and/or fun and both of these games are in that tier.
Thank you so much for the offer man. I actually stopped collecting and have a more personal collection now of games from when I was a kid or must have rentals
Thank you sir! That is correct, I came up with this idea last summer and Mario 2 was there but I took it out because I didn't want it to be so mainstream if that makes sense
1. If 'Castlevania II: Simon's Quest' hints from the town folk made sense, I would have loved it as a kid. Played it a lot trying to figure it out, but never got far. Walking through the cemeteries is so cool! 2. Once I discovered where the hammer was in 'The Adventure of Link', I thought the game was amazing... hated it as a seven/eight year old. 3 Played 'Batman' on the NES for the first time this year. It's fun, but the sequel looks almost like a 16 bit game.
MichaelBtheGameGenie I think that would make a perfect video. Game rentals we regretted. I know for me going to blockbuster was a big deal for the weekend and renting the wrong game could ruin your weekend as a kid...anyway I was so excited to see a Ninja Turtles game for my Sega Genesis not realizing it was a fighting game and being as I don't like fighting games it was a boring weekend.
Great list! SMB 2 is another obvious choice you could go with. I'd also add Back to the Future and Back to the Future II and III. I love the first game but the second game is so strange.
MichaelBtheGameGenie the thing is, if you had been from Ireland or something, I wouldn't have reacted. It just did not fit the rest of your accent. That's all...
Interesting. You say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," but I think that by releasing a sequel that's too similar to the first game, which is what I think the devs thought at the time, it would have been broken in that the devs were retreading the same/heavily similar ground and would have gained more criticism for too much repetition, and that can break the experience for some people in certain cases. If you ask for my personal opinion, I find that games like Super Mario Bros. 2 and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link succeed better as sequels than games like Mega Man 4, Mega Man 5, and Mega Man 6. Those Mega Man games are good on their own terms, sure, but honestly, when looking at their progression as sequels from the previous Mega Man games, they kinda fail if you ask me. There's only so much repetition I can overlook, and that might be why I appreciate those NES sequels from years earlier so much more. In any case, great vid Michael!
Exactly. Former Capcom staffers have described being assigned to the Mega Man development team as the kiss of death. Creative types don't generally want to do the same work over and over.
I actually respect when gamemakers and filmmakers don’t just try to do cash ins on their previous games and try to give you a different experience. So I totally get it. Its much braver and artistic. Why make the same game twice(or more)? It seems sometimes a bit cheap cash in and non-artistic just throwing out another game built on the same engine. «Hey customers! Here’s the same popular game that sold a lot, just new levels! We call it a new game! And a couple of new things so you can’t say its the exact same game!» Still I love the Lolo and the Mega Man games despite this. (Well, Mega Man pushed it a bit far with 6 games on the NES that arguably are too similar.)
I have a hard time answering this so ill try my best. I am a big Horror Movie fan...I love the Halloween series and especially love 3 because of how different and good it is. But I hate the Rob Zombie remakes. I have no problem with different as long as its good but I prefer if you stick with the original concept you just keep perfecting it instead of changing it into something it never should have been...I hope that made some sort of sense
You don't go night swimming and drinking?? Great analogy, lol. Zelda 2 was crushing for me as a kid. I was only 8 and I didn't know why they changed my fav game. I cried about it I remember.
What people don’t understand about the NES era was that it was a very different world. There was no internet. There was no such thing as the “hype train”. There was no GameStop reselling old games and making everything fight for shelf space. There was no such thing as an “annual franchise”. If a game was good, there was no reason to believe that it was EVER going to stop selling or be taken off the shelf. This is in direct contrast to the modern era where a game makes most of its sales the day it comes out. The NES itself rolled out across the country in waves. Therefore a kid might JUST be getting his NES and Zelda when another kid had beat it a year ago. Or not since these games weren’t really MEANT to be beaten. To beat them was a badge of honor, not an expectation. This all means that it would be a company shooting itself in the foot to produce another, better version of the same game. That previous game was still being sold. This is evidenced by how Nintendo Power would frequently feature multiple entries in the same series on its Top 20 list. Kids were still BUYING Zelda 1 when Zelda 2 was on shelves. Thusly it made sense for them to be different experiences.
Batman return of the joker was based off the London version of Batman and parts of the America comic. The Batman game ending was based off of the London version of the comic as well hinge the death scence
I still do not understand nor agree with the hate Simon’s Quest gets. I loved it back when I was a kid (long ago lol) and still love it to this day. Sure, it was different from the 1st Castlevania, but that was also one of the draws. Friends and I spent countless hours back then, tryin to figure out what to do and where to go but it was always fun. I don’t know, maybe back then we were more appreciative lol. Another great vid my friend, keep em comin! Edit: Also just realized this is an older video lol
I'm pretty sure I did it intentionally to add emphasis but I'm also from a place called Newfoundland with a strong accent so it may be that ; ) Thank you!
I think to understand why these sequels are so different you have to look back to the video game crash of 1983. A major contributor to the crash was fatigue from countless clones of games flooding the market. Nintendo made a lot of conscientious decisions to keep that from happening again and changing up franchise sequels is just one example. Looking back, I think they made the right decision
Other games with weird sequels I can think of are Super Mario Bros, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Final Fantasy, and Tetris. On the one hand, it was refreshing to see developers take chances and push the system in different ways with sequels. Especially given how a lot of modern games (Call of Duty, Street Fighter, Madden) seem more like reissues than sequels. On the other hand, BOY am I glad this stuff didn't happen to Megaman or Ninja Gaiden.
