RF Generation.  The Classic and Modern Gaming Databases.RF Generation.  The Classic and Modern Gaming Databases.

Posted on Jul 14th 2015 at 12:00:00 PM by (slackur)
Posted under Sequels, Halo, Gears of War, Battlefront, Metal Gear Solid, Rock Band, Guitar Hero

[img width=600 height=442]http://cdn2.thatsnerdalicious.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/skittle_link_by_mattmcmanis-d34vqd8.jpg?a0509d[/img]
The Rainbow apparently tastes like Master Sword and waaaay too much Green Apple.  Bring back Lime.
Source: thatsnerdalicious.com, artist: mattmcmanis-d34vqd8

As Hobbes' young companion once noted, mothers are the necessity of invention.  And in the gaming industry (and by industry I of course mean business), innovation means something fresh for the gamer and risk for the publisher.  We gamers are known to clamor for something new, different, interesting, and creative.  Ours is a tech-driven hobby, so naturally we want the newest, shiniest, most feature-packed thingee that's plowing ahead, breaking new ground, and showing us something we've never quite seen before.  Right?

And it's all those suit-and-ties in board meetings that are stifling and ruining our business (and by business, I of course mean industry.)  Their money-grubbing, tight-fisted pea-brains keep them from seeing the vision of artists, and instead they play it safe with brown-colored shooter release #57.  So, we just keep getting rehashes and sequels, with the occasional off-chance (often from our here-to-save-the-industry/business from itself indie sector) of shaking things up and giving us a much needed breakthrough in a Minecraft or Angry Birds.

That's our reality, yes?



[img width=585 height=699]http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53b20345e4b02529e48af929/t/5564769be4b08d56a34ab8bc/1432647323865/?format=1000w[/img]
Source: themeatly.com, a great web-comic

This probably would be the perception of the industry if one only read forums or social media.  As with most things, reality isn't quite that clear cut, and thankfully, not nearly so dire.  True, ever since Wolfenstein 3D and its forefathers gave us a new pixel-perspective, publishers have polished and reiterated the FPS into an annual tradition.  Sports games are notorious for yearly updates on who's playing for where, and little else and video games in general often see little in the way of new genres or ideas for long stretches of time.

And yet, while I personally defend video games as one of if not the most interesting storytelling devices, an unparalleled tool for social engagement, and a media with near limitless potential, there is another use for them that is in no way less valuable.

Comfort.

I'm one who is unabashedly happy about a new Halo, Gears of War, and Rock Band.  Sequels genuinely excite me as much, if not more, than something new.  Looking at my reserves/games-I-am-excited-for list reads like mega-publisher's annual report.  Am I 'part of the problem' that keeps our industry stagnate?  Well, yes and no.  If enjoying our hobby is a problem, I'd suggest we have some pretty great problems!  And I'm all for new IPs; my reserve on Adr1ft shows I forgive Mr. Orth's snarky comments, a Persona dancing game on Vita is hardly derivative, and Super Mario Maker isn't exactly a sequel.


But... I Wanna Be The Guy!

The vast majority of what I'm planning to play into next year has a number after the title, and the reason for the former is often the latter.  I certainly don't consider myself a mindless drone that just picks up what's popular, and perhaps I'm easier to please than many a gamer, but I'm very much looking forward to so many sequels over the next year precisely because I enjoyed their predecessors so much.  In that way, they're "safe;" they are comfort food.

I love me some Skittles.  I can't (read: shouldn't) buy and gorge on a party-sized bag every weekend like I did when I was younger, but should I find myself buying candy, it's always in the top three.  Now I'll buy plenty of other sugary toxins, say some Gobstoppers or even Fruit Runts should they pop up for sale on a rare occasion.  And, important to the point, I'll try something new in a heartbeat, even if it doesn't look particularly appetizing to me (read: any candy from Mexico) even if I see my favorites alongside it.  But my go-to, my "I know I like and am comfortable with" candy is, and has been for years, Skittles. 

As consumers, we all have those comfortable favorites, it's just natural.  It is extremely important as individuals to be willing to break out of our routine, shake things up, and try something different, even if the results *may* end up less satisfactory compared to the familiar.  But picking our favorites most of the time is simply common sense, as we find what we like and tend to stick with it for the most part.  Nothing bad about that.  Most folks I chat with tend to agree...unless we're talking about video games. 

