Matt’s Somewhat Serious Bit
As the video game market expands and new technology continues to drive development costs higher, many companies are pumping out sequels. However, these sequels have got to come from somewhere, and occasionally a developer will deliver a successful new intellectual property for a publisher to milk – usually at the start of a new generation of hardware. The fans of the new game will inevitably want a sequel, and in most cases, their prayers will be answered. Unfortunately, these sequels are occasionally a big letdown, so this week I thought we’d look at a few of the more outstanding sequels in a bit we’ll call “2 Disappointing.” But first, a lesson in the English language.
Dictionary.com defines disappointing as “Not up to expectations or hopes.” So before firing off your hate filled responses, please note that the games listed are here because they were a let-down, not because they are necessarily bad.
Devil May Cry 2
F: PlayStation 2
D: Capcom
P: Capcom
R: 2003
PALGN Score: 7
2001 was a big year for Capcom, with high sales from both established franchises like Resident Evil (a quick port of Code Veronica X yielding big sales) and new intellectual property like Onimusha and Devil May Cry. Fans took a liking to the cocky antics of Devil May Cry’s protagonist Dante, and the action the game provided was very intense. With over 4 million copies sold, Devil May Cry was one of the games that really put the PlayStation 2 on the map early in its career.
Capcom got into a bit of a panic in 2002, when they realised they had no major release for the holiday season. The Japanese developer was obviously feeling quite devious one day when they decided to take an existing work-in-progress (the title of which I do not know), slap Dante into it, call it Devil May Cry 2 and have it on shelves before Christmas. Funnily enough, the game was delayed into January, missing the holiday rush. The reaction to Devil May Cry 2 wasn’t good, with the game’s difficulty considerably toned down over its predecessor, not to mention the more mature attitude of Dante and the completely non-sensical plot. The game shipped on 2 DVDs, with one for Dante and the other for Lucia, who just happens to be the heroine of the game that became Devil May Cry 2. But hey, it’s not the first time another product was evolved into a Devil May Cry title – the first game was originally Resident Evil 4.
Not really all that good
The game did actually meet with favourable sales initially, but failed to repeat the success of the first game. Its performance was enough to ensure that a 3rd game was released, Dante’s Awakening, which saw the game’s development handled by the original development team – a real return to form for the Devil May Cry series, but the damage the series suffered to its reputation has yet to be fully repaired.
Driver 2
F: PlayStation
D: Reflections
P: GT Interactive (now Atari)
R: 2000
PALGN Review: NR
When Driver was released in 1999, it began a new era of action-driving games that took a lot of inspiration from Hollywood action films. With faithful reproductions of American cities on an unprecedented scale (for 3D) and its high energy action car chases, Driver delivered a real kick in the pants to the PlayStation’s action game line-up. The game was a big success, selling over 5 million copies.
Driver 2 was one of the last highly anticipated titles on the PlayStation with developer Reflections promising big new additions to the game to basically beat the rival GTA series, by taking their concept to 3D before they had a chance. Driver 2’s biggest new features were on foot sections and car jacking. Unfortunately, these new additions proved too ambitious for Reflections, with the new bits suffering from absolutely atrocious control which killed any joy the game potentially had – the game is on the verge of being unplayable. Driver 2’s framerate really killed the fun one could derive from the driving sections, leaving the package to be an unmitigated disaster. Yet, it still sold several million copies.
See Grand Theft Auto 3 for a good stab at this game
Many had faith that Reflections would deliver a better game if they had superior technology, so anticipation for Driver 3 (or Driv3r) was quite high, but we all know how this story ends. It’s possible that the Driver series may never again enjoy the critical and commercial success of the first game.
Super Mario Bros. 2: Mario Madness
F: NES
D: Nintendo EAD
P: Nintendo
R: 1988
PALGN Review: NR
Super Mario Bros. is the game that put Nintendo on the map, and remains the highest selling video game to date. But for some reason, Nintendo felt that the West was not ready for the real Super Mario Bros. 2. There are quite a few different reasons why the switch was made, and honestly, the party line story about the game being too difficult for American audiences is pretty much spot on (this writer required the assistance of save states to beat it).
