Achievement Unlocked 01.16.09: Sequel Potential

Posted by Rod Oracheski on 01.16.2009

Fresh off an appearance in Working Title, 411's Rod Oracheski reflects on games that should have sequels, but probably never will.



It's a popular time of year for reflection, so I figured this week I'd look at games that deserve to get a sequel but probably won't. Most are original Xbox games, so if they haven't gotten a sequel by now it's probably not going to happen. There's also a few 360 titles that didn't sell very well but really deserved a better fate.



Jet Set Radio Future

It was fun, if a bit jaggy.

Jet Set Radio Future, sequel to the Dreamcast classic Jet Grind Radio, was one of those 'cult classic' sequels that was never going to live up to the original in the eyes of its fans. Unfortunately, despite having a pretty good reception in the media, the game didn't sell all that well...the curse of 'cult classic' titles.

I always figured that these are the kind of games you can't make expecting millions of sales. If you make a niche title, it's going to have niche sales 99% of the time. That 1% of the time being those rare moments when a quirky game captures widespread appeal and sells boatloads, aka the Katamari Damacy phenomenon.

It would seem that, given reasonable expectations and budget planning, even a niche title should be able to prove profitable. You can't have a multi-million dollar budget for a game that can be reasonably projected to sell in the thousands.

But reasonable projections don't seem to be Sega's thing, and they went on to put out GunValkyrie and Panzer Dragoon Orta.

Turning things around

If I was Sega, here's what I'd do: hit us with a new Jet Set game, only be reasonable about it this time and use a weapon that you didn't have the first time around: Xbox Live Arcade.

Put out on a Jet Set branded game on XBLA and gear it towards the service - short levels that you can pick up and play for 10 or 20 minutes, then put aside. There's no reason the Jet Set franchise has to die off entirely - just be smarter about how you try to grow it. $5-10 games building awareness instead of a $50 that nobody plays.

Likelihood: Low to zero. Sega seems strangely opposed to doing anything popular these days.

---

Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse

Zombie violence = good times

Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse was one of the most laugh-out-loud funny games on the original Xbox, but came out far too late (a month before the Xbox's successor launched) and was largely overlooked in the lead-up to the launch of the Xbox 360.

The title has a great developer pedigree, made by Wideload Games - comprised of several former Bungie employees, and an even better premise: you're a zombie raising hell in Punchbowl, a strange alternate universe 'futuristic past' sort of setting. That's really about as deep as the plot needs to get, it's just fun to beat people to death with a ripped-off limb.

Turning things around

There's really nothing to 'turn around' with this one. The first game wasn't bad or poorly-received, just overlooked. Putting it out on Xbox Originals is a good move and with the recent infatuation with zombies it looks like a great time to hit us with another Stubbs adventure.

Bungie has been reluctant to license out their engine in the past, but if they'd be willing to bend that for former staffers then maybe hitting Stubbs with a Halo 3 engine makeover would help with the media hype this time around.

---

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge

Let us take to the air once more!

Originally released on the Xbox, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge was one of the first titles to really try to catch on with the new Xbox Live crowd and unfortunately, despite being a great game, probably didn't grab enough attention to warrant a sequel.

Though the single-player game was satisfying enough, the game's legs should have come from its multiplayer offerings. Unfortunately that didn't materialize in big enough numbers to be sustainable.

Developers FASA Studio, who went on to make Shadowrun for the Xbox 360, were rumoured to be prepping a Crimson Skies sequel but that failed to materialize in any substantial form before they were shut down.

Turning things around

This is another title that appears as an Xbox Original, which is a positive. The biggest change likely needed to come from the community, which I don't believe was really large enough to drive sales of online games at that point.

The Xbox Live community being orders of magnitude larger than it was when the game first came out just a year into the service's life is undeniably a positive. Looking at the sales of Valve's Left 4 Dead, and seeing sales increase instead of the typical tailing off, seems to show the power of Xbox Live driven word-of-mouth. It also helps that Xbox Live, with years of maturation and added features, would be a much better fit for Crimson Skies.

It's possible that a Crimson Skies sequel could be pitched as Microsoft's own version of Warhawk - released as a downloadable title that's multiplayer-only. After all, there's already a section on the Live Marketplace for buying full Xbox 360 games - they just don't have any on sale at this point, a sign of things to come?

Likelihood: Honestly it seems pretty slim at this point. In 2007 Microsoft licensed FASA catalog IP (including MechWarrior, Shadowrun, and Crimson Skies) to Smith & Tinker, a company started by former FASA founder Jordan Weisman, but there have been no announcements on the subject since then.

---

Star Wars: Republic Commando

Highly skilled clone commandos.

It's hard to believe that Star Wars: Republic Commando, released in 2005, never got a sequel - doubly so if you remember how the story ended with what seemed like a direct setup for a another game

With great gameplay that combined elements from Halo, Metroid Prime, and Rainbow Six, Star Wars: Republic Commando was one of those rare titles that carries a license, but is still worth playing. The game even included Xbox Live multiplayer action for up to 16 players, something that should definitely help generate interest for a sequel.

Turning things around

Any sequel would have to have the same commitment to being good - something LucasArts has perhaps lost in recent years. The original game is backwards compatible, so getting it on Xbox Originals would help promote a sequel.

Adding in co-op play would seem a natural progression to a game that already featured squad-based gameplay and would help boost interest in today's "co-op is necessary" audience. The Star Wars license has lost a bit of its luster in recent years, though Force Unleashed definitely shows there are still solid sales to be gained from exploiting the name.

Likelihood: Zero...search your feelings, you know it to be true. Developed by LucasArts. 'Nuff said.

---

Chromehounds

Who doesn't love giant robots?

This last one will probably draw the most skeptical responses: Xbox 360 title Chromehounds, another Sega product that underperformed.

