In Defense of The Sequel

Now the standard intelligent reason for disliking sequels to popular videogames is the perception that they stifle more creative projects but is that really the case? Granted I know that both EA and Activision are incredibly guilty of this, spending money on more Madden Games and Ice Age sequels... but would they really innovate if you suddenly tooka way their ability to make Madden 2010? I doubt it, innovation doesn't simply come from pulling the numbers from the ends of games. Look at Mirrors Edge and Dead Space, finally EA tries something different, something non-sequelly... and then they still take a lot of flak for it.

Similarly for Final Fantasy, most of you don't like the games anyway... what are you missing out on? Square isn't suddenly going to make an FPS, that's not their style, they'd just make ANOTHER Big Budget JRPG under a different name, hell they tried that with Infinite Undiscovery and Last Remnant, both failures but for different reasons.
The Metal Gear series didn't stop Hideo Kojima from developing original ideas, after Metal Gears 1 and 2, he developed Policenauts and Snatcher, similarly after Metal Gear Solid he put out Zone of the Enders and the Boktai titles for the gameboy.

I suppose my primary assertion is that this hatred of sequels seems to be largely baseless. For me a "sequel" is an excuse to take and improve on a tried and true formula, granted in some cases they are unnecessary, and in others they are just attempting to capitalize on a well known and loved title. But ask yourself, would Resident Evil 4 have been any better if it hadn't been the 4th Resident Evil? If not another Resident Evil, what should Capcom have released instead?
That's the question I pose to the sequel haters, What do you want instead? What games are you missing out on? What is Final Fantasy XIII taking away from you? Removing sequels isn't going to magically bring you a flood of innovative and original games.

Not everything can be a "Psychonauts" or a "Brutal Legend", those are rare products made for us by the skilled hand of an artist, but games industry does not have a surplus of men like Tim Schafer. If you really must examine this to it's core, take Mr. Schafer's Lucasarts adventure games... The Day of the Tentacle was really Maniac Mansion 3, and the Monkey Island games reached 4 titles before finally dying out.

The point I'm trying to make is that innovation doesn't happen "in spite" of sequels, it just happens, and the next Metal Gear Solid game isn't really going to stop any true artist from developing their amazing idea.

Survival Horror: The Pinnacle of Videogame Narrative

The thought provoking article "Is it Art?" from the London Book Review by John Lanchester got the wheels turning in my brain regarding the importance of the Survival Horror genre to the idea of Videogame Narrative. Why is this you ask? Because few other genres in videogaming have the potential to convey so much story without resorting to lengthy cutscenes or conveniently abandoned narrative devices (literal devices, scattered around the environment and everything).

One of the reasons is that in Survival Horror, you can manipulate the environment itself into a brilliant narrative device. Every creature, every set piece, every message written in blood on the wall can help to convey a feeling, an emotion and a sense of story. Look at the pinnacle of the genre, Silent Hill 2, everything in that game is deeply rooted in protagonist James Sunderland's psyche, from the horrifying Pyramid Head to the Horrible Sexy Nurses to the vile straight jacketed things. They all serve a narrative purpose and all relate to the horrible revelations that drive James's quest into this dark place.

Similarly does Resident Evil 4 convey many "narrative" aspects through gameplay and environment. When we shoot our first mutated Spanish villager in the face only to have him glare at us angrily, it's clear we aren't dealing with ordinary rural hillbillies here, these are monsters. And later when you arrive at the shotgun wielding, head exploding phase, the villagers will suddenly sprout horrific doom appendages which will slice and dice you, leading to more questions and even a few answers.

Granted both Resident Evil 4 and Silent Hill 2 still often rely on cutscenes, but there is narrative outside of that, in the enemy design and environmental characteristics. I eagerly await the day when you'll be able to accomplish an entire narrative (except the "ending" and "epilogue" bits) without resorting to the movie like, medium breaking cutscenes that hurt the idea of "games" as a unique art form.