History Main / ItsTheSameNowItSucks

** One of the most common criticisms of ''Film/GhostbustersII'' is that its plot is a pale imitation of [[Film/{{Ghostbusters}} the original]].

** Though this trope hit harder with ''Film/GhostbustersAfterlife''. The movie ran on PanderingToTheBase, bringing back just about everything from the original movie, including a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute to Slimer and downright [[spoiler:having the ending be the same, with Gozer again being the villain and a reunion of the original team.]] While fan reaction was overall positive, those unimpressed among reviewers and audiences complained about that overreliance on nostalgia that led to repetitiveness.

* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' has been criticized by many fans to follow a formulaic plot where Ash goes to a new region with only Pikachu, builds a regional team mostly composed of starter Pokémon (and the regional bird), fights 8 Gym Leaders, and partake in the regional Pokémon League only to fall short of being the actual winner, with the process being repeated in the next region. This is not helped by the fact that many individual episodes reuse same plot lines and character arcs (albeit with different characters) because of the anime's long and formulaic run, as well as the fact that the anime adapts a lot of the storylines from the games which is also felt to be formulaic and tiresome. Later series like ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon'' and ''Anime/PokemonJourneysTheSeries'' would stop using the Gym Quest altogether and make Ash's journey a lot more unpredictable (such as him actually winning a Pokémon League) just to avoid repeating the same story beats, but it only highlighted the limitations of Ash as the main protagonist of the anime since many fans felt they can't see Ash doing any Gym Quest again [[spoiler:after becoming the World Champion]] despite the anime's main purpose being advertising the games and their features. Unsurprisingly, the anime retired Ash and Pikachu and ''Anime/PokemonHorizonsTheSeries'' features a completely original plot unrelated to the game's storyline.

* The ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'' anime gets hit with this a lot, in the west at least. While it still has its fans, people who grew up with the show initially tend to find the anime to be predictable and bland, citing the lack of a strong central story and the formulaic nature of the episodes.

* Mainly the reason [[LightNovel/{{Slayers}} Slayers Revolution/Evolution-R]] didn't go over too well with the fans. But it's true that they did bring back a series 10+ years later just to retread the first season and bring back a villain who's already been killed twice, and not bother to advance the rating of the series but air it at night during the adult crowd...

* One of the biggest criticisms of ''Literature/EromangaSensei'' even among fans is that the story is basically a re-hash of the author's previous work ''LightNovel/{{Oreimo}}''. Boy finds out his sister is a [[ClosetGeek closeted otaku]]/CovertPervert, he bonds over her secret which eventually leads to BrotherSisterIncest, an ElegantGothicLolita is involved with the Harem, etc. Just add more controversy by making said sister [[TokenMiniMoe even younger]] than Kirino.

* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnlineAlternativeGunGaleOnline'', Squad Jam 3 ends up being functionally very similar to the first two. Since there's less at stake, (namely [[spoiler:no one's betting their lives this time]]), and Karen/LLENN was rather apathetic about participating, some readers found little reason to care.

* The page image compares the 1960 and 1998 versions of the film ''Film/{{Psycho}}''. Gus Van Sant basically made a shot-for-shot remake of Creator/AlfredHitchcock's film, only it was in color and had stereo sound. The film was thrashed by critics and audiences for that reason.
* Film/JamesBond:

[[caption-width-right:350:''"The most dramatic difference [is] the addition of a masturbation scene. That's appropriate, since this new ''Psycho'' evokes the real thing in an attempt to re-create remembered passion."'' -- Creator/RogerEbert, who rated the remake 1.5/4.]]

* Creator/NeillBlomkamp is being criticized by some on the fact that, after his promising and much-praised film debut ''Film/DistrictNine'', he's essentially recycling the same story and themes but with increasingly worse results. Namely, {{anvilicious}} films set in squalid South African suburbs in the near future, having the actors paired with aliens/robots and other special effects, and lots of stylized violence; all things that come from his earlier short films, which were then expanded into his feature films. It's telling that he hasn't done a proper film since 2015's ''Film/{{Chappie}}''.

** The film continuing Disney Animation and Pixar's The New Twenties trend of [[spoiler:[[NoAntagonist not having an explicit villain]]]], particularly just months after ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' [[spoiler:similarly featured generational trauma as the primary antagonistic force]], led to some criticism of the trend, with many comparing it to Disney's UsefulNotes/TheNewTens trend of twist villains and mourning the loss of traditionally memorable Disney villains. Though some compared it more favorably with ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' [[spoiler:as Ming doesn't veer as sharply into WhatTheHellHero territory compared with Alma and the Madrigals' abandonment of Bruno]].

* One of the biggest criticisms of ''Literature/MidnightSun2020'' is that it heavily overlaps with the plot of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', with the only major difference being that the story is now told from Edward's perspective rather than Bella's. Many readers have found that unlike other examples of {{Perspective Flip}}s, having Edward as the narrator doesn't really change the story or the way we view the characters significantly, nor does it expand upon the lore much; hence, it largely comes off as the exact same story as ''Twilight'', only about 200 pages longer. It doesn't help that we've already had two other retellings of the first novel: the [[TheFilmOfTheBook 2008 movie adaptation]] (which incorporated some of the draft chapters of this novel into its script) and the gender-flipped ''Literature/LifeAndDeathTwilightReimagined''.

This trope must be distinguished from TheyCopiedItSoItSucks, where ''different material'' is considered to be too similar. With It's the Same, Now It Sucks, the problem is that different installments of the SAME THING (such as remakes, adaptations, parodies, sequels etc.) are considered to be too slavishly imitative of their original material.

->''"The attitude of ''Halo 5'' seems to be that if you keep chewing the bubblegum maybe the flavour will eventually somehow come back."''
-->-- '''Yahtzee''', ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' on ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians''

* One of the biggest criticisms of ''LightNovel/EromangaSensei'' even among fans is that the story is basically a re-hash of the author's previous work ''LightNovel/{{Oreimo}}''. Boy finds out his sister is a [[ClosetGeek closeted otaku]]/CovertPervert, he bonds over her secret which eventually leads to BrotherSisterIncest, an ElegantGothicLolita is involved with the Harem, etc. Just add more controversy by making said sister [[TokenMiniMoe even younger]] than Kirino.

