Viewing Thread:
"Is Gaming Becoming a Chore?"

Firstly I must apologise for using the 'C' word on a gaming site.

But maybe the statement is true.

I look down the list of available titles for all the consoles, disappointed. It's quite a rarity nowadays to see a game that makes even the slightest attempt to be original. Developers feel safe with their older franchises, maybe too safe! These older characters have already made their mark... they're a sure-fire hit, and there's little doubt that they'll sell - even if they only attract a limited market.

To quote Nintendo's Prez, Mr. Yamauchi:

"Every game developer is shooting for nothing but realism and flashiness, so we’re seeing an overflow of games that look exactly the same. What does realism and flashiness have to do with fun? If more games with new types of gameplay and fun come on the market, the market will expand, companies will have more support, and there’d be a business to work with."

Now... although I have quite a good head for business - i'm no business mastermind - but to me that makes perfect sense. It's like a car manufacturer releasing the same model with the same specification over and over again. The new BMW 7 series might not look like a TVR Speed 12, or even go as fast as one, but it's a revolutionary masterpiece in terms of what it can do. The features are amazing - and car-lovers will be amazed... something the gamers of today aren't with todays games.

Sure there are games like PIKMIN, Rez and Polaroid Pete which try their best to create a new experience, and in most cases they've worked, but the state of the industry overall is like a loop. New things are just spruced up old ones. Look at GT3. It's a nice game - but the features have been almost halved, and there aren't nearly as many cars! Look at THPS3 - the same old thing. Sure it looks great - and the create-a-park is a good idea, not to mention the on-line play - but still... it's a very over-used lisence, and most people are tired of it. Smackdown is another one. Developers must think that they can leave the innovation to someone else - but like Yamauchi said, if only a few people do it there'll still be a majority of 'samey' games. Every company in my opinion should be trying new things.. the sooner they start the sooner the industry will attract the hardcore gamers again.

I also think that the reason so few people play games (in comparison to those that have the chance to but don't bother) is because they see the same thing year-in year-out. Games like THPS3 and Agent Under Fire don't impress a lot of people. They think: "Oh, more shooting, killing, racing and wrestling! - No thanks!"

I don't know if you've noticed, but loads of adults, especially the over 30's like Meka (:)) tend to play more pick-up and play games - Solitaire, Minesweeper and hearts are some on the PC - and my dad will often play a quick game of Smash Brothers on the N64. Thinking games are also quite a big hit with the oldies. They like games that make you think, instead of those that rely on reflexes and current knowledge. This is why I think PIKMIN will do well, in general. People need to see that there is something different in the market - if that means Nintendo waiting a couple of months before Ying plays Nigel's copy of PIKMIN or Rez, then so be it... but people will begin to realise.

Maybe i've lost the plot - but the games that are out, good looking as they might be, just don't interest a lot of people... they're the same old thing, and I for one, am tired of it. Innovation and gameplay have always been the key to great games and superb franchises... but you can have too much of a good thing.. and when you do, it becomes a bad thing!

If only games companies would just take the plunge, the water might not be as cold as they think and it would definitely start to build the foundation for the Future of Gaming!

Thanks for reading... ^_^


Game

I've reently been reading into Super Smash Brothers Melee quite a bit. All I can say is "WOW!"

To me, it's going to be the first launch game to have. I would like all the games... well, just the 1st and 2nd party games, but I doubt i'll be able to pick them all up.

My Gamecube fund stands at about £327 which will increase by about £20 a month! (Yes... I've been saving! :D)

I suppose first i'll buy the console, and an extra pad, Smash Brothers, PIKMIN, Luigi and Monkey Ball. Hopefully SR's prices will be quite cheap!

I've only got Maximo to get, and my PS2 collection is complete... well... if you count pre-orders... I was going to get Final Fantasy X, but I don't know if I'll bother... especially seeing as StarFox can't be that far away!

I still don't know whether to sell my PS2 when GameCube comes... I suppose I could lend it to one of my friends. Mind you... I'll want to play on State of Emergency for quite a bit. And I haven't recorded the whole Chatterbox Session on Mini-Disc yet... I'm going to do that!

Still.... I seem to have strayed from the subject!

30? Grrr!

I don't know, but I'm still enjoying gaming as much as ever.

I finally got aroundto finishing Conker last week, and watching that ending, having beaten the game, it made me feel really good.

I've also picked up Blast Corps again, and figured out how to do a couple of the levels I'd got stuck on. Again, this made me feel great. I'm also currently playing Oracle of Ages, and I'm enjoying it immensely.