Right, we had to wait years later until they started goofing with Mega Man and its only now we are getting back to the original formula. Still I would love to see more 2d Ninja Gaiden in the future
Honestly I think its good they took more chances back that to try to bring something new and different with sequels. A lot of sequels are just more of the same and it gets boring. So no I don't think its strange at all and I understand why they would have wanted to do something different with a successful game franchise.
I see things differently, I am all about trying new things when a franchise has grown stale but when its in its still fresh I don't know. I also prefer just improving on the original concept and not building it from the ground up
I can understand your point as well, just don't agree personally. Yeah, they could just let a good working thing ride as long as they can, and it makes good business sense to play it safe. But personally I think its a smart move to strike while the iron is hot and try to be innovative while the franchise is popular, rather than trying to innovate a fading game series when most people have lost interest. That's more risky. Look at the Mega Man games for example. But yeah I can see the points to both arguments.
Okidoki panic or Mario bros 2 for nes was kinda weird compared to the first 1, TMNT2 the arcade game was also very different from that first game! Great vid :-D
Andy C Nah, Mario Madness is still a linear platformer, like the other Super Mario games. That's less different than Castlevania going from a linear action platformer to a Zelda/Metroid exploration-based game, or Zelda going from a top-down open world exploration game to a more linear approach with the main gameplay being a sidescrolling platformer. In fact, Nintendo was worried they would get criticism for Doki Doki Panic being basically a Super Mario game. So when they needed a different game to release as Super Mario Bros. 2, I assume the board meeting was approximately: "So, for Super Mario Bros. 2... Doki Doki Panic, right? Okay, who's up for lunch?"
BFisch Mario Madness? SMB2 USA was absolutely different in pretty much every aspect from SMB1, irrespective of both games at their core being platform games. Completely different mechanics, choice of playable characters each with their own unique abilities, completely different structure to levels, vastly different look to the game....There's a HUGE difference between the two, which is why people class it as a bit of an oddity in the SMB universe.
Andy C "Super Mario Bros. 2: Mario Madness" is what it says on my box, so that's how I refer to it. And yes, keeping the core gameplay and style the same is less different than completely changing the genre or gameplay type. Castlevania 2 isn't in the same genre as the first game. Anyone who went into it expecting a similar game were put off by not knowing where to go, because the first was an action game, not an adventure game. Playing Mario Madness after Super Mario Bros... You're still jumping and running to the right, but you're just adding picking up to your actions. The choice of characters adds options for which character's mostly minor strengths (the only game-changing ability is floating) and weaknesses you wanted, but it doesn't significantly affect how the game plays. Sure, the visual style is a little different, but that just seems like an upgrade. There's more verticality in level design, but no vertical scrolling, and they didn't replace the horizontal platforming, just added on to it. It just seems more elaborate with a few changes, not like it's a completely different kind of game.
yeah i dont mind having changes to a second game in a series of games, of cause you cant never beat the original as its the first in the series and great to have a change in the second game, yes i would be nice to have the same style but having a different style give a different experience in the next game and it was great to have link to the past return to original style as well super castlevania iv is which is more or less a remake of the original nes if im not mistaken, nes version of batman returns looks just like the snes version but in a 8 bit look but well done as both games are a beat n up , so having a different style in sequels is a nice touch and a different experience. take care
Even though Goonies was only on the Famicom, It's sequel Goonies II is completely different. And it's a great game too, if you take the time to learn how to play. And for the record, I love Return of the Joker and Zelda II.
Nice video. You do a great job showing the games. But, personally, I'm totally glad for sequels that aren't just a rehash. Sometime they aren't as good.. but they are necessary to push the genre forward. Imagine if we were still playing original-style Zelda games and didn't have Breath of the Wild. Back to the basic premise... one of the weirdest sequels to me was Donkey Kong 3 (originally in the arcade, but all had NES versions). For the sequel to DK, they basically did more of the same with DK jr. It's with the 3rd game in the series that they didn't something completely different.
See that's not a fair question because I love Breath of the Wild but think much less of most of the 3dish Zelda games....honestly I was enamoured with Link Between World and want more of that but that's just me. DK 3 is a real good example and so is Donkey Kong JR as well, added to the list
I liked Zelda 2. Sure, it was nothing like the first, which was superior, but it felt like they were bringing us something to keep things going forward. I think it was underappreciated back then.
Zelda 2 was my first Zelda game and I used to think the ladies would take link inside and give him a soup. I don't know why soup but it was 93 and I was 7
I would add Mike Tyson's Punch Out vs Power Punch II and Dig Dug vs. Dig Dug II. (I don't know how anyone else found you, but I found you in the side bar on a Cinemasacre video.)
Nintendo used to love taking risks. It can be argued that without them taking certain risks, we wouldn't have some of the good ideas. Virtual Boy failed but planted the seed for PlayStation VR and Oculous Rift. People complain today that Call of Duty is just copy and paste, Nintendo tried to avoid this by taking those risks of changing things.
Alfredo Canas that's in one of those gray areas, where it's kind of different yet kind of similar. Both are good games though, even if Ironsword gets flack for having Fabio on the cover.
The third is at least very different from the second one. Ironsword was more straightlined, while the third was more open world. There's also a lot of other differences. (But I'm in a weird position not having played the first one, but completed the second and the third. Strange I know.)
Mario Bros. 1 was drastically different from part 2, as was the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the second, and I thought I remembered a third title but I forgot already.
This is a great idea Mike and even though I know free time is a luxury in your life especially with your kid but keep making the best content you can when you have the free time to do so. Some other games that would come to mind when it comes to this category would be: Back to the Future & Back to the Future II and III Contra & Contra Force Personally, I actually prefer batman: return of the joker over the original batman game just simply how epic the boss fights are even though I understand its a matter of personal preference.
