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“Episodic content” is a word that gets thrown around all too often these days, but if you…Nah, forget all that. If you want to hear about the state of episodic gaming today, you can check out my feature on the subject right here. This article is strictly about games, folks, and discussing which ones would work well if delivered in substantial episodic chunks. It’s by no means a definitive list, but it should serve as a solid jumping off point for an interesting and civil discussion. So let’s get started.
Number Five: Ratchet & Clank
This one is kind of a no-brainer, so long as you think big -- like big planets big. Since the Ratchet & Clank franchise puts a heavy emphasis on expansive platforming across the far reaches of deep space, it only seems natural to come up with stories that involve helping troubled planets deal with their issues. It would have a decidedly Star Trek-meets-Futurama-y feel to it, since each episode would involve visiting a new planet, complete with a new race of beings, new planet-specific weaponry/puzzles/environments, etc. Plus, the Ratchet & Clank games feature such fantastic and well crafted narratives that freeing Insomniac Games up to tell more bite-sized tales would end up being absolutely killer. "Tune in next time for another exciting adventure staring everyone's favorite interstellar duo, Ratchet and Clank!" Gold.
Number Four: Psychonauts
To be honest, Psychonauts deserves to be on any top five list. More to the point though, how cool would it be to follow Raz on individual cases as he starts his career as a Psychonaut? The game is basically a series of (brilliant) vignettes anyway, with each level taking place inside various people’s heads, so releasing “Psychotic Episodes” or “Therapy Sessions” (I just trademarked both of those, Double Fine!) would fit right in with the design of the original game. Granted, I would prefer a full blown sequel, since the first one is one of my favorite games of all time. But there’s something compelling about focusing on a single person’s psyche for the duration of a five to six hour “episode.”
Number Three: Bioshock
While I definitely enjoy the idea of sinking my teeth into 10-12 hour Bioshock games, I think Rapture is such an expansive and infinitely compelling setting that I think if you released kind of "Bouroughs of Rapture" episodes that focused on particular areas of the city, it would work really well. Fallout 3 did this kind of thing to great effect with its five DLC chapters. Plus, the story of Bioshock is so rich and it is filled with fascinating characters that I think there would be plenty of room to explore remote areas of the city, and perhaps even live through particularly interesting parts of Rapture’s history as it relates to those locations and its inhabitants. It could be kind of like a Halo 3: ODST structure where you come across certain audio diaries that cause you to relive that person’s story, and that way you could also find yourself playing through parts of Rapture well before the kelp hit the fan and the city fell apart. Strong narratives are key for making successful episodic content, so Bioshock would have no problem making that structure work.
Number Two: Left 4 Dead
“Whah!! Left 4 Dead 2 should have been DLC! Blah blah.” Yeah. We all know the ridiculous arguments against L4D2 being a full priced retail title, but I personally think it’s totally deserving of such a release. However, because the game is basically divided up into distinct chapters already, the idea of releasing new sections as episodes makes perfect sense. Each one would focus on a new band of survivors trying to make their way through hordes of the undead on their way to being rescued (or not). Since each episode would be its own mini-story, you could have some chapters that see your characters die at the end. While I’m usually against forced failure in game narratives, in this case, it would create a great sense of just how many stories are going on in the L4D universe, and how many of them don’t end up happily or successfully for the people involved in them. There are all sorts of possibilities that come from freeing the game from one over-arching story starring the same four characters. Plus, it would help players get a broader perspective on the game’s ultimate story, because you could jump around freely between locations in the narrative universe.
Number One: Grand Theft Auto V
Rockstar Games set a new bar for episodic gaming this year with its Grand Theft Auto IV DLC, The Lost & Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. And while GTA games have traditionally followed a single rags-to-riches figure over the course of a 12-15 hour story (if you didn’t engage in any open-world fun), these episodes proved that having a robust narrative and a game engine that supports telling sprawling city-based stories can lead to creating much more varied yet equally satisfying experiences that all fit within the tapestry of an overall crime saga.
So for GTA V, I’m think five distinct episodes (Episodes from Liberty City was just the beginning!). All interconnected, all representing a unique aspect of the larger tale being told (complete with episode specific content and design like the two GTA IV episodes). Rockstar has proven that once it has the technology in place, it’s capable of cranking out hefty amounts of content rather quickly. Lost & Damned and Gay Tony combined contain an insane amount of content, and both were released within a year and a half of GTA IV being released. If Rockstar goes into GTA V planning on an episodic structure, it could easily turn out five awesome stories released at regular intervals, and help create an even more epic narrative, because it would give the developers time to really invest in a number of different characters, and just tell a much richer and more epic story. And that’s an offer I don't think any gamer would refuse.
