Uncharted, And Other Game Franchises That Got Better Over…

Summary

Some franchises began shaky but grew stronger with each sequel, becoming mainstream hits.
Developers refined combat, scope, and systems with open worlds, online play, and accessibility.
By their 3rd and 4th games, series like The Elder Scrolls, Mario Kart, Red Dead, Persona, and Smash Bros. Hit their stride.

There are some video game franchises out there that managed to stick the landing right out of the gate, though they are followed up by sequels that just aren't as high-quality as what came before. However, this doesn't always need to be the case, as there are also some popular game franchises that, despite starting a little rough, only got better with each subsequent title, to the point where many of them went on to become mainstream success stories by their third or fourth games.

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Considering how easy it can be for fans to get blinded by nostalgia, particularly in the world of gaming, it can be difficult for developers to continue impressing players with every new game, especially since they will have the unenviable task of improving on everything that came before. As a result, creating a game series that only gets better over time is a lot harder than it may sound, but these franchises have managed to pull it off and will hopefully continue this trend for as long as they remain relevant.

The Elder Scrolls

Bethesda's Immensely Popular RPG Franchise Continues To Blow Players Away

Franchise Started: 1994
Mainline Games In Franchise: Five

While it may be hard to believe these days, the first Elder Scrolls game, titled The Elder Scrolls: Arena, barely had any RPG elements to speak of. It really wasn't until The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall that the foundation of what the series would become was established, though with a limited scope and outdated visuals, it was clear the series still had a long way to go before it would eventually become one of the most popular RPG franchises in the world.

It was really with Oblivion, the fourth game in the series, that The Elder Scrolls started to reach mainstream attention, and it was primarily thanks to the staggering amount of freedom that the player was granted once they loaded up a new game. Exploring a vast open world full of talkative NPCs, interesting side quests, and challenging enemy encounters made Oblivion an instant success, and by enhancing the graphics and packing in even more content with Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls is a series that has only gone from strength to strength as the years have passed.

Mario Kart

From A Quirky Minigame To A Must-Buy Competitive Racer

Franchise Started: 1992
Mainline Games In Franchise: Nine

It's honestly shocking just how far Mario Kart has come since its inception in the 90s, as while it may have initially been a niche spin-off, it has now become one of Nintendo's most popular franchises. While the core high-speed racing formula has always been intact for each new entry, Nintendo has been gradually adding more mechanics and systems to each game to make the experience as enjoyable as possible. For example, it was Mario Kart 64 that introduced 3D graphics, making the racers and tracks feel a lot more realistic and visually interesting.

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Mario Kart DS, on the other hand, started to tinker around with Wi-Fi compatibility, which would soon be expanded upon with Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS. All of this has led to Mario Kart World, which many consider to be the best game in the series, allowing players to not only partake in exhilarating traditional races but also to explore a vibrant open world full of secrets to uncover.

Red Dead

These Cowboy Simulators Have Only Gotten More Robust And Engaging

Franchise Started: 2004
Mainline Games In Franchise: Three

While most people are aware of Red Dead Redemption and its sequel, many people still don't know that the Red Dead series actually started with a small game called Red Dead Revolver. Released in 2004, the game revolves around exploring a spacious town called Brimstone to complete certain missions, most of which task players with taking down a specific number of enemies with an arsenal of deadly weapons. With a fairly silly story and lack of an open world, though, the game didn't end up making much of an impression, but the same certainly can't be said for Red Dead Redemption.

With a compelling cast of characters, a much more mature story, and one of the best endings in gaming, Red Dead Redemption took the world by storm when it released in 2010. Just when it seemed like Rockstar had perfected the cowboy simulator, they managed to improve on what came before with Red Dead Redemption 2, which features an even more memorable story and a truly jaw-dropping world. Though it's unclear as of right now whether Rockstar will be releasing a third Red Dead Redemption game, it's easy to wonder how on earth they could top the most recent entry.

