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Editorials   Developers Get a 0 For 0riginality
- By Ryan Eid

It doesn't happen often to game sequels. Unless of course you are part of the shooting genre of games on the Nintendo GameCube. In that case, it's more commonplace then anything. That's right: prequels. People love them, and why not? It gives you a further understanding of how the characters, situations, and stories evolved from their past endeavors. Four of the biggest shooter sequels will use this technique of shedding light on a game's past; the Perfect Dark, Resident Evil, Turok, and Metroid games will all be "prequels".

How quaint.

One game in this manner is exciting. Two is coincidental, and four is just uncanny. There are two possible reasons the developers have taken this high road (after all, tying in an "episode I" to an existing game is much easier then trying to add something new to the franchise). The first could be that the current plotline has already been stretched beyond it's means. The developers have oozed out their creative juices, and don't know where to turn for another storyline jolt.

The first culprit of this would be Turok. What began as a caveman hunting through the woods for dinosaurs, ended in a futuristic alien-riddled world that, outside the control setup, a weapon or two, and the name on the box, had virtually no resemblance to the original dino-blasting game.

The second would be Resident Evil, of course. With already more versions, updates, and sequels then most games ever get, the RE franchise has been stretched beyond its means. Sure, the gameplay style has remained the same; and maybe that's the problem. Umbrella can only be evil for so long before gamers start to grow weary of the monotony. A spider breaking through pane glass just won't cut it any longer. So, what better way to freshen up the series then to expand it from the roots? Both of these games have different problems storyline wise, but are looking for the same solution.

The other possibility is the storyline was not solid enough to withstand its own weight to begin with. Now, surely you can't blame Retro for a weak storied background of Metroid. After all, games of the 80s were not heavily enveloped in plots and character development like they are today. A Metroid "prime" makes sense, even: if done properly we can peer into Samus' past, and see what made her the renegade alien buster she came to become. That's why the Zelda prequels worked so well.

However, Perfect Dark does not get the same leeway. If there was one major complaint gamers had about the original, it was that the plot wasn't exactly portrayed well. The mission briefings gave more insights, but overall it just seemed lacking. Well, a prequel could be just the thing to cure what ails it. Delve into Joanna's past to uncover the true secrets behind dataDyne, Mr. Blonde, the Skedar, and so forth. Well, it will do one thing (hopefully), and that's solidify a story for an actual Squel, if one does ever come about. But that should have been taken care of in the N64 version.

Not to say that this won't enhance current stories and adventures, and even answer some frequently asked queries, but it almost seems as if to be a cop out for developers. Shooters aren't normally known as a genre with great plotlines behind them, however that all is changing. And it would be nice to see more games going forward then going backward.