During the lengthy Perfect List discussion, there were six other games that were brought up that deserve honorable mentions in this list. To start off our honorable mentions list, we’ll discuss a sequel to a sequel that was featured among our top 10 from page 1.
Guitar Hero 3
When one of the Press X To Podcast members mentioned Guitar Hero 2, we witnessed a throw down of near epic proportions. Was Guitar Hero 2 better than Guitar Hero? Absolutely. But was Guitar Hero 3 better than Guitar Hero 2? That was the argument which lead to a showdown of songs. Back and forth the discussion went. Song after song named. Both podcasters trying to prove to each other which sequel was tops. In the end, Guitar Hero 2 took the crown, but for the sake of friendships, we’ll give Guitar Hero 3 an honorable mention.
Batman: Arkham City
Our second honorable mention sparked a huge debate as well. One of our podcasters considered Batman: Arkham City as a Perfect List worthy sequel. This lead to a Bane-sized debate questioning whether the open-world Arkham City was really better than the more focused approach of Batman: Arkham Asylum. And what about the most recent game in the franchise, Batman: Arkham Knight, which was also very highly regarded. If there is one thing I imagine most gamers will agree on, the Batman Arkham series is one of the best superhero franchises in gaming, and worthy of anyone wanting to don a pair of spandex pants.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3 was a phenomenon when it first debuted. Heck, it was even prominently featured in the classic movie “The Wizard”. Make no mistake about it, this is one of solid Super Mario title. For some Super Mario fans, it might even be the best in the franchise (at least in terms of Super Mario side-scrollers). It was a huge departure from Super Mario Bros. 2 in all the right ways and definitely deserves to be mentioned in any discussion regarding excellent sequels.
Half-Life 2
The original Half-Life helped define a generation of first-person shooters. Amazingly, so did its sequel, Half-Life 2. And as much as we loved Half-Life, the sequel really did deliver a perfect successor. The real question is, will Half-Life 3 end up being the best in the franchise? We’ll just have to wait until Half-Life 3 is released to find out, which should be any month now…
Assassins Creed 2
When that first CGI trailer of Assassins Creed debuted, gamers were in absolute awe of the possibilities. And the game delivered! But the sequel, Assassins Creed 2, featuring a more charismatic protagonist and a larger world to explore just delivered so much more, making it an amazing sequel. Even to this day, Assassins Creed 2 is considered by many to be one of the franchises best, up there with Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassins Creed: Origins.
