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I'll dispense with the newbie whine quickly: why won't anyone read my post? Answer: I haven't posted it yet.
Anyway...
I've spent most of the last week playing the import version of Super Mario Advance 2 on the GBA. My first thoughts were, 'well, what's the point?' A classic game, yes, but nothing more than a port of the SNES version. Several hours later I was starving, but couldn't stop playing. Thank god for (a) bodily functions, and (b) batteries that run out: without them I'd be typing this with a beard, foot-long fingernails and a strange 'aroma' all about me. You see, updates to SMA2 may be minimal but gaming perfection is still gaming perfection.
What struck me is how utterly immersive the game is: not only does the outside world disappear, but you become unaware of all the hard- and software between you and Mario. This is such a contrast to the 3D third-person games on the next-gen consoles. For all the fancy textures and graphical sophistication of a Jak and Daxter or a Herdy Gerdy, I've never found lines between game and reality becoming blurred in this genre.
The problem is always the same: I am constantly worrying about camera angles. For example, I think Herdy Gerdy is one of the most beautiful looking games I've played; but the controls are often rendered fiddly or a matter of luck by the camera's disappearance behind a wall or cliff. There are numerous camera controls to correct this sort of thing in-game, but these fail to introduce SMA2 style worry-free gaming for two reasons. First, is the obvious fact that you frequently have to make up for deficient camera AI yourself: you are constantly reminded that the title is just a game and so your involvement can only be so deep. Second, the level design often undermines manual camera control: there are blind spots that no amount of manipulation will let you see. Herdy-Gerdy is actually quite an extreme example: other 3D games have cameras that less glitchy but just as unsatisfying. Even GTA3, which offers near-perfect in car control, becomes confusing and fiddly when moving on foot, especially when accurate shooting is required: the camera swooshes about but rarely gives a clear picture of your wider situation.
The play mechanics for 2D and 3D platformers are pretty similar - run, jump, run, jump, bash, jump - but adding that third dimension seems to stop the player from getting totally in the zone. As I've said, I think this is mostly down to badly behaved cameras, something that is especially noticeable after experiencing the simple but effective 'railway line' perspective of SMA2.
I don't want games to revert to 2D because gaming needs to evolve; but unless the technology also improves then designers are going to be hampered by poor implementation. And since the best 3D camera is STILL Mario 64, it's safe to say that the technology is in a bit of a rut. Three dimensional third-person gaming can't be an impossible puzzle to solve: after all, adding an extra dimension to the FPS was so successful that playing pseudo-3D games like Doom and Ecks vs. Sever is now very disconcerting.
But what the solution is I'm not sure. Fixed camera angles? Better camera AI? Or something radically different? Any ideas?
Anyway...
I've spent most of the last week playing the import version of Super Mario Advance 2 on the GBA. My first thoughts were, 'well, what's the point?' A classic game, yes, but nothing more than a port of the SNES version. Several hours later I was starving, but couldn't stop playing. Thank god for (a) bodily functions, and (b) batteries that run out: without them I'd be typing this with a beard, foot-long fingernails and a strange 'aroma' all about me. You see, updates to SMA2 may be minimal but gaming perfection is still gaming perfection.
What struck me is how utterly immersive the game is: not only does the outside world disappear, but you become unaware of all the hard- and software between you and Mario. This is such a contrast to the 3D third-person games on the next-gen consoles. For all the fancy textures and graphical sophistication of a Jak and Daxter or a Herdy Gerdy, I've never found lines between game and reality becoming blurred in this genre.
The problem is always the same: I am constantly worrying about camera angles. For example, I think Herdy Gerdy is one of the most beautiful looking games I've played; but the controls are often rendered fiddly or a matter of luck by the camera's disappearance behind a wall or cliff. There are numerous camera controls to correct this sort of thing in-game, but these fail to introduce SMA2 style worry-free gaming for two reasons. First, is the obvious fact that you frequently have to make up for deficient camera AI yourself: you are constantly reminded that the title is just a game and so your involvement can only be so deep. Second, the level design often undermines manual camera control: there are blind spots that no amount of manipulation will let you see. Herdy-Gerdy is actually quite an extreme example: other 3D games have cameras that less glitchy but just as unsatisfying. Even GTA3, which offers near-perfect in car control, becomes confusing and fiddly when moving on foot, especially when accurate shooting is required: the camera swooshes about but rarely gives a clear picture of your wider situation.
The play mechanics for 2D and 3D platformers are pretty similar - run, jump, run, jump, bash, jump - but adding that third dimension seems to stop the player from getting totally in the zone. As I've said, I think this is mostly down to badly behaved cameras, something that is especially noticeable after experiencing the simple but effective 'railway line' perspective of SMA2.
I don't want games to revert to 2D because gaming needs to evolve; but unless the technology also improves then designers are going to be hampered by poor implementation. And since the best 3D camera is STILL Mario 64, it's safe to say that the technology is in a bit of a rut. Three dimensional third-person gaming can't be an impossible puzzle to solve: after all, adding an extra dimension to the FPS was so successful that playing pseudo-3D games like Doom and Ecks vs. Sever is now very disconcerting.
But what the solution is I'm not sure. Fixed camera angles? Better camera AI? Or something radically different? Any ideas?
