History GrowingTheBeard / VideoGames

* ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' 1 and 2 were considered cute classics for UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube. ''Pikmin 3'', meanwhile, was highly publicized by Nintendo and regarded as one of the Wii U's best games.

* ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' were two excellent [=JRPGs=] for the UsefulNotes/GameBoy, but they suffered from several problems, including poor balance and a multitude of {{Game Breaking Bug}}s.''[[UpdatedRerelease Yellow]]'' tightened it up a bit and fixed the worst of the bugs, and the beard fully grew with ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' (such as introducing such things as breeding, the InUniverseGameClock and new types that balanced the ElementalRockPaperScissors) and grew even thicker with those games' UpdatedRerelease, ''Crystal'' (like introducing the option to play as a girl). ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' is generally held to be a second beard growth from a competitive standpoint, as the physical/special split cleaned up what was a very unbalanced typing system[[note]]in previous generations, moves would run off of physical or special attack based off of their typing, which prevented many Pokemon from being effective and made them unable to capitalize on same-type attack bonus[[/note]] and managed to make a lot more Pokemon viable and also toned down a lot of other Pokemon who had historically been able to abuse the old type-based physical/special system.

* Though critics loved it unconditionally, the gameplay of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' franchise was pretty rocky. ''1'' was a straightforward third-person run-&-gun somewhere between ''Halo'' and ''Doom'', hampered by unnecessary TakeCover elements. ''2'' put cover-based shooting center stage, but adjusted all the game's other elements (gun damage, special abilities, HP totals) a bit too far, resulting in fragile and unbalanced gameplay. The trilogy's final entry managed to mix everything just right, to the point that ''3''[='s=] multiplayer mode, at first derided as a cash-in mechanic, is now enjoyed unironically by franchise fans.
** This is mirrored in the driving segments. In the first game you operated the M-35 Mako, an AwesomePersonnelCarrier with extremely unintuitive physics and wonky controls. The second game replaced the Mako with the Hammerhead hovertank and made driving sequences optional. ''III'' found the best solution: [[KnowWhenToFoldEm removing 'em entirely]].

* ''VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus'' was an episodic, linear game where you played through level after level until you faced a boss and moved on to the next episode. In [[VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves the sequel]] you instead perform "jobs" which can be anything from sabotaging the weapons of the BigBad to recon to setting up an escape route, all building up to one final heist where you stick it to the bad guy. Plans can go awry and force you to improvise, there is plenty of WorldBuilding and exploration, and much more emphasis is put on the GrayAndGrayMorality of a storyline where the protagonists and antagonists are both criminals. This new TheCaper format proved so popular that it would become ''the'' formula for ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'' and ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'', with the SaturdayMorningCartoon structure of the original being but a distant memory.

* ''VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus'' was an episodic, linear game where you played through level after level until you faced a boss and moved on to the next episode. In [[VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves the sequel]] you instead perform "jobs" which can be anything from sabotaging the weapons of the BigBad to recon to setting up an escape route, all building up to one final heist where you stick it to the bad guy. Plans can go awry and force you to improvise, there is plenty of WorldBuilding and exploration, and much more emphasis is put on the GrayAndGrayMorality of a storyline where the protagonists and antagonists are both criminals.

* ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'' were good. ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' was '''[[EvenBetterSequel awesome]]'''. It created a massive, easy-to-get-lost-in, atmospheric world. The SequenceBreaking and SelfImposedChallenge potential are incredible, especially with stuff such as the [[GoodBadBugs mockball]] and WallJump. In addition, it built off of the environmental storytelling really established in ''Return'' and perfected with an extremely simple but masterful example of [[ShowDontTell visual storytelling]] that led to its famous and beloved climax, something that would be further utilized in the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'' to a lesser extent.

* The original ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'' and its sequel are not bad games, but they were far from major hits. They were mostly cited as ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' clones for having been made in the same engine. ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'' is were the franchise develops its own personality, fleshed out Pit and Palutena as characters, and gave the world its own supporting cast and feel.