I think that it has to be said that sequels weren't really expected back then. We played and loved the games and if we saw that the developers were making a sequel we were happy...but I can't remember being disappointed when the sequels were different. There were so many new concepts being introduced and we were too busy enjoying the games to complain. Another factor is that the NES was evolving. There were new chips being made and the developers were competing in trying to push the technology to its limits. Today we live in a different world. Sequels are expected and developers in general aren't really brave enough to try new things or different concepts. They are sticking to a formula and it gets boring IMO. Personally I like both Simon's Quest and Zelda II much better than the first games and I remember very well seeing those games and being blown away. The games are more complex and more of a challenge . (but OK, the original Zelda isn't exactly easy either if you're playing without a map!)
I agree with a lot of what you are saying but I honestly cant say I enjoy Zelda 2 and Castlevania 2 more than the originals. Don't get me wrong I really enjoy them just I separate them from the original game and consider them an awesome abnormality in the series
Growing out up a friend had castlevania I loved to play it we ended up getting simons quest and is was sooo different it was really hard to figure out what to do some towns folk even lie it did grow on me. Conversely we had Zelda and my friend ended up getting Zelda 2 I feel like we got lucky there lol never cared for Zelda 2 much was really happy links awakening returned to form honestly right up there with link to the past for me
MichaelBtheGameGenie what’s really weird is rpg is my fave genre all though mostly turn based I do love all kinds of rpgs and Zelda Ii did grow on me but as a little kid it was hard to get used to the sudden change It shows I guess how easy it is to get caught up in fandom and nostalgia and how quickly and how you could miss out on a good thing
I feel that you have to have turn based combat and a progressing story with long cutscenes to be an rpg. you can't just base it on leveling up or that makes tons of sports games such as ring king on nes or ufc on xbox 360 rpgs. and you can't base it on the fact that you are role playing as a character or literally every game ever made is an rpg and then the moniker just becomes pointless. Any game with leveling or item gathering that increases your abilities but without turn based combat should simply be referred to as an adventure game.
I wish they did that nowadays. Most game sequels done now feel like exact clones of the previous games.
1Up John sometimes, sometimes they make massive changes like the Castlevania lords of Shadow games
A tip: watch series at kaldroStream. Me and my gf have been using it for watching a lot of movies recently.
@Mordechai Rogelio yup, been watching on Flixzone} for years myself :D
The original tbeory for these change ups is that the developers wanted to expand on the original game without rehashing the original, thinking that why would people buy the second game if it was the same as the first. Some of the games you mentioned are also from early in the NES and series were still being established, so any advancements made in tech and programming were used and may have used some concepts and elements that had to be dropped due to limitations at the time.
I feel like this is a big part of it. And back then, the video game scene was still very new and developers probably had all kinds of ideas they wanted to get out of their heads and try.
Yeah, Nintendo had released the original Super Mario Bros. 2/The Lost Levels in Japan and I imagine the felt it wasn't as received as well as they hoped. In retrospect, there was far less risk in damaging the series' growing reputation at the time by released a sprite-changed game than releasing The Lost Levels at the time.
Interesting, that does make sense and it’s easy to look back as an armchair quarterback
electricmastro the Lost Levels was received okay in Japan, but it was Howard Lincoln saying that Mario 2 JPN was too hard that got them to create Mario 2 USA. Miyamoto was working on. Anew game that was tied in with a Japanese food brand and it wouldn’t be suitable to port without alterations. So they swapped out the regional branded stuff for Mario stuff and just calle dit Mario 2.
JazGalaxy close... The game was in development before the other company requested a game. It was originally supposed to be Super Mario Bros 2, but they were having some difficulties, so it got shelved so they could work on the Super Mario Bros that japan did get, as fixing the game they wanted would take to long. When the request for doki doki panic came, it gave them a reason to continue development on the original super mario 2. There a still some super mario resources used in doki doki panic. With the game finally completed and a request for a different mario 2 coming from north america, they put back the mario iconography and released the game they intended.
TMNT and TMNT 2: The Arcade Game, Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands, Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2, Back to the Future and Back to the Future II & III, I know I'm forgetting some.
I had TMNT on my list but not the rest, I for some reason don't include Rainbow Islands
good channel. Subscribed. I'd like to see a similar video for other systems
Thank you and yes I completely plan on doing that, probably Super Nintendo Next
I remembered this as if it was yesterday! Thanks for the video!
"Guns and Batman go together like drinking and night swimming."
I laughed so hard. Another great video Mike!
Thanks Adam! You can never go wrong with a Simpsons reference
Most likely the reason for these changes was that developers didn't want to release a mere copy of their first game, but instead tried to keep their franchises fresh, try out new things and see what will stick. Releasing more of the same was always a risk, as people didn't want to pay full price for a game that was basically the same as the previous one, with minor additions. Of course there are many exceptions, most notably Mega Man franchise.
Yeah and coming off the video game crash that may be a safe bet
nice video glad to see you making content again you were definitely missed
Thank you Casi that is very cool to hear
I’m one of your newest subscribers and you have quickly become one of my favorite channels. Awesome videos, my friend! Keep up the good work.
ItPutsTheGameInTheConsole thank oh so much, that is awesome to hear
It really looks like you are having a great time making videos again. It has been showing with each new release. Looking forward to what’s next Mike.
