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{{trope}}
{{quote|(talking about ''Superbabies: [[Baby Geniuses]] 2'') "Y'know, I want to write and direct the third installment of this franchise, and make it the best thing anyone has ever seen, just so I can force critics to say "My god, you have to see ''Baby Geniuses 3''!"
|Ash, The Shitty Movie Night Podcast}}
So you've read a book, watched a movie, or played a video game, and you're underwhelmed. Maybe the story was cliched and unoriginal, or it was difficult to follow. The characters lacked depth, and were little more than flat characters with a handful of personality traits and nothing more. If it was a video game, the gameplay maybe had some good ideas but they were handled poorly and the effort was wasted.
In actual fact, the book, film, or game may even have been pretty good in itself, it doesn't have to be bad, it's just that after reading it you try out the [[Sequel]] and you're completely blown away. It's much better. The story is more original, the pacing was fixed, the characters who seemed so flat before are now more fleshed out and interesting in their own right. If it's a video game, the gameplay has been much improved and everything comes together more tightly. All in all, you weren't expecting the next product to be this good, but it seems the creator(s) did indeed learn from their mistakes. You're rightly impressed.
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See also [[More Popular Spinoff]], [[Sequel Displacement]].
{{examples}}
== Anime ==
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' (Toei series) was based on the manga, which is weird considered the series has suffered [[Adaptation Displacement]] from the second series onward. ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters'' is markedly better both in storyline plotting and production values, and while the voice acting is debatable (the first one had a lot of seiyuu greats), most of the casting choices are better fits.
* ''[[Vampire Hunter D]]: Bloodlust''
* Apparently, ''[[Stratos 4]]'' falls under this trope, what with ''Advance'' having a better, more sensible plot that the [[Mind Screw|original]].
* ''[[MD Geist]]'' was a mediocre OVA from [[The Eighties]] given popularity in North America due to a widespread advertisement campaign by those who licensed it. This popularity managed to sway the director of the OVA to make a sequel after ten years; those ten years of experience are very evident.
* ''[[Birdy the Mighty]]: Decode'' is widely regarded as a vast improvement over the original four-episode OVA.
== Film ==
* ''[[Star Trek: The
** The general pattern is summed up by the phrase "[[Spaced|Even-numbered ''Trek'' films don't suck]]", as ''[[Star Trek IV:
*** More specifically, the films tend to alternate upward and downward trends in quality. Just look at the [http://i.imgur.com/fBoQy.png IMDB scores]. (Until ''Nemesis'', which only barely beats ''Insurrection'' and is far worse than the 2009 reboot.)
*** Also, ''III'' has more fans than the "even-numbered rule" would let on, and ''IV'' has more detractors.
** The reboot started by ''Star Trek'' also had a case in ''[[Star Trek Beyond]]'', that after the very divisive ''[[Star Trek Into Darkness]]'' had a warmer reception for a more original story and an attempt to recover the spirit of the show.
* Many ''[[
* [[Rob Zombie
** ''The Devil's Rejects'' is actually considered by horror aficionados to be one of the best horror films of [[Turn of the Millennium|the 2000s]]. Zombie's directorial turnaround was so sharp that he not only garnered a cult following but likely allowed him to make more horror films (like the "Halloween" remakes).
* ''[[Scary Movie]] 3'' was generally considered a great improvement on ''2'', with the [[Gross-Out Show|gross-out humor]] being replaced by more straightforward humor reminiscent of ''Airplane!'' and ''[[
** Interesting mention of those movies, considering that [[Leslie Nielsen]], most famous for them, is also in ''Scary Movie 3''.
* ''[[The Pink Panther]]'' is widely regarded as a slightly above average '60s caper film, elevated by the presence of Capucine, [[David Niven]], and [[Peter Sellers]] in the (supporting) role of Chief Inspector Clouseau. Its sequel, ''A Shot in the Dark'', performs a bit of a genre shift (it's a [[Dolled-Up Installment]] that shifts the focus to Clouseau), and is widely regarded as one of the best comedies of that particular decade. It also introduced characters and elements that became series staples: manservant Cato and his karate attacks, former Chief Inspector Dreyfus and his being driven to madness by Clouseau, etc.
* The original ''[[Dungeons
* There is this German teen comedy called ''Knallharte Jungs'' (''More Ants in the Pants'' in the English dub) about a boy whose penis can talk. It was actually brilliant and hilariously funny. Now, this movie was actually a sequel to another movie called ''Harte Jungs'' (''Ants in the Pants'' in the English release) And my god, was that one lame!