Persona

Atlus Has Been Growing More Confident With Each New Persona Game

Franchise Started: 1996
Mainline Games In Franchise: Five

By today's standards, Revelations: Persona, the very first game in the popular Persona JRPG series, can be pretty hard to return to, not just because of the slow combat, but also the clunky first-person traversal, which can be a little jarring. While Atlus improved on this with the second pair of games, it was really with Persona 3 that the series started to hit its stride. The introduction of Social Links and a well-rounded party of characters allowed the game to stand on its own as something unique and interesting, but many fans still felt that there was room for improvement in the combat, especially with the dungeons.

Atlus took this to heart and tweaked the combat to make it a little more responsive and enjoyable in Persona 4, and once again in Persona 5, where the addition of the Baton Pass allows everything to move a lot more smoothly. The gradual rise of Persona has been one of Sega's biggest success stories in recent years, and while Persona 5 is now considered a JRPG classic, there's no doubt that the sixth mainline game will go above and beyond to meet players' high expectations when it finally releases.

Street Fighter

It Feels Like Street Fighter Has Finally Hit The Sweet Spot With Its Sixth Installment

Franchise Started: 1987
Mainline Games In Franchise: Six

Despite being one of the most popular arcade games of all time and the game that is often credited for giving birth to the fighting genre as a whole, Street Fighter 2 is actually pretty simplistic. That's not to say it's not fun, just that Capcom still had so much more to add in the future entries to reach the series' full potential, and that's exactly what they started doing. With Street Fighter Third Strike, the parry system, groovy soundtrack, and addition of new oddball characters went a long way in cementing Street Fighter's core identity.

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Street Fighter 4 would take this a step further by introducing glossy new modernized graphics, alongside balancing out the gameplay as much as possible to create an equal playing field. Though Street Fighter 5 would eventually become a fantastic fighting game that featured a lot of depth when it came to its combos and systems, Street Fighter 6 currently holds the crown for being the ultimate game in the franchise, combining everything that made the previous entries so special into one enjoyable package while also adding in tons of accessibility options that allow newcomers to get in on the action.

Super Smash Bros.

Masahiro Sakurai Worked Tirelessly Until Smash Bros Was Just Right

Franchise Started: 1999
Mainline Games In Franchise: Six

Modern Super Smash Bros. Players might be shocked to learn that the very first game in the series, released for the Nintendo 64, only had 12 playable characters. The reason this is so surprising is that the playable roster has exploded since that game was released, though while new fighters would be added with each new entry, Masahiro Sakurai, the brain behind the franchise, was also refining the gameplay until it was pitch-perfect. Once he realized that the general movement and speed of Super Smash Bros. Melee was a bit too fast, he then started to slow it down a bit in Brawl, but there were still some mechanics, such as the trip, that needed to be ironed out.

This eventually led to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch, which is undoubtedly the game that Sakurai had been building up to all this time. With almost 100 characters to pick from, including a plethora of third-party mascots such as Cloud, Bayonetta, and Minecraft Steve, Smash Bros. Ultimate is a game that anyone can jump into and enjoy, especially with how fun and chaotic the gameplay has become.

Uncharted

Drake's Adventures Have Only Gotten More Chaotic, Fun, And Memorable

Franchise Started: 2007
Mainline Games In Franchise: Four

While many people enjoyed the first Uncharted game, a common criticism that was thrown its way was that it felt too much like a shooting gallery, which could sometimes get in the way of the adventure itself. Though action has always been a big part of this series, the main draw of the Uncharted games is the sense of wonder and adventure that comes with exploring new and unique areas, and this is something Naughty Dog doubled down on in Uncharted 2, and once again in the third game.

While the action set pieces got a lot bigger and more bombastic, they were paired with intimate character moments and puzzle-solving that helped to balance out gameplay. The developers finally managed to perfect this combination in Uncharted 4, which, to this day, features some of the most enjoyable and chaotic action gameplay ever seen in a game, alongside a truly compelling story and characters that fans of the series will never forget.