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Letter from the Editor – This ain’t a love song, Lara, this is goodbye

As a new console generation gains ground, the time has come to say goodbye to old friends. The eighth generation consists of the Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox, and possibly the OUYA and the unofficially named Steam Box. As the old generation passes, franchises which once held premium places in the video game world will pass with them, not out of existence necessarily but certainly beyond the apex of their arc of popularity. It’s hard to imagine that Halo, Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto may have had their day but just like civilisations, game franchises rise and fall – always have, always will.

Still, all of us gamers each hold dear a franchise which we cannot let go. We hold on all the way through a series’ creative arc hoping to recapture the magic, hoping for a second wave that brings us back to that special place in our imagination, where we can be as immersed in that game world as we once were. It never comes.

For me that series is Tomb Raider. I have waited for generations for Lara to come back to me and be as she once was: standing in front of a huge door, alone, ready to explore, a stone cold killer and acrobatic perfectionist. Tomb Raider stalled, though, continuing, despite a new development team, to plummet down from its creative arc, doomed to 7 out of 10 competency forever. The decision to wipe the slate clean and go for a full reboot caught me so off-guard that I’ve been stunned into silence on the subject for the last two years. I didn’t know what to think or expect so I have thought and expected nothing. The reboot did plenty to attract new players to the franchise, cannibalising other popular titles’ gameplay mechanisms, themselves highly influenced by old Tomb Raider games. It just wasn’t enough for me. Exploring a rust coloured world, endless chatter from NPCs, solving physics based puzzles in seconds, is not Tomb Raider. If the franchise reboot earns a bit of a resurgence in interest that’s all to the good but ultimately I think it’s over.

This new generation is my chance to move on. At some point you need to accept that Shenmue III is not coming, that Metal Gear Solid has disappeared up its own blackhole-sized arse, and that Final Fantasy is totally fucked. This ain’t a love song, Lara, this is goodbye.

Kirsten Kearney
Editor

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3 responses to “Letter from the Editor – This ain’t a love song, Lara, this is goodbye”

  1. Add L avatar
    Add L

    Sure, the tomb raiders of old are gone forever, but the mgs franchise is consistantly pleasing the bulk of its fanbase. I believe a good final fantasy is still on the table, what with new leadership at SE, and im sure they took notice of the success on Ni No Kuni. Ultimately though, you are right, nothing with ever recreate that sense of immersion from games like tomb raider or FF7, but thet were industry firsts, and the age you were when experienced these games also plays a key role. Some experiences in life simple cannot be replicated, and i believe this is one of them. As good as some games may be, i will never again in a game, feel the excitement i felt when i first left Midgar with a whole new world of adventure set before me. I took me years to accept it, though for some reason my belief persists.

  2. Kirsten Kearney avatar
    Kirsten Kearney

    Sure but I was a grown up woman when I played TR, MGS and FFVII. You’re belief that another good “proper” FF is in the offing and what is a carefully worded excuse, if you don’t mind me saying, for the crazy bollocks that MGS has become makes you sound just like I did with Tomb Raider. I was hanging on and hanging on for years. It’s not happening, man. Just like Sonic and Resident Evil, their best days are behind them. I said the same things you’re saying now. New, leadership, new developers, still know how to please the fanbase, blah blah. It’s not enough. These titles are past there creative zenith just like the franchises before them that once were king. Contemporise, maaan!

  3. Jonoridge avatar
    Jonoridge

    Well this was certainly an upbeat read. I think it’s important to remember whilst Call of Duty, Halo and GTA are massively successful they are hardly the ultimate video games in terms of innovation and creativity in recent years. Whilst I wasn’t blown away by the latest Tomb Raider it was a commercially successful reboot that pleased a lot of people. Will it achieve the same iconic status it once had? Probably not but it’s not to say it ‘never’ will. Honestly if it continues to offer players an experience similar to Uncharted it’ll always have its place in the market.

    In regards to Final Fantasy. Square Enix have the engine and all the tools to possibly bring the brand back from linear obscurity. They can do it, whether they will remains to be seen. It’s been over 10 years since I’ve fully enjoyed a main franchise release of Final Fantasy and of course I, like many others are skeptical but that’s not to say the franchise is dead.

    You need to lighten up a little, your final paragraph just sums up the frustration that I’ve felt from this generation and you need to remember that nothing is dead and buried yet. Well I’d say Shenmue III is unless one of the big 3 pays for HD ports and funds Suzuki which is very unlikely but the other 3 have life left in them yet.

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