5. Metroid Prime
People must have thought Retro Studios were crazy when they wanted to turn Nintendo’s side-scrolling puzzle-adventure series into a first-person shooter. It had been awhile since Metroid’s Samus had been in the limelight and a franchise rejuvenation seemed like the perfect idea.
The gamble was a colossal success, and launched a trilogy of shooters that have been released numerous times due to their pedigree and demand. This is the sort of risky move that should be taken more, and when Retro simply beefed up the classic version of Donkey Kong Country when they made Donkey Country Returns it was impressive, but a little underwhelming in comparison to the overhaul they achieved here.
4. Fallout
Fallout 3 was a massive hit and loved by gamers and critics alike, but while people were pulling off elaborate headshots and racking up their frag count, a lot of people might have been unaware that Fallout 1 and 2 were simple isometric RPGS, not first-person shooters.
What was done here though is that RPG elements were combined with FPS staples, respecting Fallout’s original skeleton, before turning up the radiation and making it into something new. What Fallout has wisely done, is that it’s almost like their sequel that’s gone in this new direction is keeping up with the sophistication of the gamers that played the original games all those years ago, while still being accessible to new gamers. That’s a difficult feat to pull off, but a testament to why Fallout, either iteration of it, have been around for so long.
3. World of Warcraft
Even if you’ve never played a massively-multiplayer online game before, you’ve probably heard of World of Warcraft. Not only has the series made a name for itself by establishing its legacy and subscriber base for all of this time, the title has been endlessly lampooned in pop culture, including an episode of South Park that featured the actual game engine.
World of Warcraft may now be the behemoth of the MMOs, but the franchise started as a series of real-time strategy games. The basic Warcraft lore was taken and exploded as users were given nearly endless customization. It’s interesting to note that Starcraft has remained the same through the years and not reinvented itself in the same way, in spite of it even seeing a recent sequel. It’s almost impossible at this point to see World of Warcraft reverting to its roots though.
2. Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto is another story of a humble game that wasn’t really making a splash and certainly not ruffling too many feathers. Grand Theft Auto started as a top-down action/racing game, that maintained the crime element of the series, but focused much more on the carjacking element as the title would indicate.
Suddenly, Grand Theft Auto 3 was envisioned as an open-world sandbox of seemingly limitless things to do with carjacking merely being the tip of the iceberg. Games where you’re controlling a human more than you are a vehicle a lot of the time. These games have blown up to an insane degree with each following title getting even more expansive. This sort of transition is almost easier on such a light, clear-cut franchise as the early Grand Theft Auto games. Taking things as simple as crime, cars, and the police and using them as a jumping off point to a whole new sort of game is a great way to have a lot of options at your disposal while still remaining faithful
1. Metal Gear Solid
The original Metal Gear games are actually quite similar to the later Metal Gear Solid entries in the franchise, even down to Hideo Kojima and Konami being at the helm. The first games in the series were action-adventure stealth titles, just like what the recent titles are, but in spite of the similarities, it’s just a deeply more simplistic take on the material. The top-down POV of these early games was ditched for the immersive 3D look of the modern games, while also generally complicating everything. The early Metal Gear games were just stealth titles, but the latest Metal Gear Solid games have been such huge, sprawling masterpieces that so much more. Squint and you’ll see the similarities between the first and last game in the series, but the gameplay has come a long way.
With gaming becoming an increasingly crowded field, it’s not difficult to see franchises mixing things up even more and taking even more risks. A lot of these deviations to the norm in these franchises have paid off for the better, so why not take a chance and just go for it. People loved Hyrule Warriors. Pokken Tournament is going to be a colossal success. In another ten years who knows if our favorite franchises will even resemble what they do now.
