00:00Sequels in gaming are more often a cause for celebration than anywhere else. We don't
00:04need to worry about a complete story being stretched out or that lightning in a bottle
00:07magic being overextended. In gaming, a sequel means more of what you love. Base mechanics
00:12expanded on, a more confident developer, gameplay tightened up, more world building and maybe even
00:17a new playable character with a whole new set of moves. Yes, there are clunkers and pointless
00:22returns, but play to the medium's strengths and a sequel has the power to revamp the foundations
00:26in a fundamental way, something that can lead to some of the best games you'll ever play.
00:31Also note we're dealing with immediate sequels, which second instalments really took things to
00:36the next level. I'm Scott from WhatCulture.com and these are the 10 best video game sequels of all time.
00:42Number 10, Halo 2. The very end of its campaign might be divisive, but there's no denying the
00:48seismic jaw-dropping impact of Halo 2 at every stage of its development. The reveal trailers,
00:53the revamped theme now infused with Steve Vai's guitar work elevating Marty O'Donnell's original
00:58composition. The introduction of the Arbiter, fleshing out of the Halo world and of course,
01:02that exquisite multiplayer. Halo 2 took everything the original nailed and improved it. Dual wielding
01:08may have led to some overpowered combos that a lot of Xbox Live patches took to rebalance,
01:13but as a package of iconic maps, GOAT gameplay and top tier production value, Halo 2 is pure gaming royalty.
01:20Number 9, Batman Arkham City. Rocksteady's Batman debut could have gone down a different route. It
01:26could have run a certain city expansion, then you already knew how. 2011's Arkham City is a violent
01:32playground for Batman to explore. Distinct districts add variety and life, rather than copy-pasted areas.
01:38Exploration and going off the beaten track was rewarded, and Batman's wider rogue gallery now needed
01:43to be taken down. Traversal was improved upon, new skills and gadgets became available, as well as
01:48fleshing out that Batman combat to factor in gadget combos, gun disarms and knife counters. Bosses too
01:54were far better, ditching the gimmicky likes of Killer Croc for a methodical showdown against Mr. Freeze.
01:59As for the story, it's a brilliantly rewarding setup with a twist you can spot from the beginning if
02:04you know where to look in detective vision, then ending on one of the most seismic plot twists and
02:08Joker scenes of all time. Number 8, Mass Effect 2. Mass Effect's trajectory is fascinating. The original a far more
02:16Star Trek-ian vibe with you planet hopping around, getting lost in a universe of alien diplomacy while
02:21trying to stake humanity's claim for existence. Mass Effect 2 then opened on a supremely shocking
02:26sequence of everyone you knew seemingly dying as Shepard themselves burnt to a crisp in space.
02:32This was a completely different tone and setup, framing Shepard as a literal spectre to all around
02:37him, resurrected and aligned with the mysterious Cerberus to win the fight against the collectors.
02:42Mass Effect 2 works because it feels like you're this intergalactic suicide squad of ragtags and
02:47misfits inside the world of the original. Its writing is award-winning, its characters iconic,
02:52and its many endings only blew out the possibilities for what could come next in ways none of us saw
02:56coming. Number 7, Silent Hill 2. The first Silent Hill was terrifying, focusing on Harry Mason's
03:03desperate struggle. It was great but gave birth to an easily overlooked aspect, the town itself.
03:09Silent Hill 2, the first entry on PlayStation 2, took that concept and ran with it. The town itself
03:14now really felt like an oppressive force, compounding that sense of loneliness and desperation
03:19protagonist James Sunderland was suffering as they explored every street and storefront. A mechanic
03:24born of the first game's limitations was now turned into a main feature, and this constant sense of
03:28dread is why Silent Hill 2 remains an essential horror gem. Pair all of this with a memorable ensemble
03:34cast and interpretational plot and villain for the ages, and there's a reason we'll never shut up
03:39about having access to this game on modern hardware. Number 6, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.
03:45The first Tony Hawk's is the definition of a sleeper hit. Skateboarding wasn't mainstream in 1999,
03:50but it was getting there. Across movies and music, grunge was being replaced by pop-punk,
03:55and every other person seemed to be holding a skateboard regardless. Come 2000, Neversoft tried again,
04:00and this extreme sports boom now had its mascot. Insane tricks, crazy locations, and a banging
04:06soundtrack, Tony Hawk's 2 was life-defining for the time. Not to take away from Tony Hawk's 3,
04:11as that was a whole other Age Bracket's favourite instalment, but if we're talking immediate sequels,
04:16this was a huge improvement. Like any good sequel to something with already stellar core mechanics,
04:21it was the quality of life improvements that made it so satisfying to play. Skaters could now level
04:25off when leaving a ramp, manuals stitched everything together, and that overall feel
04:30across the board was so much more fluid. Tony Hawk's 2 was when we really started seeing the fanbase
04:35nail those multi-million point combos and insanely complex trick runs, only for you to attempt something
04:40similar because it all played so well. Number 5, Half-Life 2. Half-Life for many changed perceptions on
04:47first-person shooters. No disrespect to the likes of Quake and Doom, but Half-Life upended how narrative and
04:53gameplay could even work together. What Half-Life 2 brought was more of that same ethos, but bigger
04:58and better. Bigger set pieces and levels, better use of Valve's proprietary physics engine.
