5 Sequels to Popular Game Franchises That You Shamelessly Passed On

final-doom

Growing up with a movie buff for a father, I was not-so silently taught that sequels are typically inferior to the originals. What could possibly be worse than Tremors 10 or License to Drive 2, both directed by Uwe Boll and Ed Wood’s reincarnated corpse? Throw in different actors, and the whole debacle typically gets much worse.

However, ever since being subjected to the epic awesomeness that is City Slickers II, I began wondering whether or not sequelitis occurred in the world of video games. Even at the tender age of 8, when the NES was taking the world by storm, it seemed logical to me that even a much lauded franchise could only benefit from advancing technology and consumer analysis. If it works, why not tighten up the users’ favorite features and add some elements that not only complement them nicely, but also move along the mythos of the franchise organically?

Below, I’ve counted down five underrated sequels to popular franchises that you’ve most likely missed and need in your life.

 

1. Clock Tower 3 (Playstation 2)

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Source: YouTube

For those who may not be aware of Human Entertainment’s unique swan song to survival horror, Clock Tower is a point-and-click series that has typically revolved around the protagonist attempting to escape a relentless killer wielding a giant pair of scissors. To make matters worse, your character typically cannot fight back and is forced to either hide or otherwise stun the pursuing monster.

And yet, Clock Tower 3 is totally different, so it must suck right?

For starters, you play as a schoolgirl named Alyssa who has rushed home after a cryptic phone call from her mother. Upon returning home, a towering man in black menacingly brusquely introduces himself and sets off a chain of events that sees Alyssa traveling through time and being pursued by local serial killers whilst trying to free the tormented spirits of the killers’ victims.

Sure, Clock Tower 3 abandons the point-and-click formula in favor of the (in)famous PS2 tank control scheme, but the pretty boss battles, epic storytelling and graphic cutscenes are more than enough to warrant a playthrough in the dark with the lights off and the volume maxed out. Eerily silent environs can give way to cold sweat-inducing enact in a split second, and the sounds effectively convey that your next turn will lead to your untimely and messy demise.

Further, you’d be pleased to know that Clock Tower 3 was co-developed by Sunsoft and Capcom, the amazing folks behind epic titles like Batman: The Video Game and Resident Evil, respectively. For a great piece of survival horror fodder, look no further than Clock Tower 3. And speaking of scary games…

 

2. Final Doom (Playstation 1)

When we were all first introduced to Doom on PC, we were treated to an audiovisual assault so profound, that it influenced the way that Bill Gates tried to hawk us Windows 95 and DirectX by playing the hellspawn murdering Space Marine himself. However, unless you got it through shareware or mail-order, you couldn’t simply stroll into a computer store and buy a commercial copy of Doom initially.

Throw in Doom II and Final Doom, and you have a demon-shredding trio that took the PC world by storm. Later on, these versions would see multiple ports to various systems, including handhelds and mobile phones. For many of these ports, not much has changed: the controls, visuals and soundtracks remained largely unchanged, until it hit the Sony Playstation.

When that move occurred, the adrenaline-inducing ragefest suddenly morphed into a soul-shredding survival horror, simply through the power of music. Final Doom for the PC is notoriously more difficult than its predecessor and adds more levels and enemies while reducing the amount of ammunition and weapons available. So imagine a game where you typically run out of ammo and the enemies are more numerous and bloodthirsty, all while your eardrums are pelted with ambient, poop-inducing terror tunes?

Aubrey Hodges is the madman behind the soundtrack, and is also credited for lending his creative genius to Kings Quest, Doom 64 and many others. So if you’re up for a challenging FPS with a little horror sprinkled on it, you can’t go wrong with Final Doom on Playstation.

 

3. Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest

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Source: wallpaper abyss

If you’re looking for something a little lighter, nothing seems to beat Final Fantasy. What could be more satisfying than guiding your party of Light Warriors through stinky swamps and cavernous depths on their quest to save the world? Squaresoft was on its last legs when they dubbed their last effort as “Final Fantasy”, not knowing that the series would move on to become one of the most lauded and argument-inducing in video game history.

