In film, sequels are considered cash-ins and are more often than not, inferior to the original.Yet in the video game industry, sequels are the continuation of a franchise with improving graphics, updated gameplay and new content.
As such, many sequels and prequels of games have surpassed their originals.
Well... there are exceptions to the rule of course, Lara Croft: Angel of Darkness and Devil May Cry 2 come to mind but there are an abundance of examples that outshine the original.
Ask any Assassin’s Creed fan if they prefer 1 or 2 and more often than not they choose the latter? (Except my boyfriend, 'cause he's weird) Why? Because Ubisoft built upon an already amazing game and set out to surpass it, listening to community and fan feedback: improving the combat controls and enhancing the character development and overarching story.
Other games that have gone beyond their original include Half-Life 2, Silent Hill 2, Street Fighter 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Duke Nukem 3D, Command & Conquer: Red Alert and Alice: Madness Returns.
But these are just the beginning of an exhaustive list of game sequels that raised the bar.
Then there’s the concept of franchises or unrelated sequels such as the Elder Scrolls series or Final Fantasy – not all of them are directly linked to their original but built on the foundations of it, often using the same gaming engine. With the advent of DLC you can also expand and continue with the same set of characters that would not normally warrant a sequel such as Red Dead Redemption’s Undead Nightmare which was incredibly fun to play and meant players had the chance to play as John Marsden again.
Unrelated sequels can explore new regions of an already established universe thus making for more interesting games. The Elder Scrolls series is a prime example of this. It’s always evolved and built upon its strengths – Skyrim is as good as it can be right now and it’ll be hard for Bethesda to improve upon in years to come! But this is what fans were saying about Oblivion.
With technological advancement, ever-evolving graphics and the birth of a whole new generation of gamers to appeal to, in theory there seems to be little excuse for a bad sequel. Yet, as my generation grows older, nostalgia takes a hold of us and we tend to pine for retro titles/characters, we clutch to well-loved franchises and we buy the next game and the next and the... you get the idea.
Basically we don’t branch out, we complain at the slightest changes to characters or well established status quo, you only need to traverse a random online forum to see that combination of geek passion and geek rage.
As indulgent as it is to return to beloved characters, it can sometimes have a detrimental affect to the games industry as a whole. Look at Nintendo, I know many people who have ditched their Nintendo consoles for new ones because year after year, the same game franchises were being re-hashed. There’s only so many times you can play as Mario whether he’s 2D, 3D, Paper or otherwise.
On the other hand, most franchises have a long and fruitful past that can be built upon or referenced but they also have a loyal fan base to impress and keep happy. The less big changes made to a game, the less likely fans are to complain – but this isn’t justification for slapping a new number on a cover, adding a few new maps, weapons and locations and calling it a sequel. What a game then becomes is akin to glorified DLC or an incredibly expensive add-on to its original – it’s just not fair to the fans.Many Left 4 Dead fans boycotted Left 4 Dead 2 when it was released because they believed the second instalment wasn’t offering anything new. Sure there were new levels, 4 new characters and some extra special infected but many fans felt this wasn’t worth paying £40 for then they could happily continue playing the first game.
Personally, I love Left 4 Dead 2 and I find it sad that some people still haven’t played it; programmers gotta eat! I like both titles and I still play them - it’s important to make the distinction that a game doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad game in order to be a bad sequel.
Although, I can understand why some fans decided to ignore it. The crossover story that leads to both groups of characters meeting up was a fantastic bit of DLC and it did appease some of those disgruntled fans but ultimately, the second games graphics weren’t any better than the first, it utilised the same engine which is fine except the idea of a good sequel is that it should aim to surpass the original. Valve essentially created the same game twice.
Subsequently, another downside to sticking with what we know and love is that it becomes difficult for fledging titles or upstart developers to get their foot in the door. It also leads to developers placing limitations on themselves by trying to appease an already in place fan base...which is why the market is flooded with grisly space marines in cover-based combat and gritty realistic war dramas. Don’t you see? Artistic creativity is stagnating and you’re partly responsible – but so am I, so let’s move on.
So here’s the deal, looking over my collection of games, I would say 70% are franchises or sequels. As are, say, most of my anticipated game purchases this year. There’s Resident Evil 6, Assassin’s Creed 3, GTAV and Halo 4 to mention but a few. In fact, I rarely venture into new territory – I don’t play sports games, I refuse to play COD and I’ve rarely played anything “new” in at least 2 years save for pioneering titles like Rock Band and L.A. Noire – they’ve all been sequels or the next in the line of beloved franchises.
So I want you to all join me in stepping outside of our comfort zones this year; think of it like a late New Year’s resolution. Too often, gamers complain about lack of originality yet there’s a whole host of diverse creations waiting and if they get a little attention then the next Valve or Bungie may get the chance to bring us another new and exciting franchise.
This year I intend to try a genre I’ve never explored and invest in some arcade titles, download a few demos of games that I wouldn’t normally play... if I come into to some cash maybe I’ll test out a new console, it might surprise me. So I ask you all to join me in this revolution because I love the video game industry and I want to support it – not just the big titles, but the little guys too.
Viva la video games!
