sequels
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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Riddle me this, riddle me that
We've all heard the repeated statement that there are no stupid questions. This is pretty obviously incorrect, and can be proven as such by asking what color has the most pizza, or how much a clearly-priced item costs, or how you mine for fish. But when it comes to being unsure about things in City of Heroes, that old chestnut rings true. Certainly you can ask questions that have obvious answers in retrospect, but there's enough to learn and know about the game that it's never a bad idea to ask a question. We'll kick off with a question asked by Sharko: "Are we ever going to see new Epic Archetypes in the game?" The developers have been fairly close-lipped on this point, and for somewhat good reason. Making a new archetype requires a concept that doesn't fit within any of the existing power frameworks, has enough to do that it can sustain itself for the same range of play as the other archetypes, and usually requires some complex balancing against the other archetypes to avoid being more powerful or less. With the breadth of options available to current City of Heroes characters, there's not always a lot of new space to squeeze in something else.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: All the community news that's fit to print
In a city marked by constant alien invasions, assaults from an island controlled by a sadistic villain, rampant street crime, and various technological and magical disasters, there's always something to talk about. There's usually more than a few things for players to talk about on top of that, which certainly helps keep our interest in City of Heroes even when we're not right in the thick of things. After all, whatever else you might say about the game and its flaws -- it's fun. It gives you a fun ride of being a superhero or supervillain. If you can't enjoy a conversation about that, really, you're just plain getting jaded. Naturally, having discussions about nothing more than "it's fun" would get a little old, but that's certainly not all of the discussions about the game. Just about half. Today, we're taking a look at some of the other half, spotlighting some of the most interesting, though-provoking, or just plain funny discussions and threads coming out of the City of Heroes community.
A tale of two iPhone sequels: Zenonia 2 and Raging Thunder 2
It looks like 2010 will be the year of the iPhone game sequels -- we first saw Zen Bound 2 the other day and now Touch Arcade has news of two more sequels to popular iPhone games. Zenonia 2 brings back one of the App Store's first RPGs, Zenonia [iTunes link], with a whole new adventure and four different classes, compared to the last game's three. Ranged attacks will also be possible, as well as new difficulty modes and even an asynchronous multiplayer mode. Sounds like fun -- the new version of the game is due out in March. And from Polarbit comes Raging Thunder 2, another sequel to one of the first games to make a splash on the iPhone, even before the App Store. As you can see above, the sequel will have some shinier graphics, what looks like smoother gameplay, a bigger variety of powerups, and (we presume) the same accelerometer steering that made the iPhone platform such a hit for the genre out of the gate. No date for Raging Thunder 2 yet, but we'll keep our eyes out for it later this year.
Riccitiello: Mirror's Edge deserves second chance, EA still pushing new IP
EA CEO John Riccitiello told IndustryGamers that the company has no intention of reducing its reliance on new IP. "Does this mean EA is backing away from investing in quality and innovation?" Riccitiello asked. "Absolutely not. It's religion for me; I believe quality and innovation is what works." EA faces a difficult task now: finding room in EA's now-reduced slate for the new content Riccitiello promises and the sequels the company must produce. But it's a task Riccitiello seems to believe is worth undertaking. "I believe there are publishers out there that are milking franchises at their peril," he said. "I do think you can sort of stop innovating and do well while you coast for a couple of editions before a product starts to fall apart or a sector starts to fall apart." The juggle involves sequels like Mirror's Edge 2, perhaps. "There are some things we learned about that [first] game," Riccitiello told Kotaku. "It was, I think, a massively innovative product. To be honest with you, I think it's a game that deserves to come back." The CEO said he's "had several very lively debates" with the dev team about the design of a future game. "And they are working on it."