* Although not as well-regarded as the original trilogy, critics generally gave much better reviews to ''[[Star Wars]] Episode III: [[Revenge of the Sith]]'' when it was released in comparison to the first two prequels. And once the series was revived for a sequel trilogy, ''[[The Force Awakens]]'' got a better reception than the prequels.
* ''[[Saw|Saw VI]]'' was regarded by fans and critics alike as a huge improvement over the two previous sequels and generally regarded as a worthy successor to the original trilogy. ''Saw X'' is also hailed as one of the franchise's best, even getting the series' first Fresh on [[Rotten Tomatoes]], due to a streamlined plot and better written characters.
* ''[[Transformers
* ''Bloody Murder 2: Closing Camp'' was seen as a vast improvement over the original, not that that's very surprising, since the original was godawful.
* The third and especially fourth ''[[Final Destination]]'' films are considered a [[Dork Age]] for the franchise... a [[Dork Age]] that many critics deem to have ended with the fifth film, which has been called the best since the original.
* The ''Boogeyman'' sequels are generally viewed as a step up from the entirely mediocre original.
* Every ill-received [[James Bond]] has a better follow-up (many times involving [[The Other Darrin|an actor change]]).
* While the first two ''[[Puppet Master]]'' movies are fairly decent horror flicks, the third one, which actually goes into Andre Toulon's back story, is considered a classic.
* Amid the bad movies that were released in the ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' franchise, ''A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'' is actually considered to be a decent movie.
* [[Sequel Gap|30 years]] after ''[[Mad Max]] Beyond Thunderdome'' was deemed the series' low point, ''Fury Road'' harkened back to ''[[The Road Warrior]]'' and was quickly deemed to be one of the best action movies of the 2010s.
* Even if ''[[Terminator (franchise)|Terminator]]: Dark Fate'' was not universally well-received, it was widely deemed an improved over ''Salvation'' and ''Genisys''.
* ''[[Top Gun]]'' had much [[Critical Dissonance]], as reviewers never thought the drama scenes were as engaging as the dogfights. ''[[Top Gun: Maverick]]'' managed to also be a critical darling that weaved in compelling characters with impressive aerial sequences, and even got nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
== Literature ==
* An older literary example, is that [[
* The First two books of ''[[The Dresden Files]]'', Storm Front and Fool Moon, are considered to be okay, if nothing special. Book 3 onwards, when the main plot kicks in, is far better.
* [[
** The Rod Allbright books follow the same pattern.
* R.A. Salvatore's ''The Crystal Shard'' reads, especially in its first hundred pages, like it was written by a sixteen-year-old who'd just read ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. His later novels are a marked improvement in comparison.
** A sixteen-year-old who just ''loves'' brainwashed sluts. [[Sarcasm Mode|Though who doesn't?]]
* ''[[Inheritance Cycle|Eragon]]'' is ''[[A New Hope]]'' [[Recycled in Space|not in space]]. ''Eldest'' and ''Brisingr'' have started getting a little bit more original.
* The first ''[[Shannara]]'' book was largely a ripoff of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. The later books found more solid footing. Brooks has stated that ''Elfstones'' (the second book) needed a lot of editorial work, but it's his favourite as a result.
* The first ''[[The Culture|Culture]]'' novel, ''Consider Phlebas'', is a passable science fiction novel. The next, ''The Player of Games'', is the first in which the whole impact of what the Culture is like can be felt, and is usually the one recommended to read first.
** The key problem being that in ''Consider Phlebas'', the Culture are the antagonists, with the [[Anti-Hero|hero]] of the story being an enemy soldier, more or less, who is obviously none too fond of them. The criticisms he raises of [[Iain Banks]] society are a lot easier to understand and ponder on when you actually know more about just what the Culture ''is''.
* Arguably, [[Dan Brown]]'s ''[[The Lost Symbol]]'', sequel to ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' -- he breaks away from a lot of the cliches that had bogged down his earlier books (the formulaic opening sentence, the first good guy mentioned dying, a [[Token Romance]]) -- and spins a thriller that ends up not postulating a likely incorrect view of history, but one that hinges on the idea that wisdom lives inside us.
== Live-Action TV ==
* [[Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)|The original ''
* ''[[
== Music ==
* Tends to be extremely common with a lot of bands, and quite often the first album most bands actually make are never released by the label that signs them or is cannibalized to make their first official album.
