There's a lot of great #2 sequels, games with great improvements over the first one. For me these are the best
MGS1 is one my favorite games ever, so topping it wasn't an easy task. MGS2 is a huge leap in presentation / gameplay mechanics / enemy AI and behavior / Storytelling, I still can't believe that intro was made on a PS2 hardware. Sure Raiden is no Snake but the game succeeded in making me like him throughout the game and we saw Snake from a different, more interesting angle which is something I like very much (the same happened with Dante in DMC4 & 5).
Every MGS game has it's own vibe which make it special even compared to the ones after it and MGS2 is a great example.
Bravo Kojima and team for this remarkable sequel which still holds to this day.
What I personally liked about RE2, apart from its great gameplay, is the fact that the game completely replaced the entire cast of the original RE with a totally brand new cast members as well as having a totally different setting yet the game maintained the identity of the series and what it is like to be a resident evil game and we still loved it. I had never encountered such a thing in gaming up until that point. It was a pretty bold move for a narratively connected series to do and it worked!
Critically and commercially, the game was even better than the original.
RE2 is better than the first one in everything imo but they didn't stop there. I loved the idea if playing different scenarios for each character which gave the game a bigger scale and depth. Plus the increase of gore is fitting for a game like this (they lowered it in later classic REs) + Leon & Clair are still my best characters in the series.
Shinji Mikami made the right call for giving Hideki Kamiya the lead in this and it shows.
ND tested the waters with the first Uncharted and nailed it with the 2nd one, Uncharted 2 is an example of how to make a cinematic / bombastic game while making the player in control all the time. Huge improvements in pacing, shooting, encounters design, scale, storytelling and of course technology.
Uncharted 4 is my best in the series but I can't deny the big impact of Uncharted 2.
And recently
TLOU was and still a masterpiece, ND exceeded my already high expectations in TLOU2.
Without making a mini review: I love everything about this game
A bold story and events with great characters
The best AI in the industry (along with MGS5)
A huge step up in encounter design
The best animation ever in a game (still can't believe the GIFs I see)
An achievement in Graphics / Physics / Sound / Accessibility
This is the sequel TLOU deserves. Simply: My Game of the Generation
What I particularly liked about The Last of Us Part II and Metal Gear Solid 2 is the fact that both were AAA productions yet they still made some extremely bold decisions the likes of which you could only see in Indie games. And both games delivered on their messages that they were trying to say big-time.
What's your picks and why?
Side note: Any first sequel counts (Soulcalibur for example) not just games with #2.