Page:
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I'll dispense with the newbie whine quickly: why won't anyone read my post? Answer: I haven't posted it yet.
Anyway...
I've spent most of the last week playing the import version of Super Mario Advance 2 on the GBA. My first thoughts were, 'well, what's the point?' A classic game, yes, but nothing more than a port of the SNES version. Several hours later I was starving, but couldn't stop playing. Thank god for (a) bodily functions, and (b) batteries that run out: without them I'd be typing this with a beard, foot-long fingernails and a strange 'aroma' all about me. You see, updates to SMA2 may be minimal but gaming perfection is still gaming perfection.
What struck me is how utterly immersive the game is: not only does the outside world disappear, but you become unaware of all the hard- and software between you and Mario. This is such a contrast to the 3D third-person games on the next-gen consoles. For all the fancy textures and graphical sophistication of a Jak and Daxter or a Herdy Gerdy, I've never found lines between game and reality becoming blurred in this genre.
The problem is always the same: I am constantly worrying about camera angles. For example, I think Herdy Gerdy is one of the most beautiful looking games I've played; but the controls are often rendered fiddly or a matter of luck by the camera's disappearance behind a wall or cliff. There are numerous camera controls to correct this sort of thing in-game, but these fail to introduce SMA2 style worry-free gaming for two reasons. First, is the obvious fact that you frequently have to make up for deficient camera AI yourself: you are constantly reminded that the title is just a game and so your involvement can only be so deep. Second, the level design often undermines manual camera control: there are blind spots that no amount of manipulation will let you see. Herdy-Gerdy is actually quite an extreme example: other 3D games have cameras that less glitchy but just as unsatisfying. Even GTA3, which offers near-perfect in car control, becomes confusing and fiddly when moving on foot, especially when accurate shooting is required: the camera swooshes about but rarely gives a clear picture of your wider situation.
The play mechanics for 2D and 3D platformers are pretty similar - run, jump, run, jump, bash, jump - but adding that third dimension seems to stop the player from getting totally in the zone. As I've said, I think this is mostly down to badly behaved cameras, something that is especially noticeable after experiencing the simple but effective 'railway line' perspective of SMA2.
I don't want games to revert to 2D because gaming needs to evolve; but unless the technology also improves then designers are going to be hampered by poor implementation. And since the best 3D camera is STILL Mario 64, it's safe to say that the technology is in a bit of a rut. Three dimensional third-person gaming can't be an impossible puzzle to solve: after all, adding an extra dimension to the FPS was so successful that playing pseudo-3D games like Doom and Ecks vs. Sever is now very disconcerting.
But what the solution is I'm not sure. Fixed camera angles? Better camera AI? Or something radically different? Any ideas?
Anyway...
I've spent most of the last week playing the import version of Super Mario Advance 2 on the GBA. My first thoughts were, 'well, what's the point?' A classic game, yes, but nothing more than a port of the SNES version. Several hours later I was starving, but couldn't stop playing. Thank god for (a) bodily functions, and (b) batteries that run out: without them I'd be typing this with a beard, foot-long fingernails and a strange 'aroma' all about me. You see, updates to SMA2 may be minimal but gaming perfection is still gaming perfection.
What struck me is how utterly immersive the game is: not only does the outside world disappear, but you become unaware of all the hard- and software between you and Mario. This is such a contrast to the 3D third-person games on the next-gen consoles. For all the fancy textures and graphical sophistication of a Jak and Daxter or a Herdy Gerdy, I've never found lines between game and reality becoming blurred in this genre.
The problem is always the same: I am constantly worrying about camera angles. For example, I think Herdy Gerdy is one of the most beautiful looking games I've played; but the controls are often rendered fiddly or a matter of luck by the camera's disappearance behind a wall or cliff. There are numerous camera controls to correct this sort of thing in-game, but these fail to introduce SMA2 style worry-free gaming for two reasons. First, is the obvious fact that you frequently have to make up for deficient camera AI yourself: you are constantly reminded that the title is just a game and so your involvement can only be so deep. Second, the level design often undermines manual camera control: there are blind spots that no amount of manipulation will let you see. Herdy-Gerdy is actually quite an extreme example: other 3D games have cameras that less glitchy but just as unsatisfying. Even GTA3, which offers near-perfect in car control, becomes confusing and fiddly when moving on foot, especially when accurate shooting is required: the camera swooshes about but rarely gives a clear picture of your wider situation.
The play mechanics for 2D and 3D platformers are pretty similar - run, jump, run, jump, bash, jump - but adding that third dimension seems to stop the player from getting totally in the zone. As I've said, I think this is mostly down to badly behaved cameras, something that is especially noticeable after experiencing the simple but effective 'railway line' perspective of SMA2.
I don't want games to revert to 2D because gaming needs to evolve; but unless the technology also improves then designers are going to be hampered by poor implementation. And since the best 3D camera is STILL Mario 64, it's safe to say that the technology is in a bit of a rut. Three dimensional third-person gaming can't be an impossible puzzle to solve: after all, adding an extra dimension to the FPS was so successful that playing pseudo-3D games like Doom and Ecks vs. Sever is now very disconcerting.
But what the solution is I'm not sure. Fixed camera angles? Better camera AI? Or something radically different? Any ideas?
Page: