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If you’re anybody normal then you’ll not have a clue what Iconography is, it means icons that tell apart particular genres. Take films for example, old guns, cowboy hats, musty overcoats aha it’s a western. Mis ‘en scene is the area, for a western it would be wide sweeping baron landscapes and for a horror a mansion/castle/graveyard etc… Now these two are what makes similar programmes or genres erm similar, and this works identically with games but not necessarily with separate genres in fact each individual game series has there own unique Mis ‘en scene’s and Iconography (like James Bond movies).
One complaint frequently heard by the mass of Metroid fans is the First Person prospective chosen by first party developer Retro Studio’s. They claim that not being able to see Samus takes away what makes Metroid err Metroid. This is blatantly untrue, the Mis ‘en scene of Metroid features wide sprawling landscapes, cramped corridors and Alien worlds so far all present and correct, Iconography such as weaponry, enemies, metallic scenery, spaceships etc… again all the familiar traits of Metroid are present. So despite Metroid’s drastic change of prospective everything that made Metroid the game it is, are all still here. Some will be forgiven in thinking games such as Mario Golf/Tennis/Kart/Party/ Smash Brothers, are just cash in, games that have similar characters splashed across them to sell. But all of these feature the same landscapes as Mario, be it Lava lands, Castles, average green areas, water worlds whatever, they are all present. The various shells are here for the Iconography, as are the mushrooms and even dare I say hammers. Yes they are cash ins but these games have more than a mere passing resemblance to Mario games, they feature gameplay elements and items present in all Mario games.
Now on to Zelda, whilst most people on here have come to learn to love the new Cel-shaded look a few skeptics still exists in the croud and all I ask is why? Sure the graphics look a bit different, but if you are a long serving Zelda fan then surly you can recognize this game is still the Zelda we know and love. The familiar icons are back, from the Triforce symbol on the sword and shield, Rupee’s, the smashing pots; even the chickens are all back. Look at the green scenery, similar textures on the trees and other woods, similar dress and attitude of the characters. The worlds all seem Zelda style; the towns are reminiscent of Clock Town in Majora’s Mask and the Market in Ocarina of Time and the area surrounding are the same lushes green worlds found in Termina and Hyrule field. Whilst the same Zelda esq. mysterious music fills the air and that all so familiar theme music, does the graphic style seem so important now? Iconography, Mis ‘en scene and music far out weigh prospective and graphic style. It is Cel-shaded but it is no less Zelda than Ocarina of Time as they main elements are still in place, Metroid may be first person but everything that made Metroid is still present and so therefore it is just as much a sequel to the original as Metroid Fusion will be.
Music has been barley touched upon but this is still vital, familiar Metroid sounds will emerge from your TV during Metroid Prime, no matter what Mario game you own you will get the familiar music there, and that all adds to the atmosphere. Look at Mario Tennis, a spin off Mario game, and yet the familiar music, the items, the colours and the Mis ‘en scene makes this game a true Mario game and not a cash in, that atmosphere that a Mario game gives off is all still there. Pokémon Blue was a Gameboy game and yet the N64 “Stadium” game still created the same feel, the backgrounds were a 3D versions of those found in the game (as you imagined it) the Pokéballs, the music, and in particular the characters look all made the atmosphere from the Gameboy game appear on the N64 despite one being 2D and the other 3D and one being a handheld RPG and the other a home console beat ‘em up. Lets go back in time to Doki Doki Panic, a good fun platformer, the sequel is far better known, Super Mario Brothers 2 or Super Mario Advance. The characters were similar, the Mis ‘en scene (most of the time) were very much Mario as was the graphical style, despite this platformer playing nothing like any other Mario game I played it and was none the wiser.
