Series where the first game is still your favorite. Explain why.

[entremet]

With the MMX collection out, it has only cemented the fact that MMX is still the best one of the series. X4 is a strong contender, but X1 is a stronger game--better music, level design, scenarios, and the oh so cool environmental effects depending on the order you beat the bosses. It also has the best easter egg--Ryu's hadoken. No load times are also a plus. It still controls like a dream as well. The brilliance of this game has been documented thoroughly but I love the classic video from Egoraptor:



Thinking about this, it's pretty crazy how rare this is gaming. Gaming is a very iterative medium, that is very reliant on technology.

Other contenders for me here:
Doom 1993
Metal Gear Solid (Does this count?)
Resident Evil
Pokemon Red and Blue
Strider (Arcade)

 

[DecoReturns]

Pokémon Colosseum series

Doesn't that count? Because if so. That game.

It wasn't objectively better then XD. XD improved some aspects (saving everywhere for one). But I prefer the story and pace of the first.

 

[Era of not Yakuza]

and the oh so cool environmental effects depending on the order you beat the bosses.

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Could you talk more about this? I didn't know that

 

[entremet]

Could you talk more about this? I didn't know that

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https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/588479-mega-man-x/59005197

 

[PSOreo]

Dead Space. The first one nailed the horror elements and the gameplay was engaging. The jump scares were a little cheap but overall it was probably the best entry.

 

[entremet]

Dead Space. The first one nailed the horror elements and the gameplay was engaging. The jump scares were a little cheap but overall it was probably the best entry.

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Oh that's a good one. EA ran that series into the ground.

Speaking of Gen 7, Bioshock is another one for me. The atmosphere of the first game is too good.

 

[tatwo]

I can only think of Dead Space.

 

[Hailinel]

Valkyrie Profile. The sequel shit all over the story and the DS strategy RPG didn't do anything to help.

 

[M-TRNL]

Xenoblade for me. Favorite characters, story, music (barely, 2's is really close) and world out of the three.

 

[5taquitos]

Call of Duty 1 is still my favorite in the series.

It was a breath of fresh air at the time, before the series was ground down to explosions and MP. It was impactful and immersive, and the Bristish special forces sections were fun. And Jason Statham was the narrator for those parts.

 

[Ayirek]

Bioshock. It had, in my opinion, the best level design in the trilogy and the best twist. I love that game.

Also, Yoshi's Island, if I can count that spin-off series as it's own thing. It's the best platformer on a system full of incredible platformers.

 

[crimzonflame]

Metal Gear Solid. As good as the sequels were nothing compares to 'normal' Solid Snake and normal Liquid.

 

[Grapezard]

The OG Metroid Prime for sure. 2 and 3 are still crazy good games, but Prime just feels clean and simple.

 

[KillLaCam]

Mass Effect. Even though most of the planets were empty it felt like you could actually explore the universe.

 

[Kida]

Xenoblade for me. Favorite characters, story, music (barely, 2's is really close) and world out of the three.

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Came to post this one. I also enjoyed XCX more than XC2 but the original is the best.

 

[Naters]

Sonic Adventure 1.
I guess it's mostly rose tinted glasses but even now when I go back and play it, it's just fun.

I like it because while it adds a few new things to each character like Tail's tail attack or Sonic's ancient light, they all still kinda play like the 2D games.

Sonic adventure 2 just didn't really have that classic sonic feel like the first one did.

 

[Sanguine]

Fallout. I still like Fallout 1 the best. A lot of it might be because it's one of the earliest games I can remember (though I play it almost every year). I mostly prefer the combat in 1 (and 2) to the games starting with 3 (turn-based, with a closed environment so you didn't have to worry about enemies showing up from different levels like they could in say the subways in Fallout 3). With the right build (i.e. high luck) and gear (i.e. turbo plasma rifle/alien blaster) it felt like I could breeze through even super mutants without issue. The battles went pretty quick (with the exception of a few where there where far more enemies than I could kill in one round). I also thought it was the right length/progression. Like, by the time I get super powerful, the game is almost over so the god feeling I get doesn't really overstay it's welcome like I found in Fallout 3/NV where honestly it's easy to become so strong with alot of game left that things just get.. boring (I know things scale up to a degree, but I think it just makes them bullet spongy and not necessarily harder... unless you mod things). Plus, I liked the feeling of being some newbie out in the world and just going on an adventure helping the people I meet along the way (part of my disappointment in Fallout 3 is that it starts the same way, but it didn't capture the feelings I had from Fallout 1).

 

[HeisenbergWW62]

Gears of War. I found the mystery of the locust and why they came above ground significantly more interesting than actually finding out why. It also has my favorite gameplay and multiplayer in the series

 

[Imerty]

Darksiders. A way more coherent game than the second one and it knows what it wants to be.

 

[Couscous]

The original BioShock is still my favourite. It has the best story, level design and the best atmosphere in the series by far. The really mediocre gunplay and some of the last parts in the game drag it down from a 10 to a 9,5.

 

[Bestlaidplans]

Prince of Persia sands of time I reckon. Story was great, felt like you were in some Arabian dream and the powers were a breath of fresh air.

Edit: woops forgot about the very first pop game.

 

[TheBeardedOne]

Borderlands - The first game was fantastic, and it blew me away. The second game improves on some things, but it's not as good of a solo experience and it doesn't have the same wow factor. Both are very good, but the first one is better and it was a better experience overall for me.

Dead Space - I liked all three, but the first is probably my favourite. The second is close though.

Pokemon Red - This series has gotten away from me and it's so repetitive that I've lost interest. It was great when Red and Blue came out, but they've run it into the ground and haven't changed much.

Batman: Arkham Asylum - I feel that this is the best game of the four, and that it's the most succinct. I've completed them all, but this will always be my favourite. It's the best of the three, followed closely by City.

BioShock - The wonder of visiting Rapture the first time, the polish, the story, the gameplay. Infinite was really good, but the original is still the best.

 

[The Dink]

Bayonetta I guess. Two was a lot of fun but there's a special kind of magic with the first they didn't replicate.
Viewtiful Joe is another. Sequels and spin-offs kind of killed the series.
Final Fantasy Tactics might count as the Advanced series isn't as good (and lost all of the interesting politics and backstabbing).

Can't think of much more but I'm sure there's definitely others.

 

[Yang Xiao Long]

It's from a series comprised of only 2 games, but for this question I'll have to go with Chrono Trigger.

The game isn't perfect, but I would say it's as close to that ideal as is possible. It is the perfect length for an RPG, has fantastic music / graphics that still hold up today, has a very fun story and well defined characters, and avoids the random battle concept of its contemporaries.

The sequel, while an enjoyable game in its own right, jettisons the leaner gameplay, tighter character focus, and straightforward story of the original and suffers all the more for it, IMO.

 

[CountAntonio]

Dark Souls. I consider Demons Souls it's own thing.

I love all three souls games but the lore, the world building and it being my first Souls game means it will probably never be surpassed in my eyes.


Also Halo CE. My favorite weapon balance and maps in MP as well as by far my favorite campaign. Adore that game.

 

[Era of not Yakuza]

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/588479-mega-man-x/59005197

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Thanks, now I want to replay the games

 

[Sledge]

Mirror's Edge - It's a way tighter game than it's sequel/prequel. Which is okay, but has a lot of open world padding in it.

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

I love the atmosphere of this game, i don't remember much of the sequel but i remember it was a bit too goofy and killed the gothic/horror feel of the original game.

 

[Stormkyleis]

Banjo-Kazooie, Rare struck the perfect balance with the first one and couldn't really replicate it. Banjo-Tooie is too big and tedious to navigate, and it's further bloated with long cutscenes and a very slow start.

