History EvenBetterSequel / VideoGames

* ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur]]'' was quite an improvement on ''Soul Edge/Soul Blade'', [[SequelDisplacement to the point that most younger people think the series began with]] ''Soulcalibur''. In turn, ''Soulcalibur II'' would fine-tune the gameplay formula of the first ''Calibur''; it is widely seen as not only the pinnacle of the ''Soul'' series but a masterpiece among the fighting game genre. ''Soulcalibur III'' and ''IV'', while by no means bad, had a ''very'' ToughActToFollow and don't quite measure up to the high standards of ''II''. This is also the point in the series where {{Sequelitis}} began to seep in, culminating with the [[ContestedSequel extremely polarizing]] ''Soulcalibur V''. With all of that said, there are fans who believe that ''Edge'' did certain things better than its sequels (Edge Master Mode, the more Asian feel of the story and setting) and see the original game's BreakableWeapons as a good tactic that was unfortunately shafted in later games.

** Years later, ''Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'' and its expansion pack ''The Frozen Throne'' added RPG elements that differentiated it from ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', the company's earlier super-popular hit RTS. The story was one of the best told in a strategy game and the very powerful [[LevelEditor Map Editor]] allowed the creation of custom maps that are still being made and played today, and it also became a titan of competitive gaming.

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** ''OrcsAndHumans'', was a somewhat imaginative and creative RealTimeStrategy game for PC. ''Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness'', built on that: It added naval and air combat, better graphics, more easy-to-use controls, a more original story, cooler units, and removed [[ScrappyMechanic the need to build roads in order to build your towns]]. The work paid off, and ''[=WC2=]'' was Creator/BlizzardEntertainment's first game to win the "Game of the Year" awards from several publications. ''Beyond The Dark Portal'', the ExpansionPack, was one of the first expansion packs, particularly for a strategy game, to feel more like its own game as opposed to a campaign cobbled together from random missions.
** Years later, ''Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'' added RPG elements that differentiated it from ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', the company's earlier super-popular hit RTS. The story was one of the best told in a strategy game and the very powerful [[LevelEditor Map Editor]] allowed the creation of custom maps that are still being made and played today, and it also became a titan of competitive gaming.

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftOrcsAndHumans'', was somewhat imaginative and creative RealTimeStrategy game for computers. ''VideoGame/WarcraftII: Tides of Darkness'', built on that: It added naval and air combat, better graphics, more easy-to-use controls, a more original story, cooler units, and removed [[ScrappyMechanic the need to build roads in order to build your towns]]. The work paid off, and [=WC2=] was Creator/BlizzardEntertainment's first game to win "game of the year" awards from several publications. ''Beyond The Dark Portal'', the expansion pack, was one of the first expansion packs, particularly for a strategy game, to feel more like its own game as opposed to a campaign cobbled together from random missions. Years later, ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII: The Reign of Chaos'' added RPG elements that differentiated it from ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', the company's earlier super-popular hit RTS. The story was one of the best told in a strategy game and the very powerful Map Editor allowed the creation of custom maps that are still being made and played today.

* Creator/NinjaKiwi's games often fall under this (notably, ''VideoGame/BloonsTowerDefense'' and ''[[VideoGame/SasZombieAssault SAS: Zombie Assault]]''): For ''Bloons Tower Defense'', the first game had a common tactic to complete the game with Dart Monkeys only. The second game changed that by adding difficulty levels, more towers, lead and rainbow bloons, monkey glue, and road spikes. The third added some more tracks, with difficulty selections on each track, a bit more towers alongside more upgrades, a [[BossInMookClothing M.O.A.B.]], [[AntiFrustrationFeatures removing the frustration of only placing one set of road spikes at a time]], and freeplay mode. The fourth is given music, redesigned art for towers, a title screen, a login system, more towers, premium upgrades, more tracks, and different game modes. The fifth topped it all off with highly detailed art, the return of the upgrade paths, keeping the login system, more music, sounds, and towers (plus upgrades), stronger mooks, a daily reward system, daily challenges, special missions, and '''much''' more.

