Line #26 Main/WordSequel


1	A naming convention for sequels in which the sequels follow the pattern of ''Name'', ''Name II'', ''Name [[ThirdIs3D 3D]]'', ''Name: Word''. The first two sequels have explicit numbers in their names, regardless of what [[OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo subtitles they may have]], thus establishing a pattern that all sequels will be NumberedSequels or sometimes LetteredSequel. The third sequel, however, has no number but only a word or phrase to identify it as different from the first, usually linking the two by ColonCancer. This naming change may be part of an attempt to rejuvenate a dying franchise, but often is a reliable indicator of quality (sort of a franchise equivalent of NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast). It should be noted that while this explicitly refers to four-work series, it should not preclude examples where the word sequel first happens in the fifth or later work. On the other hand, it should not include remakes of the original work.
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3	The fourth work is often bad enough to kill off the entire franchise. As a consequence, this usually involves {{Sequelitis}}. Related to OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo and StoppedNumberingSequels. See also RecycledTitle.
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5	In Asia, this may also be done because FourIsDeath--as a result, it tends to be more indicative of superstition than quality.
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7	----
8	!!Examples:
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10	[[foldercontrol]]
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12	[[folder:Films]]
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14	* ''Film/{{Jaws}}'', ''Film/{{Jaws 2}}'', ''Film/Jaws3D'', ''Film/JawsTheRevenge''
15	* ''Film/{{Alien}}'', ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', ''Film/{{Alien 3}}'', ''Film/AlienResurrection''
16	* ''Film/TheTerminator'', ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'', ''Film/TerminatorSalvation''
17	* ''Film/{{Highlander}}'', ''Film/HighlanderIITheQuickening'', ''Film/HighlanderIIITheSorcerer'', ''Film/HighlanderEndgame''
18	* ''Film/TheRedwoodMassacre'', ''Film/RedwoodMassacreAnnihilation''
19	* ''Film/TheReturnOfTheLivingDead'', ''Film/ReturnOfTheLivingDeadPartII'', ''Film/ReturnOfTheLivingDead3'', ''Film/ReturnOfTheLivingDeadNecropolis'', ''Film/ReturnOfTheLivingDeadRaveToTheGrave''.
20	* ''Film/FinalDestination1'', ''Film/FinalDestination2'', ''Film/FinalDestination3'', ''Film/TheFinalDestination''. They went back to numbers for ''Film/FinalDestination5'' after a failed attempt to use Letters2Numbers with ''5nal Destination''.
21	* ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}: Mask of Light'', ''BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui'', ''BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows'', ''BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn''
22	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' went all the way to ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'' before ''Film/StarTrekGenerations''.
23	* ''Franchise/{{Rocky}}'' kept numbered sequels until ''Film/RockyBalboa'', the sixth movie.
24	* ''Film/MissionImpossible'', ''Film/MissionImpossibleII'', ''Film/MissionImpossibleIII'', ''Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol''.
25	* ''Film/FridayThe13th1980'', ''Film/FridayThe13thPart2'', ''Film/FridayThe13thPartIII'', ''Film/FridayThe13thTheFinalChapter''. The next four sequels sported numbers again, up to ''Film/FridayThe13thPartVIIIJasonTakesManhattan''... and then came ''Film/JasonGoesToHellTheFinalFriday''.
26	* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'', ''Film/SupermanII'', ''Film/SupermanIII'', ''[[Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace Superman IV: The Quest For Peace]]'' and lastly, ''Film/SupermanReturns''
27	* ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'', ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'', ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'' and ''WesternAnimation/ShrekForeverAfter''.
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31	[[folder:Video Games]]
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33	* ''[[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 Super Mario Bros.]]'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''. An odd situation, as the Japanese release of ''World'' has the full name of ''Super Mario Bros. 4: Super Mario World''. Meanwhile, the English release of ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' gives it the subtitle ''Super Mario World 2'', while the full name is just ''Super Mario: Yoshi's Island'' in Japan.
34	* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'', ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'', ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'', ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic and Knuckles]]''. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], as ''Sonic and Knuckles'' was meant to combine with ''Sonic 3'' for one whole gaming experience.
35	* ''VideoGame/SilentHill1'', ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'', ''VideoGame/SilentHill3''. Then, numbers and subtitles: ''[[VideoGame/SilentHill4 Silent Hill 4: The Room]]'', ''[[VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins Silent Hill: Ørigins]]''. All subsequent games have only subtitles.
