No poll because I want to facilitate discussion and I don't think this is a binary yes/no question.
I was listening to the soundtrack of Sonic Mania. Great soundtrack, great game. Hard to find much to complain about. Killer level design, lots of playable characters, the ultimate culmination of the Genesis-style gameplay. Yet... I have a hard time saying I prefer it to Sonic 2 and 3&K. I think the fact that the vast majority of the game cribs level themes from previous games - and even the visual style and general gameplay wants you to constantly be reminded of the Genesis games - makes it hard for me to rank above them. When I play Sonic 2 and 3&K, there's a very specific experience to those games that can't be replicated. Mania is a greatest hits remix, which is what they set out to do, and they did it incredibly well. I don't think it's even a nostalgia thing, I played the Sonic Genesis games over a decade after they came out, I grew to genuinely love them long after their release. I just don't think Mania can capture what they had by trying to replicate it, I guess.
Conversely, I think Pokemon Black/White 2 is superior to Black/White in almost every way, despite being a similar sort of "remix" sequel. The main thing that is weaker is the story, but everything else just feels so objectively superior that it doesn't bother me that it cribs so much from its predecessor. Perhaps because it's a weird middle ground between the expected third version and a brand new game, but that's an example of a remix that worked better for me than the original.
Some of it also just depends on what you play first. Comparing Super Mario Galaxy 1 vs. 2, if someone played 2 first, I think it's pretty unlikely they would prefer 1 after playing it later, because so much of 2's design is enhanced. Yet 1 came first, most people played 1 first, and its novelty, atmosphere, and narrative is what a lot of people love about the game and something 2 failed to tap into, making it feel like more of the same with a weaker presentation. Whether or not that's actually true, that's a common discussion point when comparing the games.
I guess I'm mixed on it myself, but I'm wondering if people here feel like they need games to feel novel and new in their own way, or if it's fine that it feels like "more of the same" as long as it's high quality.
I was listening to the soundtrack of Sonic Mania. Great soundtrack, great game. Hard to find much to complain about. Killer level design, lots of playable characters, the ultimate culmination of the Genesis-style gameplay. Yet... I have a hard time saying I prefer it to Sonic 2 and 3&K. I think the fact that the vast majority of the game cribs level themes from previous games - and even the visual style and general gameplay wants you to constantly be reminded of the Genesis games - makes it hard for me to rank above them. When I play Sonic 2 and 3&K, there's a very specific experience to those games that can't be replicated. Mania is a greatest hits remix, which is what they set out to do, and they did it incredibly well. I don't think it's even a nostalgia thing, I played the Sonic Genesis games over a decade after they came out, I grew to genuinely love them long after their release. I just don't think Mania can capture what they had by trying to replicate it, I guess.
Conversely, I think Pokemon Black/White 2 is superior to Black/White in almost every way, despite being a similar sort of "remix" sequel. The main thing that is weaker is the story, but everything else just feels so objectively superior that it doesn't bother me that it cribs so much from its predecessor. Perhaps because it's a weird middle ground between the expected third version and a brand new game, but that's an example of a remix that worked better for me than the original.
Some of it also just depends on what you play first. Comparing Super Mario Galaxy 1 vs. 2, if someone played 2 first, I think it's pretty unlikely they would prefer 1 after playing it later, because so much of 2's design is enhanced. Yet 1 came first, most people played 1 first, and its novelty, atmosphere, and narrative is what a lot of people love about the game and something 2 failed to tap into, making it feel like more of the same with a weaker presentation. Whether or not that's actually true, that's a common discussion point when comparing the games.
I guess I'm mixed on it myself, but I'm wondering if people here feel like they need games to feel novel and new in their own way, or if it's fine that it feels like "more of the same" as long as it's high quality.
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