Not every long awaited video game sequel manages to live up to the hype. Some of them have a knack for falling flat on their face. Take a look at Grand Theft Auto 6, which may be the most hyped game of all time. Knowing Rockstar Games‘ pedigree, you’d figure they’re capable of delivering on it, but again, that’s the exception, not the norm.
It’s not necessarily their fault, but just the nature of the modern gaming hype cycle. Most games cannot live up to the huge amount of expectations we put on them, especially when they’ve been in the oven for so long.
Sometimes, though, the stars align and we get a sequel that can indeed live up to the hype.
I’m not sure who said, “Good things come to those who wait,” but I do know it was Tom Petty who said, “Waiting is the hardest part.” Waiting was indeed the hardest part for these video game sequels, but the wait was well worth it.
10 Hollow Knight: Silksong
Put Away Those Clownsuits
There was no chance I’d start with anything else.
The wait for Silksong was, at times, unbearable. So many Nintendo Directs and Geoff Keighley events came and went without a Silksong appearance. Finally, we can look back at our frustrations and laugh.
Silksong is one of the best-reviewed games of the year. It’s everything we ever wanted from a Hollow Knight sequel.
Does the game sometimes feel a bit unfair? Yes, but shouldn’t we want that? Aren’t we so seasoned at Hollow Knight by now that we need a step up in difficulty? I’d like to think so.
9 Grand Theft Auto 5
I Guess It Was The Weather
-
- Released
- September 17, 2013
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Engine
- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine
- Cross-Platform Play
- no
- Cross Save
- yes
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- PC Release Date
- April 14, 2015
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- March 15, 2022
- PS5 Release Date
- March 15, 2022
- How Long To Beat
- 32 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 84 GB (July 2023)
- Metascore
- 81
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The wait between GTA 4 and GTA 5 was nowhere near as unbearable as, say, GTA 5 to GTA 6 has been. It’s a wait that’s been made even more frustrating by the fact that they re-released GTA 5 several times over the years.
One thing that has always stood out to me is that no matter how much I enjoyed Grand Theft Auto 4, it felt lacking. It didn’t have the magic of the PS2 era games, and I’m not just saying that because I didn’t want to go bowling with Roman.
While the wait was only five years, it was one that felt longer thanks to several delays. The long-awaited return to Los Santos took longer than we hoped.
It was certainly worth the wait; GTA 5 is Rockstar’s magnum opus, a true achievement in open-world gameplay and storytelling.
8 Metroid Dread
Metroid 5
Metroid Prime isn’t a sequel, but instead a spin-off that takes the Metroid franchise in a different direction with first-person gameplay.
So, while we saw three Prime games, plus the atrocious Other M, released on the GameCube and Nintendo Wii, the traditional side-scrolling Metroid games were dormant since Metroid Fusion, aside from some remakes.
That would change in 2021 with the release of Metroid Dread for the Nintendo Switch. This is actually a double whammy when it comes to long-awaited sequels. Not only is it Metroid 5, but also the long-lost Metroid Dread was originally planned nearly 20 years prior.
While there have been countless Metroidvanias released in that gap, nothing hits home like Metroid, and Dread manages to deliver an authentic, challenging, and addictive Metroid experience.
7 Pikmin 4
I Would Die For Oatchi
It’s hard to believe that the wait between Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4 was ten years, but it’s true!
Despite the long wait for Pikmin 3 following the success of Pikmin 2, it failed to live up to the hype. It’s not a bad game by any means, but it certainly wasn’t worth the wait. Pikmin 4, however, absolutely was.
This feels like a true spiritual successor to Pikmin 2 more than a direct sequel to Pikmin 3. It’s never afraid to add new ideas that all find a way to come together to deliver a complete package.
Oatchi is a very welcome addition to the series; the game’s difficulty is perfectly balanced, and it’s the ultimate mix of everything that has made the franchise great over the years. Pikmin 4 is the best in the series, and it’s not even close.
6 StarCraft 2
It’s About Time
I feel like it’s a little too cool to hate on StarCraft 2 simply because it’s not Brood War. Look, I get it. I’m a Classic WoW player over retail, but I fully acknowledge that both are honestly very good games.
That’s how I feel about StarCraft 2, and I feel like the lack of time mainstream popularity today isn’t an indictment against the game but an issue with the RTS genre as a whole.
