There’s a well known problem in narrative fiction: the sophomore slump. Many breakout titles become victims of their own success when they try to trilogy-ize their story. Oftentimes this leads to a second installment which feels like it’s just treading water. However, there are plenty of great second installments. In this post, I’m going to highlight some of my favorite second installments in video games. At some point, I’ll probably do the same for movies as well.
10. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne 2
I played the first two Max Payne games years after release, so I played them one right after another. The first game is highly influential to this day and still has a certain silly charm that sets it apart from its sequel. That being said, Max Payne 2 is better in nearly every way. The increased budget allows for better production values overall, while the story is significantly darker than the first game’s schmaltzy melodrama. Plus, the gameplay is refined to a sharp point. Although the much-later Max Payne 3 is probably better in terms of overall presentation, this still remains the narrative high-water mark for the series.
9. Halo 2
This was the first game I ever truly anticipated. After playing Halo: Combat Evolved on my original Xbox, I was hooked and ready for more. I remember the teaser trailer from E3 and then later the gameplay demo (including a good bit of cut content). And when it came out, it blew me away. It was everything I wanted and more… except that ending lol. The dual wielding mechanic was elegantly implemented and still hasn’t really had a match in any other FPS. The parts of the world and story only hinted at in the first game was expanded greatly. The inclusion of a parallel narrative character in the Arbiter (played by the incomparable Keith David) was a great idea, even if some entitled gamers couldn’t deal with it. The biggest issue with this game is that it set such a high bar for Halo 3, which led to me dropping off of the series for many years after.
8. Assassin’s Creed II
The first Assassin’s Creed laid the groundwork for the series, some of which have evolved out of the series entirely at this point. However, in a lot of ways this sequel felt more complete. The story, while basic, was a lot more interesting than the first game’s subtle (boring) political machinations. Womanizer Ezio was a lot more relatable than arrogant Altair. Being able to explore Renaissance Italy was also a lot more interesting that the holy land during the crusades. The addition of additiona weapons, gadget, and a second hidden blade made the gameplay way more dynamic. Plus, you could swim! A lot of aspects of the game have evolved over the years and this isn’t my favorite game in the series anymore, but it’s still probably still the best story and planted many of the seeds for greatness in the series.
7. Portal 2
The first Portal was masterpiece that cam out of nowhere, so how could you follow that up? Turns out there’s a reason Valve gets the amount of reverence that it does. Portal 2’s campaign it’s quite as tight as Portal 1’s, but it does a lot more. It seemlessly adds new mechanics while keeping the core of what makes the game, well, Portal. The first game’s contant monologuing of GLaDOS is largely replaced with decades-spanning recordings of Cave Johnson, the eccentric of founder of Aperture Labs (the setting of both of the games). These recordings lead to laugh-out-loud moments while also painting a subtle picture of the backstory of the company, and ultimately GLaDOS. The puzzles continue to be perfectly tuned to the typical player’s intuition. The story ultimately takes center stage here though, as we see the two NPC leads play musical chairs for ally and antagonist roles. Not to mention the co-op campaign which is very well crafted in its own right. All in all, Valve sure as hell knows how to make ‘em.
6. Half-Life 2
Speaking of Valve, here’s the one that really made Valve what they are today. I’m not the first to extoll the achievements of this game and I’m sure I won’t be the last, but let’s do it anyway for completeness. Starting with an insanely atmospheric opening, Half-Life 2’s trek across the dystopian world is still unmatched in sheer mood. The now-iconic gravity gun duobles as a puzzle mechanic as well as versitile weapon. The story’s relatively simple goals allow for the build up to the ultimate finale in a way that feels incredible. The clever transformation of stock, faceless models in the first game into fully realized characters in this one is nothing short of miracluous. All in all, this is one for the history books.
