The world video game industry loves sequels. It seems like pretty much every game that’s released these days is made with some kind of anthology in mind. While that can make for some epic, long-form storytelling, it does leave room to hurt the reputation of a fantastic game, or series of games.
Under normal circumstances, a good sequel should take the concepts introduced in the previous game and build on them with new and fresh ideas. Yet, oftentimes, these titles get bogged down in sameness or rushed to meet an unrealistic release date. Whatever the reason is, we want to highlight titles in franchises that did not live up to their name’s reputation. Here are 10 gaming sequels that were worse than the first.
Warning: This list will contain spoilers.
10 Uncharted 3
Make no mistake about this, Uncharted 3 is a fantastic title. In fact, we can confidently say it’s better than the first game in the franchise. However, when comparing it to its direct prequel, Uncharted 3 feels an awful lot like the game that came before, just without the unexpected twists and turns. The action still moves at a breakneck pace, and the visuals are clearly improved over the second game in the series, but the major story beats — specifically the hallucinated death of Sully —fall flat and are pretty needless.
Compare this to Uncharted 2. From the get-go, it puts players in unique locations, future setpieces are teased, and a whole spectacle is created. The train scene alone is one of the most memorable levels of the PlayStation 3 generation. Uncharted 3, despite being a solid game, just doesn’t hit those highs.
9 Crackdown 2
When Crackdown first hit the scene in 2007, most gamers picked it up for that sweet Halo 3 multiplayer beta packed in with it. However, once the time ran out on that, players were treated to a really fun, unique experience. Playing as a super-soldier tasked with cleaning up the city of Pacific City, developer Realtime Worlds created a title that was equal parts exciting and addicting.
With that said, Crackdown 2 — developed by Ruffian Games — hit the scene as an almost carbon copy of the last. With only three years between titles, the stagnant gameplay left little to be desired, and somehow, the sequel felt a little too repetitive.
8 Anarchy Reigns
Developed by PlatinumGames, Anarchy Reigns is the spiritual successor to their 2009’s Wii exclusive Mad World. Yet, despite the familiar characters, almost everything was different. Gone were the interesting back story of a Purge-like fight club taking place across a city, striking black, white and red visuals, and overall grindhouse feel. Instead, replaced by a more traditional art style, weak story, and clunky online play.
For the few fans who really enjoyed Mad World, there was a hope that Anarchy Reigns could give them the gameplay and style they loved but with a larger fanbase on more dedicated gaming consoles like the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The result was rather disappointing and tiresome.
7 NiGHTs: Journey of Dreams
In 1996, NiGHTs: Into Dreams was a strange acid trip of a title overlooked because of its exclusivity to the underwhelming Sega Saturn. Still, the game — developed by Sonic Team — grew a cult following of players who adored the unique action gameplay that mixed racing elements with rail shooting, and even platforming gameplay along with the androgynous protagonist as they jump between dreams and nightmares.
It was incredibly well-received, however, Sega took more than a decade to release a sequel. So, when it finally did happen, there was a lot of pomp and circumstance regarding the second game in the series. Unfortunately, partly due to unrealistically high expectations from fans, but mostly thanks to an awkward control scheme that shoehorned in the Wii’s motion controls, making the fluid gameplay of the Saturn classic feel clunky. Now, more than a decade after the 2007 release, we don’t think there will be another NiGHTs game, and that could be thanks to the poor reception of this anticipated release.
6 The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
While we here at GameRant adore The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, it’s hard to deny that the 1987 sequel to the game that launched a franchise is the red-headed stepchild of the series. While keeping the sprawling overworld of the original adventure, the sequel revamps the combat, playing more like a Tales game sending our hero into a secondary battle screen when encountering an enemy. Not only this but inside temples and towns, the title switches from a top-down plane to a sidescrolling one, completely flipping the expected gameplay on its head.
Again, we really like this game, but its clear Nintendo realized the error in their ways as the following game went back to the more traditional top-down approach. In fact, we’ve never revisited the gameplay style explored in the second game.
5 Far Cry 2
The original Far Cry was a pretty cool first-person shooter. Developed by Crytek in 2004, the game was an absolute power fantasy, putting players in the shoes of a soldier in a tropical jungle. However, when the sequel released in 2008 on newer hardware, the game gave users a lot more to play with — including malaria. Throughout the game, players would have to buy pills to stay alive, really ruining the power fantasy the previous title was known for.
Thankfully, by the time the third game in the series released, publisher Ubisoft figured out what fans loved about the first and second games, and blended those together to make an optimal experience. Of course, this means no malaria.
4 Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is by no means a bad game. In fact, it’s one of the best 3D adventures our favorite plumber ever took part in. Unfortunately, it has the distinction of being the direct sequel to legitimately one of the best Mario games ever made, and it just doesn’t stack up.
As a totally epic, in the literal sense, adventure, the first Super Mario Galaxy takes players to whimsical star systems, meeting a god-like figure, and creating some deep lore in a more story-driven title than we’re accustomed to when it comes to this series. It’s sequel strips all those things away, replacing them with Yoshi. Sure, the gameplay is still strikingly similar to the previous game, and the addition of Mario’s famous dino-friend does add something unique to the table, but Super Mario Galaxy 2 feels more like DLC for its predecessor than a full-blown sequel.
3 Darksiders II
Developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ, Darksiders released in 2010 and felt like an adult Legend of Zelda. With a satisfying combat system, puzzle-solving, and dungeon crawling, the game was a great introduction to a grand story involving the four horsemen of the apocalypse, starting with War. The second title looked to expand on those concepts, this time while playing as Death.
While most parts of the game were improved — combat is faster, visually it looks better, and sound/audio quality is great — the story leaves little to be desired. It feels like a missed shot, especially when the previous title excelled in this role. Still, its a great game in its own right.
2 Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Xenoblade Chronicles released on the Wii in 2010, and for many, saved the console. Originally never intended to hit North America, fans petitioned to get this unique story-driven JRPG stateside during one of the console’s many droughts. The game was a welcome success, all things considered, and it even got a spin-off franchise on the Wii U. So, when Nintendo released a mainline, numbered sequel in 2017, fans salivated at the opportunity to get their hands on some more.
Unfortunately, a just alright plot and simpler battle mechanics made this title feel like a step back from the previous two. The game’s DLC did receive praise, however, fixing many of the issues, but the direct sequel still felt off.
1 Mass Effect: Andromeda
Mass Effect defined a generation of gaming. BioWare’s space epic hit the scene in 2007, giving players more choice than they possibly could imagine. With a grand story overarching three games, the series really blended the best of cinematics with the player’s ability to drive the story however they please. So, when a new game in the series was announced for modern consoles, there was reason to be excited. Unfortunately, what we got was an unfinished, borderline broken game that almost destroyed the reputation of the franchise that preceded it.
Whether it was glitchy cut scenes, messed up character faces, or the driving portions that really don’t do the title any favors, there wasn’t a lot to take away from the game. Hopefully, we will get a new Mass Effect game in the future, but for now, the only title in the PlayStation 4/Xbox One generation was a massive disappointment.
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