20 Games that are Better Than the Sequel

Video games are a unique medium when it comes to sequels. In movies, for instance, sequels most often fall short of the stories that preceded them. While there are certainly exceptions, writing teams generally struggle to continue character arcs and storylines satisfyingly. For video games, the opposite is usually true. Technical advancements mean that sequels can improve gameplay, introducing new mechanics and more impressive graphics. Just like with movies, though, there are exceptions. Sometimes, for any number of reasons, a sequel can fall far short of the expectations set up by the previous game in the series. Here are some games that were let down by their successors.

Epic Mickey

Disney’s Epic Mickey is one of the strangest licensed games out there. The title takes the corporation’s legendary mascot and transports him to a mysterious dark fantasy world. There he meets forgotten characters and traverses surreal, inky landscapes. The game is not perfect by any means, but its surprisingly dark tone and ink-based gameplay helped it stand out and attract a decently sized fanbase. Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two pretty sufficiently scared them away. The sequel attempted to integrate two-player co-op. Unfortunately, this meant single players were stuck with an AI companion that was almost impossible to work with. The title also suffered pretty heavily from glitches. Now that the first game is getting remade, maybe the franchise will see new life. However, Epic Mickey 2 will always be an unfortunate ink blot on the series’ reputation.

Fallout 2

The Fallout franchise has had many ups and downs over the years. But one of the biggest shakeups came after Fallout 2, when the franchise fell into Bethesda’s hands. There is a lot to admire about Fallout 3, and it was certainly a major success for the studio. But the game is mired by flaws that have only grown more noticeable as time goes on. The open-world design means that some of the best side quests in the game are shunted out of the way where the player may never learn about them. The story suffers too, to the point that the grand sacrifice at the climax is one of the most widely reviled moments in video game history. Compared to the first two games, which told complex, meaningful stories in a richly detailed world, it can’t help but feel like a loss.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Everyone knows The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of the greatest video games ever made. The game revolutionized 3D action games. It also set the formula for almost every 3D Zelda game until Breath of the Wild, which similarly revolutionized the industry. Ocarina of Time is also one of the relatively few Zelda games to have a direct sequel. Most installments follow a different Link in a different iteration of Hyrule. Majora’s Mask picks up directly after Ocarina of Time with a new quest for Link’s childhood self. It’s a phenomenal game in its own right, with a much darker tone than fans of Ocarina of Time are used to. It’s also considerably harder. While Majora’s Mask is by all accounts a triumph, it’s not the revolution that its prequel was.

Mass Effect 3

The Mass Effect franchise has had a pretty turbulent history. The first two games in the original trilogy were massive successes. While Mass Effect 3 had plenty of good qualities as well, the original ending let down a lot of fans. Eventually, EA tried to reinvigorate the franchise with a prequel, Mass Effect Andromeda. This game proved to be an even greater disappointment, launching with a slew of bugs and technical issues. Even once it was patched, it still presented a weaker story than the original trilogy. In spite of it all, Andromeda has generally gone forgotten by fans.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

1997’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was an undeniable triumph for the venerable franchise. The nonlinear design of Dracula’s castle helped give rise to the metroidvania franchise. The chance to play as fan-favorite character Alucard was another welcome change of pace. Symphony of the Night left an indelible mark on the design of the rest of the series, and of video games as a whole. But as excellent as many of those later entries were, few if any of them have managed to rise to the level of Symphony of the Night. This landmark title remains at the top of the list for many Castlevania fans.

Resident Evil 5

It’s well known that Resident Evil 4 is one of the most renowned entries in this iconic survival horror franchise. It introduced a heavier emphasis on action than previous games, and Resident Evil 5 followed suit. 5’s action-oriented gameplay didn’t sit well with everyone. But it’s still generally regarded as a pretty strong entry in the series. Resident Evil 6, however, is not. This game arguably took the action focus too far. The plot suffered as well, following multiple different storylines across the world. The game’s bloated story and bland, forgettable gameplay made this a low point in Resident Evil 6’s history. The franchise wouldn’t completely recover until the launch of the intense, intimately terrifying Resident Evil Biohazard in 2017.

