A screen capture from the recently released game Black Ops, the latest title in the Call of Duty franchise. (Courtesy Activision)

Video games often get compared to movies, and with good reason. Games have become increasingly cinematic, story-driven and have much of the same production structure as films, utilizing actors, directors and effects programmers.

Movie franchises tend to diminish in quality with subsequent films. Games, however, often follow the opposite trend.

But there’s one area where the two are almost nothing alike: sequels. With rare exceptions, movie franchises tend to diminish in quality with subsequent films. Games, however, often follow the opposite trend.

One glance at the biggest-selling and best-reviewed games of 2010 proves it. The nominees for best release at Spike TV’s annual Video Game Awards this past weekend were all sequels or titles in long-running franchises: Red Dead Redemption, Call of Duty: Black Ops, God of War III, Mass Effect 2 and Halo: Reach. (Red Dead Redemption won.)

In that way, games are more like pop music. While movie sequels tend to lose the spark that made the original film special, musicians and game developers seem to improve their craft as they go. With each release, they learn what works and what doesn’t, and what the audience wants from them. As such, many franchise games get better and better, the same way that many bands keep improving. Musicians slowly but surely find their sound; game developers do something very similar (albeit less aurally focused).

I’ve discovered that a number of the biggest game franchises bear a resemblance to some of the most popular music acts. Here are just a few – and feel free to suggest your own in the comments section below.

Grand Theft Auto = Led Zeppelin

The first two entries in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, released in 1997 and 1999 respectively, were fun, top-down-view games that set the tone of the series. They introduced players to the idea of controlling a criminal who could roam around a city freely committing dastardly acts. But it was Grand Theft Auto III that revolutionized video games by applying that basic “sandbox” concept to a 3D environment. The fourth game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – set in a 1980s Miami look-alike – blew everyone away with its immersiveness, and subsequent releases continue to build on that winning formula. The secret to the franchise’s success is that the games have offered something for everyone: action, stealth, humour, exploration. It’s hard to suggest a more influential game series over the past decade.

Similarly, Led Zeppelin’s first few albums were solid and successful, but it was Led Zeppelin IV – which features Stairway to Heaven – that launched the band to god-like status. Led Zeppelin started good, but became great once Jimmy Page and company began adding layers and textures to the music. Like GTA, the result was something for every occasion: fun romps, rocking anthems and soulful ballads, plus a good deal of crotch-waving by Robert Plant — all of which continue to inspire rock bands today.

Call of Duty = Metallica

The current king of shooters started in 2003 as a release for the PC, which is where the hardest of hard-core gamers reside. Slowly but surely, the developers improved it and the popularity grew, to the point where it became a monster hit on consoles with Call of Duty 3 in 2006. The franchise is now courting a larger mainstream audience with new training modes in Black Ops designed to bring “noobs” into the online multiplayer experience, while TV ads urge non-gamers to “release their inner soldier.”

Metallica also grew on the backs of a cult following. It cracked the mainstream with …And Justice for All (1988), then became one of the biggest bands in the world with its eponymous record in 1991. The Black Album featured a softer sound and shorter songs (such as Enter Sandman) designed to appeal to a much bigger audience. Of course, with that and the ensuing Napster debacle, Metallica alienated much of its hardcore base who felt the band had “sold out,” an accusation that is already being put forth in some online gaming forums.

Most sports game franchises = AC/DC

Sports titles are as old as video games themselves. But the modern era – in which games feature real-life teams and players – started in the early 1990s. Publishers have in many cases released new iterations of FIFA Soccer and Madden NFL on a yearly basis, with a few tweaks and updated rosters added here and there. The core gameplay, however, hasn’t really changed much from year to year – and that’s the way aficionados of the genre like it. This basically describes AC/DC. The band has only one speed: full-on guitar rock. That has changed little over the years — and let’s face it, devotees find a certain comfort in that.

Peter Nowak is a writer based in Toronto.