Space Channel 5 (DC) (top) Jet Set Future (Xbox) (bottom)

Some point to the publishers' marketing departments which of course brings us back to Rez. United Game Artists found it a trial to get the game "okayed" by its publisher (Sega) largely because Sega didn't know what to make of it. It was such an unusual release that its marketing department, unsure how to sell it, put up its own roadblocks to the development. Silly, needless things—for this particular game—like a background story and plot progression were thrown in just so Sega would have something to put on the game box and instruction manual. And though the facts seem to vary depending on the source, Rez did indeed receive a good deal of marketing and support from Sega and was released into the public.

United Game Artists' answer to the cries of gamers looking for those new and original games was largely met with ambivalence by those very same gamers. Rez simply disappeared at retail—literally—due to lack of demand. Sega became the scapegoat with the argument being that it had ceased supporting the game prematurely. The financial viability of these games is slim to begin with and, if memory serves, with the exception of Animal Crossing, Pikmin and possibly Jet Set Radio none of the titles mentioned in this article managed to sell over 100,000 copies. Why is Sega, or any publisher for that matter, obligated to support a game or games that no one is interested in?

And how do you criticize the industry when it produces these games yet consumers repeatedly flock to the likes of Square's, Konami's and Capcom's sequels and rehashes? Over this past year we've seen some the industry's more derivative releases like Final Fantasy X, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Resident Evil and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell dominate the sales charts—some for months on end. Of course, gamers complain while buying these regurgitated releases in droves, but the point is that they still buy them.

Samba De Amigo (DC) (left), Giftpia (GCN) (right)

The sad truth of the matter is that gamers simply do not want original content, but say they do. Or maybe those complaining are just a terribly small, but loud minority consisting of hardcore gamers and journalists—the type of individuals that play games for hours every day and would naturally be quicker to tire of whatever they were playing and be vocal in their displeasure. Because even if they aren't the greatest of games, if we are to believe that the gaming public is tired of all of the rehashes and ports flooding the market, then it would run out and snap up the unique titles in a heartbeat. Word of mouth alone would get around and be reflected in boosted sales numbers for these games. We wouldn't have gems like ICO selling a mere 70,000 copies and Rez selling even far fewer copies than that.

Viewtiful Joe (GCN) (top) Magic Pengel: The Quest For Color (PS2) (bottom)

This year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2003 came and went with all the usual glitz and fanfare. Each year seems to have a theme and this year's theme was "Sequels, Sequels and More Sequels." Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XI, Gran Turismo 4, Star Fox 2, Grand Theft Auto 4, Half-Life 2, Doom III, SOCOM 2, Onimusha 3 and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III—Rebel Strike were just some of the games that gave a palpable sense of déjà vu to all in attendance. Publishers have long since taken notice that little is selling but the tried and true game franchises and game genres and it appears that for the foreseeable future they won't be veering from that policy.

Naturally, the familiar chorus has started lamenting the death of creativity and warning that a reversal of this trend is needed lest we run the risk of an industry collapse. Some of these voices began during E3 2003 over the lack of new, groundbreaking content or genre-busting titles. I could point out that there are still such games on the horizon—some are listed at the beginning of this article—and although they may be harder to find, they are still there for anyone who really wants them. But the reality probably is that there really isn't an uproar—few gamers and consumers are actually upset. It could be that there are consumers who are perfectly happy with games as they are and record-breaking sales of this latest round of sequels and rehashes will prove this.