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Developers may not have as much competition as in the past, but now it is at a very crucial time indeed.
Each game costs so much to get out on the shelves, a couple of turkeys could well put a company under.
As a result of this they must all try to bring out the best.
Now I'm sure I've said this before, but horror is a boom genre.
The reasons for this are quite apparent when you read about Silent Hill 2, so playing it must really ram home this point. Now we have the graphics that can look truely scary. On the Playstation, those zombies just didn't quite cut it, did they?
Add to this the new level of excellence in sound in games, including the music (with developers bringing in professionals to help) you can now get truely creepy games.
But we can't own every game that comes out, can we?
So developers have to be the best.
When it comes to 'horror' Capcom could be seen as the kings, given the success of Resident Evil, and they have plenty more where that came from too.
Konami are giving them a run for thier money with Silent Hill 2. I believe Konami are also responsible for The Thing, another which could be a creepy classic.
Then there's Silicon Knights (anyone not getting a Cube will stop reading here). Eternal Darkness is another such game thrown into the genre, again with a twist, the sanity meter.
Each of these twists seems to try to work on a more emotional level, trying to throw in as much if not more psychological fear as gore.
Of course, with sales being so important, there's always another way to help your game sell. Stick a demo of a much anticipated game with it. Certainly not a bad idea, given how many people bought Zone of the Enders mostly for a Metal Gear Solid 2 demo. (Some enjoyed the game too, some didn't).
Developers like to find the next boom genre, and flood the market with it.
How many developers tried to put thier fingers into the RPG pie after FF7 was such a success on the Playstation? Tough genre for a newcomer to enter though, that one. Caused a few turkeys! Damn Holy Magic Century, pah!
Money is very important to these developers, and they know what sells. Their goal is always to create a popular franchise, get the public wanting a sequel. With each episode the game will grow in popularity, milk it and use the money to try to come up with a new cash cow, or, heaven forbit, try something original!
As there will be so many multi-format games over the next years, it won't be so important which console you buy (so you might as well get a 'Cube) but which games you buy. developers will be pimping their games out everywhere, trying to get you to buy them by any means necessary. Hopefully they'll remember that in the end we onlt really want a decent game, not a big poster, and demo of a good game coming out next year.
Another example of the boom genre and market flooding is with extreme sports. Tony Hawk's games have been tremendously successful, so along comes Dave Mirra, with his BMX. There's Jerry McGrath there too, doing dangerous things in games for our amusement. Suddenly developers are standing around on street corners looking for the next big game. Hell, we have an 'in-line skating' game coming out next year, on all formats, because extreme sports games are in.
So where am I going with all of this?
Be careful. Developers need to sell their games to make more games. If it's a bad game, they still need to sell it, and they'll put plenty of garnish on the plate to try to make you think it'll be tasty. Just because you liked one horror game you won't like them all, and you can play too many extreme sports games.
Each game costs so much to get out on the shelves, a couple of turkeys could well put a company under.
As a result of this they must all try to bring out the best.
Now I'm sure I've said this before, but horror is a boom genre.
The reasons for this are quite apparent when you read about Silent Hill 2, so playing it must really ram home this point. Now we have the graphics that can look truely scary. On the Playstation, those zombies just didn't quite cut it, did they?
Add to this the new level of excellence in sound in games, including the music (with developers bringing in professionals to help) you can now get truely creepy games.
But we can't own every game that comes out, can we?
So developers have to be the best.
When it comes to 'horror' Capcom could be seen as the kings, given the success of Resident Evil, and they have plenty more where that came from too.
Konami are giving them a run for thier money with Silent Hill 2. I believe Konami are also responsible for The Thing, another which could be a creepy classic.
Then there's Silicon Knights (anyone not getting a Cube will stop reading here). Eternal Darkness is another such game thrown into the genre, again with a twist, the sanity meter.
Each of these twists seems to try to work on a more emotional level, trying to throw in as much if not more psychological fear as gore.
Of course, with sales being so important, there's always another way to help your game sell. Stick a demo of a much anticipated game with it. Certainly not a bad idea, given how many people bought Zone of the Enders mostly for a Metal Gear Solid 2 demo. (Some enjoyed the game too, some didn't).
