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This has been an issue in the games world for wuite some time, but in reality, have we ever truely had a proper 3D game?? That is, a game which just would not be possible to implement with 2D graphics.
The third dimension which has been added to graphics is something which hindered the development of gaming for quite some time. Whilst developers and manufacturers still try to get onto the next stage of eye candy, we are missing out on what the important factors of video gaming are. Gameplay is absolutely suffering from the advances in graphical techniques. The best games of the last few generations have been little more than 2 dimensional games represented in a 3D environment, and that's the way it's meant to be. Gaming should be left as a truely 2 dimensional thing.
Take a look at the likes of Metal Gear Solid (1 and 2), Final Fantasy series, Zelda etc. They really don't advance into 3D gaming. All of those games are top down adventure games with the characters and sometimes the camera's moved to make the depth and percesption much more apprent, but the games are still played on a 2d platform.
True the 3D graphics and the special effects available to games developers these days make the games look much more appealing than their 2-dimensionsl forefathers, but nothing much has changed in the mechanics of the games, and that's probably why these games are still as successful today as they were in the past.
Take a look at the first-person shooter market for a difference. This genre is a true 3-d genre. True the first games such as doom and Wolfenstein 3d used 2d graphics systems, but ot was the first person shooter market, and id software especially who introduced 3D gaming into the world. If it wasn't for first person shooters on the PC, and subsequently the introduction of 3d accelerated graphics cards, our favourite games may still have been side scrolling 2 dimensional affairs.
But this still doesn't solve the problem of the lack of 3-dimensional depth in our games. Mario 64 was the first true 3D platformer, and it has spawned many clones in it's wake, but nothing really advanced the genre and Mario 64 is still the definitive 3d platformer.
The only original game to take 3D gaming by the scruff of the next and make it self a success has been the Tomb Raider series. There have been Star Wars games and Indiana Jones games come and go trying to use the same formula as Lara Croft and her impressive gaming package, and it's probably worth noting every time someone asks you why these games are such a success, that they are still the only decent 3D adventure games available. They use all 3 dimensions when you play them, they don't tend to be stuck between the 2nd and third dimension.
Some day another game will come along that deserves to be labelled as a 3D game, but at the moment there are defeinitive titles in 3D gaming, and other games only copy their style. Originality goes much deeper than graphical and gameplay styles, they go way down to the fabric of gaming itself.
The third dimension which has been added to graphics is something which hindered the development of gaming for quite some time. Whilst developers and manufacturers still try to get onto the next stage of eye candy, we are missing out on what the important factors of video gaming are. Gameplay is absolutely suffering from the advances in graphical techniques. The best games of the last few generations have been little more than 2 dimensional games represented in a 3D environment, and that's the way it's meant to be. Gaming should be left as a truely 2 dimensional thing.
Take a look at the likes of Metal Gear Solid (1 and 2), Final Fantasy series, Zelda etc. They really don't advance into 3D gaming. All of those games are top down adventure games with the characters and sometimes the camera's moved to make the depth and percesption much more apprent, but the games are still played on a 2d platform.
True the 3D graphics and the special effects available to games developers these days make the games look much more appealing than their 2-dimensionsl forefathers, but nothing much has changed in the mechanics of the games, and that's probably why these games are still as successful today as they were in the past.
Take a look at the first-person shooter market for a difference. This genre is a true 3-d genre. True the first games such as doom and Wolfenstein 3d used 2d graphics systems, but ot was the first person shooter market, and id software especially who introduced 3D gaming into the world. If it wasn't for first person shooters on the PC, and subsequently the introduction of 3d accelerated graphics cards, our favourite games may still have been side scrolling 2 dimensional affairs.
But this still doesn't solve the problem of the lack of 3-dimensional depth in our games. Mario 64 was the first true 3D platformer, and it has spawned many clones in it's wake, but nothing really advanced the genre and Mario 64 is still the definitive 3d platformer.
The only original game to take 3D gaming by the scruff of the next and make it self a success has been the Tomb Raider series. There have been Star Wars games and Indiana Jones games come and go trying to use the same formula as Lara Croft and her impressive gaming package, and it's probably worth noting every time someone asks you why these games are such a success, that they are still the only decent 3D adventure games available. They use all 3 dimensions when you play them, they don't tend to be stuck between the 2nd and third dimension.
