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Normally as a videogame series progresses the gameplay gets better with new additions and innovations. But I wonder if there's any series where the first installment has the best gameplay and then it goes downhill from there?

I think a possible example is the Legacy of Kain series, which has its strengths in story and atmosphere. In the first game its like a Vampire Legend of Zelda with a sort of isometric view. There's lots of different weapons, items and spells to use and a good variety of enemies. Has the most amount of named characters and locations to visit, as well as fun bonus areas to explore.

In the second Legacy of Kain game the puzzles drove me crazy and there weren't enough warp points. In the third one you're going back and forth across the same areas a lot and there's no bonus areas to explore and no boss fights to speak of. I didn't play the fourth game. And with the fifth game I thought the fighting action got repetitive and limited, and you're traveling back and forth to this one ancient citadel a lot, and the fixed camera angle was annoying for when you needed to find things, and the levels feel bare and less lived in.

So, what series do you think had its best gameplay in the first installment?

Dawn of War instantly comes to mind.

Most often, though, second parts have best gameplay in my experience. The formula is perfected as compared to the first game, but isn't unnecessarily experimented with like in the third +.

Dragon Age: Origins remains the best in the series hands down.

Every game after the first is like they just chucked out the formula that worked.