Characters are completely unimportant in the games, it will annoy the fans that enjoy the certain character but it will not take the familiarity of the game away. Devil May Cry 2 and Metal Gear Solid 2 (aha it isn’t just a Nintendo post then) use or will use a different lead character, in the second Resident Evil game the characters (Leon and Clair) were different from the first (Jill and Chris). Despite the character swap the game still featured familiar clothing, weaponry and scenery to make it feel like Metal Gear, Devil May Cry 2 will feature the same gothic landscape, outlandish yet realistic weaponry and swords. Resident Evil’s camera angles, pre-rendered backdrops, crates, typewriters, weapons etc… all remain the same and so you can always spot a sequel. Yet still developers do not risk originality, Crash Bandicoot is always the same, Tomb Raider rarely changes, Tekken always features similar ways of play (they feared that making a drastic change (weapons) could spell disaster for the series and so made a different game called Soul Calibur). The fact is if these games feature the same Iconography, similar Mis ‘en scene and music then they’re a sequel no matter which the main character is, what the graphics look like and weather it is first or third person. If they do not feature these features then the game truly is a cash in.
Dringo.
One complaint frequently heard by the mass of Metroid fans is the First Person prospective chosen by first party developer Retro Studio’s. They claim that not being able to see Samus takes away what makes Metroid err Metroid. This is blatantly untrue, the Mis ‘en scene of Metroid features wide sprawling landscapes, cramped corridors and Alien worlds so far all present and correct, Iconography such as weaponry, enemies, metallic scenery, spaceships etc… again all the familiar traits of Metroid are present. So despite Metroid’s drastic change of prospective everything that made Metroid the game it is, are all still here. Some will be forgiven in thinking games such as Mario Golf/Tennis/Kart/Party/ Smash Brothers, are just cash in, games that have similar characters splashed across them to sell. But all of these feature the same landscapes as Mario, be it Lava lands, Castles, average green areas, water worlds whatever, they are all present. The various shells are here for the Iconography, as are the mushrooms and even dare I say hammers. Yes they are cash ins but these games have more than a mere passing resemblance to Mario games, they feature gameplay elements and items present in all Mario games.
Now on to Zelda, whilst most people on here have come to learn to love the new Cel-shaded look a few skeptics still exists in the croud and all I ask is why? Sure the graphics look a bit different, but if you are a long serving Zelda fan then surly you can recognize this game is still the Zelda we know and love. The familiar icons are back, from the Triforce symbol on the sword and shield, Rupee’s, the smashing pots; even the chickens are all back. Look at the green scenery, similar textures on the trees and other woods, similar dress and attitude of the characters. The worlds all seem Zelda style; the towns are reminiscent of Clock Town in Majora’s Mask and the Market in Ocarina of Time and the area surrounding are the same lushes green worlds found in Termina and Hyrule field. Whilst the same Zelda esq. mysterious music fills the air and that all so familiar theme music, does the graphic style seem so important now? Iconography, Mis ‘en scene and music far out weigh prospective and graphic style. It is Cel-shaded but it is no less Zelda than Ocarina of Time as they main elements are still in place, Metroid may be first person but everything that made Metroid is still present and so therefore it is just as much a sequel to the original as Metroid Fusion will be.
Music has been barley touched upon but this is still vital, familiar Metroid sounds will emerge from your TV during Metroid Prime, no matter what Mario game you own you will get the familiar music there, and that all adds to the atmosphere. Look at Mario Tennis, a spin off Mario game, and yet the familiar music, the items, the colours and the Mis ‘en scene makes this game a true Mario game and not a cash in, that atmosphere that a Mario game gives off is all still there. Pokémon Blue was a Gameboy game and yet the N64 “Stadium” game still created the same feel, the backgrounds were a 3D versions of those found in the game (as you imagined it) the Pokéballs, the music, and in particular the characters look all made the atmosphere from the Gameboy game appear on the N64 despite one being 2D and the other 3D and one being a handheld RPG and the other a home console beat ‘em up. Lets go back in time to Doki Doki Panic, a good fun platformer, the sequel is far better known, Super Mario Brothers 2 or Super Mario Advance. The characters were similar, the Mis ‘en scene (most of the time) were very much Mario as was the graphical style, despite this platformer playing nothing like any other Mario game I played it and was none the wiser.
