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Gaming Nexus IP Draft Part 2

Gaming Nexus IP Draft Part 2

Written by The GN Staff on 5/24/2007 for DS   PC   PS3   Wii   360  
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If you haven't read Part 1, you can go back to see how all this madness started. Now off to the next round...

Round 4

Pick #1 (19) - Chuck Husemann - Metroid
    Chuck's Comment: While not Nintendo's marquee franchise this is still one of the crowns of the Nintendo empire.

19

    John's Comment: Metroid really shouldn't have fallen this far so Chuck gets a steal at pick 19.

    Dan's Comment: Another great pick, as over 13 million games are already in circulation and Metroid Prime 3 is due out later this year.


   
    Pick #2 (20) - Rachel Steiner - Mega Man

20

    John's Comment: I can't really see Mega Man being that popular anymore but it sure did churn out a lot of games.

    Dan's Comment: A good solid pick in round four, but a franchise that looks to be down to mobile phones and Nintendo DS releases.  However, there have been over 27 million of this franchise sold worldwide, so this is a strong addition to anyone's portfolio.

    Cyril's Comment: Look, I love Mega Man as much as the next guy ... but one needs to worry about the character being overused.  Even back in the 2D era Mega Man had a bad reputation for being that one franchise that never changed, to the point where the bosses and levels almost became a parody of earlier titles.  These days Capcom is releasing two to three Mega Man games a year and I worry that our favorite blue hero may be a little too over exposed.  Without a major resurrection I wonder how long Mega Man can go on and if it will be profitable five or ten years from now.

   

    Pick #3 (21) - Ben Berry - Marvel Comics
    Ben's Comment:  I balance the DC stuff with the Marvel franchises. The Spiderman games from the movies haven't been bad, and the X-Men and Avenger titles of course of late have been nice. though i still think they have room to grow.

21

    John's Comment: Ben follows up a questionable pick in my view with another one in my opinion. I guess if you want to corner to super hero market you might as well own two major comic book labels.

    Dan's Comment: In a surprise development (well, not really), Ben corners the market on crappy comic book inspired games by taking the Marvel Comics franchise.  I got nothing else <shakes head sullenly>.

    Chuck's Comment: Solid pick but too many other franchises that I would have picked over this one.



    Pick #4 (22) - Cyril Lachel - Burnout
    Cyril's Comment: Even if a "real" next gen version has yet to be seen, I have to say that Burnout would be my choice.

22

    John's Comment: Burnout's a fun series and adds another good racing game to Cyril's lineup. Between Gran Turismo and Burnout, Cyril's got a nice balance of realistic and over the top racing games in his library.

    Dan's Comment: While Ben goes after the weird, wild and wacky, Cyril has been going nuts on any game that uses wheels.  The Burnout series has been strong over the years and will likely continue to grow as next-gen consoles are tapped to their potential in with Burnout Paradise.

    Chuck's Comment: While still a relatively new franchise this is a game that seems to be be picking up steam.



    Pick #5 (23) - Dan Keener - Resident Evil
    Dan's Comment: Some great picks came off the board in this round, but a classic that still has some legs was sliding under the radar.  I went ahead and grabbed Resident Evil, not only for its stellar past (and three feature films), but due to the fact it is no longer a Sony console exclusive. Xbox 360 and PS3 owners alike will get their hands on this gem when Resident Evil 5 hits next year, and the Wii gets into the act with Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles due out later in 2007.

23
   
    John's Comment: Another pick by Dan that I forgot about. Resident Evil's the premier horror game and another steal in round 4. Dan's been doing well I think in grabbing some franchises that many of us have looked over.



    Pick #6 (24) - John Yan - NCAA Football
    John's Comment: I'm more of a college guy myself and I have many good memories of playing the older NCAA Football games. I'd go roster and incremental updates every other year charging around $15 while I plan for huge upgrades in between.

24

    Dan's Comment: John makes a solid grab of another EA yearly release in NCAA Football.  While Madden is the unquestioned king of sports titles, NCAA football is just finding its legs by taking advantage of the opportunities next-gen consoles provide.  Throw in the depth of the game (recruiting, off-season, etc) with realistic landscapes and this franchise should continue to thrive.

