Sequels to great video games allow developers to take what made their original project so successful and either expand on it or polish its few shortcomings. However, things get even more interesting whenever a mediocre game receives a sequel, as it gives developers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rectify their past work and make something truly unique and fun that’ll be worth the player’s time and money.
Video Game Sequels That Came Out Too Soon And Killed A Franchise's Momentum
These video game sequels tried to capitalize on their predecessors' success, only to falter and stall their franchise's momentum.
It’d be unfair to say that any studio should quit the industry or that an IP should be discontinued altogether just because one game was received poorly; there have been several cases of excellent video games that were successful follow-ups to lackluster predecessors. These eight games are some of the best sequels to mediocre games ever made, and there’s no denying that gaming history wouldn’t be the same without them.
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Sequel To: Conker's Pocket Tales
Conker's Bad Fur Day
- Released
- March 5, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Animated Violence, Mature Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Many players remember Conker's Bad Fur Day as a raunchy and adult-oriented 3D collect-a-thon that parodied similar 3D platformers that were popular during the late 90s and early 2000s (most of which were made by the same developer, Rare). While Conker's Bad Fur Day has become a beloved cult classic, not many people are aware that it’s actually a sequel to another game titled Conker's Pocket Tales.
Conker's Pocket Tales is a 2D platformer released on the Game Boy back in 1999, two years before Bad Fur Day. While it’s not a terrible game per se, it feels very simplistic and generic in comparison to its follow-up, not to mention that it has one glaring difference: its tone. Pocket Tales is an innocent game for family audiences, harking back to Rare’s original plans for Conker when his N64 adventure was going to be named Twelve Tales: Conker 64. Fortunately, Bad Fur Day ended up changing that, and the IP stood out a lot more as a result.
Red Steel 2
Sequel To: Red Steel
Red Steel 2
- Released
- March 23, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter, Beat 'Em Up
Red Steel is a now-forgotten Nintendo Wii launch title in which players could wield a katana and shoot a gun with the console’s revolutionary (at the time) motion controls. Needless to say, it was heavily criticized for its boring combat, glitchy controls, and generic presentation. Much to the surprise of Wii users, however, Ubisoft ended up making a sequel four years later, and it was compatible with the brand-new WiiMotion Plus.
Red Steel 2 put this accessory to great use, as both its swordplay and gunplay felt incredibly intuitive, making the entire experience a lot more entertaining than its predecessor. On top of that, Ubisoft ditched the mafia aesthetic and realistic graphics of Red Steel in favor of anime-inspired visuals that combined elements of Japanese samurai films with American westerns. Red Steel 2 feels like a whole new IP when compared to the lackluster original, and Ubisoft should really consider releasing a remaster or a sequel on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 in the near future.
Saints Row 2
Sequel To: Saints Row
Saints Row 2
- Released
- October 14, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Third-Person Shooter
Back in the early 2000s, Rockstar single-handedly popularized the open-world sandbox genre with its innovative Grand Theft Auto series, and many companies wanted a piece of that pie. This is what most likely led to the development and release of Saints Row, a very solid gangster-themed sandbox title with a few unique ideas that was dragged down by clunky mechanics, not to mention that it was heavily criticized for feeling way too derivative of GTA.
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From better technology to player feedback implementation, these open-world sequels managed to outdo their predecessors for a myriad of reasons.
Developer Volition knew that it had to switch things up if it wanted the Saints Row IP to stand out, and that’s exactly what it did for the sequel, Saints Row 2. This was yet another open-world sandbox game, but it set itself apart from others in the genre by featuring a more exaggerated sense of humor, over-the-top set pieces, even more customization, and a lot of fun content (like side quests and mini-games) scattered throughout the map. Saints Row 2 redefined the franchise, and if Volition had never pivoted to this new direction, the series would be remembered as nothing but another generic “GTA clone” today.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Sequel To: Dragon Age 2
Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Released
- November 18, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Back in 2009, EA and BioWare released Dragon Age: Origins, an excellent western RPG that helped popularize the genre at the end of the decade, a few years before The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim came out. Unfortunately, since EA forced BioWare to rush the development of a sequel, and Dragon Age 2 ended up being a major disappointment for fans, who criticized its repetitive gameplay and underwhelming scope.
For a moment, it really seemed like the franchise was going to stay dormant after the negative reception of Dragon Age 2, but fortunately, BioWare got another shot and released a third entry, Dragon Age: Inquisition, a few years later. After taking their time with its development and implementing interesting ideas for a follow-up to Origins that the studio had planned a few years prior (before EA rushed the development of Dragon Age 2), these developers were able to build an incredible RPG that was praised for its lovable companions, deep world building, engaging combat, and beautiful art direction. Inquisition was so much better than its predecessor that it even won Game of the Year at the 2014 Game Awards.
