I think there is a difference between a sequel that needs to be made to bring some resolution to the franchise storyline...and sequels that people want just because the brand name was high quality, which sometimes don't exactly work out so well, especially if a series already had already ended in a great way.
People kept saying they wanted a new sequel to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time...despite the sands of time trilogy coming to a great resolution in Two Thrones...we got the mediocre Forgotten Sands.
I don't think their needed to be a Max Payne 3...Max Payne 2 seemed to have a good ending to the saga and tied up the loose ends from the original.
Same with the Silent Hill series...that's a series that should have ended with Silent Hill 3 making it a great trilogy, since Silent Hill 3 perfectly wrapped up the storyline from the original game....instead we got Silent Hill 4 (a game which wasn't originally meant to be a SH game), which marked the beginning in the drop in quality in the series, which is has never recovered from, and with Team Silent disbanded after SH4, probably never will.
Same with BioShock 2 and BioShock: Infinite. I enjoyed BioShock 2, but there was no need for that sequel....and BioShock: Infinite is a whole new storyline with a whole new setting, I would have preferred if they just made it a new ip so it could branch out further on it's own.
Same thing with Baldur's Gate...that saga ended perfectly with Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal....I see no need for a sequel there. Instead, I rather see a whole new ip that delivers a great experience on the same level that Baldur's Gate II did for it's time.
Tim Schafer said it best once when someone asked him about a sequel to Grim Fandango or Day of Tentacle...in which he replied there was no need, since those games had good endings and were great complete experiences. Most importantly...he said, that had he made a Day of the Tentacle sequel, we probably wouldn't have seen Grim Fandango. Had he made a sequel to Grim Fandango, there is a chance we wouldn't have seen Psychonauts.
But some games do need sequels....mainly because the storyline of the previous game was left with a cliffhanger and no resolution and set up for a sequel that still has yet to come. Like these...
Games Sequels that Actually Needed to Be Made, Cause Previous Installment Ended with a Cliffhanger / No Resolution:
Half-Life 3
Prince of Persia (2008 ) Sequel
Beyond Good & Evil 2
Half-Life: Opposing Force Sequel
Freedom Force 3
Dreamfall Chapters
Clive Barker's Undying 2
Freedom Fighters 2
Tribes Vengeance Sequel
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