    Chuck's Comment: Another reason you don't share picks with the people near you.Round 5

  Pick #1 (25) - John Yan - God of War
    John's Comment: This is one of the newer IPs and I think the series has become overly popular so I feel adding this to my stable will give me a nice variety in my top 5 choices.

25

    Dan's Comment: This is the first title that went off the board I really wanted.  John makes a great pick grabbing this up and coming franchise at the top of round 5.  With God of War 2 selling well over a million units worldwide, and God of War: Chains of Olympus due out onPSP later this year, this franchise is poised to be introduced to the PS3 and next-gen in the near future.

    Chuck's Comment: While Kratos may be a three and done franchise there's no doubt that these are some of the best games to come out on the PS2.



    Pick #2 (26) - Dan Keener - Mass Effect
    Dan's Comment: After having stud after stud franchise fall into my lap, I decided to go out on a limb and take a franchise thathasn’t even been released yet.  Mass Effect is slated to be a trilogy that will run on the Xbox 360 and supposedly Games for Windows.  While this may seem like a  classic boom or bust pick, I have enough firepower in my lineup that I can afford to take a risk here on what has been lauded .

26

    John's Comment: Dan's going for an unknown here and it can either pay off big time or be a big bust. You can't tell yet but I have to give Dan credit for going out on a limb.

    Cyril's Comment: There's no denying the talent behind Mass Effect, but it's risky to select an unproven game/franchise.  Will the strange mix of action and role-playing confuseXbox 360 gamers?  I worry that the action may be too much like a shooter for traditional role-playing fans and the role-playing elements will be too slow for traditional shooter fans.  Either way, we have yet to see if Mass Effect can actually catch on or if it will be another major title with disappointing sales figures.

    Chuck's Comment: While normally you don't want to take a franchise that hasn't even shipped a game yet the fact that this is being developed byBioware is reason enough to pick it.


   
    Pick #3 (27) - Cyril Lachel - Tekken
    Cyril's Comment:  For my fifth round pick I'm going to select Tekken.  Virtua Fighter has always been a better series, but I think that Tekken is a more commercially viable franchise (especially outside of Japan).

27

    John's Comment: Virtua Fighter is the series I would pick up but I'm more into the more complex fighting game. Tekken's a great series in its own right so I like Cyril's pick here.

    Dan's Comment: Cyril finally breaks his racing game string and grabs an old-school classic in Tekken.  Like most fighters, this franchise keeps getting milked as technology allows the game to become more complex and visually appealing.  The PS3 already has lined upTekken 6, but the franchise may have its best opportunity from downloading ports through digital distribution.



    Pick #4 (28) - Ben Berry - NBA Live
    Ben's Comment: The growing popularity of the NBA (while i loathe it) is ripe for an expansion of this series, and a true set of next gen titles with quality development behind them can only push this.

28

    John's Comment: While I love basketball, I just never liked NBA Live as I thought the action was way off base. I definitely would've picked one of the other sports franchises over NBA such as Tiger Woods or NHL.

    Dan's Comment: Ugh.  If you are going to dabble in sports franchises at this point in the draft, I have two words for you: Tiger Woods.

    Chuck's Comment: The NHL franchise I could see, but the NBA franchise?  Seriously....


  
    Pick #5 (29) - Rachel Steiner - Lord of the Rings
    Rachel's Comment:  With the new MMO out (which I have played and it PWNS) and also the fact that the books have a long standing history with hardcore fans there will always be a niche for this setting.

29

    John's Comment: Rachel's moved back to picking RPGs so I'm surprised she chose a relatively new IP over one with a lot of history like Ultima, Fallout, or Elder Scrolls. Lord of the Rings might be picked a little higher than I think most people would have.

    Dan's Comment: Rachel gets another solid and diverse franchise in Lord of the Rings.  With several more titles already in the pipeline, the game has some legs.  However, the hype surrounding the film tie-in is gone and the gaming world seems to becoming bored with the franchise despiteTolkien's influence on generations of readers.


