It has often been said that movie sequels are never as good as their predecessor, and sadly this epidemic has spread to videogames as well.
Some games do manage to improve on their predecessor, but the majority fail to recapture the original magic or end up being crushingly disappointing.
Here's the top 5…
5 – Perfect Dark Zero
This sequel was far from perfect (sorry) and was a great upset to anyone who loved the original N64 game. What could have been a great way to introduce the amazing capabilities of the new Xbox 360 turned into a sub-standard shoot ‘em up. More of a victim of high expectations and a hard game to follow.
4 – Super Mario Bros. 2
The fact that this game was based on an entirely different Japanese game series, Yume Kojo, might explain why it was such a vast departure from the first game. With throwable vegetables, no time limits, and the inclusion of a life meter, it remains as one of the most bizarre sequels in the Mario series. Completely against the formula and almost like Mario has eaten a pizza with out of date cheese and entered one long nightmare.
3 – Metal Gear Solid 2
Amazing as the first game was, a lot was riding on the legendary Snake Solid as main character. It was never going to work as soon as he was replaced – never mind replacing him with a namby-pamby, whiny, blonde-haired boy named Raiden. Whilst not necessarily a bad game (gotta love interrogating the guards), it took a long time to accept our new feminine hero. Who, uh, gets naked. It just doesn't seem right.
2 – Driver 2
Remember when Driver was about the driving? Once Grand Theft Auto came along, this game took it on as a personal challenge to to upstage the Rockstar behemoth and failed every single time with its dodgy graphics, confusing control system, and awful AI. Don't take on battles you can't win and don't mess with the original magic.
1 – Every Sonic sequel
How the mighty have fallen. Whereas Mario has kept fresh and exciting on the newer consoles and constantly pushed boundaries, Sonic has found it hard to escape the frantic ring-chasing antics of his roots and plummeted into a barrage of disappointing and dull sequels. Every time a game is released it's like an ageing overweight rockstar making an embarrassing comeback doomed to fail.
[story by Edward Marsh]
Stabby McGee says
Snake Solid, eh? Clearly you were paying a lot of attention when you were playing Gear 2 Solid Metal… ;)
Stabby McGee says
Snake Solid, eh? Clearly you were paying close attention whilst playing Gear 2 Metal Solid!
Stabby McGee says
Ni hao
Garrett says
What about the second Xenosaga game for the PS2? Alot of reviewers called it a total flop and an utter dissapointment for it’s completely bizzare design decisions, such as being unable purchase items. In an RPG.
And it pretty much killed the series revival too. None of the games on this list acomplished that, except maybe Perfect Dark Zero. It would help if Rare made more than two games a decade though.
Charles says
I’m going to have to disagree here. Mario 2 was a spectacular game. It was long, fun to play, had oodles of replay value (all those different characters), and I spent more time on it than probably any other NES game back in the day. And Sonic? Come on, Sonic and Knuckles was the crowning glory of Sonic games, and the 3D Sonic game on the Dreamcast was a blast too. Those were great games.
My list of 5 worst sequels reads like this:
Zelda 2 (NES)
Blaster Master (PS1)
Contra (SNES)
Every Test Drive game, ever (PC, various consoles)
Ultima Online (makes me weep to think what a great game it COULD have been) (PC)
Charles.
wenz says
every sonic sequel is a bit harsh, the games that included tails and knuckles were good the ones after that stunk.
Mark says
This is the dumbest list ever. SMB2 was awesome, and so were the Sonic games.
Mcmacladdie says
To this day, I don’t understand all the hate for MGS2. Yes, Raiden was a whiny little bitch, but MGS2 is still a great game. Have trouble understanding the plot? Try using your damn brain for once. And as for the blanket statement of “every Sonic sequel”… you’re a moron. Did you ever even play Sonic 2 or 3?
Finally, the biggest reason this list fails… how can you do a list like this and not mention Devil May Cry 2? A game so universally reviled, that it’s *this* close to being retconned out of existence.
Myria says
These are on my list as hugely disappointing sequels of quality games. There are plenty of bad sequels of bad games, so I won’t mention them.
Zelda 2 (NES)
The 11th Hour (PC)
Street Fighter 3 (various)
Everquest 2 (PC)
Metroid 2 (Game Boy)
Phantasy Star Universe
johnny says
I’m pretty sure driver 2 wasn’t ripping off the 2D GTA games, yet it also came out a full year before GTA3 so I don’t know what you’re talking about.
And regardless of the story or inclusion of Raiden, MGS2 was still an awesome game.
SunScramble says
Deus Ex: Invisible War.
Case closed.
Chuck says
Hey folks,
A game that got very little attention, but happened to be WAY ahead of its time was Space Harrier. This was an original SEGA game, that was semi-popular in arcades. The home version on the SEGA Master System was a stripped down version to be sure, but it really captured what made the game great in the first place.
Then came the abomination: Space Harrier II. This game is probably why many of you have never heard of this, but if you can find the original…it’s great.
Seriously…Space Harrier II…to this day is the worst game I have ever played.
-Chuck
Vivian Mitchell says
Perfect Dark Zero received a 9.0 rating from GameSpot- a respectable online video game magazine. Super Mario Bros. 2 had a MASSIVE following although the game was a complete departure from the first.
Remember Alex Kidd in Miracle World? Probably one of the greatest 8-bit games ever. Remember the sequel? Only the few who purchased it are unlucky enought to recall.
Your list qualifies only as rubbish.