To me, playing games is just so relaxing, and stress free. It's so nice to put the children to bed, and stick the N64 on for half an hour or so.

Maybe let them watch a video, and sit playing on the GBA.

To me, I guess, it's all about escapism. Not that I don't enjoy my life, it rules, but it can be a little hectic at times.

Figuring out how to reach a treasure chest in Zelda does rack the brain, but in a good way. It's not like trying to teach a child to use a potty, which is also very rewarding (though a huge poo isn't much of a reward...) but it's totally different.

I've got a few games that I'm really enjoying at the moment, and I look forward to getting that elusive key, and seeing the next room. I'm still genuinely excited by the games I play, and am looking forward greatly to playing more games that make me feel like this in the future.

Gaming still rules.

There's never been in the history of the industry a wider range of games available. I (in the main) only buy games that I think are going to be original. You mention "Rez", I bought this the other day, and I've never played anything like it. It's brilliant. The same was true when I first played Jet Set Radio.

The way I see it, the games industry is like the music industry - you've gotta look beyond the Top 10. You've gotta explore a bit. Try playing games you wouldn't normally consider - you might be surprised.

Yeah, I'm not entirely blaming the develloper, but even then, perhaps in that case the game would've been better without the lisience.

Or perhaps driving realistic cars is something I don't appriciate until I learn to drive for real and I'll suddenly fall in love with these simulators i find so boring at the moment.

Although there was a slight criticism aimed at the devellopers, the real point was that this game has been branded by hardcore and casual gamers alike as one of the best racers ever.

Maybe this is the sort of market that the majority of gamers want?
Or maybe they'll come back to it in a few years time (by then the car manufacturers will probably have given in and allowed crashs in the newer Gran Tourismo games), and be unable to believe that they liked it.

Strafex wrote:
> They boasted a realistic game where you'd slam head first into a wall
> at over 100MPH and bounce off harmlessly, both the car and wall undamaged.


I agree, but I have to repeat: NOT the fault of the developer, but of convoluted (can I say that this late at night? Oh yeah... I just did...) license agreements.

I agree with what Strafex just said. The Lack of damge to cars in GT3 was a huge excitement killer.

Without the fear of destroying your car you have to have a very strong head to still drive properly. Eg. taking corners by using the wall...using inside of next car. It can be argued that it is still possible to drive properly, but in my opinion it doesnt have the same adrenaline rush.

My gripe with GT3?

With all this fuss about perfect physics and car labels and nice graphics, they forgot that racers were about excitement and danger.

They boasted a realistic game where you'd slam head first into a wall at over 100MPH and bounce off harmlessly, both the car and wall undamaged.
This not only made the game look stupidly UNrealistic, it also took the entire excitement and sense of danger out of the game.

Creating a game where it takes the excitement out of an exciting sport tells me that these guys lost the plot.
Burnout was different. Inferior graphics but that was down to better priorities - polygons spent on obstacles and dangers to make the game exciting rather than to make the car look like a real one with reflections.

Still, everyone still raved about GT3.
Perhaps soft realism in a "happy land where no-one gets hurt" (quote often used by Sony fans to describe a Nintendo game) is what people prefer, then perhaps that's why the market will continue moving in that way.

Nice post Game!

Errrr, that's all I can say really, good post. :-)

It all depends on what it is your looking for from your games, is it a whole experience, or is it as simple as a need to be entertained??

Look at the film industry for example, how many war films have there ever been?? Sure you get the bad with the good, and sure there is a hell of a lot come and gone over the years, but are they any less appealing than ever before? Not necesserily, war films usually rock, look at Black Hawk Down, it;s getting rave reviews, so when another war game hits the shelves why are the companies plastered with the label of unoriginality and being uninspiring. It's a whining bickering point to make, and it's not really fair in terms of the amount of effort put into some games.

Taking GT3 as a prime example, development time for GT3 was 7 times as much as it was for GT2. Two days per car was turned into an astonishing 2 weeks for the sequel. When you look at the fact that the game has almost 200 cars, each which can be modified and altered through age, wear and tear, there really isn't much you can gripe about.

The games we should be complaining about are generic clones, and nonsense sent out in their hundreds to simply cash in on the success of another game. But even then, who can name a game which wasn't entitled to be released.

As I've already said, we should accept the good with the bad, but we musn't forget that absolute gems are few and far between in any industry, stop expecting miracles from the games industry.

Gaming in a choir? Nah, it`ll never happen. Its not just about sound, but other elements such as the visuals too.