by Alyxx
When an IP becomes a hit, usually that means a sequel. Both in the movie business and gaming world, sequels can either make or break a franchise and here we're going to look at 10 of my personal favourites.
10.
It takes a lot to improve on a game like Mass Effect, and in some ways, I still prefer Mass Effect since I see Mass Effect 2 as less of a RPG and more as an action/adventure game. However, as a sequel, Mass Effect 2 does improve on Mass Effect 1 in a lot of ways as well as continuing the story in a nifty way. The cover system is improved, you now have ammunition to worry about which gives you more reason to use multiple weapons instead of sticking to one weapon constantly since you had basically unlimited ammo in ME1, graphics are much improved as well, conversations feel more alive and overall, the game feels better and controls more fluidly. While Mass Effect 3 is also a stellar title, I still think Mass Effect 2 is slightly better.
9.
How do you make a sequel to Doom? Easy, you give people more Doom! Doom 2 is essentially a retail expansion to Doom as the improvements are extremely subtle and it's really similar to Doom in most ways. However this is not necessarily a bad thing and the level designs feel better, the new double barelled shotgun is a kickass addition and the new enemies pack a punch too. A classic shooter made more classic! And John Romero is the final boss...
8.
Speaking of classics, do you remember Duke Nukem 1? No? How about Duke Nukem 2? Not that either huh? Well... what about Duke Nukem 3D? I'm sure you have because Duke 3D is one of those sequels that was so good that it pretty much put the earlier titles to shame, something that is not easy to do mind you. While it's technically a remake of the first game with a new storyline and enemies, it's a great sequel as well and in my opinion one of the best shooters of all time. This is the game where Duke got his attitude, his one-liners, and his legendary status among gamers. Hell, it's so good that even today, people are still making mods for it.
7.
Borderlands 2 is yet another example of a perfect sequel. It removes the annoying elements from the first game and improves on the rest. The story is better, the characters are more memorable, the guns are better, the loot is better. Overall, Borderlands 2 is actually so good that it retroactively makes the first game better as well since it makes you care more about the story and characters in it! That's not easy to pull off, mind you! It also has one of the best villains of all time, and teaches us the age old lesson that in order to care about your enemy, you have to know him, and Jack's constant teasing throughout the game and messing with you and your friends really makes you want to see him pay in the end, and the ending of this game is a thousand times more satisfying than the one from the first game.
6.
It's sort of a hard task making a sequel to Tomb Raider. After all, the first game was such a stellar success that it would be hard to pull off in no shorter than a year after it. While Tomb Raider 2 is technically similar to the first game, a lot of it updated and it does feel better to play as well as having a more interesting story. It also has some of the most memorable levels from the entire franchise, including the sunken Maria Doria ship which is one enormous level that feels like it has a story to tell and first time playing this game, exploring everything was a wonderful feeling. It truly is a magnificent sequel and highly recommended to all action/adventure fans.
5.
Making a Call of Duty sequel these days must be a task of pretty much colossal proportions. The franchise is the highest selling in gaming history and Treyarch had a lot on their shoulders when making this game. I was glad to see that Black Ops 2 is easily the best Call of Duty made and I can see myself playing it for years ahead. It also helps that it's the most PC friendly CoD I've played and they've really went that extra mile to make it inviting to new players as well. Everything about it is an improvement over any previous titles and I am happy to call myself a Call of Duty fan because of this game.
4.
We all know the reason people got a Nintendo back in the 80's. Mario. The first Super Mario game was an amazing success that proved to people what games were capable of and Super Mario Bros. 2 also was a great game, even if it was a reskinned Doki Doki Panic. But Super Mario Bros. 3 is one of the sequels that just outclasses both of them. It is easily considered one of the best games of all time, if not one of the best NES games of all time. The amount of detail, passion and just outright fun put into this game is mindboggling from an 8bit console and it stands as one of the best titles Nintendo has ever produced, and also one of the most challenging.
3.
Let's face it, the first Mega Man game wasn't really impressive. The difficulty was way too high even if the graphics and music was pretty good. However, Mega Man 2 improves on pretty much everything, delivering an experience that surpassed the original by lightyears. The music is arguably the most memorable on the NES, up there with titles like Zelda, Metroid and Super Mario, and it's just all around the best Mega Man game in the series for me.
2.
Where Mario was the reason most people got a Nintendo, Sonic was the mascot for Sega and while the first Sonic game was a big reason most people got a Mega Drive, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 arguably is more memorable as it introduced multiplayer with the cute foxy sidekick Tails. Still keeping up the level design which centered around high speed as well as intricate platforming, Sonic 2 delivered more of the great stuff from the first game, but with a ton of more fun to it. Also helped that Michael Jackson was involved with the music...
1.
While some may argue that Super Metroid is the best 2D Metroid, my personal favourite will always be Fusion. Not only does it have more of a story to it, it's also more streamlined and easier to play for me at least. The music is great, the sound effects are incredibly atmospheric and it's the only 2D Metroid that comes close to really making me feel frightened. Whenever the SA-X comes walking, my skin crawls for real and I get goosebumps, especially when playing with headphones on. It's easily the best GBA game I know and the best Metroid sequel in my opinion.
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