Warren Spector envisions two more Disney Epic Mickey games
In the ongoing media blitz that Disney Epic Mickey (yes, it's really still named that) has been receiving over the past few weeks, the game's creative head Warren Spector has been decidedly candid. First, he spoke about the difference between the game's concept art and in-game graphics, then he discussed its roots on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and just this week, in a talk with 1UP, he confirmed his hope that the game would spawn two more adventures. One hitch – those games have yet to be approved by his new overlords at Disney. "In my head, I've got two more planned ... those games have not approved and who knows if we'll ever see them," he said. "I had three games planned for Deus Ex and you see where that got me." As far as other titles that Spector's Junction Point Studios were working on before being acquired over two years ago, Spector confirmed that Disney has officially dropped the lot of them. Wait, even Ninja Gold?! Yes, even Ninja Gold.%Gallery-76724%
The Daily Grind: What news makes you excited and happy about a game?
We'll freely admit that yesterday's Daily Grind was a bit... how should we say it... pessimistic. Certainly MMOs and their associated industry aren't always sunshine and light, and we'd never pretend that they are, but that doesn't mean we can't occasionally perk things up a little bit. So today, we're shifting to the other side of the coin. Because let's be honest. We don't stay in this hobby to complain -- that's just a fringe benefit. There are bits and pieces here and there that fill us with joy and a sense that all is right with the world around us. Sometimes it's something as little as finding out that long-awaited features are going to be added to a game, sometimes it's the promise of a much-wished sequel to a well-loved game, and sometimes the mere presence of an expansion makes us get all dizzy with glee. Today, readers, we ask you: what sort of news makes you happy? What stories do you have about bits of information that made you instantly exclaim how cool something was going to be? Little moments like that are what keep us interested, so let's celebrate them a little bit. What news do you think of as great news?
Anti-Aliased: Final Fantasy XIV is a good, good thing
So, unless you've been under a rock, you probably heard Sony squeeing in happiness about Final Fantasy XIV Online, otherwise known as just FFXIV. This is indeed the next MMO that Square-Enix has been hiding from prying eyes, and unlike the indications we got from the company a year ago, this is another Final Fantasy Online.The reception, however, is quite mixed. Some people, like myself, are really psyched up for this next release in the online series. Others, however, are questioning why make a game like FFXIV when you already have FFXI. Why not just keep on working on FFXI? Don't we all remember how bad sequels work out in the MMO market? Why tempt fate by making a sequel?Personally, I think the creation of this game is a good idea with all things considered. Final Fantasy brings a different perspective of play to the market -- one that it desperately needs at this point in time. What am I jabbering on about? Come on, follow me, and let's talk about why FFXIV is a good, good thing.
Anti-Aliased: Final Fantasy XIV is a good, good thing pt. 2
The real beauty of all of this is that a Final Fantasy game is never truly a sequel. Each world that they create in the series is unique and tells its own story. They don't copy the same battle system from game to game, they're always looking to innovate, and they're always pushing their own boundaries. The "Final Fantasy" name is more of a pedigree than it is a continuous set of works. With all of that in mind, we can be sure that 14 and 11 will be different enough to work side by side. For these guys, it's not about the grind -- it's about the story. I think we can be certain that the new world we're about to explore will be very different than Vana'diel and follow a completely different line of thought with a new twist on their own battle system. It's not about an MMO If there's any point that makes me want this game the most, it's the fact that this game isn't being developed to be an MMO. This game is being developed to be a Final Fantasy title. I may have lost you on that, so let me explain. When many developers begin to approach their new MMO, they approach it as an MMO. They look at it and think about the grind, the world, the interactions, and the other titles in the market. They stare at World of Warcraft for hours and analyze the market so they can capture their audience. Because of this, all games seem to follow this "MMO formula." Grind, level, grind, level, grind, level, endgame. Emphasis is being put on the game and not on the experience. Final Fantasy XIV is not being developed from the perspective of an MMO -- it's being developed from the perspective of a Final Fantasy console game that just happens to be online. When you pick up Final Fantasy XI, you feel the presence of an MMO, but you also feel the presence of a Final Fantasy game. Storylines, adventuring, characters, and a rich world all seem to pop to the forefront. Even the battle system, which is an MMO battle system, screams Final Fantasy because of the way abilities, camera angles, and party dynamics work. This is what our genre needs. We do not need to make another MMO for the sake of making another MMO. We're done with MMOs. We want games that feature a massively multiplayer online component. Instead of breaking the Final Fantasy series apart so it fits into the context of an MMO, we're breaking MMO components apart to fit in the context of Final Fantasy. It will feature systems that are unlike any other MMO because they don't come from another MMO -- they come from Final Fantasy.Two other games are attempting to do this right now -- Star Wars: The Old Republic and All Points Bulletin. Part of the reason we're all excited for these two is because they don't look to be another MMO for MMOs sake. SWTOR is grabbing from Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect's playbook. APB is grabbing from GTA's playbook. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a very, very good thing. Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who owns Final Fantasy XI for way too many platforms. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's rambling on his personal blog, The Experience Curve. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com. You can also follow him on Twitter through Massively, or through his personal feed.