* [[
* [[Radiohead]] got a significantly more sophisticated sound with ''The Bends'', than they had in their debut.
** Similarly, Van Morrison,
* [[
* [[
* [[
* After the release of their first album, [[Talk Talk]] was dismissed as a cheap [[Duran Duran]] knock-off band. With each successive album, however, their sound matured and they ventured into more experimental territory, eventually dropping the New Wave genre completely and becoming an influential [[Post
* Tchaikovsky only wrote three symphonies. They are numbered 4, 5, and 6. (For those who aren't classical music aficionados, his first three symphonies aren't nearly as good as the last three, and are almost never performed.)
* [[Pantera]] made albums prior to ''Cowboys From Hell''. [[Old Shame|Very, very bad albums.]]
* [[Nirvana]]'s ''Nevermind''. The band's first album ''Bleach'' is a muddy sounding and sporadically brilliant album (compare "Blew", "Negative Creep" and "About a Girl" with the less distinguished songs like "Big Cheese", "Swap Meet" and "Downer"). Few people at the time saw any reason why Nirvana were any more promising than other Seattle bands like Mudhoney, TAD, and Mother Love Bone.
** Ditto with [[
* Imagine if, tomorrow, [[
* The first two albums by [[Faith No More]], when it was in its original Chuck Mosely-headed incarnation, were uninspiring, if not utter crap. Then Mike Patton replaced Mosely and, starting with ''[[Crowning Music of Awesome|The Real Thing]]'', the band became one of the all-time greats.
* [[Kelly Clarkson]]'s first album ''Thankful'', made just off of her winning ''[[American Idol]]'', was a modest hit. Its success was credited to the popularity to the show more than to her. Her second album ''Breakaway'', featuring such hits as "Behind These Hazel Eyes", "Walk Away", "Since U Been Gone" and the title track, was ''huge'' and established her firmly as a pop star.
* [[
* The Slits. Though their early work was never ''officially'' released, an appearance in ''[[The Punk Rock Movie]]'', various high profile gigs supporting [[The Clash]] and [[The Sex Pistols]], and a Peel Session (which is more than many of their peers ever got around to doing) firmly established them as a shambolic but enthusiastic Punk band, most notable for being one of the very few all women line ups of the time. When they eventually recorded an ''official'' first album, 1979's Cut, they'd learned how to play their instruments and veered wildly off into Dub and Funk territories. It was a landmark release in Post-Punk history, but was such a radical shift in style and playing ability it prompted accusations of hiring session musicians and never actually playing on the record.
* Similar to the [[Radiohead]] and [[Van Morrison]] examples, [[Jethro Tull]] and [[Rush]] have parallel origins: Their first albums, ''This Was'' and ''Rush'' respectively, were basically just rip-offs of [[Cream]] and [[Led Zeppelin]], again, respectively, then their second albums, ''Stand Up'' and ''Fly By Night'' were considered improvements, their third albums ''Benefit'' and ''Caress of Steel'' received mixed reviews (though more so in the latter case), and their fourth albums, ''Aqualung'' and ''2112'' are considered their breakouts, establishing them as legends of [[Progressive Rock]].
* It's generally accepted that [[Blur]]'s debut ''Leisure'' has its moments, but is overall a rather patchy late-"baggy" era album. Without the benefit of hindsight, there's nothing to indicate that three years later they'd be one of Britain's biggest bands of the mid-90s with the iconic Britpop release ''Parklife''. (The change in direction- and improvement- started with ''Modern Life is Rubbish'', but that wasn't a major success on its first release).
== Tabletop Games ==
* Most of Matt Ward's 5th edition codexes are rather... divisive among
== Video Games ==
* The original ''[[Street Fighter (
* Due to the ''[[
** The ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' prequel ''[[Crisis Core]]'', while repetitive, was considered a step above ''[[Dirge of Cerberus]]''. [[Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children]] got a far superior extended cut called ''Advent Children Complete.''
