David-D--NelsonThis is a question we tend to only ask ourselves when things go horribly wrong.
Maybe it's a decent question to apply to more franchises than just the ones that are floundering though. Despite the picture I've chosen I swear I'll leave the whole Final Fantasy thing alone for at least a week. 🙂
This week I picked up the Mortal Kombat reboot (finally) for a heck of a price on PSN's Summer blowout sale. I immediately set to work dispatching foes and laughing maniacally just like 20 years hadn't passed. Then something occurred to me, these characters are very comic book-y, and they have been for awhile. The first two titles delivered some of the most realistic fighters we'd seen in an arcade game at the time. They were actual digital captures of real actors instead of digitized drawings.
Maybe the gore was cartoony and the characters themselves weren't based in reality but I couldn't help wondering what Mortal Kombat would be like or look like if it had followed the path of gritty realism and perhaps some better scripting. While I have no problem with where the franchise is it could have been an amazing direction.
There are plenty of other franchises that don't get much press which you may or may not be happy with. My brother has switched to Forza over Gran Turismo , that kind of broke my heart but a lot of gamers prefer that kind of more accessible thing these days. Maybe you're pleased as punch that with new technology Gran Turismo has only become a better simulator, and aims to again with the sixth entry..
How about Metal Gear Solid ? Do you trust the move to open world? Same question for Mirror's Edge . Does the serious crime drama of Grand Theft Auto get you down or amp you up? Maybe Saint's Row has gone too far with the aliens?
It's all well and good to complain now and again but I've got some praise to spread around I think. While I'm not sure if Max Payne will return I must say part 3 really surprised me with how great it was, they even managed to streamline those clunky controls.
Bioshock Infinite was somehow the same but totally fresh. InFamous just keeps getting better in my opinion, and Second Son seems to solidify that trend. Dead or Alive 5 proved to me that the fighter still has plenty of life in it. Finally, while Silent Hill: Downpour may not have been the greatest in the series, as a big fan I was pleased to see that it didn't try to become an action game like some other franchises. Maybe the success of something like The Evil Within can re-energize the Silent Hill franchise.
How would you gauge your favorite series as doing? What kind of directions might be better?
Related Game(s): Grand Theft Auto V, Dead or Alive 5 , Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Mirrors Edge 2, Gran Turismo 6 , Saints Row IV , inFamous: Second Son,
No on all of them except Zelda and maybe Metal Gear. I have to see how 5 turns out. This is probably why Naughty Dog games and stuff like inFamous are my new favorite franchises. Final Fantasy and Resident Evil were my favorites since the PS1 days, through the PS2 days but not more! RE5 was a let down and RE6 is just a desaster.
Gran Turismo- Sure.
Suikoden- Well, "nowhere" isn't really a "direction," so…
Metal Gear Solid- Well, yes, MGS4 was brilliant and I know Rising was a spin-off…but MGSV worries me in some ways.
Assassin's Creed- Up until this year's announcement of Black Flag, yes. It needs to take some time off.
Uncharted- YEP.
Final Fantasy- No. No. No. NO. MOTHERFU***** NO!!!!!!!
Gran Turismo – Yes. Even with some of the "issues" GT5 has, it is still my second favorite of the series. There is NOT a game series that has taken more of my time.
Uncharted – Yes. Without a doubt, this series has my favorite characters in a game ever. I actually care for them and want everything to work out for each one!
Ace Combat – No. Following Ace Combat 4, this series has gotten worse. I can help but wonder what would be if Project Aces never made a game on the 360.
Haha. I like how you purposely tried to refrain from talking about Final Fantasy.
inFamous: I like the direction inFamous is heading, the new game looks really great and I can't wait to try it.
Killzone: I also love the look of the new Killzone. KZ3 was a bit dull, and lifeless.
MGSV: I am very sceptic about MGSV. Open world… I don't know. I guess I am more sceptic of Kojima himself, who seems to be showing a change of heart as of late.
Assassins Creed IV: Well, I mean, I hate annual releases. The problem is, I like great games, and SO FAR, the AC games have all been really good quality (except Revelations). I would like to see them take a break after ACIV.
I know this doesn't count, but Destiny. I am LOVING the direction that game wants to go. I guess I am totally biased by now though 🙂
Last edited by Akuma_ on 7/7/2013 11:55:26 PM
Revelations was good quality. Ezio is like a Sam Fisher in that game. Personally, I think it may be the best of the series in regards to the game play department.
Final Fantasy – Hell No!
