Neversoft: All Does Not Seem Well

Today we saw some images from the most current issue of Game Informer regarding the upcoming release of Guitar Hero IV. The pictures reveal that Neversoft have been developing their own drum set to accompany vocals and bass guitar as new additions to the franchise. This move is odd and I'm concerned for a company I truly care about since first playing the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series almost ten years ago.

Previously, we heard through Activision's earnings call, that Neversoft's yearly iteration of the Tony Hawk skateboarding game was dropped. Despite being a long time fan, my interest has been waning and I'm not surprised by this decision. The series was it's absolute best around THPS3 and proceeded to pile on feature after feature until the original spirit was crushed under the weight of unnecessary features and story. Skate ollied right over the competition, crushing Tony Hawk Proving Ground's sales. It was fresh and lean, and gamers bought it up.

Now we see a similar situation where a competitor has stolen the limelight a bit with Rock Band, and forced Neversoft to react. Unfortunately, their response has been an overzealous overreaction in both cases.

Guitar Hero is about pretending to be a rock God. Tony Hawk Pro Skater is about pulling off insane tricks and combos that are impossible in the real world. Both game's motivations rely on achieving and pushing the boundaries of a high score. Adding more instruments dilutes the Guitar Hero experience and as does increasing the realism in a THPS game. I have a hard time seeing why there is not room for both types of games on the market. Guitar Hero can appease the hardcore crowd with an ever increasing line-up of rock anthems and face melting solos while Rock Band allow those who want to get together with a couple of friends and emulate their rock band karaoke fantasies all while having a few drinks. By the same token, skate can exists for purists while the Tony Hawk series can indulge those with a looser attitude towards what can and can't be done on a skateboard.

Although there may be some suits at Activision sitting back and dictating Neversoft's direction, I urge them to take a step back and return to these series' roots. If everyone integrates their competition's features by saying "we can do that too, only bigger and better," games become homogenized. We need diversity and we need competition. This is what should be driving developers, not trends and marketing focus groups. If everything is the same, what's the incentive to by any of them?