Series with biggest leap in quality from one entry to the next?

I think from Burnout 2 ---> Burnout 3 for me was the most drastic shift. The second was a pretty fun game, with a neat little crash mode. The 3rd totally blew my mind when it came out. Come to think of it, that may be the last time I was "suprised" by a game. I suppose they should have come out relativily close to one another. It's hard to compare games 4 generations apart.

UT99 -> UT2k4 
 
At the time, hearing about Bump-Mapping was crazy.  UT2k4 looked like Crysis back then.

GTA 3-GTA4?

Doom 2 to Doom 3

Super Mario 2 to 3.

Everything before Resident Evil 4 -> Resident Evil 4. 
 
That game did so many things right and stands as one of the modern greats. I don't mean to say it's predecessors were anything less than stellar, but 4 really did produce a paradigm shift in the series' direction/quality. 
 
5 isn't great, though.

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake to Metal Gear Solid

DMC2 -> DMC3
 
Fuck you DMC2.

Whichever Duke Nukem before it -> Duke Nukem Forever

"I don't mean to say it's predecessors were anything less than stellar, but 4 really did produce a paradigm shift in the series' direction/quality.  5 isn't great, though. "

Red Dead Revolver to Red Dead Redemption. Because someone was gonna say it if I didn't.

" Everything before Resident Evil 4 -> Resident Evil 4. "

Assassin's Creed -----> Assassin's Creed II was pretty radical in terms of quality.  A lot of the repetition was taken out, but on top of that, the storytelling was magnificently handled.

GTA 2 to GTA 3

A lot of people will disagree with me, but I think it was Ocarina of Time to Majora's Mask. Ocarina of time was great, but I feel like MM refined the formula quite a bit and implemented some really unique concepts. Plus the game was creepy as fuck (I was 9-10 at the time) which I loved. (Remember the waterwheel man? Holy shit.)

" Everything before Resident Evil 4 -> Resident Evil 4.  That game did so many things right and stands as one of the modern greats. I don't mean to say it's predecessors were anything less than stellar, but 4 really did produce a paradigm shift in the series' direction/quality.  5 isn't great, though. "

The last 3 Elder Scrolls games, and continuing to the next, every game is a huge leap forward.

Dragon Age 2 -> Dragon Age: Origins

Assassin's Creed 1 to 2.

Plenty of good answers for this.  I always think about Assassin's Creed, though.  I did not really enjoy the first one at all, which also made me wary of the second one when it came out, but it was great.   Now I really like the series(still don't like that first game, though).

Ico to Shadow of the Colossus.  

" A lot of people will disagree with me, but I think it was Ocarina of Time to Majora's Mask. Ocarina of time was great, but I feel like MM refined the formula quite a bit and implemented some really unique concepts. Plus the game was creepy as fuck (I was 9-10 at the time) which I loved. (Remember the waterwheel man? Holy shit.) "

Assassin's Creed 1 to 2.
 
2 is actually a videogame that's playable.

no idea how no one has said Half-Life yet.

" @FLStyle: They made a DMC2? "

" @GetEveryone said:

" Everything before Resident Evil 4 -> Resident Evil 4.  That game did so many things right and stands as one of the modern greats. I don't mean to say it's predecessors were anything less than stellar, but 4 really did produce a paradigm shift in the series' direction/quality.  5 isn't great, though. "

4 wasn't the best game in the series and is ultimately why the series has became what it has; a shadow of its former self.  Yeah, it was a competent action game that made good use of the perspective, but it wasn't a proper Resident Evil game or worthy of being the next entry in the series.  The gunplay in 4 and 5 is laughably bad, enemies just bounce when you hit and kill them. Please. "

" A lot of people will disagree with me, but I think it was Ocarina of Time to Majora's Mask. Ocarina of time was great, but I feel like MM refined the formula quite a bit and implemented some really unique concepts. Plus the game was creepy as fuck (I was 9-10 at the time) which I loved. (Remember the waterwheel man? Holy shit.) "

"

                    @GetEveryone said:

"

                    Everything before Resident Evil 4 -> Resident Evil 4.  That game did so many things right and stands as one of the modern greats. I don't mean to say it's predecessors were anything less than stellar, but 4 really did produce a paradigm shift in the series' direction/quality.  5 isn't great, though.

                   

                "

4 wasn't the best game in the series and is ultimately why the series has became what it has; a shadow of its former self.  Yeah, it was a competent action game that made good use of the perspective, but it wasn't a proper Resident Evil game or worthy of being the next entry in the series.  The gunplay in 4 and 5 is laughably bad, enemies just bounce when you hit and kill them. Please, They didn't even bother fixing/improving the animation when you kill standard enemies.

