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Depth.
An often underrated part of todays gaming world, but one of the more important, as far as I'm concerned. Generally, the deeper a game is, the more I'll enjoy it, because in theory there's more to enjoy.
Back in earlier days of gaming, when the Atari ST and Amiga were battling for the crown many games were being produced and many of them fun. Not many of them stood the test of time though. Some classics were produced, usually the more succesful of the arcade conversions (games like "Double Dragon") and other games that were classics at the time but have faded from memory now ("Rainbow Islands" for instance, the world loved it, but not many know of it now). However, certain games acquired huge cult followings, so much so that they are still regularly played now - and why? Depth.
Dungeon Master, was a classic in its day and is still a classic now, I don't imagine many of todays console gamers will be that aware of it, but those of you who are 20+ may well have a dim recollection or an avid enthusiasm for this game. While the visuals were pretty weak and the action rather slow it was soooo ridiculously deep and well thought out, that people just loved it and kept on loving it.
I feel that this holds true to today. Deeper games hold your interest for longer.
At the forefront of PS2 developers we have people who are really passionate about making story, driven games with as much depth as they can cram in.
Hironobu Sakaguchi, the man in charge of the Final Fantasy games is one of these men. He states quite clearly that he "likes telling stories" his characters, worlds and plot lines are meticulously worked at until they gel together, giving the gamer a wonderful feeling of depth in each important aspect of the game.
Hideo Kojima, who directs games like no other, is another of these developers. Notable mainly for Metal Gear Solid. His games have huge depth in atmosphere as well as the story telling. One of the things that amazed me in Metal Gear is how all the members of Fox Hound seemed to have their own little story included. A lot of games have characters histories in the manual, but its much better to have them included mid-game. Kojima does this expertly.
Its not just depth in plot and characters that can make a game though, afterall, not everyone has got the time to be playing through these monumental masterpieces.
Most gamers at one time or another just need a quick fix.
Games like Tekken or, going back a bit, Street Fighter provided a lot of enjoyment for those seeking a more arcade like hit. But eventually street fighter has faded from view.
The reason for this being that, though it established some good history over the years, the gameplay lacked depth and Tekken, with its deeper as well as innovitive gameplay took over.
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 is another fine example of a more arcade experience with depth.
Yes, the game has a career mode, but that is far from deep. The interest in this game apart form the nice, large and varied levels is the richness and depth of the gameplay. You have many tricks and no set path at your disposal, as I've said before you can play for minutes or hours on this game and you'll still have something to do on it.
At the moment the top developers (Kojima, etc) are judging the depth just right to keep the mass market quite happy.
Whilst deep, rich and varied - few games are coming out that are too deep (generally the opposite but hey...). Over deepness is a problem that some felt "Dungeon Master" had, but obviously that is all opinion based.
Do you feel that games could or should be deeper, or are you happy with the current state?
An often underrated part of todays gaming world, but one of the more important, as far as I'm concerned. Generally, the deeper a game is, the more I'll enjoy it, because in theory there's more to enjoy.
Back in earlier days of gaming, when the Atari ST and Amiga were battling for the crown many games were being produced and many of them fun. Not many of them stood the test of time though. Some classics were produced, usually the more succesful of the arcade conversions (games like "Double Dragon") and other games that were classics at the time but have faded from memory now ("Rainbow Islands" for instance, the world loved it, but not many know of it now). However, certain games acquired huge cult followings, so much so that they are still regularly played now - and why? Depth.
Dungeon Master, was a classic in its day and is still a classic now, I don't imagine many of todays console gamers will be that aware of it, but those of you who are 20+ may well have a dim recollection or an avid enthusiasm for this game. While the visuals were pretty weak and the action rather slow it was soooo ridiculously deep and well thought out, that people just loved it and kept on loving it.
I feel that this holds true to today. Deeper games hold your interest for longer.
At the forefront of PS2 developers we have people who are really passionate about making story, driven games with as much depth as they can cram in.
Hironobu Sakaguchi, the man in charge of the Final Fantasy games is one of these men. He states quite clearly that he "likes telling stories" his characters, worlds and plot lines are meticulously worked at until they gel together, giving the gamer a wonderful feeling of depth in each important aspect of the game.