For many, the “best” entry is always up for debate, but none can argue that the first entry is a grind-tastic slog when compared to the free roam polish of later titles like Final Fantasy IX. But in the wee hours of the night, when your brain is operating on low ebb, sometimes it’s simply too much to summon the brain power necessary to synthesize a Grand Armor or navigate the topsy-turvy interior of Ipsen’s Castle. If only Squaresoft had released a simple RPG that took care of inventory management and map navigation for you while not being a bore.

Enter Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest. After selecting a new game and entering an instantly regrettable name for your protagonist, you’re immediately thrown into the action where you have to escape a collapsing mountain and fight a raging Minotaur. Not knowing what your character’s strengths and weaknesses are yet, this first run is just challenging enough to get your attention while treating your ear and eye holes with colorful visuals and one of the best soundtracks ever put out. Even vocal detractors of this title typically concede that the soundtrack is one of Squaresoft’s best efforts not composed by series’ mainstay Nobuo Uematsu. And you can chop down trees and jump in-level!

When you’re simply too beat down to slog through the Marsh Cave and face inevitable defeat, turn on Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest. Playing a game that doesn’t require a rabid prepper mentality while taking advantage of all the perks that make a good RPG amazing sounds pretty awesome to me, and Mystic Quest delivers in spades. But if you’re freshly rested and ready to put on your thinking cap, consider playing the next game.

 

4. Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals

Much like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, some sequels get better with age and absolutely destroy review scores in retrospect. When Lufia & The Fortress of Doom was released in North America, it was met with immediate praise for its excellent graphics, epic soundtrack and was even named “the best RPG so far this year” by Electronic Games. However, later reviews were mixed, citing that Fortress of Doom was inferior to other RPGs of the era, such as Secret of Mana, and wait for it…

Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals!

Though praised upon release, Rise of the Sinistrals didn’t make a lot of noise until a few years after release, where retrospective reviewers praised it for refining what made the original great, from the music to the puzzles and storyline. And much like Mystic Quest, enemies in dungeons appear on screen, but are randomly encountered in the overworld. Also, storyline narratives can be broken up by visiting locales such as the Ancient Cave, where 99 floors of randomly generated mayhem await those brave enough to ditch all of their equipment beforehand in a masochistic scavenger hunt.

Bear in mind that North American audiences were still getting used to JRPGs during this time, as Final Fantasy VII was still one year away from making them mainstream. With the move to CD-ROM and new consoles being released at a blistering pace, it’s not hard to imagine how some folks may have skimmed over Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals.

However, if you want an RPG that touches upon every successful trope seamlessly, check out Lufia II! But what if you just want to beat something/someone up with a buddy without all that pesky thinking? Did the SNES even do that? Well…

 

5.King of the Monsters 2

Towards the end of the 2nd golden age of arcade games, SNK developed and released King of the Monsters for its popular Neo-Geo arcade cabinets. It featured 1-2 player action where players, represented by ginormous monsters reminiscent of Godzilla, squared off against each other or the computer in a no-holds barred throwdown within a thriving metropolis. Even better, players could interact with/destroy the environment around them as they tried to grapple their enemy into submission.

When King of the Monsters 2 was released for arcades one year later, the gameplay changed from 1-on-1 to side-scrolling beat-em-up action for up to two players. In 1994, it was published in all of its arcadey-goodness by Takara for SNES, with simultaneous two player gameplay intact.

Even though the difficulty is a little much for a one-player experience, games like this were meant to be played with a friend when you’re working on putting away your second six-pack on a Saturday night. Button mashing flesh-slapping fun can be had as your characters navigate obstacles, random enemies, and one of the most punishing boss rushes ever put in a SNES title.

One of the best definitions of couch co op, King of the Monsters 2 is still relatively cheap to buy, so knock the dust off your old SNES and prepare to knock the snot out of the alien scum that threatens to take over the world that you just took over. The nerve!

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