05:02Incorporating puzzles and progress into gameplay, Half-Life 2 continued Gordon Freeman's adventures,
05:07this time against the Alien Combine. It's been quite some time since a real technical showcase of
05:12a game existed where just watching it in motion, watching the physics of items interact with each
05:17other for example, makes you think of endless gameplay possibilities, but that's part of why Half-Life 2 was
05:22such a monumental deal in .
05:27Tons of Liberty. Reportedly furious with the original game's western translation,
05:31injecting military speak and a grounded tone where Hideo Kojima was always a bit more out there,
05:36Kojima demanded full control. Leading to water-walking vampires, octopus-suited ex-presidents,
05:41and a white-haired protagonist hidden from marketing. All of this though,
05:44made Metal Gear Solid as a franchise now feel entirely unique. Metal Gear Solid 1 will always be my
05:50favourite game, but it was that cinematic presentation, that boundary-pushing, Hollywood-aping
05:54ideology that only got enhanced here. Metal Gear Solid 2's opening alone hasn't aged a day,
06:00dripping in confidence and purpose, fully embracing its position as the tip of the spear for the
06:04PlayStation 2. With experimental stealth gameplay, unprecedented world interaction, clever AI, and a
06:10sandbox approach to how you got through each level, this might be the most divisive Metal Gear Solid in
06:15terms of a main character, but its grandiosity as a video game can't be beat.
06:203. Assassin's Creed 2 The runaway success of the first
06:23Assassin's Creed was a pleasant surprise. Born of a failed Prince of Persia continuation,
06:28the adventures of Desmond and his acrobatic ancestor struck gold in 2007. What we got then
06:33was the epitome of when game sequels know exactly what to focus on, as Assassin's Creed 2 got everything
06:38right. New character Ezio Auditore da Firenze was a charismatic, lovable distinction from the stoic
06:44Altair. Switching to Renaissance Italy over the Holy Lands gave us more intricate cities and kill
06:49opportunities, and the game's colour palette was now more bold and definable than ever. Combat was
06:53tightened up and expanded with multiple enemy classes, and Desmond's story had more depth with
06:58an insanely cool payoff, as did Ezio's crusade against the Borges. Assassin's Creed is still able to
07:03turn heads today because of how incredibly on point this second instalment was. 2. Red Dead Redemption 2
07:10I will maintain that Red Dead Redemption 2 is the closest thing you can get to virtual reality
07:15without wearing a headset. So ludicrously meticulously realised is its depiction of the
07:20Old West, you'll feel pretty naturally compelled to relax down the local saloon, go camp out in the
07:25mountains after a tragic main story event, or just embrace your inner Jesse James and rob as many
07:29trains as possible. The point is, this embodies the original Red Dead's
07:33character-driven soul, fleshing it out in every direction. So expansive and hyper-detailed is the
07:38setting, it reinforces the story Dan Houser wrote about an age of lawlessness coming to an end.
07:42Rules and regulations, the formation of modern America was coming, whether those who made their
07:47living as cowboys liked it or not. Graphically, if we twin art direction and sheer rendering power,
07:51it may be the best looking game of all time. But Red Dead Redemption 2's real unique quality is
07:56being the apex of the most lucrative game developer on the planet, funneling all their money and talent
08:01into a specific creative vision regardless of marketability. Dan Houser's tenure at Rockstar
08:06is over. The company is a drastically different beast because of it, but he went out in magnificent
08:11style.
08:121. Resident Evil 2
08:16Survival horror as a genre had been around before Resident Evil. Check out the hilarious
08:21Alone in the Dark. It's fair to say though that Resident Evil 1 put it on the map. With a weirdly
08:26compelling, awesomely campy story, gross monsters and jumpscares, how could Capcom possibly top it?
08:31Well, by moving out. Taking gameplay from musty, stuffy mansions to Raccoon City, the hot spot for
08:36Umbrella's dastardly experiments. It wasn't just locales that felt bigger, as the game's design was
08:41based around two-player campaigns. Production values were notably higher, with far better character
08:46models and Resident Evil 2 ramped up the gore. The variety of monsters and its boss battles, as well as
08:51the means to fight them. Customisable shotguns, flamethrowers, giant stun guns, this is the old
08:56school Resident Evil to pick up that's the sweet spot between the original's exploration and puzzle
09:00heavy layout, and Resident Evil 3's action focus. As the remake would embody, we also had the
09:05introduction to Mr. X, some terrifying lickers, and only fightable in scenario B, the tyrant.
09:12And those are our picks. It has been tough picking a definable top 10 best sequels, and yes,
09:17I agree, Modern Warfare 2 feels like it should be on there, but what the hell do you swap out?
09:22Let me know down in the comments, and also please subscribe to the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast.
09:26For now, I've been Scott from WhatCulture.com, a massive thank you for watching, and I'll catch you soon.
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