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"Originality step by step."

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Sat 08/12/01 at 00:05
Regular
Posts: 787
What makes a game classic?

When you look at this question what do you really think a classic game is? There are many factors you could raise about this, the first point I think about is it’s originality.

The originality is important because if it’s just a copy off another game, as many sequels are, it won’t do very well because gamers have already played it. There’s no new experience, which is what gamers want. If it’s not a completely new idea it will be rejected, a perfect example of originality is Zelda for the GameCube. First of all, it was going to be like all the other Zelda games, which Nintendo made, but then they decided to come up with something a bit more original and they ended up with a cartooned version of Zelda completely different to the other Zelda games that are out for the N64 or Game Boy Colour. Originality comes in many forms such as genre mixing. Take Wario Land 4 for the Gameboy Advance, it is a classic example of genre mixing. RPG and Platformer rolled into one. Even on the easy setting it makes it a lot more interesting have a cross genre.

Playability is a key part to making a game classic. Without this in a game you will pick up the game, play it once and then throw it away. There’s one thing about playability that makes it’s unique, you can’t really copy it unless you have the right formula and if you don’t the right formula it’s hard to get it right. The playability of the game is the part to keeps you playing day and night until and even after you complete the game. A classic example of games that keep you playing after completion is racers like Gran Turismo 2 and Mario Kart 64 because you can try to beat personal records over and over, try to beat a mates in multiplayer games and just basically having a race when you feel like it. Another great example of a great playable game genre is first person shoot ‘em ups such as the amazing Perfect Dark and Goldeneye 007. Level after level you won’t stop and put any of these games down. Multiplayer is pure beauty.

The ease of gaming is a very important part to being a classic, which is overlooked by some games makers and the whole game is ruined. It’s a very precise part of a classic game, because if the game your playing is too difficult to play you’ll just throw it down and quit unless you’re a very patient gamer. Shoot ‘em ups especially have to be easy to control because you need quick reactions and there’s no point in having to look around the pad to reload. Goldeneye 007 was great game and one of the reasons was how easy it was to play. There are some games that have been let down by this with dodgy camera angles and hard to handle controls they just go straight down the sink.

If you want an original game it has to last longer than it is. They are loads of massive games that aren’t classics because they are basically really bad. Nevertheless, a good long game does make all the difference. Games like Goldeneye 007, Gran Turismo 1 and 2 and Super Mario 64 can keep you playing for at least a year. Loads of games are let down by this factor. Take ESPN Final Round Golf for the Gameboy Advance, it’s the best golf game I’ve played in a quite a while and is really let down because it only has about two courses. Last-ability is going to be a big problem with the upcoming Next Generation console, the Nintendo GameCube, as recently Nintendo revealed that their games are going to be a lot easier because of the ‘Younger Audience’ that supposedly are more interested in Nintendo products. This mean Luigi’s Mansion and Zelda: GameCube are going to be very short games.

In magazines a lot of games are let down by the difficulty level of a game, they say “it may be too easy for older gamers.” However, if there’s a game like Mickey Mouse it’s created especially for younger gamers. If all games had a high difficulty level, there wouldn’t be any games for the younger generation of gamers and if all games were too easy there would not be any challenge for older gamers. This is why there is a contrast between games for older and younger gamers. The biggest contrast’s are usually with cartooned games like Kirby and serious games like Perfect Dark, if Kirby had a very high difficulty it would not be the same game, it would be for the older generation but they might reject it because of it’s childish style. You need to get the difficulty level right to get a classic game. It may not seem like much but having an ‘easy’, ‘hard’ and ‘medium’ option which can make all the difference.

A classic game has to be simple to be classic. Simplicity is very important because of, again, how easy it is to play. Complicated games will get you confused and can’t really be called a classic if you don’t understand what the game is trying to achieve. This is the beauty of puzzle games like Tetris and Denki Blocks. Try to get rows of blocks while different shapes fall and all you have to do is move them into place, getting harder as you progress. Again simple.

There are added extra’s you’ll find in games such as good graphics, which are not essential but can improve the gamplay a bit. You might be thinking at this point “What?” but hear me out. A lot of games are let down by dodgy camera angles and backgrounds that make the characters blend in. Such as games like Castlevania for the N64 with it’s annoying camera angles and Jurassic Park 3 for the GBA which is annoying because you can hardly see who you are. However, when you have good graphics these problems can be avoided, which essentially makes the games more playable.


Thanks for reading

RiCkOsS
Sat 08/12/01 at 12:24
Regular
Posts: 10,437
Did anyone have a Spectrum and Snowball in hell?

That was really playable and simple, what a classic.
Sat 08/12/01 at 12:10
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985
A classic is just a game that appeals to a broad spectrum of people, so that lots of people experience it. It also has to be highly playable and worth at least one return (a good replay value).

