Early Installment Weirdness/Video Games: Difference between revisions

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* ''[[Dune]]'' is an obscure Adventure/Strategy game, ''[[Dune II|Dune 2]]'' is the [[Trope Codifier]] for the [[Real Time Strategy]] genre.
* ''[[Dune]]'' is an obscure Adventure/Strategy game, ''[[Dune II|Dune 2]]'' is the [[Trope Codifier]] for the [[Real Time Strategy]] genre.
* ''[[Super Mario Bros]]'':
* ''[[Super Mario Bros]]'':
** What we'd call "Small Mario" in later 2-D titles appears to be his normal height in [[Super Mario Bros (Video Game)|the first game]]. It's also the only game where [[Ratchet Scrolling|Mario can't move back on the levels, only forward]]. It didn't have any vertical areas either (they weren't seen until ''[[Super Mario Bros 2 (Video Game)|Super Mario Bros 2]]''). The lava also originally worked very differently: it was originally depicted as essentially [[Lava Is Boiling Kool Aid|red-tinted water]] drawn over a [[Bottomless Pit]], and Mario/Luigi would die by simply falling into it rather that either [[Death Throws|dying and being flung off the screen]] or [[Rump Roast|jumping back out and suffering very little damage.]] Last, but not least, the game featured enemies in locations in which they're normally not supposed to be in, such as Buzzy Beetles in full daylight, and Goombas and (live) Koopa Troopas in castles.
** What we'd call "Small Mario" in later 2-D titles appears to be his normal height in [[Super Mario Bros (Video Game)|the first game]]. It's also the only game where [[Ratchet Scrolling|Mario can't move back on the levels, only forward]]. It didn't have any vertical areas either (they weren't seen until ''[[Super Mario Bros 2 (Video Game)|Super Mario Bros 2]]''). The lava also originally worked very differently: it was originally depicted as essentially [[Lava Is Boiling Kool-Aid|red-tinted water]] drawn over a [[Bottomless Pit]], and Mario/Luigi would die by simply falling into it rather that either [[Death Throws|dying and being flung off the screen]] or [[Rump Roast|jumping back out and suffering very little damage.]] Last, but not least, the game featured enemies in locations in which they're normally not supposed to be in, such as Buzzy Beetles in full daylight, and Goombas and (live) Koopa Troopas in castles.
** In the original ''[[Mario Bros (Video Game)|Mario Bros]]'' arcade game, the [[Goomba Stomp]] didn't work - you had to knock the enemies on their backs before you could take them out.
** In the original ''[[Mario Bros (Video Game)|Mario Bros]]'' arcade game, the [[Goomba Stomp]] didn't work - you had to knock the enemies on their backs before you could take them out.
** In ''Wrecking Crew'' (released 3 months before ''SMB''), Mario can't jump, and he also wears a hard hat.
** In ''Wrecking Crew'' (released 3 months before ''SMB''), Mario can't jump, and he also wears a hard hat.
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* The [[Resident Evil 1|original]] ''[[Resident Evil]]'' featured live-action scenes for its opening and ending sequences, whereas every subsequent installment in the series (including the GameCube version) were entirely computer generated.
* The [[Resident Evil 1|original]] ''[[Resident Evil]]'' featured live-action scenes for its opening and ending sequences, whereas every subsequent installment in the series (including the GameCube version) were entirely computer generated.
** The first ''Resident Evil'' game also feels very basic compared to the later sequels. The original lacked an auto-aiming function (unless you were playing the [[Difficulty By Region|Japanese version]]) and the weapons came as they appeared without any chance to enhance them. The original game had [[Multiple Endings]] while the sequels only have a single ending each (except for ''[[Resident Evil 3]]'' and ''[[Resident Evil 5]]'', although the alternate scenarios in ''[[Resident Evil 2]]'' serve a similar purpose).
