Prequels, Sequels, Threequels and More Quiz

Answer: Borderlands

The rather appropriately-named "Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel" (2014) took place between the events of "Borderlands" and "Borderlands 2", with players exploring Elpis, the moon of the alien planet Pandora. Your standard "Borderlands" fare ensued: multiple characters and classes, irreverent humour (with a decidedly Australian twang) and more loot than you could shake a stick at.

Answer: Rayman

Michel Ancel's iconic limbless hero returned to his side-scrolling platform roots with "Rayman Origins" (2011). Sporting a gorgeous cartoony "drawn" art style, "Origins" was about as silky smooth as you can get with a platformer. With its looks, sounds, controls and gameplay, it represented a solid contender to Nintendo's usual "Super Mario" offerings.

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"Origins" also fits with "Dragon Age". The first in its series, "Dragon Age: Origins" (2009) felt very reminiscent of the "Baldur's Gate" games, some of developer Bioware's earliest. Fantasy, demons, magic and controllable party members came together in a critically-praised experience which lead on to further games in the series.

Answer: Resident Evil

The former 3DS-exclusive entry in the series, "Resident Evil: Revelations" (2012) was notable in two ways: it was the first non-Japan-only that made use of the 3DS' Circle Pad Pro peripheral (which added another circle pad to the 3DS), and it was an attempt for developers Capcom to return to the series' survival horror roots (in contrast to more recent entries which were more action shooter-focused). The game switches between its protagonists, Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, as they eventually meet up aboard an abandoned ship in the Mediterranean Sea.

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"Revelations" also fits with "Assassin's Creed". "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" (2011) was the last game in the Ezio Auditore trilogy, which kicked off with "Assassin's Creed II" (2009) and continued in "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" (2010). The setting moved away from Renaissance Italy to Turkey, with Ezio taking the fight against the Templars to Constantinople.

Answer: Star Fox

Possibly the "Nuts & Bolts" of the "Star Fox" franchise (and coincidentally developed by Rare as well), "Star Fox Adventures" (2002) started life as "Dinosaur Planet" for the Nintendo 64. Several years and redesigns later, the game, at the request of Shigeru Miyamoto himself, was shaped into a "Star Fox" game. Much more a platformer than a traditional scrolling shooter like previous entries in the series, "Star Fox Adventures" was adequately received by critics but many fans believe it to be atypical of the "Star Fox" series.

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"Adventures" also fits with "Rayman". "Rayman Adventures" very much capitalises on the success of "Rayman Legends" and brings a similar experience to mobile devices. Unlike previous 2D "Rayman" games for smartphones/tablets (like "Rayman Jungle Run"), "Adventures" gives more control over Rayman, instead of simply running in one direction and merely controlling his jump and attacks.

Answer: Banjo-Kazooie

"Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" (2008) is infamous in the gaming world for disappointing almost an entire generation of gamers who were hoping for a proper sequel to "Banjo-Tooie" (2000). Eschewing traditional platforming in favour of an entire game revolving around vehicle creation (a creative decision which, to this day, still haunts many of the game's development staff), "Nuts & Bolts" probably would have held out better if it was a new game in its own right and wasn't connected to "Banjo-Kazooie".

Fortunately, some ex-Rare alumni announced plans in 2015 to revive the dying genre and create a spiritual successor to the "Banjo" games. A hugely successful Kickstarter campaign ensued and "Yooka-Laylee" began to take shape.

Answer: Dragon Age

Those familiar with the "Dragon Age" series will be more than pleased with "Dragon Age: Inquisition" (2014), Bioware's third entry in the series. Players take the role of the Inquisitor who journeys across the land of Thedas to heal the Breach, a rift in the sky through which all sorts of demonic beings are being sent forth.

There's also a co-op multiplayer mode (a first for the series) in which players venture through a series of increasingly difficult levels defeating enemies left, right and centre.

Answer: Killzone

The PS Vita-exclusive "Killzone: Mercenary" (2013) was a remarkably good handheld entry in the series, with pretty much everything you'd expect in a regular, console "Killzone" game. Notably, "Mercenary" was the first game in the series not be developed by the main Guerrilla Games studio in the Netherlands; development shifted across to the newly-named Guerrilla Cambridge in England. Usually (but not always), when studios hand over the reins to others to make games in their series, they don't quite live up to the originals. Thankfully, "Mercenary" was highly praised, particularly given the dearth of quality first-person shooters also on the Vita.

Answer: Perfect Dark

What's this? A third Rare game in this quiz? Coincidence? Probably. "Perfect Dark Zero" (2005) was an Xbox 360 launch title and is a prequel to the much-loved Nintendo 64 classic "Perfect Dark". "Zero" was initially destined for the Gamecube but Microsoft's acquisition of Rare in 2002 meant development shifted across to the Xbox. With the Xbox 360 in the works, Rare decided that a lot of their ideas for the game would be better suited to the new console so development shifted again and ultimately it was released alongside the 360 in late 2005. "Perfect Dark Zero" centres on the semi-titular bounty hunter Joanna Dark who embarks on a mission to stop the dataDyne corporation from finding a device which can give superpowers to people.

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"Zero" also fits with "Resident Evil" and "Star Fox". "Resident Evil Zero" (2002) was the second game in the series on the Gamecube, the first being a remake of the original "Resident Evil" and released earlier in 2002. "Zero" marked a first for the series, as it allowed players to instantaneously switch between the game's two protagonists as well as controlling them simultaneously.

"Star Fox Zero" (2016) was the long-awaited next game in the well-loved series, following the previous home console release "Star Fox: Assault" (2005). Although many players noted distinct similarities to the seminal "Star Fox 64"/"Lylat Wars" (1997), "Zero" was nonetheless warmly (and gratefully) received, after such a long wait.

Answer: Burnout

Offering a portable way to enjoy this landmark racing series, "Burnout Legends" (2005) was released on the PSP and the Nintendo DS, at pretty much the same time that the main series entry "Burnout Revenge" hit the shelves. As its name hints at, "Legends" featured a sort of 'best of' of tracks featured previously in the series, and a variety of game modes in which to race around those tracks.

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"Legends" also fits with "Rayman". "Rayman Legends" (2013) was originally on track to be a Wii U-exclusive but the forthcoming release of the PS4 and Xbox One meant the release was delayed in order to release on those consoles too, a move which disappointed those who were hoping for a much-needed, non-Nintendo quality exclusive on the Wii U. Regardless, "Legends" stuck to the formula re-introduced by its predecessor, "Rayman Origins" (2011), boasting fast-paced, smooth platforming coupled with colourful visuals.

Answer: Assassin's Creed

Originally released for the PlayStation Vita in 2012 as a spin-off of the main series, "Assassin's Creed III: Liberation" (which later dropped the "III" and tacked on "HD" for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC re-release) featured a female assassin in the lead role for the first time. Set amongst New Orleans in the late eighteenth century, "Liberation" was continues in its predecessors' footsteps with a story that mixes the historical plight of the Assassins against the Templars with the modern-day machinations of the Abstergo corporation.

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"Liberation" also fits with "Killzone". "Killzone: Liberation" (2006) was the first portable game in the series, developed for the PlayStation Portable. While the main series is known as being a first-person shooter, "Liberation" opted for a top-down view instead. Players control Jan Templar across a variety of landscapes, switching between on-foot gunplay and vehicular combat (like tanks and turrets).