Some day another game will come along that deserves to be labelled as a 3D game, but at the moment there are defeinitive titles in 3D gaming, and other games only copy their style. Originality goes much deeper than graphical and gameplay styles, they go way down to the fabric of gaming itself.
I've done a fair few topics on this before.
The 2 things really hindering 3d gaming are gameplay and visualisation.
Too many games still use 2D gameplay dynamics to allow interaction. It appears that people will only make the leaps needed after a big company, like Nintendo does. Mario 64 set the standards... which everyone now copies... and then Zelda did the same.
As for visualisation, 3d gaming on a 2d screen is just plain wrong.
The 2 things really hindering 3d gaming are gameplay and visualisation.
Too many games still use 2D gameplay dynamics to allow interaction. It appears that people will only make the leaps needed after a big company, like Nintendo does. Mario 64 set the standards... which everyone now copies... and then Zelda did the same.
As for visualisation, 3d gaming on a 2d screen is just plain wrong.
man you 2 hae really out done yourselfs to win.
Some genres suit 3D whilst others just don't.
2D gaming as bene put behind us all now (sadly) and 3D gaming has taken it's place for the better and for the worse.
Sure, great graphics are a good thing but when the gameplay doesn't match it whats the point in playing? This is something that comes up probably every day in the froums at least 2 times and even though you are probably tired of hearing it, don't get me wrong, I am too yet it is all so true.
Take a scene for example of this -
Boy is playing a 2D game on his big, meaty Xbox enjoying himself totally due to the great play. Then a friend comes round and tells him how pants the game is he's watching because it doesn't have much eye candy. In another sense he's saying its not cool and there is a possiblity that kid will stop playing that game because his friend told him its crap. And that my friends sucks.
It seems that some game developers these days spend just too long working on the graphics to the actually game. Take Max Payne for example, it used that excellent 'bullet-time' feature and had gorgeous, believable graphics yet the game lasted what, a few days? With no replay value what so ever. Yet people bought this game due to it 'looking' spectacular through screenshots in the prevouis reviews they had read. I'm not picking no Max Payne though, the same could go for LOADS more games out there. It's just I found Max Payne the biggest dissapointment ever in my life of gaming. The whole thing got tedouis way to early, they just needed to concentrate on the gameplay and length more and it would of been great instead of being tedouis with that damn 'bullet-time' feature. The story was excellent too, it's just at the end of the game it never really felt well...finished.
I know that jaw dropping games are expected these days and don;t get me wrong, I love them. Who wouldn't want to play a game which looks absolutly stunning?
the makers of the games just need to realise that gaming shouldn't be a fashion show and should be a something for us to enoy in terms of gameplay. If they can do both then I clap for the, just take more time before you realease that game.
2D gaming as bene put behind us all now (sadly) and 3D gaming has taken it's place for the better and for the worse.
Sure, great graphics are a good thing but when the gameplay doesn't match it whats the point in playing? This is something that comes up probably every day in the froums at least 2 times and even though you are probably tired of hearing it, don't get me wrong, I am too yet it is all so true.
Take a scene for example of this -
Boy is playing a 2D game on his big, meaty Xbox enjoying himself totally due to the great play. Then a friend comes round and tells him how pants the game is he's watching because it doesn't have much eye candy. In another sense he's saying its not cool and there is a possiblity that kid will stop playing that game because his friend told him its crap. And that my friends sucks.
It seems that some game developers these days spend just too long working on the graphics to the actually game. Take Max Payne for example, it used that excellent 'bullet-time' feature and had gorgeous, believable graphics yet the game lasted what, a few days? With no replay value what so ever. Yet people bought this game due to it 'looking' spectacular through screenshots in the prevouis reviews they had read. I'm not picking no Max Payne though, the same could go for LOADS more games out there. It's just I found Max Payne the biggest dissapointment ever in my life of gaming. The whole thing got tedouis way to early, they just needed to concentrate on the gameplay and length more and it would of been great instead of being tedouis with that damn 'bullet-time' feature. The story was excellent too, it's just at the end of the game it never really felt well...finished.
I know that jaw dropping games are expected these days and don;t get me wrong, I love them. Who wouldn't want to play a game which looks absolutly stunning?
the makers of the games just need to realise that gaming shouldn't be a fashion show and should be a something for us to enoy in terms of gameplay. If they can do both then I clap for the, just take more time before you realease that game.
This has been an issue in the games world for wuite some time, but in reality, have we ever truely had a proper 3D game?? That is, a game which just would not be possible to implement with 2D graphics.