** The film continuing Disney Animation and Pixar's The New Twenties trend of [[spoiler:[[NoAntagonist not having an explicit villain]]]], particularly just months after [[spoiler:''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' similarly featured generational trauma as the primary antagonistic force]], led to some criticism of the trend, with many comparing it to Disney's UsefulNotes/TheNewTens trend of twist villains and mourning the loss of traditionally memorable Disney villains. Though some compared it more favorably with [[spoiler:''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' as Ming doesn't veer as sharply into WhatTheHellHero territory compared with Alma and the Madrigals' abandonment of Bruno]].

* The ''Film/Ghostbusters2016'' movie draws a lot of inspiration from the original ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}'' movies. While it does its own thing in different parts of the movie, you can see similar aspects throughout the whole thing. Even the SequelHook is connected to the [[Film/Ghostbusters1984 first movie]].

* ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' had a strip years ago that played with this trope. Jason was tired of waiting for the sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' to come out, so he created his own sequel. He showed his brother his game, "Here's the observatory and here's the library..." and Peter said, "Wait, these are all the same levels of the first game. What makes this different?" The computer then beeped and said, "Warning, [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs velociraptor approaching]]." Jason replied, "You have to solve the puzzles a little faster now."

!!Works with their own pages:

* ''ItsTheSameNowItSucks/SuperSmashBros''