 

[Coxy]

Mass Effect. The music is epic (Virgil) from the main menu into the game. The story is epic. Yes the gunplay etc gets better in the sequels but nothing can beat that magic of the first one

 

[Sledge]

Devil May Cry - I found the devil form more enjoyable, the cheesy dialogue suited better than in subsequent DMC's and while DMC3 is also great. The first one felt like the smoothest game imaginable at the time.

 

[Luchashaq]

Borderlands, 2 had a ton of improvements but it made you sit through so much more garbage ass dialogue filled with memes and other trash like claptrap and tiny tina.

Cook Serve Delicious. I still play the first one off and on but the 2nd one never clicked with me. The guy who made it is super nice so I think me and my wife are going to give it another shot. I bet there have been some patches by now.

Torchlight 1, 2 was just such a sprawling mess tbh.

 

[TheBaldwin]

Arkham Asylum, but by a small margin.

all games are excellent (yes including origins). But the metroidvania focus, plus not having to waste time traversing a whole city to get from point a to b improves pacing alot.

 

[Orochinagis]

Dead Space 1, the atmosphere and the enviromental sounds were top noch and forgotten in later games to be more action focused and less scary
KOF 94, the first recopilation of all SNK fighters franchise, cameos, a endgame twist and streetfighter cameo on rugal stage and the boss recognizing terry and ryo being the strongest of their respective games but getting owned by Kyo was awesome
Dark Souls 1, the bible of the franchise where the secuels tried to replicate the charm but failed yet tried to be diferent, the big twist is really something else and not replicate in any souls games, big rewards if you explore and the only open world game on the souls franchise which didnt feel like an open world game.
Metroid Prime, exploration is so smooth, backtracking feels so natural and the shortcuts are not really intrusive, the lore had to be scanned and easy to understand, collectibles were worth to acccess the last boss and the music is pretty good and not action packed
Also yes Megaman X and X4

 

[Lindsay]

Final Fantasy VII is the first of the FFVII series an is still my favorite! I like Crisis Core but its both a handheld game and an action/rpg. Points which just make it less to my liking than the original. Meanwhile Dirge or Cerberus and the Advent Children movie were uhh... interesting experiences but fail to live up to the pure fun of playing FFVII.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed gets all the love but to me it felt rougher than the original. And more challenging. Having to be good to unlock stuffs waaay less fun than racking up & then spending Sega Miles. The transformation gimmick fell flat for me cause I really disliked how the boating parts felt.

 

[ClickyCal']

Paper Mario, mario and luigi, and bioshock.

 

[CannonFodder52]

Halo CE
Half Life
Dead Rising
Dino Crisis
Mass Effect

All those games have some great sequels too though.

 

[Shopolic]

Halo.
It had the best atmosphere in the series and was so unique for it's time.

 

[Deleted member 864]

Probably Paper Mario, although TTYD came really close to surpassing it. The first Paper Mario still feels timeless to me, and the characters, story, and gameplay are still the best in my opinion.

 

[Shinobido Heart]

Way of the Samurai back on PS2!

This game introduced me to the whole ''decide your fate'' thing that determined the outcome of the game depending on your actions. It had 5 or 6 different endings, with each route being pretty memorable.

 

[Firebrand]

Mass Effect first one that comes to mind. Sequels felt absolutely neutered, also too gritty and depressing rather than having that "80s scifi" atmosphere.

 

[Hentz]

3D Mario counts as a series? If so, Super Mario 64

 

[Zephy]

- Zone of the Enders. I like the second one as well, but the first will forever have a very special place in my heart. I love the atmosphere of that space colony and the freedom to revisit areas and find hidden stuff. I like the elegance of the swordfights that don't take place in the blink of an eye. I like how the music adapts to what you're doing.

- Lost Planet. Awesome atmosphere and cool mechs, for some reason in the sequel the mechs are reserved for multiplayer and you don't pilot any throughout the entire campaign, except the very tiny one and another one in the last level.

- Bloody Roar : I love the low poly style characters and general colorfulness of the game. It still plays great to this day and remains on of my favourite fighting games. The sequels went with a more gritty design for some reason, and after 2 the camera was placed very close which looked awful. Only thing missing from the first game was the special finishers they added in 2 onward.

