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Not manyRocket Leaguefans know that the popular vehicular soccer game is actually a sequel to a forgotten title that was released almost 16 years ago. That’s just one of the examples of some game sequels that completely changed the fate of the franchise that they’re a part of, due to a massive improvement in quality over the original first installments.
Some titles are just so superior to their OG counterparts that revisiting the latter starts to make less sense as time goes on, making them a huge waste of time.
Rocket League Is Actually a Sequel to a Forgotten 2008 Game
On the subreddit dedicated to gaming, a user brought up an excellentquestion, asking their fellow gamers about that one sequel that ended up making its preceding title a complete “waste of time” because of their better quality. The responses included numerous games that made their respective original installments obsolete, with one user mentioning howRocket Leaguestands out as a perfect example.
For those unaware, the game was not exactly developer Psyonix’s first rodeo in the vehicular soccer genre since it released a title calledSupersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Carsall the way back in 2008.
Another user sarcastically joked about how the game that came beforeRocket Leaguehas such a hilariously long title that it “rolls off the tongue so organically,” which is why its own community does not use its full name when it scarcely gets brought up in conversation. Even the most dedicated fans of the original game call itSARPBCorSARP Battle-Carsinstead, because who can really blame them?
The Reddit thread then became a nostalgic place for the OG Psyonix community as one player pointed out how once upon a time, it was actually known asCarballwhen it was only just a mod for another game calledUnreal Tournament 2004.
WhenRocket Leaguewas released in 2015, it received highly positive reviews from both critics and fans, which was a big improvement from the originalSARPBC, which was launched to mediocre and mixed reception. The sequel improved on almost every single aspect that was introduced in the OG title, and it goes without saying that creating a whole franchise out of such an annoyingly long name would not have been easy for the developer.
One has more than ten syllables, and the sequel keeps things short and sweet with just three, which probably played some part in the original’s eventual irrelevance.
Street Fighter 2 Joins Rocket League in the Discussion About Sequels
Aside fromRocket League, for obvious reasons, Capcom’s universally acclaimed fighting game sequel from 1991 was also brought up in the conversation. The originalStreet Fighterfrom 1987 received generally mixed reviews upon release, but it was actually the second installment that took the world by storm and set a new standard for other games in the genre.
Street Fighter 2started a revolution in the world of video games that is still continued today, and as a Reddit user pointed out, it “is known as the origin of most mechanics that define modern fighting games.”
According to the same player, the only relevant purpose that the originalStreet Fighterserved was so that the sequel could have a “2 in the title.” It may be a completely different reason from the one thatRocket Leaguefans discussed, but the second installment in the iconic fighting game series definitely took the concept to a whole other level.
Another user mentioned how all of the people they have met started theirStreet Fighterjourney with Part2, and none of them had ever played the original title.
Are there any sequels other thanRocket LeagueorStreet Fighter 2that made their first installments completely irrelevant? Let us know in the comments!
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Osama Farooq
Senior Gaming Content Editor / Critic
Articles Published :356
Ever since Osama was gifted the glorious PS2 more than two decades back, video games have formed a major part of his life, ranging from spending hours playing through every single Dragon Ball game he could find to witnessing the gaming industry evolve into something extraordinary in modern times. Building his collection of PlayStation consoles throughout the years all the way up until PS5, he prefers single-player experiences like The Last of Us and Persona, while also letting off steam on a daily basis with casual EA Sports FC matches. But the current rise in online multiplayer shooters will never really appeal to his old-school self.