There is an elitist cabal of people in gaming, represented in creators, critics, and especially players, that seem to loathe and even outright resent sequels, roll real and virtual eyes at franchises, and bemoan how releasing more games in a series is wasting developer money, numbing gamers into complacency, and just bad, bad, bad all around.  We hear it about MaddenCall of Duty, and Halo, as we heard about it many hardware generations ago in Mario, Sonic, and, er.....Madden

Of course there is some truth to this.  Few argue that Guitar Hero started with a good thing and then became so oversaturated with titles that the new genre choked itself out for a few years.  The same can be said about Tony Hawk.  I for one would argue that there have been too many games in the Magus series.  There are consequences to having so many Final Fantasy games of varying quality; after playing enough like Type-0 HD, the name doesn't mean to me what it did when I saved up for a PlayStation to buy VII. 

And yet, personally I find that I tend to enjoy video game sequels often enough that I stick with a franchise and greatly look forward to new releases.  If I enjoy the mechanics and gameplay of a title, chances are I'll enjoy the next one.  Sometimes I don't have as much fun with a game as I did with it's predecessor, such as Gears of War: Judgment and Gears of War 3, or Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City.  (Although I am loving Arkham Knight, as somehow the coolness of the Batmobile is making up for my disinterest in open-world.). But most of the time, if I like the first game in a series, I get easily excited for the next.  Maybe I play such a variety of games (and rarely to 100% completion) that I just don't tire of them as easily, but I still get pumped at the idea of returning to a game world and continuing where I left off.

So, here's a partial list of the 'comfort food' sequels coming around that I'll be happy to dive into;

Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight
This series is in so many ways the modern return of Wizardry dungeon crawling, and I own and have enjoyed every game in the series thus far, even the spinoffs such as Persona Q and Mystery Dungeon. This one is a complete remake/reboot of the second one in the series, with a greatly expanded story and more mechanics.  I am excited.

Rare Replay
I put this on here because although it is not a sequel, it's a chance to go back and play so many of the games I enjoyed in my younger years, as well as the ability to play some older games never released in the U.S.  So I think it kinda counts.  Wonder if they'll finally fix that glitch in the NES Battletoads so it can be completed with two players.  Because, you know, I could never actually do that. Tongue

Mighty Number 9/Shovel Knight
Yes, yes, again, not technically sequels, but they are spiritual successors to Mega Man and similar platformers, so it counts in my mind.  C'mon, the Snake Man theme is playing in my head as I type this, so it counts!


Speaking of music and games...

Rock Band 4/Guitar Hero Live
Oh, how I'm thrilled to have more Rock Band, as we never stopped playing the first three, we just slowed down and toured less.  As for Guitar Hero Live, I'm amused that the ol' Sega CD Make My Video got a proper sequel.....seriously.  The new Guitar Hero  just plays looped FMV of a "concert" in the background that changes video tracks as you do well or mess up, and you can't "lose."  Never thought that FMV gaming would return with such a neat peripheral.  I'm not really being sarcastic here.  I also reserved it.

Halo 5: Guardians 
Not as excited about this due to the inability to LAN play, which is why the franchise has been such a big deal at our place.  Still, my beloved and I are heavily invested in the lore (books, comics, movies, etc.) and I've enjoyed the campaigns in each game enough to play through several times.  Plus, the larger-scale multiplayer online does look exciting.  I think it'll be a lot of fun.

Star Wars: Battlefront
Big fan of the first two, I enjoy Battlefield games in general, and the gameplay footage pushed me over to greatly anticipating this.

Plants Versus Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
The first Garden Warfare shouldn't have worked, but it not only worked, it completely charmed me with excellent controls, balance, humor, and outright fun.  The only non-LAN multiplayer game I bought several copies of just to co-op, and it was worth it, especially after the steady flow of free content with new characters, maps, and game modes.  Still a lot of fun, and the new one looks even better.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain 
Kojima-san's (and possibly Konami's) swan song, I want to get it not just because I've enjoyed the crazy, convoluted series thus far, but also because it looks like a great, fun game even apart from its high pedigree.  Also, if it sells well, perhaps the other Konami franchises will have enough value to sell to a publisher willing to make great games again.  :/

There's also Disgaea 5, a third Zero Escape, Uncharted 4, and two more Gears of War games coming out, and many more with a number after the title. 

Will some of these disappoint?  Probably at least a few, but I personally find that average to be about the same as any completely new title.  Overall, I have to say my next year or two of gaming looks to be exciting, but also comforting, in that I have some idea of what I'm getting, because I've enjoyed it before.  Just about any of these games look like they will be fun for me, in part because I know what to expect, combined with a few tweaks to make it a little new or fresh.