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'':
** The original ''VideoGame/SaintsRow1'', while had nice graphics despite poorly-aged, was a fairly blatant ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' clone with the player character's gender being only male. However, when ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' decided to get all serious about things, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' decided to have fun, gave the player much more to do (like able to swap genders from male to female via GenderBender) despite the graphics managed to get worse than [=SR1=]'s due to try to go for a more realistic look, and as a result is much better than the first one.
** ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' was a ContestedSequel, although it was generally regarded to be a good game in its own right. Then came in
** ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' which totally blew ''The Third'' out of the water by adding in super powers, a more intricate story mode, coupled up with a story line which does not take itself very seriously, and generally making everything from ''The Third'' better in some way or another. Even detractors of ''The Third''[='=]s DenserAndWackier turn on the franchise liked it.

** In a reboot example, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022'' was supposed to being even better than every previous SR games (including [=SR2=]) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SRTT and SRIV only upgrade weapons) like in addition to use foam FingerGun, you can turn your assault rifle into an umbrella of all things or if the umbrella isn't enough, you can also turn your baseball bat into a pinata stick! However, when it was released, it became a huge '''''goddamn''''' [[FranchiseKiller train-wreck]] in case of {{Sequelitis}}, due to being [[InNameOnly not feeling like a traditional]] ''Saints Row'' game and more like ''VideoGame/CallOfJuarezTheCartel'' and ''VideoGame/FastAndFuriousCrossroads''' cousin with ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' mixed in and riddled with [[ObviousBeta bugs and glitches]]. ''Saints Row 2'' definitely wins here and most beloved ''Saints Row'' game.

** In a reboot example, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022'' was supposed to being even better than every previous SR games (including [=SR2=]) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SRTT and SRIV only upgrade weapons) like in addition to use foam FingerGun, you can turn your assault rifle into an umbrella of all things or if the umbrella isn't enough, you can also turn your baseball bat into a pinata stick! However, when it was released, it became a huge [[FranchiseKiller train-wreck]] in case of {{Sequelitis}}, due to being [[InNameOnly not feeling like a traditional]] ''Saints Row'' game and more like ''VideoGame/CallOfJuarezTheCartel'' and ''VideoGame/FastAndFuriousCrossroads'''s cousin with ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' mixed in and riddled with [[ObviousBeta bugs and glitches]]. ''Saints Row 2'' definitely wins here and most beloved ''Saints Row'' game.

** The original ''VideoGame/SaintsRow1'', while had nice graphics despite poorly-aged, was a fairly blatant GTA clone with the player character's gender being only male. However, when GTAIV decided to get all serious about things, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' decided to have fun, gave the player much more to do (like able to swap genders from male to female via GenderBender) despite the graphics managed to get worse than [=SR1=]'s due to try to go for a more realistic look, and as a result is much better than the first one.

** In a reboot example, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022'' was supposed to being even better than every previous SR games (including [=SR2=]) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SRTT and SRIV only upgrade weapons) like in addition to use foam FingerGun, you can turn your assault rifle into an umbrella of all things or if the umbrella isn't enough, you can also turn your baseball bat into a pinata stick! However, when it was released, it became a huge [[FranchiseKiler train-wreck]] in case of Sequelitis, due to being [[InNameOnly not feeling like a traditional]] ''Saints Row'' game and more like ''VideoGame/CallOfJuarezTheCartel'' and ''VideoGame/FastAndFuriousCrossroads'''s cousin with ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' mixed in and riddled with [[ObviousBeta bugs and glitches]]. ''Saints Row 2'' definitely wins here and most beloved ''Saints Row'' game.

** In a reboot example, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022'' was supposed to being even better than every previous SR games (including [=SR2=]) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SRTT and SRIV only upgrade weapons) like in addition to use foam FingerGun, you can turn your assault rifle into an umbrella of all things or if the umbrella isn't enough, you can also turn your baseball bat into a pinata stick! However, the became in case of Sequelitis, due to being [[InNameOnly not feeling like a ''Saints Row'' game]] and more like ''VideoGame/CallOfJuarezTheCartel'' and ''VideoGame/FastAndFuriousCrossroads'''s cousin with ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' mixed in and riddled with [[ObviousBeta bugs and glitches]]. ''Saints Row 2'' definitely wins here and most beloved ''Saints Row'' game.