Developers like to find the next boom genre, and flood the market with it.
How many developers tried to put thier fingers into the RPG pie after FF7 was such a success on the Playstation? Tough genre for a newcomer to enter though, that one. Caused a few turkeys! Damn Holy Magic Century, pah!
Money is very important to these developers, and they know what sells. Their goal is always to create a popular franchise, get the public wanting a sequel. With each episode the game will grow in popularity, milk it and use the money to try to come up with a new cash cow, or, heaven forbit, try something original!
As there will be so many multi-format games over the next years, it won't be so important which console you buy (so you might as well get a 'Cube) but which games you buy. developers will be pimping their games out everywhere, trying to get you to buy them by any means necessary. Hopefully they'll remember that in the end we onlt really want a decent game, not a big poster, and demo of a good game coming out next year.
Another example of the boom genre and market flooding is with extreme sports. Tony Hawk's games have been tremendously successful, so along comes Dave Mirra, with his BMX. There's Jerry McGrath there too, doing dangerous things in games for our amusement. Suddenly developers are standing around on street corners looking for the next big game. Hell, we have an 'in-line skating' game coming out next year, on all formats, because extreme sports games are in.
So where am I going with all of this?
Be careful. Developers need to sell their games to make more games. If it's a bad game, they still need to sell it, and they'll put plenty of garnish on the plate to try to make you think it'll be tasty. Just because you liked one horror game you won't like them all, and you can play too many extreme sports games.
Well said Meka, and i totally agree with you here.
Take CoreDesign for example, with the release of those tombraider games, didn't do them to well did it, in fact if it wasn't for Eidos buying them, that company would of just flowed down the drain.This is just one example of a company that didn't know what the public wanted, stuck with the same idea, and well just flopped.
But then you take a company like Capcom, who know exactly what they are doing, you get a success. Big Bucks and happy fans. Also Konami and Squaresoft, they have got the right ideas, especially Squaresoft with their RPG's, fantastic.
It is true what Meka said though if any company were to slip up now then well it will end in their demise (well near enough)
Well theres not really much i can add to this because Meka has seemed to of said it all
later
><{{{*>
Take CoreDesign for example, with the release of those tombraider games, didn't do them to well did it, in fact if it wasn't for Eidos buying them, that company would of just flowed down the drain.This is just one example of a company that didn't know what the public wanted, stuck with the same idea, and well just flopped.
But then you take a company like Capcom, who know exactly what they are doing, you get a success. Big Bucks and happy fans. Also Konami and Squaresoft, they have got the right ideas, especially Squaresoft with their RPG's, fantastic.
It is true what Meka said though if any company were to slip up now then well it will end in their demise (well near enough)
Well theres not really much i can add to this because Meka has seemed to of said it all
later
><{{{*>
Developers may not have as much competition as in the past, but now it is at a very crucial time indeed.
Each game costs so much to get out on the shelves, a couple of turkeys could well put a company under.
As a result of this they must all try to bring out the best.
Now I'm sure I've said this before, but horror is a boom genre.
The reasons for this are quite apparent when you read about Silent Hill 2, so playing it must really ram home this point. Now we have the graphics that can look truely scary. On the Playstation, those zombies just didn't quite cut it, did they?
Add to this the new level of excellence in sound in games, including the music (with developers bringing in professionals to help) you can now get truely creepy games.
But we can't own every game that comes out, can we?
So developers have to be the best.
When it comes to 'horror' Capcom could be seen as the kings, given the success of Resident Evil, and they have plenty more where that came from too.
Konami are giving them a run for thier money with Silent Hill 2. I believe Konami are also responsible for The Thing, another which could be a creepy classic.
Then there's Silicon Knights (anyone not getting a Cube will stop reading here). Eternal Darkness is another such game thrown into the genre, again with a twist, the sanity meter.
Each of these twists seems to try to work on a more emotional level, trying to throw in as much if not more psychological fear as gore.
Of course, with sales being so important, there's always another way to help your game sell. Stick a demo of a much anticipated game with it. Certainly not a bad idea, given how many people bought Zone of the Enders mostly for a Metal Gear Solid 2 demo. (Some enjoyed the game too, some didn't).
