Splatoon 3 launched this week and has been a hit with fans so far. This third installment cements Splatoon’s place among Nintendo’s other elite franchises, without missing a step so far. This got us thinking about all the other threequels that have brought a series of games together.
With two games to live up to, it’s no small feat to finish the third game, and one that can make or break the legacy of a trilogy (looking at your Mass Effect). So with that in mind, this week’s big question is: what’s the best threequel?
Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon
Rhiannon Bevan, news editor
The general consensus is that Spyro 2 is the purple dragon’s best outing, but you’re completely wrong. Packed with that classic Spyro charm we all love, the third game, Year of the Dragon, brings together the best of the first two games and adds a ridiculous amount of money to it. Yes, I know the controls in Sgt. Byrd’s levels are great, and Bentley is honestly pretty boring, but when you were a kid it was the best thing ever. FIVE characters to play as? Holy shit. And at the end of the game, you also get to smash up Money Bags and take back all the gems he swindled you during the trilogy. Beautiful things. Hunter also gets a girlfriend, and we think that’s great for him.
Grand Theft Auto 3
Lu-Hai Liang, news editor
Successfully transitioning from 2D to 3D is no easy task. No one could imagine GTA 3 until it arrived. But Rockstar designed an open 3D world that would become super influential. Not only that, GTA 3 has produced one of the most entertaining and funniest soundtracks ever (those radio stations are still hilarious). It created countless playthrough videos and Easter Egg moments before YouTube became a thing. Gaming would have been forever different had GTA 3 been a less winning design, but the third Grand Theft Auto is one of the medium’s most significant creations.
Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse
James Kennedy, specialist
When it comes to iterative design, I can’t think of a game that has done better in Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse. After the wildly ambitious but ultimately uneven Simon’s Quest, Dracula’s Curse wanted to return to the roots of the first title in the series and just everything better. The branching paths allow you to explore a number of alternate stages, making the game extremely replayable. And that element of replayability is only further enhanced by the recruitable character system, which lets you rescue one of three comrades – each locked up and loaded with their own entirely unique playstyle. Oh, and it’s just that there’s a incredible soundtrack. Dracula’s Curse is 8-bit chiptune nirvana! You simply can’t do better than Dracula’s Curse.
Ratchet & Clank: Upgrade your arsenal
James Troughton, news and photo editor
Going Commando was what shaped the future of Ratchet & Clank, and is therefore often hailed as the best in the series. It added shooting, introduced James Arnold Taylor as Ratchet, and turned Qwark from a secondary villain to the primary antagonist. I get it. It did a lot right and it did well, but Up Your Arsenal went even further. The Galactic Rangers we fight side by side on Veldin are hilarious and personable despite all sharing one voice, while the Mothership Hub adds some familiarity for us to routinely return to with a slew of previous characters returning to team up. Al and Skid McMarx on the same team is comedic genius. Qwark meanwhile thinks he’s a monkey – it’s awesome! And it has the best levels, arenas, platforming and side missions. The 2D Qwark levels? FANTASTIC. Chuck in Courtney Gears and Dr. Nefarious and you have a recipe for an all-timer platformer.
Dragon Quest 3
Adam Carr, specialist
The first two Dragon Quest titles are legendary achievements that not only innovated on the bloated Western RPGs of the time, but spawned their own subgenre. To this day, you can feel Dragon Quest’s tendrils working their magic. The point is, none of that comes close to Dragon Quest 3’s monumental achievement. Dragon Quest 3 has been heralded as one of the greatest JRPGS of all time, and for good reason. Mechanically, the JRPG has been perfected. Narrative, it blows every game before it comes out of the water. It undermines tropes that are so young that they could hardly be considered tropes at the time. It beautifully pulls its predecessors into an unexpected trilogy with a twist that’s so damn good, it’s already giving me shivers. With a 2DHD remake on the way, I’m more than excited to play this game for the 10th time – just with nicer graphics.
halo 3
Amanda Hurych, Evergreen Content Lead
If we’re talking about the best threequel of all time, it’s undoubtedly Halo 3. What can I say that hasn’t been said before about this masterpiece of gaming. The campaign (literally) doubled co-op, allowing up to four friends to play the epic finale of Master Chief’s adventure. The fixed moments during the game were unforgettable (like when those Scarabs, I repeat, two Scarabs, plopped down on the battlefield). And the multiplayer? Chef’s kiss. Halo 3 is one of the greatest video games of all time, so of course, by virtue of being the third game in its series, it’s also one of the greatest threequels.
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