7 Surprisingly Great Sequels To Disappointing Games

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It’s rare for a game that wasn’t popular to get a sequel. Usually, if the first game doesn’t do well, developers move on to new projects. However, some developers surprisingly stick with an idea, even after a rocky start, and manage to create a successful follow-up. While the gaming industry generally relies on sequels, it’s still a significant challenge to turn an initially unsuccessful game into a hit with a second installment.

Here are seven great sequels to disappointing games.

7) Conker’s Bad Fur Day

Many gamers aren’t even aware that Conker’s Pocket Tales was a Game Boy Color game. It’s an okay action-adventure title featuring Conker the Squirrel in a story geared towards younger players. Rare, the game’s developer, easily could have abandoned the character, but they surprisingly chose to go in a completely different direction with Conker’s Bad Fur Day.

The adorable squirrel character was reimagined as a rough, often crude, and down-on-his-luck loser, and his story unexpectedly delves into more adult themes. While Bad Fur Day’s attempts at edgy humor can be a bit awkward, the game itself is visually impressive and briefly revitalized the series. Sadly, the developers, Rare, didn’t maintain this momentum for long.

6) The Evil Within 2

As a big horror fan, I was really excited when The Evil Within came out, hoping for something amazing from the creator of Resident Evil, Shinji Mikami. It was a decent return to the survival horror genre, but honestly, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. It got okay reviews and didn’t sell super well, so a lot of people figured that was the end of the series after just one game.

After Mikami moved on, John Johanas led the development of the sequel. Fortunately, The Evil Within 2 managed to deliver a strong survival horror experience despite a somewhat uninspired open world, becoming one of the best in the genre over the last ten years. While a third game seems unlikely, The Evil Within 2 proved that the team at Tango Gameworks was capable of creating something special.

5) Red Steel 2

The original Red Steel for the Wii was initially very promising. It combined impressive graphics with exciting sword and gunplay, and seemed like a perfect fit for the console. However, the combat wasn’t fully polished. Despite this, Red Steel still proved popular, selling over a million copies and leading to a second game.

A few years after the original, Red Steel 2 finally lived up to the potential of the first game. It was the sequel players had hoped for, but unfortunately, the initial game’s poor reception meant Red Steel 2 sold fewer than 300,000 copies. It’s a pity we never got a third installment, as the second game was truly excellent.

4) Just Cause 2

The original Just Cause wasn’t a huge success. It had a lot of glitches, uninteresting missions, and fairly basic gameplay, leading many critics to believe it was released before it was truly finished. Luckily, the developers at Avalanche Studios had created a strong game engine and decided to continue building on it.

The original Just Cause 2 was a groundbreaking open-world game. Its huge world offered endless possibilities, and the developers prioritized fun above all else. While the gameplay wasn’t always realistic, it didn’t matter because the game was so enjoyable. The sequels haven’t quite reached the same heights, but Just Cause 2 remains a truly special title.

3) Watch Dogs 2

The original Watch Dogs introduced some interesting concepts. The idea of controlling the city of Chicago through hacking on your phone was promising, but the game didn’t quite deliver on its potential. The story lacked vibrancy, and the main character, Aiden Pearce, didn’t really connect with players. Despite these issues, the gameplay was solid and the game was commercially successful.

Given its success, it’s understandable why Ubisoft continued the Watch Dogs series. Watch Dogs 2 addressed many of the problems fans had with the first game, replacing the grim protagonist with the more charming Marcus Holloway. The game also perfectly recreated San Francisco, making it a standout title for the PlayStation 4. Unfortunately, like several other games on this list, Ubisoft couldn’t maintain that level of quality, and Watch Dogs: Legion proved to be a disappointment.

2) Wave Race 64

The original Wave Race game was decent. While the Game Boy version featured surprisingly realistic racing for its time, it didn’t look very good – it was quite blurry and muddy. Considering the Game Boy’s limitations, it’s understandable, but it’s the type of game most people would quickly forget.

Luckily, they didn’t change course because Wave Race 64 is arguably the best racing game on the Nintendo 64. That’s a bold statement, but the fast-paced boat races were incredibly thrilling. What’s even more impressive is how good the water still looks, even now. It’s amazing to think that a game originally made for the Game Boy would become such a popular title on the N64.

1) Street Fighter 2

The original Street Fighter arcade game sold under 50,000 units. While that wasn’t a terrible result for 1987, it seems small considering how popular the series would become. The gameplay was decent overall, although it experimented with a unique control scheme. The idea of pressing buttons with varying force to control punch power was cool, but it could be painful to play for long periods.

Man, I remember when Street Fighter 2 hit the arcades – it was insane! Even just looking at the original machines, they sold around 60,000 of them. And then Champion Edition in Japan added another 140,000! It quickly became clear this game was a huge leap forward. Honestly, it felt like Street Fighter 2 was the biggest game everywhere. You could tell the first Street Fighter had potential, but nobody could have predicted SF2 would eventually make over $10 billion! It’s seriously the perfect example of a sequel totally blowing the original out of the water.

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2026-01-08 22:13