Some video game franchises have generated more profit than some world-renowned Hollywood movies.
A high-quality video game often stretches across cultural and language boundaries, such is the appeal of a top-quality video game, and one of the critical variables that cement this success is a franchise that can consistently deliver installments where each fresh chapter is just as good if not better than the last.
10. Red Dead Redemption
Although many gamers might think that Red Dead Redemption 2 is a sequel, Red Dead Redemption is actually the sequel to Red Dead Revolver.
Although Red Dead Revolver received modest praise, the second chapter branched out to an entirely new world. Many believe that Red Dead 2 is better than both, and the sales reflect that.
9. Money Train
Casino gaming has flourished into an essential and significant part of the online gaming sector since the advent of the 21st century. Money Train is one of many gaming franchises that has captivated casino gamers.
With additional award-winning chapters in their franchise, Relax Gaming has brought in a new wave of customers to slot gaming.
Money Train 2, and more recently, Money Train 3, have reaffirmed that this slot game is one of the top offerings in the industry, and all games within the series continue to increase in popularity.
8. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Some may argue that Vice City wasn’t a sequel. However, GTA 3 wholly transformed the game, going from a birds-eye, 2D map to an all-encompassing free-to-roam world, which we see today. GTA 3 began the modern-day phenomenon, but Vice City is considered more popular than GTA 3 and a sequel to the generation-defining GTA 3.
The sequel doubled up on an expansive map, introducing a broader soundtrack and a larger world with more missions and characters.
GTA 3 may have started the Rockstar revolution but it was Vice City that took it to another level in the eyes of many gamers, with San Andreas, GTA 4 and later GTA V all proving to be generation-defining games.
The success of the first installments led to GTA V becoming the second-biggest-selling video game ever made and one of the most recognizable gaming logos in history.
7. The Sims 2
Few games define a platform or console like The Sims. Having shifted millions of units worldwide, the popularity of this gaming format quickly became apparent to Maxis.
The Sims 2 ushered in a whole raft of new features, resulting in increased sales and higher critical acclaim than the original.
It is the definitive PC game, and its reach was so widespread that it helped legitimize the whole idea of PC games, in the same way that Super Mario fueled the dynasty of Nintendo. It helped them develop continual ideas in console gaming and portable video gaming.
The popularity of The Sims 2 resulted in tens of millions of units being sold, and installments being released to multiple consoles such as Xbox and PlayStation.
6. Halo 2
On the subject of games that defined a console, Halo was a landmark moment for the Xbox. As Microsoft muscled into a highly competitive gaming sector, they needed a title to grab gamers and announce their arrival on the world stage.
Halo completed this task with flying colors, but after such incredible marketing success, it was Halo 2 that many believe surpassed the original.
Critical acclaim, sales and user ratings back up this opinion, with Halo 2 considered one of the greatest first-person shooter games ever made.
5. Call of Duty 2
The highest-selling first-person shooter game of all time is, of course, Call of Duty. The game’s developers, Activision, have nothing else to prove in the gaming world.
In 2005, when Call of Duty 2 hit the shelves, they established themselves as an elite game developer.
Although Call Of Duty was a success and the franchise achieved great things, Call Of Duty 2 was arguably the most revered chapter of the game in the 2000s, and the sequel shifted over five million units.
4. Portal 2
Valve is one of the greatest modern-day success stories in gaming. Many believe that despite the immense success of some of their other titles, Portal 2 is their most outstanding achievement. The 2011 release was a dimension above the first game, and many critics still cite it as the top puzzle-platform game ever created.
3. Dota 2
The success of Dota 2 is evident in the mountain of esports tournaments and games that have a prime focus on the iconic sequel. Dota 2 often attracts the world’s best video gamers, and multiple Dota 2 esports tournaments have broken numerous records for the highest-ever prize pool.
Although the prequel brought in a sizeable, fanatic audience, it was Dota 2 that put the game on the map, and despite the game celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, it’s still bringing in huge numbers of new gamers annually.
2. Uncharted 2
Naughty Dog is a titan of video gaming, and Uncharted 2 is the most remarkable example of what the innovative company is capable of.
Uncharted 2 is the pinnacle of noughties action-adventure games, sweeping up multiple Game of the Year accolades and far outselling the original. For many gamers, it remains one of the greatest games of all time.
1. Crash Bandicoot 2
Retro gamers who remember playing Crash Bandicoot in their earlier years will look back at Naughty Dog’s production with great nostalgia.
Although Crash Bandicoot was a commercial and critical success, the sequel expanded into new ideas and new bosses, with a game in which the graphics quality was equal to the immense advances in the storyline.
Naughty Dog continued to make Crash Bandicoot one of the most revered games of its generation, with Warped and Crash Team Racing also shifting tens of millions of copies and recently going through a remaster.
Conclusion
It’s challenging to set any of these sequels apart – they’re all rightfully in the elite tier of video gaming, and even over time, they have continued to sell well and captivate audiences spanning generations of gamers.
