"Pseudo-sequels", spin-offs, loosely-connected games, etc...

[BoneSnapDeez]

Whenever I find a series I enjoy I try to play the games from start to finish. Sometimes this gets tricky though as game titles are changed during localization, and many "sequels" are very loosely defined.

This thread is to start some discussion about game "series" where the titles don't always fall in a clean 1/2/3/etc order, where several spin-offs exist, etc. Let's help each other weed our way through this mess.

For instance...

The 7th Saga isn't a stand-alone RPG, but the beginning of a loosely defined "trilogy" which includes:
The 7th Saga
Mystic Ark
Mystic Ark: Maboroshi Gekijo

Many JRPG fans are familiar with Quintet's "Heaven and Earth" trilogy:
Soul Blazer
Illusion of Gaia
Terranigma

Here's Falcom's Dragon Slayer series. Main games are bold, spin-offs italic:
Dragon Slayer
Dragon Slayer Gaiden
Xanadu
Faxanadu
Xanadu Next
Romancia
Legacy of the Wizard
Sorcerian
Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes
Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II
Lord Monarch
The Legend of Xanadu
The Legend of Xanadu II

What else ya got?

[noiseredux]

this is a great topic and I love this kind of shit.

Like how that publisher (XS was it?) made Gunbird and Castle of Shikigami loosely related via (bad) localization.

Or what about how the Ninja Gaiden series was retro-fitted to be within the DOA universe?

[BoneSnapDeez]

Like how that publisher (XS was it?) made Gunbird and Castle of Shikigami loosely related via (bad) localization.

Ugh yes.... Mobile Light Force!

[prfsnl_gmr]

I love this kind of shit

Me too.

Are we counting "spiritual successors"? If so, there are a ton of those.

[Menegrothx]

Final Fantasy: Tactics, Mystic Quest, Chocobo Racing, Chocobo's Dungeon, Dissidia 012
The FPS remake of Syndicate
The Ultima worlds of adventure spin offs to to Ultima
Japanese Wizardry spin offs (Wizardry gaiden?)
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? (platformer spin off to Disgaea)
CDi Zelda and Mario games
Metal Gear Acid
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Klonoa beach ball&RPG
Tekken card game on WonderSwan
Daxter&Secret Agent Clank
Crusaders of Might and Magic&Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
Street Fighter X Tekken (does this one count?)
Silent Hill: Book of memories
Shadow the Hedgehog
Knuckles Chaotix
All the cash in games by Sonic&Mario (non platformers)
Mega Man Legends&Soccer

[brunoafh]

I've been wrapped up in trying to complete all of the Super Robot Taisen games and related games for about 3 years now. I was exposed to it in 2006 but it's turned into full blown obsession these past years.

Including remakes and spin-offs there's around 70+ games (so obviously I won't be listing them all), many of which are quite long and require multiple playthroughs to fully complete, on practically every major console and handheld from the original GB to PS3 to 3DS. Genre is mostly just SRPG, but there are also beat em ups, RTS games, some action RPGs, 3D action games, card games, as well as out there spin-offs like dodgeball games and such. They're mostly Japanese only, and it takes me like 2-3x longer to read Japanese dialogue which makes getting through the games even more of a process. Not that I'm complaining, it's been one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences of my life and I haven't even begun to lose steam with it yet.

[pierrot]

Until recently, I always though that The Legend of Heroes was the original Dragon Slayer.

Anyway, I'm not sure of this one, but I have very strong suspicions that Star Force is the precursor to the Star Soldier series. It sure feels a heck of a lot like the Soldier games, at least.

[BurningDoom]

Would the King's Field - Demon's/Dark Souls connection count here?

[BoneSnapDeez]

Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes
Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II

Speaking of these, the Legend of Heroes series is a quite the mess. Mainly because of Namco Bandai's nonsensical North American titles.

Note that the first two Legend of Heroes games are also Dragon Slayer games. So now we're also talking about overlapping series. The "Dragon Slayer" was dropped by game #3, the series became its own entity, and "The Legend of Heroes" became the main title rather than a subtitle. Here we go:

Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes
Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II (JPN only)
The Legend of Heroes III: Shiroki Majo (released in the US by Namco as The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch... Why...? Find out below!)
The Legend of Heroes IV: Akai Shizuku (released in the US by Namco as The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion. They localized this before Shiroki Majo (Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch), dropped the number, and swapped the order.)
The Legend of Heroes V: Umi no Oriuta (released in the US by Namco as The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean.)
The Legend of Heroes VI: Sora no Kiseki (released in the US by XSEED as The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky.)
The Legend of Heroes VI: Sora no Kiseki Second Chapter (guess you could call this a "direct sequel" or spin-off to Trails in the Sky. JPN only).
The Legend of Heroes VI: Sora no Kiseki the 3rd (more TitS. JPN only.)
The Legend of Heroes VII: Zero no Kiseki (JPN only.)
The Legend of Heroes VII: Ao no Kiseki ("direct sequel" to VII. JPN only.)
The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki (no number yet - soon to be released.)

[BoneSnapDeez]

You don't need to ask me if anything "counts" - I don't make the rules.

You got it? List it!