Best Game Sequels That Are Nothing Like Their Predecessors

Best Game Sequels That Are Nothing Like Their Predecessors

• Games like Helldivers 2 show how a new perspective can reinvent the gameplay experience.
• Resident Evil 7‘s shift to first-person brought back the series’ horror roots effectively.
• Final Fantasy 15‘s modern take and real-time combat offer a fresh twist on the RPG genre.

A good number of games have made a splash in the industry right off the bat, or with just a few entries in their franchise. Studios might see that a given formula is working for them or the rest of the industry, and decide to keep going with that trend. And honestly, it may work.

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But other times, that formula just doesn’t cut it anymore. Whether a game or series has run an idea into the ground, or that idea failed to yield great initial results, the only option left would be to try something new. The result is a game that might share themes or gameplay elements with its prequel, but offers an entirely new experience.

Helldivers 2

A Top-Down Shooter Becomes A Third-Person Shooter

Helldivers 2

Platform(s)PS5, PCReleasedFebruary 8, 2024Developer(s)Arrowhead Game Studios ABGenre(s)Shooter

As human, bug, and automaton parts get tossed about in equal measure, it becomes clear that the player is not meant to live long in this world. But with a little teamwork, they might make it through a few more mission objectives.

While the guts of Helldivers remain the same, Helldivers 2 takes the camera and brings it closer to the explosive action. This means that buddies have to watch each other’s backs even closer if they want to spread managed democracy through the cosmos, with gameplay reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid 5 rather than the original game.

Grand Theft Auto 3

A Top-Down Arcade Game Becomes A Third-Person Open-World Adventure

Grand Theft Auto 3

Platform(s)PS2, Xbox (Original), PC, iOS, Android, macOSReleasedOctober 23, 2001Developer(s)Rockstar GamesGenre(s)Action, Adventure

GTA 3 revolutionized the modern open-world gaming experience while placing fans squarely in the shoes of a morally bankrupt protagonist. It was now possible to terrorize the streets of a fully 3D-rendered Liberty City and become more immersed than ever before.

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But before it did any of this, the series was a run-of-the-mill, top-down action-adventure title. These first few games are where some of the series’ staples originated, like the criminal main character, or fun radio stations that play in the car. However, GTA 3 is where the game truly came into its own.

Resident Evil 7

Leaving The Tank-Like Third-Person Scheme For Immersive First-Person

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Platform(s)Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Switch, PS5, PS4, PC, Stadia, Xbox OneReleasedJanuary 24, 2017Developer(s)CapcomGenre(s)Survival Horror

The mainline Resident Evil Series has gone through a number of large shifts over the years. From first being about hard survival-horror elements with fixed camera angles, to eventually incorporating 3rd-person-shooter action, all of which run the gamut in terms of quality.

Resident Evil 7’s release showed players that Capcom hadn’t forgotten the series’ roots, though. Grounding the story in a single house in the middle of a swamp, the game managed to make players feel isolated in genuine fear, thanks in no small part to its first-person perspective.

Final Fantasy 15

A Real-Time Action RPG, Instead Of The Usual Turn-Based

Final Fantasy 15

Platform(s)PS4, PC, Stadia, Xbox OneReleasedNovember 9, 2016Developer(s) Square EnixGenre(s)Action RPG

Typically, an anthology, the series’ fantastical elements got a more modern look and feel in Final Fantasy 15. Characters are decked out in leather and are given a car to accompany their chocobo. The game’s combat is also real-time action-focused instead of the usual turn-based affair.

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Players will still battle every manner of beast and armored knight, but it’s hard to escape the chill road trip vibe that the game gives off, and that is wholly unique to Final Fantasy 15. Luckily, for those looking for a more straightforward FF experience, later chapters in the game reign in the scope, from an open world to a more linear one.

Fallout 3

A Turn-Based RPG Becomes A First-Person RPG

Fallout 3

Platform(s)PS3, Xbox 360, PCReleasedOctober 28, 2008Developer(s)BethesdaGenre(s)Open-World, Shooter

Fallout has always been a bit on the nose with its satirical themes of American stoicism, to the point where it wouldn’t be a stretch to call the games a little goofy at times. Regardless, the first 2 games were both commercially and critically applauded for establishing a wasteland with many interesting people and situations to get involved with.

So it was certainly a shock when the main series burst back onto the scene, after a few spin-offs, as an excellent first-person shooter. The best part was that it still retained its excellent RPG elements that allowed players to shape their story how they see fit.

Titanfall 2

Gives Players A Single-Player Campaign Mode

Titanfall 2

Platform(s)PS4, PC, Xbox OneReleasedOctober 28, 2016Developer(s)Respawn EntertainmentGenre(s)FPS

The exclusion of a story mode in the original Titanfall was certainly…a choice. One that played a major part in the game’s quick demise. And yet Respawn saw fit to give the series another go, putting out what many critics consider to be one of the best campaigns in a modern FPS, period.

Titanfall 2 included a lot of what the original established, from weapons, to gunplay, to the amazing verticality of movement, all packaged in a fun buddy-comedy between a man and his robot friend. It’s all so good, in fact, that it just makes the game’s flop all the more tragic.

Jak 2

A Bolder New Open-World Action Game

Jak 2

Platform(s)PS Vita, PS3, PS4, PS2ReleasedOctober 14, 2003Developer(s)Naughty DogGenre(s)Action-Adventure, Third-Person Shooter

Naughty Dog decided to re-brand their flagship franchise, Jak and Daxter, dropping the furry companion’s name from the title. Further, Jak 2 adopted a full open-world, third-person shooter elements, and has a setting that serves as a great entry point for newbies to the games.

The game went full Grand Theft Auto clone in the best way possible, allowing players to do things like hijack cars and get chased by guards. Arguably, the platforming action was more focused in the first game, but every new element that Jak 2 incorporates seems to come together as if it was always

Red Dead Redemption

An Open-World Western Adventure

Red Dead Redemption

Platform(s)PS3, Switch, PS4, Xbox 360ReleasedMay 18, 2010Developer(s)Rockstar San DiegoGenre(s)Open-World, Adventure

Red Dead Revolver had one of the wildest gaming glow-ups ever, trading in its mission-based arcade-style action gameplay, for a mature open-world cowboy romp. Now, instead of cartoonish, tongue-in-cheek enemies, like Pig Josh, players got nuanced antagonists like Dutch Van Der Linde.

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