Thank you Matt and it has been fun and the response has been great, thank you for sticking with me
I grew up with return of the joker and loved it and was actually kinda shocked to play the original sunsoft Batman as an adult and see how awesomely different it was
That is interesting, I played Mario 2 first and had a similar experience with the original
It is interesting how many sequels learned from their mistakes and went right back to the original formula that had the ability to like Zelda LTTP and Castlevania III.
Mario 3 is another example......shame we never got a real follow up to sunsoft batman
Always good to see a new video from you, Mike!
Thanks Chris, glad you enjoyed it!
Quality content! I'm loving this !!
Thank you Shahid
Keep the videos coming! Great work.
Thank you Eric
I love your videos! Keep them coming!
Thank you Billy, Every Second Sunday is the plan right now
Good vid! Didn't know this channel existed! Subbed, liked and notified!
Oh christ! Heard "her'd" instead of "har-d"! Then was all; "from da' fuckan' pearl!" Whaddya' at buddah?! Just over here off blackmarsh. Gettin into a half case! *also sharing this all over the facebook
Thank you and Welcome!
Comfortable new chair!!! Great video man. Keep them coming
Yeah it actually is super comfortable.....bye bye couch....well its at my cabin now
New subscriber here. Loving the content so far!
Welcome and thank you!
Funny thing is the exact same thing happened on the Master System, many sequels were quite different from there original games: Alex Kidd, Shinobi, Out-Run, Zillion, Wonder Boy, Rambo, all had sequels quite different from the first game.
Yes that is another video in the pipe as well
Looking forward to it.
Am I hearing Bloody Tears in the background?? I'M instantly INTERESTED IN THIS!
Thank you, it is indeed. Cover by Epic Game Music who does incredible work
Loved the video! Great job!
Thank you!
Great video as always, thanks!
Paperboy 2, Super Mario Bros. 2,
cobi jones is Paperboy 2 really that different? It’s been a while since I played it but I will give it a look
Also Thank you!
Original Paperboy is great, tight controls and gameplay, the second game is rubbish!
Two of my favorite games for the NES were skate or die and skate or Die 2. They were very different and they are very underrated games as well
I would have thought the reason for making them so different would be pretty obvious. They didn't want to be accused of rehashing the same ideas, games would be criticised for that back then just as much as they are today. I agree that an "if it ain't broke don't fix it" approach works well for sequels though, as long as there's enough new or different elements introduced to stop them from going stale.
exactly, take whats good, build on it but don't change it from the ground up
Also, glad to see you making videos again. It's nice seeing guys of our age doing this...
Thank you, you mean people who were around when these all originally came out ; )
MichaelBtheGameGenie exactly
love the video keep up the good work
Thank you!
I don't understand why everyone hates on Simon's quest. It's my favorite one.
It's a great game on it's on own. It's just difficult because the game is cryptic. I learned the clues didn't make sense cause the townspeople were under Dracula's influence the further you progressed through the game. Cruel, but understandable. The redacted ROM hack fixes that problem and others to make it the game it was meant to be.
Brian Elkins yeah I love Simons Quest too
Lots of boring design choices that add up to a lackluster experience. A focus on grinding hearts for upgrades instead of exploring for them, overall unchallenging platforming, etc. The biggest one: No decent boss fights. Every other Castlevania game has awesome bosses.
Replacing that oak stake shit with some really cool, climactic battles alone would have done wonders for this snoozefest
I thought all three Castelvania were good, but III was my favorite. I liked being able to use Alucard.
It was difficult but in a very different way and that struck and strikes a sour note with a lot of people. No good boss battles, the staple of a Castlevania game, really drives its popularity down as well
For a lot of these I think there just was no precedent for sequels, nor really what was going to be most popular. So as a result, there was a ton of experimentation going on, which got us some interesting things!
No doubt, im glad these series survived the experiments because the best was right around the corner
Great video, subbed
Welcome Brian and thank you!
Subbed! Great content!
Thank you and Welcome!
The primary reason this happened in the early and mid 80’s so frequently (Street Fighter 1 and Street Fighter 2, Super Mario 2, pretty much every other game with a sequel that wasn’t modeled on an established game-genre from the 70’s) is that there weren’t really clear and concise concepts for what most of these genres even were.
Nobody looked at Super Mario Brothers (which is also vastly different from Mario Brothers), and said “this is a side scrolling platformer,” they just said “here’s a video game we made people like.”
Zelda wasn’t a “top down, hack-and-slash adventure game,” it was just Zelda, a video game.
When they went to make the sequels, they were just trying to make new, cooler video games using a few of the concepts that made their IPs distinct.
Genres as hardlined concepts-outside of some of the simplistic, established genres from the 70’s-didn’t coagulate in the collective consciousness until the later 80’s/early 90’s. That gave sequel makers more of a platform to build off of when trying to revisit the experiences associated with their IPs.
It’s not super weird that all the sequels made before that phenomena was collectively understood ended up being essentially random games with familiar names.
Interesting point and honestly I had never ever really looked at it that way
Awesome as always!
Thank you!
You know what, i appreciate the hell out of the developers trying to do something different that quickly. Now obviously they all didn't work out but I respect the efforts. For the past 10+ years we are practically begging for an effort to try something new. Nope. Here's GOW4, COD35, HALO5, Uncharted 4, etc..... Last time I can remember a series getting completely changed up was Metroid Prime.
I liked Metroid prime but honestly I hate when a series changes too much. I really don't like GOW 4 just because they changed the lead character...that personal taste on my part
At least Castlevania 2 felt like a Castlevania game... Don’t know what the hell they did with Zelda 2. Awesome video brother 👍🏻
Yeah they kept most of the sore mechanics just slowed it down. Zelda 2 they just took the concept and turned it completely on its side
I also got to know the last two Batman games much later. Another great video!