** In a reboot example, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022'' was supposed to being even better than every previous SR games (including [=SR2=]) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SRTT and SRIV only upgrade weapons) like in addition to use foam FingerGun, you can turn your assault rifle into an umbrella of all things or if the umbrella isn't enough, you can also turn your baseball bat into a pinata stick! However, the became in case of Sequelitis, due to being [[InNameOnly not feeling like a ''Saints Row'' game]] and more like ''VideoGame/CallOfJuarezThCartel and ''VideoGame/FastAndFuriousCrossroads'''s cousin with ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'' and ''VideoGame/Fortnite'' mixed in and riddled with [[ObviousBeta bugs and glitches]]. ''Saints Row 2'' definitely wins here and most beloved ''Saints Row'' game.

** The original ''VideoGame/SaintsRow1'', while had nice graphics despite poorly-aged, was a fairly blatant GTA clone with the player character's gender being only male.
** However, when GTAIV decided to get all serious about things, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' decided to have fun, gave the player much more to do (like able to swap genders from male to female via GenderBender) despite the graphics managed to get worse than [=SR1=]'s due to try to go for a more realistic look, and as a result is much better than the first one.

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', while had nice graphics despite poorly-aged, was a fairly blatant GTA clone with the player character's gender being only male. However, when GTAIV decided to get all serious about things, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' decided to have fun, gave the player much more to do (like able to swap genders from male to female via GenderBender) despite the graphics managed to get worse than [=SR1=]'s, and as a result is much better than the first one. ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' was a ContestedSequel, although it was generally regarded to be a good game in its own right. Then came in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' which totally blew ''The Third'' out of the water by adding in super powers, a more intricate story mode, coupled up with a story line which does not take itself very seriously, and generally making everything from ''The Third'' better in some way or another. Even detractors of ''The Third''[='=]s DenserAndWackier turn on the franchise liked it. While the initial announcement still suffers from BrokenBase, in a reboot example, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022'' managed to being even better than every previous SR games (including [=SR2=]) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SRTT and SRIV only upgrade weapons) like in addition to use foam FingerGun, you can turn your assault rifle into an umbrella of all things or if the umbrella isn't enough, you can also turn your baseball bat into a pinata stick!

* ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' made for a popular and well-received MMORPG that didn't have a monthly fee whatsoever, in part thanks to dividing the world up into instanced zones. However, this had the effect of making the game feel sparsely populated, as each map could only support a limited number of players. ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' upped the ante in every conceivable way. It played more akin to a traditional MMORPG, with a seamless and persistent world that could support thousands of players at once, five races to play as, and multiple crafts to take up. It replaced the traditional quest system with cyclical dynamic events that would unfold in real time and could result in small changes on the world depending on if they succeeded or failed. World vs World [[PlayerVersusPlayer PvP]] was added to allow for hundreds of players to duke it out. And it was also released without the need to pay a monthly fee.
* While the original ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' was a success, the hammer-ons and pull-offs had a hopelessly tight timing window, forcing most folks to ignore them entirely and strum every note. ''Guitar Hero II'' fixed this, giving the gameplay a much more natural and fluid feeling. Add to this the second game's co-operative game mode (where one player plays lead guitar and the other can play either bass or rhythm guitar) and practice mode (where players could play any individual part of a song as slowly as they wanted until they got it right), and you're set. And now that the same team has made ''VideoGame/RockBand'', it's doubly true for them.

** While ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'' was certainly the breakout hit for the ''GTA'' series and pioneered the WideOpenSandbox genre, ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'' improved upon ''III'' in almost every way, with more refined gameplay, more elaborate and fun missions, a wider variety of weapons and vehicles to play around with, a deeper plot reminiscent of ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}'' with more interesting and varied characters, and all of it doused in the glory of TheEighties.

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', while had nice graphics despite poorly-aged, was a fairly blatant GTA clone with only gender being male. However, when GTAIV decided to get all serious about things, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' decided to have fun, gave the player much more to do (like able to swap genders from male to female via GenderBender) despite the graphics managed to get worse than SR 1's, and as a result is much better than the first one. ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' was a ContestedSequel, although it was generally regarded to be a good game in its own right. Then came in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' which totally blew ''The Third'' out of the water by adding in super powers, a more intricate story mode, coupled up with a story line which does not take itself very seriously, and generally making everything from ''The Third'' better in some way or another. Even detractors of ''The Third''[='=]s DenserAndWackier turn on the franchise liked it. While the initial announcement still suffers from BrokenBase, in a reboot example, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022'' managed to being even better than every previous SR games (including [=SR2=]) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SRTT and SRIV only upgrade weapons) like in addition to use foam FingerGun, you can turn your assault rifle into an umbrella of all things or if the umbrella isn't enough, you can also turn your baseball bat into a pinata stick!

