The Hidden Enemy: Nostalgia

MSNBC had an interview with Blizzard vice-president of game design Rob Pardo. Here's what I found striking:

“StarCraft II”s biggest competitor probably is “StarCraft.” How will you top that game and convince players that this isn’t just “StarCraft” in 3-D?

That’s a really good question. It’s not so much beating “StarCraft” that’s the problem, it’s beating people’s perception and nostalgia of “StarCraft.” “StarCraft” was and is a great game, but it’s certainly an older game. Across the board, “StarCraft II” is a better game in a lot of ways.

Will it live up to that nostalgia? Time will tell."

I think in any franchise that has a successful predecessor, nostalgia will primarily be one of the factors that fans will be looking into.

Coincidentally, people lately have been looking into the Star Wars trilogy and a bulk of the enthusiasm came from nostalgia... without it, the trilogy seems a bit lacking. I think the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon is great but some old fans find it lacking, most likely in due part to nostalgia (they miss the campy series with characters such as Rocksteady and Bebop, or even Krang). And of course, a lot of Dungeons & Dragons fans reminisce about the "good old days".