* The first ''[[Time Splitters]]'' was an average, plotless, mildly quirky fetch-quest game. The series really took off to its cult status at the second installment; a [[Rule of Fun|fun]], [[Rule of Cool|badass]], and most importantly ''[[Rule of Funny|HILARIOUS]]'' [[Spiritual Sequel]] ''and'' [[Affectionate Parody]] of the behemoth that was ''[[
**
* It certainly happens in ''[[Dungeon Siege]]''. In the first game, the characters you could hire for your party were a bunch of one-dimensional mercenaries that came out of nowhere. In ''Dungeon Siege II'', the characters were given their own personalities, conversations
* ''[[Zone of the Enders]]'' sold well [[Just Here for Godzilla|mostly because]] it came with a demo for ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]''. The game itself was decent enough but suffered from repetitive battles, criminal shortness and [[Wangst|whiny]] and cliched characters, leading to a somewhat mixed reaction. As such, many people who liked the original concept were happy to see the sequel tighten up the controls, give you twice as many options in battle and include a long and interesting plot to follow. They were even more surprised to see whiny and annoying characters in the first game return in style, having [[Took a Level
* ''[[Bloody Roar]]'' was an obscure, poorly-balanced mess of a game, with overly simple but awkward controls, poor AI, and a wannabe [[SNK Boss]], thus the only appeal of the game was its relative simplicity and novelty, and possible pandering to furries ([[Stripperific|or Alice]]). ''Bloody Roar 2'', however, was an elegant masterpiece, fixing the system into something much less cumbersome and very easy to play, yet empathizing mind games and strategies, and allowing the player (or
* ''[[Dynasty Warriors]]'' 1 and 2 were bashed by reviews and many gamers alike, but from the 3rd game
** As a note, ''Dynasty Warriors 1'' is not part of the same series, which is why the Japanese series numbers are one less than the NA series numbers.
** The crossover series ''[[Warriors Orochi]]'' had a surprisingly improved third game. While it stays true to the ''Warriors'' formula of "kill as many bad guys as possible", it also added a level editor, cooperative and online play, a single overarching story arc in place of the usual faction-based approach, and a [[Loads and Loads of Characters|ginormous cast of characters]] from the series' history.<ref>
* Similarly, ''[[Soul Calibur]]'' was quite an improvement on ''Soul Blade/Soul Edge'' (most people think the series began with ''Soul Calibur'').
* Several [[Dating Sim]] series (such as ''X-Change'') start with a [[Porn Without Plot]] game with shallow characters that exist almost solely for the main character to have sex with and little interaction with the player (who's assumed to be too busy interacting with themselves) beyond them clicking to the next scene. Then a sequel adds things like actual plot, characters, branching stories, and the sorts of things that separate porn from a story that happens to involve sex. They also often get improved budgets allowing things like better art, more CG pics for scenes, and voice acting. In fact, ever so often a series gets so improved, they'll make a ''non''-hentai version, which have a habit of [[Adaptation Displacement|completely overshadowing the original]].
** ''[[Muv
* While the original ''[[
* Speaking of ''[[Phantasy Star]]''; the original was considered incredible for its time, and ''[[Phantasy Star II]]'' had an involved plot and interesting characters, but not nearly enough dialogue, an [[Blind Idiot Translation|awkward translation]], and a variety of weird events and sidequests that had no real bearing on the story, and ''[[Phantasy Star III]]: Generations of Doom'' [[Oddball in
* ''[[Hitman]]: Codename 47'' featured a good concept but had very twitchy AI, a buggy disguise system, and no ability to save during missions. ''Hitman: Silent Assassin'' added the ability to save as well making improvements on the shortfalls of the original, as did each installment afterwards. ''Contracts'' also added better non-lethal takedown methods and ''Blood Money'' added the ability to use the environment to make your kills look like accidents.
** Also, ''Contracts'' was mostly a remake of ''Codename 47'' with gameplay and level-design improvements, justified through unreliable memories of the player character {{spoiler|as his life is flashing before his eyes during a near death experience.}} Because of this (and because the first game was PC-only while the others had console ports) the "Hitman Trilogy" re-release only features the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th games.
* The original ''[[Summoner]]'' was a fairly dull RPG, albeit one with some good moments. The second was far better, having a significantly better combat system, voice actors who sounded like they cared, and a badass female protagonist who could shapeshift into monsters.
* While the earlier ''[[
* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' did not have a pleasant entry to the world of 3D PS2 gaming. ''Journey to Jaburo'' was aimed fully at the fanboys with loads of FMV and well-done audio, but horrible in-game graphics and controls combined with lackluster melee combat ruined the game even for many fans of the series, and worried fans were concerned that the series would be abandoned or left as schlock. ''Federation vs Zeon'' managed to make a surprisingly good VirtualOn knockoff with a worthwhile campaign mode and decent replay value. ''Zeonic Front'' actually made an enjoyable squad-based tactics game with actually memorable original characters and strategy, and ''Encounters in Space'' was likewise playable even for those that weren't already into the series.
