A New Dimension for Sequels
* by Geoff Keighley

What if we all gave up our desire for features and just let developers run with what they have? Veteran game journalist Geoff Keighley examines last year's most critically-acclaimed video game sequels and suggests a new method of presenting follow-ups in the future.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Earlier in the year, Geoff Keighley contributed the following editorial to GamePro magazine. With the holiday onslaught just weeks away and debate about StarCraft II's merits currently being waged across the internet, we found his opinions on video game sequels to be apropos.

Over the past year, I've played three sequels that are significantly better games than their predecessors. While gamers love to gripe about the predominance of sequels, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Assassin's Creed II, and Mass Effect 2 may have signaled the start of a new trend: Sequels that push a highly-regarded franchise to a new creative peak. All three games saw at least a five-point jump in their predecessors' already-impressive Metacritic scores.

The success of this cluster of games is important to study. Yes, gamers will continue to whine about too many sequels in general, but I'd argue that these games represent the bridge to a powerful new opportunity. If you get under the hood of each of these three franchises, they've all had at least 4-5 years of development on the current generation of consoles. The original games generated very strong Metacritic scores and good sales. The sequels improve and refine the core gameplay mechanics, addressing most--if not all--of the quirks. In a way, I don't know how you build a 1.0 game in 2010 (say Alan Wake) and compete at the higher-end of the review spectrum with games that have refined their formula twice-over.

So let me put a big idea out there: What if future games in these franchises could standardize around the core gameplay presented in the sequels and instead focus their efforts on storytelling and characters? This could unleash a tidal wave of creative possibilities.

Think about it for a moment. What would you want to see in a new Uncharted? Wouldn't you be satisfied if it was a side-story with new cutscenes, new locations, but the same basic gameplay? The next single-player Assassin's Creed will no doubt take the game's proven formula to a different historical time period. Is that enough, or must it also include fully destructible environments and Natal-powered parkour? After being dazzled by Mass Effect 2, I'm ready for the end of the trilogy—and I'm pretty happy with how Mass Effect 2 plays and controls. I don't need Mass Effect 3 to be a co-op game or feature full-on space combat; I'd rather see BioWare focus on expanding the possibility of branching storytelling.

To get a glimpse at what I'm talking about, look at the single-player DLC market. Sales numbers aside, the Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable episodes were some of the best games I played last year, with new characters and new stories, but similar gameplay mechanics. Single-player DLC will continue to grow in prominence, but there's a huge potential market for stand-alone titles that take the concept of single-player content to the next level. Frankly I'll never understand why single-player DLC even requires the original game. All "episodic" add-ons should be marketed as mini-adventures at a lower price point. Imagine... a four-chapter Chloe adventure in the Uncharted world for $10? Sign me up.

"But wait," you say, "Sequels are $60! I demand new features! And innovation! And if BioWare doesn't figure out how to redefine Mass Effect 3 as a 12-person online co-op squad game, no one will push the industry forward!" Here’s what I say to that: With an increasingly bifurcated audience, I'd rather have developers focus on either single- or multiplayer. Ubisoft has the right idea with the multiplayer-focused Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and they’ll make more money, too. No one is saying there can’t be a Mass Effect co-op game down the road, but let’s not force developers to broaden the scope of their sequel with new features or modes just to justify the number at the end of the title (I’m looking at you BioShock 2).

There is a fine line between innovation and exploitation. Would Left 4 Dead have jumped the shark this year if Valve prepped a third straight yearly iteration with the same gameplay formula and new survivors? With the current console cycle showing no signs of ending, let’s give the best developers—-the ones who just delivered sequels with across-the-board critical acclaim—-the freedom to innovate along the creative dimensions of storytelling, setting, and tone.

Geoff Keighley is the host and executive producer of GameTrailers TV, the top-rated video-game show on TV. He is also one of most prolific producers of video game television with projects including I, Videogame for the Discovery Channel, and the Spike VGAs.

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