** The first ''Resident Evil'' game also feels very basic compared to the later sequels. The original lacked an auto-aiming function (unless you were playing the [[Difficulty By Region|Japanese version]]) and the weapons came as they appeared without any chance to enhance them. The original game had [[Multiple Endings]] while the sequels only have a single ending each (except for ''[[Resident Evil 3]]'' and ''[[Resident Evil 5]]'', although the alternate scenarios in ''[[Resident Evil 2]]'' serve a similar purpose).
* The first ''[[Diablo]]'' was markedly different from its sequel and the upcoming ''Diablo 3''. Aside from the expected differences in scope, lore, balance and gameplay features, the first game was much more survival oriented and featured several instances of ''[[Nethack]]''-style permanent character damage. Shrine effects were irreversible and not all were positive, and there was a monster that would permanently reduce your maximum life. When you died in multiplayer mode, all your gear would end up ''on the ground'' and would be lost forever if you were unable to recover it. This would be unthinkable in the sequels which revolve around [[Min Maxing]] character builds and [[Item Farming]].
* The first ''[[Diablo]]'' was markedly different from its sequel and the upcoming ''Diablo 3''. Aside from the expected differences in scope, lore, balance and gameplay features, the first game was much more survival oriented and featured several instances of ''[[Nethack]]''-style permanent character damage. Shrine effects were irreversible and not all were positive, and there was a monster that would permanently reduce your maximum life. When you died in multiplayer mode, all your gear would end up ''on the ground'' and would be lost forever if you were unable to recover it. This would be unthinkable in the sequels which revolve around [[Min-Maxing]] character builds and [[Item Farming]].
* In the very first ''[[Street Fighter (Video Game)|Street Fighter]]'' released in 1987, [[Ryu and Ken]] are the only playable characters (with Ryu wearing red slippers for some reason); their special moves, quite [[Game Breaker|overpowered]] in this game, are almost impossible to pull off consistently; other techniques such as combos, dizzies, and grappling moves are all non-existent; and every opponent has the same winning and losing quote (all spoken with the same crudely digitized voice clip). The game did feature the same six-button configuration used by ''[[Street Fighter II (Video Game)|Street Fighter II]]'' and its sequels, but it was actually added to the game as an afterthought, created as a cheaper alternative to arcade operators who couldn't afford the original cabinet which used two hydraulic punching pads that determined the strength of the player's punches and kicks based on hard they were pushed down. Additionally, Ryu and Ken's special move yells were dubbed for the overseas versions of the game, resulting in them yelling "Psycho Fire" and "Dragon Punch" instead of "Hadoken" and "Shoryuken".
* In the very first ''[[Street Fighter (Video Game)|Street Fighter]]'' released in 1987, [[Ryu and Ken]] are the only playable characters (with Ryu wearing red slippers for some reason); their special moves, quite [[Game Breaker|overpowered]] in this game, are almost impossible to pull off consistently; other techniques such as combos, dizzies, and grappling moves are all non-existent; and every opponent has the same winning and losing quote (all spoken with the same crudely digitized voice clip). The game did feature the same six-button configuration used by ''[[Street Fighter II (Video Game)|Street Fighter II]]'' and its sequels, but it was actually added to the game as an afterthought, created as a cheaper alternative to arcade operators who couldn't afford the original cabinet which used two hydraulic punching pads that determined the strength of the player's punches and kicks based on hard they were pushed down. Additionally, Ryu and Ken's special move yells were dubbed for the overseas versions of the game, resulting in them yelling "Psycho Fire" and "Dragon Punch" instead of "Hadoken" and "Shoryuken".
* The first game of the [[Nancy Drew (Video Game)|Nancy Drew]] series, ''Secrets Can Kill'', bears almost no resemblance to the later installments. Its characters are hand-drawn cartoons, dialogue exchanges are rudimentary and not always in-character, and plot-essential clues crop up on bulletin boards for no reason. Plus, the fact that Nancy's investigating a cold-blooded murder {{spoiler|and has to point a handgun at someone to win}} pushes its storyline into [[What Do You Mean It's Not for Kids?]] territory by comparison with subsequent games.
* The first game of the [[Nancy Drew (Video Game)|Nancy Drew]] series, ''Secrets Can Kill'', bears almost no resemblance to the later installments. Its characters are hand-drawn cartoons, dialogue exchanges are rudimentary and not always in-character, and plot-essential clues crop up on bulletin boards for no reason. Plus, the fact that Nancy's investigating a cold-blooded murder {{spoiler|and has to point a handgun at someone to win}} pushes its storyline into [[What Do You Mean It's Not for Kids?]] territory by comparison with subsequent games.
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* ''[[DJMAX]] Online'' (which [[Sequel Displacement|most newer fans don't know about]]): No Fever, hold notes only raise your combo by 1, equipment is very expensive, and currency earned per song is very little.
* ''[[DJMAX]] Online'' (which [[Sequel Displacement|most newer fans don't know about]]): No Fever, hold notes only raise your combo by 1, equipment is very expensive, and currency earned per song is very little.
* There is an obscure Japanese [[PS 1]] game called [http://www.konami.co.jp/press/1998/r.10.12.1.html "Dance! Dance! Dance!"]. If this reminds you of the DDR series, probably in name only, since the game is very much a JRPG, except that for some reason, you find people and you do dance battles with them, one on one. Each character has their own dance style (from Samba to Tap Dance to Hip-hop to Flamenco, etc), and you are supposed to memorize what each button does and what each button chains to, on which beat of the song. Only in "Trace" mode does the computer tell you which button to press next (and even then, it makes mistakes). Compare to the now more familiar DDR format of dispensing almost entirely with characters and using D-pad arrows (or buttons, if you're playing DDR-derivatives).
* There is an obscure Japanese [[PS 1]] game called [http://www.konami.co.jp/press/1998/r.10.12.1.html "Dance! Dance! Dance!"]. If this reminds you of the DDR series, probably in name only, since the game is very much a JRPG, except that for some reason, you find people and you do dance battles with them, one on one. Each character has their own dance style (from Samba to Tap Dance to Hip-hop to Flamenco, etc), and you are supposed to memorize what each button does and what each button chains to, on which beat of the song. Only in "Trace" mode does the computer tell you which button to press next (and even then, it makes mistakes). Compare to the now more familiar DDR format of dispensing almost entirely with characters and using D-pad arrows (or buttons, if you're playing DDR-derivatives).
* The original ''[[Guild Wars]] Prophecies'' is almost unrecognizable from what later releases would make it. There was none of the dry, [[Shout Out]] heavy humor that would later become a trademark, most of the game was designed for players below max level (reaching max level less then a quarter of the way through the game would later become a selling-point), and you got an over-all feeling that everything except [[Pv P]] was a lead-up to [[Pv P]]. [[Unpleasable Fanbase|depending on who you ask]] [[Jump the Shark|this was either the best]] [[Growing the Beard|or worst]] part of the game's life.
* The original ''[[Guild Wars]] Prophecies'' is almost unrecognizable from what later releases would make it. There was none of the dry, [[Shout-Out]] heavy humor that would later become a trademark, most of the game was designed for players below max level (reaching max level less then a quarter of the way through the game would later become a selling-point), and you got an over-all feeling that everything except [[PvP]] was a lead-up to [[PvP]]. [[Unpleasable Fanbase|depending on who you ask]] [[Jump the Shark|this was either the best]] [[Growing the Beard|or worst]] part of the game's life.
** It's worth noting that the the original [[Player Versus Environment|PvE]] actually WAS a prelude to [[Pv P]]. The focus changed somewhere between the second and third game.
** It's worth noting that the the original [[Player Versus Environment|PvE]] actually WAS a prelude to [[PvP]]. The focus changed somewhere between the second and third game.