Assassin's Creed – Hell NO!
Dead Space – Hell No!
Resident Evil – Hell No!
DMC – Hell Yes!
Gimme Suikoden, Resistance, Breath of Fire, Megaman Legends, and and….
lol, I think you and me are the only fans of the new DmC. It's a shame about the sales because I can't see anyone authorizing a sequel even though that sequel would probably be a lot more like the originals based on the ending.
While Tomb Raider was never a favorite of mine I'm very excited about the new direction.
I'm worried about God of War.
Final Fantasy, eh I still don't wanna talk about it.
Soul Calibur made me sad 🙁
I think I can set New Vegas aside and be very excited for what Fallout 4 may bring some day. The first person shift from the old titles is just awesome even though I was against it at first.
I'm actually worried about Uncharted now, I'm not sure where it could go without becoming stale. I think it needs something new.
How about…. Uncharted Racing!!!
That's the cool thing to do with AAA franchises when they become a risk of being stale right?
I think Uncharted is just fine. Timing is more of the issue. Uncharted 3 is just as good as 2, the production values are the same, the character development is as good, the graphics are amazing, arguably they are on the same level of excellence. However, the story felt rushed, and I mean not in the design phase, but rather this game would have excelled being as long as The Last of Us. A few more scenes of Drakes releationship with Sully growing up, and less rush to the end would have benefitted the game greatly.
However I think Uncharted 3 would have done better if it was released later. Games like this need time to breathe. Its funny because people claim of games getting stale yet so many people were wanting some single player dlc for the Uncharteds and are always looking for a sequel. This creates less excitement and an overall "been there" feeling. Its hard to be innovative when youre on a 2 year schedule. Im looking forward to Uncharted 4 and of course it being my favorite franchise I want it now, but it would be best if it came sometime in the 2nd year of the PS4.
Im with you on GoW to an extent. All the games in the franchise are excellent. And personally GoW Ascension did enough to make it a memorable experience and the addition of mp helped with that (I was against the mp, until the beta). But right now they do need to take a step back and see how to improve on the solid foundation. Go back look at 1 and 2, and move forward with the same philosophy of making it bigger and better, instead of relying on the core of the game to make it good.
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 7/8/2013 10:35:55 AM
The thing about Uncharted is that I don't know if it can just follow that same formula and still be really great. I totally agree on the story in U3 being problematic as well.
I'm not the expert so I can't say what it needs but the formula needs a shot in the arm in my opinion. For instance the vertical gunplay added in Uncharted 3 was a natural evolution that was perfect and made the game better. I like to see those natural evolution style additions to gameplay and the serious could get stale without more.
This is the problem with any game. I agree with you but eventually we have to realize there is going to be a wall that development will hit. We have to hope that the creative minds, can enhance or improve upon a quality even proven system.
Im not saying Uncharted has this issue, I dont think it does, and certainly I have no worries about Uncharted. I think Uncharted is actually in a good position to achieve something really great on the PS4.
Lets look at GoW though. A lot of people are saying introduce a new character. Thats crazy. The obvious reason being Kratos is the GoW, but the character changes but how does that make the game more dynamic? Seems to me more people are looking for enhancements to gameplay rather than story.
Kratos is a whole different bag of worms, he's just done, period.
Tales of – Lack of localizations aside, yes.
Final Fantasy – Does it need to be said?
MGS – Happy so far, but skeptic.
DMC – No
Persona – Hard to say if a portable remake and a fighting spinoff can be considered a direction.
If you put some time into it, FF 14 is pretty fun.
MGS – Story wise i like how BIg Boss story is going to become the prequel to the Original Metal Gear.Gameplay Wise i guess MGSV is going to change things a lot so need to wait and see
Yakuza – Every iteration of this franchise keeps building up and adding new innovative stuff in every way possible,Yakuza 5 was Epic.Can't wait for a new Yakuza on the PS4 and also i would like for them to keep the Brid's Eye Camera view when Kiryu walks down the streets of tokyo like Yakuza 1&2.
Final Fantasy – Only Final Fantasy i've played till now is Final Fantasy 7 and I can't wait for Final Fantasy 15,the direction it is taking with more action elements adding that to an JRPG sound more like Yakuza,can't wait to play it.
Persona – Persona 5 Exclusive to PS4,that's all i need.
Onimusha – Onimusha 5 Exclusive to PS4,that's all i need after Capcom's Deep Down is done which looks out of this world.
