games where the original was best

[PS1Snake]

Shenmue

[Sephiroth81]

Shenmue

I think I'd agree with that based on personal experiences....i bothered to finish Shenmue, where as I think I only got about halfway through the second. I am not sure if its because Shenmue 1 was actually superior, or because the whole "Shenmue" novelty had worn off (think the sequel does have some improvements, technical and in terms of depth) by that point. Fascinating series though, and still somewhat looking forward to playing through them at some point again after the final installment lands.

I downloaded the OG Xbox version of Shenmue 2 fairly recently, as I think it might be more palatable than the Dreamcast version, in terms of graphics, framerate but more crucially load times (definitely felt quicker). Plus its installed on the HDD, so should be even quicker than off a DVD in theory.

[paranoid marvin]

Galaga was a sequel! Galaxian is the original!

I would say Robocop, Outrun, Double Dragon, Tetris and Lemmings.

I think yes to all of these.

Yes to all, aside from Outrun.

If it weren't for this forum, I'd probably have never have tried (and bought) Outrun 2 and Coast to Coast. Its vastly superior to the original Outrun in almost every way, and I happen to really still like the original (the 3DS M2 port is spectacular!). I can't stress how good Outrun 2 is, and one of the greatest sequels ever made.

Totally agree. I still cannot understand why people prefer Outrun to the sequel (esp the even more superior SP). You now get a choice of cars and colours(with varying performance), a wider selection of soundtracks (although none match the original 3) and several game modes (Heart Attack mode is a great idea), as well as being able to compete against several human opponents.

But far more than this, the gameplay is so much better. It's only after playing the sequel that you realise how much was wrong with the original. The sudden and unexpected severe curves, the number of roadside objects, the aggressiveness of CPU drivers meant that you couldn't confidently put your pedal to the metal and enjoy the ride - it also meant you had tlo memorise all the tracks. Also the tight time limits meaning one crash pretty much ensured you couldn't win wasn't much fun.

The sequel is much more forgiving and makes you feel you're more in control. More importantly it lets you krep your foot down for about 80% of the time, with judicious use of powerslides meaning that you never lose that rush of speed. Also those jarring crashes from the original that brought you to an instant stop - whilst still there - are much less frequent and usually require a major censored up on your part rather than two CPU vehicles ganging up on you or a lorry appearing on a curve.

Another thing is the beauty of the tracks. Whilst the original was (and still is) lush with some beautiful backgrounds, the sequel takes it up to 11 with it's tracks. Some amazing scenery, ťhe Milky Way level being a thing of absolute beauty. There are also some real nice touches like the dragon flying overhead etc and decent end-game sequences.

[RichPT]

Dynamite Dan (Spectrum) Sequel was ok but not as fun with all the random enemies.

Crazy Taxi (Dreamcast). Better than the sequels and it's even better than the remaster I have on my 360 (it's not the same game without KFC and Tower Records...)

Vigilante 8 on Playstation with dual analogue stick control never bettered by sequels or the other formats.

Perfect Dark N64 Obviously

Strider (Arcade) Obviously!!

Agree with Renegade on Spectrum. Love that game. Although the arcade version was the real original....

Disagree with the guy who said Xenon. I thought the sequel was a massive improvement.

As for the Outrun debate. I struggle to say which is best. The only thing that lets the original down for me is the inconsistency between courses. Some are amazing while others seem a little empty and bland. Having said that, the road routine on the original is astonishing for the time. I can't think of a game that bettered it. You could say though that the original was bettered by the Saturn version - simply because it runs at twice the frame rate and has extra music tracks to choose from.

[ncf1]

As for the Outrun debate. I struggle to say which is best. The only thing that lets the original down for me is the inconsistency between courses. Some are amazing while others seem a little empty and bland. Having said that, the road routine on the original is astonishing for the time. I can't think of a game that bettered it. You could say though that the original was bettered by the Saturn version - simply because it runs at twice the frame rate and has extra music tracks to choose from.

Outrun was an interesting one for me, when I played Outrun 2006 I thought woah, this smashes the original, looks and feels so much better, and in my little perfectionist mind I slotted it in to the "best Outrun" section of my mind, only to completely turn on my heels some years later when I "rediscovered" the original Outrun and found that I suddenly loved it above any other sequels. There is just something about that original version that isnt to be found in any other racer, and Outrun 2006 to me became stale after a bit, whereas the original simply never did and I found myself coming back to it time and time again. It just has a certain look and feel about it that I cant quite put my finger on.

[SJ_Sathanas]

The only Outrun I really played prior to Coast 2 Coast was BattleOutrun on the Mastersystem. I wasn't a massive fan back then but I did finish the game on a few occasions.

I think the original Burnout wasn't bettered simply because the series moved away from the pure racer to "vehicular combat".

[paranoid marvin]

Outrun - for those like me who saw it in the arcade when it first came out- was a revelation. The graphics were amazing, the sound like nothing we'd heard before. It was £1 per go in a hydraulic cab. May not sound like a big deal now , but back then top games were 20p a go and 'classics' 10p, so you were talking 5 games of Paperboy, Gauntlet, Commando or Rampage or 10 games of stuff like Pacman, Phoenix, Space Invaders; in other words it was a MAJOR investment. But it was worth it. Those few minutes spent in the hydraulic cab with a force-back wheel and Majical Sound Shower playing were memorable; memorable enough to leave us 30 years later with rose-tinted specs.

It's a bit like having played on a VCS all your life and suddenly being shown a PS2 game. The only game to compare it with was Pole Position, and that was an ageing racer well past it's sell-by date; yet it (and it's sequel) were still the best racers out there. Outrun changed all that; suddenly there was a racer with amazing graphics and sound that made you feel like you were in the heart of the action- with it's huge cab, amazing graphics and awesome sound it dominated the arcade. And arcade racers were never the same again.

