If Nintendo never changed the Super Mario Bros. formula from its original release, it is highly unlikely it would remain relevant in modern times. Reinvention is a healthy sign of growth, but there are instances when we get a whole new package instead of the expected tweaks and tune-ups.
From expanding on its original content to shelving the past for a new approach altogether, these entries in beloved franchises embraced being different to varying degrees of success. These are 10 sequels that were dramatically different from their originals.
10 Star Fox Adventures
The Star Fox series is synonymous with aerial combat and up until the release of Star Fox Adventures on the Gamecube, it stuck with its revolutionary formula. In Adventures, the vehicular combat took a back seat to platforming, melee combat and puzzle solving to the dismay of long-time fans.
Originally, Star Fox Adventures was going to be a different game altogether until the unreleased Dinosaur Planet got a Star Fox themed makeover and was slated as a launch title for the Gamecube. Since Adventures, the franchise has taken to the stars once more and left the ground behind in future entries
9 Duke Nukem 3D
Once upon a time, Duke Nukem was just a run-of-the-mill platformer typical of early PC gaming and would be unrecognizable after what the series would become. The third title was unlike anything the gaming industry had ever seen and set aside the platforming for a visceral, obscene first person shooter.
Nobody would have guessed that the Duke Nukem series was going to revolutionize gaming, and had it not been for the massive overhaul that was Duke Nukem 3D, they would have been right.
8 Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
Everyone who has picked up a game knows how Pac-Man works: Eat dots, eat power pellets, eat ghosts, repeat until death. The formula has stayed perfect for nearly 40 years, and the bizarre sequel Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures shows why perfection should be left alone.
Players watch as an anxiety-ridden Pac-Man run errands for his wife, use a hang-glider to retrieve a flower and be guided by a slingshot of all things in this very strange point-and-click game.
7 Zelda 2: The Adventures Of Link
Forever remembered as the black sheep of the Zelda franchise, Zelda 2: The Adventures of Link was a great game in its own right though being completely different from the original. Dungeon exploration was swapped for a more traditional RPG experience and left fans divided upon release.
Since then, all future entries of The Legend of Zelda avoided making titles so drastically different from their established formula.
6 Fallout 3
For many gamers, Fallout 3 was the first experience they had with the post-apocalyptic series as it was the first to have a major console release. Prior to Bethesda purchasing the rights from Interplay Studios and giving the series the current day makeover, Fallout was an isometric RPG that still had the game’s trademark humor and themes of choices and consequences.
A fusion between the original and Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls, Fallout 3 was a massive success and set the course for the franchises continued success in the decade that followed.
5 Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow
Konami’s Castlevania was in need of a major update after the series peaked with 1997’s Symphony of the Night, so Konami ditched the dated presentation of previous games and partnered with Kojima Productions for a reboot. Lords of Shadow gave an overhaul to the presentation and combat while preserving the Gothic overtones the series was known for.
Though Lords of Shadow was successful enough to warrant a sequel, fans who feared the series was drifting away from its tenets would be validated as Lords of Shadow 2 was a disaster that killed the franchise.
4 Donkey Kong 3
The original Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. were so revolutionary at the time that they became synonymous with the platforming genre. Many already knew what to expect in a Donkey Kong game, but the entire industry was turned on its head when Donkey Kong 3 was released in 1986.
Taking its cues from titles such as Space Invaders and Galaga, the third entry of the original Donkey Kong trilogy was nothing like the previous two. While Nintendo’s titular ape has seen many games over the years, none was as unique or divisive as the 1986 arcade release.
3 Metal Gear Solid
Before the release of Metal Gear Solid, the previous entries were released either on the NES or the MSX family computer and were incredibly unique for its time. While the two games are what Hideo Kojima made, Metal Gear Solid was what Kojima intended those games to be.
Fully embracing the power of the Playstation and giving gamers an unparalleled experience that has stood the test of time, the jump to 3D and modern consoles produced one of the most important games of all time.
2 Super Mario Bros. 2
Deemed too difficult for American gamers to play, the original version of Super Mario Bros. 2 never left Japan. Instead, Nintendo scrambled and repackaged Doki Doki Panic for the US release of the second Mario game.
Gone were the goombas, Bowser and even the Mushroom Kingdom as Toad and Princess Toadstool joined Mario and Luigi to take on the villainous Wart. The game was such a departure from the original that the derided ending of it being all a dream actually made plenty of sense.
1 Grand Theft Auto III
Carnage was always the name of the game for the first Grand Theft Auto games, but Rockstar changed the gaming landscape forever with Grand Theft Auto III. In what was the first true sandbox experience for home consoles, Grand Theft Auto III transformed a niche set of games into an institution.
With each landmark entry in the franchise adding even more elements to its incredible design, it gets harder to believe that at one point these games were 2D driving games.