Characters are completely unimportant in the games, it will annoy the fans that enjoy the certain character but it will not take the familiarity of the game away. Devil May Cry 2 and Metal Gear Solid 2 (aha it isn’t just a Nintendo post then) use or will use a different lead character, in the second Resident Evil game the characters (Leon and Clair) were different from the first (Jill and Chris). Despite the character swap the game still featured familiar clothing, weaponry and scenery to make it feel like Metal Gear, Devil May Cry 2 will feature the same gothic landscape, outlandish yet realistic weaponry and swords. Resident Evil’s camera angles, pre-rendered backdrops, crates, typewriters, weapons etc… all remain the same and so you can always spot a sequel. Yet still developers do not risk originality, Crash Bandicoot is always the same, Tomb Raider rarely changes, Tekken always features similar ways of play (they feared that making a drastic change (weapons) could spell disaster for the series and so made a different game called Soul Calibur). The fact is if these games feature the same Iconography, similar Mis ‘en scene and music then they’re a sequel no matter which the main character is, what the graphics look like and weather it is first or third person. If they do not feature these features then the game truly is a cash in.
Dringo.
So you could say that the obvious Iconography (the graphics, characters, theme tune, trademarks etc) of DOnkey Kong Country were present in Donkey Kong 64, but all the more subtle Iconographic elements such as style, feel, structure and gameplay shone through in Crash.
In Super Metroid, I've not seen enough to judge most of the inconography but the lack of platforming will certainly take out of the more subtle iconography and Samus, Metroid's most important Icon, is more or less absent (apart from one or two cut scenes), but from what reviewers have been saying, that doesn't really matter because the game is great anyway.
In Super Metroid, I've not seen enough to judge most of the inconography but the lack of platforming will certainly take out of the more subtle iconography and Samus, Metroid's most important Icon, is more or less absent (apart from one or two cut scenes), but from what reviewers have been saying, that doesn't really matter because the game is great anyway.
Yes donkey Kong in crash would have worked PERFECTLY!
But as you said, the barrels were boxes, the bananas were boxes and the mine carts weren't there.... this is why crash was crash and DK was DK...
But as you said, the barrels were boxes, the bananas were boxes and the mine carts weren't there.... this is why crash was crash and DK was DK...
Dringo wrote:
> I disgree, yes a crash style game maybe the correct way to do it but
> Crash wasn't Donkey Kong, the prospective should of been but the game
> didn't even feel like Donkey Kong.
Oh, but it did.
The music sort of beat, the sounds the animals made when you bounced on them, the way they'd go off the screen, the way challenges would come in 3's, the apples were just like bananas, the boxes replaced the barrels.
Basically, if you'd swapped the boxes for barrels, the apples for banana's and changed Crash into DK, this could've easily passed as a DK game.
The Barrels you mentioned, the
> throwing of them, the tagging that is all Donkey Kong style and it
> felt like it.
Disagree. Throwing barrels? Only on select boss levels (the big bosses were one of the few things DK64 ALMOST got right).
The barrel bonus games did not resemble DKC in any way and shooting from barrel to barrel? It was sort of the same principle but putting it into first person completely changed it.
And one thing DK64 did perfectly and I will not shake on
> was the mine cart races.
disagree again. They were warped and weird. Good, but not much like the original. You collected and lost coins really easily and despite being easy, it was often difficult to see what was going on.
On DKC's mine cart, everything was clear cut and precise.
And although this meant you could skillfully dodge the enemies instead of randomly hoping for the best, it also punished you when you DID make a mistake. Crash's Hog run was MUCH more like the DKC minecart than DK64 was.
Just as i imagined it, the feel that Donkey
> Kong was a "cool" game a older childs game like the
> originals came through with the "DKrap" and music in tag
> barrels.
So I thought at first, but the actual game/gameplay itself screamed "designed for kids".
> I own all 3 games, Crash, DK64 and DK country, and yes maybe it would
> be best for a behind the character linear structure but they chose not
> to do that. Nevertheless Crash was not and never will be Donkey Kong,
> the Mis en scene and Iconography is all wrong.
