Time Out! Five Series That Need A Break

by Aaron Thomas , COMMUNITY WRITER

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Tags: Tony Hawk, EA, Capcom, Guitar Hero, Mega Man, Dynasty Warriors, Need for Speed: Shift, Activision, Tiger Woods, Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Saurian, Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Ninja

In my previous life as a GameSpot editor my job was to review sports games. That meant I got to play lots and lots of yearly sequels. Here's the problem: most games, sports-related or not, don't need to be yearly releases. Activision wisely put the Tony Hawk franchise on the shelf for a year and used that time to totally change how the game will be played. Now people are once again excited for Tony Hawk. But some companies just aren't getting the message that sometimes less is more, so I've put together a list of five games that need to call a time out, take a break, and regroup.

And the nominees/offenders are (see the full list after the jump)....

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Tiger Woods
I enjoy the Tiger Woods series quite a bit, but the changes from year to year are barely measurable. EA adds a few courses and golfers and takes away a few courses and golfers. The putting system gets altered a bit, but everyone still shoots 10-15 under par. Then they change a few menus, make a few minor enhancements and send the game on its merry way.

This year we're getting yet another new announcer, more people in the crowd, and thicker grass. That should be a $20 downloadable expansion (if that), not a full-priced game.

My advice to EA is to take a year off, revamp the career mode, double the number of courses, and add a course creator. Then we're talking a must-buy game.

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Dynasty Warriors
I'm not even going to go into why this franchise needs to go the way of Old Yeller. Just listen to what a former co-worker had to say about reviewing Dynasty Warriors games:

"The Dynasty Warriors games are like a cold plate of mac and cheese served to you every single night of your life. Every once in a while, one of those "Empires" expansions would come along and throw some ketchup on the plate for flavor, but then it'd be right back to the usual bland, room temperature grossness you'd become accustomed to. Then Dynasty Warriors: Gundam came along and took a big, confusing sh*t on my plate. That was weird."

So not exactly box quote material. But speaking of, the next DW game comes out in two weeks!

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Mega Man
At last count there have been 46 Mega Man games released since 1987. Some quick math proves that THIS IS WAY TOO MUCH MEGA MAN! At the last Capcom press event I attended I had to cover Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Saurian and Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker x Ninja. When I asked the Capcom rep about the difference between the two, his answer was:

"Uhhh, well they are the same, but I think one has a Ninja and the other has a Saurian, though I don't know if a Saurian is a thing or a robot or a person. Oh yeah, they have different box art. I think."

You know, I should have put that in my preview....

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Need for Speed
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I thought that when EA said that Need for Speed would no longer be an annual series, it meant that there might not be a Need for Speed game this year. Apparently I'm stupid because we're getting not one, not two, but THREE NFS games now! I fail to see how taking one game that's out of fresh ideas and suffering from declining sales and turning it into three games is going to be good for anyone.

Of course, I'm not running a company that has seen its stock drop over 50% in the last nine months, so what do I know?

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Guitar Hero
I'll be honest, I think Harmonix is cranking out Rock Band games too quickly as well, but they look like models of restraint compared with the money hungry folks at Activision. By the end of 2009 there will have been 13 Guitar Heroes released for consoles and handhelds in just four years. This is not what I had in mind when I wrote "The world needs more games like Guitar Hero." just after the first game was released.

In my opinion, Guitar Hero has reached the point of no return. Taking a break isn't going to breathe new live into this stale franchise -- the well is just about dry. Judging by how quickly Activision is churning out GH titles, they know this ride is just about over, too.

On the plus side, it's probably not much longer until we get Guitar Hero: Matchbox 20.

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What are some game franchises that you think either need a break or need to be retired completely? Post a comment below and be heard.

(23)

Comments (23)

Mitchell Wood

June 10, 2009

Im surprised I didnt see Madden on this list. A few tweaks and a roster update isnt cutting it for me anymore. Couple that with ownership of the NFL license and I wanna scream for the 2k series again. Look what EA did with the NHL series with a year off. To date its one of the best sports games of all time.

Speaking of Madden though, when are you gonna give shanker his rematch. Pay per view anyone?

Aaron Thomas

June 10, 2009

Yeah, I guess Shanker and I didn't get a chance for our rematch this year. Stupid layoffs. I left Madden off of the list because so many people do actually want Madden every year. There was a time period where I absolutely couldn't wait for Madden to come out every August. Even the smallest changes seemed important to me. Eventually that caught up with me though and I grew tired of playing the same game year after year. That's not a knock against Madden -- I'd be a little tired of any game if I played it for 20 straight years.

Greg

June 10, 2009

Good article. I especially like the Dynasty Warriors quote.

Here are my suggestions for time-outs.

Tony Hawk- Come on, there's no reason to have a skateboard game every single year. Sure the old ones were fun, but they've tried to reboot the franchise like five times and every time we get the same old game.

Harvest Moon- There are so many Harvest Moon games and they never change. Oh yay, I can play as a girl instead of a boy, that's worth another $50!