5. Batman: Arkham City
Batman: Arkham Asylum was such a surprising release, because it was an actually good licensed game. When the sequel was announced and it was going to expand the scope of the game to a Escape from New York-style penal colony, I was beyond hype. And the final product did not disappoint. Gliding around the open world as Batman was excellent and getting to fight more iconic villians was a ton of fun. Of note is the Mr. Freeze boss battle which is truly and all-timer in terms of sheer use of the full range of mechanics given. The choice to focus on the Joker as the main villain felt not great, even if Mark Hamill’s Joker is always pitch-perfect. Looking back, the more focused Arkham Asylum is a bit more appealing now, simply because of the glut of open world games, but this game is still so well done that I crave the feeling of playing it again.
4. Dishonored 2
The first Dishonored blew me away when I played it. Super interesting setting with a immersive sim stealth gameplay, I was hooked. And then the made a sequel. Building on the excellent DLC of the first game, the Dishonored 2 was basically just better in every way. Vincent D’Onofrio’s Duke of Serkonos is excellent characterized using his monloguing broadcasts. Rosario Dawson’s Billie Lurk is perfectly developed from the original, allowing her to step into the role of protagonist in standalone expansion, Death of the Outsider. This game has has two all-timer levels: The Clockwork Mansion, where you must navigate a house whose very shape can change at a pull of a level, and Crack in the Slab, a “gimmick” time travel level built perfectly. My only complaint about this game is the unfortunate choice to allow playing the game as two different protagonists. The game is very obviously Emily’s story, but Corvo can technically go through the motions as well. Despite this, the game still kicks fucking ass though.
3. Mass Effect 2
When this game came out, I had a gaming laptop which was on its last legs and I could only play this game if I sat in a room in December with no heat. That’s how much I wanted to play this game. Although this game doesn’t push the plot forward for the triology by a ton, it tells a great encapsulated story in its own right. But we all know that the real strength lies in the characters. Everyone has a favorite, but a huge chunk of the cast would upstage entire games even by themselves. And the culmination of those relationships in the final mission, where you have to put a ton of them at risk in order to win, is just a masterstroke of storytelling structure. Mass Effect 2 is usually considered the best of the series, and for good reason.
2. The Walking Dead: Season Two
Telltale’s particular brand of guided storytelling puntuated by major choices is almost a trope now, but the first Walking Dead game felt revolutionary at the time. But the unfortunately named Season Two takes all of that doses it with what feels like nitrous and a mountain of cocaine. The first episode of this 5 episode game gives you the choice to watch someone beat a man to death, graphically. And I fucking did, becuase I hated that man. This game is chock full of moments like that, but the ending really takes the cake. It amazingly manges to build perfectly on the first game to form one of the most complex relationships I’ve ever seen in a video game, where you are given a choice which I still to this day don’t know what the right option is. A truly inspired chioce is to have the player character be a 12 year old girl. We get used to having narrative power in games, but it turns out that 12 year old girls don’t generally have a of control over their lives. So, you get interrupted, ignored, and generally just treated as not mattering. It’s one of the few truly actively disempowering games I’ve ever played, and it’s all the better for it.
1. The Last of Us Part II
I usually don’t like sequels being called “Part II”, since they very seldom feel like they are truly a continuation. This game’s title, however, is fucking perfect. Although The Last of Us (Part I) stands perectly well on its own, this game existing enhances and is enhanced by its relationship to the original. I don’t know if any of this was planned, but it sure feels like it. After this point I’m going to be talking SPOILERS because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to talk about the good parts. The choice to have the back half of the game playing as essentially the antagonist of the first half ia fucking masterstroke. The subtle acting and characterization makes everything work so fucking well. And the choice to flip one of the most emotionally charged sccnes from the first game–Joel’s rescue of Ellie–on its head by making you realize that even a “justified” murder still murders a whole person who has people that care about them is a goddamn genius move. The first game was frequently touted as one of the best of it’s generation, and I’m beginning to think that Part II might deserve to be put in the the list of one of the best game of all time.