Sequels

One advantage video game sequels tend to have over movie sequels is the ease with which you can outdo the original. Movie sequels tend to fall for the trap of just repeating the once-fresh beats of the original or bloating the whole thing via unnecessary fluff — like the part of this phrase you’re reading right now. Good video game sequels only need to refine what was good about the original and perhaps add a few more details. This isn’t about merely good sequels. This is about the best of the best, sequels that boldly…

Every few years a YA franchise will become a sensation, and the Hunger Games franchise was definitely in that category. While Jennifer Lawrence's franchise is streaming with a Peacock subscription, Panem recently returned to theaters with the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. And actress Rachel Zegler quoted Olivia Rodrigo while opening up about the odds of a potential sequel. Zegler led the cast of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12 who formed a bond with a young…

Fans of movies and long-running series often have a list of sequels they wish were never made. Hollywood's increasing reliance on sequels, prequels, reboots, and remakes means that not all interconnected stories will please all audiences. To that end, fans have made a list of sequels that they think "ruin" what came before, and it's not just the notoriously debated Star Wars trilogies that they're criticizing.A Reddit post posted the question "Any examples of movie sequels that essentially shit all over the first movie…

In “Dune: Part 2,” Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) rallies the Fremen people against the oppressive House Harkonnen, leading to an epic clash that unites characters from across the galaxy that author Frank Herbert first visited in his 1965 science-fiction novel “Dune.” Director Denis Villeneuve’s sequel, which comes out on Friday, March 1, is a complex portrait of a people at war that has already garnered widespread critical acclaim. Naturally, any game that’s officially tied to it must echo that sense of scale and…

Sequels can be great. One of the greatest movies of all time, The Godfather Part II, is a sequel. Marvel has built a universe on great sequels. Often though, sequels are a huge mistake. While we don't judge the legacy of a film by its sequels, sometimes we really wish those sequels had never been made. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)Caddyshack IIThe king of all bad sequel ideas has to be Caddyshack II. There is little redeeming this hacky, half-hearted attempt to follow up one of the funniest, most quotable, and most…

Sony said Wednesday it won’t launch any new blockbuster first-party PlayStation exclusives until at least early 2025. “While major projects are currently under development, we do not plan to release any new major existing franchise titles next fiscal year like God of War Ragnarök and Marvelʼs Spider-Man,” Sony President Hiroki Totoki wrote (via Polygon) in the company’s Q3 2023 financial results. Sony’s 2024 fiscal year begins on April 1 and ends on March 31, 2025.The PlayStation division will instead focus on…

Capcom has released a survey to gauge interest in a number of remakes and sequels for its iconic franchises. READ MORE: ‘Persona 3 Reload’ is shaping up to be a must-play remake Capcom has launched what it calls Super Elections, which are basically a series of questions asking for feedback from the community. Questions include “What was your first Capcom game” and “What image do you have of Capcom” but alongside the marketing talk, there’s a series of questions that could shape where the studio goes next. “Are there any…

The rumors and speculation have officially (and finally) been put to bed after it was recently announced that 28 Years Later, the long-awaited sequel to 2002 smash hit 28 Days Later, would finally be landing at Sony. The excitement for the much-anticipated horror sequel is enough in itself, but there’s now absolutely no denying that a handful of other horror sequels unequivocally need to be made. Of course, horror sequels often fall under a “hit or miss” notion, with studios and crews working diligently to piece together…

James Cameron is a filmmaker known for his innovation, and for helming projects capable of becoming the top grossing movies ever. Some of the best James Cameron movies include the Avatar franchise, with The Way of Water making a ton of money at the box office. The Titanic director has plans to make this a long-running property, recently revealing how far he's written the many sequels. And wow, I'm shook by his progress.What we know about Avatar 3 is limited, but it should be only part of James Cameron's overarching plans…

As filming on Tron 3 is currently underway, director Joachim Rønning is building the future of The Grid as we speak. It’s something that’s bittersweet, because while a new sequel to one of Disney’s best sci-fi movies has been long anticipated, it’s not the original concept that director Joseph Kosinski would have been working with on his follow-up to Tron: Legacy. However, a new interview confirms that while he’s not involved, Kosinski has spoken with Rønning, and the reason why is something I’ve been thinking since day…