Video Game Sequels That Outshone Their Predecessors By A Mile

The gaming industry can be a funny place sometimes. On certain occasions and with specific game franchises, it welcomes titles that are not better than the original experiences. We’ve got examples in the name of Dead Space 3, Duke Nukem Forever, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and others, but on the flip side this time around, you’ve got games that have done the exact opposite as well.

This piece talks about video game sequels that outclassed their predecessors in almost every single way, offering a positive push forward for the franchise, and making the fan base happy in the process as well. No better happy ending out there, but keep in mind we’re not talking about the franchise-ending iteration. Can’t offer guarantees regarding those.

New Iteration, New Quality

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1. Street Fighter 2

It’s funny that when Street Fighter came out, it was considered the bomb, the best fighting game on the planet at the time. This really goes on to show how fighting games were few and far between during that era, but when the sequel to that lackluster fighter came out, most of us retro fanatics lost our marbles, I kid you not.

Street Fighter 2, therefore, remains supremely iconic even to this day and is leaving behind a legacy where the game started a phenomenon and popularized arcade titles on a competitive level.

2. Just Cause 2

Although the Just Cause franchise has spawned multiple titles in the franchise, including Just Cause 4 which came out in 2018, I’ve always felt a certain kinship to Just Cause 2, primarily because of its super fun gameplay mechanics that allow for unhinged action and chaos across the board.

The Black Market system, as I remember it, worked consistently, with aerial vehicles sporting smooth controls, allowing Rico to get from point A to B without breaking a sweat. It’s a major, and I repeat, major upgrade over the first Just Cause, where although the atmosphere was fairly tight, the gameplay wasn’t. I’m glad Avalanche stepped things up a notch with the sequel.

3. Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

With Agent 47 serving as one of the most cold-blooded protagonists in gaming history, the first game he was featured in turned out to be fairly stiff and unpolished. At the time it played great, but we the players only saw what could be possible with the release of Hitman 2: Silent Assassination. The 2002-released stealth-action title actually requires depth of strategy to beat, which is something about it I like the most.

With Silent Assassin, they seem to have accomplished everything they had intended for the original. It plays much better and gives you far more freedom,” says one u/lessthanfox on Reddit.

4. The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings

I should be putting The Witcher 3 in here, being one of the best RPGs of all time, but for accuracy’s sake, I’ll have to go with the direct sequel of the first The Witcher title. While I wouldn’t call the latter an abomination of some sort, it’s certainly lackluster in the gameplay and mission design department, with the controls feeling clunky and the quests coming across as outright repetitious.

Then The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings came along, changing the game forever with its enhanced UI, controls, and visuals. And, of course, I need not delve into the magic of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which earned 4.5/5.0 in eXputer’s review.

5. Titanfall 2

Titanfall is nothing compared to its big bad brother and a legend of the industry, Titanfall 2. Impeccable mobility, amazing Titan gameplay, improved graphics—you name it, this one’s got it. And the most stand-out part about the first-person shooter is its campaign, which seemingly delivers on all fronts and offers one of the most heart-rending story experiences of all time. You’ve got to play it to believe it.

It’s a fast-paced game that will keep you going, and despite coming out almost a decade ago, its multiplayer fun holds up more than just well even in 2024.

6. Uncharted 2

Leave the rest; the opening sequence of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is enough to prove it to you that the game is leaps and bounds above its predecessor. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortunate is the first Uncharted game in the series, and let me tell you this: It’s not bad, per se. It’s just that the sequel is so much better. Pretty much a testament to the exclusive quality of PlayStation.