Devil May Cry – Devil May Cry 5 needs to be done with new hero and villan by the original Capcom Dev's.
Kingdom Hearts – Really like the Direction Kingdom Hearts is going keeping the same art style and gameplay,Kingdom Hearts 3 needs new characters and new worlds to be amazing as it is the conclusion of the series.
God of War – Ascension was Epic in every way,I love the new teather move,they need to keep that in the later games.
Story wise they need to continue the Story after 3's horrible ending.
New Ip's from Japanese Developers Please exclusive to Playstation 4!
Last edited by Kiryu on 7/8/2013 2:46:49 AM
Killzone has been getting better and better.
Fallout is a new-er love of mine but i love both fallout 3 and New Vegas.
I wish Fatal Frame would have been localized because the 4th one thats exclusive to the wii is amazing.
Resident Evil 6 wore on me. I defended it awhile back but i can't even play more than 20 minutes of it. It needs some re-adjustment.
Onimusha needs a reboot or some new aditions.
Dark Souls 2 is starting to worry me greatly.
Battlefield sucks wheres Bad Company.
Liked the narative taken in F.3.A.R but it lacked any horror.
Silent Hill downpour was great and my personal favorite, but i feel it needs a reboot or it needs to be given back to team silent.
Resistance 3 was good, but was clearly rushed. I think they stopped caring about it half way through. It needs a new team, like GG.
Final Fantasy. Uh… Yeah…
I could only beat Leon's campaign, after that it was like "Why am I even playing this game?"
The answer was "To check out Ada Wong's butt."
Then I was like "Man, I gotta sell this thing while it's worth any money."
oh lord no!
and this is exactly why nothing can become popular these days, as soon as it does it goes down the sh*tter!
assassins creed, infamous, dead space, resistance, the darkness, darksiders, saints row, army of two, F.E.A.R, 9 of this generations best new IPs, and 9 franchises which have gone down the sh*tter because their subsequent siblings chucked a resident evil 4.
developers need to get it out of their thick head that changing a franchise to appeal to a wider audience will help the sales.
it will HURT the sales!
people buy sequels because they liked the previous game, not because they hated it and know the sequel will be different.
how many times does this have to happen, till devs/ pubs will get it through their thick skulls and destroying the industry!?
perfect example i was reading a article yesterday with a interview with one of the lead developers and one of the questions was about the future of saints row, and he responded that they will continue going in a completely new direction for each game.
why?
if its a totally new direction, than hows it a sequel?
i dont see ferrari creating station wagons and putting their name on it.
nor rolls creating a stripped out racing car and putting their name on it.
so stop creating a totally new IP and slapping on the name of a famous beloved franchise just for the sake of sales!
makes me want to hurl a brick at my laptop every time i read someone spew out this f*cking molakia bull sh*t!
only franchises which are actually getting better and better at each sequel are uncharted, and the arkham games.
everything else seems to be going down hill, and that goes for both new IPs and old industry favorites such as R&C.
oh ted, i will NEVER forgive you for what you have done to the greatest franchise of all time!
Last edited by ___________ on 7/8/2013 5:28:04 AM
Dark Souls 2 — I'm worried it'll start to cater to ***Y _ _ _ gamers that cannot handle a tough game/
MGS5 — Not worried at all. When was the last time we were disappointed with a MGS game? Probably MGS2.
Persona/SMT — All is going well
Gran Turismo — It needs to evolve someway somehow.
Devil May Cry — Make a Devil May Cry that has Dante from Part 4, plays like part 3 and has a setting like part 1. AMEN.
Metal Gear Solid? No. I'm not a big fan of where Kojima is taking the series.
Final Fantasy? Well, my first FF was XIII, and I really liked it, although I understand the majority of fan's annoyance with the series. But Lightning Returns is what even a brand new fan can be turned off by. For God's sake, let it go already!
Assassin's Creed? II was one of my top five games of this generation. But this annual installment thing is getting tedious. Ben's right, Ubi needs to take a break.
The series which worries me the most is my favorite one, The Elder Scrolls. The latest one, Skyrim, although I love it, was too much simplified for my taste. The lore was watered down to make sense for newcomers while established lore was retconned to simplify it further. So yeah, they're going downhill. But that's what being too mainstream does to you, I guess.
I did feel like Skyrim was not as big as Oblivion. And personally I liked the leveling menu better in Oblivion, simple but super deep.
Also some of the side quests also feel lacking or at least not as interesting, but otherwise I was very pleased with it.