* The original ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'', while fairly well received, was considered by many to be little more than a clone of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas''. After ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' marked the series's shift to more dramatic storytelling, though, ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' managed to win over disenfranchised fans and holdouts alike by taking the humor and ridiculousness of the original game, and cranking it UpToEleven.

* ''VideoGame/UnchartedDrakesFortune'' is a solid action title with plenty of [[Franchise/IndianaJones Indy]]-like antics, a modern-day setting and its own unique fortune-hunting theme, but even the most die-hard ''Uncharted'' fan will concede that the controls feel kind of janky, the melee combat is restricted to combos, there's not enough weapon variation, and the all-important parkour segments feel very samey and tepid, lacking the bombastic and eye-catching setpieces the sequels would become beloved for. ''VideoGame/Uncharted2'' immediately blows all those problems away with a huge setpiece in its' opening scene that demonstrates just how much the parkour alone has improved, not to mention the spectacle
* ''VideoGame/WolfQuest Anniversary Edition'' is considered this for the whole series. It is an entire remake built from scratch, with new coding, [[SceneryPorn updated graphics and models,]] larger maps, more realistic gameplay and mechanics, etc...

* The UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 started out as a laughing stock with a ridiculous price point, very few quality exclusive titles for well over a year after launch, and a fair amount of meme-generating idiocy (RealTimeWeaponChange, GiantEnemyCrab and AttackItsWeakPoint) by Sony's PR department. It was also notoriously difficult to make games for, keeping away third-party support. Things began improving in 2008 with the release of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'', which demonstrated what the system was capable of. By holiday 2009, they had launched a new, slimmer model, dropped the price in half, and started a new campaign of genuinely funny advertisements featuring Sony's fake Vice President of Whatever-The-Hell-He-Wants-To-Be-VP-Of Kevin Butler. The fact that the [=PS3=] had finally developed a very respectable game lineup didn't hurt either. By the end of the generation, Sony managed to close the gap with Microsoft's Xbox 360, each with around 80 million units sold.
* The UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 is this for the brand overall. After the past two generations with increasingly frustrating-to-code hardware and an inflating ego that crashed down like the Hindenburg, Sony finally decides "hey, let's ask what the developers want". Not only did they win the developers over again, but Microsoft's less-than-stellar reveal of the UsefulNotes/XboxOne was heavily taken advantage of by Sony to win the gamers at E3. And it shows. At launch, the [=PlayStation 4=] was the fastest selling console ''in history.''
* The original UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} is pretty much a PC in a box, and despite having graphical prowess and a decent lineup of games throughout its lifespan, its sales paled in comparison to Sony's [=PS2=] juggernaut, which dominated the generation. Its successor, the UsefulNotes/XBox360, improved upon its predecessor by by upping its user friendliness, which includes embracing the Xbox Live online gaming hub, adding an {{achievement system}} for rewarding certain in-game tasks, and redesigning the Xbox's controller to make it more ergonomic. And that's not mentioning taking advantage of Sony's disastrous E3 2006 with its lower pricepoint and lineup of games. Although the console suffered from the dreaded Red Ring of Death early in its lifespan, it ended the generation with around 80 millions units sold, quadrupling the sales of its predecessor.
* When the UsefulNotes/XboxOne was first revealed in early 2013, it was ridiculed by gamers and media alike for its restrictive DRM policies and a focus on Kinect and digital TV instead of gaming, which resulted in its competitor Sony taking the ball and running with it. In the next two years, MS managed to somewhat regain the goodwill of gamers by reversing its DRM policies, removing the mandatory Kinect requirement, dropping the price by $100, and reintroducing backward compatibility with its predecessor. A return to its core franchises such as ''Forza'' and ''Halo'', as well as new [=IPs=] such as ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'' and ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest'', doesn't hurt either.
* The UsefulNotes/GameBoy was this for Nintendo's handheld devices. Prior to the Game Boy, the UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch was Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s first piece of handheld hardware, and was a success by all means. However, each game was its own separate unit, and it was later overshadowed in the west by the runaway success of the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem. Enter the Game Boy, which was more or less a portable NES (albeit without color, at least for [[UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor a decade]]), and ended up taking the world by storm with games like ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'', ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'', ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand'', ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'', and later on, ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue''. Its [[MadeOfIndestructium insane durability]] and lengthy battery life also helped, thus allowing for a proper gaming experience on the go. Ever since then, Nintendo's continued to build upon the success of the Game Boy with new handheld devices for each generation (and essentially conquering the handheld market to a near-monopoly, save for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable), eventually culminating in the first mainstream hybrid console, the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Burnout}}'' series started out poor, with the initial game being not very well received. Its [[VideoGame/Burnout2PointOfImpact second installment]] was better, though it was really the [[VideoGame/Burnout3Takedown third title]] that could be considered the beard-growing moment, with the game's addition of the Takedown maneuver.