* ''Westernanimation/TheLionKing2019'' was deeply criticized for just being the original animated movie remade with photorealistic graphics (which downright didn't qualify it as LiveActionAdaptation, unlike ''Film/TheJungleBook2016'', made by the same director, which at least had a human) and padded to two hours with scenes barely expanded on certain side characters.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'' has been attacked for having gameplay nearly identical to that of ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}''. The narrative and humor has also received similar criticism for relying on the formula of pop-culture references and internet memes. For some fans and reviewers, the ''Pre-Sequel'' did not innovate the existing gameplay or at the least fix more broken mechanics despite being the 3rd installment in the series.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' has received this complaint at least in the US, which isn't surprising given the conservative nature of the series compared to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''. ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'', the first post-Super Nintendo installment, was especially bashed for not really pushing forward with the gameplay or the graphics. Since Enix and Square merged, it seems they've been trying to expand the series with more online multiplayer options and with more immersing gameplay, but given the series' huge popularity in Japan it's unlikely they'll experiment with the fundamentals of the series that much.
* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar 2'' had a list of detractors who would frequently say things like "Everything looks the same. The chainsaw bayonet, the roadie-run, the torque bow... they're just remaking the first game." Apparently it was a big enough concern that X-Play's review deliberately said something to the effect of, "This is not Gears 1.5, it is a real sequel." Upon launch, no one has complained that it is just a rehash of the first game, it was much bigger and better. Instead, everyone cried TheyChangedItNowItSucks regarding the shotgun nerf. Or, if you're a lancer guy, then you got the problem of a shotgun which seemed to be more overpowered than ever.
* ''VideoGame/Hitman2'' had complaints by fans and critics that the game is too similar to ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'', with very few changes to the stealth gameplay formula, and this complaint would also return with ''VideoGame/Hitman3''. However, there were ''reasons'' behind these sequels; ''2016'' had developers IO Interactive be dropped by publisher Square Enix, and so ''2'' was made with the help of Warner [=Bros.=] instead, and then the company decided to go independent to avoid publishers altogether (outside of physical copies of the games).
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' was TheyChangedItNowItSucks for many... and later, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' was accused of this trope by [[BrokenBase some.]] Actually, every single entry of the series ever since ''Ocarina of Time'' (if not even earlier than that) has received both of these at the same time. One second you find a comment trashing the game for not changing the ''Zelda'' formula at all, demeaning its new features as "gimmicks", and the next second you find another one that trashes it because those "gimmicks" are new features that totally change (and ruin) the ''Zelda'' formula.
** Of course, ''TP'' was purposefully designed that way, since Creator/{{Nintendo}} vowed that it would be "the last ''Zelda'' game as you know it" before the gameplay of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' was retired. Similar to ''Ocarina'' changing ''Zelda'' to fit 3D and analog control or ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'' changing ''Zelda'' to properly fit the DS' stylus control, the series received a major overhaul for ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' to become a proper Wii game. ''Twilight Princess'' shipping for the Wii at all was something of a fluke, caused by [[DevelopmentHell excessive]] [[{{Vaporware}} delays]] during its initially GCN-only development.
** Some people accused ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]'' of being this to ''Phantom Hourglass''. The trailer and plot summary dispelled this, however, to the point of one article writer at Zelda Informer '''issuing a public apology to Nintendo for ever doubting them'''.
** The two lowest reviews for ''Skyward Sword'' use both this trope ''and'' the [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks polar opposite.]]
** Ironically, the fanbase by and large ''loves'' ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds A Link Between Worlds]]'' because it is almost literally ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' using ''Ocarina''-era tropes and gimmicks.
* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
** ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' was the first Super Mario Bros. game in a while that played similar to the original ''SMB''. Guess what its biggest complaint was.
** ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'' was described as just ''New Super Mario Bros.'' for DS put on Wii, despite the better graphical rendering, new platforming obstacles not possible on DS or previous consoles, or the fact that the game had four player multiplayer in all its levels in addition to a fairly large VS mode.
** ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros2'' and ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU'' got a lot of flak for being too similar to ''Wii'', especially music-wise. Both games had a small number of new tracks and most of the soundtrack being re-arrangements and recycled songs. ''New Super Luigi U'' doesn't get this as much, most likely because it's DownloadableContent (despite its commercial release), alters the physics to a notable degree, and replaces Mario with Nabbit.
** Miyamoto himself accused the beta of ''VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar'' of being "too similar to ''[[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor The Thousand Year Door]]''" and convinced the developers to do away with the plot. [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks The result, of course]], [[BrokenBase was greeted poorly by the fans]]. And even then, it still suffered from this in a different way, in that one of the complaints was how it intentionally lacked new characters (design-wise at least) save for Kersti, while the characters in the series's previous installments became [[EnsembleDarkhorse very well-known.]]
** ''VideoGame/PaperMarioColorSplash'' got this reaction right out of the gate for being essentially ''Sticker Star 2'', a game that was poorly received on its own to begin with.
** Ironically, ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels'' (the Japanese ''Super Mario Bros. 2'') was treated as being too samey in the eyes of Nintendo's American branch. Nintendo of America felt that the game was just ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros'', but more difficult, so they decided to localize and rebrand ''VideoGame/DokiDokiPanic'' as ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' for North America.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', while a solid game overall, was pretty much a MissionPackSequel with similar level designs, concepts, and power-ups, which was a bit unusual for the Mario series.
* Hanging around the Website/GameFAQs message board for it, people complain that ''[[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsKingAbaddon Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. Abaddon-Ou]]'' is too similar to ''Devil Summoner: VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy.'' Considering how many people complained that the first game was a great ''idea'' that needed more improvements, you'd be surprised anyone would make this complaint considering how Atlus did ''exactly'' what they asked for (i.e. same engine, better battles, more demons, deeper story, etc.). Then again, these are gamers and gamers...[[UnpleasableFanbase you know the drill.]]
** The issue was that the 3D-over-2D-backgrounds engine of the first game (which was badly-dated even when it was first published) was the main thing that needed improvement. Most of the complaints were that they reused it rather than coming up with something else, not that the gameplay was the same.
* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' received criticism for three things: the controversial ending, [[spoiler:pulling a DecoyProtagonist with the fan favorite PlayerCharacter Kaede and replacing her with a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute for previous player characters]], but the only one related to the gameplay was its inability to shake up the stagnating and predictable StrictlyFormula followed by the previous installments. Several murder cases became predictable based on the fact that they didn't try anything new on the game besides [[spoiler:killing a protagonist]]. While this was not a problem in the previous game, since the parallels between the first and the second killing game were actually a plot point, the re-utilization of the formula was received as poorly-written and unoriginal. Besides that, FranchiseOriginalSin was very strong on this installment, with several recurring elements, such as [[spoiler:the relatively normal male protagonist in comparison to the rest of the cast and the unsympathetic murderer]] becoming annoying to fans.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** The series in whole tends to get a lot of this, especially in regards to the core gameplay remaining as the monster count climbs. In general, The Pokémon Company's strategy seems to be to keep the main titles to the formula while releasing periodic spinoffs - if you want a Pokémon action game, there's ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRanger Ranger]]'' or ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRumble Rumble]]''. If you want an RPG with a deeper plot, there are the ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' games. Some people just seem to think they don't count because they aren't part of the main series.
** One complaint of ''[=FireRed=]''/''[=LeafGreen=]'' is how slavishly it adheres to using ''only'' the original 151 Pokémon until the National Dex is acquired by disallowing trading with ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' and tampering with the evolution system - evolutions introduced after ''Red/Blue'' like Crobat and Blissey are automatically cancelled when their conditions are met, the Day Care Center only allows one Pokémon at a time, preventing breeding (and access to pre-evolutions like Pichu and Magby) until access to the Sevii Islands' Day Care, and the day/night cycle is gone completely, meaning no Espeon or Umbreon for you. That being said, the remakes of ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' avert this and allow you to get (pre)evolutions introduced after the original games without needing the National Dex.
** The Fire/Fighting-type is very unpopular among fans since it's shared among the final forms of ''three'' starter families (Blaziken, Inernape and Emboar), all introduced one after the other (and despite being a Fire/Dark Pokémon, the final form of Litten's line is a "cat wrestler"). With seven generations of ''Pokémon'', this means that just under ''half'' of the Fire-type starters all become Fire/Fighting, leaving very little in the way for inspiration and variation.
** ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'' are divisive games among fans for being mostly unchanged iterations of ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'', which came out only one year prior. Beyond a few new additions, the story and progression through the world remain unchanged from before[[labelnote:*]]or in the former's case, made worse due to new elements and [[AdaptationalHeroism certain controversial character rewrites]] not meshing well with it[[/labelnote]], and some hold the opinion that what the games did add could/should have been DownloadableContent for the original pair.
** ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl]]'', similar to ''[=FireRed=] and [=LeafGreen=]'', got a lot of this as fans derided it for being "too similar" to the original DP. The lack of ''Platinum'' content, including the Platinum Dex, only made things worse. It certainly doesn't help when it appears that "faithfulness" was used as a pretense for laziness. From a graphical standpoint, the only real change made to the DS games that came out in ''2007'' for hardware a fraction as powerful was that the sprites for characters and Pokemon are replaced with 3D models. But the models are even more chibi-ified than they were in ''Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire'' outside of battle as a further callback to the 2D sprites, and the characters weren't subject to redesigns as was the case with past remakes. And believe it or not, this actually makes the graphics even worse than they were back then, due to the uncanny valley effect generated by the botched attempt to mimic a 2D aesthetic with 3D Models.
* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingCityFolk'' received plenty of criticism for being too much like its predecessors. (Specifically, it's an almost to the letter Wii port of ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingWildWorld'', except Kapp'n drives a bus instead of a taxi and can take you to a city where a few shops/characters have been moved to.)