DS Daily: When is it enough?
Since we've got awesome new details on Mario & Luigi 3 to digest on, we've been thinking sequels. They're nothing new and the idea of the sequel isn't going anywhere. But, when does a franchise just overstay its welcome? Any franchises you think need a reboot or should just plain go away? When do you find a series has lost what it so great in the first place? We're looking examples here, people. Oh, and with this being such a broad topic, it's okay if you talk about non-DS games. We'll allow it just this once.
Breakfast Topic: How much are expansions changing the game?
Groups of Words' anonyomous blogger bought up a rather interesting theory regarding World of Warcraft expansions: They're actually more like sequels, in that they change a lot of the basic groundwork of the game and the classes to such a point that it feels like a completely different game. As evidence of this, he puts forth a large list things that have changed between original WoW and Burning Crusade. Being a semi-old-timer to WoW, I certainly recognized pretty much all of the changes, and thinking back, a lot of them have been doozies.
Halo 2 hits 5 million player mark
Bungie announced that they've reached their 5 millionth player to experience Halo 2 online. The number refers to unique Live accounts that have played the title. That doesn't mean people stuck with it or that each of those tags belonged to different people. Bungie reached the milestone on the 2.5 year anniversary of the game's launch. The real test of Halo's power will be this fall when we see how well Halo 3 moves Xbox 360 consoles.
Revenant Wings 2: Revenant Harder may be coming
We doubt that's going to be the real title, but we never could avoid sequel humor. Apparently, director Motomu Toriyama enjoyed making Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings so much that he'd like to develop a sequel.This is by no means a confirmation or an announcement or any of the other things it'll be labeled on message boards. It's just a casual statement. But a Revenant Wings sequel seems likely, since the sales have been pretty good, and, most importantly, we're talking about Square Enix, who has kind of a thing for sequels.