I plan on picking up a few bags of Skittles, some friends who enjoy the same, and having a great time.  What sequels on the horizon are you looking forward to?

Smiley 


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Comments
 
That's quite a list you have, and I'm right there with you. I may not have the time anymore but I'll try any game I can get my hands on.

I'm really looking forward to Fallout 4, Shovel Knight, Rare Replay, and Star Wars Battlefront.


 
Good list and article!  I never thought of my favorite franchises in terms of comfort food before.

I personally can't wait for (and already pre-ordered despite the campaign not to pre-order):
Battlefront
DOOM
Fallout 4

I am a sucker for anything Star Wars, DOOM will always get my money (even 3 did eventually), and the first Fallout games opened me up to RPG games (I refused to play them prior to Fallout) and became my favorite RPG not surprisingly.
 
Admittedly, I haven't had a chance to read anything past the break yet, but damn slackur - I want Skittles now. Every time I load up the front page, it taunts me.
 
Good article, slackur!  Sequels get a bad rap, but as you state, so many great games, even if they're not the pinnacle of a series, are the sequels.  Sure, New Super Mario Bros. U might just be the 4th in a series of NSMB games that started with a DS title, but it was loads of fun, and I spent a lot of time with it.  When I bought the God of War collection, I played through every single game in succession, over the course of about 2 or 3 months.  Sure, some series begin to get stale or fall off the wagon after the 3rd or 4th game, but being able to go to something you know and are familiar with is absolutely comforting.  I can always pop in "game x" for a quick play, but if I've already memorized all the levels and know all the tricks, I can get "game y" and "game z" which have the same engine, characters, and basic world, but new locations to explore, new weapons, enemies, dialogue, etc. for me to discover.  I can go in not having to do the tutorial or learn a whole new control scheme, but get right into the action and enjoy myself in the immersive experience.  There's definitely something to be said for a familiar experience.
 
I understand completely. Darks Souls III, Fallout 4, Mighty No. 9, Rare Replay, Shovel Knight, Mega Man Legacy Collection, Bravely Second... the list goes on. I'm not against new IP, but with so many great sequels/retreads coming out I'm a happy camper.
 
Shadow is right, i can already see me grab beneath the counter, the next time i hit the supermarket. Damn Smiley
 
Seeing that Battlefront trailer at E3 makes me want to go out and buy a PS4.....I won't of course, but even making me consider throwing down that kind of money on a modern console is a big feat.  I've always loved the concept of Battlefront in that it includes the battles from the movies and that you control (typically a standard infantry person) and can completely change the tide of the battle. Two player co-op is fun too when you work together.

Glad to see that Shovel Knight is getting a physical and like many, I will be excited when that sequel is announced. A no-brainer for the the developers right?

Great article slackur and I'd like to add that there is even a kind of "comfort food" feeling when it comes to collecting. I think that very early on, when I didn't know a lot about games, I would grab certain titles I didn't have like Marios, Sonics, etc., just because I knew that they should be good (not that all were, but you know what I mean). I know sometimes we are plagued by this as buyers, especially at flea markets, "Well, that one's a Mario game, so it will be $50....," but often these games provide us with a kind of security in knowing that we are spending money on something that should make us happy.
 
Great article!  I myself partake in quite a bit of comfort food.  Many of the Indie games I have are games that are styled like other, more familiar (and older) games.  Looking at Castle in the Darkness, The Waste Land, Xeodrifter, and MURI, one sees 8-bit, pixely graphics (and with MURI, CGA graphics) and some familiar looking gameplay elements.  They even feel like older games.  Now that I think about it many of the Indie games I buy have are comfort food feel to it.
 
Well it doesn't really need to be said what sequel I'm looking forward to...

...but I'll say it anyway: SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS! And each of the Nintendo console starter packs include an Amiibo figure! I won't even be able to buy any actual comfort food 'cuz my discretionary income will be made nil from collecting all the figures! It just might be the greatest weight-loss program ever!

*AHEM*

Other than that, the only sequelly-rebooty game I'm really interested in is Stafox Zero for Wii U. It might be the only non-Skylanders title I'll buy at launch this year...
 
@Zagnorch: Sorry, that's StaRfox Zero, with an "r."

What I wouldn't give to be able to edit my blog comment posts...
 
MORE THAN 17000 VIEWS!!!UPLOADED 2 DAYS AGO AND IT WILL REVEAL STH THAT NOBODY DIDNOT NOTICE IN E3 2015!!!FOR MORE VISIT borjian.tk

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