Xbox 360 And PS3 Feud May Be Decided With Sequels

By William Usher: 2007-05-14 17:23:12

Xbox 360 And PS3 Feud May Be Decided With Sequels

While new IP’s like Jericho, Fracture, Dark Sector and Army of Two gear up to make a grand appearance on today’s next-gen consoles, it’s actually the sequels that will be the shining lights for real next-gen gaming. I’ll take you through a quick run-down of why some sequels will be better than new intellectual properties.

As many of you know, the biggest news circulating around multi-platform gaming resides in THQ’s decision to put the axe to Saints Row for the PS3. Surprising? Maybe. Necessary? Definitely. While some PS3 owners might be angry because they can't be stoked to tell their 360 friends about a half-witted port of a mediocre Grand Theft Auto clone, it’ll probably serve them better to get a sequel that shines in its own light.

Now there’s a difference between a legitimate sequel and a re-hash. So for those of you thinking that I’m talking about re-hashes (i.e., movie-to-game iterations, money-milkers like Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, Need For Speed, Mortal Kombat, etc.,) think again. I’m talking about sequels to gamer games. Halo 2 was leaps and bounds better than Halo; Elder Scroll IV: Oblivion was a monstrous upstage to Morrowind; and Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was almost a completely separate entity from the original Grand Theft Auto 3.

See the reason sequels will guide in better, more refined gameplay, is for that very reason alone; better, refined gameplay. With so many publishers spearheading the “next generation of gaming” with original IP’s, it quickly makes us question how good these games must be? Well, they can’t be too good because they’re original. Even double and triple-A titles like Gears of War, Table Tennis and The Outfit were met with luke-warm critical acclaim when it came to the gameplay. The reason for this? Easy, they were new IP’s.

Establishing a strong foundation for a game the very first time around is not an easy thing to do and is actually rarely ever accomplished. Many gamers don’t know that original, intellectual property usually means new game engine, new assets, new story, new code and a heck of a lot of new art. There has yet to be a game – on its first outing – to score hefty praise for both being graphically adept and donning excellent gameplay. For those of you to state that Halo did this, you have to take into account that it did not look better than a lot of other games that came out around the same time. While it nailed the gameplay elements down nicely, it was still out-shined visually by the gritty Max Payne; the smooth looking 007 Night Fire and the Xbox’s own Project Gotham Racing. Halo 2 on the other hand, managed to compliment the original by bringing on enhanced gameplay for both the single and multiplayer components, and managed to look better than a lot of PC games that was released in 2004.

In the case of “next-gen” gaming, it’s going to come down to the PS3 and Xbox 360 busting bruises on each other with distinguishing sequels. Even with games like Cipher Complex, Strike Force Red Cell and Lair looming around the corner, they’ll still be strides behind established properties looking to further expand on their installed base. For instance, Heavenly Sword will be eaten alive by Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Team Ninja already has an established mechanic with Ninja Gaiden and they know how it works; experienced developers know what the fans want. Don’t expect Heavenly Sword to break ground until it gets a trilogy. Even if Warhawk does well enough for the PS3 to snag a sequel, just think of how it will measure up to the indomitable Star Wars: Battlefront 3? Yeah, exactly.

And we all know Midway’s NWA: TNA may be cool, but it’ll already be out-classed by THQ’s Smackdown vs. Raw 2008. The reason? Well, wrestling games have so many elements that must be worked out (i.e., create-a-wrestler, season modes, dozens of gimmick matches, wrestling styles, multiplayer components, etc.) that Midway will only be able to focus on one thing really well for their first NWA outing, or try and skid over every gameplay option with reckless results.

Back during the age of the Sega and SNES it was okay for a non-sequel; a complete unknown; an unestablished franchise to make it big when directly competing with other established properties. Back in the day, games like Aero the Acrobat, Earth Bound and Chakan: The Forever Man could easily lock fisticuffs with the likes of GhostBusters platform games, Final Fantasy or the Splatterhouse series. Game engines didn’t have to produce the most realistic physics or connect an interactive story to compelling gameplay. They just had to be fun for the $40 price tag.

I never thought I would be more happy about an original IP’s sequel rather than its first outing. But then again, it’s reasonable to get more excited over a sequel because it usually means less bugs (remember Battlefront 1Bomberman: Act Zero and Red Dead Revolver?), better graphics and stylish gameplay that sometimes live up to the hype.

Do you prefer original IP or sequels?

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