Castlevania 2 is actually my favorite Castlevania. Along with some of these other games mentioned. Good video all round. Subbing!
Thank you and Welcome! I really like Castlevania 2 as well
New to the channel and really enjoying your videos. TMNT 2 was totally different from the original and of course Back to the Future and it's classic sequel. I rented BTTF 2 one weekend and I'll never get those 2 days back haha
Ha no that is a total loss and thank you!
Awesome video!! I agree with everything but especially with the Legend of Zelda. The original is still my favorite Zelda game to date and I never understood why The Adventures of Link is so different. I did enjoy the game but not as much as the original. I am happy SNES brought back the original likeness.
Thanks JLUV and yeah we have similar feelings there
JLuv81 I answer this in my own post, but the long story made short is that they are so different because, back then, games didn’t go off the shelf because the GameStop needs the space. There was no reason for any quality NES game to stop selling. People weren’t always looking for the next thing like they are now. Zelda 2, if it was made like Zelda 1, would have just been cannibalizing sales from Zelda 1.
JazGalaxy That is a great way to look at it. You are right😊
I wasn't around for the NES days, my first console was N64. I didn't know that, thanks for sharing..
We were much more open-minded back then. Mario's playable appearances in Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., and Super Mario Bros. all played completely different. Why expect anything less from the next one? SMB2's changes seemed perfectly "normal" to me and I accepted them without any hesitation. I miss this mindset.
SMB 2 was the first game so what was weird and different for me was going back and playing the first
I don't find it weird that sometimes you'd go in a different direction with the sequel. It's fresh, it's innovative, it gives the console's library more variety and it gives the players a new experience. Some games could repeat a winning formula, like Contra and Mega Man, but even Mega Man became less and less relevant with each installment. More of the same isn't always better.
Fair point, I wouldn't say Contra was just more of the same because those games changed drastically with each release
Nice to know other people besides me appreciate and enjoy Simon's Quest. It's flawed to be sure, but considered as its own game it is a pretty damn fun adventure game on the NES.
Simons Quest is awesome!
Batman: Return of The Joker is _not_ a sequel! It's based on the comic book, and it's called Dynamite Batman in Japan...
Zelda 2 and CV 2 were hard as hell, but fantastic. Looking back... Nintendo Power and the hotline back in the day were needed.
You know what, that is probably exactly why those games were so damned vague
What about SUPER MARIO BROS 2 ??
I took it out and added Batman because it was too obvious.....it will be in part 2
Super MARIO Bros 2?? Ewwwww
I'm glad you made a point of saying the sequels in question weren't necessarily bad but just different, because I have to admit I get irritated when people give Zelda 2 a hard time. As different as it was I still really enjoyed it as well, and it's worth noting for the Zelda purists that they did mostly return to the original formula when the Zelda games made their way to the SNES and Game Boy. Great video, thanks for posting!
trueakuma777 yep. I love Zelda II
Yeah I don't have any beef with these sequels and have played a ton of them all other than Batman Returns on NES that is
I think most of the “hard time” comes from internet kids who discover these games via emulation. When they play each game for 3 minutes each, they single out anything too different from their expectations as being “bad”.
Zelda 2 and Castlevania 2 still rank in the upper 20th percentile of NES games. I often speculate that there are 150 to 200 games in the library that are playable, challenging and/or fun and both of these games are in that tier.
First 2 TMNT NES games.
I have my eye on them for the next video
Where can I see which games you don't have? I'm a collector myself and I have lots of doubles im willing to give if you don't have
Thank you so much for the offer man. I actually stopped collecting and have a more personal collection now of games from when I was a kid or must have rentals
Another great vid! U come up w the most off the wall topics lol. I’m sure you skipped Super Mario 2 bc it’s so obvious
Thank you sir! That is correct, I came up with this idea last summer and Mario 2 was there but I took it out because I didn't want it to be so mainstream if that makes sense
Awesome video
Thank you!
1. If 'Castlevania II: Simon's Quest' hints from the town folk made sense, I would have loved it as a kid. Played it a lot trying to figure it out, but never got far. Walking through the cemeteries is so cool!
2. Once I discovered where the hammer was in 'The Adventure of Link', I thought the game was amazing... hated it as a seven/eight year old.
3 Played 'Batman' on the NES for the first time this year. It's fun, but the sequel looks almost like a 16 bit game.
I am the same way with Simons Quest. Yeah it loos almost just like the 16 versions of the game. They killed it graphically
Am I one of the few people who really enjoyed Simon's Quest esp as a kid?
Yes. But I count myself with you insightful few.
I didn't as a kid and it was a big disappointment upon rental......love it now
MichaelBtheGameGenie I think that would make a perfect video. Game rentals we regretted. I know for me going to blockbuster was a big deal for the weekend and renting the wrong game could ruin your weekend as a kid...anyway I was so excited to see a Ninja Turtles game for my Sega Genesis not realizing it was a fighting game and being as I don't like fighting games it was a boring weekend.
Simon's Quest is more fun to me than Castlevania and Castlevania 3. I like the exploration more than just a straight forward linear game.
Great list! SMB 2 is another obvious choice you could go with. I'd also add Back to the Future and Back to the Future II and III. I love the first game but the second game is so strange.
Bothe really good suggestions for the next video thanks CA!
Ohh that metal starfox intro! Subbed
Yeah that Corneria track is amazing
mate guess what, i think im your 20k subscriber, as i just subscribe to your channel
"The game is heard". What on earth? Is he trying to say "hard"?
