Weekend Open Forum: Best and worst video game sequels?

[Jos]

For better or worse, the gaming industry has made it standard practice to create sequels and spin-offs of popular titles year after year.

While it’s easy to blame it on a lack of originality, the truth is sales suggest that people like returning to familiar themes. Some best-selling franchises, like the Call of Duty series for example, are on a once-per-year model and carry publishers through the all-important holiday shopping season.

Of course big sales are not always indicative of a game’s quality or enjoyability. The trick is to pack just enough old to serve as a solid foundation and just enough new to prevent boredom and lack of interest. Some sequels in recent years that seem to have gotten the balance right include Starcraft 2, Portal 2, and Skyrim, while others like Duke Nukem Forever fell flat on their face.

In this Weekend Open Forum we want to ask: what are some of your favorite video game sequels of all time, and which franchises should be put to rest already (or given an extended vacation)?

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https://www.techspot.com/news/49021-weekend-open-forum-best-and-worst-video-game-sequels.html

 

[oldikes]

Worst:
Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts.
halo reach
Doom 3 didnt live up to possible potential, not worst though

Best:
Halo 2
Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3
Battlefield 3


Theres a bunch I dont feel like listing in both categories.

 

[davislane1]

Duke Nukem: Forever. 'Nuff said. (worst)

Now, for a couple of great sequels I have to list Dead Space 2 and Pokemon Silver. I thought DS2 really smoothed out some of the original's rough parts (mainly a tinge of clunkiness that exists in DS1) and added some much needed substance to Isaac Clarke. Pokemon Silver... What can I say? I thought the game improved greatly upon what Red and Yellow brought to the table.

 

[davislane1]

Worst:
Doom 3 didnt live up to possible potential, not worst though

This is an interesting one for me. I found D3 itself go be pretty lackluster, but the RoE expansion I thought exploited a lot of the potential the initial game missed. Not enough to get it on a best list, but not among the worst in my book (if you include the expansion).

 

[Guest]

fear 3 worst sequel and the best is not a sequel but always the 1st in the series

 

[Guest]

Best: Freespace 2 hands down

Worst: Duke Nukem

 

[Lurker101]

I'm going to have to be the first to say Fallout 2. Fallout one had the better antagonist, but Fallout 2 had superior gameplay.

 

[Guest]

Worst: DRAGON AGE 2. huge letdown

Best: Mass Effect 2. Crysis 2. Skyrim (not really a sequel but owell) ALL the Half Life's, Pokemon silver and gold, AND DIABLO 2 with LOD. maybe Diablo 3

 

[tkeys356]

I gotta agree with the Dragon Age 2 being one of the worst. I also thought Mortal Kombat 3 was horrible.

Best.
Legacy Of Kain-Soul Reaver
Mass Effect 2
Halo 2
Pokemon Silver/Gold
Battlefield 3
Diablo 2
Starcraft 2
Rainbow Six Vegas 2

 

[Ma_ga]

Let me see...

Best Sequel....Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu II), danm, the music, the graphics.
Also Terranigma (Soul Blazer>Illution of Gaia>).

Mass Effect 2 & 3, from Action RPG to Gears of Wars, and #3 ruin the whole saga for me.
Fable 2 & 3, with every game the saga get worst, just like ME.
Modern Warfare 2 & 3 (same as above)
Dragon Age 2, from ActionRPG, to Action.....something XD.
Deus Ex Invisible War, this one "hurt" the most, from fantastic RPGish to mediocre FPS.
Super Metroid 3 to FPS metroish-like-game, metroid prime (hasn't played 2 or 3, planing to).
The Legend of Zelda a Link to the Past to Ocarina of time (yup, I get bored with oot).
Final Fantasy 6 to Final Fantasy VII (wasn't a bad game, but wasn't half good as 6).

 

[tkeys356]

"""Dragon Age 2, from ActionRPG, to Action.....something XD.""

So true

 

[lawfer]

Worst would have to be Dragon Age 2. FEAR 3 being a close second.

Best?

Skyrim

Batman: Arkham City

Battlefield 3

Portal 2

Max Payne 3

 

[tkeys356]

O on another note.....

Game of Thrones PC release was the biggest disappointment in the history of games. Especially if you watch the show.

 

[Guest]

best: halo 2 (mp)
worst: halo 2 (sp)

 

[Ranger12]

For me as a kid/teenager Rollercoaster tycoon 2 was the best sequel. Looking back it is still an excellent sequel to the first.

Halo 2 was awesome but it was a totally different awesome than the first Halo which is why it made a good sequel. I. The first Halo there was this great mysterious-ness about everything and a sort of awe. Halo 2 was great in that it really fleshed out the Halo Universe in a believable and interesting way. It answered a lot of questions opened by the first without giving everything away.

Best modern sequel I would say is Assassins Creed 2

Best "old" sequel would be Age of Empires 2

 

[aspleme]

Let me see...

Deus Ex Invisible War, this one "hurt" the most, from fantastic RPGish to mediocre FPS.

Have to agree with you there... given that Deus Ex basically reinvented the modern RPG, Invisible war is possibly the most epic fail in a sequel.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Best: Battlefield 3

Worst: Far Cry 2, Crysis 2

 

[Jawshh]

Best:
Dead Space 2, Mass Effect 2&3, Witcher 2 Assassins of Kings, Batman Arkham City.

Worst:
Duke Nukem Forever

 

[TS-56336]

The only dizzying sequel that I played was Duke Nukem Forever.

 

[Guest]

I disagree that the first is always the best. The Hitman Series got WAY better with time and the last one was the blast compared to some of the earlier in the series.

 

[TomSEA]

First of all, an excellent topic. As for my vote, I thought Bioshock 2 was significantly better than the original Bioshock, so that would get my "best sequel" vote.

For worst sequel, there are a brazillion of those. I don't begrudge companies for trying to follow up with a hit (and score more big bucks) with a sequel, but more often than not, it's a total dog. Guess I'd have to settle for something current like Dragon Age 2 where there were millions of dollars invested and hundreds of programmers/staff involved. If you can't follow up with a decent sequel with that kind of backing, then you deserve "worst of" voting.

 

[Guest]

Best sequel ever... Resident Evil 5!

The addition of co-op (amongst other things) to RE5 makes it the best game I've ever played. The graphics were simply stunning at the time when it was released. Also, it could run extremely well on even value segment computers. I could go on for hours about how good RE5 is, and how much fun me and my friends had while playing it... but I won't.

Worst sequel... Diablo 3.

Don't gimme the stinkeye... D3 is a nothing but a moneymaker for Blizzard. Always online is crap. Real money auction house will ruin any game, including this one.

 

[Guest]

Best :

GTA series
Half Life Series

Worst

Duke nukem forever

 

[Guest]

Best - Mass Effect 2
Worst - Deus Ex Invisible War

 

[Qrox]

Best: BF3, Portal 2, Batman: Arkham City

Worst: Crysis 2, Fable 3