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', while had nice graphics despite poorly-aged, was a fairly blatant GTA clone with only gender being male. However, when GTAIV decided to get all serious about things, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' decided to have fun, gave the player much more to do (like able to swap genders from male to female via GenderBender) despite the graphics managed to get worse than SR 1's, and as a result is much better than the first one. ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' was a ContestedSequel, although it was generally regarded to be a good game in its own right. Then came in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' which totally blew ''The Third'' out of the water by adding in super powers, a more intricate story mode, coupled up with a story line which does not take itself very seriously, and generally making everything from ''The Third'' better in some way or another. Even detractors of ''The Third''[='=]s DenserAndWackier turn on the franchise liked it. While the initial announcement still suffers from BrokenBase, in a reboot example, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022''' managed to being even better than every previous SR games (including [=SR2=]) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SRTT and SRIV only upgrade weapons) like in addition to use foam FingerGun, you can turn your assault rifle into an umbrella of all things or if the umbrella isn't enough, you can also turn your baseball bat into a pinata stick!

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', while had nice graphics despite poorly-aged, was a fairly blatant GTA clone with only gender being male. However, when GTAIV decided to get all serious about things, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' decided to have fun, gave the player much more to do (like able to swap genders from male to female via GenderBender) despite the graphics managed to get worse than SR 1's, and as a result is much better than the first one. ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' was a ContestedSequel, although it was generally regarded to be a good game in its own right. Then came in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' which totally blew ''The Third'' out of the water by adding in super powers, a more intricate story mode, coupled up with a story line which does not take itself very seriously, and generally making everything from ''The Third'' better in some way or another. Even detractors of ''The Third''[='=]s DenserAndWackier turn on the franchise liked it. While ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022'''s announcement still suffers from BrokenBase, it managed to being even better than every previous SR games (including [=SR2=]) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SRTT and SRIV only upgrade weapons) like in addition to use foam FingerGun, you can turn your assault rifle into an umbrella of all things or if the umbrella isn't enough, you can also turn your baseball bat into a pinata stick!

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', while had nice graphics despite poorly-aged, was a fairly blatant GTA clone with only gender being male. However, when GTAIV decided to get all serious about things, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' decided to have fun, gave the player much more to do (like able to swap genders from male to female via GenderBender) despite the graphics managed to get worse than SR 1's, and as a result is much better than the first one. ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' was a ContestedSequel, although it was generally regarded to be a good game in its own right. Then came in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' which totally blew ''The Third'' out of the water by adding in super powers, a more intricate story mode, coupled up with a story line which does not take itself very seriously, and generally making everything from ''The Third'' better in some way or another. Even detractors of ''The Third''[='=]s DenserAndWackier turn on the franchise liked it. While ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022'''s announcement still suffers from BrokenBase, it managed to being even better than every previous SR games (including [=SR2=]) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SRTT and SRIV only upgrade weapons) like you can use foam FingerGun!

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', while had nice graphics despite poorly-aged, was a fairly blatant GTA clone with only gender being male. However, when GTA IV decided to get all serious about things, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' decided to have fun, gave the player much more to do (like able to swap genders from male to female via GenderBender) despite the graphics managed to get worse than SR 1's, and as a result is much better than the first one. ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' was a ContestedSequel, although it was generally regarded to be a good game in its own right. Then came in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' which totally blew ''The Third'' out of the water by adding in super powers, a more intricate story mode, coupled up with a story line which does not take itself very seriously, and generally making everything from ''The Third'' better in some way or another. Even detractors of ''The Third''{{'s}} DenserAndWackier turn on the franchise liked it. While ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022'''s announcement still suffers from BrokenBase, it managed to being even better than every previous SR games (including SR 2) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SR 3 and SR IV only upgrade weapons) like you can use foam FingerGun!

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', while had nice graphics despite poorly-aged, was a fairly blatant GTA clone with only gender being male. However, when GTA IV decided to get all serious about things, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' decided to have fun, gave the player much more to do (like able to swap genders from male to female via GenderBender) despite the graphics managed to get worse than SR 1's, and as a result is much better than the first one. ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' was a ContestedSequel, although it was generally regarded to be a good game in its own right. Then came in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' which totally blew ''The Third'' out of the water by adding in super powers, a more intricate story mode, coupled up with a story line which does not take itself very seriously, and generally making everything from ''The Third'' better in some way or another. Even detractors of ''The Third'''s DenserAndWackier turn on the franchise liked it. While ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022'''s announcement still suffers from BrokenBase, it managed to being even better than every previous DR games (including SR 2) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SR 3 and SR IV only upgrade weapons) like you can use foam FingerGun!