   
    Pick #6 (30) - Chuck Husemann - Tetris
    Chuck's Comment: With the final pick of the 5th round I'm taking the Tetris franchise....old, old school game that is still alive and kicking.

30

    Dan's Comment: A historic franchise that still keeps people occupied for hours.  The big issue with this aging superstar is how will it translate to the next generation of gaming?  The early results are seem to suggest that mobile and portable gaming will be the best option. Tetris Evolution hit the Xbox 360 to lukewarm reception, which may signal the end to console gaming of this classic.

    Cyril's Comment: I love Tetris, it's my second favorite game of all time (only topped by X-Com), but can you make money off of Tetris?  Sure Nintendo managed to score a few sales off of the recent DS version, but by and large Tetris isn't a big seller these days.  A big reason for this is because you can find Tetris for free almost anywhere.  Heck, even forums allow you to play flash-based Tetris games.  I also worry that while Tetris is a fun game, the franchise itself doesn't have legs.  Let's face it, Hatris and Wordtris bombed, and let's not even talk about that 'Tris game for the Super Scope.  Tetris is a game I would love to have with me on a desert island, but I'm not convinced that there's any money in this puzzler.Round 6

    Pick #1
(31) - Chuck Husemann - Gears of War
    Chuck's Comment: With the first pick of the sixth round I'm taking Gears of War.  It's a new franchise but with a second game all but assured and a movie already in the works this new franchise has Halo potential.  Plus we get uber gamer designer and media whore CliffyB to be the face of the franchise.

31

   
    John's Comment: It was a matter of time before Gears was picked and it comes to no surprise to me that Chuck would pick it up in the last round.

    Dan's Comment: A fabulous pick this late in the game.  Gears is almost surely to have a second helping, plus a movie deal is already in the works.  As the first "It" game for the next-gen consoles, it is a great franchise to start building with.

    Ben's Comment: This is a phenomenal pick. I had honestly hoped to make it my 6th round selection, surprised each time that it got through. This is the kind of franchise to base your console on, because so many of the previously picked franchises are too long in the tooth to really have continued staying power.


   
    Pick #2 (32) - Rachel Steiner - Elder Scrolls
    Rachel's Comment: Two words: Elder Scrolls. It just gets better and better.

32


    John's Comment: NoOOOOoOoOoOoOoOOOO. I was so hoping this one would fall. Rachel's last pick is a great pick in round 6 as I didn't think Elder Scrolls would last this long.

    Dan's Comment: What can you say but $@#&!  I think everyone except Ben was hoping this classy lady would slide to them in Round 6.  I know it wouldn’t have made it past my pick.  The great thing about the Elder Scrolls is that Bethesda has embraced the next-gen downloadable content and has created so many additional revenue streams with expansions and in-game content, it isn't even funny.

   

    Pick #3 (33) - Ben Berry - FIFA
    Ben's Comment: Well, I want something that sells well in Europe, so...I'll take the FIFA IP.

33

    John's Comment: Is FIFA that popular? I would think if you wanted a soccer game you'd go for something like Winning Eleven.

    Dan's Comment: Wow, just wow.  I guess this is a fitting end to the most "unique" draft we saw.  While FIFA gets a boost every few years from the World Cup, I seriously question passing up Tiger Woods or even one of the MLB or NHL franchises for soccer.  Besides, wouldn't the Winning Eleven franchise and its 17 million sold base be a smarter pick?  I guess not.

    Chuck's Comment: Something of a steal this late given the game's popularity outside the US.



    Pick #4 (34) - Cyril Lachel - Street Fighter
    Cyril's Comment: It's just waiting for a resurrection.

34

    John's Comment: Street Fighter's such a great IP and has such a great history. Cyril's final pick finishes off a nice compliment in fighting games to his library.

    Dan's Comment: Cyril sneaks in an old classic with a few more breaths with is last pick.  The best thing about this franchise is the advent of Digital Distribution, which could see all the previous incarnations continue to hit next-gen consoles for years to come.



