Surprisingly Improved Sequel: Difference between revisions

 

== Anime ==

* ''[[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]].

 

== Film ==

*** 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 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).

** 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.

* 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.

* ''[[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.

* ''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.

 

== Literature ==

* 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.

== Live-Action TV ==

* The original ''[[Battlestar Galactica Classic]]'' was pure 70s sci-fi cheese, if a fun show nonetheless. The [[Sci Fi Channel]] [[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined|remake]], however, took the concept, scraped off the cheese, and made it [[Darker and Edgier]] with a great deal of success. The resulting show was considered a surprising improvement over the original series and garnered a large following.

 

 

== 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, which like Radiohead got a debut with a [[Signature Song]] that the band/singer doesn't like very much ("Creep" for Radiohead, "Brown Eyed Girl" for Morrison), earned more acclaim with a highly experimental second album.

* [[Motley Crue|Mötley Crüe]]'s debut album, ''Too Fast for Love'', was a decent glam metal album, held back by inexperience on behalf of the band and rather inept management. Their next album was expected to be more solid, but when ''Shout at the Devil'' was released it blew said expectations out of the water. This happened again later, twice. After Vince Neil killed someone in a car crash and served a jail term, no one expected much out of the Crue, but ''Girls Girls Girls'' ended up being a great album. Unfortunately, the band's well-publicised substance abuse problems made the tour complete crap, and between Tommy Lee and Heather Locklear's marriage, Nikki Sixx's near-fatal heroin overdose, Mick Mars' struggle with alcoholism and ankylosing spondylitis, and Vince Neil effectively leaving the band for a time, they were pretty much dismissed as washed-up former stars. Then, they released ''Dr. Feelgood''. In just over a month they were number one on the charts. ''Dr. Feelgood'' is still considered their best album by most fans.

* 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.

* Imagine if, tomorrow, [[Miley Cyrus]] released an award-winning, angsty, introspective, multi-platinum-selling album that would become one of the defining albums of the decade it was released in. Got that picture in your head? Good, because that is exactly what happened in 1995, when a [[Canada, Eh?|Canadian]] [[Teen Idol]] by the name of [[Alanis Morissette]] [[New Sound Album|switched]] from cheesy bubblegum pop to chick rock and released ''Jagged Little Pill''. There's a reason why nobody mentions [[Old Shame|the first two albums]] in her discography.

* 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]].

 

== Video Games ==

** Whilst the second game's campaign consisted of mostly [[Stand Alone Episode|stand-alone missions]], the sequel's has a much stronger, inter-connected storyline that culminated in the reveal of the [[Big Bad|series villain]]. Whilst not quite as fast-paced and [[Crazy Awesome|insane]] as the previous entry and with arguably weaker multi-player, the faults of both games balance each other out and they're often considered on par with each other, with which is better depending largely on [[Broken Base|one's personal preferences]] (most fans do consider them both great games however).

* 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 amongst each other, and even their own side quests.

* ''[[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 Cpu) to easily counter fools who would try to button mash, the balance was much better (though still far from perfect..), Story mode was introduced, and the game's story improved tenfold, the AI was dramatically improved, the low levels still being fairly easy and welcoming to new players (you could button mash most of the opponents on setting 1 and 2, though if you tried it on the final boss you would be horribly beaten down) and the hard levels capable of challenging an experienced and intelligent player, and the Final Boss was extremely hard and clever, yet he was still balanced for VS play, and fought fairly (no reading your buttons, or moving at impossible speeds, or moves that take off half your life in one hit, though he could combo you painfully). Sadly the game only managed a small yet strong fanbase, possibly due to the first game, and the lack of a budget. The later games fell into [[Adaptation Decay]]; 3 and Primal Fury/Extreme are still fun, but 4 managed to kill the entire franchise.

* ''[[Dynasty Warriors]]'' 1 and 2 were bashed by reviews and many gamers alike, but from the 3rd game onwards, the line was well received for a while. Recently, it's become mocked by reviewers (but still maintains a base of hardcore fans) [[It's the Same, Now It Sucks|because it remains a similar game in every incarnation]].

* 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]].

* ''[[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.

* ''[[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).

* 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.

* [[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.

* ''[[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.

** 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''.

* 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]].

** 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.

* If we were to follow the oddball retconning of ''Scramble'' into the ''[[Gradius]]'' series, that would count.

* The first ''[[Age of Empires I (Video Game)|Age of Empires I]]'' game was released to lukewarm reviews. All the following games and spinoffs received critical acclaim.

* 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.

* ''[[Harvest Moon Frantic Farming]]'' is a Surprisingly Improved Sequel to the confusing and disappointing earlier ''[[Harvest Moon]]'' [[Puzzle Game]], ''Puzzle de Harvest Moon''.

* ''[[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.

* ''[[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 6-8 hours, ending after Goku's battle with Frieza). Its sequel, ''Legacy of Goku II'', corrected almost all of these flaws, as well as giving the player the ability to control characters other than Goku.

** And then, the relatively few flaws and lack of depth found in ''Legacy of Goku II'' were completely gone in ''Buu's Fury''.

* ''[[Luminous Arc]]'' for the DS was an [[Cliché Storm]] of an SRPG with a particularly [[Narm|Narmish]] voice acting in ''every. Single. Chapter''. The next game, ''[[Luminous Arc 2]]'' moves the story to another world with a better plot, vastly improved voice acting and a more streamlined user interface. The fact that they added a fast forward button, as well as bringing in [[Multiple Endings]] (which are ''further'' expanded in ''[[Luminous Arc 3]]'') helps a lot.

* ''[[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.

** 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 In Badass]] in the third game.

* ''[[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.

* 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.

* ''[[Soldner X|Söldner-X]]: Himmelssturmer'' was a serviceable [[Shoot Em Ups|side-scrolling shoot-em-up]] with excellent visuals, but was mainly held back by its sluggishness and brevity. Its sequel, ''Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype'' improves on both of these aspects while adding more playable ships and weapons, a revamped power-up and combo system (no more [[Poison Mushroom|power-down items]]), and assorted challenges and an expansion pack to keep the game fresh even after completion.

* ''[[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.

* 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.

* 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.

* Also from Black Isle, ''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''.

* ''[[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 ==

 

 

== 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]]".

 

{{reflist}}