8 Video Game Sequels We Don’t Need

There’s this old saying: “once is enough, twice is too much, and thrice is a poison that can kill a person.” Video game sequels, although incapable of actually killing someone, can still produce a deadly bite—a virtual bite, no less, but one that can single-handedly destroy a franchise and everything its original poured sweat and tears into building. There’s a fine line, really, between something that deserves a sequel, and something that doesn’t. It’s finding that balance that’s the problem.

It goes without saying that, regardless of what we want and what we don’t want, sequels are going to release no matter what. Having said that, if we had to choose just eight near-perfect games that, to our credit, were better suited as standalone one-off stories, then honestly, we’d opt for these.

8. The Last of Us: Part 2

We’ve touched base on The Last of Us Part 3 before, and the things we’d ideally want to see if it ever came to fruition. Having said that, we wouldn’t be all that heartbroken if it never came to be, either, as the way the second chapter ended was perhaps one of the best routes the franchise could’ve taken. Sure, it left plenty of room for maneuver, but the fact it also let players interpret certain aspects and conclusions was sort of what made it the powerhouse ending that it was.

7. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

One of the best decisions CD Projekt Red could’ve made in the aftermath of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was make way for a couple of expansions, and not, for example, a full-blown sequel. As the third installment in the trilogy brought closure to Geralt’s story arc, as well as rounded out all aspects of the plot and its lore, it wouldn’t make a lick of sense to rekindle the wick and bring back other characters. A spin-off, sure — but as far as Geralt of Rivia is concerned, that book has since been closed.

6. Mass Effect: Andromeda

Mass Effect was always better suited as a trilogy, and not an entire archipelago of spin-offs and unwanted add-ons. Not that this stopped BioWare from trying its luck, of course, what with 2017’s Mass Effect: Andromeda stepping in to disrupt the perfect balance that it had already achieved. Safe to say that the devs learned from their mistakes after the fourth entry wound up receiving lukewarm feedback on a global scale. If that’s anything to go by, then we can rest in the knowledge that a fifth game probably won’t be happening anytime soon. Just as well — because honestly, it isn’t needed.

5. A Plague Tale: Requiem

In case you missed out on the two-piece action-adventure series, A Plague Tale, then just know this: things ended perfectly. Well, not perfectly, but well enough to consider every loose end tied up. It wasn’t the best ending to an otherwise mixed bag of emotions sort of series, but it felt fitting, and it did a remarkable job of concluding each character’s story arc and leaving no obvious reason to keep them going. And so, while a third game in the series wouldn’t be a terrible thing on any account, it would feel a little unnecessary and ill-fitted.

4. L.A. Noire

As complimentary to the franchise as a remake of L.A. Noire would be, it’s fair to say that, as far as potential sequels go, it isn’t one that’s crying out for an extension. And to be fair, if there was a sequel knocking about, then Rockstar Games probably would’ve announced it by now, which of course leads us to believe that the series itself ended with the VR Case Files add-on that launched a couple of years back. Still, the story of Cole Phelps (badge 1247!) ended so well, that it just wouldn’t make sense to relight an old flame for the sake of squeezing out a few additional unsolved crimes.

3. Kingdom Hearts 4

Kingdom Hearts 4 is already en route, so there’s no point in trying to halt that unwanted freight train from crashing into the next station. Here’s hoping, though, that after two decades of trying to untangle the overly complicated plot line, that Square Enix will finally wrap things up in the fourth mainline installment. Because let’s face it — nobody knows what’s going on in Kingdom Hearts, and due to the ever-changing carousel of writers, neither do the staff at Square, funnily enough. Whatever happens, we’re crossing our fingers that Kingdom Hearts 5 isn’t in any form of pre-production phase, because honestly, our minds probably wouldn’t be able to handle it.

2. Wolfenstein: Youngblood

Wolfenstein, as a two-piece, is phenomenal — to the point of making the idea of experiencing a third game come across as a craving. Its not-so perfect spin-off, Youngblood, on the other hand, isn’t something we want to continue, no thanks to its relatively dull design and predictable progression system. Of course, we can see what the devs were aiming to go for, but it just wasn’t a suitable fit, and if anything, it was more or less a direct rip-off of Borderlands 3, but with much darker tones. Was it an okay-ish game? Sure. Does it deserve a sequel? Not in a million years.

1. Quantic Dream

Just Quantic Dream, in general. Truth is, the story-loving developer has no reason to return to any of its past projects, mainly down to the fact that, well, there’s nothing left for them there. And when all’s said and done, each game has made it a point to wrap up just about every loose end before reaching the climax, if only to avoid leaving any unwanted surprises post-credits. Therefore, if we did happen to come across anything that looked even remotely like Heavy Rain 2, Beyond Two Souls 2, or Detroit: Become Human 2 — then we’d be sorely disappointed. Just don’t do it, QD.

So, what’s your take? Are there any sequels that you’d want to see? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.