Over the years, we as gamers have seen the development and regression of video gaming franchises. Some franchises can hardly get off the ground, while others just skyrocket in terms of popularity. I find that a lot of these popular franchises get themselves to the top, and then they just plateau and stop progressing. I like to see games develop as a series, rather than make a quick buck from already being famous. What I would like to explore is simply whether or not it is the right way to go, making a quick and easy buck. Is it sometimes better to just bite the bullet and take a risk?
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We can easily open up with the Mario franchise. Having come out with a new title for the Wii U; it sold well, but from what I have heard from friends and the media, it felt like more of the same old thing, with Nintendo playing it safe and opting to make that quick buck. We can say the same about the newest Pokemon X and Y titles, which generated great sales, but felt like more of the same and, in my opinion, even taking several steps backwards. The same thing happens with popular shooting games for other consoles. They sell fantastically well, but in the end, the formula has not changed, save for fancier graphics and slightly modified features.
Something I was thinking about exploring, and had some agreement with friends with, was the idea of "scrapping" current franchises and starting from scratch, taking the franchises back to their roots, back to its drawing board. Let's face it, we're never going to get a game like Zelda II again, are we? I still very much admire that title because it was something so new considering previous and later titles. If these franchises were in a way, "scrapped," where could they go to? What new ideas could happen that would change the way these franchises play out?
What would happen though if a franchise decided to take their game and go in another direction, and fail? One case that I observed this happening in was The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, for the Nintendo 3DS. This game was a sequel to the highly popular The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and one of the major changes of the game involved removing the linear component of the title, allowing free exploration into dungeon choices and item progression. For me, this particular goal failed because it removed the often rewarding feel of dungeons, the staple to the games, and exploration, instead opting to give the player the power to own the entire inventory early into the game, often reducing dungeon rewards to rupees only. On a personal level, with a slight admittance to being blinded by nostalgia, I found that the game failed to live up to its predecessor, although I do admire Nintendo's boldness in attempting to take the game in a new direction. What I say technically does not matter as the game still sold well, and many fans praised the title. Which goes back to my main point, I would like to see developers trying new things, even if it takes a few stumbles.
Interestingly enough, the removal of the linearity of the title killed the game for me!
This is interesting to me, though. Could it also be that we as gamers, having grown older and more experienced, are just not seeing it anymore? Is it that when we find games too easy, it's due to the developers not trying anymore? Or is it that we have just become experienced enough to note the patterns? Have we become so jaded that it would take a huge shock for us to realize that the franchise is changing? For me, I would like to see what the middle ground is for developers to create something new for their respective franchises. If it involves scrapping the fundamental basis of their franchise, I would applaud it as I like seeing these risks as they happen, although this is most likely suicide on the developer's part.
I'm being a bit wordy again, and I'll close it off. If you are just scrolling to this portion (you know who you are!), the idea I want to explore is seeing developers taking risks in making changes to their franchise's fundamental elements. Would it be more profitable to take that chance and risk hurting the devoted fans, or would it be better to take the safe, current road? Chime off in a comment below, and remember, keep it clean.