These video game sequels need to be retired

San Francisco Chronicle writer Peter Hartlaub has just published a scathing list of videogame franchises that, according to him, need to be retired. The list has a few gamers up in arms with some of the more controversial choices, which include several Mario spin-off franchises (the Mario Karts, Mario Party games and Smash Bros. franchise), Tony Hawk, Pac-Man, Manhunt, Spyro the Dragon, Tomb Raider and Medal of Honor. Also mentioned are Sonic, Crash Bandicoot and Frogger.

While Hartlaub nails it on a few counts (Tony Hawk, Medal of Honor and the rather lackluster Manhunt series could use a break, sure), some gamers aren’t too keen on the dismissal of the Italian plumber himself. In fact 1up editor Greg Ford criticized the piece in his blog for harping on the Mario Kart and Smash Bros. lines, which haven’t produced a bad game yet.

In the spirit of fairness, Hartlaub does end on a positive note, listing game series that get high marks for continual reinvention and consistently high quality. He cites the Burnout, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Guitar Hero, Half Life, Ratchet & Clank and Resident Evil series as franchises that “keep getting better”. His point is that the problem with the industry is a lack of creativity and the “sequel factory” mentality, which is perfectly valid.

Read [SF Gate]