Dragon Age: Origins

BioWare’s Dragon Age series started strong with Dragon Age: Origins, an impressive tactical RPG in a grand, sweeping fantasy world. The game established a rich world of lore and conflict and told a gripping tale with meaningful, weighty choices. Unfortunately, Dragon Age 2 fared considerably worse than its predecessor. Fans criticized the shortage of character creation choices, since the game forced you to play a specific human character named Hawke. The RPG mechanics were also somewhat streamlined from the original game. This followed a similarly criticized design decision for Mass Effect 2. Dragon Age 2 was not without fans, but it’s generally less well-loved than Origins.

Banjo-Tooie

The legendary Banjo-Kazooie is a delightfully colorful platformer and a cherished piece of N64 history. Its sequel, Banjo-Tooie, was a similarly beloved title that built well on the original. These two games, among others, made Rare a household name in the early days of 3D gaming. Unfortunately, the developer would go on to have something of a fall from grace. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is very much emblematic of the studio’s dark period. The game eschewed the series’ enjoyable platforming for a mechanic based entirely on building and racing karts. While this system wasn’t bad in its own right, it was such a severe departure from what had made Banjo-Kazooie great in the first place that fans largely spurned it.

Super Mario Galaxy

The Mario franchise is made of excellent games, but Super Mario Galaxy stands out. This platformer is easily one of the best games ever released on the Nintendo Wii. Indeed, it’s arguably one of the best Mario games ever made. Its fluid controls, and delightful soundtrack have cemented it as a paragon of game design. Its sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, retains a lot of the gameplay elements that made the first game such an icon. But these come at the cost of a lot of the game’s charm. Much of the game, including the simple act of selecting a level, has been streamlined and reduced in scope. The result is a game that is often compared to a DLC expansion rather than a fully fledged title. There’s a lot of fun to be had in Super Mario Galaxy 2, but it’s not as cherished, and for good reason.

BioShock

The grim underwater dystopia of Rapture was a massive hit with fans when it launched, and it remains iconic today. The ruined art deco finery, depraved and hideous mutants, and hulking Big Daddies are instantly recognizable pieces of video game culture. BioShock‘s morbid, politically charged story is full of so many twists and turns that it’s still talked about and remembered today. Unfortunately, BioShock 2 failed to uphold that legacy. The game underwhelmed fans who felt it was just more of the same. Even the twist of casting the player as a Big Daddy wasn’t enough to raise its reputation. On the bright side, BioShock 2’s DLC expansion, Minerva’s Den, is held up as a high point for the entire series. This has helped redeem the game somewhat since launch.

SimCity 4

The venerable SimCity franchise is an early PC gaming juggernaut. SimCity 4 is a bit of a standout title, as it introduced 3D graphics to the main series, following their success in the spinoff, SimCity 64. While the game was generally received well, it also preceded a ten-year slump for the franchise. There were side titles and spinoffs in that time, but the main series wouldn’t return until 2013’s soft reboot, SimCity. Unfortunately, this reboot was a calamitous failure by all accounts. The title was all but unplayable due to EA’s questionable decision to keep it online at all times, even for solo players. SimCity 2013 went down in history as one of the worst launches in the industry. This left SimCity 4 as the last great main series SimCity game.

Dark Souls

Dark Souls is one of the most iconic video games out there, and the gold standard for high-difficulty titles. Its grueling dark fantasy dungeons are what every difficult game is compared to, even sequels from legendary developer FromSoftware. Dark Souls 2 was not immune to this comparison. The sequel was supervised by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the lead developer of the first game. However, it was directed by other members of FromSoft’s team. The result is a game that, while perfectly enjoyable in its own right, is a considerable departure from its beloved predecessor. Shifts to the lore and core gameplay mechanics alienated diehard fans of Dark Souls. Even most fans who enjoy the second game are liable to call the first one the superior title.

Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground

The Tony Hawk franchise has a lot of standout titles. While Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground isn’t necessarily one of them, it’s still a generally well-received game, and the last to be developed by Neversoft before it shut down. A series of minor spinoffs and lesser sequels followed, but the next main installment would prove something of a death knell for the franchise. Robomodo’s Pro Skater 5 was an absolute calamity for the series. It was riddled with poor design decisions and a plethora of technical issues that made it all but unplayable. Fans and critics tore the game apart on release in 2015, and as a result, there’s been hardly any activity from the franchise since, aside from a mobile game and a remake of the first two titles.