The game has an amazing premise - creating giant robots that you can then control to battle other giant robots, fighting in a persistent online war to earn prestige and newer, better parts. How could that possibly go wrong?

Well there were a few ways - first off was poor marketing. Sega released a demo that showcased the game's flaws, sticking gamers in control of Hounds that were slow and plodding instead of faster Hounds constructed from better parts, and not showcasing the online battles and addicting robot-building components.

Then there was the absolutely terrible 'single-player' mode that should never have been called anything but tutorials for the multiplayer mode. Marketing the title as a multiplayer-only game would have been far more honest and helped raise the initial reaction considerably. Console gamers will accept online-only games, they just want to know that's what it is prior to buying it.

Those that tried the game out and got past the initial learning curve found an online game that had surprising depth and a dedicated community. I would still put the city-based night battles in Chromehounds, with tracer fire blazing over buildings while huge explosions flattened buildings amid blinding light and rolling smoke, among the most immersive experiences this generation.

Turning things around

Get it on Xbox Originals and do some light marketing of the title as a multiplayer-heavy offering with a persistent world. As the new 'in' thing, having that persistent war going on should help generate buzz that escaped the game the first time around.

For a sequel, I'd love to see more agile - if not faster - Hounds with even more unique parts and weapons. The models for the Hounds themselves were excellent, but bumping up the texture detail on terrain and environmental objects would help update the look and satiate the graphics whores that overlooked the first game.

Keep the persistent war going, but offer more chances for factions on the run to make a comeback. Add in a diplomatic system to call in allies, for example - maybe something that allows 'back to the wall' factions to use their earned prestige to buy help.

Adding in something for gamers to do outside of their Hound would also help. Let us set ambushes that way, perhaps - hopping out to set mines (maybe eliminate that ability from Hounds entirely) or something like that. The ability to jack enemy Hounds would perhaps be overly powerful, but it's something to consider.


The business side of gaming has been more interesting than the gaming side in recent weeks, given the lax release schedule. I mean we've got Eidos possibly being bought out, EA getting their grimy hands on the Wheel of Time games, Indiana Jones being cancelled, Wii Music helping kids learn how to waggle in time, and Sony looking at their first loss in years.

That's right - Eidos, the people who control Tomb Raider, Hitman, Deus Ex, and Just Cause (among other IP), might be willing to entertain buyout notions. According to a GamesIndustry.biz article, the company wouldn't necessarily fight off any potential suitors. No, no, unlike Take Two...that tease, Eidos is willing to go all the way if you've got money.

Though people are speculating it might be Warner looking to buy them, it's probably EA, who are always on the hunt for something or someone to buy. Their latest acquisition is the publishing rights to the Wheel of Time games. Don't get too excited, Jordan fans, as the games are being made by a spin-off of the production company behind the upcoming movies.

Games based on movies based on books, made by a spin-off company created just to make those games...that will be published by EA. Now that smells like quality.

Remember that awesome Indiana Jones-themed demo for Euphoria that was shown off like 10 years ago? Yeah, I didn't think so - it was the one where you got to watch him throw punches on a moving bus, among other 'oh look at the animation' moments. Now that I've reminded you of it, if IGN's report of a rumour is correct, forget about it again.

Finishing off this mini-news roundup is the appearance of Wii Music in schools to teach, bizarrely enough, music. Here's a quote from the story:

The joy of playing music is something that should be experienced by everyone, regardless of age, talent-level or experience.

Now I've played Wii Music and I have a really hard time understanding how it could teach anyone music appreciation, except by pushing them to play actual instruments instead of shitty waggle-based music games.

The hits for Sony keep coming, with the company reportedly set to announce a loss - its first in 14 years - and it's potentially a huge one. Depending on year-end inventory and currency exchange, the loss could be anywhere from $1.1 to 2.2 billion. It's difficult to blame losses that large on just the economy, which helps lend some credibility to rumours a few weeks ago about upcoming wholesale restructuring in Sony's corporate structure - claims that were, at the time, denied. Something needs to change when you're losing that kind of money.

NPD numbers hit today, with the Wii selling a little less than I'd expected in December. I see them sitting on shelves here now, with the stack that arrived just after Christmas still on display - though a bit smaller than it was. That was unheard of all last year, so maybe everyone who wants one in the area already has one. One thing they do still want, however, is Wii Fit. I don't think I've been at the store once in the last two weeks that I haven't heard someone asking about it.

The Xbox 360 came in just a little under what I expected, but the numbers were decent enough and had solid software support. Microsoft will need to start announcing some games if they want to build interest and keep their sales numbers up. NXE and a great lineup of games through the last half of 2008 really pushed sales, along with the boost of the price drop, but it's time to start kicking things up for 2009.

The PS3's numbers were also less than I'd expected, though not by much, and those numbers are pathetic for a December NPD. Sony really needs to push that price lower because, when push comes to shove, people just aren't buying into the whole 'value' line of spin. I haven't seen their reaction to the NPD numbers, but I'm guessing it'll be year-over-year spin once again. Compared to their brutal sales figures from 2007, being up by a modest percentage isn't reason to hold a party just yet.

I still say we'll see either a price drop on the PS3 for Killzone 2, or at the least a bundle that includes the game. Sony needs to get some momentum going, as they were behind the 360 by 6-7 million when they launched and that gap has widened instead of narrowed. Of course, as the upcoming financials will show, Sony isn't in a position to get very aggressive with their pricing. Microsoft dropped their price when they wanted to, after holding it high and raking in profits for months - Sony doesn't have that luxury. If they drop the price, they're going to be eating an even bigger loss per unit - but if they don't, they're going to keep losing market share.

An unenviable position.

Until next week, I'm out.