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What counts as a "unique" version for a series?

  • Posted on 26 October 15 at 04:23
    Is there a definition of what makes a game in a series unique, and what doesn't? It seems to me like name alone isn't necessarily enough in some cases.

    Usually what makes a game not qualify as a unique variant is obvious:

    Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes - 2.0 Edition
    Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes - 2.0 Edition (PS3)

    Same game, same trophy list, I agree they should be combined. But there's two separate sets of edge cases that aren't counted as unique variants currently, that I think may need some clarity.

    The first one is where there's a version that's significantly different from the base game. The textbook cases here are the recent Vita ports of the LEGO games:

    LEGO Jurassic World
    LEGO Jurassic World (Vita)

    For the LEGO games after LEGO The Lord of the Rings (Vita), the Vita versions play significantly differently. They're isometric games played in two-minute chunks, as opposed to the full levels and open-world gameplay of their console counterparts.

    (LEGO The Lord of the Rings (Vita) and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Vita) are different, or rather, aren't different; they fall into the second case below.)

    I believe that games like these that are significantly different should be considered unique, and should not be lumped together on the series page.

    The second type is less clear to me. I think they're fine as-is but I want to mention them to make sure all the bases are covered.

    Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes - 2.0 Edition (Vita) is 95% identical to the PS3/PS4 versions. But it's missing some features/trophies (specifically, there's no co-op, so the four co-op trophies were removed).

    My inclination is that it shouldn't count as a variant - no more than Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS3) because it's missing two of the DLCs.

    LEGO The Lord of the Rings (Vita) and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Vita) had slightly more extensive changes, especially to the trophy list. (And I want to say they left out crafting too?) But unlike later LEGO games, the essential gameplay and level design is unchanged from their console counterpart. So they probably shouldn't really be unique either.
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