Devil May Cry

The Devil May Cry series maintains a well-earned reputation to this day as a series of addictive and fluid action games with wild, over-the-top combos. The first and third games are especially prized for their bombastic action and massive fights. The fact that the third game has been able to maintain such considerable acclaim is particularly impressive given the overwhelmingly poor reception of its predecessor, Devil May Cry 2. By all accounts, this game ruined the combat flow that had made the first game so good, and the narrative took things in a boring, generic direction that clashed with the campy bombast that had endeared fans to Dante in the first place. Later sequels have moved on and left Devil May Cry 2 in the dust, and with good reason.

Overwatch

Blizzard has fallen pretty hard over the past few years. Recent allegations about the company’s working environment have made it something of a villain in the gaming industry. Decisions the company is making about games like Overwatch 2 haven’t helped. While the game itself is a solid followup to the wildly successful original, the fact that Blizzard completely removed the first game has soured its reception somewhat. Also unpopular are Blizzard’s greedy monetization attempts, which have ramped up from the first game in response to new regulation about lootboxes in several countries. The company’s cruel handling of its esports division and multiple layoffs have effectively tarnished Overwatch 2’s reputation better than any dissatisfied fan ever could.

Super Mario Bros.

The original Super Mario Bros. is a game that needs no introduction. It spawned one of the most iconic franchises in the entire industry. But back in the ’80s, when it was still relatively new, the prospect of making a direct sequel proved considerably more complicated than one might think. The result was two sequels that each fail to live up to the original in different ways. What the US received as Super Mario Bros. 2 is an entirely unrelated game, reskinned with Mario and his friends, that does not represent the franchise very well at all. The real Super Mario Bros. 2, which eventually made it to the US as The Lost Levels, does build directly on the mechanics of the beloved prequel. However, its intense difficulty makes it much less accessible than its predecessor. Neither of these sequels can quite match the instant perfection of Super Mario Bros.

Duke Nukem 3D

Duke Nukem 3D is an iconic early shooter that helped establish the legacy of games like Doom and Wolfenstein 3D even as it mocked and satirized the musclebound warriors on their box art. This wacky parody was so beloved by fans that a sequel was announced the very next year. That sequel would be stuck in development for the next fourteen years. The eventual result, 2011’s Duke Nukem Forever has gone down in history as one of the worst video games ever made. The game has been mocked from every angle. The gameplay, long loading times, offensive humor, and level design have all been derided. After over a decade of hype, Duke Nukem Forever effectively killed off a promising parody series in one fell swoop.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The debacle surrounding the Metal Gear Solid series is quite famous by now. Konami’s infamous decision to fire legendary developer Hideo Kojima is one of the least popular things a gaming company has ever done, which is saying something. The company then tried to follow up the wildly successful Metal Gear Solid V with Metal Gear Survive, one of only two Metal Gear sequels ever made without Kojima’s effort. The game’s shift from espionage to zombie survival alienated many fans, and the uninspired and clunky gameplay design did not help. Metal Gear Survive was a failure in every respect, and a fitting end to the controversy and confusion of the debacle that preceded it.

Dead Space 2

The original Dead Space was a phenomenal and deeply horrifying game, and Dead Space 2 ratcheted it up to eleven. These are two of the best horror games on the market, and their hideous necromorph enemies are a staple of body horror. Dead Space 3 completely killed the hype for this legendary franchise. The game pivoted hard into a focus on action, then bogged that action down with resource gathering and weapon crafting mechanics. Much of the unique horror that had made the first two games stand out was buried in generic shooter gameplay. Dead Space 3 did make some interesting contributions to the overall lore of the trilogy, such as the reveal of the Brethren Moons as the true antagonists of the game. Overall, however, it ended things on such a sour note that it took several years for Dead Space to show any signs of life again.

The Legend of Zelda

There isn’t much to say about The Legend of Zelda that hasn’t already been said. Odds are even if you haven’t played it yourself, you know it well. This legendary, blindingly successful adventure game was followed in under a year by the first of its many sequels: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. While this game did tolerably well when it launched, it’s now remembered as something of a dark spot on the franchise’s legacy. The game’s questionable 2D gameplay hasn’t aged well, and its RPG mechanics bog down an otherwise straightforward adventure. While the game is renowned for introducing the now-iconic Dark Link, it’s mostly remembered today as an early stumble for one of the greatest video game series of all time.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Screenshot from Dark Souls 2.