PaigeFTW: A Familiar New Year
I was going to devote this week’s column space to naming some of my most anticipated titles for next year, but I think that you could probably guess them all without me needing to say (Persona 5 tops the list, to make a long story short).
In preparation for that article not to be, I was browsing a compilation of announced release dates for 2017 and was struck by the sheer number of sequels in development. Every title has a colon, subtitle and a number attached.
This is an issue much lamented these days in Hollywood, and to a certain extent, in the gaming world, too. Where are all the new IP, people groan, right before they cheer the advent of a Red Dead Redemption 2 or a Mass Effect: Andromeda or a God of War (reboot status implied).
What happened to originality? What happened to creativity?
But that’s all just me pretending to be hoity-toity because no one is more delighted to see a familiar logo with a new twist. Hell yes, bring on more Mass Effect and Kingdom Hearts. Who doesn’t love when a good franchise celebrates its 20th anniversary?
In a way, I empathize with game developers. In addition to dreaming up a story, characters and a setting (and visuals and a soundtrack), there’re also gameplay considerations and a vast labyrinth of code to consider. Filmmakers can focus on refining fewer things; a game developer by nature simply juggles more.
When they find a winning formula (and helpful brand recognition), why not stick with it? In that sense, you have to admire a series like Final Fantasy, which does throw out the whole system with each iteration these days, even if it relies on old tropes and nostalgia in its (increasing number of) spinoffs.
If it’s great, does it matter if it’s familiar in some aspect? How valuable is “new”?
So yes, 2017 is a sequel-heavy one. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be a great one. And I’ll be sure to highlight original titles when I see ‘em, right here.