I was trying to say hard, thanks for the constructive criticism
MichaelBtheGameGenie the thing is, if you had been from Ireland or something, I wouldn't have reacted. It just did not fit the rest of your accent. That's all...
I am from Newfoundland....an island off the coast of Canada. Our accent has been described as irish sounding so that makes sense
MichaelBtheGameGenie aha, didn't know that. 😀
That threw me for a loop. I was like, "did he just say herd when he's trying to say hard?"
Interesting. You say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," but I think that by releasing a sequel that's too similar to the first game, which is what I think the devs thought at the time, it would have been broken in that the devs were retreading the same/heavily similar ground and would have gained more criticism for too much repetition, and that can break the experience for some people in certain cases. If you ask for my personal opinion, I find that games like Super Mario Bros. 2 and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link succeed better as sequels than games like Mega Man 4, Mega Man 5, and Mega Man 6. Those Mega Man games are good on their own terms, sure, but honestly, when looking at their progression as sequels from the previous Mega Man games, they kinda fail if you ask me. There's only so much repetition I can overlook, and that might be why I appreciate those NES sequels from years earlier so much more. In any case, great vid Michael!
Exactly. Former Capcom staffers have described being assigned to the Mega Man development team as the kiss of death. Creative types don't generally want to do the same work over and over.
I get what you are saying and don't get me wrong love the games I am talking about....but I like A Link to the Past a hell of a lot more then Zelda 2
And that's fine Mike! lol
I haven't gotten past Stage 3 on Return of the Joker either. Kinda stupidly hard.
I actually respect when gamemakers and filmmakers don’t just try to do cash ins on their previous games and try to give you a different experience. So I totally get it. Its much braver and artistic. Why make the same game twice(or more)? It seems sometimes a bit cheap cash in and non-artistic just throwing out another game built on the same engine. «Hey customers! Here’s the same popular game that sold a lot, just new levels! We call it a new game! And a couple of new things so you can’t say its the exact same game!»
Still I love the Lolo and the Mega Man games despite this. (Well, Mega Man pushed it a bit far with 6 games on the NES that arguably are too similar.)
I have a hard time answering this so ill try my best. I am a big Horror Movie fan...I love the Halloween series and especially love 3 because of how different and good it is. But I hate the Rob Zombie remakes. I have no problem with different as long as its good but I prefer if you stick with the original concept you just keep perfecting it instead of changing it into something it never should have been...I hope that made some sort of sense
You don't go night swimming and drinking?? Great analogy, lol. Zelda 2 was crushing for me as a kid. I was only 8 and I didn't know why they changed my fav game. I cried about it I remember.
Haha its from the Simpsons.....apparently its a winning combination. I only cried because of how difficult it was
What people don’t understand about the NES era was that it was a very different world. There was no internet. There was no such thing as the “hype train”. There was no GameStop reselling old games and making everything fight for shelf space. There was no such thing as an “annual franchise”. If a game was good, there was no reason to believe that it was EVER going to stop selling or be taken off the shelf. This is in direct contrast to the modern era where a game makes most of its sales the day it comes out. The NES itself rolled out across the country in waves. Therefore a kid might JUST be getting his NES and Zelda when another kid had beat it a year ago. Or not since these games weren’t really MEANT to be beaten. To beat them was a badge of honor, not an expectation.
This all means that it would be a company shooting itself in the foot to produce another, better version of the same game. That previous game was still being sold. This is evidenced by how Nintendo Power would frequently feature multiple entries in the same series on its Top 20 list. Kids were still BUYING Zelda 1 when Zelda 2 was on shelves. Thusly it made sense for them to be different experiences.
That's a good point, really good point actually. If the game was still on the shelf what would entice you to buy the new one
Batman return of the joker was based off the London version of Batman and parts of the America comic. The Batman game ending was based off of the London version of the comic as well hinge the death scence
Really I had no idea, so Batman is very different there
cool idea mike, i actually really really enjoy zelda 2 and castlevania 2
I did too Dan but what's weird is Castlevania 2 is way easier while Zelda 2 oh boy
I think they were expirimenting, making sure they knew what worked and what didn't.
Risky experiment…..glad it didn't derail either series because we got some real great games after these
I still do not understand nor agree with the hate Simon’s Quest gets. I loved it back when I was a kid (long ago lol) and still love it to this day. Sure, it was different from the 1st Castlevania, but that was also one of the draws. Friends and I spent countless hours back then, tryin to figure out what to do and where to go but it was always fun. I don’t know, maybe back then we were more appreciative lol. Another great vid my friend, keep em comin!
Edit: Also just realized this is an older video lol
The way you say “hard” tho?? Your videos are awesome!! Nostalgia!!!
I'm pretty sure I did it intentionally to add emphasis but I'm also from a place called Newfoundland with a strong accent so it may be that ; ) Thank you!
MichaelBtheGameGenie Awesome!!
I think to understand why these sequels are so different you have to look back to the video game crash of 1983. A major contributor to the crash was fatigue from countless clones of games flooding the market. Nintendo made a lot of conscientious decisions to keep that from happening again and changing up franchise sequels is just one example. Looking back, I think they made the right decision
You wanna Legend of Zelda done right? Play "Battle of Olympus".
One of my NES favourites! It's technically my childhood's "God of War".
That was always one of my absolute favorites as a teenager too. I also loved Faxanadu.
willow was a decent Zelda type game too
McCallos One I'd forgotten about it. I loved that one too
Yeah Battle of Olympus has been on my list for a while now to get to
I really liked castlevasnia 2, I didn't hear complaints until avgn made his video
I love learning what special weapons work to stop them! Hint: it's not the knife :p
Very nice video Michael. I really love Zelda II just as much as the first one. Eh, they tried different things back then I guess.