* The reason why the ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' series is hated by reviewers. Even if they make what most people would consider major changes to the combat scheme, it will still get panned as more of the same. Dynasty Warriors is also unique in that this trope is subverted among its fanbase, or rather, that the fanbase has always held the opposite opinion to the reviewers on this issue. This was shown with the backlash when 6 tried to change things up, mostly because what they tried (Renbu) was not well implemented.
* Plot has always been a strength of the ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}'' series, so when ''Avernum 4'' turned out to have the exact same plot as ''Avernum 3'', [[BrokenBase many fans of the earlier games were not at all happy]].
* The ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series has been a victim of this trope since the release of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'', with purists missing the days when ''Castlevania'' titles weren't all {{Metroidvania}}s.
* The second and third ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' games on the DS got some flak for having the same gameplay but no DS-exclusive features or levels, unlike the first game's remake, which had a bonus case.
* ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore'' gets this fairly frequently, as well, the biggest complaint being the antiquated control scheme (using the ''shoulder buttons'' to look up and down instead of the second analog stick which has that feature in almost ''every other game ever'' but wasn't used for anything in ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore'' for far too long).
* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' has the special distinction of being this trope ''and'' Main/TheyChangedItNowItSucks. The game received complaints about the gameplay and the artstyle for the characters being too different, meanwhile the game's level themes, special stages, gimmicks, bosses, and enemies were criticized as shallow copies from mostly ''[[VideoGame/SonictheHedgehog1 Sonic 1]]'' and/or ''[[VideoGame/SonictheHedgehog2 Sonic 2]]''.
** Following ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''[='=]s highly-praised original release on the Dreamcast, the game received the ''Battle'' port to the [=GameCube=] port that while having some added perks (namely the expanded multiplayer mode) and having some assets changed around, was otherwise largely watertight to the Dreamcast version. Despite coming out only six months after the Dreamcast release, ''Battle'' received a more tepid response from reviewers, the main reason (ironically enough) being that reviewers felt the re-release should had done more to improve from the DC version.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'':
** The series was infamous for [[StrictlyFormula sticking to its formula]] of pre-rendered, fixed camera zombie hunting, even after it moved from the [=PlayStation=] to the [=GameCube=] (only the made-for-Dreamcast ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'', eschewed the pre-rendered backgrounds in favor of real-time ones). ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' underwent a massive genre shift to more action-oriented gameplay and was widely acclaimed. Then ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' came along and was called a rehashed ''[=RE4=]''.
** Proof that Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' was nearly finished when Capcom executives thought the game was too similar to the first one and didn't expand on the playable areas enough (it would have been confined to a mansion again, basically). The game was redone and the end result was what is generally considered the best game of the "pre-rendered" era of RE.
* When ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' was announced to be on the [=PS2=], and using the exact same engine and practically the same system as ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', it met with skepticism from fans that they were just cashing in on P3 (especially with P3:FES, a remake of [=P3=], also being announced), instead of pushing the game forward into the next generation with a [=PS3=] or UsefulNotes/Xbox360 title. Of course, then the game came out.
** While the gameplay was a welcome change from ''Persona 3,'' the story and characters of ''Persona 4'' were accused of being too similar to its predecessor.
* Any RhythmGame series has been around long enough will get this. The sameness is somewhat justified with games that use peripherals, since there's only so much you can change before making a sequel require new controllers to be playable.
** The longevity of ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' makes it a prime target for complaints of staleness. When ''Dance Dance Revolution X'' introduced a new difficulty rating system and announcer, this trope once again rubbed shoulders with TheyChangedItNowItSucks. (It is an annoying announcer, but his disastrousness can get blown all out of proportion.)
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':
** The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' {{hatedom}} is interestingly split between this trope and TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The former party accuses the game of being essentially "''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' [[RecycledInSpace with guns]]", while the latter considers it too great a deviation from Black Isle's original Fallout games.
** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' seems to be running into this criticism, as well. It has been accused of being little more than a [[MissionPackSequel game mod to number three,]] due largely to sharing the same engine and many art-assets. New Vegas was still largely praised for its open-ended approach to its many unique quests, diverse roleplaying experiences and opportunities, and complex storytelling. [[note]]The release of ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' reinforced this warm reception.[[/note]]
* ''Franchise/TombRaider'':
** Applies at some point to the first five games. The point at which this happens for someone tends to be entirely based around the point they consider the game quality to drop.
** ''VideoGame/TombRaiderUnderworld''. Pretty much the same as ''VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend'', only DarkerAndEdgier, but still with the same problems (and a few new ones to boot). Considering that ''VideoGame/TombRaiderAnniversary'' fixed some of these flaws (in particular the length), ''Underworld'' felt to many like a step backward.
* ''VideoGame/TalesSeries''
** This is a recurring complaint lobbed against the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' as a whole (mainly because so many games are released in such a small amount of time). Whether it's a genuine complaint or not is up to debate, but fans of the series don't tend to mind the similarly-styled games.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' is one of the most acclaimed games for the 360 and easily one of the best reviewed [=JRPGs=] of this generation. And yet, the biggest complaint? It plays exactly like the other ''Tales'' games.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'' got complaints over its share of things, but the most noticeable is the complaint that the story basically took plots from [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia previous]] [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss games]] of the Tales Of series and rehashed them. The fact that [[VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2 its sequel]] ''again'' took a story aspect of a the same previous game and used it for ''two'' characters in that game [[spoiler:for Alternate Milla and Elle, both who are originally from fractured dimensions, and hence suffer their share of feelings of inadequacy over not being [[CloningBlues real]] and not having a place in this world, very similar to [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss Luke's]] [[CloningBlues issues]] over being a replica]] did not appease fans for that game, either.
* [=JRPGs=] in general get this for consisting of the same basic gameplay. Not surprisingly, any game that does attempt to break from this trope is usually badged with TheyChangedItNowItSucks, even if it's a company like, say, Square Enix, that attempts to break the mold with something really gutsy like...their [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII flagship]] [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII franchise]].
* Before it became a long-loved classic of 64-bit gaming, ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' was accused of being a ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' clone simply because it was a 3D platforming game.
* Franchise/MegaMan:
** ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' saw its review scores slowly but surely drop across the later games of the series, largely because reviewers didn't feel that the gameplay changed enough to justify a new game every year. This kicked into overdrive with the SequelSeries to ''Battle Network'', ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'': despite Capcom sacrificing much of ''Battle Network's'' strategy for pure action and [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks splitting the fandom in half in the process]], critics dismissed it as a flimsy rebrand and thus penalized the series from the very first game.
** The ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' games grew increasingly less popular with each release, as they all had similar gameplay mechanics and structure. Though ''[[VideoGame/MegaMan9 9]]'' was acclaimed as a nostalgic throwback to the NES days, ''[[VideoGame/MegaMan10 10]]'' was criticized because it was too similar to ''9''.
** ''VideoGame/MegaMan6'' is criticized because it recycles the HijackedByGanon concept of the two immediate previous games.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'':
** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon]]'' is often considered to be a "step backward" for the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series because the latest entries were in 3D, had a rescuing system, skills, and many, many more aspects that made the game more complex. Creator/IntelligentSystems said this was a remake and it looks more like a port. To note, this example isn't quite as jarring because not as many people play the original 3 ''Fire Emblem'' games anymore (which play very similar to this), and the truly popular ''FE'' games were beginning from the fourth one... which was extremely different in terms of mechanics than ''Shadow Dragon''.
* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' dealt with this to an extent. Each game was essentially "You are in a room for 6 hours. There are at least two entrances. There are monsters coming to kill you. You have a method of holding them off, but you can't use it forever." Subtle changes happened, but overall each game was quite similar to the last.
* ''VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt'' was criticised for being too similar to the previous game, ''Wario Land 4'' despite its core mechanic ''not even being possible before the Wii''.
