Word Sequel

A naming convention for sequels in which the sequels follow the pattern of Name, Name II, Name III, Name: Word. The first two sequels have explicit numbers in their names, regardless of what subtitles they may have, thus establishing a pattern that all sequels will be Numbered Sequels. 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 Colon Cancer. 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 Names to Run Away From Really Fast). 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.

The fourth work is often bad enough to kill off the entire franchise. As a consequence, this usually involves Sequelitis. Related to Oddly-Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo. See also Recycled Title.

Examples of Word Sequel include:

Film

• Jaws, Jaws II, Jaws 3-D, Jaws: The Revenge
• Alien, Aliens, Alien³, Alien: Resurrection
• The Terminator, Terminator 2, Terminator 3, Terminator Salvation
• Highlander, Highlander II the Quickening, Highlander III the Sorcerer, Highlander Endgame
• Return of the Living Dead, Return of the Living Dead II, Return of the Living Dead 3, Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis
• Final Destination, Final Destination 2, Final Destination 3, The Final Destination
  • Strangely, they went BACK to numbers for Final Destination 5
• Bionicle: Mask of Light, BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui, BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows, BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn
• Star Trek went all the way to Star Trek VI the Undiscovered Country before Star Trek Generations.
• Rocky kept numbered sequels until Rocky Balboa, the sixth movie.
• Mission Impossible, Mission: Impossible II, Mission: Impossible III, Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol.
• Friday the 13th, Friday The 13th Part II, Friday The 13th Part III, Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter
  • The next four sequels sported numbers again, up to Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan... and then came Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday.

Video Games

• Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World
• Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic and Knuckles
• Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3. Then, numbers and subtitles: Silent Hill 4: The Room, Silent Hill: Ørigins. All subsequent games have only subtitles.
• Quake, Quake II, Quake III Arena, Quake IV, Enemy Territory Quake Wars
• Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid
• Breath of Fire I, Breath of Fire II, Breath of Fire III, Breath of Fire IV, Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter
  • Only in the U.S., where Dragon Quarter was marketed as a Gaiden Game. In Japan, the fifth game is indeed Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter.
• Guitar Hero, 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.
• Age of Wonders, 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.
• Subverted with the Grand Theft Auto 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.