* It's generally seen that ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters '96'', the third game in the series, was when ''[=KOF=]'' started to take off. ''[='96=]'' added running and dodge-rolling in place of dashing and spot-dodging, two mechanics that helped set ''[=KOF=]'' apart from other fighting games, as well as making the overall gameplay smoother and more accessible. The theme tune to ''[='98=]'' even acknowledges it; the pieces were in place in '96 (though in context, that's actually referring to the game bringing the "{{Orochi}}" aspect of the Orochi Saga to the fore).

** This is mirrored in the driving segments. In the first game you operated the M-35 Mako, an AwesomePersonnelCarrier with extremely unintuitive physics and wonky controls. The second game replaced the Mako with the Hammerhead hovertank and made driving sequences optional. ''III'' found the best solution: [[KnowWhenToFoldEm removed 'em entirely]].

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfArise'' holds one of the highest Metacritic ratings to date for the series and has attracted a fair degree of mainstream notice, including winning RPG of the Year at the Video Game Awards in 2021. It has the best chance of any Tales game of dethroning Symphonia as the best-selling game in the series. This is especially remarkable with critics complaining the past few games were formulaic and somewhat outdated, and especially with the criticism TalesOfZestiria attracted.

* No one will say the first two ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' games are less than stellar, but ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' is when the series started growing its facial hair. Better accessibility, combat versatility, deeper characterization, and better animation are just a few of the many improvements that were brought to the series and used for every game since. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement It should be noted, however, that this franchise has a very divided fanbase and this view is highly contested]], with just as many fans saying that [[ContestedSequel Kingdom Hearts II is where everything went wrong.]]

* The UsefulNotes/GameBoy was this for Nintendo's handheld devices. Prior to the Game Boy, the UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch was Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s first piece of handheld hardware, and was a success by all means. However, each game was its own separate unit, and it was later overshadowed in the west by the runaway success of the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem. Enter the Game Boy, which was more or less a portable NES (albeit without color, at least for [[UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor a decade]]), and ended up taking the world by storm with games like ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'', ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'', ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand'', ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'', and later on, ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue''. Its [[MadeOfIndestructium insane durability]] and lengthy battery life also helped, thus allowing for a proper gaming experience on the go. Ever since then, Nintendo's continued to build upon the success of the Game Boy with new handheld devices for each generation (and essentially conquering the handheld market to a near-monopoly, save for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable), eventually culminating in the first mainstream hybrid console, the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

** Localization-wise, ''Puyo Puyo'' games have had a history of having shoddy work done on them, with the exception of ''Puyo Pop'' on GBA. This includes spelling mistakes, translation oversights, [[InconsistentDub inconsistent]] [[SpellMyNameWithAnS names]], and lousy voice acting. ''Puyo Puyo Tetris'' is a HUGE leap in quality in this regard, even making clever improvements in some areas.

