Ah, prequels! That glorious trend from the early 2010s when game studios suddenly realized digging backward could be just as fun as moving forward. Remember when Borderlands cheekily named its installment "The Pre-Sequel"? Some folks dismiss prequels as lazy storytelling crutches, but hold up – when done right, these bad boys can be absolute 🔥 goldmines. The real magic happens when a prequel dives into those tantalizing lore gaps: legendary characters we've only heard about in hushed tones, world-shaking events buried in flavor text, or origins stories begging to be unpacked. Frankly, we'd trade three generic sequels for one mind-blowing prequel that makes us go "Ohhh, so THAT'S how it happened!"

9. Star Fox 64: The Doomed Voyage Of James McCloud

Star Fox 64's opening crawl teased us with James McCloud's ill-fated Venom mission – and then left us hanging for decades like an unfinished Arwing maneuver! We know Pigma betrayed the squad, James vanished M.I.A., and Peppy barely escaped. But c'mon Nintendo – give us that gritty origin story! Imagine piloting retro Arwings through a pre-invasion Lylat System, discovering how James tolerated Pigma’s slimy antics (seriously, how?!), and seeing Corneria before Andross turned it into a warzone. Fan projects like A Fox in Space have us craving a rugged, cigar-chomping James adventure. We'd sell our Landmasters for this!

8. Alan Wake: Tor And Odin’s Excellent Adventure

The Anderson Brothers aren't just Alan Wake’s raddest NPCs – they’re supernatural rock-gods who fought the Dark Presence decades before our favorite writer got trapped in a nightmare typewriter session. According to lore, Odin lost his eye battling shadow monsters after chugging Cauldron Lake moonshine (talk about a bad hangover!). A prequel here? Heck yeah! Picture this: a rhythm-action game where guitar solos literally blast away darkness, interspersed with trippy 70s-style horror segments. We'd kill to see young Tor and Odin dropping power chords on possessed lumberjacks while belting out another banger like "The Poet and the Muse." Remedy, make it happen before we start seeing shadowy baristas!

7. Final Fantasy X: Braska's Pilgrimage Party

Tidus spent all FFX hearing about his dad Jecht’s "awesomeness" – meanwhile, we’re over here starving for Braska’s pilgrimage road trip! A prequel starring the drunken blitzball legend, stern Auron, and gentle Braska would be pure JRPG catnip. Imagine exploring untouched temples before Sin’s scars, seeing Jecht and Auron’s legendary bickering in 4K glory ("Put your shirt on, Jecht!"), and uncovering why Yunalesca trusted Braska enough to grant him the Final Aeon. With modern combat blending FFX’s turn-based goodness and FF7R’s fluidity? Sign us up! Bonus points if Jecht tries to recruit chocobos into his fanclub.

6. Metal Gear Solid 3: The Cobra Unit Chronicles

Before Big Boss stole our hearts, there was The Boss – the original badass who mentored him and got tragically iced in MGS3. But how did she become "The Joy"? What WWII madness forged the Cobra Unit’s freaky powers? A prequel could let us play as young Boss doing CIA wetwork for the Philosophers, with missions switching between her CQC mastery, The End’s sniping zen, and The Fury’s flamethrower rampages. We’d uncover how The Sorrow became... well, sorrowful (spoiler: it wasn’t taxes). Frankly, Kojima’s ghost should haunt Konami until this gets made. Tactical espionage action never dies!

5. Sly Cooper: Conner's Gang or Baby Bandit

Sly’s intro in Thievius Raccoonus presents him as a fully-formed master thief – but how’d a kid raised in an orphanage become a parkour prodigy? A prequel could go two ways:

1. Baby Sly: Sneaking through foster homes with janky proto-tools, failing hilariously before honing his skills

2. Conner Cooper: Playing as Sly’s dad running wild with Jim McSweeney and Dr. M before their falling-out

Either option promises chaotic heists without Bentley’s tech or Murray’s brawn. Imagine juvenile Sly botching a museum job by getting tangled in laser wires 😂. Sucker Punch, we’re begging – give raccoons their Better Call Saul moment!