36	* ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', ''VideoGame/QuakeII'', ''VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena'', ''VideoGame/QuakeIV'', ''VideoGame/EnemyTerritoryQuakeWars''
37	* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'', ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''
38	* ''VideoGame/{{Breath of Fire\|I}}'', ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireII'', ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIII'', ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'', ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireDragonQuarter''. Only in the U.S., where ''Dragon Quarter'' was marketed as a GaidenGame. In Japan, the fifth game is indeed ''Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter''.
39	* ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'', ''Guitar Hero 2'', ''Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock'', ''Guitar Hero: World Tour''. Amusingly, it was followed by a return to numbered sequels with ''Guitar Hero 5'', and back to words with ''Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock''.
40	* ''VideoGame/AgeOfWonders'', ''Age of Wonders II'', ''Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic''. In this case, Shadow Magic is a corrected and expanded version of II they were too decent to present as a fully new generation.
41	* Subverted with the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise: After ''Grand Theft Auto III'' came ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'', which everyone assumed was the official Part IV, and ''Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', assumed to be Part V. Turns out the last two were sub-stories of III, as the REAL ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' would be released a few years later.
42	* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'', ''Call of Duty 2'', ''Call of Duty 3'', ''Call of Duty 4: VideoGame/ModernWarfare'', ''Call of Duty: World at War'', ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'', ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts'', etc.
43	* The ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' series started with numbers (''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot1996 Crash Bandicoot]]'', ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back]]'', ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped]]'') but after ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacing'', they replaced numbers with subtitles and never looked back (although this is only true outside of Japan, where ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicootTheWrathOfCortex Wrath of Cortex]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/CrashTwinsanity Twinsanity]]'' were numbered “4” and “5” respectively). Numbers would return with ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'' (even in Japan, despite the aforementioned ''Wrath of Cortex''), due to the series [[CanonDiscontinuity ignoring the games]] after ''Warped''.
44	* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1'', ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest'', ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble'', ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'', and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze''.
45	* ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', and ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda''. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], as it is meant to separate ''Andromeda'' from the original trilogy.
46	* ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'', ''Civilization II'', ''Civilization: Call to Power'', ''Civilization III'', ''Civilization IV'', ''Civilization Revolution'', ''Civilization V'', ''Civilization: Beyond Earth'', ''Civilization VI'', and this doesn't include official spin-offs not wearing the name such as ''Sid Meier's Colonization'', ''Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri'', and ''Sid Meier's Starships'', or entries that lost their license such as ''Call to Power II''.
47	* The ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' series has flip flopped between numbers, subtitles, and a combination of the two. They are as follows: ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'', ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'', ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'', ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'', and ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag''. After this, however, the numeric sequels were dropped and all sequels have been subtitled.
48	* The ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' series went on an interesting trajectory, with ''VideoGame/ThiefTheDarkProject'', then ''VideoGame/ThiefIITheMetalAge'', and finally a numberless title again, ''VideoGame/ThiefDeadlyShadows''.
49	* ''VideoGame/BioShock'', ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', and ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite''. The series concludes with ''[[BioShockInfinite/BurialAtSea BioShock Infinite: Burial At Sea]]'', a [=DLC=] for the final game that borders on ColonCancer.
50	* ''Franchise/DragonBall'' games:
51	** The ''VideoGame/DragonBallZBudokai'' series has ''Dragon Ball Z Budokai'', ''Dragon Ball Z Budokai 2'', ''Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3'' and ''Dragon Ball Z Infinite World''.
52	** The ''VideoGame/DragonBallZBudokaiTenkaichi'' series has ''Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi'', ''Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2'', ''Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3'' and ''Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi Tag Team''. This is averted for the Japanese titles, as the ''Sparking!'' series always had words to indicate it being a sequel. The subtitle for the fourth mainline console game, ''Sparking! ZERO'' is incidentally a number, with this subtitle being used worldwide instead of using ''Budokai Tenkaichi'' for the Western release. The choice to use ''Sparking! ZERO'' as the subtitle, [[https://www.ign.com/articles/dragon-ball-sparking-zero-producer-says-game-will-have-budokai-tenkaichis-spirit-nostalgia according to the game's producer Jun Furutani]], was less to indicate it being a prequel, but being a JumpingOnPoint for newcomers.
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Context Main / WordSequel