Neo games made obselete by their sequels?

[cr4zymanz0r]

As a way to try to keep from spending too much money I'm trying to figure out which Neo games not to get that I want but are technically pointless. For example, If I'm not mistaken isn't Fatal Fury Special basically an enhanced version of Fatal Fury 2? If that's the case would there be any significant (gameplay) reason to bother getting Fatal Fury 2?

What about other games that aren't just enhancements? If i had Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, would there be any point to getting Real Bout Fatal Fury Special? I know in games like that there are usually different stories between the original and the sequel. However, maybe my memory is foggy but I don't remember most fighting games having a compelling enough story to seek out many older titles in the series if I have a newer one.

I'll list some of the games in a series I already have and some I know i want to get so you can give me your opinion on whether or not to bother with older titles. Also, I figure this will mostly be limited to fighting games since other genres seem to usually have bigger differences between sequels (such as all new levels in each Metal Slug game except X). Anyway, my list:

Have - Fatal Fury Special, bother with older titles?
Want - Last Blade 2, bother with the 1st?
Have - Samurai Shodown 1 & 2, Want - Samurai Shodown 5 (special?). Bother with the ones inbetween?
Have - KoF '94, Want - KoF '98 & '99. Bother with ones in between?

Feel free to talk about other series because the games I listed aren't the only series I'm interested in, but they're my primary interest at the moment. Again, If story is the only significant difference between a game and a sequel then I probably don't care but if you think the story is good enough to get an older title then give me your opinion. I'd like opinions and technical analysis's. (ex. While I really like ____ 1 because I played it as a kid all the time and enjoyed the story, ____ 2 is makes it obsolete in terms of gameplay and character roster. )

 

[LoneSage]

What you should be asking is, if you had RBFFS, would there be any point in getting Real Bout 2.


The short answer is no. No, a thousand times no. There is no game made obsolete by their sequel. Yes, of course there are a lot of sequels far better than the original, but in no way does that make the first game obsolete.

 

[deezruptor]

It's risky buying expensive games without playing them first...even "classic" neo games.

Just get the roms, try out the games and buy whichever ones you like. Wish I had done that before dropping $200 on AOF 3

 

[DanAdamKOF]

What about Breaker's?

 

[Kid Panda]

i feel no game's sequel is better than one or the other, usually if the game is tinkered with enough the games are different enough for themselves...cept for madden its been the same since genny days

 

[N30_G30_speed]

I was putting my soul out there... then I read this...

. (ex. While I really like ____ 1 because I played it as a kid all the time and enjoyed the story, ____ 2 is makes it obsolete in terms of gameplay and character roster. )

 

[SNKorSWM]

Breaker's Revenge is just like Breaker's but with one extra character.

World Heroes 2 is, IMHO better than Jet because two extra overpowered characters is hardly worth the loss of Deathmatch mode.

 

[Rig]

I do what the OP is referring to; I seek out the "best" in a series and call it a day.

Of course, "best" is always an opinion...but it can definitely save you some money.

 

[city41]

Have - Fatal Fury Special, bother with older titles?
Want - Last Blade 2, bother with the 1st?
Have - Samurai Shodown 1 & 2, Want - Samurai Shodown 5 (special?). Bother with the ones inbetween?
Have - KoF '94, Want - KoF '98 & '99. Bother with ones in between?

My whole post is assuming you're not going to play these all that deeply, and mostly just enjoy them. That could be a bad assumption. But then again, if you're really into fighters you would already know what SNK ones are worthy of high level play (not very many of them are).

FFS and FF2 are quite different if you're hardcore and really dive into them. If not, FF2 is not very necessary, and FF1 -- gameplay wise -- is a pile.

I like LB1 better than LB2. Both are stellar, top notch games. LB1 is not at all obsoleted by LB2. Play them in an emulator and decide.

