Still, the Japanese Street Fighter IV official blog promised last week that they'd speak about a sequel this week. The writer came back and instead said something about promising there'd be more concrete information in the near future.

Some take that as confirmation a sequel is in the works. That would not necessarily mean Street Fighter V. It could be Super Street Fighter IV Tournament Turbo Alpha EX or something. Regardless of what it's named, any new game brings up discussion of what characters will or should be included. Which you are free to do now.

Capcom Hints at Street FIghter Sequel [IGN]

During his hour-long — and highly quotable — presentation on Monday to the Deutsche Bank Securities Technology Conference in California, Kotick was asked by attendee whether he considered the gaming industry to be a hit-driven business.

"It is hit-driven business, but it's not as volatile as you would think," he said. "If you look at the top 10 products this year, eight of the top 10 products are based on franchises that were out last year and the year before that and the year before that.

"There's always been a confusion about the value of new intellectual property and also the difficulty of introducing new intellectual property. You still have the great challenge every year of innovating in your franchise, but one of the great benefits of having franchises is that you have a road map for innovation. When you are developing a new intellectual property from the ground up, you have to invent the story, the characters, the gameplay dynamics, and you're doing it without the benefit of audience knowledge.

"If you're really disciplined, as we are, about spending time surveying your audiences, you can take a lot of that knowledge — and the audience can give you a lot of guidance about what they want in their innovative new products. The pathway to innovation on a franchise is easier and better defined than it would be in something new.

"The companies that have proven franchises and have the discipline to leverage them are always going to do better and have a greater level of success. The single hardest thing to do in the video game business is to introduce new, original intellectual property and that's why it doesn't happen very often."

Who among us can deny that some highly innovative games were also sequels? Most games must be born without a number at the end of them, but Kotick makes a strong argument that when they get that numerical appendage, they get... better.

You can listen to the full Kotick presentation at the conference's official site. The quoted excerpt above begins close to the 42:00 mark.

In an Aug. 13 profile run by the respected news magazine, Kotick responded to a reporter's question about milking IPs with:

A small segment of very vocal gamers say everything has to be new and different every year. Actually, people are happy with existing franchises, provided you innovate within them.

It's the kind of response that makes both Kotick's position and the criticism pretty fair. Call of Duty? Modern Warfare absolutely was innovative, and has earned its shot for another go around. Guitar Hero? Re-skinning the game with a new band every quarter, more or less, is gonna be called for what it is.

But Activision, and other publishers, do face a Catch-22 of sorts. Create the game of the year, or close? Not only would you be foolish not to consider a sequel, the same hardcore complaining about sequels will be right in line to snap it up. And then you get beaten over the head for having a bunch of 2s and 3s and 4s in your catalog. But, that's why they pay you the big bucks.

Activision: People Prefer Sequels to Original IPs [Game Stooge]

Superannuation (or Superogatory, its tumblr URL), which devotes itself to monitoring this sort of thing, found the update and noted it about midnight. Of course, "Dead Space 2" could be confused/shorthand for "Dead Space Extraction" but the "Project ETA," means probably not.

Technical Director, Electronic Arts [Superannuation via Joystiq]

Now of course he isn't guaranteeing five more Bioshock games, but Hartmann says that if the innovation is there and the storyline is strong, they would keep telling the Bioshock story until it's done.

“For Bioshock, because it’s so story driven, the question obviously arises: how long can you do it without turning into The Matrix? The first Matrix was great, the second one was weird and the third one, you thought: ‘Who [making this] is on crack and who isn’t?’. “But, then again, look at Star Wars. It’s a fight between good and evil, just like Bioshock. If we spin it the right way and get the right twist of innovation, we can make six parts of it, as Star Wars did.

Hell, if they can keep things fresh and new through five sequels, more of my money to them. Hartmann did go on to say that they would never force out a new Bioshock game just to have a new BioShock game, citing the example of an unnamed racing title.

“But we have to be careful not to cash in. I won’t name the company, but there was a great racing game years ago. They brought it back year-on-year. If you look at the scores, it’s hard to believe what they’ve done to it. It’s upsetting, actually.”

Could this be a thinly-veiled dig at EA's Need for Speed franchise?

Bioshock can ‘do a Star Wars’, says 2K boss [MCV]

This blatant Bros clone pissed Nintendo off no end, and they promptly cease 'n' desisted the game off the shelves, only to have it pop up again as freeware in multiple unofficial ports for Linux, Windows, GBA homebrew, and many others.

By some freak twist of licensing and fair use alchemy, dtp entertainment seem to have acquired the rights to produce a proper, for-actual-money sequel to the game that will appear on the Nintendo DS. Presumably the Sisters adventures are just dissimilar enough to any subsequent Mario Bros outings to avoid Nintendo's ire, or maybe Ninty just don't care anymore and have instead been seized by some pro-feminist sentiment. Either way, Giana Sisters DS it is...

