Good Threes, Bad Threes

[dog$]

Now that Halo 3 is out I figured it might be time for a little diversionary discussion.

Over the course of time I've wondered what it is about the third game of an established series which ends up becoming a pivotal release, either for the best or worst. A loosely general theme seems to be that if a game gets a sequel, it tries to merely build on elements from the first but otherwise try new things - then, if a 3rd game comes along, it either returns more directly to the style of the first game and makes a better version of it, or improves more on the sequel to become a flagship entry for the series. In either case, sometimes the third game ends up being more polarizing or worse than the previous two.

So I'm curious if you've come to recognize some of such 3rd games as being really good or really awful.

Good 3's
Street Fighter - or at least, arguably, the 3rd 3 in this case is when it finally hit paydirt
Wipeout - many people put this under XL but I still think this is the series's highlight
Thunder Force - often cited as the best TF
Dragon Quest - often cited as the best DQ
Super Mario Bros - particularly more evolved than between 1 and 2
Castlevania - a key NES release
Metal Slug - the series could have comfortably ended here
Warcraft - still an RTS staple today
Grand Theft Auto - pushed GTA1 and 2 out of the memory of many people
Art of Fighting - helped push the series above B-grade status

Bad 3's
Samurai Shodown - I suppose nothing can live up to the insane over-hype of SS2
Beatmania - I personally love it, but Konami didn't build it for success
Mortal Kombat - similar to Samurai Shodown, but adding the run button seemed to add even more gimmickry
Doom - killed by its own hype
Driver - seemed to follow a steady decline
Star Ocean - mostly came to exist as a confused mess and didn't retain much of the fan base
Suikoden - delivered a fatal blow to this series

And since nothing kills discussion like indecisiveness, I should mention that there are other series where I'm not sure which label would apply - Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, PGR, &c.

So where would you put Halo and some other Threes?

[Kidnemo]

Suikoden - delivered a fatal blow to this series

This is still one of the single most disappointing sequels ever for me.

Totally bummed me out.

[George]

Halo 3 is undoubtedly a good 3. It retains all the good qualities about Halo 2, drops most of the bad, and adds a shitload to the multiplayer experience.

There's something about the campaign of the first Halo that still makes it the best one, though the other ones are competent enough, and in addition to the MP, come out as better than the first.

I don't agree with you about Star Ocean 3. Story being lame aside, I thought the combat system was just familiar and just new enough to hold my interest all the way until I got every last side/bonus quest.

Ratchet and Clank 3 is awesome too. Best one to date still.

[Thief Silver]

Good thread Dog, though I still thoroughly enjoyed Star Ocean 3. Also Suikoden III may not be as good as the Second one, but I still found it to be an enjoyable game. Suikoden IV on the other hand I couldn't stomach more than an hour of that boring garbage.

I'd have to say I didn't really enjoy the third Crash Bandicoot as much as the first two as well.

[Wildkat]

PS3?

[YellerDog]

Donkey Kong 3. Mysteriously a shooter! Kind of fun, but a WTF as a sequel.

[Bacon McShig]

Good 3s:
Super Metroid - duh.
DMC3 - Brought the series back from the abyss that was DMC2.
MGS3 - Almost universally liked, after a mixed reaction to 2.
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (well, it's the 3rd GBA CV) - The first SotN-styled 'vania that felt like it was on the same level as SotN.
Demon's Crest - An excellent reinvention of the Gargoyle's Quest series.

[Brand X]

Good 3, Devil May Cry 3. It took the tremendous turd fest that was Devil May Cry 2 and returned it back to its awesome glory.

edit: Looks like Bacon beat me to it.

[kingoffighters]

Tomb Raider 3.... LOL

[A Robot Bit Me]

Good Three:
Thunderforce
Devil May Cry
Onimusha
WonderBoy
Contra
Shin Megami Tensei
Persona
Tekken
Shining Force
Silent Hill


Bad Three:
Resident Evil
Bonk
Hot Shots Golf
Arc the Lad
Xenosaga
Twisted Metal
Phantasy Star Online
Phantasy Star
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