Mass Effect – I loved ME1 and was subsequently let down by each sequel. I wish they had have kept it more like the first one. So that is one game the direction they went in was totally not what I wanted to see. So now I have no idea how much more actiony ME4 is going to be but I think I'm done with the franchise for now.
Dark Souls 2 – Im cautious about this game. I am hoping it is still hard, and unforgiving like its predecessors.
Bioshock Infinite – Loved the story, but felt that the gameplay was a step back from the original bioshock. It felt I dunno like any other shooter, only with the powers that in themselves didn't feel needed enough(unless you were playing 1995 mode) I liked certain directions the game went with characters and story, but gameplay wise it felt like a step back.
Final Fantasy – Have no idea what kind of drugs they are doing at Square headquarters but they haven't made a good decision in a long time. I wouldnt be surprised if the story writers were hired fan fiction enthusiasts and the gameplay designers a group of semi intelligent orangutans, no offense to orangutans.
Metal Gear – I'm excited to play the next game, and I like the open world element he is adding to the game. I have a feeling there will be lots of secrets and easter eggs hidden about and having all that open space and freedom could make the stealth just that much more exciting.
Rayman – Love the direction they went with Origins, and am excited to see what they do with legends. Im hoping they just built on what made the first one fun and challenging. If they do it might be my game of the year.
Last edited by xenris on 7/8/2013 10:26:41 AM
I was hoping someone would bring up Mass Effect, do you think the new entry will try to harken back or go even more TPS?
Im glad you brought up ME also. Certainly the quality has not decreased, at all actually. But its obvious the direction it took created a decline in favoritism.
To me I have no issues with ME at all. I was a little upset about the ending in ME3 only because of the way the games built up anticipation for something more. That leads me to say TPS or RPG I dont care as long as they stick with the format. If the game goes completelu one way or the other, there is going to be issues.
Personally I wouldnt be surprised if it went back to its roots, but somewhere closer to ME2.
Honestly World I wouldnt be surprised if the next entry was an FPS, but that is me being a bit cynical. I think if they are smart it will be more like 2 and 1 had a baby. Perhaps they wont be so afraid of a loot system like they were in ME2 and ME3. I wont hold my breath though, EA games of late have been lacking to say the least. I would love though if they embraced the RPG elements from ME1 and built off of those while keeping the tighter shooting and class powers.
Bigrailer
My issues were that it seemed to abandoned its roots as an RPG with shooter elements. All the exploration was gone, and loot and fun systems I liked. I would have liked if they reworked the mako and planet exploration instead of scapping it for example. Random loot was fun for me, and I liked how you could mod your weapons, and the skill tree actually mattered. It seems like they designed ME2 and 3 so that if someone didn't upgrade any skills they would be okay late game. I liked in ME1 that you could over level yourself and skills and feel like a god 😛
I hope they go back to their roots, but I'm not sure if they will because a lot of the people who made ME1 didn't work on ME2 or ME3 :
Oh im with you on the abandonment off the RPG elements. Ive argued many times that it no longer feels like an RPG.
The new DmC can just burn burn burn!
In a burning ring of fire?
more like a stinking cauldron of poop-fire.
I know this is a anti-Final Fantasy site But Im loving what has been shown with FFXV still to this day XII is the the one I didnt like or complete.
As for MGS V I trust Kojima!
GTA V I know will be awesome
Tomb Raiders reboot was done very well
Soul Calibur V was disappointing
Burnout Paradise was awesome But I want my crashes back
Dragon Age
Origins was great but the sequel was disappointing & so Im very concerned about the next one especially now since its not a sequel.
Assassins Creed I love it but its time for a long break!!
Ninja Gaiden I knew it wouldnt be the same without Itagaki
The Sims 3 (PC) Dont like it all….
Dragon Quest Love affair with Nintendo I hope the next one is on all consoles.
Last edited by bebestorm on 7/8/2013 11:00:04 AM
I would argue that this is a pro-Final Fantasy site actually.
Metal Gear Solid – The series is doing just fine, MGS4 could have used more gameplay to compensate the cutscenes, compared to their earlier games. Revengeance is a side-quest, Metal Gear had quite a few others so this was no shock to see another one. It's appealed to my fighting-game friends so that's a plus, being able to share a game series you love. I'm happy to see MGS5 finally go into the open-world concept, they've only had an illusion of open-world until now.. Plus it has free-running, which I love seeing in games.
