What are the Best Video Game Prequels?

Everyone loves a good sequel, but what about prequels? Sure, sequels allow you to reunite with the characters you’ve grown attached to and advance the story, but prequels have the freedom to contribute so much more and offer a refreshing experience.

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Explore mysteries that were only hinted in the main story, revealing backgrounds and events that shaped the characters and world into what it is. The possibilities are near endless with the right creative team behind it. Strangely, while there are libraries worth of sequels, only a handful of decent prequels have been produced. So, if you stack them together, which comes out on top regarding story and gameplay?

Witness the Necromorph Outbreak

The moment players first saw the USG Ishimura, it was evident that something major had happened. Fighting through the hordes of Necromorphs across the ruined vessel, more logs and stories were discovered detailing hints about the backstory of the catastrophe. It was enough to make players wonder just how the outbreak began and what it would be like to experience it.

Those questions were answered in Dead Space: Extraction, a game that combines the item scavenging of Dead Space with the rail shooting of House of the Dead. Though the graphics are dated, and the gameplay differs from the Survival Horror of the original, it still has the fear as you’re engaging Necromorphs in a first-person perspective. In Extraction, you follow the stories of several characters trying to survive after the discovery of the otherworldly Marker that sparked the whole chain of events.

9

Batman: Arkham Origins

Your Enemies Will Define You

A superhero who needs no introduction. Everyone knows about the caped crusader. The hero of Gotham, trusted by the police, with a long list of villains he’s had ample experience. So, what would it be like to play as an inexperienced Batman during his first outing against his super-powered rogues gallery?

On the night before Christmas, a hit’s been put out on a young Batman whose biggest challenges have been corrupted cops and thugs with shotguns. In Batman: Arkham Origins, players experience Batman’s first encounter with the supervillains of Gotham, including his future nemesis, the Joker. Despite some changes, Origins still has that classic Arkham style gameplay of soaring across snowy rooftops, juggling multiple opponents, all while engaging in some of the best boss battles of the series in one-on-one combat.

8

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

How the Hero Became the Villain

Serving as both a sequel to the first game and prequel to the second — because the Borderlands games love being extravagant — The Pre-Sequel may blur the line, but deserves to be counted for shedding light on the story of Handsome Jack and Hyperion’s rise to power. Plus, it was the first installment to take players off Pandora and explore another world, or moon in this case.

With a new selection of Vault Hunters to choose from, including the fan-favorite Claptrap, players battle bandits and mercenaries in zero gravity with bullets and lasers. The game has the perfect balance of action and Borderlands style of humor, all while telling the story of how a man trying to be the hero went on to become the most infamous yet hilarious villain in the series. Slight spoilers, it involves a lot of people dying and everyone being mean to poor Claptrap.

7

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

“It’s Raining Nazis”

3.5/5

OpenCritic

Top Critic Rating:
78/100


Critics Recommend:
60%

Released

May 5, 2015

Publisher(s)

Bethesda Softworks

Engine

id Tech 5

Before the events of Wolfenstein: The New Order, when the world fell under German control, that nazi-killing machine B. J. Blazkowicz was still fighting a war. In Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, players are sent into enemy territory to retrieve documents that will lead to the compound of the vile Deathshead.

Instead of copying and pasting the weapons and enemies of the previous game, The Old Blood features a new variety, featuring an immersive design of archaic meets futurized. Though the prequel leans more toward gameplay, with fewer cutscene interruptions, it still captures the feeling of dread Blazkowicz is going through in his internal monologues. If that all sounds too depressing, you also get to kill zombie nazis.

6

Halo Reach

Welcome to Noble Team

Systems

Released

September 14, 2010

Engine

Blam engine

Metascore

91

Since the first Halo, the word Reach has been constantly uttered throughout the series. Characters have spoken about it, there’s been in-game writing about it and you even hear soldiers shout it in combat. All players knew for a time was that Reach was an Earth-like world destroyed by the Covenant, so Bungie decided to make their last Halo release center around Reach’s fall.