[ncf1]

good points paranoid marvin. It was a major jump forwards, the cab, the music, it just got everything *so* right. Now that you mention it, I cant remember the last time I played either Pole Position.. might actually give them a go!

[Antiriad2097]

I'll swear Afterburner, Outrun and Space Harrier were only 50p a go in my local arcade. 10p for the really old games, 20p for the new stuff in standard cabs, then the big moving cabs were 50p. £1 would give you 3 credits on the big games.

[The Laird]

I'll swear Afterburner, Outrun and Space Harrier were only 50p a go in my local arcade. 10p for the really old games, 20p for the new stuff in standard cabs, then the big moving cabs were 50p. £1 would give you 3 credits on the big games.

Yep, that's what it was round my way too.

[paranoid marvin]

I'll swear Afterburner, Outrun and Space Harrier were only 50p a go in my local arcade. 10p for the really old games, 20p for the new stuff in standard cabs, then the big moving cabs were 50p. £1 would give you 3 credits on the big games.

Yep, that's what it was round my way too.

Remember Dragons Lair being the only stand-up cab I can remember that waa as much as 50p. Could swear hydraulic Outrun was a quid in Blackpool to start off with. Can't remember Space Harrier and Afterburner prices, but I DO remember R360 (which required an attendant to make sure you were strapped in) costing 2 quid. Remember flying upside down for almost the whole time I was playing. Never been a cab quite like that one!

[icemann]

Barbarian
Double Dragon
Dungeon Maker
inFamous
Overlord
Phantasy Star
The Last Ninja

[paranoid marvin]

Dungeon Master. Chaos Strikes Back was more of the same, but stupidly hard and didn't have the 'feel' of the original; and the less said about other sequels the better. The first one felt so right, with brilliant atmosphere, and superb use of the torch/food/spells system, meaning that you were constantly in peril one way or another

[davyK]

Tetris

What are we considering to be the original Tetris? The first Gameboy version perhaps perfected it, but that isn't the original.

The original Tetris would be the text-only version for the Elektronika 60, a Russian clone of the PDP-11.

In terms of the gameplay though, the Gameboy version is pretty much identical so I'd think that it just about counts at least if you'll overlook the 2-player mode.

GB Tetris is still a great game but it's hard to go back to older Tetris games once you have played the modern games regularly. Tetris has had some subtle changes over the years that have improved it and you only really notice it when you go back.

Wall kicks, hard drops, preview queues, lock delays, bag randomisers, hold piece etc. have made it a more skillful game and the control is more responsive now too.

[Ronz]

I would say Robocop, Outrun, Double Dragon, Tetris and Lemmings.

Outrun is definitely better than Turbo or Outrunners, and the 8/16 bit console/handheld variants....but Outrun 2 is just in a league of its own in the series (even though i still enjoy and love the original). Outrun 2/Coast to Coast 2006 on Xbox, PSP and PS2 are immense, and I can't believe I only discovered them years after their initial release!

Yep, Coast to Coast is easily a better game than the original OutRun, although this is not the first time I have seen someone claim this isn't true. The original was unfair and unpleasant at times to play, with opposition cars ganging up on you, sudden and sharp bends you couldn't avoid and a tight gameclock that only allowed (at best) for one crash. The only way to succeed was with copious use of the brake/gear stick, which is simply not as fun as keeping your pedal to the metal. But back in the day the graphics, the sound, the rolling scenery and the choice of routes left such a lasting impression that any detriments could be forgiven ; and the memories are still strong enough to leave people with the belief that it couldn't be bettered.

And it was only Outrun 2 (and more specifically SP) that proved just how much there was that didn't work, and just how much fun OutRun could be. Now we had the same car - but also lots of alternatives which significantly affected the game play. We had the same original excellent tunes - but now a few extras for anyone who fancied it. We had graphics that were just as good as the original, but now with impressive weather effects. But most importantly we had massive improvements in gameplay. OutRun 2 had wider tracks with more forgiving curves that we could slide round without reducing speed, less (and more varied) traffic meaning that we could weave around it again without slowing, less chance of crashing - and even if we did still able to complete the game. Some nice easter eggs like the dragon circling us if we did well on a level, opponent cars to try to pass and also extra modes including the most excellent 'Heart Attack' where you have to impress your GF by completing different tasks.

Don't get me wrong, back when it was released OutRun was utterly stupendous, and if it hadn't been for SP (or maybe also Ridge Racer) I would still think the game was as good as racing could get. When I first saw OutRun I was utterly blown away as I had seen nothing like it, and although I could never get further than about halfway through stage 3 I never lost my love for it. Until I played OutRun 2. I could still drive my red Testarossa (but I also love the black Spider) listening to Magical Sound Shower, but now I could go at full tilt round the courses , marvelling at the graphics (Cape Canaveral is a level of absolute beauty) and actually completing the game on most attempts. Then go back and play Heart Attack mode which felt like a different game with all the fun challenges

This conversation has compelled me to register and reply!
I have to disagree that Outrun 2 is a better game, I prefer the original. For me Outrun 2 is a distilled game for modern gamers that can't tolerate the difficulty of the older games.
It's fun, don't get me wrong but it never conveys the sense of being on the brink of disaster that the original could whilst on the brow of a hill with a suicidal green vw bettle veering into your lane. Then squeezing your Testarossa through a gap between this and a truck knowing that a pixel out and you will see your car flipping over and almost certainly you won't be seeing the next checkpoint!

BUT I think it's hardy relevant to compare the 2 games as they are so far out of time with each other, in fact despite the obvious name, I don't really see outrun 2 as the sequal, more a reboot, that honour goes to Turbo Outrun which sadly removes much of what made the original so good.