    Pick #5 (35) - Dan Keener - Command and Conquer
    Dan's Comment: With my last pick I had to make a tough decision.  Do I go with the established franchise with some legs left, or do I go after another youngster that has shown amazing promise?  In the end, it came down to picking Command & Conquer over the youngsters and adding another franchise that will blend the past, present and future into my empire.

jpg35
   
    John's Comment: Dan rounds out his library with a great RTS series. I've always loved the Red Alert series and C&C is one of the best RTS franchises out there. Great pick in the sixth round.

    Chuck's Comment: While not the original RTS, it's the game that really kick started the genre.  Given how well C&C 3 has done this year this is a great pick.



    Pick #6 (36) - John Yan - Half-Life
    John's Comment: One of the premier FPS games out there, I have been a big fan of the Valve title since I saw a tech demo at an early E3 in Atlanta. I would have probably picked this higher if I had to do it all over again but I'm happy it fell to me in the sixth round with the last pick.

36

    Dan's Comment: A great pick at the end of the draft.  While there may not be much left in this franchise, it adds another solid piece to John's diverse lineup.

    Chuck's Comment: The only pick I regret not making.  I still play a lot of HL2 just to relive one of the best FPS games of all time.So here's how it stands out after all six rounds are done.

John Yan
  1. Mario
  2. Metal Gear
  3. Star Wars
  4. NCAA Football
  5. God of War
  6. Half-Life

Dan Keener
  1. Pokemon
  2. Zelda
  3. The Sims
  4. Resident Evil
  5. Mass Effect
  6. Command & Conquer

Cyril Lachel
  1. Grand Theft Auto
  2. Tony Hawk
  3. Gran Turismo
  4. Burnout
  5. Tekken
  6. Street Fighter

Ben Berry
  1. Warcraft
  2. Guitar Hero
  3. DC Comics
  4. Marvel Comics
  5. NBA
  6. FIFA

Rachel Steiner
  1. Final Fantasy
  2. Dragon Warrior/Quest
  3. Bemani
  4. MegaMan
  5. Lord of the Rings
  6. Elder Scrolls
Chuck Husemann
  1. Madden
  2. Halo
  3. Ratchet and Clank
  4. Metroid
  5. Tetris
  6. Gears of War
And the final order of picks is as follows..



Pick # Franchise Owner
1 Mario John Yan
2 Pokemon Dan Keener
3 Grand Theft Auto Cyril Lachel
4 Warcraft Ben Berry
5 Final Fantasy Rachel Steiner
6 Madden Charles Husemann
7 Halo Charles Husemann
8 Dragon Warrior/Quest Rachel Steiner
9 Guitar Hero Ben Berry
10 Tony Hawk Cyril Lachel
11 Zelda Dan Keener
12 Metal Gear John Yan
13 Star Wars John Yan
14 The Sims Dan Keener
15 Gran Turismo Cyril Lachel
16 DC Comic Games Ben Berry
17 Bemani Rachel Steiner
18 Ratchet and Clank Charles Husemann
19 Metroid Charles Husemann
20 MegaMan Rachel Steiner
21 Marvel Comic Games Ben Berry
22 Burnout Cyril Lachel
23 Resident Evil Dan Keener
24 NCAA Football John Yan
25 God of War John Yan
26 Mass Effect Dan Keener
27 Tekken Cyril Lachel
28 EA NBA Games Ben Berry
29 Lord of the Rings Games Rachel Steiner
30 Tetris Charles Husemann
31 Gears of War Charles Husemann
32 Elder Scrolls Rachel Steiner
33 FIFA Ben Berry
34 Street Fighter Cyril Lachel
35 Command and Conquer Dan Keener
36 Half-Life John Yan

So as you can see there are some franchises that really fell off and some surprises in the draft. I'm sure there's probably a few franchises that you can't believe were passed over but that's part of the fun seeing who picked what and what got passed over. So who do you think did the best overall? The worst? Who would you have taken?

* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.


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