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Comments
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darknessss15
I would like to see mw2 or call of duty 4..........
SirCitadel
well weve already seen how valve handles episodes... all theyve proved is that they can release two full games before one single half life episode. as you can tell im still bitter about that...
The Emperor's Champion
Left 4 Dead 2 could be EPIC in it's use of Episodes.
The whole idea of different survivor groups in other places is an excellent one, and it can be a perfect way of adding isolated game modes.
Have an episode about survivors who've fortified a school and are using it as their fortress against the zombie hordes and then have a game mode where you're not trying to just survive or make it to the end, but rather you could have them defending the fortress from zombie waves and set up defenses and stuff.
Have another episode about a squad of Marines who are properly armed with high powered weapons/nades/claymores/grappl ing hooks/nightvision/etc and they have to go back into the heart of the infection where it all started and try and kill/capture "patient zero" to hopefully aid in finding a vaccine.
Have an episode about a bunch of guys who've gone all "road warrior" and just go around killing zombies for fun while they raid and pillage.
Have episodes of regular gameplay with new survivors who may or may not survive the end of their campaign, and then in later campaigns various surviving characters can meet when they're all "rescued" only to find they're not. Like Heroes where all the characters are doing their own thing and eventually fate(Sylar) kills off their friends and they all end up more or less working together. That way we can see Bill and Zoey again as hardened zombie ass-kickers ^_^
StrongestSaiyan
I'm not really convinced that episodic is a good way to go. It is fine in terms of additional content, but I don't think it's a good way to create the game itself. Let's use that GTA example from the list. The story gets split up among multiple characters which could be interesting to see how one event impact multiple people, but we might also miss out on seeing one person's story progress because it is shortened and not the main focus. Also, I'd worry about the price points. Would the episodes be priced so that they add up to the same $60 that we'd pay normally? Maybe or maybe not. I also think people bring up a valid point about the anticipation that a new game brings. Split that up and are people going to anticipate each piece as much as the first? I doubt it.
Trityler
I think episodic content is great, but only under one condition. Episodic content should be used to expand on a full game, not split a full game up into pieces. GTA4 and Fallout 3 have been doing it the best way, in my opinion. The core games stand on their own, and the episodes expand on these worlds, but are not required to complete the main story. Valve, on the other hand, needs to reexamine their marketing strategy. Now don't get me wrong, Valve is my favorite developer, because their appreciation of their fans is unmatched, and the Half-Life series is among my favorite games of all time. But while I eagerly wait for every episode Half-Life, it's sort of like eating dark chocolate. While you're actually indulging yourself in it, it is great, but once you're done, it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth that only more dark chocolate can get rid of. (I'm not addicted, I can stop anytime I want.) The problem with the Half-Life episodes has they stand, is that they force you to take a break before you complete your journey. Episodic content would probably be much more enjoyable by following the perspective of someone other than Gordon Freeman. I think an HL2: Opposing Force and Blue Shift episodes would go over very well with fans, because it then accomplishes the same thing as the GTA4 and Fallout 3 episodes do: It expands on the main story, rather than chops it up into chapters and interrupts the natural flow of the game. (But to be fair to Valve, if their game lives up to their normal standards, I'll buy it no matter how it is released.)
KnuxSonic
I would kill for ANYTHING new on the Psychonauts front..
jro59
Excellent Ideas Jake!! Now, (wringing hands) how do we go about getting them made?
Celisa16
On GTA they should have it where Carl Johnson has to come to Librety city to take care of some business and have a fight between CJ and niko.
xRAINx
dlc could be good in the future when people in rual areas arent limited to there choice of broadband if any!:( but i also have to agree with the fact companies do try to limit or fun to an extent.yes making multi disk games are more expensive but if you take your time and make the game right youll also most likley make twice of what u would with a regualer knock of game.
atx88
I like the idea of getting more content for my favorite games. But in practice I don't like how most of it has gone so far. some game release very good well times content. I was very happy with my extra levels in KZ2.
But I'm worried about production levels of these new content packs. Not just for my entertainment but for the impression the public might get of the developer.
For the most part I don't feel developers are out only to make money. I feel they want to make a great product, they take pride in their game and want it to be as good as it can get. It's the producers that I'm worried about.
Producers would be more than willing to rush content to make an extra buck at the expense of a developers credentials. Thats what I'm worried about.
I know this is slightly off topic and won't apply to most of us here because we are informed. but Im still finding people in my circle of friends who loved CoD4, but don't follow video games much, tat are saying they probably won't get CoDMW2 because they really didn't like world at war. I find this upsetting because these are potential customers of IW that are being deterred because of Tryarch's poor production value, compared to IW, and Activision's greed.