Instead of releasing the real Super Mario Bros. 2, Nintendo decided to give a bit of a Mario makeover to a small profile game named Doki Doki Panic. The slower paced and totally different gameplay was a bit unpleasant and the ending totally unsatisfying, but the game has a dedicated fanbase. It didn’t exactly do any harm to the Mario brand either, even if it didn’t repeat the success of the original game, with Super Mario Bros. 3 selling somewhere in the region of 20 million units. Western gamers would not see the real Super Mario Bros. 2 until its inclusion in Super Mario All Stars in 1993, although it did appear in a polished up form – you can see it in its original form (with a slightly different screen ratio) on the Game Boy Color’s Super Mario Bros. DX.
Viewtiful Joe 2
F: GameCube/PlayStation 2
D: Clover Studio
P: Capcom
R: 2004
PALGN Review: 8
The “Capcom 5” is somewhat funny in hindsight; one didn’t make it to market, one was a fairly mediocre shooter (with hypnotic ass shaking), one was completely off the wall, one is unanimously considered to be the best game of the generation, and one was a moderate success and a promising franchising opportunity. Viewtiful Joe was a unique brawler which caught the attention of the wider Nintendo fanbase, mostly due to its initial exclusivity. The game was pretty damn fun (gaining a rare 9/10 from yours truly) with its homage to Hollywood clichés and cool features like slow-mo and fast forward.
Capcom drew the ire of the rabid Nintendo fanbase when they took Joe to the PlayStation 2 with additional features and new playable features. The Nintendo fans also did not appreciate the fact that the sequel would also be released simultaneously on both forms. These factors only relate to the game’s poor commercial performance; the combined sales of the two versions equated to about half of the sales of the original game’s GameCube release.
My main disappointments with Viewtiful Joe 2 are due to the fact that Capcom cut the most appealing new feature out of the game just weeks prior to release, and that the sequel largely did nothing to improve on the original game. The lack of co-operative play, a feature that Viewtiful Joe was crying out for, is pretty much responsible for killing all interest in the title. The series has never really recovered – Joe 2 did alright when it hit the bargain bin, but Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble on the DS was a big bomb despite being a critical darling, and Red Hot Rumble…let’s pretend that one doesn’t exist (a feat easily achieved by its performance at retail).
Halo 2
F: Xbox
D: Bungie
P: Microsoft Game Studios
R: 2004
PALGN Review: 9
It’s not Easy Mode without a little controversy.
I’d say that if it were not for its multiplayer component, Halo 2 would be thought of (or at least been debated about) as being a major disappointment. Halo is the only reason the Xbox took off, because it provided a damn solid single player and co-operative experience, and an enjoyable multiplayer game. Consider this: Halo was thrown together in 9 months, yet is thought of as being one of the best of this generation, so forgive me for having higher expectations when the same developer has four times as long to deliver a sequel.
A really cool sequence, but it wasn't in the real game
Perhaps the biggest source of Halo 2’s disappointment stems from the E3 2003 demo reel. Master Chief and Cortana in the middle of a huge battle on Earth. All Bungie needed to do was give us one hell of a fight on Earth, just like what we saw in the demonstration. Halo 2’s Earth fight lasted for basically one level. The best level in the game. The rest of Halo 2 is a cheap rehash of the original game, including the terrible cut and paste level design – Halo’s #1 weakness. But what about that ending. Just when it looked like we were going to get the big Earth battle we so desired……BAM! End Credits.
Halo 2’s cliff-hanger ending will only serve to bolster the excitement for the third game. I remain unconvinced that we will ever get our large scale battles on Earth, especially with the teaser for the third game implying that it will be set after the Covenant win the fight on Earth. I don’t care if it’s a losing battle – just let me fight it!