Killzone- It is dwelving even more Sci-fi futuristic with the setting, no biggie. The series has come a long way from the awesome gritty-realism in KZ1.
Saints Row- Yeah, 3 was crazy from the last two, but 4.. Man, it's going to need that fantastic gameplay and character creation to overlook it's juvenility.
Assassin's Creed- Clearly from their effort to maintain yearly releases, they're probably developing AC5/6 at this very moment. AC3's story was anti-climatic, and the main character made Altair look even more of a gentleman. I've no other issues with the series, otherwise. The series' free-running and missions appeal to me, I'm just hoping their future characters become likeable again.
Final Fantasy- It's mixed, though more on the positive side since the only game in the series that feels like a chore storywise still is XII (enduring over an hour to get hooked in doesn't sit well for me). From remembering some of Squaresoft's other past game series, I'm seeing elements of Chrono and Parasite Eve in the sequels of XIII (the time travel, and action-based gameplay). If XV manages to have the many sidequests and controllable airship that can fly around the globe, it's a great game already.
I have to say all the hate on DkS2, MGSV, and Final Fantasy in the comments worries me.
As far as dark souls go, I have no worries that FROM will deliver another gem. FROM really hasn't been know to cater to anyone. Look at any of the AC or Kings Field games. Besides DkS2 looks more like Demon's Souls so really I couldn't be happier. That and finding out the backstab animations are different will change the pvp aspect. I'm hopeful that DkS2 pvp won't be a bs fishing contest like DkS.
When it comes to MGSV… the stealth looks improved. Variety is what this game needs (IMO). PW was a step in the right direction, it changed the way we played the game without turning it into a COD cashgrab. The gameplay I've seen looks fantastic and I have faith that we will get a stellar game with all the technology we come to expect in a MGS title.
As for Final Fantasy, well, it is true that the XIII series sucks bad and needs to be dropped like a bad habit. I am currently in the FFXIV:ARR beta and I have to say the game is great. I know it will turn away some people just because it's an MMO but it feels like the first FF game I've played since IX. Not to say that X or XII weren't good games, I just feel that's when the the games stopped being true to the franchise. Yoshi P. has my support and I will be getting FFXIV day 1.
This is just my opinion, and I hope all 3 of these franchises deliver were it counts.
Also, RE hasn't been RE since Code Veronica. GTAIV was a horrible step back for the series. Uncharted just doesn't appeal to me. Killzone is just another bland FPS. AssCreed always has been a terrible series based on a really good idea. Battlefield looks to be bringing back the destructible environments, seeing that skyscraper crash to the ground in MP gave me goosebumps.
Again these are all my opinions and are subject to change in the future.
I'm more concerned for the racing genre.
That starts with Motorstorm and WipEout. These are two Sony brand pillars that need to stay part of their lineup.
I'd also like to see a revival of Wave Race. The GC version was excellent.
I'm concerned for Virtua Fighter as well.
I'd also really like to see a Virtual On come back. Back in the day Sega understood it was fun to make control mechanics that weren't designed for the average idiot. Games like Gunvalkerie and Virtual-On were fun in simply how the player interacted with them.
oooo I remember Gunvalkyrie and Virtual On something oratoria tangrum something something
Final Fantasy: Yes, based from what I've seen in the FFXV trailer, even though I didn't like XIII-2 and I only see Lightning Returns as a sort of a spin off game. I still have high hopes for Final Fantasy.
Resident Evil: Yes, After finishing Leon's Campaign in RE6, it still feels Resident Evil for me. I have a blast playing it on professional. The last boss is fun, only Japanese developers can think of crazy stuff like that, so I think it should still remain on the hands of Japanese developers.
Metal Gear: Yes, based on what I've seen on the MGSV gameplay, I think the open world will only effect how you approach the missions, it will be much more dynamic. And I think it still will have solid narrative not Mass Effect/Dragon Age style.
And I want a new Valkyrie Profile on PS4.
The King of Fighters – Hell Yeah!
Was worried a bit over XII backlash (though personally I wasn't too disappointed) but SNK brought the heat back on with XIII…see ya at EVO baby!…Keep rocking.
"Ora Ora".
FF waiting on 15 to decide
Ninja Gaiden love it
Dead or alive is great
Hyper dimension neptunia is evolving quite nicely
Disgaea im happy with
Phantasy star online 2 im extremely happy with
Resident evil not happy with because action does not equal survival horror
Monster Hunter love it
Drakengard waiting on 3 i want it more than anything
not that happy with twisted metal but it took a step back to its roots