Now I realize MW2 is not going to be majority impacted by this. It's just to illustrate an example for my point.
SixGunSamurai
Personally, I think that episodic gaming is a bad idea. Granted, I realize that developers and producers, and even... testers.... have to feed themselves and their families. However, giving companies like EA the ability to ration our fun isn't the best idea in the world. If it can be done in episodes, it can all be put on one disc. If not, FF7 it. I don't mind having to change out discs. Besides, my internet connection where I live is completely Model T. I wouldn't be able to get the DLC if my life depended on it. I've missed out on all the GTA4 and Fallout goodness... and I've been a Fallout fanboy from day one back in the 90's. It makes me feel alienated and relegated to the back seat just because I live in an area that doesn't provide halfway decent broadband. I contribute nearly $1000 a year to gaming, and if they want to bite this hand, well, it can't feed a pet that doesn't stay home.
ChrisHero22
Maybe I am alone in this, but another great game that would do well from Episodic content would be Star Wars The Force Unleashed.
The engine works perfect for Jedi/Sith characters, with only minor tweaking needing to be done. With releasing episodic content as well, there is less fear of the bugs that the actual game produced. I just picture them giving you an episode as certain Jedi or Sith characters with a mission on a certain planet, and a good 6 hours of game content on that planet, solving whatever the mission is. I'd be all for it.
gtrogers
I agree 10000% with fatman.
I'm "over" GTA4. Don't get me wrong, it's a great game. But I've played through the streets of Liberty City. Seen the buildings. Used the same cars, etc, etc.
The Half-Life series got me excited about episodic content, because I thought you'd get new chapters of the game you love FASTER. But the series also ruined me for episodic content. It's no more faster than a regular sequel and the game doesn't advance much between "chapters" and you end up stuck with cliffhanger endings. I think I played a couple of hours of the Lost and the Damned before I was like "ugh, not this area again". I never finished it.
My point is this: I think the idea of episodic gaming is better than the reality. Look at Uncharted 2 and how great it is. If it was just Uncharted 1 with a couple of new levels and a new weapon or two....? Blech.
Full sequels are better than chapters. At least for now.
Blue_Vortex
while episodic content or a second Psychonauts (one of my favorite games) would be great, I kind of rather see more new original ideas from Double Fine, they're a company with a lot of imagination behind them and I just want to see used for something new and something I haven't seen yet.
drangel_jam
Episodic content is not a good idea marketing-wise. It dilutes the brand, the content loses hype, and is consecutively less impressive. It's best to hold all the goodies and release as a full package for maximum hype, critical and commercial success, instead of releasing it in small chunks.
Look at Fallout 3, I stopped buying DLC (only got the first two), because I felt like $50 all all five was a rip off since they were included in the GoTY version, but I was going to buy the all over again to play them even though I really would like to. They need to fix DLC pricing, especially after it because available in other venues for cheaper.
GTAIV was the most hyped about game of this generation, its DLC had the highest hype, the first episode did well online, but not well enough for its quality and value, and now the 2nd episode is shipping with underhype because it doesn't feel as fresh and new. If they didn't release epi1, and waited to release both of them as one package, and sell it as a stand alone title, it would do much better in terms of sells and hype.
Silky08
I hope realism mode gets introduced to the original left 4 dead
fatman2008
I don't like episodic games, I would rather wait longer for a game to be "finished" and have it be huge!!! then waiting another 6 months for the next piece of the game.
GreenBirdo
I am not a huge fan of episodic content after dealing with SIREN on Playstation 3. It is a good idea in theory but one that can leave the gamer wanting more in a situation where they can't. I know thats the whole idea of bite-sized gaming, but after decades of playing until I tire of the game or playing until the end. Playing until the episode finishes takes a lot of getting used to especially when they are linked liked playable TV shows.
I am sure if the notion of episodic content would work and work well, but only with the option of having the whole series on one disc aswell. I wouldn't care if wating for the compilation on disc took 2 months longer to release. As if SIREN is anything to go by episodic content is slow, costs more than an average game on the whole and can get annoying when you really get into something and can't continue until next weeks store update.
JPizzle151
I thought GTA IV was good, but it wasn't great. As the game progressed I really thought that Niko would have a big showdown with the Lost MC in the game, and then it was an episode (running a previous missions in the other POV was cool). San Andreas is still the best game in that series with all of the substance in that game. I think I played gang wars for over 20 hours. I like the idea of episodes but at the same time I think one great solid game is just as good. Fallout 3 has really perfected the episode ideas and they were fantastic adding so much to the story. I would rather see Fallout 4 before any of these ideas in the article.
jungleman67
i want a jurassic park game
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