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', while had nice graphics despite poorly-aged, was a fairly blatant GTA clone with only gender being male. However, when GTA IV decided to get all serious about things, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' decided to have fun, gave the player much more to do (like able to swap genders from male to female via GenderBender) despite the graphics managed to get worse than SR1's, and as a result is much better than the first one. ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' was a ContestedSequel, although it was generally regarded to be a good game in its own right. Then came in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' which totally blew ''The Third'' out of the water by adding in super powers, a more intricate story mode, coupled up with a story line which does not take itself very seriously, and generally making everything from ''The Third'' better in some way or another. Even detractors of ''The Third'''s DenserAndWackier turn on the franchise liked it. While ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2022'''s announcement still suffers from BrokenBase, it managed to being even better than every previous DR games (including SR 2) like the graphics being a massive step-up, bigger character customization, bigger vehicle customization, and of course it had weapon customization not seen in any previous SR games (SR 3 and SR IV only upgrade weapons) like you can use foam FingerGun!

* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' was a fairly standard GTA clone. However, when GTA 4 decided to get all serious about things, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' decided to have fun, gave the player much more to do, and as a result is much better than the first one. ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' was a ContestedSequel, although it was generally regarded to be a good game in its own right. Then came in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' which totally blew ''The Third'' out of the water by adding in super powers, a more intricate story mode, coupled up with a story line which does not take itself very seriously, and generally making everything from ''The Third'' better in some way or another. Even detractors of ''The Third'''s DenserAndWackier turn on the franchise liked it.

* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' defined the FirstPersonShooter genre even more than its predecessor, VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D, to the point that, for several years, FPS games were called "''Doom'' clones." ''Doom II'' improved on every aspect of the game, with superior level design, more and deadlier monsters, and removing the episode system that was a relic of the first game's shareware origins.

* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy 1'' was nothing special. ''2'' added save points, some basic customization, and an ExcusePlot. Then along came ''EBF 3'', which quickly became one of the top-rated [=RPGs=] on Kongregate, thanks to a challenging, interesting combat system, excellent graphics, and [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic even better music]]. ''EBF 4'', released two and a half years later, then proceeded to unabashedly top all of its predecessors with a bunch of balance refinements, more customizability, a new player character, and ''more'' pretty graphics and music. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Plus it nerfed]] [[BossInMookClothing Monoliths]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' was widely considered to be a great action game, giving a large variety of weaponry, some beautiful scenery, ''[[AwesomeMusic/{{Bayonetta}} incredible]]'' music and fast, frantic gameplay. However, it came with some problems of its own, including split-second PressXToNotDie sequences in unexpected places and an [[PortingDisaster absolutely terrible]] UsefulNotes/Playstation3 port with [[LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading long loading screens]] and inopportune framerate drops. ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'' came along and did away with all of these negative features, keeping a mostly consistent framerate and removing the maligned [=QTEs=]. Adding on to this, the weapon selection was diversified even further and the JustForFun/{{HSQ}} that the first game brought is cranked UpToEleven. Many reviewers seemed to agree, with IGN giving a 9.5 and the likes of Edge and Gamespot giving perfect 10s.[[note]]Especially notable in the latter's case, since Bayonetta 2 is only the 8th reviewed game to receive a 10 and [[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2 the last game]] that got a 10 from them was released 4 years prior.[[/note]]

* [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry2 The first sequel]] to ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1'' didn't leave fans with this impression but certainly the second sequel, ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening Dante's Awakening]]'', set the world on fire with a substantially more complex combat system involving both a [[StanceSystem "Style" system]] and RealTimeWeaponChange for all arms for the first time in the series, the original game's notorious NintendoHard difficulty (possibly even more so, prompting a reorganization of the difficulty levels for the UpdatedRerelease), and Dante's ice-cold stoic personality swapped back for the cocky, fun-loving devil hunter everyone remembered from the first game but UpToEleven.