** Speaking of, there's also the ''[[Gundam vs. Series]]'', which went through [[Sequelitis]] (''AEUG vs Titans'' and ''Gundam vs Zeta Gundam'', which were little more than ''Fed vs Zeon'' with new machines) before swinging back around into this trope's territory with the ''Alliance vs ZAFT'' games (which refined the game engine by speeding things up, making melee more viable, and adding in new tricks like boost dashing and shield defense) and the ''Gundam vs Gundam'' games (which continued the refinements while bringing in mecha from the Gundam franchise's 30-year history rather than focusing on just a single show at a time).
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* The first ''[[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon]]'' game was a so-so spinoff with some occasional bright spots. Its sequel, ''Explorers of Time and Darkness'' streamlines a few things, adds Wi-fi compatibility, {{spoiler|adds much better plot twists}}, and generally has a grander and more entertaining plotline with genuine emotion.
** The same can be said of the ''[[Pokémon Ranger]]'' games. The first game was different, and it was neat to play as something other than a trainer, but many gameplay elements were hard (must not slip off edge of disgustingly slimy floor!) to nearly impossible (hold still, Pokémon, so I can draw twenty loops around you without lifting my stylus!). The second game, ''Shadows of Almia'', had a better and longer plot, let you explore your world more, made it so you didn't have to draw twenty loops in one go, and actually had adults that were worth something besides giving you your initial equipment. Much more fun. The third game was arguably even ''better'', taking all that good stuff and expanding it.
* The first two ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' games were mild successes that garnered mixed reviews due to somewhat dodgy gameplay and older style graphics. The only real reason why they attracted much attention was because of [[No Such Thing
* [[Rockstar Games]] as a whole are very good at this. ''[[Red Dead Revolver]]'' was a regular game at best. ''[[Red Dead Redemption]]'' is basically ''Revolver'' plus the ''GTA'' formula, with next generation graphics and a much richer plot.
* ''[[Metal Gear Acid|Metal Gear AC!D]]'' was ambitious, but very unrefined, with potentially broken gameplay. ''AC!D 2'' sharpened the graphics, tidied up the engine, and added a lot of depth and spontaneity to the gameplay. Also, the story made sense this time around.
** ''AC!D 2'' also played to the fans of the first by bringing back what many would acknowledge as the first game's best moment - as the final boss of that game comes back (and, in a masterful bit of foreshadowing, you ''run on top of it'' without noticing unless you ''really'' paid attention), only tightened and with a potentially nasty time limit to make it harder.
** If you didn't like all the [[Guide Dang It]] and lack of good stealth options in the original ''[[Metal Gear
* ''[[The King of Fighters]] 94'' was a very good game, but [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]] and the controls are tough to get used to, although the music is awesome. ''95'' has some improvements, but the AI is even worse. ''[[The King of Fighters]] 96'' is widely considered the point where everything really took off.
** ''KOF XIII'' made up for ''KOF XII'''s deficiencies in a major way, keeping the high-definition visuals and bringing back some of the fan-favorite characters that were left out of ''XII'', as well as a tutorial mode and a story mode that chronicles the final events of the Tales of Ash Saga.
* ''[[Neverwinter Nights]]'' had a rather tedious and unimaginative storyline. Then came the ''Shadows of Undrentide'' expansion, which was markedly better, and finally ''Hordes of the Underdark'', which completely blew the previous two away.
** ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]'' does it one better, with big improvements between the original game and the ''Mask of the Betrayer'' expansion. These include a greater emphasis on story, meaningful dialog, more unique and deeper party members (with the possibility to solo) and less focus on the engine's near unplayable combat.
** Unfortunately, ''Neverwinter Nights 2'' hasn't been around long enough{{when}} for the real gems to emerge from the modding community. ''Dark Waters'' (incidentally written by the same person who wrote the Shadowlords/Dreamcatcher/Demon arc for the first game) is pretty good, though, and its sea combat system was brilliantly scripted.
* ''[[Free Space|Conflict Freespace: The Great War]]'' was a fun space combat simulation game with a nice game engine and a solid storyline, but it wasn't outstanding in any field. The sequel, ''Freespace 2'', was darker, with a far more gripping and surprising storyline, vastly-improved combat, visuals that still impress today and a jaw-dropping and somewhat ambiguous ending that has provoked debate ever since. {{spoiler|It is also notable for being one of the few games where the player's character actually dies at the end, although forewarned, it is possible to avoid this and get a slightly different final cut scene}}. ''Freespace 2'' was such an awesome space combat game it killed the genre stone dead by making every other game in the genre redundant, and the few games in the genre to have come along since have not been as impressive. Fans are divided on whether a third game would be a good idea or not.
