Nothing New
Pay attention to the gaming industry for any length of time, and you’ll begin to notice a pattern. When a game is successful, it inevitably spawns a sequel.
Heckler: “Duh. Money talks!”
Good sequels pay their respects to what the first game did as well as adding their own new twists on the old formula. Still, no matter how much of the “new” there is, nothing can change the fact that the old is what’s really driving the bandwagon.
Yeah, Twilight Princess had nice graphics and interesting new characters and the Wii Remote and all that good stuff, but it’s still the same puzzle-solving, dungeon-crawling, world-exploring, Ganon-slaying formula we’ve been familiar with since the original Legend of Zelda came out in 1987 (I’m speaking for those of us who are old enough to have grown up with this series).
Just look at some of the games that are coming out over the holidays, and you’ll see that this pattern of unoriginality is alive and well. Tomorrow, Donkey Kong Country Returns will be unleashed on US shores. This $50 Wii epic is little more than a massive homage to the three Donkey Kong Country games that came out on the Super Nintendo in the mid 90’s. Yes, the controls are fresh, and the graphics are all spiffy, but at heart it’s still the same 2D side-scrolling, banana-grabbing platformer we know and love (I’m still speaking to the senior citizens in the audience…you know, those of us over twenty).
Here’s another good example. On Nov. 2, Activision released Goldeneye 007, a first-person shooter based on the James Bond film of the same name. The thing is…there’s already been a game based on that film. It came out in 1997 on the Nintendo 64. Most gamers consider it a huge classic. The new Goldeneye is a remake of the N64 game; among the changes that have been made are the replacement of Pierce Brosnan’s Bond with Daniel Craig, and the game’s levels have been tweaked and redesigned and generally improved. But it’s still a remake, one that clearly relies on its predecessor’s reputation even as it attempts to create a fresh experience.
Oh, and then there’s Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition, coming out on Dec. 12 (also for Wii). This is literally a copy of Super Mario All-Stars, an anthology of the first four Mario games (Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3) that we first saw as a Super Nintendo cartridge more than a decade ago. There are no tweaks here. No new levels. No new characters. Aside from a soundtrack disc and a booklet and a couple of other frills, this is the exact same Super Mario All-Stars.
You know what I say to all these sequels and remakes and thinly-disguised cash-ins on the popularity of well established franchises? I say bring it on!
Cranky gamers may complain about the lack of originality in games these days, but companies are churning out unoriginality for a reason. People like these games. No, they LOVE THESE GAMES!
Almost three thousand years ago, Solomon began what would become the book of Ecclesiastes with these words: “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new” (1:9, NLT). Even what appears to be new, deep down, is just a well-disguised copy or spin-off of something old.
Some people find this disturbing. I find it comforting. It means that good will remain good, and evil—as much it tries to come up with new evil—will fail and someday be destroyed forever.
The ultimate endorsement of unoriginality is found in Hebrews: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (13:8, italics mine). Does this mean God is boring and stagnant? No, it means He’s reliable. Since He’s good, it means good will never go away.
Unoriginality done right isn’t a bad thing. It’s a glorious thing. Besides the comfort factor, it means a whole new generation of gamers (or believers) will be introduced to something that’s good with a long record of being good.
So yes, I plan on buying (or at least playing) all of the remakes and copies and sequels I can get my hands on.
Who’s with me?
I've been appreciating your recent comments over at The Hog's Head, so I just followed your link over. All this looks like fun. :) My experience with video games stops at level 2 of the original Mario and the first three hours or so of Final Fantasy X, but I did enjoy reading this.
ReplyDeleteProps on being a fan of Nobuo Uematsu. To Zanarkand is such a beautiful piece of music--a favorite of mine. And good luck on your book. :)
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog! I appreciated your comments on my Cupid & Psyche paper a while back (at HogPro). I've been enjoying The Hog's Head, too. I had never commented at the site until this weekend, but I may start doing that on a regular basis! Seems pretty lively.
Ah, video game music. That's a subject I could go on about for quite some time. I agree, "To Zanarkand" is beautiful; it's a deceptively simple melody that really sticks with you (have you heard the arrangement for this piece from the "Distant Worlds" album on iTunes?).
Other Uematsu favorites are "One Winged Angel" (powerful choral piece), "Aerith's Theme," and "Prelude" (specifically the version that's on "Distant Worlds," because it has an awesome chorus in the background). They're supposed to be having another Distant Worlds concert next year in Chicago, although I doubt I'll be able to make it.
I also recommend the Video Games Live concert tour and Blu-ray/DVD, even if you're not a fan of video games in general. The music is just top-notch!
Oh, I forgot to mention "Love Grows" from Final Fantasy VIII. There are multiple orchestrated versions on iTunes. "Eyes on Me" is the same melody, only with lyrics. I prefer it without the lyrics, personally.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote the Cupid and Psyche paper! Aha. I thought your name sounded familiar. I remember learning a lot about the myth from that paper.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look up the other Uematsu tunes. I do have Aerith's theme and really like it. Thanks for the recommendations. :)
I was getting a little nervous - wondering how you were going to find and develop a life application with so few words left. But you knew where you were going all along. :) Once again, it's fresh, thought-provoking and "sticky." Thanks! Btw, did you ever say where/how to get a copy of your book? Someone I referred your blog to was asking, and I don't want to miss out on my copy either.
ReplyDeleteJenna,
ReplyDeleteNo problem. Hope you enjoy the songs (the few I mentioned only touch the tip of the iceberg, but they are some of my favorites).
HJ,
The book isn't out yet. It is supposed to be published within nine months of the signing of the contract, which would put it somewhere in the late first quarter or early second quarter of 2011 at the latest. So it'll probably be a few months yet before it's out.
As soon as I know anything, I'll post it here on the blog. The book will be sold mainly on Barnes & Noble's website and Amazon; you may be able to order it from your local bookstore, but that will depend on the bookstore. The easiest way to get it will be from one of those sites.
More to come soon. Thanks for all your comments!