I'll give an expleation as to why I choosed these games.

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (The 360 version had better graphics and was harder than the ps2 version. It contained better AI and the missions when you are on a helicotper with a machine gun reminded me of GTA VC)

Gears of War (The graphics where stunning and there was a very nice atmosphere in the game. Plus I loved the song in the commercial.)

Trauma Center: Second opinion (While the cutscenes really made it feel like a handheld game, the use of the wiimote and the addictive gameplay put it on my list.)

LOZ:TP (I dont like this game. But its LOZ on a console so it is good I guess.)

Bully (Fun gameplay and all the controversy makes it even better.)

COD 3 ( Great graphics and nice gameplay. I am a fan of COD and FPSs so this is on my list.)

Elder Scrolls : Oblivion ( Lets get it out of the way that I hat RPGs , but people seem to like this game.)

Tomb Raider: Legend ( This was the best TR game I've seen in a while. Great puzzles and graphics, but too short.)

Guitar Hero 2 (Sabbath, Nirvana and Rush, oh my!)

Castlevania: Portrait of ruin (Castlevania rocks)

Agreed %100 (you didn't see THAT coming did ya??). The original games always get the benefit of a first-impression. With sequels, you don't have the "first impression" advantage and everything will feel old. Plus, if you try to bring in too many new things for it to have a "first impression" advantage as well, the sequel will be way too different for them to be considered on the same series.

So yea, sadly, sequels can't really ever surpass their originals.