Sequels in games these days just suck. Sequels (including bad ones) are nothing new in the world of gaming. Heck, one can go all the way back to Ms. Pac-Man and see examples of zero-innovation sequels. But there was something, either the execution of the sequels, or perhaps the magical quality of the original games, that made such repeat performances work. Indeed, the aforementioned Ms. Pac-Man became more recognized than her predecessor.

No, sequels haven't always been bad--some of my favorite games have been sequels--but there is just something missing from sequels nowadays. It could very likely be that companies are choosing the wrong games to make sequels out of. Take Rare, for instance, who have released Banjo Tooie, the sequel to their acceptable platformer (I shouldn't have to tell you the name.) Reviews of the game cite it as more of what made the previous game good, if a bit too much of what made the game good.

Now, not to start bashing Rare, but I've just got to bash Rare a bit here. What the heck happened to some of their classic games like RC Pro-Am, or, even better, Cobra Triangle? Hydro Thunder can bite my ass, a 3D update of CT, longer, more graphically impressive, and using the same 3/4 overhead view would rule the seas. And with networking nowadays, the "Wow" potential is just insane. Instead, they release a sequel to their platformer, a genre which is almost as beaten to death as possible between the games (and their mediocre to downright crappy sequels) on every console. This is just an example. There are dozens of worthy title sitting in the graveyard of gaming waiting for their proper resurrection.

If a company is going to make a sequel, they need to make vast improvements. You'd think after looking at debacles such as the Twisted Metal, Tomb Raider, and Contra franchises, people would stand up and notice that something was just tragically wrong, but that doesn't happen. (All this having been said, a good sequel, IMO, is probably playing in your local arcade right now: Crisis Zone, which is Time Crisis on PCP, and mighty worthy of your 4 bits. Check it out.)

The saddest part of all this is that because I'm offering my advice for free, no company will listen to me. If I walked into Rare with some official-looking papers and tried to charge them $150 an hour as a consultant, I might have some luck. Go figure. Note to prospective companies: I'll give advice on which games deserve sequels for low wages. :)