Video game sequels are, at this point, a dime a dozen. It is always easier to follow up a successful game with a sequel than it is to create a whole new IP. And there is nothing wrong with that; some of the best games ever made were sequels. But there is another way of following up a s⭕uccessful title that allows developers to make a new entry in a series even if they are unclear on how to move the story forward: the video game prequel.

Related: Videoꦫ Game Prequels That Make No Sense In Coওntinuity

Whether your most recent game has gained immense reverence, making a follow-up tric🐈ky to do right, or your previous game was a bit of a blunder,𓃲 making you want to turn back time, the prequel is the answer to your prayers. Here are the best.

10 🌜 T꧑he Great Ace Attorney: Adventures

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Art

The 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ace Attorney series found itself in a similar situation to many long-running series. The protagonists had been on too many a⭕dventures, their stories had grown convoluted, and the series seemed impenetrable for newcomers. With The Great Ace Attorney titles, the game was able to change the era, and give new players a fresh start by playing the ancestor of the popular Phoenix Wright.

While the Ace Attorney games may never receive widespread, mainstream attention, The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures does m♒ake🌊 for an excellent new point of entry for those who are looking to dip their toes in.

9 Phantasy Star 4 ♚ 𒅌

Phantasy Star 4 a large battle ensues

Phantasy Star 3 was unquestionably an ambitious RPG. It featured a story told across multiple generations, and it had an intriguing lineage system. However, it also featured a world that felt foreign to fans of the series. So, as a response to the mixed reception of Phantasy Star 3, Sega decided to build a game that would bridge the second and third titles in the 🐭series. Enter Phantasy Star 4.

For nearly all fans of the series, Phantasy Star 4 is the series' pinnacle. It builds upon everything that Phantasy Star 2 did so well. Unfortunately, none of Phantasy Star 3's interesting ideas were carried over, but Phantasy Star 4 gave the fans everything they wanted and left the series on a high note.

8 Devil May Cry 3 ♈

Devil may Cry 3 Dante

Where do you go after your previous game was an absolute disaster? Well, you go back to the beginning, or in the case of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Devil May Cry 3, before the beginning. When it comes to Devil May Cry 2, you do not need to mince words; 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:that game was an absolute disaster. It nearly spelled the end for the franchise, but Capcom wasn't ready to throw away a promising new IP. Thus, Devil May Cry 3 was born.

Related: Iconic Playstation Characters Who Were Dramatically Redesigne🎐d

Following a younger, even brasher, Dante, this prequel was able to double down on every elemꦏent that made the first game endearing. Devil May Cry 3 is the blueprint that the subsequent games used to build their identities. This was the game that rescued a franchise in peril.

7 ﷽ Street Fighter Alpha

Street Fighter Alpha 3 Fei Long vs Sodom

The Street Fighter Alpha series acts as a prequel to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Street Fighter 2. The distance allowed Capcom to do something new — something interesting — and it paid off in a big way. While the Street Fighter Alpha series never gained the same level of popularit🌜y as the Street Fighter 2 series, that ha♉s proven to be an extremely high bar to meet.

Still, the Alpha games have been anthologized for multiple console generations (multiple times), and are still well-thought-of titles to this day. Moreover, many of the cast introduced in t🙈hem are considered staple characters of the series at this point.

6 ﷽ Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Cover art for Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater featuring Snake against tree and fiery orange backdrop

After the previous game ended by going a little off the rails (gloriously), 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Metal Gear Solid 3🎃 decided to take things back before it all began. In the process, they created enough distanc🔴e from the rest of the (delightful) mess to tell a far more tidy singular story — and it worked extraordinarily well.

Metal Gear Solid 3 is a game that is intrinsically tied to the rest of the Metal Gea🌠r Solid titles, but it is also one of t⛎he games in the franchise that works well as a standalone title. Ultimately, this is a game that acts as a welcome, momentary break in the ridiculousness.

5 🍸 Red Dead Redemption 2 ⛎

using a long barrel revolver

When it was first announced that 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Red Dead Redemption 2 was going to be a prequel, and was going to be following an unknown character, people were confused. When they first introduced Arthur Morgan, people were underwhelmed. But by the time Red Dead Redemption 2 ended, fans didn't want to let go.

The idea of seeing John Marston's story from another set of eyes is extremely interesting — not that this is John's story, of course: this is Arthur's story. However, John plays an undeniably important role in it and it is fascinating seeing how the events of ꦅRed Dead Redemption 2 shaped him.

4 Me📖troid Prime

Metroid Prime Artwork

While sometimes a prequel is a great way to regroup after a disaster, it can also be a successful maneuver when trying to follow a masterpiece. Undeniably, Super Metroid is a very tough act to follow. So, instead, why not change the core gameplay and set your new title well before the events of that game? It certainly sounds ris꧃ky, but it is a strategy that paid dividends with Met𒁃roid Prime.

Related: 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Every Metroid Gaﷺme In Chronological Order

Metroid Prime and its perspective shift are as far away from Super Metroid as possible (at least at first glance). However, once you start actually getting into the thick of things, the game ends up feeling pleasantly familiar. A success on all fronts1�🌜�68澳洲幸运5开奖网:, Prime ended up being a classic in its own right thatꦏ some see as being the pinnacle of the 𓆏series.

3 Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse

The Castlevania series has a tendency to jump around the timeline a little. That trend first started with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse. While the previous two titles were focused exclusively on Simon's struggle with Dracula, Castlevania 3 is the first (and only) title to follow his ancestor: Trevor Belmont.

It makes sense that Konami would introduce a new protagonist. Simon had already killed Dracula twice; it was time for the whip to be passed on to another Belmont. With Trevor's story, they made sure to grow the lore by introducing a number of side characters (such as the ever-popular Alucard). We also first saw the idea of branching paths in this Castlevania title. To this day, Dracula's Curse is considered to be the best Castlevania game by many fans, so the idea of iterating on the first title again clearly paid dividends.

2 Yakuza 0

Yakuza 0 Kiryu and Majima

While the Yakuza games had been coming to the west long before Yakuza 0 was released, it is undeniable that Yakuza 0 is when the series really started to gaiꦅn momentum there. And that is the brilliance of Yakuza 0; it is extremely difficult to get people to jump into a franchise when it is five games deep, but Yakuza 0 gave players a new entr🥂y point.

Related: 168澳洲ꦯ幸运5开奖网:Which Yakuza Games Should You♒ Start With

With a flashy new title introducing the series' core cast members, Yakuza 0 helped guide new players into the world of Yakuza. From there, the Kiwami remakes were able to fill in the blanks, and the rest is history.

1 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island

Did the world ask for a crying baby Mario? No, they did not. However, in a series that had absolutely nothing left to prove, Super Mario World 2 is an absolutely stunning flourish. Introducing a new aesthetic that seemed to push the Super Nintendo to its limit, and brand new mechanics built around Yoshi's abilities, Yoshi's Island is a more exploration-focused 2D Mario title that takes risks.

Many games turn to prequels because they didn't know how to follow the previous game, but Yoshi's Island feels like a prequel that exists to escape the confines of the established series for the sake of self-expression. It is understandable if you don't like Yoshi's Island, but it absolutely earned respect.

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