** How good is ''[[Free Space|Freespace 2]]''? The fan community has released several professional-quality campaigns, long since taken over operating the multiplayer component, made several total conversions (the most well-known turns ''Freespace 2'' into ''Babylon 5'': The Videogame,) and to top if off, they've been ''upgrading the engine'' non-stop since the source-code was released. On a decent computer, the source-code project makes the game look like it came out two or three years ago, when, in fact, it's over a decade old.
* After ''Angel of Darkness'' and the last game or two before that (along with the [[Video Game Movies Suck|movies]]) many considered the ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' franchise beyond saving, but a change to another developer brought the series back again with ''Legend'' which went on to be the fastest selling (note, not highest selling) game in the series so far and got high critical acclaim. Depending on your feelings about many of the changes in ''Legend'' this can also extend to ''Anniversary'' and/or ''Underworld''.
* [[Zig
* The original ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'' game on the Nintendo [[Game Boy]] was clunky, with minimal plot and a ''lot'' of [[Guide Dang It]] moments. Each game's taken steps since then, with its first sequel actually using the pilots and storylines from the series' in question, and producing Banpresto's first [[Original Generation]] batch, featuring Masaki Ando, Bian Zoldark, and Shu Shirakawa.
** Similarly, the first ''[[Super Robot Wars Original Generation]]'' was fairly clunky compared to the earlier SRW games on the [[Game Boy Advance]], with a pretty basic story and minimal animation and effects. It feels a lot like a side-project Banpresto wasn't ready to commit to (it was, after all, essentially a crossover ''without'' the crossing over). Compare to ''Original Generation 2'', which featured more plots and better animation and effects that nearly match the first ''[[Super Robot Wars Alpha|Alpha]]'' game on the [[PS 1]].
* ''[[Saints Row]]'' was your stereotypical [[Wide Open Sandbox]], released to faint praise for having a solid, fun game, but still being a shameless ''GTA'' clone. Only one thing really changed between its release and its sequel - ''GTA'' decided it wanted to be taken seriously, and we got ''GTA 4''. ''Saints Row 2'' went the other path - the main character became an over-the-top [[Heroic Comedic Sociopath]] and the game took [[Refuge in Audacity]]. Critics loved it, as did players.
** Even [[Caustic Critic|Yaht]][[Zero Punctuation|zee]] loved the sequel. He even called his review of it an "overly long wedding proposal".
* The original ''[[Star Control]]'' was a 2D space combat sim with hardly any story elements (at least not [[All There in the Manual|in the game.]]). ''[[Star Control]] 2'' kept the good parts (the space combat, aka Super Melee) and added a surprisingly complex and fun story mode.
* Think about this one for a second: the original NES ''[[
* ''50 Cent Bulletproof'' was trashed for all the bugs and bad gameplay (the PSP version was by a different developer and fared slightly better). ''[[
* The original ''[[Killzone]]'' was a heavily hyped [[
* The first two ''[[Wangan Midnight]]'' arcade games were basically just ''[[Tokyo Xtreme Racer]]'' with ''Wangan Midnight'' characters and stage-based gameplay, with few players remembering or thoroughly enjoying them. ''Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune'', on the other hand, gave ''[[
** For that matter, the first ''[[
* If we were to follow the oddball retconning of ''Scramble'' into the ''[[Gradius]]'' series, that would count.
* The original ''[[MOTHER]]'', despite its interesting story and quirky take on the RPG genre, was a [[Forced Level Grinding|total grindfest]] with some insane [[Schizophrenic Difficulty|spikes in difficulty]] at times. (Mt. Itoi, anyone?) The second game, ''[[
* The first ''[[Age of Empires
* By many accounts, the second ''[[
* ''[[Sonic Storybook Series|Sonic and the Secret Rings]]'' and ''[[
** And then there's ''[[
** ''[[
* The first ''[[Fable]]'' game had an infamous amount of hype during development. When it was finally released in 2004, it received mostly positive reviews, but it ultimately failed to live up to it's hype, as others were disappointed by the lack of many promised features, a somewhat small, restrictive game world and other flaws. Along comes ''Fable II'' in 2008, with more refined gameplay, a larger, more detailed world with more quests, and deeper sandbox gameplay that implemented many promised features from ''Fable''. It received better reviews from all.