Matt’s Other Serious Bit
June 30 is a pretty hectic time in the world of business, and consumers can benefit by waiting for stores to clear out their excess stock. I thought I’d take some time this week to pimp a few of the best deals going around.
Dragon Quest
F: PlayStation 2
D: Level 5
P: Square Enix
R: 2006
PALGN Score: 8.5
Best deal: Myer – 50% off (49.95)
It’s the highest selling series of RPGs in Japan, yet it took forever to make it back to PAL Shores. Old school in its play style, but packed with an awesome visual style, both artistically and technically, Dragon Quest is easily one of the top 5 RPGs on the PlayStation 2. Expect to get about 100 hours of play out of this one if you want to see all it has to offer – very good mileage for those on a limited budget.
Got a spare 100 hours?
Taito Legends 2
F: PlayStation 2/Xbox/PC
D: Taito
P: Empire Interactive
R: 2006
PALGN Review: 8
Best Deal: EB Games – 50% off ($25)
Taito were at the forefront of arcade game development in the 80’s and 90’s, and this compilation has a stack of their best efforts. But who gives a crap about the other games in the package when you can be playing the awesome Elevator Action Returns. You can find the original Taito Legends around for a similar price if you want to rummage through the disorganised mess that is the EB sale.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
F: Game Boy Advance
D: Flagship
P: Nintendo
R: 2005
PALGN Review: 9
Best Deal: Myer – 50% off ($35)
It’s fricking Zelda.
..
It sure is
World of Warcraft
F: PC
D: Blizzard
P: Vivendi
R: 2004
PALGN Review: NR
Best Deal: EB Games - 50% off ($45 + a monthly fee and your soul)
6 million addicts can’t be wrong. Easy Mode will not be responsible for the following events which may arise as a result of the purchase of World of Warcraft;
- Loss of Employment
- Relationship breakdowns
- Bankruptcy
- Excessive weight gain
- Hair loss
- Increased body odour
- Insomnia
- Raiders crashing your online funeral
Is it worth selling your soul for? Probably
New Super Mario Bros.
F: Nintendo DS
D: Nintendo EAD
P: Nintendo
R: 2006
PALGN Review: 9
Best Deal – David Jones ($55)
Mario’s return to 2D has come at the right time, with many stores giving reasonably good discounts on what may well be the Nintendo DS’s game of the year. Pick up a copy immediately and rediscover what made gaming fun.
Why don’t they bring back…Poochy
Christmas 1995 saw the release of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. The weird and wonderful platformer is often remembered as one of the greatest games of all time, but Yoshi’s canine companion Poochy seems to have been long forgotten, to the point where he didn’t even get a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Poochy ponders the important questions, like how the heck a male Yoshi lays eggs
Poochy is a rather unconventional hound, with no ears and a bizarre-looking tail – he looks like a bit of a freak, but is quite lovable nonetheless. He’s super strong and super stupid (despite the name of his debut level being “Poochy Ain’t Stupid”), evidenced by the fact that he as the ability to carry you over and push you into spikes and lava.
Nintendo has two opportunities in the pipeline to bring back the beloved Poochy – as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, or in his original role in Yoshi’s Island 2. Only time will tell if we will see the freaky dog in action once again.
Easy Feedback
Which sequels have you been really hyped about, but ended up being disappointed with? What made the game disappointing? What do you think the developer could have done to make the game better?
Post your answers in the comments.
The views and opinions expressed in Easy Mode are those solely of the writer, and do not reperesent those of PALGN, its sponsors, advertisers or affiliates
), when I picked up DMC2 I wanted to cry. Combat was insanely shallow and easy, and the bosses were incredibly tedious. The only cool thing which I thought was in that game when you beat one boss, and he says "I coulda been king of this world!",Dante replies with "Oh yeah? Well, here's your crown", points E&I at him and blasts him through a window so he can fall to his death. Cheesy, and not as good as DMC or DMC3, but it was still pretty good 
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