On release, StarCraft 2 met every single expectation I had. The multiplayer was fun, the story was engaging, and the mod support was truly impressive. I had many late nights in college discovering and trying new mods with friends.
The idea to release the game over three separate SKUs is what it is, but at the end of the day, StarCraft 2 was ultimately well worth the wait.
5 Alan Wake 2
An Unforgettable Experience Well Worth The Wait
Fun fact. I played through the original Alan Wake long before I ever watched a single episode of Twin Peaks. Heck, I wouldn’t even watch the show until several years later in preparation for the release of The Return.
Thankfully, there wasn’t a 25-year wait for Alan Wake 2; it was just 13 years. Still, it’s a long-awaited video game sequel to one of the more underrated Xbox 360 games, and it’s one that I’m so glad we finally had, especially with how the original ended.
Remedy was able to flex their creativity in a way that few developers truly can. It’s true to its roots, delivering a beautiful, haunting, and moody experience with a much larger emphasis on the action instead of being a pure, old-school survival horror experience.
It honestly feels similar to the jump from Mass Effect to Mass Effect 2: some of the quirks and jank are gone, but the game is ultimately better for it.
4 Fallout 3
War Never Changes
We can argue all day about whether or not Fallout 3 is truly a sequel to the original games.
Yes, it’s a numbered entry in the long-running RPG franchise, but it plays nothing like the original games. It has more in common with your stereotypical Bethesda open-world RPG than anything else.
Having said that, the inspiration, vibes, and branching choices that made the original Fallout games so great are all still here.
The fact that we even have Fallout 3 to begin with is a cause for celebration rather than semantics if you ask me. It’s a great game that has continued to age like fine wine over the years. Is it as widely beloved as New Vegas or as successful as Fallout 4? No. Is it a fantastic game? You better believe it. Now, if it could only get the Oblivion treatment and see a modern remake, we’ll be in business.
3 Doom (2016)
Rip And Tear
Time for some more semantics!
There are those who believe that the 2016 Doom reboot is just that: a reboot of the franchise and not a true sequel. Having said that, it’s still a long-awaited gam that, for many years, was stuck in developmental hell to the point where many people were convinced the game would never see the light of day.
Boy, am I glad that it was able to overcome all of those issues. The world is better with the Doom games.
It’s a wonderful return to not just the franchise’s roots, but the genre’s roots as well. Every FPS doesn’t have to have this big, epic, sweeping narrative or gameplay gimmicks. Sometimes, all you need is fast-paced combat, over-the-top weapons, and non-stop action. That’s what Doom has in spades.
2 STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Welcome To The Zone
Speaking of games that were packed with developmental issues, there may be no bigger example of that than STALKER 2.
It’s not so much about the issues putting together the first STALKER game since 2009, but more so what’s going on in the home developer GSC Game World, as they’re directly affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
That’s not to say that the development was smooth sailing before that; GSC underwent layoffs following STALKER 2’s announcement in 2010 before ultimately being cancelled in 2012. Later in the decade, the wheels were set in motion to revive the game, leading to a reveal trailer at E3 2021 before its eventual release in 2024.
Is it perfect? No, but it’s such an incredible experience that we’re more than willing to overlook the game’s issues. It’s a ton of fun, GSC Game World continues to improve the game with updates, and we’re hoping the game’s success means we won’t have to wait this long for more STALKER content ever again.
1 Baldur’s Gate 3
An All-Time Great
The first two Baldur’s Gate games were released in 1998 and 2000, respectively. They’re often considered some of the best RPG experiences you can play.
Then the mainline series decided to take a pretty lengthy nap. Baldur’s Gate III: The Black Hound was originally announced in 2002 and developed by Black Isle Studios. It was cancelled a year later, however, and Black Isle Studios was shut down due to the financial struggles of its parent company, Interplay Entertainment. For years, the last Baldur’s Gate game was 2004’s Dark Alliance 2.
Following licensing issues with the Dungeons & Dragons IP, the series was dormant for years, despite the critical acclaim and admiration from fans. Finally, Larian Studios’ CEO, Swen Vincke, would approach Wizards of the Coast, who owned the D&D rights, about developing a new entry in the series. After the success of Divinity: Original Sin II, they were given the green light.
The rest, as they say, is history. Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the highest-rated games of all time, having won countless Game of the Year awards in 2023.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
