Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

2Old2Play, a site for gamers over age 25, has written an article on game sequels and why we love them. They mention that in 2005, of the 26 games EA released, 25 were sequels! What an incredible statistic.

Even a game touted as incredibly original and innovative like Katamari Damacy brings sequels. Of course – the fans loved it so much that they virtually demanded one – a fact made plain in We Love Katamari. And sequels have been around for a long time, and aren’t ending soon, from King’s Quest 1-7 to Halo 3 and beyond But why?

2Old2Play offers up some of the reasoning behind sequels. First, if a game is a success, the sequel is going to sell well; therefore, companies are happy to make them. Since there’s already a premise and possibly an engine, or gameplay mechanics, sequels are a lot less expensive to make too.

Gamers enjoy sequels because they’re familiar, from gameplay mechanics to characters and environments. It saves time to not have to learn a whole new control scheme. Often gamers are excited to see characters develop further – this is often what fuels fan-fiction. If they liked the previous game, they’ll naturally be drawn in to the new title. Added features can also improve the original game so much that it’s almost like playing a new game altogether. But that can be a sequel’s downfall.

Let me show you why. I loved RollerCoaster Tycoon with its 2 expansions, and loved RCT2 and its expansions even more. But then RCT3 came along, and all the love was lost. Everything felt so different, that it wasn’t a sequel anymore. The graphics were glitchy and the 3D navigation was a mess. I expected RCT3 to live up to the greatness of the previous game, and it failed… I never even bought its expansion packs.

And then there’s the issue of true sequel, e.g. continued storyline, versus a sequel in name only, like the Final Fantasy series – each new game (with the obvious exception of X-2) brings new characters, a new land, and often new mechanics.

2Old2Play notes that sequels are becoming less popular, with gamers complaining that they’re paying more money to play essentially the same game. What do you think – do you always buy a sequel to a game you like, or do you judge the games individually by their reviews?