<i>Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata reiterated the company’s feeling that prettier, deeper, online-supported games are not the answer. Time wrote: “Online video games have been a false start so far, Iwata asserts, which is why he has no plans to lead Nintendo in that direction. The current path taken by game developers toward more cinematic graphics, richer story lines and complicated controls is a blind alley that, he says, will only worsen the current ‘nothing’s new’ ennui felt by many consumers.”</i>
<b>-taken from cube.ign.com</b>
Seems like Iwata is the only one charging down a blind alley. So much for richer storylines and better graphics… seems like plotless, graphically simplistic games are the new forte. God help us all. He doesn’t realize that many new gorgeous games with deep storylines do have a fresh feeling. Splinter Cell, anyone?
I play nintendo made games, and I like them. A lot of games that try to be all super duper awesome with stories and cinematics are so pretentious and get caught up in their self importance, that they’re just kinda ridiculous. Sometimes, keeping it simple is good.
And for the record, I didn’t like Splinter Cell. It’s MGS, only boring
I personally agree with him; Not every new game is a “Been there, done that… Except it looks better now”, but I’m experiencing that feeling way more often nowadays than I used to with everything else.
I occasionally go to a cyber cafe to try some of the new games out there. I still haven’t found very many that beats the good old Snes games. In fact, since I stopped playing Wheel of Time I haven’t played a single great game that I haven’t had in one way or another somewhere else.
The problem today is not that there aren’t good games out there; The problem is that they add nothing new except for more stunning graphics, a different story and technicly superior music, and in the end that’s not enough IMO. There are exceptions to it - I’m not saying it isn’t - But the exceptions are rare, and far between them.
I want gameplay, not some halfassed attempt to create an interactive movie, which is what the games of today usually are. 'Nuff said.
I think online compatible games are the way to go. After playing EQ for almost 4 years and a DAOC for over a year, I have trouble playing most console games now because of lack of online capabilities.
Once you get used to a Multi-player game style, single player games just aren’t as good anymore.
Originally posted by Jakanden
[b]I think online compatible games are the way to go. After playing EQ for almost 4 years and a DAOC for over a year, I have trouble playing most console games now because of lack of online capabilities.
Once you get used to a Multi-player game style, single player games just aren’t as good anymore. [/b]
Give him a break, he only makes like 400$ a year, judging from your other thread. not even man, the whole company makes 400, he makes like 5 bucks a year. you cant even live on that! he has other things on his mind.
Am I in the minority of people who LIKE the “interactive movie” genre that’s emerging? I’m far more taken by a well-done and well-acted story that draws you into the game. Let’s face it: take RPGs at their face value, and what does “gameplay” mean (at least 90% of the time)? Hitting the A button over and over again. You can’t tell me that’s good gameplay.
Xenosaga is a good example of a game that has a great story but fairly lacklustre gameplay. And yet I enjoyed it quite a lot. So if you give me a good interactive movie, I’m really fine with it.
Originally posted by Yar Kramer Just about everyone agrees that we need more good games, but then things break down into confusion about what constitutes “good.”
There’s no way around it. Either you have great gameplay, or great story. RPGs have great stories, but little gameplay. Action games often have great gameplay, but limited story. The answer, however, is to create games of both types, so that there’s something for everyone.
And Cid, you’re not alone. My brother and I are just like you (except for the Xenosaga thing, which bored me to tears).
Originally posted by Gizamaluke
[b]<i>The current path taken by game developers toward more cinematic graphics, richer story lines and complicated controls is a blind alley that, he says, will only worsen the current ‘nothing’s new’ ennui felt by many consumers."</i>[b]
So, if better graphics, story, and controls won’t make for better games, what does that leave? Sound?
The first times you played most of those (At least older) RPGs, it wasn’t quite as simple as mashing A. I admit some games are so simple (Breath of Fire 4, anyone?), but most games were definitely not, not the first time around at least.
Nowadays, games are making attempts to make the gameplay a little more strategic and involving. Take a look at games like Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, FFX-2, and Suikoden 3, and tell me that those games are easily conquerable by mashing the confirm button (I realize you played haven’t played DQ or Suiko 3 :P).
The big problem with making smashing, new, innovative games nowadays is:
It’s frickin HARD.
