I just really want a new 2D Castlevania. It's been way too long since Order of Ecclesia.
How to Combat Stagnation in Long Running Series
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 On 11/06/2017 at 11:46 PM by Blake Turner See More From This User » |
Some game series have seriously overstayed their entry. Some are on their fifth or sixth entry, and some were dead on arrival. Either way, here are some solid ways we could improve these series of old.
Please note, not all of these games are bad, some are just a bit old in the tooth. Please know that if your favourite game is on here, it's because I'm secretly working with the government to turn you into a lizard man. Oh, the world is actually rhododendron, so you're all wrong.
Tomb Raider
I seriously do not get all the praise this game gets. Maybe everyone who reviewed is a secret sadist who delight in the pain of women. Maybe it's because unlike Uncharted it appeared on Xbox, and you were all secretly butthurt that such a quality series never came out on your beloved shitheap. Or maybe it's because I don't like it because of subjectivity and – no, it's definitely not the last one.
Let me tell you my introduction to this series: with a quick time event that I repeatedly failed. Not due to any fault of my own, but because on release the keyboard input didn't have button prompts. It literally told me to press foot. I don't possess Quentin Tarrantino's illustrious hotkey button, so I was a little at a lost. Gun was easy enough to work out, but exclamation point? I have one of those but I don't know that it's what you want me to press.
All in all, these are solid 5-7 games out of 10. They're painfully average, they have some of the worst voice acting and/or writing (could be that the writing makes the acting stilted) in video games this generation. And the story! Don't even get me started on the story! I know ludonarrative disco biscuits isn't a popular phrase among academics, but I feel like it's because this game took a shit with it and rubbed our noses in it.
So how could we improve it? Well, there's a solid Immersive Sim basis here, we could definitely do something with that. Potentially beef up the stealth elements, or incorporate combat with platforming elements. The tombs are great, but the whole game needs more puzzles. Keep it easy to difficult in the main campaign and keep the truly devilish ones for the optional Tombs.
The series definitely needs better writing. Hire some schlocky fiction authors like Clive Cussler or Matthew Reilly to really give it that B Movie charm your searching for. You could also make combat a bit beefier and more open, ala Uncharted 4 or Dishonored. You could also amp up the survival elements. It doesn't have to be open world or multiplayer, but since hunting is already an integral part of the series, it could be interesting to have a basic needs meter, where you have to eat, drink, and sleep to survive. Like Fallout, it could be optional, or incorporated in New Game +
Oh, and for the love of god, no more quick time events!
Dark Souls/Bloodborne
The Soulsbourne series is definitely my favourite series of all time. In fact, Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne all reside comfortably in my top 20, with Dark Souls being my all time series. Lest you think I only target things I have a hate boner for.
However, I would be blind to oversee the missteps of the series. Dark Souls 2 was a mess, and Dark Souls 3 was actually somewhat boring as I'd done all of this before. Bloodborne was a massive improvement, but I can't help feeling that the series is beginning to stagnate.
My suggestion: Ditch the Medieval setting. There are so many rich settings for this game. You could go more ancient, Greek or Roman inspired Fantasy, or maybe even Middle Eastern or Southern Gothic. I've heard the next title in the series could be a sci fi one, which I am absolutely on board with. Hell, even if you want to stick with medieval setting, you could choose a more Hun or Viking inspired approach.
A Sequel to Bloodborne should totally be set in the desert, and deal with voodoo magic, Indians, or kinds of unexplored schlock.
I love this series, but we've all but annualized it, and it's growing repetitive because of it.
Call of Duty
I haven't played World War 2 yet, but apparently it's really good. However, one solid entry doesn't mean the series is going to be perpetually good. While the games have tried to vary up locations and even go to space, the gameplay and enemies have all been almost identical with each entry.
My suggestion is to make a whole campaign and multiplayer out of the Zombies mode. This should be a one off thing, as doing it too often would become just as tedious as any other entry. However, there are so many different ways you could handle this that I can't believe it hasn't been done before, especially as I know so many people who only buy the game for Zombies.
There are so many different settings you could choose from. As I suggested for Bloodborne, I feel like a Western inspired game could work really well. Have it be Cowboys vs Native Americans, where you think the “Indians” have made the Zombies but it turns out the US government made them to try and make people scared of them.
That's basic as shit and I'm sure you could do better, since you have actual writers and shit. You could even attach a 4-5 hour co-op campaign that's more realistic for those of you that prefer your COD to be COD.
For the multiplayer, Zombies would allow so many different modes. You could steal the infected mode from Timesplitters 2, wherein a few people play zombies and try and infect the rest while the others try to stay alive for a set amount of time. There are plenty of other modes you could explore, like fighting for resources and control points while NPC zombies attack and kill you.
Castlevania
Konami, sell this property to 2 different companies. Have Wayforward handle the 2D entries, as it's kind of what they do, and give the 3D entries to From Software. I mean shit, they've basically been making 3D Castlevania's since Demon's Souls, and Bloodborne basically is 3D Castlevania with terrible jumping mechanics.
The only thing you'd really have to do with the 3D entries is have more jumping, and lean a little bit harder on the Metroidvania elements.
Mega Man
Release a fucking game. That's all you have to do. 3D, 2D, whatever. Just release one and people will love it. As per usual though, I do have some ideas.
Firstly, we haven't seen the series really do the Metroidvania thing outside of handlehelds, so that's your first option. The games are already non-linear, so all you have to do is add a hub as opposed to a level select screen.
Secondly, you've done RPGs, but as a side project, you could totally make a Mega Man Shmup. It would work really well.
Finally, if you want to make a 3D game, give it to Retro Studios. You saw what they've done to both DK and Metroid, they could totally do a kickass Mega Man game. It'd obviously be more action heavy than Metroid, but there's a lot you could do with this particular license.
Grand Theft Auto
This is really easy: Set it outside of America. Set it somewhere weird, like Australia. We do have big enough cities for it, as well expansive rural countryside with plenty of wildlife to contend with. Even do a period piece where you help Ned Kelly. Set it in the UK, there's a massive location for you to explore, with castles, beautiful countryside and also a scary criminal underground.
If you stick to America, do a period piece. You have a massive hard on for tackling issues of race, so why not 1970's New Orleans or Detroit? Or shit, modern Detroit? There's so much there, and if you go to late 90s era you could hang out with Eminem, ICP, Proof, and all them. If you're in the 60's-70's though, you have the whole Motown movement, and you could tackle things like Blacksploitation and whatnot.
Battlefield
Remember Battlefield 2142? Yeah, do that again. Mechs, future tech, it'd be awesome. IF not, go way back in the past. Give us Ancient greek, Roman, or Medieval Battles. Napoleon could be a great era to draw from. Even go fictional with Westeros or Middle Earth. So many options.
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