Thank you! I really like it too maybe not as much as the first game though
Other games with weird sequels I can think of are Super Mario Bros, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Final Fantasy, and Tetris.
On the one hand, it was refreshing to see developers take chances and push the system in different ways with sequels. Especially given how a lot of modern games (Call of Duty, Street Fighter, Madden) seem more like reissues than sequels.
On the other hand, BOY am I glad this stuff didn't happen to Megaman or Ninja Gaiden.
Right, we had to wait years later until they started goofing with Mega Man and its only now we are getting back to the original formula. Still I would love to see more 2d Ninja Gaiden in the future
Honestly I think its good they took more chances back that to try to bring something new and different with sequels. A lot of sequels are just more of the same and it gets boring. So no I don't think its strange at all and I understand why they would have wanted to do something different with a successful game franchise.
I see things differently, I am all about trying new things when a franchise has grown stale but when its in its still fresh I don't know. I also prefer just improving on the original concept and not building it from the ground up
I can understand your point as well, just don't agree personally. Yeah, they could just let a good working thing ride as long as they can, and it makes good business sense to play it safe. But personally I think its a smart move to strike while the iron is hot and try to be innovative while the franchise is popular, rather than trying to innovate a fading game series when most people have lost interest. That's more risky. Look at the Mega Man games for example. But yeah I can see the points to both arguments.
Okidoki panic or Mario bros 2 for nes was kinda weird compared to the first 1, TMNT2 the arcade game was also very different from that first game! Great vid :-D
I think Mario and the Turtles are both showing up in part 2
MichaelBtheGameGenie sweetly I’ll try and think of more by then 😅 it’s tough that Batman 1 & 2 is really good on how different it is
*Doki Doki Panic :)
Great video mike!
Surprised at that last batman game by Konami!
Super Mario Bros 2 is different too but not as different!
Thanks man! I had Mario 2 scheduled to be in this video originally but swapped it out....It will show up in part 2
Pintofmilk Wait, what?! SMB2 USA was DRASTICALLY different from the original, moreso than any other game in this video in my opinion...
Andy C Nah, Mario Madness is still a linear platformer, like the other Super Mario games. That's less different than Castlevania going from a linear action platformer to a Zelda/Metroid exploration-based game, or Zelda going from a top-down open world exploration game to a more linear approach with the main gameplay being a sidescrolling platformer. In fact, Nintendo was worried they would get criticism for Doki Doki Panic being basically a Super Mario game. So when they needed a different game to release as Super Mario Bros. 2, I assume the board meeting was approximately: "So, for Super Mario Bros. 2... Doki Doki Panic, right? Okay, who's up for lunch?"
BFisch Mario Madness? SMB2 USA was absolutely different in pretty much every aspect from SMB1, irrespective of both games at their core being platform games. Completely different mechanics, choice of playable characters each with their own unique abilities, completely different structure to levels, vastly different look to the game....There's a HUGE difference between the two, which is why people class it as a bit of an oddity in the SMB universe.
Andy C "Super Mario Bros. 2: Mario Madness" is what it says on my box, so that's how I refer to it. And yes, keeping the core gameplay and style the same is less different than completely changing the genre or gameplay type. Castlevania 2 isn't in the same genre as the first game. Anyone who went into it expecting a similar game were put off by not knowing where to go, because the first was an action game, not an adventure game. Playing Mario Madness after Super Mario Bros... You're still jumping and running to the right, but you're just adding picking up to your actions.
The choice of characters adds options for which character's mostly minor strengths (the only game-changing ability is floating) and weaknesses you wanted, but it doesn't significantly affect how the game plays. Sure, the visual style is a little different, but that just seems like an upgrade. There's more verticality in level design, but no vertical scrolling, and they didn't replace the horizontal platforming, just added on to it. It just seems more elaborate with a few changes, not like it's a completely different kind of game.
yeah i dont mind having changes to a second game in a series of games, of cause you cant never beat the original as its the first in the series and great to have a change in the second game, yes i would be nice to have the same style but having a different style give a different experience in the next game and it was great to have link to the past return to original style as well super castlevania iv is which is more or less a remake of the original nes if im not mistaken, nes version of batman returns looks just like the snes version but in a 8 bit look but well done as both games are a beat n up , so having a different style in sequels is a nice touch and a different experience.
take care
How is Super Mario one and two not on here?
I took it out to add Batman because it was way too obvious....it will be in part 2
Even though Goonies was only on the Famicom, It's sequel Goonies II is completely different. And it's a great game too, if you take the time to learn how to play.
And for the record, I love Return of the Joker and Zelda II.
I have heard about Goonies JPN. I do too BTW
Nice video. You do a great job showing the games. But, personally, I'm totally glad for sequels that aren't just a rehash. Sometime they aren't as good.. but they are necessary to push the genre forward. Imagine if we were still playing original-style Zelda games and didn't have Breath of the Wild.
Back to the basic premise... one of the weirdest sequels to me was Donkey Kong 3 (originally in the arcade, but all had NES versions). For the sequel to DK, they basically did more of the same with DK jr. It's with the 3rd game in the series that they didn't something completely different.
See that's not a fair question because I love Breath of the Wild but think much less of most of the 3dish Zelda games....honestly I was enamoured with Link Between World and want more of that but that's just me.
DK 3 is a real good example and so is Donkey Kong JR as well, added to the list
Mario 2 , were did Bowser go? Great Video!
