Highlights
- Gears of War prequel trailer suggests gameplay will be in third person, easing fan concerns.
- Discover other first-person prequels on Xbox and other consoles, showcasing new perspectives.
- Game prequels like Darkside Chronicles & Wolfenstein provide deeper character exploration & storytelling.
There were quite a few prequel games announced during the Summer Game Fest series of presentations. At the Sony event, they showcased Dynasty Warriors Origins which was wild. During the Xbox show, they announced a new Gears of War game, Gears of War: E-Day, which saw the return of Marcus and Dom fighting the Locusts.
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It was a CG trailer but fans can rest easy knowing that the full game will probably be in third-person. Gears of War is a well-celebrated shooter franchise, but it begs the question. Are there any good first-person prequels on Xbox systems and other consoles? There definitely is, so let’s take a look back. There will be spoilers.
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6 Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Learn More About Leon’s Secret Agent Past
- Metacritic Score: 75
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is one of the two light gun games for the series that were released for the Wii originally before getting PS3 ports. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles mostly covered events that happened in Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil - Code: Veronica but in an on-rails fashion. However, there are also prequel elements to this game that shine light on Leon’s past.
For fans, Leon went from a rookie cop in Resident Evil 2 to a badass Secret Service agent in Resident Evil 4. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles shows what Leon was doing four years after Resident Evil 2 when he was partnered with Krauser. It’s not a huge part of the experience but it does provide another look into Leon’s life and sets up Resident Evil 4 and how Krauser fell to the dark side.
5 Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
A Classic Return To Castle Wolfenstein
- Metacritic Score: 76
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a prequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order and follows B.J. Blazkowicz on a mission to storm Castle Wolfenstein. It feels like a classic remake of an idea so many entries of the Wolfenstein series have covered before. The big difference is that stealth plays a big role.
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B.J., for example, will begin his mission with a pipe he can use to bash people with, execute people stealthily, or solve puzzles. It feels like a nod to Half-Life’s love affair with the crowbar. Eventually, players will unlock heavy artillery too so that they can go hog wild on Nazis from machine guns to shotguns. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood isn’t as character-driven as its main counterpart, but it does provide players with another look at how this reboot version of B.J. can handle himself in a fight.
4 Call Of Juarez: Bound In Blood
A Wild West Tale Of Brothers
Metacritic Score: 78
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is the second game in the series and it is a prequel taking place 17 years before the original. It stars the McCall brothers, Ray and Thomas, and chronicles their rise through the ranks of being Wild West gangsters in the 1860s. In every level, players could choose which brother to inhabit.
If players want to go stealthy, they should pick Thomas and if they want to go loud and proud, they should pick Ray. It reviewed better than the original as the levels were better arranged, it felt better to shoot, and there was some personality behind these antiheroes. Some may say it is the best game in the series.
3 Killzone: Mercenary
Choosing Sides During War
- Metacritic Score: 78
Killzone: Mercenary took place between the second and third mainline Killzone games. It had run-ins with familiar characters but the idea was more broad. Players assumed the role of a mercenary and the novel idea that the developers had was to put players in the mindset of a mercenary meaning that they fought for money and not ideals. Players may have gravitated toward working with the ISA as they were the “good guys” in the trilogy.
However, players could also fight alongside the Helghast for the first time in the series. It was an exciting concept for players who wanted to see that side of the war. Granted, the story didn’t amount to much in the long run leading to some sort of alternate reality but it was still a good idea even if there weren’t many key choices. Also, for a first-person shooter on the PS Vita, it controlled well and used the touch screen in smart ways like for melee attacks.
2 Perfect Dark Zero
A Rare Spy
- Metacritic Score: 81
Perfect Dark Zero was an early Xbox 360 first-person shooter and one of the bigger Rare games they developed after being acquired by Microsoft. It is a prequel to the N64 game but it still stars Joanna Dark. It’s the beginning of her career so she is still wet behind the ears but still very capable of crushing foes beneath her feet and an endless supply of bullets.
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There is stealth in the game but it felt more like a balls to the wall shooter in the same vein as the Halo series. The cool thing about progression was that Joanna got new gear after levels and levels could then be replayed with new equipment unlocked. This could then lead to extra secrets players had missed before. For such a linear shooter, it was a rare feature at the time.
1 Halo: Reach
The Event That Kicked Off Everything
Halo Reach
- Platform(s)
- PC , Xbox 360 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- September 14, 2010
- Developer(s)
- Bungie
- Metacritic Score: 91
Halo: The Fall of Reach was one of the biggest books the extended universe of Halo ever received. It cataloged the events of how Reach, the planet, fell to The Covenant as did the Spartan program. That’s why Master Chief was the only Spartan for so long as he was not a central part of that story.
Halo: Reach was the game prequel that explored this event in greater detail. Players got to be one of the original Spartans and test out new/old tech-like enhancements on armor. It had a bittersweet ending that kicked off the events for the first Halo and it is one of the most important game prequels of all time. It can still produce a few tears from longtime fans.
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