There's an argument to be made that the 2000s was the best decade in gaming. After all, the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii were all released in those years, along with a few other systems. So, it was clearly a good time for consoles, and the video games weren't bad either.
Over the ten years, several famous series spawned, such as Halo and Assassin's Creed. And older franchises like Mario and Zelda continued to be strong. In fact, both the older and newer series had some great sequels from 2000 to 2009. The art of a good sequel isn't just about being an enjoyable game but also about improving on or evolving from previous entries. The following are great examples from that era.
8 Saints Row 2 (2008) ജ
The original Saints Row was okay, but it was very much seen as a GTA clone. For Saints Row 2, the develop🌳ers seemed to try to escape the constant comparisons. To do this, they made the game a lot more comedic and silly. It worked as it made the SR series seem more like a quirky neighbor to GTA🎃 instead of a clone.
It also resulted in a very good game that is much better than its predecessor. In fact, for some fans, it remains 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the best in the series. This is primarily because of its over-the-top activities, memorable characters, wild vehicles, and surprisingly emotional st🥂ory.
7 🥃 💝 Grand Theft Auto 3 (2001)
There were several phenomenal 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Grand Theft Auto games in the 2000s. GTA 3 may not be the overall best. However, it is the greatest sequel. After all, the title presented a significant change from ever𝔍y entry before it.
Going from the 2D overhead titles, GTA 3 brought three dimensions to the series. On top of that, it added cutscenes and a more focused story. The result is an outstanding open-world sandbox game that changed 🦩the genre and gaming forever.
6 🍷 Silent Hill 2 (2001) ꦕ
Several games are credited for moving the horror genre forward, and Silent Hill 2 is one of them. Its predecessor was a fantastic title in its own right, but the sequel is even better. The game follows the first one's lead by providing a psychological horror experience, which was a rare sight back then, as most other titles relied on classic jump scares.
Silent Hill 2 also has a great atmosphere and sound design that helps give you chills. But not everything about the game is an attempt to scare you. For example, the story captivates more than terrifies as it's one of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the best stories in the horror genre.
5 Resident Evil 4 (2005) �𒆙�
By the 2000s, the Resident Evil series was already in full flow. And the first few instalments had critical acclaim. Yet, when heading into the mid-2000s, the RE formula was starting to become outdated. Things like fixed camera angles and tan💯k controls were becoming a harder sell to an evolving pꦗlayer base. Therefore, Capcom was smart and changed things up for Resident Evil 4.
The title is played from a third-person perspective and involves more action elements. Long term, Resident E♏vil becoming more action-heavy may have hurt the series, but RE4 finds the right balance between explosions and scares.
4 💞 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009) 🍎
While the original 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Uncharted was a solid action-adventure title, it wasn't what made the series great. The sequel is a much better game because it took what worked about its predecessor and improved upon it. For instance, the gunplay and climbing mechanics of the original are fine, but both things are much smoother in Among Thieves.
The developers also improved from a narrative aspect. They added a few more compelling characters and told a more dynamic tale. As a result, Uncharted 2 is among the best third-person shooters ever when it comes to storytelli✅ng.
3 🍃 Half-Life 2 (2004)
Half-Life 2 had the difficult task of following the iconic original. Yet, not only does it live up to its predecessor, it improves on it. For starters, the developers didn't alter the gameplay too much - they just added more to it.
Elements like physics puzzles and vehicles were both positive additions. Also, the more varied environments were a welcome change, as the areas in the original can feel a bit overly similar at times. Plus, the sequel doesn't include the questionable Xen world, which hurts the latter stages of the original.
2 Halo 2 (20🌼04)
The legendary Halo series debuted in 2001 with the brilliant Halo: Combat Evolved. But things got even better a few years later when Halo 2 launched. The second entry built 🦋on what made the first great to create an overall better package.
The campaign mode is a little divisive in some circles, but there's no denying that it's bigger and more varied than the original. Plus, the story is arguably more interesting. The multiplayer is much less divisive, as it contains much more content than its predecessor, and not even the later entries match it 𝓀in enter🍎tainment value. Back in 2004, console players hadn't seen PvP multiplayer like it.
1 Assassin's Creed 2 (2009)
While it deserves credit for spawning a series, the original Assassin's Creed isn't that great. It provides plenty of cool ideas, but the gameplay is a bit limited and repetitive. This is what makes Assassin's Creed 2 such a good sequel, as Ubisoft took the good ideas of the original and made a much more complete game.
The missions are more varied, the combat is more exciting, and the story is more captivating. So, it beats its predecessor in pretty much every category and remains one of the best Assassin's Creed games ever.