* Despite considerable acclaim, ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' for Wii was accused of being just a $50 NES remake that has nothing new or different from the original game.
* The ''VideoGame/MaddenNFL'' franchise has accused of only making incremental improvements, but there's not much to be done with adapting a real-life sport.
* In the same vein, ''VideoGame/FIFASoccer'' suffers from the same problem. The reviewers joined in calling ''FIFA 20 Legacy Edition'' out on this, with IGN blasting it for being just a reskin of ''FIFA 19 Legacy Edition'' with the added features of mainline ''FIFA 20'' nowhere in sight.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' was bashed for this AND TheyChangedItNowItSucks ''before the game was even out''. People complained that the sequel was just the exact same game as the first with just different maps, weapons, and characters, [[UnpleasableFanbase but they also complain]] that including daytime and using totally different characters ruined the feel of the game.
* ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'' is getting hit hard by this trope and TheyChangedItNowItSucks at the same time. It's not uncommon to see a forum thread complaining that the game is more like "Starcraft 1.5" rather than a true sequel, and then see a thread right below it complaining that the game ''changed too much'' and doesn't capture the essence of the original.
** It is basically the same game strategy-wise (the majority of the units structures are the same ones) but on a new engine and all the perks of modern RTS features, shortcuts, hotkeys, options, etc. So that does explain how it could be both "changed" and the "the same" - it depends on if you are looking at the tactics and units, or at the system used to enact them.
** Incidentally, the original VideoGame/{{Starcraft|I}} was sometimes referred to as [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orcs]] [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]].
** Particularly ironic, given that "Warcraft [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]]" has always been the 'basic' premise of ''Starcraft''. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The clue's in the title, folks.]]
* Some people bashed ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesSmashUp'', because it has the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' engine, panning it because they think it will be [[JustForFun/XMeetsY Super Smash Bros. with Turtles]], but the gameplay showed that there are some differences, namely that there are health meters rather then stock damage, the environments change consistently, tag battles, and guard breaks are different. The people who developed the game in question? Had experience with ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', as well as ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'', so they're really bashing themselves.
* While on the subject of Ninja Turtles, ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime Reshelled'' is a rather fascinating case study. We have a game that started as an arcade game, Then got ported to the SNES with some added content to make up for the lack of 4-player, and then was remade for the Xbox. The primary complaint that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDdxpeATKAQ critics site]] is that they removed the added content from the SNES port, making it the same as the original arcade game. Thus we have 'it's the same as the original, but that sucks because we wanted it to be the same as the SNES port'. [[WebVideo/TheIrateGamer Some critics]] [[AdaptationDisplacement don't even seem to be aware that there was an original arcade version]].
* Both applied to and averted by ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer Command & Conquer 3''- it was released around the same time as ''VideoGame/SupremeCommander'', leading to something of a rivalry between the two fandoms. The [=SupCom=] fans bashed C&C for being nothing more than a shiny graphical overhaul of the early days of the RTS genre, with none of the innovations that have appeared since (like, say, in Supreme Commander). The C&C fans responded by pointing out that there are plenty of innovative RTS games around, and that all they really wanted from Command & Conquer 3 was... well, another Command & Conquer game, only prettier.
* Similar to the ''Zelda'' example above, ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' fans wanted a classic (1-6) style game with the technology of the [=PS1=] era game. What they got was ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', which they complained about being too much like the classic games. Then they got ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', which they complained was too much like the modern (7-8) games.
* People complained about all the [=WW2=] games in the ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series until ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' came along. Then they complained when the next game was a [=WW2=] game. Then they complained when ''[=MW2=]'' was largely a refinement of the original. See the ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' example above for something similar.
** As far as the [=WW2=] complaints go, most of them are due to the sheer umber of WWII shooters there are, while WWI, Vietnam, Korea, etc. get ignored.[[note]]Ironically, [=CoD=] and the series it spun off from, ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor'', were largely responsible for popularizing the genre.[[/note]]
* ''{{Franchise/Halo}}'' forums surrounding topics such as the inclusion of Sprint, Armor/Spartan Abilities, and Loadouts, usually see this trope as a counter-argument to discount the criticisms towards the newer Halo titles.
* The arcade ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon II'' is criticized for being [=DD1=] with new graphics and tweaked levels/backgrounds.
* The ''VideoGame/WWEVideoGames'' series has received some criticism in recent years for having too little variation between each release, although considering that it has had annual releases for eighteen years and counting, this is hardly surprising.
* Even ''art'' gets this. They seem to especially be cracking down on Tetsuya Nomura, who can't make ''any'' of his characters resemble another of his characters in the ''least bit'' or else he's supposedly re-using designs of Sephiroth and Cloud. He also is not allowed to have any characters wear black ''or'' have white hair, because then they're a ripoff of Sephiroth, even if the only black are shoes or a black T-shirt.
** Let's also not forget the people who dislike Yoshitaka Amano also point out that he too has his own trends.
*** Amano's characters rarely make it verbatim to the actual game, while all characters Nomura has designed actually appear in game. Yes, Amano's concept art is similar, but the characters themselves don't look that much alike.
* ''VideoGame/{{Half Life|1}}: Source''. Valve essentially imported the original meshes and graphics from the first game into their new engine, resulting in the only appreciable changes being the introduction of physics and improved water effects. It's gotten some pretty heavy flak from the fanbase.
* Part of the reason ''[[VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay Conker: Live & Reloaded]]'' failed to reach the same hype and praise won as its former N64 self was due to this. The other part was Microsoft's, replacement of mini-games featured in Bad Fur Day with copies or expansions of the war-based games and despite the title (which was originally going to be named "Live and Uncut") swear words were beeped out (which butchered the famous [[ToiletHumour Great Mighty Poo]] scene), with only the one scene where Conker witnesses the execution of three squirrels where 2 died and one hid, that was censored in the N64 version by removing the 2 squirrels that died from the game entirely, getting a full restoration to show its original intent.
* ''VideoGame/{{Crackdown}} 2'' takes place in an identical environment to the original--they literally copy and pasted most of the city, and in many ways it lacks the charm of the original, even with the nightly ZombieApocalypse that occurs. Many were not pleased at how little was new.
* One of the ''in-game'' problems of ''VideoGame/HeavyWeapon''. After going through the first nine levels and defeating the first nine bosses, you are treated to a YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle scene. After that, you have to go through the first nine levels with harder enemies and defeat the first nine bosses '''again''', except that most of them are just rehashes with more health and faster speed.
* One of ''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd'''s criticisms of ''Rambo'' on NES was that the developers followed the plot of the film too closely story-wise, and that the game suffered from this.
* ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' suffered from this complaint. Granted, they did reuse a lot of object meshes and animations from the previous game. It also got hit with TheyChangedItNowItSucks because of WHAT was changed.
** ''VideoGame/TheSims4'' received much stronger accusation of this, since the most notable differences from 3 were the omissions.
* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' falls here prior to ''Videogame/CrashTwinsanity''. After Naughty Dog sold their ownership do a different company, the ''Crash'' series started to [[FollowTheLeader look a lot like the same game over and over again.]] Then ''those'' owners sold their owership, and it started all over again. ''VideoGame/CrashOfTheTitans'' and ''VideoGame/CrashMindOverMutant'' fall under TheyChangedItNowItSucks.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' got some of this, with many people complaining that it felt like Camelot stapled the first two games together, without any of their original charm.
* Almost '''any''' FPS out there can suffer from this because, besides a small range of gameplay variation (corridor shooters vs. [[TheWarSequence fighting humongous hordes of]] {{Mooks}} being the main two), they all boil down to the same few things and use the same skills. While VideoGame/CallOfDuty's {{Metagame}} is worlds away from VideoGame/SeriousSam and {{VideoGame/Doom}}, the similarities you can draw between the two are still vast.
* A ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' with Playstation characters has been in demand for a very long time now. Yet from the very second it was officially announced, people were already whining about ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' being a "ripoff" of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''.
* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarAscension'' and ''VideoGame/GodOfWarIII'', though still very well-received, received some criticism for having unchanged, identical gameplay from the previous games.
* Almost ''any'' MMO out there that follows the traditional style of ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' complete with the [[DamagerHealerTank tank/healer/dps MMO holy trinity]], the level cap, the epic gear grinding, will be dismissed as just another unimaginative [=WoW=] clone.
* This is the primary complaint leveled at ''VideoGame/{{Bioshock 2}}'', which uses the same setting and same gameplay elements as the previous game. The only noticeable changes are the hacking minigame and the use of a Big Daddy as the protagonist (which does give a different feel to the mechanics, as well as add some intriguing narrative elements as the game progresses).
* The most common complaint against Nintendo is the company "always producing the same games with the same plot elements". People tend to ignore the fact that Nintendo always refines their flagship franchises so that it's still familiar with older fans while also bringing something new for them and new fans alike. There's also the point where Nintendo tries to do something different, only for people to complain TheyChangedItNowItSucks.
* This is what some have been saying about ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' and not just in terms of the re-used city of Steelport, but, bizarrely, about gameplay as well. The last game was a wacky, over the top GTA style game, whereas IV is a wacky, over the top superhero game who's gameplay is only similar in that you can still drive a car and shoot guns, ignoring that you really don't have to anymore. There was a Superpower DLC for the 4th game.
* The ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter'' Trilogy for the original Playstation got complaints of having the same graphics and gameplay. The former was probably because when better graphics meant better games.
* This was one of the complaints IGN had with ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'' in terms of gameplay, despite the game being the BIGGEST jump in terms of new gameplay that the series has gone through (excluding the spin-off) since it's début. Considering one of their other complaints was that [[InsaneTrollLogic this visual novel game was "too linear" and "had too much text]], that's really not surprising though. Oh, and this caused the fandom to go berserk. Let's just say that the response to their review was not a positive one.
* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'':
** The biggest complaint about ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' is that it felt too similar to ''Videogame/BatmanArkhamCity'', being set in the northern and southern sections of Gotham City with the northern section being the area that eventually becomes Arkham City, but also including many previous gadgets and offering minimal changes to gameplay. While Origins was a good/decent/catastrophic game (depending on who you ask,) in it's own right, its scores were lower than its predecessors' near perfect scores. It doesn't help that the game wasn't made by Rocksteady, who made the first two, [[BTeamSequel but WB Montreal]], and replaced veterans Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy with Troy Baker and Roger Craig to voice The Joker and Batman, leading many fans to expect the worst from the start. This is also the reason so many people were angry that [[spoiler:The Joker ended up being the main villain, and Black Mask just a red herring. Even those who thought the game's take on the Joker was interesting sometimes can't help but express disappointment that he ended up being the main villain again, instead of letting one of Batman's other foes take the spotlight.]]
** VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight is also accused of this, as some feel that the gameplay is too similar to the previous games. On the other hand, people have complained about more or less every change by this point (Batmobile, Fear takedowns, throw counters etc.) so it crosses over with TheyChangedItNowItSucks.
* ''VideoGame/{{Thief 2014}}'' has gotten complaints the gameplay has barely changed over the years.
* It is quite common for game reviewers to deduct points from a game for not doing anything original. If a game does experiment, a reviewer may still say that it isn't different ''enough'' from whatever game it's being compared to. An otherwise excellent game may get a lower score simply because it didn't revolutionize its entire genre.
* The game versions of ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'' had this so much, that the sales for each subsequent release went down, especially when the series changed from the NDS to the 3DS. The major complaint for each title from most critics was that it was the gameplay and structure was exactly the same in each game, and that the gimmicks thrown in such as "fighting spirits" just felt like a cheap way to make it feel fresh without updating anything. This was actually admitted by LEVEL-5 as being the main reason for why the latest game's sales were ridiculously low, and it's been announced on Twitter that they're currently working on a project to completely change how Inazuma Eleven plays in the future.
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue'' has been criticized for being substantially similar in terms of gameplay to its immediate predecessor, ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'', with the most noteworthy changes being more in the nature of tweaks (an air gun instead of a blowpipe, a faster and more maneuverable ship for naval combat, etc.) than innovations. Critical and fan opinion is divided as to whether the result falls under this trope or has distilled the elements that were good about ''Black Flag'' while removing those (like the [[ScrappyMechanic eavesdropping missions]]) that fans hated.
* A problem with many of the recent ship releases in ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' is that the ship's layout are not distinct enough from their previous tier level. The problem ships are the ''Resolute''-class (a T6 ''Excelsior''-class ship), the ''Yamato''-class (a T6 ''Galaxy''-X-class ship) and the ''Valiant''-class (a T6 ''Defiant''-class ship). The ''Resolute'' and ''Valiant'' are too close to the ''Excelsior'' and ''Defiant'' that buying the T5 variant is much cheaper in the long run. The ''Yamato''[='=]s problem is that it boasts the ''same layout'' as the ''Andromeda''-class ships (the T6 ''Galaxy''-class ship). Many fans think that Cryptic is trying to sell these ships under the power of their legacy than anything unique.
* ''VideoGame/YookaLaylee'' is the SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'', made by former Creator/{{Rare}} staffers. However it hedges ''very'' close to its forerunner in terms of things like music design and aesthetic elements (such as the way characters talk to the protagonists, through small boxes that slide in from the left along the bottom of the screen and in a Comic Sans-like typeface that bounces). Even the logo is very similar to ''Banjo-Kazooie''[='s=]. As a result of this, despite this game delivering exactly what people were looking for in a throwback to Rare's golden age and collect-a-thon platforming games, there is a sense that they aren't pushing themselves forward so much as aping as much of ''Banjo-Kazooie'' as they can get away with. There is a desire to see a game that takes the charm and wit of classic Rare titles but breaks the mold as well with its own unique voice and flavor.
* One of the reasons ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}} IV'' is panned by series fans is because while many ''Gradius'' games [[NostalgiaLevel rehash]] a stage or two, ''Gradius IV'' has a ''lot'' of rehashes. Stage 1 already gives off this feeling by being what is effectively Stage 1 of ''Gradius II'' but with liquid metal instead of mini-suns.
* A common criticism of ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}burst Chronicle Saviours'' DLC is that while they provide new and interesting ways to play the game, they don't add any new stages or bosses, making the DLC feel overpriced ($5 for each ship/character).
* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter4'' and its UpdatedRerelease ''Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate'' have Dah'ren Mohran, a monster criticized for being almost the same as fellow colossal sand whale Jhen Mohran. ''4 Ultimate'' additionally receives some criticism for taking the Old Desert map from earlier games and simply [[RemixedLevel rehashing it]] to take advantage of ''4''[='=]s vertical movement mechanics.
* One of the biggest complaints about ''VideoGame/WanganMidnight Maximum Tune 5''[='=]s English-language versions is that [[BadExportForYou unlike the Japanese version]], the game feels less like a sequel and more like an UpdatedRerelease of ''4'': it only adds one new map (Mt. Taikan) rather than three (Sub-center Shibuya/Shinjuku and Sub-center Ikebukuro as well), it doesn't have the Maxi G currency system, and it uses the same "Entry" background music as ''Maximum Tune 4''. Non-Japan ''Maximum Tune 5'' even runs on the same Namco [=ESA1=] hardware as ''4'', unlike the Japanese version which uses Namco's newer [=ESA3=]. These problems would eventually be addressed in ''Maximum Tune 5 DX'', which features roughly the same content in both the Japanese and international versions (thus adding the various features and maps that were excluded from non-Japan ''[=MT5=]'').
* Some fans of the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series are disappointed that ''Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth'' is too back-to-its-roots, having ditched the overworld exploration of the previous two non-spinoff games and the Story Modes of the ''[[VideoGameRemake Etrian Odyssey Untold]]'' games.
* Fans of ''VideoGame/DaytonaUSA'' got hyped up when ''Daytona 3 Championship USA'' was announced...only for the game to turn out to be a remake of the first game, with not even any references to ''Daytona USA 2''. Fan backlash led the game to lose the '3' part of the title to make it clear that it's just a remake. To add insult to injury, there's already been a previous HD remake for arcades of the first game, ''SEGA Racing Classic'', making this version even more redundant.
* ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' came under fire at its initial release for not really differentiating itself from ''VideoGame/Splatoon1'' too much, while also not really fixing the flaws imported from the first game, causing several people to label it as an enhanced port of the first game. It didn't help that the game initially had very few stages and only a fraction of the weapons from the first game, making people feel that content was taken away instead of being added. Most of this was a result of fans and critics being unfamiliar with the series' system of regular free content updates: new weapons (including all those from the first game as well as several completely new ones) were added ''weekly'' for the first year and a half after the game's release, and the game eventually received four times as many stages as it had at launch.
* ''VideoGame/XCOMTerrorFromTheDeep'' received some not-unjustified flak for this trope, being literally [[MissionPackSequel the same game engine and mechanics with a few new assets]], in addition to many of the changes it did implement being either [[ScrappyMechanic annoying]], [[ObviousBeta buggy]] or adding FakeDifficulty. ''VideoGame/XCOMApocalypse'', which was supposed to be the second game in the series but got held up, was a lot more ambitious in its changes to the established formula.
* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris2'':
** One of the more recurring complaints about the game is that, aside from incorporating the Skill Battle mode from ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoChronicle'', it is a textbook example of a MissionPackSequel. While issues such as ''Puyo Puyo'' and ''Tetris'' having shared online rankings were addressed, other things some ''Puyo Puyo'' fans wanted such as the standalone [[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoFever Fever ruleset]] were not. Not helping matters is the fact that there were alternatives for both ''Puyo Puyo'' and ''Tetris'' fans on all of ''Puyo Puyo Tetris 2's'' platforms when taking backwards compatibility into account, especially on the Nintendo Switch which had ''five'' other ''Puyo Puyo'' games plus ''Tetris 99'' available upon the game's release.
** Even for players that were more receptive of ''Puyo Puyo Tetris'''s character spells in the English dub, the fact that ''Puyo Puyo Tetris 2'' recycles a significant amount of these spells (and in some cases, such as Schezo and Dark Prince's alternate voices, are ''exactly'' the same as in the first game) left a bitter impression, moreso considering that all Japanese character spells were remade for ''[=PPT2=]''.
* The PETA video game parodies that have sequels have been criticized of having little difference from the previous games.
** The ''VideoGame/SuperChickSisters'' sequel ''New Super Chick Sisters'' is once again a parody of ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' that has Nugget and Chickette rescue Pamela Anderson from a slanderous portrayal of a popular fast food franchise while Mario and Luigi are made total fools and attacked for actions that PETA sees as animal cruelty. The only significant difference is that this time, the fast food franchise being attacked is UsefulNotes/McDonalds rather than Kentucky Fried Chicken.
** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndBlue'' had a sequel titled ''Pokémon: Red, White & Blue''. Like the original, the sequel was nothing more than a parody of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' that attacks the game series by accusing it of teaching children that animal abuse is okay. The only significant change to the story is that the game also serves as an attack on [=McDonald=]'s and accuses the fast food franchise of reinforcing the ''Pokémon'' franchise's alleged stance on animal abuse.
[[/folder]]

** ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl]]'', similar to ''[=FireRed=] and [=LeafGreen=]'', got a lot of this as fans derided it for being "too similar" to the original DP. The lack of ''Platinum'' content, including the Platinum Dex, only made things worse. It certainly doesn't help when it appears that "faithfulness" was used as a pretense for laziness. From a graphical standpoint, the only real change made to the DS games that came out in ''2007'' for hardware a fraction as powerful was that the sprites for characters and Pokemon are replaced with 3D models. But the models are even more chibi-ified than they were in ''Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire'' outside of battle as a further callback to the 2D sprites, and the characters weren't subject to redesigns as was the case with past remakes. And believe it or not, this actually makes the graphics even worse than they were back then, due to the uncanny valley effect generated by the botched attempt to mimic a 2D aesthetic with 3D Sprites.

** ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl]]'', similar to ''[=FireRed=] and [=LeafGreen=]'', got a lot of this as fans derided it for being "too similar" to the original DP. The lack of ''Platinum'' content, including the Platinum Dex, only made things worse.

* If you've only seen the [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist 2003 anime adaptation]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' and haven't read the manga, you might feel this way about the remake ''[[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood]]''. Sadly, some who feel this way haven't watched past the first 13 episodes, which is when it gets to the part where the 2003 anime started being different from the manga. Those who read the manga, on the other hand, might find adaptations like ''Brotherhood'' pointless for this reason - they don't add anything to the manga you've already read. See also the ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' example.

