When it comes down to it, a lot of video game sequels these days fail because they either deviate too much from what made the original work, or they fail to innovate enough to make a sequel even feel necessary, often leading them to feel stale and uninspired.
Some sequels may improve upon what came before, while others are forgotten among the fold. With that in mind, we came up with a list of video game sequels that honestly didn’t need to happen.
Final Fantasy XIII-2
While the ending of Final Fantasy XIII may leave you with a few lingering questions, the overall story wraps up with an emotionally satisfying ending that gives everyone the happily-ever-after feeling. So it was surprising when it was announced that this game was getting a sequel, titled Final Fantasy XIII-2
Final Fantasy XIII-2 starts out on a very odd note by retconning the original ending, stating that Lightning didn’t get a happy ending and actually disappeared. Her sister, Serah, is the only one who remembers the ending to the original game, but no one believes her.
If that wasn’t weird enough, the plot involves time travel and alternate timelines while also majorly sidelining all of the main characters from the first game to focus on Serah and a new character named Noel. Final Fantasy XIII developed each party member’s relationship with each other, making them feel like a tight-knit group.
It was easy to get attached to Lightning’s older sister relationship with Hope, or Sazh’s concerned father figure relationship with Vanille. At no point does it ever feel like Serah and Noel have any of these meaningful connections, making it harder to enjoy their dynamic.
The original game also went hard into emphasizing the battle system and how strategic it can be whereas the sequel felt like a cheap copy. Final Fantasy XIII-2 introduced a monster capturing mechanic that had them help you in battle as a third-party member after being obtained. Most battles could be plowed through using the offensive classes without much, if any, reliance on the support classes, which were required in most battles within the first game.
Lastly, Final Fantasy XIII’s story was criticized for being too linear and hard to follow, so the sequel gave you more choice on how you wanted to proceed. This made the story even more convoluted and hard to follow with all the time travel factored in.
In short, gameplay mechanics were half-baked, the story was convoluted and messy, and it was hard to get attached to Serah and Noel while the game felt like it purposely ignored the main cast of the original game.