Famed Mario Rip-off Giana Sisters Coming to DS [Shacknews]

It is intended that the two protests will only be superficially similar, however. Whereas Jericho nuts sent bags of, er, nuts the Shenmue protest will take the form of literally some plastic toy capsules being posted to SEGA offices. Oh, and hopefully the Shenmue protest will be successful.

Ryo Hazuki of the Shenmue MySpace Campaign has this advice for would-be protesters, "Please include a letter asking for the continuation of the Shenmue series with your toy capsules, and poster printed from the Shenmue Poster Project. If you are only sending a letter, please include a poster with yours as well. Please be polite in you letters as you will be representing the entire Shenmue fan base :)"

Protests begin on November 27th through to December 29th.

Mass Mailing SEGA!!! Shenmue!!! [MySpace - thanks to Doomstink for the tip]

The company is also looking at other properties - Master of Orion has been mentioned, as have Bioware-style isometric RPGs such as Baldur's Gate or Planescape Torment.

"I think there are a lot of people who want that. They want to have a party again. They want to have a Minsc-type character in there," Stardock's Brad Wardell told Gamasutra, "Someone's going to have to do it. If it's not another studio, it's got to be Stardock."

Stardock CEO Wardell Eyes Star Control, Orion, And More [Gamasutra]

“Our customers have been begging us to create console games,” Digital Praise CEO Tom Bean told MTV Multiplayer, "We’d like to be able to go there but we’ll see.”

The company has been putting a lot of time and energy into expansion packs for the game - including some Stryper tracks out in 2009 - but Bean indicated that a move to multi-instrumental gameplay was being considered.

“That’s definitely been part of our discussions," he said, "[...] if it’s compelling then we’ll consider our next steps in that direction.”

Whatever happens with Digital Praise's plans, there is still no credible Christian or Religious DLC for the two main music franchises. Surely Mad Catz could bang out a church organ or a Tibetan Buddhist singing bowl controller for Rock Band? Talk about missed opportunities...

Christian ‘Guitar Hero’ Game Maker Says Demand Is High, Hints At Full Band Game [MTV Multiplayer]

Mirror's Edge is looking like a bit of a corker, though so maybe we can forgive EA DICE Senior Producer Owen O'Brien his enthusiasm. Speaking to AusGamers, O'Brien revealed that the game was merely the first part of a larger story..

"The story we're telling at the moment is kind of a trilogy, a three-story arc," said O'Brien, "I think there's a lot of scope to take the story in different directions, or maybe tell someone else's story. But certainly for these first couple games, it's all about Faith."

Whoah! Easy now, Owen! Don't get too far ahead of yourself. Lets just do the three groundbreaking AAA titles for now, yes?

If the prospect of two more plot-based installments isn't enough, though, the first sequel will apparently come with a 3D level editor. Dystopian parkour marriage proposals, anyone?

Mirror's Edge to be a trilogy: level editor planned for sequel [Qj.net]

This is EA right? So when we have a hit we'll make more.

To Ferriera's defense, he said a lot more about game developement, and sounded much more humble in the process.

"This is EA right?..." [gamesradar]

The graphics look more polished this time round, and details on new minigames are a bit scarce. We know that one has 4 Rabbids strapped to lab tables, with electricity-throwing cathodes above them. Cue lots of screaming when they get zapped. Another one involves some Rabbids in some theatre seats (naturally, they are wearing costumes like a Pirate, American Sport player, and one in bandages) talking on cellphones. Hopefully there will be some unique usages of the Wii Remote's Speaker here.

No telling when the release date will be, so don't go planning a Wii Party at your house unless you've got a copy of Mario Party 8 coming beforehand to use as a buffer. Feel free to swap dip recipes while you wait though. Kim Phu

News: Rayman's Rabbids Ready Their Return! [N-Europe]

Citing dropping review scores for EA's stable of yearly roster updates disguised as new games (Madden, NCAA, NBA Live), Wilson says that if scores continue to fall it could spell financial trouble for EA:

The widespread industry belief is that one or two bad iterations can ruin the long-term value of a license, and we agree.

Kicking them while they're down, he also writes of "EA's continuing woes", pointing to slightly-better-than-crap reviews for games like Marvel Ultimate Alliance and movie tie-ins Batman Begins and Superman Returns, as well as the company's "excessive employee turnover" and, well, a host of other things.

Typical EA bashing or BAIL OUT NOW warning to investors? I appreciated the publisher's commitment to "prioritizing game quality" but want to know when it will pay off. Michael McWhertor

Analyst: EA brand tarnished [Gamespot]

Well, it's finally done and the newest trailer makes me even less excited than I have been. This nutless voice acting and subdued animation is just not up to the Sam and Max par, and frankly I'm just not looking forward to it anymore.