** Even then ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' itself isn't exactly stranger to later entires being incredibly similar to previous ones in certain aspects. Like say a MakeMyMonsterGrow method being yet again a laser shot from a spaceship, an overabundance of [[https://powerrangers.fandom.com/wiki/Kalishplosions Kalishplosions]] or the theme song being ''another'' remix of the ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' theme (The Neo-Saban era was guilty of this last one).

* The [[http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/04/21/review-avengers-age-of-ultron-is-a-galactus-sized-disappointment/ most]] [[http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/04/21/marvels-avengers-age-of-ultron-review common]] [[http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/23/avengers-age-ultron-ew-review criticism]] reviewers have had about ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', even many of the positive reviews: they've increasingly noted that it's done very little to break any new ground after the first ''Avengers'' film. To a lesser extent, this has started applying to the entire Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, with many stating that the movies have begun to feel increasingly formulaic. ''Film/AntMan1'' and ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'' in particular received criticism that they were too similar to the first ''Film/IronMan'' film. ''Film/ThorLoveAndThunder'' also earned negative remarks on being too alike ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', with a common complaint being that repeating the DenserAndWackier tone [[MoodWhiplash did not go well with the film trying to enhance the drama.]]

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter 4'' and its UpdatedRerelease ''Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate'' have Dah'ren Mohran, a monster criticized for being almost the same as fellow colossal sand whale Jhen Mohran. ''4 Ultimate'' additionally receives some criticism for taking the Old Desert map from earlier games and simply [[RemixedLevel rehashing it]] to take advantage of ''4''[='=]s vertical movement mechanics.

* The first sequel to ''Film/TheGodsMustBeCrazy'' is often accused of suffering from this. Same slapstick with a vehicle, same revolutionary villains, same [[{{Fanservice}} prim and proper lady losing her clothes]], etc. The only two things that were really different were [[SeldomSeenSpecies more exotic animals]] and more action.

* The [[http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/04/21/review-avengers-age-of-ultron-is-a-galactus-sized-disappointment/ most]] [[http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/04/21/marvels-avengers-age-of-ultron-review common]] [[http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/23/avengers-age-ultron-ew-review criticism]] reviewers have had about ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', even many of the positive reviews: they've increasingly noted that it's done very little to break any new ground after the first ''Avengers'' film. To a lesser extent, this has started applying to the entire Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, with many stating that the movies have begun to feel increasingly formulaic. ''Film/AntMan1'' and ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'' in particular received criticism that they were too similar to the first ''Film/IronMan'' film.