Hideo Kojima, who directs games like no other, is another of these developers. Notable mainly for Metal Gear Solid. His games have huge depth in atmosphere as well as the story telling. One of the things that amazed me in Metal Gear is how all the members of Fox Hound seemed to have their own little story included. A lot of games have characters histories in the manual, but its much better to have them included mid-game. Kojima does this expertly.
Its not just depth in plot and characters that can make a game though, afterall, not everyone has got the time to be playing through these monumental masterpieces.
Most gamers at one time or another just need a quick fix.
Games like Tekken or, going back a bit, Street Fighter provided a lot of enjoyment for those seeking a more arcade like hit. But eventually street fighter has faded from view.
The reason for this being that, though it established some good history over the years, the gameplay lacked depth and Tekken, with its deeper as well as innovitive gameplay took over.
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 is another fine example of a more arcade experience with depth.
Yes, the game has a career mode, but that is far from deep. The interest in this game apart form the nice, large and varied levels is the richness and depth of the gameplay. You have many tricks and no set path at your disposal, as I've said before you can play for minutes or hours on this game and you'll still have something to do on it.
At the moment the top developers (Kojima, etc) are judging the depth just right to keep the mass market quite happy.
Whilst deep, rich and varied - few games are coming out that are too deep (generally the opposite but hey...). Over deepness is a problem that some felt "Dungeon Master" had, but obviously that is all opinion based.
Do you feel that games could or should be deeper, or are you happy with the current state?
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That could make the game more interesting, however the balance would have to be just right. That kind of realism is the thing that can kill a game.
I think there needs to be a bit more freedom introduced to the one on one fighting genre, I don't know how much though because, again if it feels too free, its not going to feel like a fight.
I think there needs to be a bit more freedom introduced to the one on one fighting genre, I don't know how much though because, again if it feels too free, its not going to feel like a fight.
I am the Tarrant wrote:
> What kind of things would you like to see introduced
Well, in fighting games I think that the more you get punched/kicked your speed and accuracy should go down. If you have one little bit of health left until you are knocked out or even in some cases die, do yuu really think you will have bundles of energy and power? No. If your punches slowed down etc. it would be much more realstic and will make you more p1ssed off if you get comboe'd.
Just a suggestion.
> What kind of things would you like to see introduced
Well, in fighting games I think that the more you get punched/kicked your speed and accuracy should go down. If you have one little bit of health left until you are knocked out or even in some cases die, do yuu really think you will have bundles of energy and power? No. If your punches slowed down etc. it would be much more realstic and will make you more p1ssed off if you get comboe'd.
Just a suggestion.
Good post!!Yes I think that games should be deeper than they are now. You are right, in order to have depth in the game, it is nesessary to introduce a good strong story or some other background. Final Fantasy games have managed to hook the gamers successfully because of the games depth.
Depth.
An often underrated part of todays gaming world, but one of the more important, as far as I'm concerned. Generally, the deeper a game is, the more I'll enjoy it, because in theory there's more to enjoy.
Back in earlier days of gaming, when the Atari ST and Amiga were battling for the crown many games were being produced and many of them fun. Not many of them stood the test of time though. Some classics were produced, usually the more succesful of the arcade conversions (games like "Double Dragon") and other games that were classics at the time but have faded from memory now ("Rainbow Islands" for instance, the world loved it, but not many know of it now). However, certain games acquired huge cult followings, so much so that they are still regularly played now - and why? Depth.
Dungeon Master, was a classic in its day and is still a classic now, I don't imagine many of todays console gamers will be that aware of it, but those of you who are 20+ may well have a dim recollection or an avid enthusiasm for this game. While the visuals were pretty weak and the action rather slow it was soooo ridiculously deep and well thought out, that people just loved it and kept on loving it.
I feel that this holds true to today. Deeper games hold your interest for longer.
At the forefront of PS2 developers we have people who are really passionate about making story, driven games with as much depth as they can cram in.
Hironobu Sakaguchi, the man in charge of the Final Fantasy games is one of these men. He states quite clearly that he "likes telling stories" his characters, worlds and plot lines are meticulously worked at until they gel together, giving the gamer a wonderful feeling of depth in each important aspect of the game.