I think SS5 and SS5 special are the worst Shodowns. A general rule of thumb, prefer SNK made games (2000 and earlier) over SNKP made games (2000 and later). Shodown opinions will be all over the place, the best one IMO is SS4 (it's one of the very best games on the Neo, period). Others totally disagree. Again, to the emulator you should go.

KOF is all over the place. If you are a casual player, you'll generally notice three (maybe four) "eras" in KOF: 94/95, 96/97/98, 99/00/01, 02/03. 99-01 are the worst KOFs, 2003 is surprisingly very good (the only SNKP game I truly enjoy). Again, all from the perspective of casual play. If you're going to go hardcore, it's pretty much just 98.

And might as well throw in AOF: All three are totally different from each other. Gameplay wise they are all complete train wrecks and their only value today is nostalgia and the story/characters. I get the feeling you should probably just avoid AOF altogether. AOF3 is worth a mention because it's one of the best looking Neo games.

 

[complexz]

The metal slug sequels were rendered obsolete by metal slug

I think FF2 is absolutely obsolete compared to FFS, but that is really one of the few cut and dry examples. The only thing FF2 really has going for it is the odd few mini cutscenes before matches in the single player(maybe the endings are better?). It's safe to say if you have to ask about fatal fury 1 you probably will hate it, like fatal fury 2 it's just a game that existed before developers really figured out solid fighter mechanics, I for one love the shit out of the game but I think you had to be there.

RBFFS and RB2 are much less cut and dry, both games are in the same league graphically, RBFFS has cool ass destructible barriers on the side of stages and crazy chain combos, so it's a fun pick up and play game. RB2 grounds the gameplay a little more and makes it a better competitive game.... and one of my personal favorite neo games period

last blade 1 is obsolete as a competitive game it seems, the few that play seriously play LB2, but as a single player game LB1 has a ton going for it, every character has their own unique background and they are all awesome, the final battle is much cooler and the story segments are great.

 

[SNKorSWM]

The very first FF is the only fighter that has both players team up against a single AI enemy, not to mention enemies transforming mid battle. I play it for that novelty alone.

 

[arcwyvern]

Totally agree with checking out roms first. I did that for years before I even got cart hardware (I had a neo cd but the load times really change the experience). For what it's worth, here are my "best of series" takes.
1. Kof 2002- HUGE roster, good balance, max 2 moves are awesome, darker aesthetic being the main reason it inches ahead of 98 IMO.

2. Samurai Shodown 2 or 4- I constantly flip flop on the two as they are both so very good. 4 is much deeper and looks better technically and artistically, but 2 is just an unfuckwithable classic. Just get both, 2 is cheap.

3. Metal Slug 3- branching paths add replayability, some of the best pixel art and animation on the neo.

4. Fatal Fury Special- IMO, the most currently playable fighter of it's time. Right there with SF2CE.

5. Last Blade 1- really, both LB's are so good that this comes down to price with LB1 being the thriftier choice. To be fair, I've had LB1 on AES for a long time whereas I just got LB2 for MVS. On the surface, they are so similar.

6. World Heroes 2- tug of rope life bars is unique, deathmatch

 

[NEO-GEO man]

Fatal Fury is not the same to play as 2 and special, and they are very simular, but different enough. If you play on your own alot, FF2 is more aimed at this, if you play only against others, Special is more aimed there. Both are awesome games.

 

[Daedalus]

One thing i don't think thatg has been touched on is the nostalgia of some of these games...I enjoyed some older games like crazy because they were all that was available for play. Street Fighter I, most consider an AWFUL game, but damned if I didn't see it in an arcade, I'd pump a few quarters in it. Fatal fury 1 is like this as well, I don't think its as good as special, but I'll still go back and play it. However, if I only play SF2 first, I would prolly laugh at a SF1 cab.

 

[Azra113]

Breaker's Revenge is just like Breaker's but with one extra character.

and they nerfed Condor. God I hate Condor.

 

[BBH]

and they nerfed Condor. God I hate Condor.

