What Does a Franchise Mean to You?

[Hakudamashi]

There's no 'line'.
All that matters is that they feel like it.

It's their artistic vision.

e.g - sure Syndicate '12 has nothing to do gameplay-wise with Syndicate.
But when the developer started on it that was their idea.
'Let's reboot Syndicate as a first-person shooter' - so they did.

So, would you be ok with, for instance, Miyamoto decided to make a spin-off where Mario is a spaceman with an arm canon rather than making Metroid?

[shadowDOESrock]

So, would you be ok with, for instance, Miyamoto decided to make a spin-off where Mario is a spaceman with an arm canon rather than making Metroid?

Would I be okay with it? Probably.
It's his vision of a Mario spin-off Game.

[Hakudamashi]

But what I'm getting at, is that by doing that, maybe the Metroid series may have never come to pass, and Samus Aran may have never existed.

Or, more akin to something that actually happened, what is CAPCOM stayed it's course and made RE4 how they wanted initially? And thus Devil May Cry may have never happened, Dante may have never happened, and thus the DMC reboot that we both like soo much may have never happened.

Like, in my eyes, when one goes about changing an existing IP instead of making a new one, I feel like we may be missing out on something that might've grew to be the next best thing ever.

I don't want to believe that people are cool with devs making one universe, then just throwing every idea that pops into their head with it, rather than having every new idea become it's own thing.

Smash Bros. wouldn't be nearly as hype if that were the case...

[shadowDOESrock]

What you're getting at doesnt confilct with what I said.

All that matters is that they feel like it.
It's their artistic vision.

[Hakudamashi]

Having artistic vision is fine and dandy, but I think there really needs to be some sort of "guideline".

Like, a kid asks his daddy for a good turn based RPG for his birthday. Dad remembers he liked ABCD when he was younger, so he goes to buy the newest one for his kid. Turns out actually that ABCD 25 is a top down twin stick shooter. The kid doesn't like top down twin stick shooters.

Like, if your gonna name something the same thing as the thing that came before, but make it completely different, I feel it needlessly makes people have to search harder for games they actually like more than they need to.

[shadowDOESrock]

He could look at the box
or google.

[Hakudamashi]

Not much help when the back of the box shows pretty colours and the main character striking a pose.

And any research parents have to do to find a gift for their kid would be made alot easier if they just made the name consistent.

Like, if you're gonna buy your girlfriend a watch, but you dunno much about watches, you think they're all alike, as long as it tells the time is doesn't matter right? So from what your hear and see, the "Acme" watches are apparently the watches for young females or whatever, so you just get it. But upon wearing it, it givers her a horrible incurable rash from another dimension, cause apparently The company who made the Acme series of watches had an artistic vision to use Cthulu's blood to create a fabric for a series of watches cause it looks prettier, but your girl has an allergic reaction to it.
This could have been avoided if in addition to the female approved Acme watches, they made their Cthulu watch and labelled it "The C27Z Extreme Bugallo Hardened Edition". Their artistic vision still exists, and they made a clear distinction between the two from the get go so that those who are curious can try it at their own risk, while at the same time know where to go for their familiar Acme watches for women.

Labels are important goddammit.