Opinion: Are Gamers Sick Of Sequels And Spin-Offs?
With a number of high-profile sequels and prequels failing to sell as well as expected, Mark Butler argues that gamers are becoming increasingly tired of the same-old series and experiences. Earlier today, it was suggested that recent high-profile prequels in the famous Gears Of War and God Of War series had struggled to meets sales expectations at launch. As reported by CVG, forecasts predict that Gears Of War: Judgement sold just 425,000 units... Read More
Opinion: Publishers Are Chasing The ‘Call Of Duty’ Audience – And It’s A Big Mistake
In light of the disappointing sales performance of both Resident Evil 6 and Dead Space 3, survival-horror enthusiast Mark Butler argues that publishers are making a grave error by trying to attract Call of Duty fans. In recent weeks, I’ve found myself mulling over the folly with which major games companies are adapting and re-branding key franchises, in order to appeal to the ‘Call of Duty audience’. Last year, Capcom admitted they... Read More
Opinion: Eight Extraordinary Video Game Quotes Of 2012
There have been some amazing revelations, rebuttals and outbursts in gaming this year, with some of the industry’s key movers and shakers embroiled in controversies or simply frankly speaking their minds. FMV picks out eight of the most unforgettable utterances… “I don’t see that I’ll be alive much longer” It’s arguable that Peter Molyneux has become more renowned for his excessive use of hyperbole... Read More
Opinion: Zombies Just Aren’t Scary Anymore
With no end in sight for the seemingly endless procession of games featuring the shambling undead, Jacques Voller argues that virtual zombies need to return to the graves from whence they came – because they stopped being frightening a long time ago. The trend for so-called ‘horror’ games that feature zombies needs to die already – primarily because zombies, as an adversary, stopped being scary quite some time ago. It’s... Read More
Opinion: Japanese Developers Should Stop Trying To Make Western Games
With much of Japan’s game industry now seemingly in thrall to Western trends rather than their own distinctive ideas, Mark Butler argues that the country’s creatives need to get back to doing what they do best. Is the Japanese games industry suffering from a painful, crippling identity crisis? Some certainly believe so. Just a week after Resident Evil 6 was roundly attacked for its shameless aping of blockbuster shooter experiences such... Read More
Game News: Japanese Developers “Forgot Who They Were”, Says Sony Producer
A key member at Sony’s Japan Studios has claimed Japanese developers have done something “very, very wrong” in attempting to emulate the biggest Western titles – arguing that they have risked losing their very identity in the process. Gavin Moore, producer on intriguing platformer Puppeteer, made the remarks in a Eurogamer feature on the supposed decline of the Japanese gaming industry. “Japan did something very, very... Read More
Opinion: Dishonored Vs Resident Evil 6 – A Story Of Innovation Vs Imitation
They’re two of the year’s biggest games, but in terms of aims and approach they couldn’t be more different. Mark Butler argues that Dishonored is an experience that seeks to thrive on its novelty and freshness, while Resident Evil 6 tries to make a virtue of its banality. We’ve reached the business end of 2012′s release schedule – and things are getting interesting to say the least. Resident Evil 6 has landed... Read More
Opinion: Resident Evil Has Become A Ludicrous, Laughable Travesty – And It Needs To Die
With Resident Evil 6 garnering a hostile reception from many fans and critics, former series enthusiast Mark Butler argues that the franchise has turned into a farcical mess – and needs putting down. So, Resident Evil 6 has landed – and the reception has not been kind. It’s been branded a “coward of a game”, “a poor, misconceived sequel”, and a “big-budget disaster on the order of the Star Wars prequels”. It’s... Read More
Game News: Resident Evil 6 Is Currently The Worst-Reviewed Main Game Of The Entire Series
After an initially-positive critical reception, Resident Evil 6 has now come in for a real pasting from various prominent video game sites – leaving it with an Xbox360 Metacritic average of just 68. Recent negative verdicts have included a 4.5/10 from Gamespot and, even more damningly, a staggering 3/10 from Jim Sterling at Destructoid – who angrily lambasted Capcom’s action-blockbuster as “a Michael Bay movie”, “a... Read More
Opinion: Is The Survival-Horror Market Really “Too Small”?
With Capcom claiming that they see the survival-horror market as “too small” for the Resident Evil franchise, Mark Butler argues that there are millions of fans out there who are being continually ignored. It’s not easy being a survival-horror fan. Everywhere you look, companies who once seemed genuinely in favour of feeding your desire for spine-tingling chills and nerve-shattering atmosphere appear to be abandoning both the ‘survival’... Read More
