Sequels that everybody thought were worse that you thought were better.

MGS2 - really loved the post-modern narrative and the huge jump in visuals and cinematic presentation. Not to mention the depth to the game play.

Gears 2 - I didn't like the first one mainly because it didn't feel big enough and I got bored of it very quickly. The second one feels like a really cheesy B-movie. I found the entire game incredibly hilarious and finished it in one sitting.

GTAIV: I wasn't much of a fan of San Andreas. There was a lot to do in the game but it didn't feel developed enough. Almost as if they added features just for the sake of it. I felt GTAIV was much more focused, had a brilliant story, a very good protagonist and created a believable world to explore.

halo 3= to halo:CE imo

not sure if that entirely counts.

Super Paper Mario

Fear2. Neither one was scary, but at least the developers learned how to tell a coherent story in the second one. The story from the first one was told so badly that they spent the first third of the sequel retelling it so that everyone understood what happened. Graphically it may not be top of the line, but it still looks better than the original. Gameplay wise I don't really see any dumbing down. Maybe you had more types of melee kicks in the original? But who cares.

Halo 3 ODST: the original halo is still my favorite, but I love ODST 100x more then 2 and 3, I personally never got the hate for it, true the campaign is short but outside of the first halo its by far the best and most emotional.

Funny thing is I saw this topic and the first game I thought before I even opened it was Bioshock 2 and I don't even own Bioshock 2! Not yet at least I hope to get it eventually. From what I've seen and read about it (and believe me I've read a fair amount of reviews and watched a fair share of gameplay too) I was also left wondering why people thought it was so much worse. The environment does seem just as captivating as before and the combat looks even more advanced.

Now as for games I've actually played I'd say Modern Warfare 2 (now its not my favorite game or anything so noone has to hurt me) but it seems everyone thinks Cod4 is so superior to MW2 while in reality I actually think MW2 is actually better and is a good quality game that gets much unwarranted hate. Also Fable II is worth a mention its quite fun and really doesn't deserve all the comments about it being so mediocre. Of course these are just my opinions.

As a note I like how you fleshed out the reasons for Bioshock 2 being great and possibly better than the first, (while also not spoiling the plot for those of us who haven't gotten around to buying it).

Resistance 2 ........ much better than the first yet many disagree.Nonstop-Madness

I agree it was better.

Though I did enjoy the atmosphere(WW2 with a SciFi twist) and campaign of R1 more, the multiplayer of R2 beat the ****** out of the original.

I really wonder how R3 is going to turn out. There was such a styl e change from 1 to 2.

Metal Gear Solid 2. I didn't mind playing as Raiden, it was a nice to change to play as someone relatable (ie a wimp :P) rather than the standard super soldier. Don't get me wrong tho, I'm very glad 3 and 4 let me play as awesome Snake :D

locopatho

Agreed with mgs2 over mgs1. Not so much your logic behind it :P

Resistance 2

Metal Gear Solid 2

Far Cry 2

Final Fantasy X-2.

Khadaj32

This. The combat system was one of my favorites in the series.

Bioshock 2

GTA4. It's only when you go back to San Andreas and play the missions that you realise how archaic San Andreas is. Sure, it's probably more fun to mess around in, but the actual game is really inferior. The shooting mechanics just seem awful now.comeonthehoops

I agree 110%.

RDR has me back in open world mode, and I've been playing all the old GTA's, through 4 and EfLC alongside RDR. It amazes me how many people slam 4 in favor of the old games despite the very broken by comparison mechanics just because there are more of them.

Also:

The Elder Scrolls 4 and GTA 4

ff13. "runs and hides"

deus ex : invisible war

Oblivion, Gears 2, Star Wars Battlefront 2, as well as Halos 2, 3, and ODST. Those games get a lot of flack here, though they are personally some of my favorite games in recent memory.

Majora's Mask, nuff said. /thread.

Metroid Prime 2, Half Life 2 and KoTOR 2. Number 2 ftw.

Metal Gear Solid 2. I didn't mind playing as Raiden, it was a nice to change to play as someone relatable (ie a wimp :P) rather than the standard super soldier. Don't get me wrong tho, I'm very glad 3 and 4 let me play as awesome Snake :D

locopatho

deus ex : invisible war

kobraka1

Metroid Prime 2 It does everything better than Prime 1. Gameplay, Boss Fights, Challenge, Atmosphere, Puzzles, enviornments, etc. It just didn't have that obvious instant wow factor Prime 1 did. Which is probably why I enjoy Prime 1 more. But for all intents and objective purposes Prime 2 does every single aspect better than Prime 1. Oh and I hated Bioshock 2 3 hours into the game. Maybe I need to give it a second cahnce. First IronBass, then Napk1ns, and now you. Maybe I need to give it another run before I throw it into DragonAge/No More Heroes territory....jg4xchamp

I prefer Halo 3 over Halo: Combat Evolved. I just don't understand what is so special about the first one.