* The first two ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}'' were notable entries in the horizontal ShootEmUp genre, but got much criticism for issues like [[ContinuingIsPainful punishing player death harshly]] and their [[CutAndPasteEnvironments heavy reuse of level design and background graphics]]. Furthermore, the game's use of multiple monitors, while [[DancingBear attention-grabbing]], made it difficult to port the series to home systems, with ports having to be [[ReformulatedGame heavily modified]] while the SNES-exclusive games were considered unremarkable for various reasons. Many players consider ''Darius Gaiden'' as the series breakout moment; the switch to the Taito F3 arcade board came with a massive upgrade to the already-great production values, levels were more varied in both graphics and design, boss battles became more intense and creative with multiple phases and elaborate attacks, and the game featured concessions to less skilled players such as less punishing penalty for failure and the addition of [[SmartBomb blackhole bombs]] while still remaining very challenging. ''Gaiden'' would also lean harder in the series surreal and psychedelic themes, which would define the series from that point on.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' deserves a spotlight, as fans can generally agree this happened twice. When the game initially launched, it received mostly negative reviews. As a result, its original management was replaced by Creator/NaokiYoshida who implemented a plan to reboot the game. The reboot, ''A Realm Reborn'' received critical acclaim, with a lot of people who lambasted the game turning around to say it's a must play. However, a ''A Realm Reborn'' was plagued with some issues that to this day, can make it a slog for people to get through. But the first expansion, ''Heavensward'', ironed out a lot of these issues and coupled with a well-received story, helped cement the MMO as a major force. Then there's ''Shadowbringers'', which added several features (such as the trust system, which allows you to play through storyline dungeons with the [=NPCs=] you've been traveling with as your party members as opposed to other players) that brought the game from just another good MMO to a legitimate challenger for the greatest MMO of all time.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' deserves a spotlight, as fans can generally agree this happened twice. When the game initially launched, it received mostly negative reviews. As a result, its original management was replaced by Creator/NaokiYoshida who implemented a plan to reboot the game. The reboot, ''A Realm Reborn'' received critical acclaim, with a lot of people who lambasted the game turning around to say it's a must play. However, a ''A Realm Reborn'' was plagued with some issues that to this day, can make it a slog for people to get through. But the first expansion, ''Heavensward'', ironed out a lot of these issues and coupled with a well-received story, helped cement the MMO as a major force.
*** On top of this, Shadowbringers deserves its own mention. While the game was anything but bad before, Shadowbringers added several features (such as the trust system, which allows you to play through storyline dungeons with the [=NPCs=] you've been traveling with as your party members as opposed to other players) that brought the game from just another good MMO to a legitimate challenger for the greatest MMO of all time.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' deserves a spotlight, as fans can generally agree this happened twice. When the game initially launched, it received mostly negative reviews. As a result, its original management was replaced by Naoki Yoshida who implemented a plan to reboot the game. The reboot, ''A Realm Reborn'' received critical acclaim, with a lot of people who lambasted the game turning around to say it's a must play. However, a ''A Realm Reborn'' was plagued with some issues that to this day, can make it a slog for people to get through. But the first expansion, ''Heavensward'', ironed out a lot of these issues and coupled with a well-received story, helped cement the MMO as a major force.

** EA occasionally gifts games to its users. And it's not shovelware, as classics like ''Sim City 2000'' and ''Theme Hospital'' were given away, as were some newer titles, such as ''Dragon Age: Origins.''

** You can refund the games within a certain amount of time. This was one of the more high profile features the service offered that Steam didn't (Steam would eventually add it, though not as flexible as Origin's; this was only due to a major AAA game using Steam having such an atrocious port that Valve was forced to implement a refund mechanic, or they otherwise still likely wouldn't have one).

* ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' started as a fairly standard shooter MMO with some fairly interesting, if poorly explained, enemies.... then come The House of Wolves expansion where a Fallen with delusions of [[Main/AGodAmI Godhood]] who managed to be a recurring enemy. And then there's The Taken King. Not only did The Taken King add a massive new zone with an unsettling design, but it also added a new enemy faction that were challenging and memorable in spite of being palette swaps of pre-exsisting enemies, as well as new story content that put an emphasis on character dynamics between members of your MissionControl.