* The [[Fire Emblem Akaneia|first]] ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' games had odd quirks, such as Weapon Rank being a regular stat that went up with levels (Instead of depending of weapon usage), healers gaining no experience from healing and instead from ''getting hit'' (It's as counter-productive as it sounds, but abusable), magic and resistance (Magic defend) not going up with levels (So magic did fixed damage, pretty much), and many well-known trademarks of the series such as the Weapon Triangle or Suppport System hadn't been included by then. Oh, and classes' names were in Japanese instead of [[Gratuitous English]]. The [[Updated Rerelease]] for the DS modernized most of those things, but without changing the core game, [[Your Mileage May Vary|which for some felt awkward]].
* The [[Fire Emblem Akaneia|first]] ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' games had odd quirks, such as Weapon Rank being a regular stat that went up with levels (Instead of depending of weapon usage), healers gaining no experience from healing and instead from ''getting hit'' (It's as counter-productive as it sounds, but abusable), magic and resistance (Magic defend) not going up with levels (So magic did fixed damage, pretty much), and many well-known trademarks of the series such as the Weapon Triangle or Suppport System hadn't been included by then. Oh, and classes' names were in Japanese instead of [[Gratuitous English]]. The [[Updated Rerelease]] for the DS modernized most of those things, but without changing the core game, [[Your Mileage May Vary|which for some felt awkward]].
** The [[Fire Emblem Jugdral|fifth game]] also introduced a bunch of new game mechanics. A few of them, such as [[Fog of War]] and the ability to rescue allied units, became staples of the series. The majority of them, however, were never seen again. This included fatigue meters, movement stars that randomly allowed units to get a [[Extra Turn|second action in a turn]], capturing enemies, and movement rate and build having growth rates just like all of the other stats. (Mounted units being forced to dismount while indoors, while introduced in the third game, was also never seen again after this game.)
** The [[Fire Emblem Jugdral|fifth game]] also introduced a bunch of new game mechanics. A few of them, such as [[Fog of War]] and the ability to rescue allied units, became staples of the series. The majority of them, however, were never seen again. This included fatigue meters, movement stars that randomly allowed units to get a [[Extra Turn|second action in a turn]], capturing enemies, and movement rate and build having growth rates just like all of the other stats. (Mounted units being forced to dismount while indoors, while introduced in the third game, was also never seen again after this game.)
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** The first two games had only a single player character, customizable to some degree; the third game included a party of up to four, all intimately customizable; every game after that allows only small adjustments to the main character (the Avatar) during character creation.
** The first two games had only a single player character, customizable to some degree; the third game included a party of up to four, all intimately customizable; every game after that allows only small adjustments to the main character (the Avatar) during character creation.
** The first three games include fantastic races as playable characters and friendly NPCs; from the fourth game onward, no non-human good characters can be found save the occasional monstrous defector in a town or castle. [[Inferred Holocaust|What happened to them during the unification of Britannia?]]
** The first three games include fantastic races as playable characters and friendly NPCs; from the fourth game onward, no non-human good characters can be found save the occasional monstrous defector in a town or castle. [[Inferred Holocaust|What happened to them during the unification of Britannia?]]
** The first two games include space exploration and [[Schizo Tech]]. Both also involve [[Time Travel]], although in the first game {{spoiler|it's just to get to the end boss}}, where in the second it's a necessary mechanic.
** The first two games include space exploration and [[Schizo-Tech]]. Both also involve [[Time Travel]], although in the first game {{spoiler|it's just to get to the end boss}}, where in the second it's a necessary mechanic.
** The first game hasn't got magical, mysteriously appearing and disappearing long-distance travel gates; the second has "time gates" which show up at specific places ever X number of steps to travel between different time zones; from the third on these became the Moongates.
** The first game hasn't got magical, mysteriously appearing and disappearing long-distance travel gates; the second has "time gates" which show up at specific places ever X number of steps to travel between different time zones; from the third on these became the Moongates.
** [[Ultima I]] also includes quests to defeat specific monsters found only in the dungeon in order to obtain benefits from various kings.
** [[Ultima I]] also includes quests to defeat specific monsters found only in the dungeon in order to obtain benefits from various kings.
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