In the crescendo to Christmas there’s a lot of talk about just how rife with sequels 2012 is. Established properties and firmly-entrenched franchises are ruling the remainder of this generation. The landscape for the rest of this year and beyond is dominated from every angle by sequels, sequels of sequels and even prequels.
This is not a phenomenon unique to video games. Most of the year’s most eagerly anticipated movies are sequels (or prequels). Look at The Avengers, Prometheus and The Dark Knight Rises, or the upcoming Expendables 2, The Bourne Legacy, Taken 2, Skyfall or whatever Twilight book adaptation they’re up to by now.
"Yes, I love my men pale and corpse-like," said no-one, ever.
The problem that gamers who crave fresh, new experiences face is their peers who fundamentally do not. Unfortunately for those of you who want something new, the public just wants sequels.
Results from a survey conducted in the US by media research group Nielsen paint a pretty grim picture for both developers crafting brand new non-sequels and the gamers who want them. For PS3, all of 2012's most anticipated games were sequels. The top 15, from top to bottom, were Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Madden NFL 13, Assassin’s Creed III, Resident Evil 6, NCAA Football 13, Borderlands 2, NBA 2K13, Darksiders II, NHL 13, FIFA 13, Far Cry 3, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, Hitman: Absolution, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, and WWE ’13. It was a pretty similar story for Xbox 360, with Halo 4 slipping in at number one and Fable: The Journey also making an appearance alongside Medal of Honor: Warfighter and NHL 13. Not a single new property made the cut. Not a one.
In fact, the only brand new games in the Nielsen data were two Wii games: The Last Story, and Everyone Sing. Every single other title was either a sequel or a licensed property. Nielsen surveyed more than 4,800 players between the ages of 7 and 54 years old.
Speaking with Eurogamer two weeks ago Viktor Antonov, visual design director on Dishonored, lamented dominance of sequels in the industry.
“There have been too many sequels, and too many established IPs that have been ruling the market. And a lot of them are war games. And they're great projects and great entertainment, but there's a lack of variety today,” he told Eurogamer.
And where’s Dishonored, easily one of the most exciting titles of 2012, on Nielsen’s list of eagerly-anticipated games?
Where indeed?
Speaking with MCV a few days ago Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford expressed a desire to see more new potential franchises released – despite the age of the current consoles – saying the original Borderlands is proof that a new franchise can launch at any time.
“Part of the reason there are lots of sequels is because that’s what people are investing in,” he told MCV. “I’ve never understood that.
“We launched the first Brothers in Arms in March 2005 and we sold 3.2m units. Xbox 360 launched in November 2005 so that’s about as end of the lifecycle as you can get. And you know what else launched in Q1 of 2005? God of War. You can create IP at any time. You just have to make something that people want.
“Some companies look at the market leaders and try to beat them at their own game. That’s a fine strategy if you’re capable of it. But it’s like going to the ice cream store. Everywhere serves vanilla ice cream, but if you eat that a lot, you will beg for a bowl of rocky road.”
If you want games without numerals on the end of them, we all have to start buying and playing more of them. Here are half-a-dozen new 2012/2013 games set to hit before this generation shuffles quietly off into the night that may be just the shot in the arm your sequelitis needs.
It's bordering on criminal that more people aren't looking forward to this incredibly imaginative thinking-man's shooter. With this year's FPS heavy-hitters doing little to distinguish themselves from last year's FPS heavy-hitters, why Dishonored isn't being discussed between more gamers as one of 2012's must-play shooters is a complete mystery.
Consistently mistaken as little more than a True Crime sequel, which it isn't, Sleeping Dogs is a big and bold open-world action-adventure that works hard to carve out a spot between the likes of the GTA and Saints Row series.
With Naughty Dog at the helm (and Sony coughing up the cash) The Last of Us won't exactly have an uphill struggle ahead of it to gain traction. That said, it's not Uncharted 4 – and for taking that slightly risky leap somebody deserves a pat on the back.
As with The Last of Us, Beyond: Two Souls is a first-party title and thus is better poised to cut through the onslaught of sequels. However, that doesn't mean desperate gamers will be any less excited to see something new and fresh.
Watch Dogs illustrates perfectly exactly the kind of splash you can make with a non-sequel when you time it right. At an E3 where gamers were being force-fed new franchise instalments at every corner, we were all well-and-truly starved for something new. Enter Watch Dogs: proof you don't need a II, or 4, or a colon in your title to steal the show.
How about Enemy Front, the over-the-top WWII shooter from one of the minds behind Criterion's Black that supposed to have Clint Eastwood coughing up his cornflakes? Or Insomniac's Overstrike, or perhaps whatever it is Respawn Entertainment is currently beavering away on? What games that aren't either sequels or based on licensed properties are you most looking forward to?
Luke is Games Editor at IGN AU. You can chat to him about cars, Die Hard and why South Park: The Stick of Truth is a licensed game he can get behind on IGN here or find him and the rest of the Australian team by joining the IGN Australia Facebook community.
Source : ign[dot]com
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