The only thing better than an amazing game that won’t let you put it down until it’s finished is an equally great sequel. As a gamer, I can say that one of the best feelings is when I’m busy mourning the end of a perfect game and suddenly hearing rumors that there is another in production. Words cannot describe the excitement I get, knowing that maybe I don’t have to say goodbye to the world and its characters.
So what are some of the companies in the industry that drew us in for a second round and made it completely worth our while?
- Bethesda Game Studios (Fallout Series)
Okay, so this one is a given in my opinion. Somehow, Bethesda has managed to bring us back to the post-nuclear war universe time and time again. Though the series started back in 1997 by Interplay Entertainment, Bethesda has the rights today to make more games. It is when Fallout 3 was released that we all knew this series could only get better and better. Winning awards for Game of the Year and RPG of the year, it’s hard not to see why it sold 610,000 games in just one month. The freedom to roam in an open-world, an endless array of familiar and original weapons and the ability to connect with both major and minor characters that made us laugh or cry made for an impressive game – and the series – that we’ve come to know and love. Today we have two more installments, Fallout New Vegas, (my personal favorite) and the fairly new Fallout 4. If you thought that the franchise was just going to rehash the same world with the same old mysterious vault dweller who has a new number on their back, you were wrong. Each game took us to a new city that held the same horrific/captivating environment of post war while still managing to surprise us each time with better graphics and new ways to customize our character and change the world around them. Every game has a different issue to solve whether it be a family matter, personal vendetta or something more political. Every sequel that comes next in the Fallout series has something awesome to look forward to!
2. Irrational Games (Bioshock Series)
Bioshock has one of the most original environments for the player to run around in that you’ll ever experience. At first, the idea of roaming around with just a wrench at the bottom of a creepy and dark underwater city terrified me. But the moment you get your first plasmid (a special ability of sorts that changes your genetic code and allows you to shock, burn and do other stuff to your enemies), suddenly the prospect of running into the psychotic civilians-turned-splicers is no big deal. Whether you’re a fan of Rapture or Columbia, both cities are equally terrifying and beautiful in their own right. With game mechanics that became fan favorites in the first game and made a reappearance in a new way come Bioshock Infinite (plasmids vs vigors or big daddy vs handy man), the series does a great job of identifying what made the game so much fun the first time around and applying it to the new game in a shocking and interesting way.
3. Naughty Dog (Uncharted Series)
While the Uncharted series tells the story of a young treasure hunter by the name of Nathan Drake, don’t take this game for some Indiana Jones or The Mummy rip off. While Nate has his witty and charming moments on the path to some of the worlds greatest mythical cities, he isn’t to be undermined. Smart, resourceful and a startlingly-real character, Nathan Drake is a major reason why the franchise has done so well over the course of it’s decade-long run. While you help him scale castles, solve intricate puzzles that are anything but mind-numbing and beat-off mutants, Drake is also faced with very real problems over the course of the series like his relationship with Elena and his brother Sam. After paving a new way for games with Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, game two didn’t disappoint as it became the highest selling game in the series. Fast forward to today, when we could all breathe a sigh of relief at discovering that the story of Nathan Drake ended on such an incredible and satisfying note after so many production set backs and anxiety. Naughty Dog is a company that knows how to reel in a fan base with believable characters, addicting game play and intricate storylines.
So there you have it – these are some of the best storytellers, game developers and universe creators out there. Game studios that can grab our attention for not just one game, but two, three or four have something awesome going on. There are a ton of really great series out there and these are just a few from the past decade or so. Did we miss any? Comment down bellow your list!
I only got into Fallout with the newest game, but since then I have played New Vegas and that game was simply something else, the world itself, the ever present lights of the city that shone bright across the wasteland. Better yet it had one of the best actual song soundtracks around, Big Iron, Ain’t that a kick in the head, in the shadow of the valley, all incredible and better then any of the modern rubbish by a long shot.
Speaking from a personal standpoint, Bioshock was incredible and for about three years I was obsessed with the city of Rapture and the small secrets it hide within its dark and creepy corridors. There was always something new to think about, but Irrational Games proved that they know how to make a great sequel when they created Bioshock Infinite. Yes the new game removed the tough questions of morality (a feature I loved more in Bioshock 2), but in its place we got a better story that was extremely intelligent, and messed with my head particularly that ending which I still love to this day and think ended Bioshock Infinite on a high point while still being quite vague. Not to mention Irrational created one of the greatest characters in all of gaming with Elizabeth who I grew to really like and depend on, her observations were amusing and her dialogue was witty and sometimes made you think, also in that one section that I lost her, wow I had trouble. I had grown so use to Elizabeth’s presence that her absence really affected me and even made me sad. On a final note, so many amazing quotes and such a great performance from Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper.
Finally, Uncharted and this was an incredible series but did we expect anything less from the creator’s of Crash Bandicoot, or Jak in both instances they proved that they could make sequels that overshadowed the original release, and for that reason Uncharted didn’t disappoint. After a strong start with the Uncharted: Drake Fortune, they bested themselves with Uncharted: Among Thieves which had so many great set pieces and such a great story, that train sequence is still quite memorable. Then despite popular opinion I really liked Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, the game gave us a much deeper look at the bond between Nathan and Sully and the thoughts of Nathan which does not always show behind his mostly positive attitude. To close out Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End which again was something else, they upped the story, the presentation and even stealth combat sequences, I have trouble deciding whether I liked Uncharted 2 or 4 most. This just brings an interesting thought in the case of Naughty Dog, when they do a sequel to The Last of Us will it live up to the wonderful tale of Ellie and Joel, it will certainly prove challenging.