*** Does Playground Games [[ToughActToFollow ever stop improving upon themselves?]] That answer is a big '''NO.''' With additions such as larger game world, more cars, more events to do, quality of life improvements (such as fast travel that gradually cheaper as you progress), and route creator in addition to the blueprint, ''Horizon 4'' has managed to earn [[UpToEleven more praise than even]] ''Horizon 3'' with a 92 on Metacritic, with some calling it a masterpiece and some calling it ''the greatest racing game of all time''. Also, like with ''Horizon 3'' in 2016, this game was also the only racing game nominated for Best Sports/Racing Game at The Game Awards 2018 and won the award.

* ''VideoGame/OneFingerDeathPunch'': The original game was a WhiteSheep for its developer, Silver Dollar Games, who up until then had only produced cheap throwaway games (usually about [[ToiletHumor farting]] or cats). The sequel takes everything the original did UpToEleven, making an incredibly fun, easy to play rhythm/brawler. Has everything from greatly improved graphics and music, to new skills to learn, lots of new more interesting maps and levels, while keeping the StylisticSuck stick figure aesthetic. It even has options to texture the characters and put faces on them for those so inclined (the stick figure aesthetic is the default).

* The original ''VideoGame/PowerStone'' was a delightfully chaotic 3D fighting game. ''Power Stone 2'' took the chaos and cranked it UpToEleven: more characters, four players fighting at once, [[FreeFloorFighting danger-filled stages that changed over time]], and in the home console versions, a veritable armory of weapons to craft and brandish, from such classics as lead pipes and pistols to the bizarre and outlandish like [[LaserBlade lightsabers]], [[DragonTamer pet dragons]], and [[Franchise/MegaMan the Mega Buster]].

* ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' was Sega's successful answer to Capcom's ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis. It had decent gameplay, a memorable soundtrack, and the game even had multiple endings. The second game in the series took everything UpToEleven, and would go down in history as not only one of the greatest Genesis games ever made, but one of the greatest video games of all time.

** ''VideoGame/{{Paper Mario|64}}'' was a great game for the RPG-starved N64, particularly thanks to its semi-action battle system. ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' took that battle system and [[UpToEleven cranked it to eleven]], adding Stylish Moves, the audience mechanic, and Action Commands for the special moves, among other things.

** The [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros64 first game]] was already awesome despite its low budget. It's a satisfying crossover that takes twelve iconic Nintendo characters and puts them together in a great PlatformFighter, which combines great fanservice and frantic yet fun gameplay. Its sequel ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee Melee]]'' takes that base and cranks it UpToEleven by improving on it in absolutely every way; it has a much bigger playable roster, more stages, more music, more gameplay modes, collectible trophies for that extra layer of fanservice, and a tighter, faster-paced gameplay that's further enriched from the original by adding side special moves, among other elements. It was such a huge hit that it became the Nintendo [=GameCube's=] best-selling game, and is largely credited for introducing the then-Japan-exclusive ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series to Western players.

* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' has been called by many the best superhero game of all time, and a good all around game in general. Its sequel, ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'', took everything that was awesome about the original UpToEleven and added Catwoman as a playable character.

** ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' is regarded by many as one of the best games in the franchise with its compelling worldbuilding and characters, and is even labeled one of the best [=RPGs=] of all time. Its sequel ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicII'' however, is a more complex tale. Due to its ChristmasRushed status, it was OvershadowedByAwesome upon its release. However it was eventually VindicatedByHistory through unofficial patches restoring the swaths of DummiedOut content, and the game's expanded combat mechanics alongside brilliant writing with a [[DarkerAndEdgier darker more, mature tone]] as well as the DeconstructorFleet it brought results in it being a CultClassic that still prompts many passionate discussions about its additions to the franchise's lore.

** ''VideoGame/Persona3'' was an excellent, intelligent game combining tried and true RPG devices with an intriguing social simulation system. ''VideoGame/Persona4'' greatly improved the battle system, provided even better artwork, smoothed out the pacing and writing, and generally provided a more cohesive gaming experience. However, there are people who think ''Persona 4'' was vastly inferior to the third.

** And there are also people who think all the newer games are inferior to ''VideoGame/Persona1'' and ''VideoGame/Persona2''. Looking at them all, however, most agree that the original was the worst, so many argue over which of the later four games are the best and give all four of those games this status compared to the first.