Resident Evil Brings Horror Back From the Dead
Resident Evil spent the previous generation undergoing a serious makeover: with Resident Evil 5 and 6, the once-classic horror series traded player-focused horror for character-focused spectacle. Despite trimming its horror roots, RE5 earned an 83 on Metacritic and remains the series’ best-selling entry with 7.5 million copies sold, according to Capcom. Resident Evil 6 doubled down on the action elements of 5, widening its scope further with a story that introduced new characters, spanned three continents, and added more set pieces and bigger gunfights than the series had ever seen. It’s the second-best-selling Resident Evil to date, but it’s widely considered the mainline series’ low point (earning just a 67 on Metacritic). In February 2014, Capcom held a small meeting in Osaka, Japan (as detailed in a 2017 GDC panel led by Capcom producer Peter Fabiano) to discuss a new direction for Resident Evil as it entered the new console generation. In that meeting, Resident Evil 7 executive producer Jun Takeuchi laid out his vision for the future, focusing on a return to immersive horror. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/01/23/every-ign-resident-evil-review-score-so-far"] The inspiration for what would become RE7 wasn’t a past Resident Evil game — or even a game at all — but Sam Raimi’s 1981 film The Evil Dead. Takeuchi highlighted the film’s ability to keep horror intimate by taking a minimal number of characters and confining them to a single location. “This helped us to keep set pieces narrow and feeling semi-claustrophobic,” said Fabiano. Takeuchi wanted to recreate the feeling of playing the original Resident Evil by limiting references to past games and characters. As described by Fabiano, the idea was to bring players back to the unknown, as “the unknown leads to anxiety, which gives birth to fear.” A new protagonist, meanwhile, controlled from a first-person perspective, was intended to prioritize the player experience over character story — you were the one in danger, not Leon Kennedy or Chris Redfield. The team leaned so heavily into this idea that it released the entire game in VR, which Fabiano called the “final piece to the immersion puzzle.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="legacyId=20100732&captions=true"] With this new blueprint, game director Koshi Nakanishi and Capcom succeeded in reinventing Resident Evil as one of gaming’s premier horror franchises. The small, unfamiliar cast; isolated Baker mansion; first-person perspective; and emphasis on classic Resident Evil gameplay elements like puzzle-solving, resource management, and exploration combined to create something familiar, yet totally fresh. Capcom followed RE7 with a masterful remake of Resident Evil 2. While the remake was less of a shake-up than its predecessor, it was a sign that Capcom was committed to producing horror-focused Resident Evil games. That commitment appears to continue with this year’s remake of Resident Evil 3, but it’s the rumors surrounding Resident Evil 8 — particularly that it will retain RE7’s first-person perspective — that best highlight Capcom’s confidence in its new direction.God of War, Re-Deified
God of War has long been one of PlayStation’s defining exclusive franchises. Its fluid hack-and-slash gameplay, exploration of Greek mythology, and the always memorable, often detestable antihero Kratos made it a top-tier action game from the first installment. That formula was effective across eight years of portable and home PlayStation consoles, before culminating in 2013’s God of War: Ascension, which failed to live up to the excellence of its predecessors. Kratos’ mantle would eventually be picked up by series veteran Cory Barlog, who had been the lead animator on the original and the writer/director of God of War II. He also penned the script for God of War: Ghost of Sparta and led initial development on God of War III, before (temporarily) stepping away from the franchise. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-god-of-war-review&captions=true"] Barlog felt a successful return to God of War would require a more sympathetic Kratos. The director told VentureBeat in 2016 the “really small beginnings of this idea” came to him while reading canceled live-action Star Wars TV scripts during his brief 2009 stint at LucasArts: “It was the most mind-blowing thing I’d ever experienced,” Barlog said. “I cared about the Emperor. They made the Emperor a sympathetic figure ... I almost cried while reading this. This is the Emperor, the lightning out of the fingers Emperor. That’s something magical.” Making the mass-murdering God of War sympathetic couldn’t be done arbitrarily; Kratos’ maturation required a grounded motivation, and after a three-year hiatus from Sony, Barlog found a potential impetus for that change: give Kratos a son. “He grew up in a really bad family cycle,” Barlog told The Telegraph. “He needs to change but he also needs some sort of reasoning for that. That was that driving principle of how we were going to redo all of this.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/04/12/god-of-war-review"] 2018’s God of War made good on Barlog's vision: Its family-driven tale, more thoughtful approach to violence, and more nuanced examination of Kratos reinvented a character (and a franchise) trending toward irrelevance, and made a powerful statement about the value of re-examining our heroes over time. Also, that Leviathan Axe was fucking dope.The Legend of Zelda Explores a Whole New (Open) World
Over the years, Nintendo has constantly redefined The Legend of Zelda — but never more so than it did with Breath of the Wild. The 2017 Switch launch game transformed what we knew a Zelda game to be, adding a level of freedom that instantly solidified it as one of the generation’s best games. Following the release of Skyward Sword on the Wii in 2011, Nintendo paused to take stock of its then-25-year-old franchise. After considering fan feedback and developer suggestions, game director Hidemaro Fujibayashi decided it was time to break conventions and “create the next iteration of Zelda” An open world supported the team’s desire for Link’s next adventure to be “a game that really focuses on freedom.” That freedom, however, couldn’t come at the expense of certain series staples, namely puzzle-solving and the “aspect of discovery and exploration,” said Fujibayashi. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-zelda-review-score&captions=true"] Breath of the Wild masterfully blended that freedom with the series’ fundamentals of puzzle-filled dungeons and clever boss fights, resulting in an expansive open world imbued with The Legend of Zelda’s DNA that received an overwhelmingly positive reception, one that has inspired confidence in the development team’s new open-world approach: “You know, I can't speak to what other people, other companies will do in their own games, but I think for me, especially just in terms of the Zelda series, the incredible freedom that this game offers you and how well that's been received… to me, it means that freedom, that level of freedom is something that needs to be maintained in Zelda games going forward,” producer Eiji Aonuma told IGN. “My eyes have been opened to how important that is.” Nintendo evidently agrees, as the company announced the next mainline Zelda game will be a Breath of the Wild sequel.Assassin's Creed Rewrites History
Lauded for its vertical, stealth-focused gameplay and captivating dual-timeline, alternate-history stories, Assassin’s Creed quickly became one of the last generation’s most exciting new franchises. Ubisoft capitalized on the success of this formula, releasing a mainline Assassin’s Creed game each year from 2009-2015. Seven straight years of Assassin’s Creed, however, proved unsustainable. Franchise fatigue set in, and the bug-ridden launch of 2014's Assassin’s Creed Unity proved to be a breaking point for many. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-assassins-creed-review&captions=true"] Ubisoft followed Unity with the Victorian-era Syndicate in 2015, then announced the mainline series was breaking from its annual release schedule. “We don’t want to be in that situation again,” Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told Time, in reference to Unity’s launch, “so we’re going to give a lot more time to polish these games and really deliver the ambition.” The result was Assassin’s Creed Origins, a massive open-world action-RPG that introduced skill-based swordplay instead of the simple parrying system that had become the series’ default, an improved parkour system, and RPG progression mechanics, including skill trees, XP-based levelling, and a massive variety of gear and weapon types. “With [Origins] we wanted to go further,” creative director Jean Guesdon told The Daily Californian. “Not only is it the biggest map we’ve ever done, but we’ve reworked totally the AI to make the world living like never before. [...] There is not one way to consume [the game]. You make your own experience. You are free. You can explore the way you want.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/09/04/assassins-creed-origins-building-the-series-biggest-world-yet"] The following year’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey expanded on the series’ RPG-inspired focus, introducing an even bigger world, further customization, character selection, a branching narrative, and dialogue options. Origins and Odyssey not only reinvigorated the fanbase and brought critical acclaim back to the series but also led to increased sales: Origins doubled Syndicate’s launch sales, which Odyssey then topped. Ubisoft once again took a year off in 2019, but the series is expected to return in 2020 with (according to leaked information) a Norse-themed story called Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok. The purported info indicates Ubisoft will continue to expand on its new vision for Assassin's Creed with even deeper RPG mechanics, supposedly adding class and reputation systems, Elder Scrolls-esque skill-leveling, and further weapon variety — though none of that has been officially confirmed by Ubisoft.Pokemon Evolves
Like its eponymous creatures, Pokemon is a franchise that evolves slowly. For 20 years — from its introduction in 1996 through the release of Pokemon Sun and Moon in 2016 — mainline Pokemon stayed true to its identity as a handheld-only RPG. Its gradual growth has been by very specific design. “Every time we make a new game we want to change up the formula and do new things,” game director Shigeru Ohmori told Metro in a 2019 intervew. ”But if you do too much all at once then it feels like it might not be a Pokémon game.” In 2017, however, developer Game Freak saw their greatest opportunity for innovation yet; Nintendo announced Switch, a hybrid console that melded the company’s handheld and home console businesses. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-pokemon-review-ever&captions=true"] With increased processing power at their disposal, Game Freak designed Sword and Shield with a focus on strength. “The theme for making the game this time around was to make the ‘strongest’ Pokemon — in the sense that we’ve got the strongest graphics compared to what we’ve had in the past,” Ohmori told VG247. “We’ve got that Switch hardware, so we’ve really tried to make it the biggest world we can so far. Then there’s even individual features — like the Dynamax feature gives you huge, really strong-looking Pokemon. So everything is done with the kind of intent of creating a strong Pokemon game in those various meanings.” The Switch also enabled Game Freak to address requests for “a more open area.” This led to the creation of the Wild Area, within which the developer implemented refreshing Pokemon firsts, such as co-op raid battles and a free-moving camera system. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/17/pokemon-sword-and-pokemon-shield-explore-the-wild-area-trailer"] With the new platform came another major change for the franchise: Sword and Shield will have DLC. Nintendo hasn’t said as much, but the introduction of downloadable expansions seems to indicate a welcome shift away from selling a full-priced third version of each Pokemon game (e.g. Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, Platinum, etc.). Sword and Shield may not have reinvented the core structure of a Pokemon game, but its willingness to experiment outside of the established formula, especially within the Wild Area, is significant given the franchise’s long, mostly static history.The Witcher’s Mutation
The Witcher franchise has experienced an unparalleled ascent to stardom this generation, growing from a moderately successful game and book series to one of the hottest properties in all of entertainment. 2007’s The Witcher, CD Projekt Red’s debut game, sold one million copies in its first year, a number the developer deemed a success. A sequel, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, came to PC in 2011, followed by an Xbox 360 version in 2012, and was another hit for the Polish game studio, selling 1.7 million copies in its first year. Despite its critical acclaim and relative financial success, the series hadn’t attained the reach of the era’s other great RPGs, such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Dragon Age: Origins; The Witcher 2 would end its run as the 19th best-selling RPG on Xbox 360 in the U.S., according to NPD’s Mat Piscatella. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/09/04/the-witcher-10th-anniversary-video"] Then came The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a masterful RPG that elevated the franchise to a must-play, mainstream sensation. The second sequel rose above its predecessors thanks to an expert balance of a deep, compelling story with a vast open world and more refined movement and combat mechanics. Creating that balance had long been the studio’s ambition, dating back to the first Witcher, CDPR studio head Adam Badowski told Noclip, but “technology didn’t allow” it at the time. It wasn’t until development on The Witcher 3 began that technological advancements — related to both console and PC hardware as well as CD Projekt’s in-house REDengine — allowed the studio to execute that vision. “If we look at RPGs nowadays we find two approaches, one which emphasizes the story but limits the game world and one that builds a vast open-world but hampers and simplifies the story,” Badowski said in 2013. “With the REDengine 3 we combine the positive aspects of both approaches for the first time, creating an open environment with a complex, multi-thread story.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflixs-the-witcher-cast-vs-video-game-characters&captions=true"] With technology finally having caught up to CDPR’s ambition, Wild Hunt was released to widespread critical acclaim and unparalleled commercial success for the studio, selling over four million copies in its first two weeks alone. The Witcher games have now collectively sold over 40 million copies, with Wild Hunt accounting for more than half of those, according to CD Projekt. As of this writing, The Witcher 3 is the third-best-selling RPG on Xbox One and the fifth-best-selling on PS4, based on physical sales in the U.S., according to Piscatella. Perhaps even more impressive than its sale totals is its longevity; Witcher 3 hit its max concurrent players ever on Steam in January 2020 – nearly five years after it was released – according to SteamCharts, likely due to the Henry Cavill-led adaptation that was released on Netflix in December 2019. The TV series further elevated The Witcher’s pop cultural standing, quickly becoming the streaming giant’s most-watched first season ever. It’s unclear, however, where exactly the game series goes from here. 2018 saw the release of the card battle/RPG crossover Thronebreaker, and the mobile version of Gwent: The Witcher Card Game was released late last fall. CDPR recently secured a new deal with author Andrzej Sapkowski, reaffirming its exclusive rights to develop video games based on the author’s book series, but the developer has been quiet about the future of The Witcher as it focuses on this year’s highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 – though CEO Adam Kiciński has said the studio will “probably” return to the fantasy world eventually. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Which franchises do you think underwent the most significant changes this generation? Which are in need of a reinvention next gen? Let us know in the comments! [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN.source https://www.ign.com/articles/6-big-video-game-franchises-that-were-reinvented-this-console-generation
No comments:
Post a Comment