The obvious Iconography is all wrong (being a different franchise and everything), but the feel, the gameplay, the style, the very soul of the game - the more you play it, the more it reminds you of Donkey Kong Country. It IS DKC, reincarnated into 3D in terms of gameplay and style.
DK64 took the characters, the music and all the OBVIOUS iconography, but lost all the style and "feel" that made DKC so great.
Remember the satisfying shreik you'd hear if you bounced on a Raven.
Wasn't around in DK64 but you could do it in Crash!
> I disgree, yes a crash style game maybe the correct way to do it but
> Crash wasn't Donkey Kong, the prospective should of been but the game
> didn't even feel like Donkey Kong.
Oh, but it did.
The music sort of beat, the sounds the animals made when you bounced on them, the way they'd go off the screen, the way challenges would come in 3's, the apples were just like bananas, the boxes replaced the barrels.
Basically, if you'd swapped the boxes for barrels, the apples for banana's and changed Crash into DK, this could've easily passed as a DK game.
The Barrels you mentioned, the
> throwing of them, the tagging that is all Donkey Kong style and it
> felt like it.
Disagree. Throwing barrels? Only on select boss levels (the big bosses were one of the few things DK64 ALMOST got right).
The barrel bonus games did not resemble DKC in any way and shooting from barrel to barrel? It was sort of the same principle but putting it into first person completely changed it.
And one thing DK64 did perfectly and I will not shake on
> was the mine cart races.
disagree again. They were warped and weird. Good, but not much like the original. You collected and lost coins really easily and despite being easy, it was often difficult to see what was going on.
On DKC's mine cart, everything was clear cut and precise.
And although this meant you could skillfully dodge the enemies instead of randomly hoping for the best, it also punished you when you DID make a mistake. Crash's Hog run was MUCH more like the DKC minecart than DK64 was.
Just as i imagined it, the feel that Donkey
> Kong was a "cool" game a older childs game like the
> originals came through with the "DKrap" and music in tag
> barrels.
So I thought at first, but the actual game/gameplay itself screamed "designed for kids".
> I own all 3 games, Crash, DK64 and DK country, and yes maybe it would
> be best for a behind the character linear structure but they chose not
> to do that. Nevertheless Crash was not and never will be Donkey Kong,
> the Mis en scene and Iconography is all wrong.
The obvious Iconography is all wrong (being a different franchise and everything), but the feel, the gameplay, the style, the very soul of the game - the more you play it, the more it reminds you of Donkey Kong Country. It IS DKC, reincarnated into 3D in terms of gameplay and style.
DK64 took the characters, the music and all the OBVIOUS iconography, but lost all the style and "feel" that made DKC so great.
Remember the satisfying shreik you'd hear if you bounced on a Raven.
Wasn't around in DK64 but you could do it in Crash!
I disgree, yes a crash style game maybe the correct way to do it but Crash wasn't Donkey Kong, the prospective should of been but the game didn't even feel like Donkey Kong. The Barrels you mentioned, the throwing of them, the tagging that is all Donkey Kong style and it felt like it. And one thing DK64 did perfectly and I will not shake on was the mine cart races. Just as i imagined it, the feel that Donkey Kong was a "cool" game a older childs game like the originals came through with the "DKrap" and music in tag barrels.
I own all 3 games, Crash, DK64 and DK country, and yes maybe it would be best for a behind the character linear structure but they chose not to do that. Nevertheless Crash was not and never will be Donkey Kong, the Mis en scene and Iconography is all wrong.
I own all 3 games, Crash, DK64 and DK country, and yes maybe it would be best for a behind the character linear structure but they chose not to do that. Nevertheless Crash was not and never will be Donkey Kong, the Mis en scene and Iconography is all wrong.
Not quite.
The music and sound effects seemed a bit like it at first, with the same tune and everything, but when you go back DKC, you see how much sharper the original was in terms of sound.
Also, the Gameplay took ALL of the classic feel out of it.
No more bouncing off enemies, proper platforming (a few bits but not enough), switching through a tag barrel wasn't half as interesting as Donkey and Diddy doing the "yo" clap to switch control.