What happened to Condor in Breakers Revenge...?

 

[valgalder]

I dig Last Blade 1 a little more than 2 really.. but yeah..
Fatal Fury
AOF 1
SS 1 (to some extent - although not as much as FF)

Metal Slug I disagree.. I still love the first as much as 2 or 3..

Puzzle Bobble 1 - yes..

Super Sidekicks - yes
Baseball Stars - Yes
World Heroes - Yes

 

[jeffkun34]

SS2 definitely eclipses SS1. SS5S eclipses SS5. SS3 and SS4 are their own beasts and should not be compared to the rest of the series. LB1 and LB2 are different enough to stand apart from each other. Same goes with Metal Slug 1, 2, 3, and X. I can't vouch for any Metal Slug after 3.

 

[moonwhistle]

I dig Last Blade 1 a little more than 2 really.. but yeah..
Fatal Fury
AOF 1
SS 1 (to some extent - although not as much as FF)

Metal Slug I disagree.. I still love the first as much as 2 or 3..

Puzzle Bobble 1 - yes..

Super Sidekicks - yes
Baseball Stars - Yes
World Heroes - Yes

I disagree about Sidekicks. I think Sidekicks 1 is significantly better than part 2 which has broken collision detection and tackling system. This was fixed in part 3. I think 2 is by far the worst of the series although it does have the best music. Part 1 is also different enough from 3 and 4 to be an fun alternative rather than obselete.

 

[SonGohan]

FFS and FF2 are quite different if you're hardcore and really dive into them. If not, FF2 is not very necessary

They're different, but FFS is superior in every way. There's no contest. If you're hardcore and really dive into them, you'll see how much better FFS is. FF2 was made obsolete when FFS was released. There's no reason to play that game.

 

[hyper]

SS2 definitely eclipses SS1. SS5S eclipses SS5. SS3 and SS4 are their own beasts and should not be compared to the rest of the series

This sums up the SS series for me, although I prefer SS3 slightly more than SS4, the game mechanics feel smoother and I prefer the upper class feature of guard disable and infinite POW meter (in SS3). I think the art and music in SS4 is more refined but SS3 wins in gameplay.

 

[Phyeir]

I wouldn't say any game in the Neo library is made obsolete but there are definitely games that become needs & wants when discussing the library due to the strengths of the sequels. For example, if someone asks me what games to get in the KOF series, it's KOF 98, KPF 2002, KOF 2003, because those three contain pretty much everything that the Neo has to offer on the series. But I wouldn't blame anyone for wanting any of the games n the series either for the story, some unique movelist in between etc. But if you have those 3, you have most of the zesty goodness that is KOF.

 

[NEO-GEO man]

They're different, but FFS is superior in every way. There's no contest. If you're hardcore and really dive into them, you'll see how much better FFS is. FF2 was made obsolete when FFS was released. There's no reason to play that game.

Rubbish. If youre hardcore and really want a good single player game, FF2 is just as good as FF special. Its got more to offer as a single player game than FF Special, and that is every reason to play this game. FF Special may be better in many ways as a multi player battler, but certainly not as a single player.

 

[SouthtownKid]

Rubbish. If youre hardcore and really want a good single player game, FF2 is just as good as FF special. Its got more to offer as a single player game than FF Special, and that is every reason to play this game. FF Special may be better in many ways as a multi player battler, but certainly not as a single player.

Rubbish rubbish. The only advantage FF2's single player experience has is the cool little cutscenes between some of the matches. But that in no way makes up for FFS having SEVEN more characters for a single player to play as.

So give me a break.

And FFS has a reward for a single player finishing a game without losing a round. You get to fight a hidden character. Does FF2 have any hidden rewards for single players? No. Well, the voices on the endings, but FFS has those, too.

 

[NEO-GEO man]

FF2 has bonus rounds. FF Special doesnt. FF2 is more challenging, FF Special is quite easy. FF2 has a cooler intro.