GTA3 was a very wowwing game when it first came out. Now it seems that games with that sort of realistic level are sorta like, expected. Anyone ever seen Half-Life 2 in action? Once that game comes out, the world will again be wowwed, but regardless of how much more work, and how diffucult it most have been to make such an advanced game (It really is impressive folks You should check out the demo if you can), it will become sort of expected for games to act similar to that after not too long. That is sort of ridiculous to me.
Originally posted by Cidolfas
[b]Am I in the minority of people who LIKE the “interactive movie” genre that’s emerging? I’m far more taken by a well-done and well-acted story that draws you into the game. Let’s face it: take RPGs at their face value, and what does “gameplay” mean (at least 90% of the time)? Hitting the A button over and over again. You can’t tell me that’s good gameplay.
Xenosaga is a good example of a game that has a great story but fairly lacklustre gameplay. And yet I enjoyed it quite a lot. So if you give me a good interactive movie, I’m really fine with it. [/b]
Actually, believe it or not, your in the MAJORITY.
The majority of the vido game market is populated by the creatures known as “casual gamers”. They by mainstream crap like Madden and GTA instead of new inovative games like Disgaea and Ico. They always look for the fancy graphics and cool FMVs.
While you are not a casual gamer, casual gamers agree with you.
Coming up with game ideas that are innovative, even in a simple way, is actually kind of easy.
What’s really at issue is the fact that a stable part of the market is perfectly content with playing the same kind of games over and over again until they are sick and tired of them.
Well… keep in mind that a big-name game today carries with it a multiple-million-dollar price tag. Companies are understandably leery of innovation with that sort of money being bandied around, especially considering that the current games are selling plenty well, thanks very much.
There have been plenty of innovations in the last little while, actually, not all of which really made sense. The whole Dance Dance Revolution thing was new. So were things like Pikmin, Boktai, and the increasing emphasis on GBA-GC interactivity. Granted, Nintendo is making most of those innovations. But frankly, I’d probably hate to play any of them. If there isn’t an engaging story (and I’m probably spoiled now to the point that I need at least PSX-style graphics for a story to be engaging) I’m going to lose interest.
I usually hate MGS-style games, but the great acting and story drew me in completely. Sure, it’d be nice to have a game that’s innovative in its gameplay, but those games tend not to have the budgets required to make impressive story sequences (by which I mean to at least hire decent voice actors). In fact, the only game that came close was, I think, Kingdom Hearts, and to my mind that game could have been SO much better than it was. -_-
In short, companies that make cinematic games generally don’t want to take chances on innovation, and the ones that take chances don’t have the budget for good cinematics. So it’s a bit of a stalemate for now.
Originally posted by Charlemagne Give him a break, he only makes like 400$ a year, judging from your other thread. not even man, the whole company makes 400, he makes like 5 bucks a year. you cant even live on that! he has other things on his mind.
me make joke
Let me clarify my points a little; I’m not against a good story, nor am I against good graphics. I’m against new games when they’re nothing more than mere copies of old games.
Think of it this way; In the old days, gameplay was king. Games lasted, because they HAD TO. It was a kind of a status thing among gamers to say that you’ve successfully beaten Super Mario Bros. Games back then were insanely hard to beat. And yet, we tried and tried again, because they were fun to play. The gameplay was great, and it all felt fresh and new, but most important of all - If you screwed up, you knew it was you who screwed up. They had next to perfect, albeit simple controls.
It was simply an experience that you can’t get in today’s games IMO. Sure, call me a Retro nerd if you’d like, but I feel that many of today’s games are mere weak copies of the old games. They’re prettier, true, but still weak.
I do however like a good story just as anyone else, and properly done the story can even enhance the gameplay - Like with MGS. Same goes for graphics. But IMO Gameplay is, and always will be king.
Originally posted by Karlemagne Give him a break, he only makes like 400$ a year, judging from your other thread. not even man, the whole company makes 400, he makes like 5 bucks a year. you cant even live on that! he has other things on his mind.
hahaha, this post alone makes reading this thread worth it.
Just about everyone agrees that we need more 
You should check out the demo if you can), it will become sort of expected for games to act similar to that after not too long. That is sort of ridiculous to me.