Final Fantasy- This series has been rehashing the same old crap for years and by now the people old enough to remember what once made Final Fantasy games great don't have time or patience to put into yet another snoozefest.

Trevor Hinkle

June 10, 2009

Another series that arguably needs a break is Call of Duty. We've had so many, it seems like a sports game. They should just call Modern Warfare 2 Call of Duty '09.

Aaron Thomas

June 10, 2009

Yeah, Harvest Moon is a great call. I mean, I'm all for the excitement of farming, but I don't know that I need it every 12 months. At least Call of Duty seems to have settled into alternating between WWII and modern combat on a yearly basis. That makes it a little less painful.

Adam Coronado

June 11, 2009

When I think of what I'm sick of in video games, it has less to do with sequels and more to do with settings/themes. I break out in hives when I'm even in the vicinity of WWII-themed shooters and I'm reaching with my concentration gradient with post-apocalyptic settings as well.

One series I was totally sick of was Final Fantasy. But they stopped cranking them out at a rate of one a year a few years back.

Toby Davis

June 11, 2009

I want to put my hat in the ring for Madden needs a break or a new publisher.

Michael Burridge

June 12, 2009

Ratchet and Clank -- During its PS2-era, It was one of my favourite series (excluding Deadlocked). Who doesn't like laughing at the odd-couple? Even now with its bi-yearly schedule I can still get the same caliber of laughs from all the great characters. But in order for me to get to that special Captain Qwark moment, I have to suffer through the increasingly unbearable game-play. Just die already. Or re-invent yourself.

Andrew Hiscock

June 12, 2009

I will second the Final Fantasy suggestion, not so much for the main ones, but all the spin offs, remakes, and re-releases. Shit don't stop.

Tomb Raider needs a reboot to extinguish all the recent attempts at reboots.

And while not a franchise, the four-letter-racing series with GRID, DiRT, and FUEL from Codemasters. Three, if loosely related, seems like a lot in a year.

NHL 2K could take a year off, after losing its title as "Best NHL" franchise to EA. At one point, their major "upgrade" for the franchise was a completely useless new controller layout.

Aaron Thomas

June 12, 2009

Michael, where were you when Insomniac was calling me out by name in podcasts and on video for having the balls to speak the truth about Ratchet & Clank? It's a good, but not great platformer with a lot of unnecessary gameplay mechanics. Sure, it looks nice, but is it some amazing experience worthy of the crazy-high review scores? Not in my book.

Dan "Shoe" Hsu

June 12, 2009

Final Fantasy needs to take a break as a whole, even though it's quite a bit of time between 12 and 13.

Xander Crews

June 12, 2009

I'll agree with the FF spinoffs, but not the main series, because we've only had like 3 real FF games (9, 10 and 12), this decade and two of those came 00-01.

Anything with Tom Clancy's name on it (except for maybe Splinter Cell).

Actually just about anything Ubisoft puts out, because they mostly feel like glossy, limp, and uninspired experiences.

Zombie games. Okay, Dead Rising, Resident Evil, and L4D (maybe) should continue, but everyone else, find a new monster please.

Ninja Gaiden/Devil May Cry - Ninja Gaiden reissues each singular title like 3 or 4 times. DMC 1 is the only that didn't put me to sleep.

Star Wars - Bioware titles excluded, it's probably been over a decade since there's been a good one.

REVIVALS - Because the names of Bionic Commando (next gen), Golden Axe, Shinobi, Contra, Defender, Splatterhouse (I'm bettin') and countless others deserve more than being farmed out to 'B' developers and turning entire new generations of gamers off to any prospect of checking out old or future titles.

Leonard Helferty

June 12, 2009

I'm a big NBA fan, so the yearly updates annoy me. We're slowly reaching the point where we won't need them any more - NBA 2k9 already has a "Living Rosters" feature that does trades and even adjusts ratings, but I don't know if it can insert new players, and they probably don't want to anyway.

Until a point is reached where they can do that and yearly updates aren't necessary from a roster standpoint (at which point I hope they switch to once every two years), why not make the pricing scheme reward buyers of former games. Let's say you got 2k9 and want 2k10 - why not get 2k10 at "budget" price, which these days is 40 bucks. Or just sell them budget outright, as if they're developed in a year using the same engine and mostly the same gameplay, the costs can't be too high.

Brian Shirk

June 12, 2009

I agree with most of your picks, but isn't this year's Tiger Woods a significant improvement with Wii Motion Plus? As for Mega Man, it's fine with me if they still make them, but why not make a really good Mega Man every couple years instead of pumping them out like a factory?

Here are some franchises that could use a break:

Madden

Final Fantasy (I felt that the series should have ended when Sakaguchi left)

Dragon Quest (Although, I worry that RPGs in Japan would die down in general if Dragon Quest disappeared)

NBA Live

Ninja Gaiden

Call of Duty

Halo

Gears of War

I'm sure there are many more, but I'm too lazy to think right now.

