History GrowingTheBeard / VideoGames

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfEternia''. After ''Symphonia's'' success, many players explored the earlier games in the series, and found that much of what they praised in ''Symphonia'' [[OlderThanTheyThink originated]] in ''Eternia''. Story-wise, it started the trend of narrative {{Deconstructed Trope}}s such as the Light World vs Dark World conflict and the assumptions that come with it and {{Deconstructed Character Archetype}}s such as the traumatic origins of Farah's ChronicHeroSyndrome and Meredy's [[TheManchild childish behavior]]. Gameplay-wise it was the first game to have all magic performed in real-time instead of freezing the action, making the battle system much more engaging, it introduced the first real character customization system in the Craymel Cages, and it had two separate and very different world maps instead of the time travel used in ''Phantasia''. To player's who have played both games, ''Eternia's'' influence on ''Symphonia'' is clearly visible.

* While the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' was already pretty popular in Japan, it didn't make much of a splash outside of its home country upon the releases of ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'' or ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia''. Few people ever played them due to a lack of advertising or interest, and those who did generally found the gameplay to be somewhat clunky. The 2003 series entry ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' is where the series really began to take off. The decision to release it only on the Nintedo Gamecube (at the time) brought ''Symphonia'' a lot of attention it wouldn't have otherwise received, as the console was pretty starved for [=RPGs=] upon release. Even beyond that, ''Symphonia'' refined the story, music, graphics, character customization, and game mechanics of the series to a tee. The mechanics in particular would be ones that every ''Tales'' game that came after would borrow at least something from. ''Symphonia'' is still the best-selling ''Tales'' game of all time, the first to break one million copies worldwide, and it's generally referred to as '''the''' quintessential example of everything about the ''Tales'' series at its best.
** An earlier but less well-known example is ''VideoGame/TalesOfEternia''. After ''Symphonia's'' success, many players explored the earlier games in the series, and found that much of what they praised in ''Symphonia'' [[OlderThanTheyThink originated]] in ''Eternia''. Story-wise, it started the trend of narrative {{Deconstructed Trope}}s such as the Light World vs Dark World conflict and the assumptions that come with it and {{Deconstructed Character Archetype}}s such as the traumatic origins of Farah's ChronicHeroSyndrome and Meredy's [[ManChild childish behavior]]. Gameplay-wise it was the first game to have all magic performed in real-time instead of freezing the action, making the battle system much more engaging, it introduced the first real character customization system in the Craymel Cages, and it had two separate and very different world maps instead of the time travel used in ''Phantasia''. To player's who have played both games, ''Eternia's'' influence on ''Symphonia'' is clearly visible.

** An earlier but less well-known example is ''VideoGame/TalesOfEternia''. After ''Symphonia's'' success, many players explored the earlier games in the series, and found that much of what they praised in ''Symphonia'' [[OlderThanTheyThink originated]] in ''Eternia''. Story-wise, it started the trend of narrative {{Deconstructed Trope}}s such as the Light World vs Dark World conflict and the assumptions that come with it and {{Deconstructed Character Archetype}}s such as the traumatic origins of Farah's ChronicHeroSyndrome and Meredy's [[TheManchild childish behavior]]. Gameplay-wise it was the first game to have all magic performed in real-time instead of freezing the action, making the battle system much more engaging, it introduced the first real character customization system in the Craymel Cages, and it had two separate and very different world maps instead of the time travel used in ''Phantasia''. To player's who have played both games, ''Eternia's'' influence on ''Symphonia'' is clearly visible.

* 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. The [=PlayStation 4=] is the fastest selling console ''in history.''

* 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 [[TonkaTough 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.

