10 Video Game Sequels That Surpassed The Original In Every Way
5. Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Despite speed being integral to the character (as the abundance of internet memes will tell you), Sonic's first outing was really not all that fast.
It was at times, but the speed more often than not took a backseat to careful platforming. Sonic 2 did exactly the opposite. This time around, speed was the focus and while the platforming was still there, it was far less prominent and far less frustrating. This was a game you could just play to have a good time and blast through the well designed levels. Incredibly creative and very large, each provided several different ways to get from point A to point B.
Despite the carefree nature of this game, it certainly new how to turn up the difficulty. Metropolis Zone 3 being so frustratingly challenging that you couldn't help but feel immensely proud of yourself when you finally managed to complete it.
Better (or worse?) yet, that wasn't even the end. After completing that incredibly difficult stage and its daunting boss, you still had two sky-based stages to fight your way through before you could reach the actual big bad, which itself was another blood-boiling experience.
Sonic 2 is one of the single best instances of video game developers learning from their initial shortcomings to make what followed something amazing. (Ironic, given Sega's current position.)