Benjamin Torrey

June 12, 2009

I was shocked when I heard the Burnout team is making a Need for Speed game. Not because the Burnout team is making it, but because it's another Need for Speed game. They should just let the title rest for a couple of years. Same with Tony Hawk.

I agree that Guitar Hero is basically at a point of no return. There's been such an unreasonable deluge of Guitar Hero bullshit in the last two years. Since Activision took over the franchise in 2007, there have been six Guitar Hero games on consoles alone with four more coming by the end of the year. This is one of the reasons why I've lost all interest in the series and haven't bought a Guitar Hero game since II on PS2.

My primary reason for keeping away from the GH series, though, is Harmonix (or rather, lack thereof). I've always had faith in their work. Their output of Rock Band games is indeed way more restrained, but with three games coming out this year, I worry that they're beginning to follow Activision's "milk it for all it's worth and then some" lead. Honestly, I think The Beatles: Rock Band should have been their only title this year. I'm sorry, but Rock Band Unplugged and Lego Rock Band are both pretty terrible ideas. Unplugged should have been a legit follow-up to the Frequency/Amplitude series with new music rather than a rehashed version of the previous games with absolutely no compatibility with PS3 DLC. And while I understand Lego RB's focus is on child-friendly music, it'd probably be better implemented as DLC rather than have its own disc.

While The Beatles: RB strikes me genuine, passionate product, Unplugged and Lego just look like lackluster opportunities to make some easy cash.

And that's no fun.

Benjamin Torrey

June 12, 2009

Christ, that comment could have used some clarification and editing before I posted it.

"While The Beatles: RB strikes me as a genuine, passionate product, Unplugged and Lego just look like lackluster opportunities to make some easy cash."

John Michael

June 12, 2009

Personally, I feel that if the biggest new feature that a sports game is adding is updated Rosters... maybe they should skip that year and add the roster update + rookies as a free dlc... honestly though, if they added rookie likeness... I might shelf out 400 ms points. coz I'm a tool.

I dont think RPG series' need any breaks. They are not yearly releases and when they are released, they are vastly different from the previous outing. The spin-offs are what I think they need to lay off on.

Other than that... I think actual sequels are spaced out relatively well. Certainly there are exceptions (eyes L4D)... but I dunno... We'll see if I'm burned out on Halo once ODST comes out.

Oh, and I like your list, Aaron. not a one of those games do I particularly disagree with... and a couple that I'm strongly with you on. :)

Michael Burridge

June 12, 2009

Michael, where were you when Insomniac was calling me out by name in podcasts and on video for having the balls to speak the truth about Ratchet & Clank?

They actually called you out? That's pathetic! I would've had your back, but it wasn't until last week when I finally grew a pair. :)

Oh, and Aaron, don't tell anyone, but I don't like Resistance too much either. Shhhh...

Matthew Collings

June 12, 2009

I agree with everything listed but I'd like to make an addendum to the Mega Man entry. All the spinoffs are out of hand, but Mega Man 9 was fantastic and I would love to see more of that. Otherwise great list.

Adalberto Herrera Jr

June 12, 2009

Hmm. I count 15 Guitar Hero games. Did you count Guitar Hero Arcade and the PSP Guitar Hero? The latter has no release date, but I would be surprised if Activision allowed the RB name to garner a fanbase for a lengthy period of time.

I would say the "_____ Mama" series of games need a rest. Majesco has to be seeing diminishing returns on quality and even sales by now ... right?

Ashley Lambrakis

June 15, 2009

It slightly pains me to say this, but Pokemon really needs to cool it too. Or at least take a small step outside the box and release a true game in 3D (or maybe another Snap). I think that can be said for most of these series' though. Sequels are OK, but don't continue to make them tired rehashes of the previous titles. I understand that games cost too much to make anymore to take chances on new franchises, so I consider Live Arcade, PSN, and Wiiware the biggest blessing of current-gen features. I must end by saying, however, the consumers are to blame for this recycled crap-fest. If they weren't so eager to gobble up the next Need for Speed: Pro Most Wanted Shift Pursuit 2, then companies would be forced to be a tad more innovative.

Aaron Thomas

June 15, 2009

The lack of effort that Nintendo puts into the Pokemon franchise astounds me. I'd check out a new Pokemon game if they brought the graphics into this century and added some new gameplay mechanics, but that doesn't seem as if it's going to happen anytime soon.

Adam Planty

June 16, 2009

Waxing on Pokemon quickly, I feel that if Nintendo utilized the license to make a Pokemon MMO (or hell, even a "regular" Pokemon in 3D on Wii as Ashley says above) people would be all over it. Unfortunately Nintendo would not be the company I'd trust to properly construct and maintain a breathing digital MMO world, and I believe I've read somewhere that the series creator wishes for the game to remain a portable franchise, surely because no real changes have been made to the franchise in nearly a decade.

I bought Pearl when was released, played it for a bit and realized nothing had changed in the damn thing since I'd played Red when it first came out. For shame.

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