Hideo Kojima, who directs games like no other, is another of these developers. Notable mainly for Metal Gear Solid. His games have huge depth in atmosphere as well as the story telling. One of the things that amazed me in Metal Gear is how all the members of Fox Hound seemed to have their own little story included. A lot of games have characters histories in the manual, but its much better to have them included mid-game. Kojima does this expertly.
Its not just depth in plot and characters that can make a game though, afterall, not everyone has got the time to be playing through these monumental masterpieces.
Most gamers at one time or another just need a quick fix.
Games like Tekken or, going back a bit, Street Fighter provided a lot of enjoyment for those seeking a more arcade like hit. But eventually street fighter has faded from view.
The reason for this being that, though it established some good history over the years, the gameplay lacked depth and Tekken, with its deeper as well as innovitive gameplay took over.
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 is another fine example of a more arcade experience with depth.
Yes, the game has a career mode, but that is far from deep. The interest in this game apart form the nice, large and varied levels is the richness and depth of the gameplay. You have many tricks and no set path at your disposal, as I've said before you can play for minutes or hours on this game and you'll still have something to do on it.
At the moment the top developers (Kojima, etc) are judging the depth just right to keep the mass market quite happy.
Whilst deep, rich and varied - few games are coming out that are too deep (generally the opposite but hey...). Over deepness is a problem that some felt "Dungeon Master" had, but obviously that is all opinion based.
Do you feel that games could or should be deeper, or are you happy with the current state?
An often underrated part of todays gaming world, but one of the more important, as far as I'm concerned. Generally, the deeper a game is, the more I'll enjoy it, because in theory there's more to enjoy.
Back in earlier days of gaming, when the Atari ST and Amiga were battling for the crown many games were being produced and many of them fun. Not many of them stood the test of time though. Some classics were produced, usually the more succesful of the arcade conversions (games like "Double Dragon") and other games that were classics at the time but have faded from memory now ("Rainbow Islands" for instance, the world loved it, but not many know of it now). However, certain games acquired huge cult followings, so much so that they are still regularly played now - and why? Depth.
Dungeon Master, was a classic in its day and is still a classic now, I don't imagine many of todays console gamers will be that aware of it, but those of you who are 20+ may well have a dim recollection or an avid enthusiasm for this game. While the visuals were pretty weak and the action rather slow it was soooo ridiculously deep and well thought out, that people just loved it and kept on loving it.
I feel that this holds true to today. Deeper games hold your interest for longer.
At the forefront of PS2 developers we have people who are really passionate about making story, driven games with as much depth as they can cram in.
Hironobu Sakaguchi, the man in charge of the Final Fantasy games is one of these men. He states quite clearly that he "likes telling stories" his characters, worlds and plot lines are meticulously worked at until they gel together, giving the gamer a wonderful feeling of depth in each important aspect of the game.
Hideo Kojima, who directs games like no other, is another of these developers. Notable mainly for Metal Gear Solid. His games have huge depth in atmosphere as well as the story telling. One of the things that amazed me in Metal Gear is how all the members of Fox Hound seemed to have their own little story included. A lot of games have characters histories in the manual, but its much better to have them included mid-game. Kojima does this expertly.
Its not just depth in plot and characters that can make a game though, afterall, not everyone has got the time to be playing through these monumental masterpieces.
Most gamers at one time or another just need a quick fix.
Games like Tekken or, going back a bit, Street Fighter provided a lot of enjoyment for those seeking a more arcade like hit. But eventually street fighter has faded from view.
The reason for this being that, though it established some good history over the years, the gameplay lacked depth and Tekken, with its deeper as well as innovitive gameplay took over.
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 is another fine example of a more arcade experience with depth.
Yes, the game has a career mode, but that is far from deep. The interest in this game apart form the nice, large and varied levels is the richness and depth of the gameplay. You have many tricks and no set path at your disposal, as I've said before you can play for minutes or hours on this game and you'll still have something to do on it.
At the moment the top developers (Kojima, etc) are judging the depth just right to keep the mass market quite happy.
Whilst deep, rich and varied - few games are coming out that are too deep (generally the opposite but hey...). Over deepness is a problem that some felt "Dungeon Master" had, but obviously that is all opinion based.
Do you feel that games could or should be deeper, or are you happy with the current state?
Page: