Quantcast

The Top 7... Failed Franchises We Know How to Fix

They've been broken for years. Here's how to set them right

Words: GamesRadar US

 
This one takes some serious explaining.

First, let's take a look at the opening of Jaws, one of the most haunting, terrifying moments in movie history.

Did you see the shark once in that entire scene? No. And that's why it scared millions of people so deeply they avoided beaches altogether and actually began hunting sharks en masse. What's the lesson? We're scared to death of things we can't see or control. That's why the survival horror genre has been so successful - flipping the odds so you're in constant danger of being viciously murdered makes any game play entirely different.

A real Jaws game should treat the fish as the ultimate predator it is, and unfold in such a way that you freak out every time you see it. Perfect example: Silent Hill 2's Pyramid Head. Most of Silent Hill 2 is spent wandering run-down buildings and shadowy corridors (occasionally made of skin, of course), always afraid that something awful is going to leap out and get you. Most of the time nothing does, but when a masked man carrying a five-foot sword lurches around the corner, possibly while carrying the body of something he recently killed, you can feel how terrible he is. And all you think is "getawaygetawaygetaway."

Imagine a survival horror game that takes place entirely on water. You start off on a small boat with a few people, one of which is brutally mauled by Jaws. The boat barely chugs along, having suffered irreparable damage, and will undoubtedly sink in a few hours. Other ships come and go, perhaps also attacked or a small island is found with no way to dock... there are plenty of ideas to stretch the game along. Jaws should elicit a nervous, panicked sensation every time he appears, be it swimming through a pool of gory people chunks or in between the battered hulls of downed boats. The point is, don't put us in control of him, a move that goes against the film's frightful nature. It turns a feared monster into a joke, and that's not the way to go. Like Godzilla he needs to be the subject of fear, desperation and hopelessness. Not this nonsense.


 
14 Comments
Order Comments: Newest First | Oldest First
h3110  - 1 year 2 months ago 
cool first comment and i tottlay agree with all of these
rel123  - 1 year 2 months ago 
Our solution: Turn every game into Mass Effect.
Excellent.
cricket0  - 1 year 1 month ago 
I think that every game needs an upgrade like these
katwood92  - 1 year 1 month ago 
If every game was Mass Effect, gaming would get boring fast. However Mass Effect does have many different aspects that a lot of games could learn from.
rghtstff12  - 11 months 7 days ago 
Thank God somebody finally said it! I am DYING for a solid Batman game.
Sebastian16  - 11 months 5 days ago 
I shall pray to the non-existant gods that Batman; Arkham Asylum will be the Batman game we've all been waiting for.
Yoshi X100  - 10 months 29 days ago 
I disagree with the Godzilla thing, I think it should be more along the lines of a free roam Grand Theft Auto game where you go on the missions and campaign when you want, build alliances, destroy cities, fight monsters even when your not in campaign, oh and maybe upgrade abilities. Sound Good?
Anton_13  - 10 months 21 days ago 
on the star trek note, there's a star trek MMO (MMORPG?) in development
Anton_13  - 10 months 20 days ago 
good harry potter thought, but wouldn't that have a bit of a niche appeal? I think harry potter needs an RPG. Not like Mass Effect, because then it would lose something, but still more than just a big, open world.
PittsburghPirates  - 10 months 4 days ago 
No that Mirror's Edge is coming out for PC, someone is bound to make a Mod....
crazyjames  - 9 months 1 day ago 
Seeing Jaws chucking grenades at beach goers had to be the absolute highlight of this article. Priceless.
Blackhalos99  - 7 months 2 days ago 
Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MoonPig  - 5 months 10 days ago 
splinter cell FTW
Corsair89  - 2 months 26 days ago 
Congradulations, GR. Batman: Arkham Asylum did everything you suggested(except the Batmobile) and proved that you were absoultely right. Kudos.
Related Games
Mass Effect
Xbox 360
Play the original Quake in your browser N4G
PC News from N4G
Nov 25, 2009
PSLS Giveaway: 50 Battlefield Bad Company 2 Beta... N4G
PS3 News from N4G
Nov 25, 2009
PixelJunk Shooter Aiming for Release Date N4G
PS3 News from N4G
Nov 25, 2009
CONFIRMED: God Of War Collection Coming To EU... N4G
PS3 News from N4G
Nov 25, 2009
Over 1,000 songs now available for Rock Band N4G
PS3 News from N4G
Nov 25, 2009