Now at first I just thought that it was the natural transition from 2D to 3D and that 3D wasn't as good at this sort of game.
But then I played Crash Bandicoot.
I only had to listen to the sound and play the game for less than an hour to realise that THIS was DKC in 3D.
The sound effects/music were different but in the right style.
The items and dangers were different but worked to the same effect.
The gameplay was spot on and the only thing that ruined it for me was lack of analogue control.
Unfortunately, only the original Crash game was good.
That's why Rare should take the best of Crash, the best of DKC and take it too the next level to make a great new revolutionary game that still gives us classic old school platforming action, only with a new twist!
The music and sound effects seemed a bit like it at first, with the same tune and everything, but when you go back DKC, you see how much sharper the original was in terms of sound.
Also, the Gameplay took ALL of the classic feel out of it.
No more bouncing off enemies, proper platforming (a few bits but not enough), switching through a tag barrel wasn't half as interesting as Donkey and Diddy doing the "yo" clap to switch control.
Now at first I just thought that it was the natural transition from 2D to 3D and that 3D wasn't as good at this sort of game.
But then I played Crash Bandicoot.
I only had to listen to the sound and play the game for less than an hour to realise that THIS was DKC in 3D.
The sound effects/music were different but in the right style.
The items and dangers were different but worked to the same effect.
The gameplay was spot on and the only thing that ruined it for me was lack of analogue control.
Unfortunately, only the original Crash game was good.
That's why Rare should take the best of Crash, the best of DKC and take it too the next level to make a great new revolutionary game that still gives us classic old school platforming action, only with a new twist!
But Donkey Kong 64 did feel like a DK game, just wasn't brilliant.
I know that Metroid Prime contains a lot of Faithful Iconography, but so did DK64! ;-D
Still, although the Music, Scenery, Weapons and Aliens are important, they're not half as important as seeing Samus in action.
The main character is the most important part in any third person game and the fact that Samus is more or less absent from Metroid Prime is rightly a big disappointment to all fans of the Metroid series.
Still, it'll be a great game, for what it is.
A TRUE 3D incarnation of Super Metroid would've been even better though.
EVERYTHING that's making this one so great + great platforming, a strong lead character, more diverse gameplay, fantastic animations amd a Nintendo platformer that grown-ups won't shy away from.
Still, Retro are only human, They've done the very best they can - which isn't bad, very good infact ,just not quite up to the standard of my imagination! ;-)
Still, although the Music, Scenery, Weapons and Aliens are important, they're not half as important as seeing Samus in action.
The main character is the most important part in any third person game and the fact that Samus is more or less absent from Metroid Prime is rightly a big disappointment to all fans of the Metroid series.
Still, it'll be a great game, for what it is.
A TRUE 3D incarnation of Super Metroid would've been even better though.
EVERYTHING that's making this one so great + great platforming, a strong lead character, more diverse gameplay, fantastic animations amd a Nintendo platformer that grown-ups won't shy away from.
Still, Retro are only human, They've done the very best they can - which isn't bad, very good infact ,just not quite up to the standard of my imagination! ;-)
If you’re anybody normal then you’ll not have a clue what Iconography is, it means icons that tell apart particular genres. Take films for example, old guns, cowboy hats, musty overcoats aha it’s a western. Mis ‘en scene is the area, for a western it would be wide sweeping baron landscapes and for a horror a mansion/castle/graveyard etc… Now these two are what makes similar programmes or genres erm similar, and this works identically with games but not necessarily with separate genres in fact each individual game series has there own unique Mis ‘en scene’s and Iconography (like James Bond movies).