* The first ''[[The Elder Scrolls|Elder
* ''[[Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming]]'' is a Surprisingly Improved Sequel to the confusing and disappointing earlier ''[[Harvest Moon]]'' [[Puzzle Game]], ''Puzzle de Harvest Moon''.
* ''[[Backyard Sports|Backyard Basketball]]'' on the [[
* ''[[Contra]] 4'' came after four consecutive installments that sat poorly with fans of the series (two lame PS1 releases and two so-so PS2 releases) and whipped the series back into what it should be.
* ''[[Mega Man X]]'' had a nearly universally despised seventh game (an unusual instance in the extremely [[Broken Base|divided fanbase]] that ''Mega Man'' has); but the eighth game is considered a vast improvement.
** ''[[Mega Man Star Force]]'s'' second game was hard to take even for the people who liked the first one, but the third game made up for it in incredibly unexpected ways, to a degree that some consider it the best in the entirety of the ''Battle Network/Star Force'' continuity.
** The ''[[Mega Man (
* ''[[Dragonball Z]]: The Legacy of Goku'' for the [[Game Boy Advance]] was, for lack of a more inventive word, terrible. The combat controls are stiff, the plot is [[Continuity Lock Out|impenetrable to all but the most seasoned DBZ fans]], and the game is way too short (beatable in about
** And then, the relatively few flaws and lack of depth found in ''Legacy of Goku II'' were completely gone in ''Buu's Fury''.
* ''Astonishia Story'' was an RPG originally made for PCs in the mid-1990s and remained exclusively a Korean property until 2006, when the game was remade for the PSP and distributed worldwide. The port hadn't aged well at all, and the lackluster localization effort by [[Ubisoft]] didn't help. Three years later, ''Astonishia Story 2'' (titled ''[[Crimson Gem Saga]]'' in non-Asian countries) was released to a much warmer reception, with tighter character development, a retooled battle and skill system that emphasizes [[Combination Attack|combination attacks]], much less [[Forced Level Grinding]], and a better translation by the team at [[Atlus]].
* ''[[Luminous Arc]]'' for the DS was an [[Cliché Storm]] of an SRPG with a particularly [[Narm
* ''[[Thunder Force]] III'' was a huge improvement over its rather average predecessor ''[[Thunder Force]] II'', they got rid of the annoying overhead scrolling stages, improved the graphics and [[Awesome Music|music]], and made the gameplay a lot better. ''[[Thunder Force]] IV'' and ''[[Thunder Force]] V'' continued on the tradition of awesomeness and were pretty much the peak of the franchise. Unfortunately, [[Sequelitis]] took effect after that.
* ''[[Assassin's Creed
** The one thing most people hated was the ''actual'' player character, the clueless whiner from the future descended from the actual assassins in both games.
*** Thankfully, considering Desmond {{spoiler|has learned Ezio's Le Parkour skills and gained Altair's Eagle Vision through the bleeding effect}}, all signs point to the idea that Desmond will have [[Took a Level
* Compare ''[[Fire Emblem]]: [[Fire Emblem Akaneia|Mystery of the Emblem]]'' to the original ''Dark Dragon''. While the latter was a good game that helped [[Trope Codifier|establish]] an entire [[Turn
* ''[[
* ''[[Dune II]]''. The original was a boring adventure game. The "sequel" (which had really nothing to do with the original) was one of the most important games of all time and the progenitor of the [[Real Time Strategy]] game.
* ''[[Just Cause (
* In America, the early parts of the ''[[Metal Gear]]'' series were a minor success, held back on the NES by its [[Blind Idiot Translation|extremely questionable translation]], bugs, and frustrating puzzles. It wasn't until ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'', with its improved localization, that the series took off in the US.
* ''[[
* ''[[Touhou]]'': In-between the standard danmaku games, which have been slowly improving, ZUN has done a bit of experimenting. The concepts he reuses tend to be much better the second time around:
** ''Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream'' is, bluntly, terrible, suffering from cheating AI, little plot, ugly graphics, and boring battles. ''Phantasmagoria of Flower View'' still isn't great, but is at least reasonably passable. The AI cheats less blatantly, a fairly interesting story, it's fairly pretty, and you're actually dodging your opponent's patterns instead of stage enemies.