Here's hoping the actual gameplay will somewhat salvage what is really looking like a sequelitis-ridden mistake. Eliza Gauger

Sam and Max goes gold [Telltale Games, via Destructoid]

I know, I know. "What's up with all the Dead Rising posts this morning?" Look, first of all, it could be worse: we could be posting Dead Rising cheat codes. But Dead Rising fever, by way of the pesky Z bacterium, has feverishly gripped Kotaku tower.

We huddle in front of our 360s. Ropes of drool dangle from Ashcraft and Crecente's drooping lower lips as they glassily stare at the television — this, of course, is nothing new. But their frightening silence, the lack of LOLs resounding through Kotaku tower, is. As for Eliza, she has spent most of the last day scooping bloody handfuls of cottage cheese out of her flabby abdomen and into her mouth. I, Florian Eckhardt, frankly a post-apocalyptic superman, keep a loaded shotgun trained upon them all.

The point is that we all love Dead Rising. We all want to see a sequel. And maybe we will! Capcom is throwing a survey, asking gamers if they want to see Dead Rising 2.

The only answer they should have allowed for should have been "No duh." but there's several possible responses to accurately mark your enthusiasm. If you want to see a sequel, head on over and fill it out. Florian Eckhardt

Dead Rising 2 Survey [Capcom]

During the lull of the summer months, we copy-paste monkeys can't simply sit on our duffs and wait for news to spontaneously generate like maggots from meat, as it does from September to May. So it's a time of editor round-ups and endless obsessing over the most trivial exposures.

In the vein of the former, Firing Squad gathered their editors around a communal tub of Crunch 'n' Munch and had them wax eloquently about sequels they'd like to see. Their responses are as obvious as they are uninteresting: Starcraft and Freespace, dude.

But perhaps we can use that as the jumping board for some ponderous reflection on the part of our audience of savvy Kotakuites. So what game would you like to see a sequel made for? Me? I want to see a sequel to Escape from Hell, in which you lead an RPG party of Stalin, Hamlet, Hitlet and Genghis Khan to help you fight Al Capone and Satan Himself.

What about you?Let us know in the comments. Florian Eckhardt

More Games That Need Sequels [Firing Squad]

Appallingly-named game site Computer and Video Games has a preview of the new Destroy All Humans! sequel. DAH!2 (titled "Make War Not Love") is set in the psychedelic 1960's and features multiple settings, including Japan and Britain (with ninjas and secret agents, respectively), and a whole slew of new opponents.

There's mention of Japanese giant monsters Godzilla and Mothra, but I can't tell if they're just using the names in a general sense to refer to big lizards and bugs, or if the actual name-brand monsters are going to appear.

No matter. Here's the important bit:

But, before you wonder how Crypto is going to fight stoners, secret agents and giant rubber monsters, this time he does have an ace card up the sleeve of his spacesuit. Destroy All Humans! Is going multiplayer. The co-op action will allow two players to slog it out together, combining brainwaves to produce fearsome attacks.

Whee! Co-op is absolutely my favorite game feature, and I think it's going to vastly improve the clever (and suspiciously Invader ZIMmy), but slightly monotonous original. Join me, gentle readers, in squealing with glee. And I will join you in cleansing the Earth of those filthy longhairs. Listen to the sounds...of violence. Eliza gauger

DAH!2 Preview [Computer and Video Games]

Originally, Resident Evil 2 was scheduled for March 1997, but producer Shinji Mikami wasn't pleased with its direction. Capcom bit the bullet, the game was scrapped, and work began from scratch. The abandoned video game is now known as Resident Evil 1. 5. The trailer above is for the 75% finished game before it was shelved.

More Here [Wiki]

Keith Stuart of The Guardian wonders if all of this "Next Gen" talk is getting out of hand. After all, some of this year's biggest games Zelda, MGS4 and Vision Gran Turismo are all sequels to long-standing franchises. Stuart's not impressed.

Neither am I, frankly. However the direction that the games' market has gone (the rising costs of development) it makes risk-taking in game design far too financially taxing and forces developers who want to, and have the creative desire to do more, to work on sequels. Is there a way for developers to make the games they want to make and still have publishers be happy with the revenue? New IP rarely sells as well as established IP, but relying too hard on existing franchises isn't going to bring anything new and exciting to the table, either, is it? Any solutions from the Kotaku peanut gallery?

Love the New Consoles, Shame About the Games [The Guardian]

Straight from the mouth of Captain Obvious, it would seem. Next Generation has the latest holiday predictions from analysts Wedbush Morgan Securities, the news is not so festive. "WMS says Xbox 360 shortages, the lack of price cuts on now-generation hardware and consumer indifference to the proliferation of sequels all lead to a cautious outlook."

This doesn't actually surprise anyone, does it? An industry that had been growing off of sequels and a market that is down from last year, when last Holiday season saw both a new Halo and GTA title? Tiring of sequels is one thing, but not having huge AAA titles at retail is another. This is a little bit of both, methinks.

Analyst Says Sequels Turning Off Consumers [Next Generation]