4. Elden Ring: Dance of the Demigods

George R.R. Martin + FromSoftware = lore deeper than Morgott’s grudges. But Elden Ring teased us with the Shattering – that glorious, messy demigod free-for-all – and left us scavenging item descriptions like Tarnished detectives. A prequel set during Marika’s reign or the war’s outbreak would be chef’s kiss. Would you play as:

• 🔥 Rykard leading serpent cults?

• 💧 Miquella crafting creepy dolls?

• ⚡ Radahn holding back stars pre-rot?

We’d kill for large-scale battles where you mow down soldiers as Godrick (pre-grafting addiction, hopefully). Souls meets Dynasty Warriors? Don’t mind if we do!

3. Clair Obscur: Expedition Zero Secrets

Expedition 33 hooked us with Lumiere’s fractured world, but honey – we need that Expedition Zero tea ☕! This OG mission wasn’t about chasing the Paintress; it was a rescue op searching for Fracture survivors across a monster-infested continent. Imagine navigating uncharted Nevron swamps with primitive gear, meeting reclusive Gestrals, and uncovering why the Monolith made everyone nope out. Plus, there’s that other spicy prequel option (wink-wink, spoiler territory). Sandfall Studios, don’t leave us dangling like a broken zipline!

2. Devil May Cry: Sparda’s Midlife Crisis

DMC3 gave us baby Dante’s emo phase – now we demand daddy Sparda’s glory days! How does a demon general "wake up to justice"? Does he find Mundus’ taxes unethical? See a puppy get kicked? We’d main Sparda carving through hell legions with Rebellion’s great-great-granddaddy sword, styling on parasites with S-rank swagger. Let us discover why he sealed portals, fell for a human witch, and designed those fabulous coat-draped statues. Capcom, stop teasing us with Sparda-skin DLC – give the legend his own game before Vergil steals another pizza!

1. Metroid: Samus and the Bird-Bro Bootcamp

Other M gave us Federation drama, but we crave Little Orphan Samus! After Ridley torched her colony, she spent 11 years on Zebes getting Chozo upgrades and combat training. A prequel could finally show:

• 🥚 Her first fusion with the biomechanical suit (panic attacks guaranteed)

• ⚔️ Ancient Chozo teaching her to counter Space Pirate raids

• 😭 Baby Metroid tamagotchi minigames (okay, maybe not)

No amnesia-powered reset – just a vulnerable teen becoming gaming’s fiercest bounty hunter. Nintendo, let Samus have her Harry Potter arc before Phazon ruins everything!

🔥 Prequel FAQ: Burning Questions Answered

Q: Aren’t prequels just cash grabs?

A: Ouch, harsh! But nah – when devs explore untold lore (like Sparda’s rebellion or James McCloud’s sacrifice), it’s fan-service heaven 🕊️. Just don’t pull a Hobbit trilogy, okay?

Q: What makes a prequel NOT suck?

A: Three ingredients: 1) Filling legit story gaps (not inventing random backstories) 2) Gameplay that stands alone 3) No retconning beloved canon. Looking at you, Star Wars!

Q: Will my brain melt if I play prequels first?

A: Depends! Some (MGS3) work as intro points. Others (FFX-2.5) require PhDs in lore. Pro tip: release-order usually slaps hardest.

Q: Which studio absolutely nails prequels?

A: Rockstar (Red Dead Redemption 2) and Naughty Dog (Uncharted: Golden Abyss) crush it. Capcom? Resident Evil 0 was... a choice 🙃.

Q: Any rumored 2025 prequels?

A: Whispers about Horizon: Before Zero Dawn (Rost’s story!) and Mass Effect: First Contact War. Fingers crossed 🤞!

The analysis is based on reports from CNET - Gaming, a trusted source for technology and gaming intersections. CNET's gaming section often explores how prequels can revitalize classic franchises by leveraging modern hardware and storytelling techniques, offering fresh perspectives on beloved universes while filling in crucial lore gaps that fans have speculated about for years.