It's November, and that can only mean one thing: threequels.

This month is stuffed with the third installments of everybody's favorite videogame series. We've already seen Battlefield 3, Gears of War 3 and Uncharted 3. On the way are Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Saints Row The Third. Somewhere over the horizon lie Diablo III and Mass Effect 3.

That's a lot of threes. Which might not be a bad thing. Sometimes it takes three games before a series really hits its peak, learning from past mistakes and mastering the formula that its predecessors invented.

To honor the times, Game|Life's writers have assembled a list of 10 game threequels that stand among the best of the best — not just within their own series, but throughout gaming history. Did we miss any? Let us know what you think.

Above:

Konami, PlayStation 2, 2004

While nobody can deny the quality and impact of the first two games in Hideo Kojima's influential Metal Gear Solid series, everything really clicks for entry number three. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater places you in the jungles of a Cold War-ravaged Soviet Union, where nuclear war seems like a terrifying inevitability and even the double-crossers get double-crossed. As Naked Snake (who will later come to be known as Big Boss, antagonist of Metal Gear), you have to traipse through wild rivers and military bases, eating fish and rodents to keep yourself energized as you attempt to stave off a nuclear catastrophe. Blending the series' traditional stealth gameplay with some new mechanics, like an intricate close-quarters melee system, Metal Gear Solid 3 is the most interesting entry in what's been a very interesting series. —Jason Schreier