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* ''[[Dementium the Ward]]'', although enjoyable, had a number of flaws. The most known one being that when you die, you go ALL the way back to the beginning of the chapter. ''Dementium II'' had numerous improvements, like an omnipresent minimap, the ability to crouch and jump, the ability to save up health-restoring items, more fluid controls and more balanced and varied levels.
* The original ''[[Shining Force]]'', while still a fun Strategy RPG, was riddled with [[Good Bad Bugs|exploitable]] [[Artificial Stupidity|bugs]] and [[Fake Balance|poor class balance]], while having too gradual a difficulty curve. Later entries have not only fixed these problems, but also introduced new concepts, such as [[Summon Magic|summoning]] and weapon skill levels, to add to the variety of the gameplay.
** Note that ''[[Shining Force]]'' itself [[Sequel Displacement|was a sequel to]] the [[Dungeon Crawl
* The original ''[[Sacred]]'', while a decent hack n slash ARPG in its own right, was brought down by [[Obvious Beta|loads of glitches and bugs]], simplistic gameplay, and some amount of [[Fake Difficulty]]. ''Sacred 2'', however, had much fewer bugs and glitches (though it still has a few), improved gameplay mechanics, and was generally much more polished and inviting. Oh, and the fan community it formed is one of the best around, giving rise to the somewhat famous ''Sacred 2 Community Patch''. And now that the series license has been picked up by Deep Silver after Ascaron's sudden bankruptcy, things are continuing to look up for the franchise.
* ''[[
* ''[[Castlevania]]'' had this too in its [[Game Boy]] trilogy. ''The Adventure'' had unresponsive controls, [[Fake Difficulty]] in losing whip power after only ''one'' hit and extremely slow gameplay. Sub-weapons and such were absent, and hearts, normally used for subweapon power, restored energy. ''Belmont's Revenge'' rectified this in many ways, with only losing whip power if you die or get hit by the snake tower's fireballs. Christopher Belmont still moves slowly, but nowhere near as slow as his first adventure. The much more responsive controls, a non-linear level select format, like in ''[[Mega Man (
* ''[[
* The original ''[[Fallout]]'' was a solid, if slightly glitchy RPG whose primary claim to fame was being violent enough that Steve Jackson withdrew the GURPS license during development. ''[[Fallout 2]]'' is a classic, and defined the open world, dark humor, pervasive bugs, and surreal special encounters that would become hallmarks of the sequel.
** In a similar vein, ''
* Also from Black Isle, ''[[Baldur's Gate|Baldur's Gate 2]]'' took an already decent D&D experience and improved on everything, particularly the story, which was further improved and given a proper conclusion with its expansion, ''Throne of Bhaal''.
* ''Outpost'' was a turn-based colony management game that was well hyped before its release, but it turned out to just be [[Recycled in Space|Simcity IN SPACE!]] Not only that, it had several bugs, and was basically unfinished. ''[[
* The first ''[[
* The original ''[[
* ''[[Mario Party]] 9'' is this among many people. The series had a total off 10 parties before the 9th installment (8 of them going from the N64, to Gamecube, and the Wii while the other two were on the GBA and DS) and the most common complaint where how the games were more about luck than skill and how each game was just a rehash from the last game. The 9th installment changes up a ton of things to make the games a bit more fair by greatly reducing the amount of luck based events, scrapping the coins, stars, and items system for a mini-star system that allows players to collect them very frequently or lose them just as fast so games are more close, and the mechanic of all players moving on the board at once creates new strategies in turn order and what types of dice blocks you should use. Of course, people who grew up with the series [[They Changed It, Now It Sucks|may not like the new direction of the 9th party]].
== Webcomics ==
* The
* [[
== Western Animation ==
* The early proto-[[Bugs Bunny]] short "Elmer's Candid Camera" was a total disaster, suffering from poor characterization, mediocre gags and positively abysmal timing and pacing, and as such received such bashing from [[Chuck Jones]], the director of the short, in his autobiography. [[Tex Avery]] learned from Chuck's mistakes, and promptly remade the cartoon as the first real [[Bugs Bunny]] cartoon "[[A Wild Hare]]".
* ''[[My Little Pony:
* All of the ''[[
* ''[[Shrek]]'' had both ''Shrek Forever After'', deemed to at least have a more inspired and engaging plot compared to ''Shrek the Third'', and ''[[Puss in Boots (animation)|Puss in Boots]]'', a spin-off that earned better remarks than the third and fourth movie for creating a good story for a [[Breakout Character]].
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