Are your favourite franchises better or worse this generation?

Silent Hill

What this generation brought:

American dev teams, better combat

How the overall package compares:

Frustrating one, this. Because while Silent Hill has fared far better than expected since being thrust into the hands of non-Konami developers, the once revolutionary survival horror series is now treading water rather than new ground.

It seems churlish to criticise one of the best horror franchises in gaming for delivering more of the same, but given that Homecoming is Silent Hill 5 and the series’ best entry is still number 2, the criticism is more than justified. Silent Hill’s particular balance of strengths (dense atmosphere, nightmare surrealism, psychological storytelling) make its formula tricky to develop without killing, but overly familiar retreads are just as dangerous, particularly given that the series’ current treatment lacks the finesse and purism it once enjoyed.

Silent Hill’s horrible sense of oppression has only been helped by current gen graphics and sound, but the series needs a lot more than enemy lock-on and a controllable camera if it’s going to stay relevant.

When the Awesometer says Silent Hill is best: 

Mario Kart

What this generation has brought:

Motion-controlled steering, online play

How the overall package compares:

As much as we love it, we have to admit that Mario Kart has one heck of a chequered history, all things considered. The original Super Mario Kart is frantic but pure. The N64 game isn’t as tight, but got a massive boost in graphics and scope. On the Gamecube, Mario Kart is fun, but far too gimmick-laden to stand up to the previous games. Mario Kart DS is the best of both worlds, blending the driving purity of the first game with the track design of the later ones. Mario Kart on the Wii? It’s everything that’s great and terrible about its host console.

The motion-controlled steering is excellent, providing the precision of an analogue stick with an immediate and instinctive interface. It’s exactly what the Wii was sold to do. But in terms of game design, Mario Kart Wii is another victim of Nintendo’s current philosophy of removing any quantifiable framework for serious competition so that we can all grin just inanely while sharing the fun of being rubbish together.

Think of all the little niggles you hate about Mario Kart. All that cheaty, rubber-banding AI and all those skill-less blue shell wins. All those times that various versions of the game have done you out of a well-earned win by screwing you over on the last corner. Mario Kart Wii is less a game, and more an interactive museum exhibit dedicated to explaining those occurrences to a new generation. It can be fun, yeah, but don’t expect to ever be able to play it as an actual racing game.

When the Awesometer says Mario Kart is best: 

Sonic the Hedgehog

What this generation brought:

The return of 2D bits, were-hogs, probably his worst game ever

How the overall package compares:

Given that Sonic has been crap for the last three generations it may seem moot to quantify his comparable quality this time around, but we’re going to do it anyway. Given how well this crap sells, it obviously still matters to someone.

Sonic the Hedgehog started this generation horribly with 2006’s self-titled exercise in self-abuse; a flaming bestial ambulance crash of a game that should have been impossible to recover from. But Sonic kept going. The Wii’s Secret Rings was a fun diversion at first, but was ultimately dull, shallow and a bit messy. Ditto for Sonic and the Black Knight.

Things perked up for Sonic Unleashed, at least initially, as the promise of 2D gameplay got us all excited. But Sega didn’t tell us that on-rails 3D was still plentiful, and made sure to shut the hell right up about the abominable combat sections. The DS has fared better with the likes of the Sonic Rush series and the Dark Brotherhood RPG, but neither was exactly a franchise-saver.

So, better now than in the days of Sonic Adventure, Heroes, et al? Probably not, but whether strictly worse or not is a matter we’ll leave to the poor broken minds of those who still care.

When the Awesometer says Sonic the Hedgehog is best: 

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