Why gamers buy sequels
2old2play editorializes about sequels and why gamers keep buying them. Last year, EA released one all-new game among 25 sequels, which saved the company significant development costs on new titles. But the article makes an interesting guess about why gamers support a marketplace of sequels -- complicated controls.Some gamers like adapting skills from the previous generation to the next version of the game, rather than re-learning everything. We often overlook the value in that familiarity; many gamers don't have time to start over with all-new titles. (We, of course, spend all day playing games.)We always go back to the chicken-and-egg question of sequels -- are publishers producing sequels because gamers buy them, or are gamers buying them because they dominate the release lineup? [Via digg]
Square Enix talks up innovation, hints at new hardware
Though you might be inclined to give Square Enix president, Yoichi Wada, an incredulous stare as he discusses the merits of innovation before the release of Final Fantasy Thirteen, a recent interview with Nikkei Business Online points to his fairly levelheaded approach to the topic. "If we don't see some [next-generation] titles that differ from traditional games, the industry is in trouble. Nintendo's DS lineup gives you an idea of the potential..." However, Mr. Wada goes on to say that immmediately tossing out all previous conventions and concepts isn't necessarily the best solution. "We must change. But if we change all at once, the system will collapse, and since our profits are built on that system, it's a difficult question. So you have to introduce change from a completely unrelated direction within a separate budget framework. This is something all the companies are worrying about right now. Fortunately, we're financially prepared to handle change." It raises the interesting point that change may be easy to trumpet but difficult to usher in, requiring gradual steps and some assistance from current franchises. The earlier point regarding the DS' success is an interesting one, since Nintendo's many franchises and characters were arguably instrumental in introducing a different way of playing games.The ability of unique hardware to funnel innovation in certain ways also intrigues Square, which is why "Square Enix will collaborate with Taito, a company that produces physical hardware. In our talks with Taito, ideas for an actual physical product have come up. In any case, we will be releasing some 'thing.' It's interesting in that it's not the sort of thing you expect from Square Enix." With that in mind, we now can't wait to play some sort of Final Fantasy game on a Square Enix thing at an undisclosed time in the future.[Via Gamasutra]
Are sequels bad for the sport?
Sequels are a double-edged sword in the gaming world. On one hand, you have familiarity and nostalgia appeal and on the other you have cries of non-originality and staleness. Blogger SuicideNinja gives a nice breakdown of each side, complete with stereotypical examples of why sequels are both bad and good for the industry on their respective consoles.In this easy-to-read post, SuicideNinja takes you inside the mind of fanboys on all three fronts -- Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. He then follows up a typical blind rant with a reality check of just what he thinks is really going on. We dissect it all for you after the break.
Seeking next-gen sequels
Xboxic has compiled a list of original Xbox "gems" in need of a next-gen sequel, including Phantom Dust, Jet Set Radio Future, Breakdown, Unreal Championship 2, and Burnout: Revenge. They also judge the probability that each game will come to pass. My addition would be Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, an innovative third-person shooter that will unfortunately never get the update it deserves due to inexplicably poor sales (we'll have to settle for Stranglehold from the same development team).What other forgotten Xbox titles would you like to see re-born on the 360?
MS exec hints at Halo spin-off?
MS Game Studios head Shane Kim is calling Rare's Viva Pinata Microsoft's "most important game of 2006." Hmm...I only made it through one year of law school, but deductive reasoning forces me to conclude that Halo 3, the Xbox 360's most anticipated and therefore most important video game, has been pushed to 2007. So much for the Japanese salary men predicting Needle Guns at dawn on the morning of the PS3's November launch. But wait, there's more! Pressed for information by the press, Kim responded by hinting at a ringed world of possibilities:"We'll be talking about anything we're doing in the Halo universe - whether that's Halo 3 as I call it or anything else - at the right time. That time will be soon."Yeah, yeah so they'll reveal more at E3. I don't think there was anybody who thought they weren't going to announce something at E3. But the term "Halo universe" suggests this particular something is outside the continuity of the two games we all know and love.Spinning off new Halo games with different forms of gameplay makes creative (and business) sense given the depth of series, but is there anyone who thought the next outing wouldn't be an FPS starring Master Chief?Could Bungie be planning two Halo games, one continuing the original Covenant blasting storyline and the other a related squad-based strategy game, RPG or RTS? What if the "other" Halo game gets released first?
Call of Duty: Leaked
Not to crib too much from our brother blog, but Joystiq got an exclusive tip concerning the next two Call of Duty games appearing on the 360. A "reliable source" reports that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will build off the current unpleasantness in the Middle East, while an additional (as of yet un-named) Call of Duty will take things back to Normandy a short three months later. CoD2 developer Infinity ward is working on CoD:MW and the other title is probably in the Big Red hands of Treyarch. Follow the link for more details about both games.
