My Top 10 Most Improved Sequels

MasonicGamer.com: Recently I did a “My Top 10 Most Improved Sequels” list which seemed to go down pretty well with everyone so I decided to come back with a part 2. Yes much like our games industry today I couldn’t just leave something good alone and had to do a follow up. I did mention in part one that there were titles that simply didn’t make the list the first time round so I might do a second list in order to include them.

As per usual there is no order to my list, I randomly list games that come to mind until I eventually reach ten and then I spend the rest of my evening wondering why I missed out on a certain game. Please understand that I’m not rich and I’ve not played every game ever made therefore some “obvious” games may not make it, as you can see I’ve cleared titled this post as “My” top 10 therefore making it clear it’s a personal list.

[jakerocheleau]

Oh definitely DKC2 that's such a classic SNES title.

Honestly all 3 games in that series are fantastic.

[neoMAXMLC]

DKC2 is still the absolute best platformer I have ever played.

[WeAreLegion]

Agreed. Most underrated SNES game, too. It has the best level design AND the best music. Man, that game is incredible.

[InactiveUser]

"Uncharted 2 changed all of that by taking what was basically a 7/10 game and pushed it towards game of the year terrorist."

First.. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune was a great game by itself. 88Meta, 89.67%GR; aka 9/10, not 7/10.

And terrorist?? Obviously meant territory, but that was interesting to read.

[Tontus]

@EeJLP- Well the first Uncharted game is mostly considered mediocre to decent, I think 7/10 is a perfectly reasonable score for it. It's critical reception was inflated because it was a launch game and one of the better ones at that, if it had released even a year later exactly how it is it wouldn't have scored as high. Uncharted 2 is a huge improvement but even that games critical reception was inflated because it was so much better than the first that most critics completely overlooked some glaring flaws, still a great game though which gets a 9/10 from me.

[InactiveUser]

@Tontus
Where do you get most considering it to be "mediocre to decent" from only 1 out of 146 reviews below an 8/10? Around 2/3rds of which being 90%+.

http://www.gamerankings.com...
http://www.metacritic.com/g...
(I'm aware there's very likely duplicates when combined)

It also wasn't a launch title. It came out a year after the PS3 launched.

"if it had released even a year later exactly how it is it wouldn't have scored as high."

UC1 Release Date: Nov 16, 2007
PS3 Release Date: Nov 17, 2006 (in NA, 11/10 in JPN)

That's what we call "a year later".

[NastyLeftHook0]

good article actually.

[OhMyGandhi]

Fantastic list. I agree with every single one. What's so funny about the first modern warfare was that it was absolutely spectacular at it's time of release. I had never seen anything as compelling (in terms of straight forward military shooter), and the atmospheric effects, like smoke and rain were incredible, and the game STILL looks damned good. Who would have known that Call of Duty would slowly over saturate the shooter market in the coming years..

[Tetsujin]

I'd add Tekken 3, Resident Evil 2, Silent Hill 2, and GTA VC/SA

[STK026]

Wouldn't GTA3 be more of an improvement over GTA2 than GTA VC over GTA3?

[Tetsujin]

The reason I chose VC/SA is the story was improved with some sort of drive to keep playing; also the mini games were fun. I did play 1 and London 1969 (didn't play much of 2) and yes there was missions however I didn't really know much of the story outside making a character. GTA 3 did have at the beginning what was going on, and I did complete 3; when I completed VC there was more conclusion to what was going on, same with SA.

I did like 3 when it first came out, and yes it is one of my favorite games, however I'd pass the torch to VC/SA.

[Picnic]

Sonic Adventure 2 was much more enjoyable than Sonic Adventure.

As for GTA, wasn't San Andreas quite a leap? Even if it's just because people liked the setting? (Both my nominated games here feature San Fransisco-type environments).

I certainly won't be saying Crazy Taxi 2 though - a bit of a needless sequel set in New York with its flat ground and few things worth being called crazy although CT3: High Roller looked fun.

[Plasticgearsolid]

Whoa i understand you didn't like mgs 2 and 4 but dont ever say 4 took a big dump on everything. When 4 was a without a doubt a masterpiece.

[Tzuno]

Wow good list i agree 80%

[brew]

Killzone 2

[Picnic]

Super Mario Sunshine is a good tech demo but it isn't what I'd call a 'game'. Most of the levels are a tedious chore doing the most mundane of things.

It's like the Uncharted 3 of 3D Mario games. Come up with the set pieces and then try to fit some story around it. Then shoehorn in Yoshi towards the end to add some clumsy platforming.

To Miyamoto, the game must have been more like a dry run for better things to come, Super Mario Galaxy. Miyamoto was spending all his time on The Wind Waker and not so much on Sunshine.

Yet some people prefer Sunshine to Galaxy. In that case Galaxy must not be all it's cracked up to be.

[YodaCracker]

I don't know why Uncharted 2 is always included in these lists, because I think the first Uncharted is one of the best games on the PS3. Certainly not "7/10" by any means.