Sequels aren’t exclusive to just video games, but the gaming industry has a tough dilemma when creating a sequel to anything. How do you create something just different enough to keep players engaged without alienating your fanbase?
It’s a question that every sequel faces. Games that do this well can place a franchise on people’s radars like Assassin’s Creed 2 did, or it can create a storm of rage on the internet as Dark Souls 2 did. Here are 5 examples of game sequels that outdid the original along with 5 that disappointed fans. This list will only include sequels to the first entry in a series, meaning titles such as Final Fantasy VII and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas aren’t on this list.
10 Outdid The Original: Borderlands 2
Borderlands is one of the most well known looter-shooter franchises and for good reason. Its blend of FPS combat and billions of randomized guns helped kick off the subgenre many gamers love today.
Its clear a sequel should add more guns for players to farm for, but Gearbox went above and beyond with Borderlands 2. Every manufacturer received an overhaul to make each distinct while the core gunplay was tuned up to make combat much more satisfying. The main story is also fantastic and has one of the most memorable antagonists in gaming. To top it off, the game included much more content than any Borderlands game since when including DLC.
9 Disappointed Fans: Destiny 2
Critics raved about Destiny 2’s main story and a plethora of activities but fans of the franchise knew something was awry.
The fans were right; Destiny 2 sabotaged the core loot chase and aspirational pursuits that Destiny’s The Taken King and Rise of Iron expansions provided. Heroic Strikes were missing, the weapon sandbox completely removed Special weapons for the sake of PvP balance, and the game’s weekly activities could all be completed in a single day to keep casual players happy. It didn’t work and resulted in cataclysmic backlash, forcing Bungie to backtrack on Destiny 2’s foundation with Forsaken. Even still, the game suffers from missing systems that fans of the original Destiny miss dearly.
8 Outdid The Original: Batman: Arkham City
Video games based on superhero characters have had a bad run for the most part. Many were skeptical that Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham series would be any good, but many consider Arkham Asylum one of the best Batman games ever made.
While it sacrificed some of the Metroidvania elements that made the original so good, Batman: Arkham City is one of the best games of the seventh console generation. Combat was sped up considerable while granting Batman over double the gadgets, all while shifting the gameplay loop from linear corridors to the open-ended Arkham City. Few games make you feel like Batman as well as Arkham City does.
7 Disappointed Fans: Devil May Cry 2
Devil May Cry has always been about fighting hordes of demons as stylishly as possible. Its core combat rhythm is one of the most addictive and satisfying out of any action-adventure title.
That is why Devil May Cry 2 is such a massive disappointment. Instead of allowing the original creators to make a sequel, another team of developers were tasked with making a sequel. They made Dante much less charming while turning him into a sluggish swordsman. Devil May Cry 2 is unquestionably a bad game, but it set the foundation for the near-perfect Devil May Cry 3 that would come soon after.
6 Outdid The Original: Mass Effect 2
Diehard fans of the original Mass Effect might disagree with this assessment, but Mass Effect 2 is the entry that made the series mainstream while improving much of the first game’s flaws.
Combat received a complete overhaul to feel more in-line with AAA third-person shooters. With the foundation for the sci-fi elements laid out in the first Mass Effect, BioWare made the smart decision of focusing more on character development and interpersonal relationships in the sequel to great effect. It also has one of the best final levels out of any video game.
5 Disappointed Fans: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2
Fans of The Force Unleashed were in a 4-hour long disappointment when its sequel, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, released two years after the first.
Players took the role of Galen Marek’s clone in one of the easiest campaigns any video game has produced. Its short campaign was not offset by its rather lackluster challenge missions or secret collectibles. The story focused almost entirely on Marek’s obsession with Juno Eclipse instead of anything remotely interesting.
4 Outdid The Original: Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption still is one of the best games Rockstar has ever created, so it’s easy to see why so many fans were excited when they released a sequel over 8 years later.
Chronologically, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel to the first entry, focusing more on Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang. The story is at least on-par with the first game, exceeding it at times. Its large array of activities and beautiful landscapes help solidify it as one of the best open-world games ever made. It complements the first game so well it somehow raises not just the quality of itself but the original as well, a feat that most sequels never achieve.
3 Disappointed Fans: Dragon Age 2
In classic EA fashion, they found a way to take a fantastic IP and ruin it by forcing their developers to crunch under an absurdly short period of time.
Dragon Age 2, made in only 16 months, is the definition of disappointment. Compared to the 3 years of development Dragon Age: Origins received, Dragon Age 2 revolved around the city of Kirkwall instead of the province of Ferelden. It was dramatically scaled back in scope compared to the original while making unnecessary changes to core mechanics such as combat. Many fans were frustrated with these changes and consider it one of the most disappointing games BioWare has ever made.
2 Outdid The Original: Halo 2
Gaming wouldn’t be where it is today without Halo. The first game forever changed FPS combat with its smart use of aim assist and two-weapon sandbox.
Somehow, Bungie would go on to revolutionize online multiplayer forever in Halo 2’s brutal year-long crunch. It dropped the ball with its cliffhanger ending, but its usage of Xbox Live to bring competitive Halo multiplayer to gamers across the world, on a console no less, was nothing short of game-changing. With player-made custom game types and an infinitely replayable campaign that supported co-op, Halo 2 will forever go down as one of the best video games ever made.
1 Disappointed Fans: Deus Ex: Invisible War
On the polar opposite end of the spectrum is Deus Ex: Invisible War. The sequel to one of the most influential PC games of all time was strangely built for the Xbox instead.
The developers promised revolutionary tech like real-time lightning and ragdoll physics. While they delivered on that front, the rest of the game suffered for it. Levels were much smaller when compared to the original, choices made only impact the current level you’re in, and the game strangely made all weapons use the same ammunition type for the sake of simplicity. When PC players complain about the “consolification” of gaming, Deus Ex: Invisible War is a shining example of what they’re talking about. It still retains the IP’s fantastic dialogue and conspiracy-laden plot, but the gameplay sacrifices Invisible War made were too much for fans of the original to forgive.
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