The third dimension which has been added to graphics is something which hindered the development of gaming for quite some time. Whilst developers and manufacturers still try to get onto the next stage of eye candy, we are missing out on what the important factors of video gaming are. Gameplay is absolutely suffering from the advances in graphical techniques. The best games of the last few generations have been little more than 2 dimensional games represented in a 3D environment, and that's the way it's meant to be. Gaming should be left as a truely 2 dimensional thing.
Take a look at the likes of Metal Gear Solid (1 and 2), Final Fantasy series, Zelda etc. They really don't advance into 3D gaming. All of those games are top down adventure games with the characters and sometimes the camera's moved to make the depth and percesption much more apprent, but the games are still played on a 2d platform.
True the 3D graphics and the special effects available to games developers these days make the games look much more appealing than their 2-dimensionsl forefathers, but nothing much has changed in the mechanics of the games, and that's probably why these games are still as successful today as they were in the past.
Take a look at the first-person shooter market for a difference. This genre is a true 3-d genre. True the first games such as doom and Wolfenstein 3d used 2d graphics systems, but ot was the first person shooter market, and id software especially who introduced 3D gaming into the world. If it wasn't for first person shooters on the PC, and subsequently the introduction of 3d accelerated graphics cards, our favourite games may still have been side scrolling 2 dimensional affairs.
But this still doesn't solve the problem of the lack of 3-dimensional depth in our games. Mario 64 was the first true 3D platformer, and it has spawned many clones in it's wake, but nothing really advanced the genre and Mario 64 is still the definitive 3d platformer.
The only original game to take 3D gaming by the scruff of the next and make it self a success has been the Tomb Raider series. There have been Star Wars games and Indiana Jones games come and go trying to use the same formula as Lara Croft and her impressive gaming package, and it's probably worth noting every time someone asks you why these games are such a success, that they are still the only decent 3D adventure games available. They use all 3 dimensions when you play them, they don't tend to be stuck between the 2nd and third dimension.
Some day another game will come along that deserves to be labelled as a 3D game, but at the moment there are defeinitive titles in 3D gaming, and other games only copy their style. Originality goes much deeper than graphical and gameplay styles, they go way down to the fabric of gaming itself.
The third dimension which has been added to graphics is something which hindered the development of gaming for quite some time. Whilst developers and manufacturers still try to get onto the next stage of eye candy, we are missing out on what the important factors of video gaming are. Gameplay is absolutely suffering from the advances in graphical techniques. The best games of the last few generations have been little more than 2 dimensional games represented in a 3D environment, and that's the way it's meant to be. Gaming should be left as a truely 2 dimensional thing.
Take a look at the likes of Metal Gear Solid (1 and 2), Final Fantasy series, Zelda etc. They really don't advance into 3D gaming. All of those games are top down adventure games with the characters and sometimes the camera's moved to make the depth and percesption much more apprent, but the games are still played on a 2d platform.
True the 3D graphics and the special effects available to games developers these days make the games look much more appealing than their 2-dimensionsl forefathers, but nothing much has changed in the mechanics of the games, and that's probably why these games are still as successful today as they were in the past.
Take a look at the first-person shooter market for a difference. This genre is a true 3-d genre. True the first games such as doom and Wolfenstein 3d used 2d graphics systems, but ot was the first person shooter market, and id software especially who introduced 3D gaming into the world. If it wasn't for first person shooters on the PC, and subsequently the introduction of 3d accelerated graphics cards, our favourite games may still have been side scrolling 2 dimensional affairs.
But this still doesn't solve the problem of the lack of 3-dimensional depth in our games. Mario 64 was the first true 3D platformer, and it has spawned many clones in it's wake, but nothing really advanced the genre and Mario 64 is still the definitive 3d platformer.
The only original game to take 3D gaming by the scruff of the next and make it self a success has been the Tomb Raider series. There have been Star Wars games and Indiana Jones games come and go trying to use the same formula as Lara Croft and her impressive gaming package, and it's probably worth noting every time someone asks you why these games are such a success, that they are still the only decent 3D adventure games available. They use all 3 dimensions when you play them, they don't tend to be stuck between the 2nd and third dimension.
Some day another game will come along that deserves to be labelled as a 3D game, but at the moment there are defeinitive titles in 3D gaming, and other games only copy their style. Originality goes much deeper than graphical and gameplay styles, they go way down to the fabric of gaming itself.