Summary
Long-running game series can’t stay the same forever. They need to change a bit over time, or else they will grow stale. Developers realize this and regularly mix things up with their most popular series.
Unfortunately, though, change isn’t always a good thing. Many times, a beloved series has been altered in some way, and neither critics nor fans have been happy about it. However, this isn’t always the way it goes down. Sometimes, a series changes and manages to be better or maintain the earlier games' quality. These are a few examples.
8Tomb Raider
The Game That Reinvented The Series: Tomb Raider (2013)
Not all reinventions are complete departures from what came before. The 2013 Tomb Raider game is a perfect example of this. Like the earlier titles, it’s still an action-adventure game where you solve puzzles and explore tombs. However, the game is very different tonally.
The 2013 Tomb Raider and its two sequels are a lot more grounded and serious than the early games. A lot of this comes from the protagonist, Lara. In the newer ones, she doesn’t fight dinosaurs, wear revealing clothing, or have the ability to backflip several times in a row. She is more realistic and vulnerable. This groundedness is reflected in both the story and gameplay.
7Grand Theft Auto
The Game That Reinvented The Series: Grand Theft Auto 3
GTA 3 was anincredibly influential PlayStation gamethat changed open-world titles forever. What it also did was change the GTA series forever. Before this instalment, entries in this series were 2D arcade-like games that used a top-down camera angle.
In contrast, GTA 3 is a 3D game set in an open-world sandbox. Unlike the first titles, it contains a proper story told through cutscenes. Since then, every entry in the GTA series has partially resembled Grand Theft Auto 3.
6Metal Gear
The Game That Reinvented The Series: Metal Gear Solid
The original Metal Gear titles were 2D stealth games. Metal Gear Solid is a 3D stealth game. The addition of a dimension isn’t the only thing that changed, though.
MGS is far more cinematic than the original title. The early Metal Gears had decent stories but didn’t have long cutscenes and voice acting. Those things certainly feature in Metal Gear Solid and the sequels that follow. In fact, they are a major part of the experience and arguably what the series is most known for. In addition, the stealth gameplay is vastly different, too, but that is as much about the advancement of technology as anything else.
5Super Mario
The Game That Reinvented The Series: Super Mario 64
For some time, Super Mario was exclusively a 2D side-scrolling platforming series. Then, the world was treated to Super Mario 64. It still carries the same spirit as the early games and remains a platformer, but it is a 3D one.
This changes up the core gameplay quite significantly, but the game still retains the same Mario magic. The series didn’t fully commit to 3D afterward, as Nintendo would release more 2D instalments, but the developers continued to make 3D ones as well.
4God Of War
The Game That Reinvented The Series: God Of War (2018)
God of War isa series that has no bad entries, so it never seemed like it needed to be re-invented. Yet, in the late 2000s, the developers still went a different direction for the series.
The 2018 game and its sequel, Ragnarok, still contain a lot of over-the-top action and plenty of violence. That said, those battles are a bit slower and more methodical than those in the early games. Plus, the moments between battles include more cutscenes, and the entire experience is more cinematic.
3Call Of Duty
The Game That Reinvented The Series: Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Mechanically, Call of Duty 4 wasn’t incredibly different from the first three entries in the series. After all, the core gunplay is very similar to those titles. However, the game changed the series in other ways. For starters, it is set in modern times, meaning it moves away from the WW2 settings of its predecessors. This showed that a Call of Duty game didn’t have to be about you fighting the Axis Powers.
As such, there have now been COD games set in a few different time periods. Also, most of those titles have a deep multiplayer mode. While COD4 didn’t introduce online multiplayer to the series, it started the trend of Call of Duty games revolving around the concept.
2Saints Row
The Game That Reinvented The Series: Saints Row: The Third
When the Saints Row series began, it was given the classic label of ‘GTA clone’ like many otheropen-world crime gameshave. It’s hard to argue against that when playing the first few instalments, as they certainly feel a bit like GTA. Saints Row managed to become its own thing with the third game, though. This is because the developers doubled down on the ridiculous side of the series.
Yes, GTA can be wacky, too, but those games don’t include a weapon that spawns sharks or a dedicated button to punch someone in the crotch. This commitment to absurdity continued into Saints Row 4 and generally helped the series stand out a bit more.
1Fallout
The Game That Reinvented The Series: Fallout 3
The first two Fallout games were isometric turn-based RPGs. They certainly have their fans, but the series really didn’t become a huge hit until Fallout 3. This game shares the same world and a similar premise as the others, but it’s a very different experience.
It’s a first-person action RPG. Therefore, the core gameplay is very distinct from the others. There is much more of a focus on combat and gunplay. This has become the norm for the series, as seen in New Vegas and Fallout 4.
