by Louis Bedigian
Now that the Wii has matured and its eventual successor – the presumably titled Wii 2 – is no more than two years away, the current platform is getting sequels to nearly every major Nintendo franchise. Metroid is merely the latest release; soon new Kirby and Donkey Kong Country games will arrive. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that, no matter how strong the franchise, no sequel is guaranteed to live up to expectations. Though you might think Nintendo is exempt from this rule (Mario and Zelda’s legacy is very convincing), let’s not forget what happened to the GameCube iterations of Star Fox.
Can Metroid, Kirby and Donkey Kong Country persevere? To find out, let’s take a look back at their beginnings, their many evolutions, and the future that lies ahead.
One Tough Chick
The Beginning: Before Lara Croft and Tifa Lockheart made big boobs and tight shirts cool (as if they weren’t already!), Samus Aran scrunched her curvy figure into the tightest metallic suit known to man – all in the name of saving the world. This tough cookie initially appeared as tiny pixels on the NES, but her enduring (and endearing) gameplay made her the coolest girl in gaming.
The Evolution: Metroid II: Return of Samus didn’t break new ground, but it propelled the idea of bringing high-quality entertainment to a handheld system. Two years later, Super Metroid blew the competition out of the water by introducing one of the biggest and most open-ended worlds of any 2D action game.
As great as those games were, it wasn’t until Metroid Prime arrived (in 2002 – a whopping eight years later) that new innovations were finally made. Prime took the series into the third dimension without sacrificing a single thing we loved about the 2D adventures. Later on, Metroid Prime Pinball and Metroid Prime Hunters attempted to extend the “Prime” experience to Nintendo DS owners, while the GBA-exclusive Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission rekindled our love of side-scrollers.
The Current State: Nintendo shocked the world when it announced that Metroid: Other M would be developed by a third-party developer – Team Ninja. The resulting game is an unusual mix of 2D and 3D gameplay elements that draw upon the gameplay styles of Super Metroid and Metroid Prime.
The Next Step: Nintendo should reclaim Metroid’s development duties and start from scratch. But rather than attempt another cross-breed, the developers would be wise to look at the technology available – most notably the Wii MotionPlus adaptor and the Wii Balance Board – and put them to good use. Just think of how cool it would be to play a Metroid game that uses two Wii remotes (a la PS Move). Considering how many copies of Wii Fit have been sold, why not include a few levels – or at the very least a few mini-games – that can only be played with the Balance Board? Ex: in order to reach her destination, Samus must cross a wobbly bridge. To pull us deeper into the experience, players would have to stand on their Balance Boards and carefully walk across the shaky path.
Pink Marshmallows Unite!
The Beginning: Kirby has always been an anomaly, even for Nintendo. He may not be related to JigglyPuff, but he sure looks like a jet-puffed marshmallow. His round and puffy shape is uncharacteristic of cool console mascots. And yet, under the guise of Nintendo, he became a star, inhaling enemies (and their abilities) with immense vacuum-sucking power.
The Evolution: After making his way through the NES, SNES and the original Game Boy in 2D form, Kirby came to N64…in 2D form. The graphics were adjusted to amplify the visuals, creating a pseudo-3D aesthetic (similar to Klonoa). But at its core, Kirby 64 was a traditional Kirby game.
Over the years, Kirby has found his way into other genres with titles like Kirby’s Block Ball and Kirby’s Pinball Land. However, it wasn’t until Kirby’s Air Ride and Kirby Canvas Curse arrived that things really began to change. Unfortunately, the former title – a GameCube-exclusive with racing game elements – turned out to be a massive disappointment. Canvas Curse, on the other hand, brought touch screen brilliance to the Nintendo DS but failed to catch on with anyone except the most diehard gamers.
Years later, Kirby found his way back to his glorious side-scrolling days in Kirby Super Star Ultra, a Nintendo DS port/upgrade of the SNES original.
The Current State: This fall, Kirby will make his Wii debut in Kirby’s Epic Yarn. While the title might sound silly (okay, it’s really, really silly), Epic Yarn is poised to be an ingenious reimagining of the current Kirby formula, combining the series’ beloved mechanics with a level transformation feature that is unlike anything out there. After that, he’ll make his way to the 3DS, presumably in side-scrolling form.
The Next Step: Kirby Canvas Curse proved that this franchise can achieve greatness within other genres. After Epic Yarn is released, Kirby should once again explore new territory.
Imagine a Kirby game that uses two gameplay perspectives, similar to Metroid: Other M and Super Paper Mario. But instead of switching between 2D and 3D viewpoints, Kirby should take on a more traditional approach and offer both side-scrolling and top-down perspectives. The former would allow the series to retain its beloved gameplay style, while the latter could be used to enhance the experience, a la Mario Galaxy.
Ex: While in the side-scrolling mode, you come across an enemy who’s standing behind a large boulder that protects him from being inhaled. You can’t get around the boulder, so you press a button that causes the 2D background (and everything else) to fall backwards, flattening the environment. If you’ve seen the pop-up wall in Mario Galaxy 2, then you know exactly what I’m getting at. Now, with the background no longer in place, the game will have switched to a top-down perspective, allowing Kirby to devour his enemy, cross over the flattened boulder, and switch back side-scrolling form.
The Beginning: When Donkey Kong Country launched in 1994, the series became an overnight sensation. The gameplay was significantly different from the other action/adventure leaders (Mario and Sonic) and offered a robust challenge that caused more than a few gamers to scream in agony.
But since DKC arrived at a time when game technology was limited, the developers weren’t eager to make any massive adjustments. Consequently, the next two sequels (released in 1995 and 1996) were very similar to the original. They were great, but the WOW-factor was lost.
The Evolution: After Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie proved that the genre is better in 3D, Rare took a stab at bringing DKC into the third dimension. The developers ultimately failed, creating a sleep-inducing platformer with too many items to collect.
The Current State: Rare and Nintendo may be separated forever, but DKC’s 2D spirit will live on in the form of a side-scrolling sequel built exclusively for Wii. Developed by Retro Studios, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a true throwback to the original DKC.
The Next Step: DKC Returns could very well be the perfect formula for this franchise. But it would be wrong for Donkey Kong to be stuck in the second dimension forever. Thus, when Nintendo’s next console arrives in 2012 or 2013, Retro Studios should be prepared to take the series to new heights. Perhaps a 3D upgrade alone won’t suffice. Then again, neither will another Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat. Instead, the developers must look to more creative sequels (such as Mario Galaxy and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, two games that are vastly different from their predecessors) for inspiration.
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