The first example I can think of this is the Bionic Commando reboot in 2009. It was released alongside a modern interpretation of the original, 2D game, Bionic Commando: Rearmed that was very well received. So much so, that Rearmed got a sequel while the ostensibly mainline game got forgotten in obscurity
We also have Ion Maiden, an old school FPS made with the Build Engine used for Duke Nukem. They are basically building the game with the same tech as back in the day, the only change is they updated the engine to run in 64-bit computers. It started as a companion piece to Bombshell, a totally mediocre Diablo-esque action-rpg thing that also got forgotten pretty quickly.
Ion Maiden looks to be far more interesting than the game it spins off of
Even the art direction and promo posters are more inspired in Ion Maiden
vs.
(these are both the same character)
Lastly, we have Bloodstained, IGA’s post-Konami IGA-(non)-vania and the NES-esque counterpart Curse of the Moon.
Considering what has been shown of Bloodstained and the high praise that Curse of the Moon got on release, it seems we are in another situation where the spin-off sub game ends up being better than the main release.
What happened? Is it because old-school, tried and true designs are inherently better than more modern, 32-bit generation type genres? Do we just prefer them because we’re getting old? Are there more examples like these on the horizon?
ALTHOUGH now that I am posting in here I think I am one of relatively few people who liked Bionic Commando 3D a lot more than Rearmed
I’ve never liked that megaman powered up 3D-on-2D art style (as opposed to PS1 2D-on-3D, which rules) and I really like freeform grappling hook movement, plus 3D was actually in a really neat place where it was distinctly not a cover shooter but had big detailed environments and gears style setpieces
the game modeled its physics really earnestly from what I remember – the swinging was all actual swinging, the combat was really free-form in that respect. they also went all-in on ragdolls to the extent that more than it just being a death animation, my memory is of every single enemy being a bouncy pile of vertices, and of every encounter involving me trying to tetherball myself up onto some terrain and then pinballing the grenade launcher into enemies’ weak spots.
also, the game has lots of blue skies, it looks better at higher resolutions and has better geometry than most of what came out prior to 2009 in the 360/PS3 generation, and the campaign is short enough to not overstay its welcome. the storytelling at the very start and very end is demented and whenever you’re on the ground the shooting mechanics feel ridiculously loosey-goosey, such that the first 20 minutes or so so make an incredibly poor impression, but I really enjoyed my time with it.
maps: 3D, highly-vertical arena-ish rooms, with space carved out for player movement? I could see that.
It’s different in that combat movement in Metroid Prime is usually strafing because you’re locked-on, so the player has little side visibility, leading to flat-ish rings (you see this in boss arenas most strongly). However, adventure combat rooms did get more complex, especially if they were ‘traversal’ rooms with static or patrol-stuck enemies. Doom guarantees front-facing camera all the time so they can almost always play with height variations and blockages and not cause player issues.
I remember the rooms in Metroid Prime 2 being significantly more cramped, though I might be projecting from the general overdesign of the world in general. It’s the only game of its type I’ve had trouble navigating the world after returning to it a year later, it’s so complex and fiddly, and I don’t think that’s a good thing.
I think there is another factor at play here, similar to why Majora’s Mask is such a better game than any other mainline zelda of the era.
Similar to why Resident Evil Revelations 2 (which is almost a spinoff of a spinoff) is far better than RE5 or RE6 (and in some ways I’d argue it’s stronger than 7, which I loved).
I think there’s something about making a game that’s free from the pressure of being a AAA showcase mass market title, while still enjoying the budget/lore/attention of a larger franchise. Sure, working with more established/easy to use tech is probably part of it, but I also think designers and developers feel way more freedom to get creative, to pursue and implement weird ideas, and execute them with more refinement than might be otherwise possible.
Majoras Mask was actually developed under a ridiculous time crunch, which i imagine had a small influence on the themes of time running out and the apocalypse bearing down on you
