Series That Have Lost All Identity

Bob Mackey — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:05:00 GMT

Grandia was one of my favorite JRPGs on the original Playstation; despite the game's wonky translation and status as a crummy Saturn port, it had a certain air of infectious, Dragon Quest-y, aw-shucks adventuring that made it very refreshing. A few years later, though, I was unexpectedly disappointed by Grandia 2, which featured the evil church-iest of "evil church" plotlines along with a distinct attitude that didn't mesh well with the previous game--it wasn't too fun to play, either. So, I dropped the series in the early days of this decade and never looked back; and since then, both Grandia Xtreme (argh) and Grandia 3 have come into being, each with their own confused take on what Grandia is supposed to be (whatever that is).

The latest news for the series deals with Grandia Online, an MMORPG announced back in 2005 that'll be seeing the light of day--in Japan, anyway--this May. In a way, Grandia's relatively lukewarm popularity makes this game's continued existence a bit baffling, but one thing makes sense: Grandia is a faceless, shapeless concept that's been synonymous with RPGs for over a decade now. Not the most popular name, sure, but branding is still branding.

There's another franchise out there that's a lot like Grandia today, though it's had many more games and a chance to define itself in its early years: Shining Force. The early Shining games were fantastic--though simple--strategy RPGs, and even the spinoffs had a "feel" that kept them tied to the main series, despite their differing takes on the RPG genre. But when Camelot left the series after Shining Force III--which I'll probably never play thanks to the circumstances of the Saturn--the Shining series went in some weird directions that aren't entirely entertaining. And while someone out there is looking to get the series back on track with Shining Force Feather (argh), which takes the franchise back to its traditional SRPG roots on the DS, there's also Shining Force Cross, a four-player arcade brawler that's--um--you should probably just watch this video.

Just like with Grandia, the Shining Force title is nothing more than a generic RPG signifier now. Any other examples of this depressing trend in action? It'd be interesting to see if any other franchises out there have completely lost their identities.

Related Links:

Your JRPG Narrative is Bad and You Should Feel Bad
Roundtable Discussion: The Relevance of Japanese RPGs
Star Ocean and the HD-JRPG Conundrum

Sony Fans, Meet Your New Totem: Sackboy

Nadia Oxford — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:45:00 GMT

Your dear mother has undoubtedly told you at some point, "You need to have a wife. It's good to have a wife." Maybe you agree or maybe you disagree, but either way, singles feel pressured to hunt down a mate even while insisting to themselves that the single life is totally rad.

Sony's adopted your mother's stance on companionship, but instead of spouses it's talking about mascots. "Every system needs a mascot. It's good to have a mascot. Here, Sackboy now represents Sony."

"Gee Sony, Sackboy is awfully cute, but is it a good idea to make him the spokes...doll for the company? We don't actually know how LittleBigPlanet will sell. And honestly, I'm okay with Sony's lack of a mascot--"

"It's good to have a mascot. Now start making babies."

If you feel wary, it's okay. Sony's previous attempts to match us up with digital companions resulted in lukewarm relationships before sputtering out: Crash Bandicoot, Lara Croft, Kratos. Even Microsoft fared far better by branding itself with Master Chief.

What do you think about Sackboy as Sony's new representative? LittleBigPlanet will undoubtedly be awesome, but even though we gamers are a grasping, superstitious lot, there's never any guarantee of a title's success. LittleBigPlanet might launch with gusto and burn brightly before crashing to earth like a failed science project. Also consider that the Internet's favourite hobby is to adore a big-name title for a few months, then dump on it (cough cough Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Grand Theft Auto IV cough hork).

I initially thought Sackboy looked like a hanged gingerbread man. He creeps me out a little. My husband was horrified at my comparison. I haven't yet told him that I changed my mind and decided that Sackboy looks like the Gimp from Pulp Fiction...if the Gimp was supremely happy about his position in Zed's shop, I mean.

Related Links:

LittleBigPre-Order Confusion
E3 Opinion: Because It's Cool To Complain

61 Frames Per Second : identity

Series That Have Lost All Identity

Sony Fans, Meet Your New Totem: Sackboy