One complaint frequently heard by the mass of Metroid fans is the First Person prospective chosen by first party developer Retro Studio’s. They claim that not being able to see Samus takes away what makes Metroid err Metroid. This is blatantly untrue, the Mis ‘en scene of Metroid features wide sprawling landscapes, cramped corridors and Alien worlds so far all present and correct, Iconography such as weaponry, enemies, metallic scenery, spaceships etc… again all the familiar traits of Metroid are present. So despite Metroid’s drastic change of prospective everything that made Metroid the game it is, are all still here. Some will be forgiven in thinking games such as Mario Golf/Tennis/Kart/Party/ Smash Brothers, are just cash in, games that have similar characters splashed across them to sell. But all of these feature the same landscapes as Mario, be it Lava lands, Castles, average green areas, water worlds whatever, they are all present. The various shells are here for the Iconography, as are the mushrooms and even dare I say hammers. Yes they are cash ins but these games have more than a mere passing resemblance to Mario games, they feature gameplay elements and items present in all Mario games.
Now on to Zelda, whilst most people on here have come to learn to love the new Cel-shaded look a few skeptics still exists in the croud and all I ask is why? Sure the graphics look a bit different, but if you are a long serving Zelda fan then surly you can recognize this game is still the Zelda we know and love. The familiar icons are back, from the Triforce symbol on the sword and shield, Rupee’s, the smashing pots; even the chickens are all back. Look at the green scenery, similar textures on the trees and other woods, similar dress and attitude of the characters. The worlds all seem Zelda style; the towns are reminiscent of Clock Town in Majora’s Mask and the Market in Ocarina of Time and the area surrounding are the same lushes green worlds found in Termina and Hyrule field. Whilst the same Zelda esq. mysterious music fills the air and that all so familiar theme music, does the graphic style seem so important now? Iconography, Mis ‘en scene and music far out weigh prospective and graphic style. It is Cel-shaded but it is no less Zelda than Ocarina of Time as they main elements are still in place, Metroid may be first person but everything that made Metroid is still present and so therefore it is just as much a sequel to the original as Metroid Fusion will be.
Music has been barley touched upon but this is still vital, familiar Metroid sounds will emerge from your TV during Metroid Prime, no matter what Mario game you own you will get the familiar music there, and that all adds to the atmosphere. Look at Mario Tennis, a spin off Mario game, and yet the familiar music, the items, the colours and the Mis ‘en scene makes this game a true Mario game and not a cash in, that atmosphere that a Mario game gives off is all still there. Pokémon Blue was a Gameboy game and yet the N64 “Stadium” game still created the same feel, the backgrounds were a 3D versions of those found in the game (as you imagined it) the Pokéballs, the music, and in particular the characters look all made the atmosphere from the Gameboy game appear on the N64 despite one being 2D and the other 3D and one being a handheld RPG and the other a home console beat ‘em up. Lets go back in time to Doki Doki Panic, a good fun platformer, the sequel is far better known, Super Mario Brothers 2 or Super Mario Advance. The characters were similar, the Mis ‘en scene (most of the time) were very much Mario as was the graphical style, despite this platformer playing nothing like any other Mario game I played it and was none the wiser.
Characters are completely unimportant in the games, it will annoy the fans that enjoy the certain character but it will not take the familiarity of the game away. Devil May Cry 2 and Metal Gear Solid 2 (aha it isn’t just a Nintendo post then) use or will use a different lead character, in the second Resident Evil game the characters (Leon and Clair) were different from the first (Jill and Chris). Despite the character swap the game still featured familiar clothing, weaponry and scenery to make it feel like Metal Gear, Devil May Cry 2 will feature the same gothic landscape, outlandish yet realistic weaponry and swords. Resident Evil’s camera angles, pre-rendered backdrops, crates, typewriters, weapons etc… all remain the same and so you can always spot a sequel. Yet still developers do not risk originality, Crash Bandicoot is always the same, Tomb Raider rarely changes, Tekken always features similar ways of play (they feared that making a drastic change (weapons) could spell disaster for the series and so made a different game called Soul Calibur). The fact is if these games feature the same Iconography, similar Mis ‘en scene and music then they’re a sequel no matter which the main character is, what the graphics look like and weather it is first or third person. If they do not feature these features then the game truly is a cash in.
Dringo.