                   

                "

" @FLStyle: They made a DMC2? "

CoD 3 ->CoD4

" no idea how no one has said Half-Life yet. "

" UT99 -> UT2k4  At the time, hearing about Bump-Mapping was crazy.  UT2k4 looked like Crysis back then. "

" UT99 -> UT2k4  At the time, hearing about Bump-Mapping was crazy.  UT2k4 looked like Crysis back then. "

" GTA 3-GTA4? "

" @KaosAngel said:

" UT99 -> UT2k4  At the time, hearing about Bump-Mapping was crazy.  UT2k4 looked like Crysis back then. "

What about UT 2003? "

Team Fortress Classic to Team Fortress 2.

" @Ygg said:

" @GetEveryone said:

" Everything before Resident Evil 4 -> Resident Evil 4.  That game did so many things right and stands as one of the modern greats. I don't mean to say it's predecessors were anything less than stellar, but 4 really did produce a paradigm shift in the series' direction/quality.  5 isn't great, though. "

4 wasn't the best game in the series and is ultimately why the series has became what it has; a shadow of its former self.  Yeah, it was a competent action game that made good use of the perspective, but it wasn't a proper Resident Evil game or worthy of being the next entry in the series.  The gunplay in 4 and 5 is laughably bad, enemies just bounce when you hit and kill them. Please. "

There was a touch of irony to my post, but I'll bite. 
 
Everything about 4 was better than it had been in previous installments. I'm a massive Resi fan, but I'm not blind to its faults. The game has generally handled very poorly and had a terrible narrative. 4 tidied up a lot of this. 5, unfortunately, missed the point a bit. It tilted the axis too much; retreading almost entire scenes from 4 (e.g. escaping Salazar's Right hand - basement/escaping the Uroboros - furnace) without any of the tension and double the machismo.
 
I imagine most people would agree with me. 
 
@beeftothetaco said:

" A lot of people will disagree with me, but I think it was Ocarina of Time to Majora's Mask. Ocarina of time was great, but I feel like MM refined the formula quite a bit and implemented some really unique concepts. Plus the game was creepy as fuck (I was 9-10 at the time) which I loved. (Remember the waterwheel man? Holy shit.) "

Such a great shout. Majora's Mask mixed things up in that universe so well, but it went down like liver oil. Beautiful side-missions. The collecting had a point and offered rewards, the temple design was fantastic, and the time-mechanic added a thoughtful, management dimension. Not to mention the generally fantastic atmosphere and sense of foreboding in that world. "

"Red Dead Revolver to Red Dead Redemption. Because someone was gonna say it if I didn't. "

Let me calculate this....fuck it, I'll just say it was from Adventure Island III to Super Adventure Island. Doesn't "Super" imply that you've added shit to the game, not taken it away?

Dawn of War -> Dawn of War 2

" @mnzy said:

" @KaosAngel said:

" UT99 -> UT2k4  At the time, hearing about Bump-Mapping was crazy.  UT2k4 looked like Crysis back then. "

What about UT 2003? "

Doesn't exist. "

" Assassin's Creed -----> Assassin's Creed II was pretty radical in terms of quality.  A lot of the repetition was taken out, but on top of that, the storytelling was magnificently handled. "

AC1 to 2 was pretty significant. Don't have too much personal experience outside of this generation so I can't think of much else.

" @KaosAngel said:

" @mnzy said:

" @KaosAngel said:

" UT99 -> UT2k4  At the time, hearing about Bump-Mapping was crazy.  UT2k4 looked like Crysis back then. "

What about UT 2003? "

Doesn't exist. "

But...boost dodge! "

" A lot of people will disagree with me, but I think it was Ocarina of Time to Majora's Mask. Ocarina of time was great, but I feel like MM refined the formula quite a bit and implemented some really unique concepts. Plus the game was creepy as fuck (I was 9-10 at the time) which I loved. (Remember the waterwheel man? Holy shit.) "

Uncharted -> Uncharted 2.
 
A mediocre third person shooter barely rescued by its likable characters transformed into an intense, thrilling, Indiana Jones style epic adventure with some of the best character work in gaming as a whole wrapped in a nice multiplayer package.
 
Back of the net.

" Uncharted -> Uncharted 2.   A mediocre third person shooter barely rescued by its likable characters transformed into an intense, thrilling, Indiana Jones style epic adventure with some of the best character work in gaming as a whole wrapped in a nice multiplayer package. "

" @mnzy said:

" @KaosAngel said:

" @mnzy said:

" @KaosAngel said:

" UT99 -> UT2k4  At the time, hearing about Bump-Mapping was crazy.  UT2k4 looked like Crysis back then. "

What about UT 2003? "

Doesn't exist. "

But...boost dodge! "

YO!  That's why I fucking hated UT3, UT2k4 had those combo-powerups.  S-S-S-S REGENERATION!  W-W-W-W BOOSTER!  Fucking loved that in UT2k4, EPIC needs to bring that series back. "