Assassin's Creed 2
Sequel To: Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed 2
- Released
- November 7, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
Assassin's Creed is one of the biggest and most recognizable gaming franchises today, which makes the fact that almost nobody remembers or mentions the first game particularly strange. This is because, even though the original Assassin's Creed was a solid game with a unique setting, it seems quite dull and boring when compared to its many sequels. It felt like a Prince of Persia clone without all the things that made that series so special, which makes sense, considering that this project began its life as a Prince of Persia spin-off.
Even so, the core concept of Assassin's Creed was way too interesting and promising to let it die, which is why Ubisoft the community's criticisms and made a sequel that was better in almost every conceivable way. Assassin's Creed 2 quickly became one of the most critically acclaimed games of the seventh generation, praised for its charming Italian setting, lovable main character, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, fascinating storyline, and refined gameplay. Needless to say, this legendary franchise wouldn’t be what it is today if it weren’t for the much-deserved success of Assassin's Creed 2.
Pokemon Gold And Silver
Sequel To: Pokemon Red, Blue, And Yellow
Pokemon Gold and Silver
- Released
- October 15, 2000
- ESRB
- Everyone // Mild Cartoon Violence, Simulated Gambling
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Most gamers have fond memories of Pokemon Red and Blue, as these dual turn-based RPGs revolutionized both the gaming industry and the entire world with their unique monster-catching mechanic. However, the Pokemon franchise maintained its reputation during its early years just because of how brilliant its core concept was, because these first two games have actually aged horribly. They are filled to the brim with horrible sprite work, game-breaking bugs and glitches, and a complete lack of game balance.
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Nintendo are champions of the video game world, and these sequels to their popular titles prove exactly why that's the case.
Pokemon Red and Blue are very important games that feel extremely frustrating to play today, but fortunately, Game Freak managed to fix almost everything for its sequels, Pokemon Gold and Silver. In the second generation, the Pokemon themselves look a lot better thanks to their detailed and colorful sprites, many types and moves received much-needed nerfs and buffs in order to fix the balance of the combat system, and some new mechanics were added that significantly enhanced the gameplay, like a day-night cycle and Pokemon breeding. While Pokemon has obviously been incredibly popular from the get-go, it’s highly unlikely that the mainline games would still be around if it weren’t for the success of Gold and Silver.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening
Sequel To: Devil May Cry 2
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
- Released
- February 17, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Hack and Slash, Action-Adventure, Beat 'Em Up
After Devil May Cry made a huge impact on the industry and basically laid the groundwork for what would become the hack-and-slash genre, Capcom made a terrible decision: it rushed the development of a sequel without involving the team that made the first game, including its director, Hideki Kamiya. This resulted in Devil May Cry 2, which is widely considered one of the worst video game sequels ever made.
DMC2 lacked everything that made the original so great. Its combat was dull and boring, its level design was frustrating, its challenge was non-existent, and even its protagonist, Dante, lacked any of his charming personality. Fortunately, the game’s last-minute director, Hideaki Itsuno, decided that he wanted to redeem himself by directing a sequel that would fix everything that went wrong with DMC2. The result was Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening, a hack-and-slash masterpiece that single-handedly saved the franchise with its fast-paced combat system, deep and diverse mechanics, challenging boss fights, emotional plot, and interesting cast of characters, which included a younger and more charismatic version of Dante that quickly became the gaming icon everybody knows and loves today.
Street Fighter 2
Sequel To: Street Fighter
Street Fighter 2
- Released
- March 7, 1991
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
There’s no denying that Capcom’s Street Fighter 2 revitalized and popularized the entire fighting genre, but most fans seem to ignore the fact that this game has the number "2" in its title. This may be because the very first entry in this series, simply known as Street Fighter, is the textbook definition of a mediocre video game.
This title barely managed to stand out during its time. The combat was clunky, the controls were awkward, the gameplay was repetitive, and the playable characters were generic and unimaginative. Of course, Street Fighter is still an important piece of gaming history (despite its many shortcomings), but the fighting game genre and this IP wouldn’t be the same without Street Fighter 2, which changed the world forever with its revolutionary combo system, fast-paced combat, extensive cast of colorful characters, and incredible soundtrack.
10 Best PlayStation Sequels, Ranked
PlayStation's first-party studios often provide players with sequels to incredible games that are bigger and better in almost every way.