Safety's Off

As with every other entertainment medium, there are segments that become overpopulated and increasingly saturated. With movies, there’s the horror genre that consists of one cookie-cutter after another, and so it is with the video game industry. There are franchises that are expanded beyond their limitations, and at times, the brand name can almost get a product by entirely on its own. Sometimes, however, enough is enough. These five franchises have seen their share of the limelight and are in dire need of either a hefty overhaul, or, preferably, a silent and swift death.

5.) Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider is a series that has been revitalized several times over the years, and has recently hit a very familiar brick wall in terms of sales and critical reception. Mixed reviews, even more sketchy PR scenes, and an ever-declining performance in the industry, Lara Croft is in serious trouble. With newcomers like Uncharted (lovingly referred to as “Dude Raider” by skeptics) taking up most of the adventure game market share, it might be time for Ms. Croft to throw in the towel. It’s been fun, Lara, and your…erm, assets have been a great deal of fun over the last decade or so, but it’s time to take those hiking boots back to R.E.I. and retire. Just don’t make a game out of it.

4.) Guitar Hero

Neversoft did an admirable job of taking over for Harmonix when the original developer of the Guitar Hero series moved on to bigger and better things with Rock Band. Years later, and Harmonix once again revolutionized the rhythm genre and (whether by accident or intention) made its previously created brand look inferior and painfully outdated. Guitar Hero III spawned a number of spinoffs that have only begun to show their faces, and unfortunately, these are essentially mere track packs that are written off as full games and sold for maximum profit. Harmonix is king of its genre once more, and Guitar Hero is slipping. While everyone knows Activision is going to milk the franchise as much as possible before moving on, it would be pleasant to think that the still somewhat respectable Guitar Hero brand should be given a proper burial before it desecrates itself.

3.) Tony Hawk

It seems that there is a developing pattern here. Games that have been outdone by newcomers are steadily replacing the old games that felt it was safe to rest on their laurels and pump out half-assed sequel after sequel. Looks like gamers don’t like that very much, as recent Tony Hawks’ sales numbers have proven. Skate has become the new skating game for the masses, and although the latest iteration was meant with fairly mixed reviews, the gameplay is still heralded as more streamlined and manageable than Tony Hawk. Project 8 was a game designed specifically for the most elite skating players, and while some might have liked that, Skate swooped in and stole the rest of the market share in the blink of an eye. Unless Neversoft (hey, wait a minute!) gets its act together and does some serious overhaul work on the time-tested franchise, Tony Hawk will be no more.

2.) Mortal Kombat

How many times have we been told that MK is officially dead? At this point, far too many to count. Midway can’t seem to let this franchise go, and considering current economic problems for the company, Mortal Kombat is the last thing the publisher needs right now. The franchise is falling to the likes of far greater fighters such as Soul Calibur IV and Street Fighter IV, and its time that Ed Boon let his brainchild rest with what’s left of its dignity. We all love fatalities. We all remember our first Scorpion fight. Make sure those memories aren’t tainted by repetitive sequels that fail to innovate and capitalize on the series’ greatest strengths and eliminate the increasingly serious flaws that have managed to creep into recent MK games. Yes, I’m looking at you MK vs. DC.  

1.) Sonic the Hedgehog

Please Sega. Please stop making Sonic games. They have become a running joke in the video game industry, and instead of being consistently quality games (as they were back on Genesis and Saturn) they have devolved into terrible, generic platformers that bring absolutely nothing to the table with each new iteration. The ridiculous character additions to the Sonic universe don’t help either, and only serve to further confuse newcomers to the game. Sega, I understand that Sonic is your Mario, but it’s time to give it a rest. If anything, focus on re-releasing older versions of our favorite blue hedgehog on the Xbox Live Arcade or something, where they will be noticed and recognized for the true gems of gaming that they are. Any Sonic game released past the Dreamcast can just be discarded as a worthless piece of plastic that can barely deliver a few hours of remotely entertaining enjoyment.

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