Sequelitis: Fact or Fiction?
Written by: Kaminin
With 2014 comes the release of many awaited next-gen sequels, but when is it time for a company to move on? When a franchise already has an existing fan base, companies can guarantee that a large enough proportion of fans will buy their game regardless, and hence their income is settled. Sometimes, however, there are detrimental effects of making a terrible sequel. Sometimes companies just get too greedy. While they may have their fixed income, is it enough to justify crushing the dreams of so many gamers? Does it really take someone of John Cleese’s mentality to produce a stunning sequel, or is simply building on the first release good enough? This article is intended to judge if Sequelitis is indeed a real problem (fact) or just an excuse created by the public to justify a bad release (fiction).
Infinity Ward has been releasing games at a tremendous rate. With the massive popularity boost at the release of Call of Duty 4, it could be argued that they’ve been riding on the coat tails of their success for the past 7 years. CoD4 revolutionised the gaming industry, making it almost compulsory for any shooter to have an online mode. CoD4 became more than just a game; it was a social phenomenon. However, I found that the more recent additions to the series simply don’t have the same feel as the first one – they aren’t as much fun. True, the graphics and gameplay have improved, there is more customisability, the maps are bigger, and there is more variation from game to game; however, I believe with almost annual releases, there simply hasn’t been enough time invested to for them to have really taken a step forward and made a true sequel to the game as opposed to a new skin on an old game.
Verdict: Fact
On the other hand, Arena Net conversely took 7 years to plan and prefect Guild Wars 2 before its release in 2012 and they made it count. Guild Wars was good; Guild Wars 2 was brilliant. With their first instalment, Arena Net already showed that they were willing to step out of their comfort zone and make a push to change the MMORPG Meta and it paid off for them. With GW2 they have stuck with their original aim and have further changed their Meta, so much so that they even forced Lucas Arts to make Star Wars: The Old Republic free to play! With massive world vs. world battles, epic dynamic events and a captivating story, they delivered a game that really sold out.
Verdict: Fiction
Dragon Age really sits on the fence for me. The first game was great fun to play, pioneered the massive variety in stories and had great replay value. Even the title Dragon Age: Origins emphasised how the player’s very origin had an impact on the path trodden. It made the world that allowed you to be immersed in the intricate details of the politics, where sometimes the line between good and bad wasn’t so clear. In a time where games were becoming increasingly easy and generic, this game was a shining beacon calling to all RPG lovers.Dragon Age 2, however, let me down. It was evident that BioWare tried to address the issues with DA:O. The combat system was somewhat clunky and with the nature of its open-world and ambitious depth came many glitches. DA2 vastly improved the combat system, certainly making it very visually appealing; however, in making the change, they lost the versatility that DA:O had. I was most appalled, though, by the linear nature of the game. While trying to make the game better, they lost sight of what made it good in the first place. For now, Dragon Age: Inquisitions looks like it is set to have a good balance of mechanics and story and I very much look forward to their upcoming release.
Verdict: Fiction
Tomb Raider is an age-old series and one that really got me into gaming, so much so that I have stubbornly bought every game released on PC so far. Every time, I hope for a game to rival the first. Almost every time, I have been greatly disappointed. Almost. Dinosaurs? Great! Flying demons? Meh. Lara Croft using a giant magic sword? Oh hell no. However, within the pile of ubiquitous monotony was the odd gem. The most recent game, Tomb Raider, was just one of these. While it has shifted its nature from the platformer that the original was, I can accept this evolution to a more action-based game that targets a wider audience. The aim of the game was to place a survival twist on the original puzzle-based Tomb Raider and they achieved that. True, the game has less emphasis on puzzles but the fun combat system has compensated for it in my eyes. Nonetheless, I still can’t forget the hours that I spent playing games that seemed so indicative of Sequelitis.
Verdict: Fact
Taking into consideration the above examples, as well as other series such as Halo, Medal of Honour and Witcher, I am sorry to say that I do believe that Sequelitis is a fact. When a franchise like Final Fantasy can have over 40 games in less than 30 years it’s hard to argue otherwise. Perhaps, though, it is simply a matter of expectations. Many games that have been dubbed horrible sequels may have been fun standalone games, for instance: Resident Evil 6. Yet there are others that simply reek of neglect such as Star Wars: the Force Unleashed 2. Nonetheless, every sequel stands on the shoulders of its predecessors and must rightly be judged against them. In times like these, many companies try desperately to milk a franchise for as much as it can get them and in doing so have the sad habit of slaughtering a good series, abandoning games in shame rather than parting with them on their own terms. These are just my opinions, based on my experiences and are certainly not set in stone. Indeed, I hope to be proven wrong.