Day 22 of the 30 Day Gaming Challenge is here, and the topic is Game Sequel That Disappointed You. Now, this one may be a bit controversial, but I’m going to say Mario 64.
Here’s the thing … time plays a part in this. You see, I didn’t play it when it was new. In fact, I only played it for the first time a few months ago. The problem is, it was so hyped up that I was expecting it to be the best Mario game since SMB3.
But … it wasn’t.
I put a good half hour into the game, but it just felt so clunky to me. It certainly didn’t look like it had aged well visually either. So, I took a step back and tried to evaluate it on the basis of how it would have seemed if I’d played it when I owned an N64. By then, I’d played Spyro, Crash Bandicoot and Croc, all of which were released within a year of Mario 64, if memory serves. They all look and play better for me. Honestly, I can’t even see the hype in the context of the era. Which sucks, because it means I’m missing out on an apparent classic.
Not only was it a disappointing sequel, it was overrated, at least for me. But there you go. What about yourselves? What were you most disappointing sequels?
I quite enjoyed Mario 64. It certainly didn’t age particularly well, but in showing off what the 64 could do and when comparing it with the visuals and moves on the SNES, the game did exactly what it needed to do and that was get people to buy the 64.
In terms of disappointing sequels I’ll probably go with Portal, which is probably going to be an unpopular choice. I felt they took what was a simple but really fun concept and made it more complicated just because they could. Too many new mechanics cluttering up the game play.
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It really surprised me that I didn’t enjoy it. I really liked the N64, and all the hype really made me excited something more.
Portal is forever stuck on my to-play list, so I’m nowhere near the sequel yet. Your not the first that I’ve heard dislike the second though.
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Interesting. Most people I’ve spoken with praised the sequel and loved it. For me, the first game was fantastic. The sequel just felt a bit unnecessary.
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See, is been the opposite with me. But then, I only one a few that played it, so my sample is small here.
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I wasn’t fond of Mario 64 when it came out. Then again I’m not the biggest fan of Mario or 3D platformers in general. I did like Odyssey though.
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I don’t mind some Mario games; 1 was ok, 3 was good fun, and SMW was fun. I just tend to enjoy the spin-off stuff like Party and Kart more. I tend to be quite mixed on a lot of 3D platformers in general though.
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