10 Video Game Sequels That DESTROY What Went Before

10. Sonic 3 And Knuckles

For as much as people praise the original Genesis Sonic games (usually as a means of bashing the modern releases as if they're the very first person to make such a revolutionary statement. Seriously guys it's been 14 years since '06, get new memes, please), the only one to really meet the astronomical hype is Sonic 3 and Knuckles.

And I'm specifically referring to the game you can only play by buying a Genesis, getting a copy of Sonic 3 with the "lock on technology" port on top, and slotting the Sonic and Knuckles cartridge on top of that. Pricey and needlessly complicated, but oh so worth it.

The problem with the first two Sonic games is that there was always something holding them back from what they were truly capable of. The first game didn't take advantage of Sonic's speed as much as you would think, with a lot of slow deliberate level design, and 2 mostly fixed that, but because the issue was only mostly gone, points where you had to very carefully climb up the Chemical Plant zone while water rose up beneath you were all the more whiplash-inducing.

Sonic 3 and Knuckles is the magnum opus of the Genesis era, building on everything that worked while streamlining the level design to make sure you felt like the fastest thing alive at all times.