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              <p><font color="#0000FF"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000CC">volume 
                1, issue 22</font></b></font></p>
              <p><font color="#0000FF"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000CC"> 
                </font></b></font></p>
              <p>  <p><font face="Courier New, Courier, mono"><b><font color="#339900" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Today 
                in loonygames:</font></b></font></p>

<P><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">New!!</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> The Archives have been cleaned up, fead links fixed, and printable versions restored! Also, don't miss the new comments <a href="../../../index.html">on the front page</a>!</font></p>
              
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        <p align="LEFT"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0022A8"><b><a target="" href="../../columns.1"><font size="-1">From 
          the Mouth of Madness</font></a><font size="-1">:</font></b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="+3" color="#0022A8"><br>
          Sequels: the Sequel <font size="+1">(this time it's personal)</font></font></p>
        <p align="RIGHT"><font color="#804000"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By 
          Jason &quot;<a target="" href="mailto:jason@loonygames.com">loonyboi</a>&quot; 
          Bergman</font></b></font></p>
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        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So okay, blame the increasing 
          hardware. One reason why so many people went nuts over the concept of 
          <b>Doom 2000</b> is that they’re dying to see what the game would look 
          like if it were developed using today’s technology. I have to admit, 
          cynical as I am, the idea is pretty cool. Just take a look at the popularity 
          of <b>GLDoom</b> and the other projects since the game’s release for 
          proof that people are still crazy about the game. Who wouldn’t go nuts 
          over a polygonal Cyberdemon, anyway?</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">What seems to be a current 
          trend, however, are sequels that bare no resemblance whatsoever to their 
          predecessors. I don’t care what Monolith says…<b>Blood II</b> has <i>nothing 
          </i>to do with the original <b>Blood</b> (which I consider a good thing). 
          Obviously <b>Quake </b>is a perfect example of the sequel sharing only 
          a title to its original. The various <b>Zork</b> sequels were all great, 
          but none of them was nearly as good as the original…and no matter what 
          the title is, <b>Zork: Nemesis</b> should have been called just plain 

          &quot;Nemesis&quot; since it has pretty much nothing to do with any 
          of the other games (for better or worse). </font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">You have to wonder just how 
          much clout sequels actually have in the gaming industry. Does carrying 
          a franchise’s name guarantee sales? Did <b>Half-Life</b> suffer because 
          it wasn’t a sequel? It seems to be selling just fine. What about sequels 
          to games that weren’t even a success? <b>Battlezone</b> currently has 
          a sequel in the works, and that title didn’t sell especially well at 
          <i>all</i>.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now there are quite a few 
          advantages to developing a sequel. First off, anyone who liked the original 
          is bound to like the sequel, whether it’s a similar game or not. Second, 
          a sequel just <i>sounds</i> impressive. If there’s a &quot;II&quot; 
          or &quot;III&quot; on it, then it just <i>has</i> to be good, right? 
          Nobody would make a sequel to a lousy game! (Hey, we’re talking marketing 
          here, not reality.) </font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">My concern, however, is that 
          people are jumping on the sequel bandwagon instead of pursuing new ideas. 
          Like I mentioned above, <b>Half-Life</b> isn’t a sequel, and yet it’s 
          a great game. But does that mean I’m dying for <b>Half-Life 2</b>? No, 
          actually. <b>Half-Life</b> stands on its own. I’d much rather have a 
          completely new game than an attempt to extend the story that already 
          came to a conclusion. But, I should point out, that I don’t feel that 
          way about every game. <b>Half-Life</b> stands on its own, and there 
          really isn’t a need for a sequel…but <b>Duke Nukem</b>, on the other 
          hand, simply <i>screams</i> for one. <b>Duke</b> is just such a dynamic 
          character, that a sequel is necessary. I’d even say that <b>Sin</b> 
          would do well with a sequel. Hey, I like J.C. and Blade…I’d like to 
          see more of them. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">But there’s a world of a 
          difference between wanting to see more of those characters, and say…<b>Civilization 
          III</b>, a game that’s needlessly in development. <b>Civilization II</b> 
          managed to surpass the original…but does anyone expect to top that? 
          I don’t think so. I wish them the best of luck…but I wouldn’t count 
          on it. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">My bottom line is this: sequels 
          only really work when the story demands it. Sequels based on franchises, 
          and the need to cash in on them (however baffling that may seem in some 
          cases) just aren’t necessary. So to any developers out there…instead 
          of trying to score the license to make a sequel to <b>Pirates!</b>, 
          why not make an original game? Please? :) </font></p>
        <p>&nbsp;</p>
        <p align="RIGHT"><i><font size="-1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">- 
          Jason &quot;loonyboi&quot; Bergman is the editor-in-chief for <b>loonygames</b>. 
          He digs cartoons.</font></i></p>
        <p align="RIGHT">&nbsp;</p>
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      <p><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2"> </font></i><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2"><b>Credits:</b> 
        From the Mouth of Madness logo illustrated by and is &copy; 1999 Dan Zalkus. 
        From the Mouth of Madness is &copy; 1999 Jason Bergman. All other content 
        is &copy; 1999 <a target="_self" href="http://www.loonyboi.com">loonyboi 
        productions</a>. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited, you 
        naughty boy, you.</font></i></p>
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