To shake things up, players control a new Spartan named Noble 6. Other than their codename, players are free to customize their armor and gender for the main campaign. Joining a team of able Spartans, it falls on them to defend Reach with an array of familiar and new weapons, all for a fight you know they’re going to fail. Despite being part of a losing battle, all Noble 6 can do is show courage in a war where hope seems lost.

5

Yakuza 0

The Story of a Dragon and a Demon

4.5/5

OpenCritic

Top Critic Rating:
86/100


Critics Recommend:
95%

Released

January 24, 2017

Engine

Dragon Engine

For years, Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima have been on and off again friends/rivals. Despite being near polar opposites, somehow these two colleagues have formed a bond of mutual respect. So how did these two meet and earn their monikers as legends of the Yakuza?

Set several decades in the past, Yakuza 0 captures the look and feeling of late ’80s Tokyo. The streets are packed with advertising and people out drinking, disco dancing and singing karaoke. Meanwhile, a fledgling Kiryu is trying to clear his name after being framed for murder, while Majima is ordered to murder an innocent to rejoin his Yakuza family. Featuring some of the best combat and an adrenaline-pumping soundtrack that makes every battle feel more epic than the last, it all culminates in what can be considered the longest entry in the franchise. So, make time, because this is a must-play.

4

Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening

“Now I’m a Little Motivated”

The gun-toting pizza-loving protagonist of the Devil May Cry games has always been powerful. Before Dante became the legendary demon hunter, however, he started as a punk demon hunter, only interested in treating every fight like a party.

Dante’s adventure in Devil May Cry 3 marks the beginning of how he fully awakened his demon powers. All packaged with some of the most fast-paced hack-and-slash action ever seen in the gaming industry, along with some of the greatest boss battles. The prequel also introduces Vergil, one of the coolest villains in gaming, Dante’s brother and the only opponent to match his sword skills. The story highlights Dante’s character growth, as the wise-cracking half-demon has to grow up and accept the demon blood within him in order to stop his wicked brother — even if it means having to kill him.

In Outer Heaven, Men Become Demons

Players may debate when the legendary Big Boss fully turned into the villain of the Metal Gear Solid series, but most can agree that it was The Phantom Pain where what remained of the hero faded, and what took its place was a demon. Though the franchise has a wide selection of prequels, MGS 5 stands out for its story and innovative gameplay.

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Set in 1984, you are Venom Snake, forced to rebuild your army from the ground up and seek vengeance on the one who took everything from you. Explore an open world using reinvented stealth mechanics as you infiltrate enemy bases and undertake missions of espionage. Build up your base using resources you’ve acquired in the field, recruiting soldiers and freeing POWs into your growing army. All in the darkest story of war and wet work born from the mind of Hideo Kojima, with an ending that still leaves players breathless.

2

Metroid Prime

The Game That Redefined a Generation

First-Person Shooter

Metroidvania

Systems

Released

November 17, 2002

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Engine

RUDE engine

Like many classic titles in the Nintendo library, the Metroid games were crossing over into 3D. Instead of turning it into another third-person platformer, however, the creators went in a whole new direction and created a game that forever impacted a generation: Metroid Prime.

Set before the story of Metroid II, the plot features no dialogue. It’s up to the player to piece the story together through clues and lore as Samus discovers a terrible entity is infesting a planet, and it falls on her to destroy it. What makes Metroid Prime groundbreaking is its balance of platforming, puzzle-solving and FPS combat. The first game was such a success that it spawned two more additions. In other words, the Metroid Prime series is like the Star Wars prequels, except these actually worked.

1

Red Dead Redemption 2

The Story of Arthur Morgan

Set in the Old West of 1899, Red Dead Redemption 2 stands tall as the perfect prequel. In the first game, John Marston spoke much about his gang and everything it stood for. Now, players finally get to experience the Van der Linde gang in all its glory.

The flawless gameplay allows you to go and do just about what you wish as an outlaw. Hunt for pelts, steal from houses, take on bounties or explore a massive and immersive open world. Even the horse you ride feels like a character as you care for it and develop your bond. And if the gameplay doesn’t sell it, then the story will tear at your heartstrings with the enthralling tale of Arthur Morgan. Whether you choose to be honorable or dishonorable, you’ll become attached to this flawed character as he gives everything to protect his gang, before its tragic downfall.

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