Regardless of whether it’s books, movies or games, a sequel raises one big question that creators struggle to find the answer to: How do you this better? If something was good enough to get a good response in the first place, it can be quite difficult to improve on the formula and at the same time do something different enough that it doesn’t just feel like a concoction, but many games have managed to do that, and we’ve gathered our favourites.
Before we get started, however, I would like to highlight a few honorable mentions. Games like Super Mario Bros. 3, Resident Evil 2, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Half-Life 2 are all amazing and redefined their respective franchises. They should be recognized as incredible sequels, but unfortunately this humble editor’s time was a bit behind them, so I can’t pretend to appreciate them as they should be appreciated. Also, there are some games that I would have liked to have included on this list (Pikmin 4, Grand Theft Auto V, Batman: Arkham City, Warhammer: Vermintide 2), but that I simply didn’t have room for.
10. Baldur’s Gate III
If you’ve read anything I’ve written in the past, you could have probably guessed that this game would end up here. A return to Baldur’s Gate may have taken years, but Larian’s RPG proved that sometimes truly great things come to those who wait. Building on the D&D systems of the previous games, without sacrificing its CRPG roots, Baldur’s Gate III was an example of how an RPG should be made, and for years we’ll likely look at similar games and wish they could reach their heights. It takes place over 100 years after the events of Baldur’s Gate II and isn’t a direct sequel like some of the other games are, but it’s so good I couldn’t skip it.
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9. Pokemon Silver/Gold
From a new hit to a piece of sweet nostalgia: Pokémon Gold and Silver were our first real look at how far Pokémon could go as a franchise. Pokémon Gold and Silver gave us a whole new region to explore, in addition to Kanto in the endgame, with tons of cool designs, a whole new type of Pokémon, and the best mythic trio we’ve ever had (yeah, I’m standing by it, suck it , legendary birds), and I’m still clamoring for Gen 2 remakes even though we’re long past that point.
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8. Borderlands 2
This is no place for a hero. Just the intro sequence of Borderlands 2 is enough to get you incredibly excited for one of the best shooters of the 2010s. Brilliant characters and gameplay beautifully stitched together with a western narrative where you return from exile to hunt down Handsome Jack make Borderlands 2 the game the rest of the series is afraid of. It’s a sequel so good that nothing that followed has lived up to it, and fans fear that nothing ever will.
7. Mass Effect 2
The first Mass Effect game introduced us to one of the best space opera stories we’ve seen since Star Wars, and the sequel matched the shooter and character work with the grand galaxy BioWare had built. Mass Effect 2 has a simpler story than the first and third games, but it’s incredibly effective in its simplicity, bonding you with your squad and then putting everything on the line in what is one of, if not the best, last mission in the entire game world.
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
As we approach 2025, we won’t have the same technology as Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, but we’ll always have the 2012 game as a reminder of Treyarch’s incredible work drawing Call of Duty skeptics like me into the series. We all remember the crazy multiplayer experiences of Nuketown 2025, Hijacked and Raid, but for me it was the zombie mode in Black Ops 2 that really shined. Getting left behind by the bus on Tranzit is a gaming memory I’ll never forget, and figuring out how to play Rusty Cage in Mob of the Dead made taking down the living dead somehow even cooler.
5. Red Dead Redemption 2
This may be controversial considering people’s love of Red Dead Redemption, but Rockstar’s 2018 western is – until Grand Theft Auto VI comes out – the biggest mark they have left on the gaming industry. It’s impossible not to be impressed by the world of Red Dead Redemption 2. There are shrinking horse balls in the snow, for God’s sake. All kidding aside, without Grand Theft Auto’s satirical anchor, Rockstar has created a masterpiece of storytelling with Red Dead Redemption 2, somehow making a prequel work even within the limitations of the original story. Arthur Morgan may be one of the best characters in the entire media world, but he alone would be nothing without the rest of the Van Der Linde gang and the actors’ performances.
4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is considered by many to be the best game of all time, so it can’t really be left out of this list, to be honest. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the game that really created all the hype surrounding Cyberpunk 2077, and it blows its predecessors away in terms of world, combat, characters and storytelling. Today, it remains one of the best fantasy RPGs you can play. Gwent was also featured in this game. A silly mini-game that became so popular that it became its own thing.
3. Halo 2
If we’re talking about industry influence, it’s hard to keep Halo 2 out of the top three. Like Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 allowed players to play against each other in split-screen multiplayer, but it also introduced online via Xbox Live. The shooter world was not the same after this. In addition to the multiplayer part, it’s also worth highlighting that Halo 2 was an excellent development of the story from the first game, giving us more insight into the Covenant.
2. Portal 2
While Valve fans often clamor for Half-Life 3, I would love to see another Portal game. Going on an adventure in Aperture Labs always feels fun – even in its dilapidated state – and it somehow managed to surpass the game that was already considered an instant classic in 2007. And then there’s the co-op feature this time, which turned out to be effortlessly fun, especially if you enjoy screwing with a friend by sending him or her through portals.
1. Assassin’s Creed II
This may seem like an odd choice as number 1. Most people would probably argue that Assassin’s Creed II is not as good a game as perhaps most of the others in the top 5, but we don’t just review these games for what they are, and I think Assassin’s Creed II is the game that has achieved the most as a sequel of anyone on this list. Before Ezio Auditore entered the scene, Assassin’s Creed was a solid action and stealth game with an interesting historical concept at its core. First with Assassin’s Creed II, one of the best protagonists in the gaming world, the best environments for parkour and a rich story that you blend seamlessly into, this series showed that it could take over the world. I think that without Assassin’s Creed II we live in a completely different gaming world, one where Ubisoft isn’t nearly as big a player as they are, and Assassin’s Creed remains a bit of a niche franchise if it exists at all. Ezio’s Family is a piece of music that has defined the franchise going forward, showing how influential even seemingly small parts of the game are.
What do you think of our list? What would you have added?