* While the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' was already pretty popular in Japan, it didn't make much of a splash outside of its home country upon the releases of ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'' or ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia''. Few people ever played them due to a lack of advertising or interest, and those who did generally found the gameplay to be somewhat clunky. The 2001 series entry ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' is where the series really began to take off. The decision to release it only on the Nintedo Gamecube (at the time) brought ''Symphonia'' a lot of attention it wouldn't have otherwise received, as the console was pretty starved for [=RPGs=] upon release. Even beyond that, ''Symphonia'' refined the story, music, graphics, character customization, and game mechanics of the series to a tee. The mechanics in particular would be ones that every ''Tales'' game that came after would borrow at least something from. ''Symphonia'' is still the best-selling ''Tales'' game of all time, the first to break one million copies worldwide, and it's generally referred to as '''the''' quintessential example of everything about the ''Tales'' series at its best.

* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'', despite being a mechanically sound fusion of FPS and RPG elements, was rather bland and repetitive until the [=DLCs=]. One of the major complaints about the base game was that it took itself too seriously, unlike the expansions, which had far more humor. Now that it has found its true voice, ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' took the style and ran with it [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel to great acclaim]].

* The first two ''Franchise/MetalGear'' games are cult classic stealth games that have a fairly standard action movie plot. 10 years later, the [[SequelDisplacement sequel]], ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' [[{{Deconstruction}} turned the concept on its head]] and added more MindScrew. It became one the most recognised games of all time.

** 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.''
* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' was this for the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' series. While the others were certainly good games, this was the installment that made the series famous. It was the first to come to the US without having various changes and also introduced the social link system.
** Not just ''Persona''. This is considered to be the game that made the entire ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series big in the west, and ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' proceeded to make it even more well known. The irony here is that the ''Persona'' series has never had the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' supertitle in Japan - that was added to the Western releases for whatever scrap of brand recognition they could muster.

* ''VideoGame/SoundVoltex Booth'' featured a lot of so-so remixes of Music/{{BEMANI}} songs, many of which make odd use of Music/{{Vocaloid}}s, and some very old ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' remxies like "Cirno's Perfect Math Class" and "Bad Apple!! feat. nomico". However, ''Sound Voltex II -infinite infection-'' is where many fans felt that the series started to get very good, featuring higher song quality, more original songs, and new chart elements along with much better charting styles.

* ''VideoGame/StarControl'' was a relatively popular turn-based strategy game including a spaceship melee mode a la VideoGame/{{Spacewar}}. The sequel, ''Star Control 2'' increased the scope of the original with a story-driven adventure mode and various other elements. ''Star Control 2'' went on to become widely considered one of the best video games of all time. Alas, [[CanonDiscontinuity there was no]] ''Star Control 3''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' was this for the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' series. While the others were certainly good games, this was the installment that made the series famous. It was the first to come to the US without having been butchered by borderline racist translators and also introduced the social link system.

* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' started out with a rather boring story, full of PlotHoles, with about 2 three-dimensional characters in the entire game. It started growing its beard with the expansions, but the real potential of the engine didn't really emerge until the greatest works of toolset manipulation (''VideoGame/ADanceWithRogues'', ''Sanctum of the Archmage'', ''VideoGame/TheBastardOfKosigan'', the ''Shadowlords'' series, and more) started to show up.

* While the [[VideoGame/DragonQuestI first]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestII two]] games weren't exactly ''un''popular by any means, ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'' was pretty much when the series became what it was today. It was the TropeCodifier of [=JRPGs=], and for that matter, most [=RPGs=] at the time. Video games that were well-received like ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'' would honestly ''not'' have been what they were without ''Dragon Quest III'' providing the building blocks. For that matter, ''Dragon Quest III'' was so popular that ''IX'' was somewhat of a GenreThrowback to ''III'', featuring the fully customisable party members (rather than pre-made characters) and a JObSystem most comparable to ''III''.

** Not just ''Persona''. This is considered to be the game that made the entire ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series big in the west, and ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' proceeded to make it even more well known.

* 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.

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' was this for the ''VideoGame/{{Persona}}'' series. While the others were certainly good games, this was the installment that made the series famous. It was the first to come to the US without having been butchered by borderline racist translators and also introduced the social link system.

** ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' (developed by Creator/ObsidianEntertainment) was accused of doing much the same thing, via another hackneyed and cliched plotline, linear maps, tons of bugs and one of the most infamous uses of RocksFallEverybodyDies. The first expansion, ''Mask of the Betrayer'' (also developed by Obsidian), improved on just about everything in the base game. In addition to retconning the ending, it had many well-written companions, a shorter and more focused storyline and less linear areas, to the point that it's one of the most critically-revered expansions of all time and is often mentioned in the same breath as ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment''! It even had people who hated the game at a loss for words how a company could go one polar extreme to the other.

** Season One grew the beard with Abraham Lincoln Must Die. It's no coincidence that this is the episode that's given out for free (for good reasons).

* The [[VideoGame/StreetFighterI first Street Fighter]] was nothing impressive at the time and also had an appalling control scheme that required you to physically strike a pad to punch or kick (with the strength of your attack depending on how hard you hit it) alongside ridiculously strict inputs for special moves. To say [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII the second installment in the series]] is better than the first is not an opinion, ''it's a universally agreed upon fact!'' SFII took the few good things the original had going for it, expanded on them tenfold, and laid down the foundations for the fighting game genre as we know it today; the game brought us things like mulitple playable characters, normal moves that could be cancelled into specials, and of course, [[AscendedGlitch combos]].

* In a hardware example, 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. The [=PlayStation 4=] is the fastest selling console ''in history.''

* The [[VideoGame/StreetFighterI first Street Fighter]] was nothing impressive at the time and also had an appalling control scheme that (supposedly) measured the strength of your punches and kicks. To say [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII the second installment in the series]] is better than the first is not an opinion, ''it's a universally agreed upon fact!'' i.e SFII took the few good things the original had going for it, expanded up on them tenfold while also leaving in a little glitch that would [[AscendedGlitch forever change the history of competitive fighting games]]. Oh and the controls were a ''lot'' less perplexing to figure out too!

* ''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/BaldursGate'' to a certain extent. Although still a commercial success and critically acclaimed, the first game almost paled in comparison to the vast improvements in narration, interactions, level design, quest-writing, immersion and character development of the second game, which is regarded as one of the best and most influential RPGs of all times. Even now many veteran players actually started the saga by playing the sequel first, and only later the original game. Besides, of the two games, the sequel is the one which aged better from the point of view of graphics and UI, and its engine (an improved version of the first game) became the platform from which the Enhanced Editions were made (thus, the EE of the first game runs with the updated engine of the second game).

* ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' revolutionized mascot racing during its time by having 8 characters in a race and having tracks with complex designs and obstacles. ''Mario Kart 64'' took it a step further when the series made the leap to 3D by having better designed tracks, more items, and up to 4 people could play the game on the same console. ''Mario Kart DS'' led the way for online play for the series. ''Mario Kart Wii'' led the way for global-wide battles. ''Mario Kart 8'' allowed players to upload their races to Youtube directly via Mario Kart TV.

** The series has long suffered from BrokenBase Syndrome, with later games being generally less well-regarded. There are some dedicated purists who refuse to ever acknowledge any game after the fourth, but among the more open-minded fans, ''VideoGame/SilentHillShatteredMemories'' has achieved a cult following and some think of it as when the series grew its second beard. That [[VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour latest game]] has been quite better received critically and among fans than several games previous speaks of some truth to the idea.

* While the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' was already pretty popular in Japan, it didn't make much of a splash stateside upon the releases of ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'' or ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'', as few people ever played them. However, ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' is where the series really began to take off. The decision to release it only on the Nintedo Gamecube (at the time) brought ''Symphonia'' a lot of attention it wouldn't have otherwise received, as the console was pretty starved for [=RPGs=] upon release. Even beyond that, ''Symphonia'' refined the story, music, graphics, character customization, and game mechanics of the series to a tee. The mechanics in particular would be ones that every ''Tales'' game that came after would borrow at least something from. ''Symphonia'' is still the best-selling ''Tales'' game of all time, the first to break one million copies worldwide, and it's generally referred to as '''the''' quintessential example of everything about the ''Tales'' series at its best.