One complaint frequently heard by the mass of Metroid fans is the First Person prospective chosen by first party developer Retro Studio’s. They claim that not being able to see Samus takes away what makes Metroid err Metroid. This is blatantly untrue, the Mis ‘en scene of Metroid features wide sprawling landscapes, cramped corridors and Alien worlds so far all present and correct, Iconography such as weaponry, enemies, metallic scenery, spaceships etc… again all the familiar traits of Metroid are present. So despite Metroid’s drastic change of prospective everything that made Metroid the game it is, are all still here. Some will be forgiven in thinking games such as Mario Golf/Tennis/Kart/Party/ Smash Brothers, are just cash in, games that have similar characters splashed across them to sell. But all of these feature the same landscapes as Mario, be it Lava lands, Castles, average green areas, water worlds whatever, they are all present. The various shells are here for the Iconography, as are the mushrooms and even dare I say hammers. Yes they are cash ins but these games have more than a mere passing resemblance to Mario games, they feature gameplay elements and items present in all Mario games.
Now on to Zelda, whilst most people on here have come to learn to love the new Cel-shaded look a few skeptics still exists in the croud and all I ask is why? Sure the graphics look a bit different, but if you are a long serving Zelda fan then surly you can recognize this game is still the Zelda we know and love. The familiar icons are back, from the Triforce symbol on the sword and shield, Rupee’s, the smashing pots; even the chickens are all back. Look at the green scenery, similar textures on the trees and other woods, similar dress and attitude of the characters. The worlds all seem Zelda style; the towns are reminiscent of Clock Town in Majora’s Mask and the Market in Ocarina of Time and the area surrounding are the same lushes green worlds found in Termina and Hyrule field. Whilst the same Zelda esq. mysterious music fills the air and that all so familiar theme music, does the graphic style seem so important now? Iconography, Mis ‘en scene and music far out weigh prospective and graphic style. It is Cel-shaded but it is no less Zelda than Ocarina of Time as they main elements are still in place, Metroid may be first person but everything that made Metroid is still present and so therefore it is just as much a sequel to the original as Metroid Fusion will be.
Music has been barley touched upon but this is still vital, familiar Metroid sounds will emerge from your TV during Metroid Prime, no matter what Mario game you own you will get the familiar music there, and that all adds to the atmosphere. Look at Mario Tennis, a spin off Mario game, and yet the familiar music, the items, the colours and the Mis ‘en scene makes this game a true Mario game and not a cash in, that atmosphere that a Mario game gives off is all still there. Pokémon Blue was a Gameboy game and yet the N64 “Stadium” game still created the same feel, the backgrounds were a 3D versions of those found in the game (as you imagined it) the Pokéballs, the music, and in particular the characters look all made the atmosphere from the Gameboy game appear on the N64 despite one being 2D and the other 3D and one being a handheld RPG and the other a home console beat ‘em up. Lets go back in time to Doki Doki Panic, a good fun platformer, the sequel is far better known, Super Mario Brothers 2 or Super Mario Advance. The characters were similar, the Mis ‘en scene (most of the time) were very much Mario as was the graphical style, despite this platformer playing nothing like any other Mario game I played it and was none the wiser.
Characters are completely unimportant in the games, it will annoy the fans that enjoy the certain character but it will not take the familiarity of the game away. Devil May Cry 2 and Metal Gear Solid 2 (aha it isn’t just a Nintendo post then) use or will use a different lead character, in the second Resident Evil game the characters (Leon and Clair) were different from the first (Jill and Chris). Despite the character swap the game still featured familiar clothing, weaponry and scenery to make it feel like Metal Gear, Devil May Cry 2 will feature the same gothic landscape, outlandish yet realistic weaponry and swords. Resident Evil’s camera angles, pre-rendered backdrops, crates, typewriters, weapons etc… all remain the same and so you can always spot a sequel. Yet still developers do not risk originality, Crash Bandicoot is always the same, Tomb Raider rarely changes, Tekken always features similar ways of play (they feared that making a drastic change (weapons) could spell disaster for the series and so made a different game called Soul Calibur). The fact is if these games feature the same Iconography, similar Mis ‘en scene and music then they’re a sequel no matter which the main character is, what the graphics look like and weather it is first or third person. If they do not feature these features then the game truly is a cash in.
Dringo.