At the end of the game it's revealed that the whole game was just Mario's dream.
I am honestly heartbroken we never got another wart appearance
I liked Zelda 2. Sure, it was nothing like the first, which was superior, but it felt like they were bringing us something to keep things going forward. I think it was underappreciated back then.
It seemed to be for a lot of these games part 2 was when they changed the formula then for part 3 go back to the original format.
Exactly, if I had used SMB like I originally intended it would have been a clean sweep
I love Zelda ll.
I do too
its herd!
Love the heck out of it. Such fun combat.
Yeah me too better then the first one
Me too bro
Zelda 2 was my first Zelda game and I used to think the ladies would take link inside and give him a soup.
I don't know why soup but it was 93 and I was 7
I would add Mike Tyson's Punch Out vs Power Punch II and Dig Dug vs. Dig Dug II. (I don't know how anyone else found you, but I found you in the side bar on a Cinemasacre video.)
That's awesome..really cool to hear that youtube is promoting me with AVGN videos and thanks for the suggestions
I immediately guessed Castlevania as the first.
Nintendo used to love taking risks. It can be argued that without them taking certain risks, we wouldn't have some of the good ideas. Virtual Boy failed but planted the seed for PlayStation VR and Oculous Rift. People complain today that Call of Duty is just copy and paste, Nintendo tried to avoid this by taking those risks of changing things.
Wizard and Warriors is also a candidate for this series.
Alfredo Canas interesting is Ironsword really that different?
Maybe you are right, I just thought the game has some different game mechanics and visually is different.
Alfredo Canas that's in one of those gray areas, where it's kind of different yet kind of similar. Both are good games though, even if Ironsword gets flack for having Fabio on the cover.
The third is at least very different from the second one. Ironsword was more straightlined, while the third was more open world. There's also a lot of other differences. (But I'm in a weird position not having played the first one, but completed the second and the third. Strange I know.)
Great video brother. You could have slipped Mario 2 in there... sorry Mario USA 😆 Also Batman returns on the SNES was the best version.
I actually took Mario 2 out.....I felt it was too too predictable but it will be in the next one
Mario Bros. 1 was drastically different from part 2, as was the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the second, and I thought I remembered a third title but I forgot already.
Both games I think you will see pop up in part 2
Robocop 1-2-3 on NES, each has different developer.
First - Sakata SAS, second - Painting by Numbers, third - Probe.
I plaed the first game quite a bit
Castlevainia 2 is not a bad game, i like it more then then the others since I'm a huge adventure fan.
I agree, not at all. As an adult I love it
I always thought the sequels to these games were great. I appreciated that they didn't just do the same game all over again.
I did too, in fact In every example here just found it strange how different they were
This is a great idea Mike and even though I know free time is a luxury in your life especially with your kid but keep making the best content you can when you have the free time to do so.
Some other games that would come to mind when it comes to this category would be:
Back to the Future & Back to the Future II and III
Contra & Contra Force
Personally, I actually prefer batman: return of the joker over the original batman game just simply how epic the boss fights are even though I understand its a matter of personal preference.
Thanks Derrick, I think I have found a groove here now that is working for me. Good Choices by the way
Batman Return of the Joker- for the Gameboy, is the game you want if you're looking for a good sequel.
I enjoy the videos. Strange that I enjoy most of these sequels better than their originals. Maybe it's due to the time I got the NES.
Thank you and I get that, I got Mario 2 before I played the first one and I thought the first game was strange and still prefer Mario 2
I think that it has to be said that sequels weren't really expected back then. We played and loved the games and if we saw that the developers were making a sequel we were happy...but I can't remember being disappointed when the sequels were different. There were so many new concepts being introduced and we were too busy enjoying the games to complain. Another factor is that the NES was evolving. There were new chips being made and the developers were competing in trying to push the technology to its limits.
Today we live in a different world. Sequels are expected and developers in general aren't really brave enough to try
new things or different concepts. They are sticking to a formula and it gets boring IMO.
Personally I like both Simon's Quest and Zelda II much better than the first games and I remember very well seeing those games and being blown away. The games are more complex and more of a challenge . (but OK, the original Zelda isn't exactly easy either if you're playing without a map!)
I agree with a lot of what you are saying but I honestly cant say I enjoy Zelda 2 and Castlevania 2 more than the originals. Don't get me wrong I really enjoy them just I separate them from the original game and consider them an awesome abnormality in the series
Growing out up a friend had castlevania I loved to play it we ended up getting simons quest and is was sooo different it was really hard to figure out what to do some towns folk even lie it did grow on me. Conversely we had Zelda and my friend ended up getting Zelda 2
I feel like we got lucky there lol never cared for Zelda 2 much was really happy links awakening returned to form honestly right up there with link to the past for me
Yeah Links Awakening and Link to the Past were both great and good to see they went back to the original formula
MichaelBtheGameGenie what’s really weird is rpg is my fave genre all though mostly turn based I do love all kinds of rpgs and Zelda Ii did grow on me but as a little kid it was hard to get used to the sudden change
It shows I guess how easy it is to get caught up in fandom and nostalgia and how quickly and how you could miss out on a good thing
love the chair :P and WOOOOOOOO! new B ep!
Thanks Chad!
I feel that you have to have turn based combat and a progressing story with long cutscenes to be an rpg. you can't just base it on leveling up or that makes tons of sports games such as ring king on nes or ufc on xbox 360 rpgs. and you can't base it on the fact that you are role playing as a character or literally every game ever made is an rpg and then the moniker just becomes pointless. Any game with leveling or item gathering that increases your abilities but without turn based combat should simply be referred to as an adventure game.