Nice post.
Sat 08/12/01 at 00:14
Regular
Posts: 18,185
Goldeneye classic, remodeled First Person shooters with hit areas, an addictive multiplayer combined with soooo many exras with thos hard modes REALLY hard with a little prize (another level) at the end of it all. Combined with action replay it was perfect, Perfect Dark just added to the perfection. The idea of classics base on an games amazing strength for example Zelda's strength of interactivity and ingrossing storyline combined with sprawling 3D world with many small areas it was a joy to behold a classic.

Goldeneye had little interactivity, no vast 3D world in fact if you hadn't seen the film the games storyline involved you reading the mission briefs as the cut scenes revealed nothing. But of course that isn't Goldeneye's major strength, the ability to blow up everything, realistic explosions, death scenes, smart guards, clever FPS things to do, crisp realistic graphics and amazing multiplayer Zelda never had that but both were classics.
Sat 08/12/01 at 00:05
Regular
Posts: 10,437
What makes a game classic?

When you look at this question what do you really think a classic game is? There are many factors you could raise about this, the first point I think about is it’s originality.

The originality is important because if it’s just a copy off another game, as many sequels are, it won’t do very well because gamers have already played it. There’s no new experience, which is what gamers want. If it’s not a completely new idea it will be rejected, a perfect example of originality is Zelda for the GameCube. First of all, it was going to be like all the other Zelda games, which Nintendo made, but then they decided to come up with something a bit more original and they ended up with a cartooned version of Zelda completely different to the other Zelda games that are out for the N64 or Game Boy Colour. Originality comes in many forms such as genre mixing. Take Wario Land 4 for the Gameboy Advance, it is a classic example of genre mixing. RPG and Platformer rolled into one. Even on the easy setting it makes it a lot more interesting have a cross genre.

Playability is a key part to making a game classic. Without this in a game you will pick up the game, play it once and then throw it away. There’s one thing about playability that makes it’s unique, you can’t really copy it unless you have the right formula and if you don’t the right formula it’s hard to get it right. The playability of the game is the part to keeps you playing day and night until and even after you complete the game. A classic example of games that keep you playing after completion is racers like Gran Turismo 2 and Mario Kart 64 because you can try to beat personal records over and over, try to beat a mates in multiplayer games and just basically having a race when you feel like it. Another great example of a great playable game genre is first person shoot ‘em ups such as the amazing Perfect Dark and Goldeneye 007. Level after level you won’t stop and put any of these games down. Multiplayer is pure beauty.

The ease of gaming is a very important part to being a classic, which is overlooked by some games makers and the whole game is ruined. It’s a very precise part of a classic game, because if the game your playing is too difficult to play you’ll just throw it down and quit unless you’re a very patient gamer. Shoot ‘em ups especially have to be easy to control because you need quick reactions and there’s no point in having to look around the pad to reload. Goldeneye 007 was great game and one of the reasons was how easy it was to play. There are some games that have been let down by this with dodgy camera angles and hard to handle controls they just go straight down the sink.

If you want an original game it has to last longer than it is. They are loads of massive games that aren’t classics because they are basically really bad. Nevertheless, a good long game does make all the difference. Games like Goldeneye 007, Gran Turismo 1 and 2 and Super Mario 64 can keep you playing for at least a year. Loads of games are let down by this factor. Take ESPN Final Round Golf for the Gameboy Advance, it’s the best golf game I’ve played in a quite a while and is really let down because it only has about two courses. Last-ability is going to be a big problem with the upcoming Next Generation console, the Nintendo GameCube, as recently Nintendo revealed that their games are going to be a lot easier because of the ‘Younger Audience’ that supposedly are more interested in Nintendo products. This mean Luigi’s Mansion and Zelda: GameCube are going to be very short games.

In magazines a lot of games are let down by the difficulty level of a game, they say “it may be too easy for older gamers.” However, if there’s a game like Mickey Mouse it’s created especially for younger gamers. If all games had a high difficulty level, there wouldn’t be any games for the younger generation of gamers and if all games were too easy there would not be any challenge for older gamers. This is why there is a contrast between games for older and younger gamers. The biggest contrast’s are usually with cartooned games like Kirby and serious games like Perfect Dark, if Kirby had a very high difficulty it would not be the same game, it would be for the older generation but they might reject it because of it’s childish style. You need to get the difficulty level right to get a classic game. It may not seem like much but having an ‘easy’, ‘hard’ and ‘medium’ option which can make all the difference.

A classic game has to be simple to be classic. Simplicity is very important because of, again, how easy it is to play. Complicated games will get you confused and can’t really be called a classic if you don’t understand what the game is trying to achieve. This is the beauty of puzzle games like Tetris and Denki Blocks. Try to get rows of blocks while different shapes fall and all you have to do is move them into place, getting harder as you progress. Again simple.

There are added extra’s you’ll find in games such as good graphics, which are not essential but can improve the gamplay a bit. You might be thinking at this point “What?” but hear me out. A lot of games are let down by dodgy camera angles and backgrounds that make the characters blend in. Such as games like Castlevania for the N64 with it’s annoying camera angles and Jurassic Park 3 for the GBA which is annoying because you can hardly see who you are. However, when you have good graphics these problems can be avoided, which essentially makes the games more playable.


Thanks for reading

RiCkOsS

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