- Fable : I liked the smaller world and general design and atmosphere of the first one better than the sequel. I also enjoyed the story more. I liked the bow and arrow more than the rudimentary gun they replaced them with in the sequels. I had a good time with 2 as well but it wasn't as memorable to me. I tried 3 but hated it.

- Unreal Tournament 99. My first FPS, I have so many great memories with this game. No sequel will ever surpass it.

 

[oreomunsta]

The OG Metroid Prime for sure. 2 and 3 are still crazy good games, but Prime just feels clean and simple.

Click to shrink...

Came to post this, but pleased it's already mentioned :]

 

[Weiss]

Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy isn't just the only good Jak game, it's also the only Naughty Dog game I like. The expansive, colourful world is a joy to explore and it's a crying shame that it was replaced with shitty angst and edge in Jak 2.

Super Mario RPG towers over every Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi title, and while it doesn't have the emotional beats of TTYD it's still a lot of fun to play and actually has a lot of challenge and depth to it.

Mega Man X is bar none the best X game, and probably the very best out of every Mega Man. Its only flaw is in having to acquire the Dash Boots instead of having them from the start.

Mass Effect 1 perfectly nailed the epic Space Opera feel that the sequels completely squandered, even if Mass Effect 2 had really strong character writing.

 

[Deleted member 23212]

I actually loved the first Infamous, I beat the game at least 4 times. However, I only played through Second Son once (I haven't tried 2 yet, though).

 

[Father Kratos]

Crysis...gameplay because of the various suit powers was much more fun, plus much better story(IMO) & off-course the visuals.

If it counts, Ni No Kuni, because Studio Ghibli.

 

[Prophane33]

The only ones I can think of have already been mentioned.

Metal Gear Solid - While I replayed 3 around the time of the first re-release (Subsistence); I've replayed the first game countless times and ate up every bit of media about the game before its release, as well getting the the demo the second it was possible (I worked at the store). I honestly can't think of another game I was ever so hyped for at that level that met all my expectations. While the 2nd game was good, and the 3rd was great. The first will ALWAYS be my favorite.

Pokemon Red/Green/Blue: This one was interesting as unlike many on this forum, I'd been exposed to the franchise before its English release with Pokemon Green (and also likely the reason Bulbasaur/Fushigidane is my favorite); while it didn't set the charts on fire at first it slowly became popular through word of mouth (was definitely one of the first "evergreen" games). When Gold/Silver game out I was mildly curious, but I had absolutely devoured enough Pokemon by playing not only Red, but also Yellow and kind of burnt myself out on the series. I was also well beyond the targeted age bracket as well (this was a good while before it was "hip" for adults to care about Pokemon). I did end up playing Heart Gold like 6 years ago and thought it was neat, but really felt like the first gen was perfection. I've followed the series through osmosis, as my wife has played all of them so I've been to my share of midnight launches and heard about story progression and/or weird/cool new Pokemon. But to I agree with an earlier comment that the series is repetitive.

Otherwise, I feel like the good thing about gaming is that the vast majority of games actually get better through sequels. Even if the first sequel (see: Devil May Cry) isn't very good.

 

[iceblade]

Command & Conquer: Red Alert.

I am a bit biased as it's the game that got me into PC gaming, but I liked the somewhat serious tone it went for, and had a lot of fun playing it. I liked the second game too, but not as much, and by the time it got to Yuri's Revenge the "lets just be silly" factor was really kicking in to high gear, and the third game took only a few minutes with the demo (and shooting bears out of a cannon) for me to lose interest in the series.

Crysis...gameplay because of the various suit powers was much more fun, plus much better story(IMO) & off-course the visuals.

Click to shrink...

Oh yeah this is a good choice as well.

 

[Unknownlight]

Star Fox 64 would be the perfect answer to this question if the SNES game didn't exist. :P

Star Fox Zero was basically a poorer remake of Star Fox 64 since apparently Nintendo can't think of any way to make Star Fox better.