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I'm still getting a lot of e-mail about my save-game challenge ("Turn-offs," July 2002), so this month I'd like to see if I can keep things interesting by providing a few more questions than answers on a new topic.
As an early employee of both LucasArts and Dreamworks Interactive, I've heard more than my share of the old Hollywood-versus-Silicon Valley debate. At the risk of straining the analogy between movies and games yet again, I'd like to look at one difference between the two industries: the success of sequels.
As a general rule, sequels to hit movies don't do as well as their predecessors, either in box-office receipts or in critical acclaim. One rare exception was Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, Part II, which won him a Best Director Oscar that had eluded him with the original film, although both won Best Picture in their respective years. Likewise, the number of movie series that have thrived for more than three films is relatively tiny, beyond a few horror series and the venerable James Bond and Star Trek films. The rarity of these exceptions shows how strong the trend is.
Should we just make more games about mobsters? But the game industry is full of sequels that have done better both financially and critically than their predecessors. Despite...