[casual_games] sequels

[Steve Meretzky]

The big difference is probably that a movie is telling a story, and the
sequel is either a continuation of that story (e.g. Godfather 2) or another
story involving the same character(s) (e.g. Indiana Jones and the Lost
Crusade). You can have a successful movie sequel without breaking new
grounds in areas like artistic style or technical effects. A casual game has
no story to speak of, and therefore for the sequel to be appealing it can't
just be the same gameplay but has to have enhanced gameplay (new modes, new
power-ups, etc.).

 

The one analogy to a movie sequel might be a game that delivers essentially
the same gameplay as the first game, and is merely a vehicle for delivering
a lot of additional content . new levels in a game like Cubis or new phrases
in a game like Wild Wild Words. This is normally the type of content that is
delivered in the hardcore world via "expansion packs". We discussed
expansion packs at the Casual Game Summit in (I think) 2005, and the
unanimous opinion of the panel was that the distribution channels are not
set up for a lower-priced product like an expansion pack, or for explaining
how you need A before you can use B, and therefore expansion packs weren't a
viable option in casual games, at least under current conditions. But if
you're going to introduce a sequel to deliver new content, it's obvious to
take advantage of the moment to add new gameplay twists also (see Cubis 2)
so it's not likely that you'll see sequels whose sole purpose is to deliver
add'l content.

 

--Steve

 

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From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org]
On Behalf Of John Szeder
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 8:12 PM
To: 'IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List'
Subject: RE: [casual_games] sequels

 

Am I going to get lynched for asking about how game sequels compare to movie
sequels?

 

Do people generally have the same expectation of movie sequels as game
sequels?

 

Have there been cases where the sequel was better than the original worth
mentioning?

 

It seems to me that due to issues with failure to meet expectations that
building a sequel curbs your upside.

 

Would love to have someone persuade me otherwise.

 

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From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org]
On Behalf Of Dave Rohrl
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 3:28 PM
To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List
Subject: RE: [casual_games] sequels

 

They vary.  All of the ones you list below have been successful (or I expect
will be).  On the other hand, Gutterball 2 and Lemonade Tycoon 2 both did
less business than the original games (I think).  There's a very fine
balancing act with these sequels.  Those that have been successful have
managed to maintain the excellence and simplicity of their gameplay and
sticking to a few incremental features which - by and large - the novice
user doesn't really have to grok to play well.  Those that have fallen short
seem to have either added too much complexity that the user absolutely had
to contend with or have added too little additional gamely to generate
excitement.

 

I won't say that creating a really successful sequel is as hard as creating
a really successful original game, but it's no slam dunk either.

 

- DaveR

 

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From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org]
On Behalf Of John Szeder
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 1:36 PM
To: 'IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List'
Subject: [casual_games] sequels

 

How do sequels in the casual space tend to fare?

 

I noticed there are "bejeweled 2, diner dash 2, and big kahuna reef 2" out.

 

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