10 Video Game Sequels That Made The Original Even Better
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
The original Red Dead Redemption was a great game, and a beautifully written story in its own right that wraps up nicely at the end. In fact, RDR2 having a 2 at the end is hilarious because it's technically a prequel. But having that 2 DOES categorize it as a sequel, unlike Yakuza 0, so I'm counting it. Yay, loopholes!
This entry is at no.2 mainly due to finding a way to make Red Dead Redemption somehow SADDER than it already was. While there were the hints of Marston's past with his old gang - that he hunts at the behest of the government in RDR1 - RDR2 showcases the gang in their prime, as the whole thing leads up to the events of John Marston ending up on that leash in the first place.
The story of Arthur Morgan trying desperately to hold his found family together gives the original so much more weight, as now you know what's been lost. RDR 1 definitely did a great job at making the player feel sorry for Marston, but there was a separation from his past, due to you not being that clued into what happened.
2, however, shows the whole thing in painful detail, from the life and death of Arthur Morgan, to the fateful splitting of the Van der Linde gang.
After so much death and misery in RDR 2, the player is left relieved that John gets out mostly okay in the end... only to remember how the first game closes out.
Just like that, one of the most clichéd picks for the saddest death in gaming history hurts so much worse than it did before. Brilliant.