Developers like to find the next boom genre, and flood the market with it.
How many developers tried to put thier fingers into the RPG pie after FF7 was such a success on the Playstation? Tough genre for a newcomer to enter though, that one. Caused a few turkeys! Damn Holy Magic Century, pah!
Money is very important to these developers, and they know what sells. Their goal is always to create a popular franchise, get the public wanting a sequel. With each episode the game will grow in popularity, milk it and use the money to try to come up with a new cash cow, or, heaven forbit, try something original!
As there will be so many multi-format games over the next years, it won't be so important which console you buy (so you might as well get a 'Cube) but which games you buy. developers will be pimping their games out everywhere, trying to get you to buy them by any means necessary. Hopefully they'll remember that in the end we onlt really want a decent game, not a big poster, and demo of a good game coming out next year.
Another example of the boom genre and market flooding is with extreme sports. Tony Hawk's games have been tremendously successful, so along comes Dave Mirra, with his BMX. There's Jerry McGrath there too, doing dangerous things in games for our amusement. Suddenly developers are standing around on street corners looking for the next big game. Hell, we have an 'in-line skating' game coming out next year, on all formats, because extreme sports games are in.
So where am I going with all of this?
Be careful. Developers need to sell their games to make more games. If it's a bad game, they still need to sell it, and they'll put plenty of garnish on the plate to try to make you think it'll be tasty. Just because you liked one horror game you won't like them all, and you can play too many extreme sports games.
Each game costs so much to get out on the shelves, a couple of turkeys could well put a company under.
As a result of this they must all try to bring out the best.
Now I'm sure I've said this before, but horror is a boom genre.
The reasons for this are quite apparent when you read about Silent Hill 2, so playing it must really ram home this point. Now we have the graphics that can look truely scary. On the Playstation, those zombies just didn't quite cut it, did they?
Add to this the new level of excellence in sound in games, including the music (with developers bringing in professionals to help) you can now get truely creepy games.
But we can't own every game that comes out, can we?
So developers have to be the best.
When it comes to 'horror' Capcom could be seen as the kings, given the success of Resident Evil, and they have plenty more where that came from too.
Konami are giving them a run for thier money with Silent Hill 2. I believe Konami are also responsible for The Thing, another which could be a creepy classic.
Then there's Silicon Knights (anyone not getting a Cube will stop reading here). Eternal Darkness is another such game thrown into the genre, again with a twist, the sanity meter.
Each of these twists seems to try to work on a more emotional level, trying to throw in as much if not more psychological fear as gore.
Of course, with sales being so important, there's always another way to help your game sell. Stick a demo of a much anticipated game with it. Certainly not a bad idea, given how many people bought Zone of the Enders mostly for a Metal Gear Solid 2 demo. (Some enjoyed the game too, some didn't).
Developers like to find the next boom genre, and flood the market with it.
How many developers tried to put thier fingers into the RPG pie after FF7 was such a success on the Playstation? Tough genre for a newcomer to enter though, that one. Caused a few turkeys! Damn Holy Magic Century, pah!
Money is very important to these developers, and they know what sells. Their goal is always to create a popular franchise, get the public wanting a sequel. With each episode the game will grow in popularity, milk it and use the money to try to come up with a new cash cow, or, heaven forbit, try something original!
As there will be so many multi-format games over the next years, it won't be so important which console you buy (so you might as well get a 'Cube) but which games you buy. developers will be pimping their games out everywhere, trying to get you to buy them by any means necessary. Hopefully they'll remember that in the end we onlt really want a decent game, not a big poster, and demo of a good game coming out next year.
Another example of the boom genre and market flooding is with extreme sports. Tony Hawk's games have been tremendously successful, so along comes Dave Mirra, with his BMX. There's Jerry McGrath there too, doing dangerous things in games for our amusement. Suddenly developers are standing around on street corners looking for the next big game. Hell, we have an 'in-line skating' game coming out next year, on all formats, because extreme sports games are in.
So where am I going with all of this?
Be careful. Developers need to sell their games to make more games. If it's a bad game, they still need to sell it, and they'll put plenty of garnish on the plate to try to make you think it'll be tasty. Just because you liked one horror game you won't like them all, and you can play too many extreme sports games.