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It’s one of the top complaints on the list of gamers and in chat rooms everywhere, stale ideas and overuse of a genre. Never is this more prevalent than with the First (or third) Person Shooter.
The original Xbox and now the 360 have both been slated for having such an over-indulgence of FPS games and the PS3 is catching up. But is this really such a big problem? Think about it.
Taking an existing genre and game type means that the basics are already laid out for you, you know what’s expected in terms of a very broad outline and it’s up to the developers to flesh it out with an interesting plot, characters and story. Not only that, but having designed the levels, they will need to build some interesting ideas in order to compete with all the other FPS games out there.
Ok, so some may get it wrong or a developer might be lazy enough to just completely copy another game, but bad reviews and word of mouth will prevent these from selling anyway. No, what should happen is that the genre is experimented with, enhanced and perfected. If there were no need for a new FPS and the market became saturated, then there would be no excitement about new games. But just look at some of the more recent hits; Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, Warhawk. Online gaming, interesting story and perfected game engine all push the FPS further than ever before.
Likewise racing games. While it can be argued that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is just a prettier version of the last game, it does enhance the game with online modes, better car physics and will soon feature downloadable extras. Forza 2, Project Gotham 4 and others have found new and interesting ways to keep the driving game alive and constant improvements will lead to better games.
The newest genre to see an influx of copy-cats is the Sandbox game. Since GTA3 there have been those that tried to scale the dizzy heights of Liberty City style gameplay, but it’s only recently that there have been so many. The current generation has seen a myriad of sandbox games with many different ideas, some nearer to GTA than others (yes, I’m talking about you, Saints Row!) and with Dead Rising and Crackdown to name just 2, there are plenty of good ideas out there waiting to keep the Sandbox game fresh and interesting.
So, yes, there will be the games that let the side down, but originality doesn’t need to mean a completely new game and a constant push to find new ideas within the tried and tested genres can provide some of the best results.
The original Xbox and now the 360 have both been slated for having such an over-indulgence of FPS games and the PS3 is catching up. But is this really such a big problem? Think about it.
Taking an existing genre and game type means that the basics are already laid out for you, you know what’s expected in terms of a very broad outline and it’s up to the developers to flesh it out with an interesting plot, characters and story. Not only that, but having designed the levels, they will need to build some interesting ideas in order to compete with all the other FPS games out there.
Ok, so some may get it wrong or a developer might be lazy enough to just completely copy another game, but bad reviews and word of mouth will prevent these from selling anyway. No, what should happen is that the genre is experimented with, enhanced and perfected. If there were no need for a new FPS and the market became saturated, then there would be no excitement about new games. But just look at some of the more recent hits; Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, Warhawk. Online gaming, interesting story and perfected game engine all push the FPS further than ever before.
Likewise racing games. While it can be argued that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is just a prettier version of the last game, it does enhance the game with online modes, better car physics and will soon feature downloadable extras. Forza 2, Project Gotham 4 and others have found new and interesting ways to keep the driving game alive and constant improvements will lead to better games.
The newest genre to see an influx of copy-cats is the Sandbox game. Since GTA3 there have been those that tried to scale the dizzy heights of Liberty City style gameplay, but it’s only recently that there have been so many. The current generation has seen a myriad of sandbox games with many different ideas, some nearer to GTA than others (yes, I’m talking about you, Saints Row!) and with Dead Rising and Crackdown to name just 2, there are plenty of good ideas out there waiting to keep the Sandbox game fresh and interesting.
So, yes, there will be the games that let the side down, but originality doesn’t need to mean a completely new game and a constant push to find new ideas within the tried and tested genres can provide some of the best results.
I think you've a point there pb. I was only thinking that the other day. The number of FPS out there is immense, yet each one has a unique point of interest that holds you to it:
COD 4 - just addictive modern warfare
Halo 3 - A must own from previous games (ok, the grunts are funny)
Timeshift - Timeshifting powers
Darkness - you are half demon
Orange Box - Story, concept etc. JUST BRILLIANT!
Prey - unique idea of 3D gameplay
to name just a few. I couldn't really just say that they're all the same - even if they do spring along the idea - see enemy, point weapon at it and pull trigger.
Again with the sandbox - Assassins Creed and Viking are prime examples of how the idea can be used in a creative way.
Of course, there are a few that take a tried and tested method and really ruin it (Two Worlds, Vampire Rain) - but likeise are the new ideas that fail miserably (Star Trek Legacy). Although it would be good to actually see more of the latter, if a game designer has the creative flair to integrate an idea into a dated design, I'm happy to give it a go.
COD 4 - just addictive modern warfare
Halo 3 - A must own from previous games (ok, the grunts are funny)
Timeshift - Timeshifting powers
Darkness - you are half demon
Orange Box - Story, concept etc. JUST BRILLIANT!
Prey - unique idea of 3D gameplay
to name just a few. I couldn't really just say that they're all the same - even if they do spring along the idea - see enemy, point weapon at it and pull trigger.
Again with the sandbox - Assassins Creed and Viking are prime examples of how the idea can be used in a creative way.
Of course, there are a few that take a tried and tested method and really ruin it (Two Worlds, Vampire Rain) - but likeise are the new ideas that fail miserably (Star Trek Legacy). Although it would be good to actually see more of the latter, if a game designer has the creative flair to integrate an idea into a dated design, I'm happy to give it a go.
Well as far as i am concerned - i love games like Final Fantasy 7, Breath of Fire 4, Mario kart, Mario Bros 3 just to name a few.
So i really dont mind if the style is the same, if there story is a change and the characters are well thought out.
Genres are hard to change, but i think if get a poor game which tries to copy a good game in every way. Then it can get stale. As long as the story differs, the characters have their own feel about them and there are small differences then i am happy with most games if they are in genres i like : D
So i really dont mind if the style is the same, if there story is a change and the characters are well thought out.
Genres are hard to change, but i think if get a poor game which tries to copy a good game in every way. Then it can get stale. As long as the story differs, the characters have their own feel about them and there are small differences then i am happy with most games if they are in genres i like : D
It’s one of the top complaints on the list of gamers and in chat rooms everywhere, stale ideas and overuse of a genre. Never is this more prevalent than with the First (or third) Person Shooter.
The original Xbox and now the 360 have both been slated for having such an over-indulgence of FPS games and the PS3 is catching up. But is this really such a big problem? Think about it.
Taking an existing genre and game type means that the basics are already laid out for you, you know what’s expected in terms of a very broad outline and it’s up to the developers to flesh it out with an interesting plot, characters and story. Not only that, but having designed the levels, they will need to build some interesting ideas in order to compete with all the other FPS games out there.
Ok, so some may get it wrong or a developer might be lazy enough to just completely copy another game, but bad reviews and word of mouth will prevent these from selling anyway. No, what should happen is that the genre is experimented with, enhanced and perfected. If there were no need for a new FPS and the market became saturated, then there would be no excitement about new games. But just look at some of the more recent hits; Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, Warhawk. Online gaming, interesting story and perfected game engine all push the FPS further than ever before.
Likewise racing games. While it can be argued that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is just a prettier version of the last game, it does enhance the game with online modes, better car physics and will soon feature downloadable extras. Forza 2, Project Gotham 4 and others have found new and interesting ways to keep the driving game alive and constant improvements will lead to better games.
The newest genre to see an influx of copy-cats is the Sandbox game. Since GTA3 there have been those that tried to scale the dizzy heights of Liberty City style gameplay, but it’s only recently that there have been so many. The current generation has seen a myriad of sandbox games with many different ideas, some nearer to GTA than others (yes, I’m talking about you, Saints Row!) and with Dead Rising and Crackdown to name just 2, there are plenty of good ideas out there waiting to keep the Sandbox game fresh and interesting.
So, yes, there will be the games that let the side down, but originality doesn’t need to mean a completely new game and a constant push to find new ideas within the tried and tested genres can provide some of the best results.
The original Xbox and now the 360 have both been slated for having such an over-indulgence of FPS games and the PS3 is catching up. But is this really such a big problem? Think about it.
Taking an existing genre and game type means that the basics are already laid out for you, you know what’s expected in terms of a very broad outline and it’s up to the developers to flesh it out with an interesting plot, characters and story. Not only that, but having designed the levels, they will need to build some interesting ideas in order to compete with all the other FPS games out there.
Ok, so some may get it wrong or a developer might be lazy enough to just completely copy another game, but bad reviews and word of mouth will prevent these from selling anyway. No, what should happen is that the genre is experimented with, enhanced and perfected. If there were no need for a new FPS and the market became saturated, then there would be no excitement about new games. But just look at some of the more recent hits; Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, Warhawk. Online gaming, interesting story and perfected game engine all push the FPS further than ever before.
Likewise racing games. While it can be argued that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is just a prettier version of the last game, it does enhance the game with online modes, better car physics and will soon feature downloadable extras. Forza 2, Project Gotham 4 and others have found new and interesting ways to keep the driving game alive and constant improvements will lead to better games.
The newest genre to see an influx of copy-cats is the Sandbox game. Since GTA3 there have been those that tried to scale the dizzy heights of Liberty City style gameplay, but it’s only recently that there have been so many. The current generation has seen a myriad of sandbox games with many different ideas, some nearer to GTA than others (yes, I’m talking about you, Saints Row!) and with Dead Rising and Crackdown to name just 2, there are plenty of good ideas out there waiting to keep the Sandbox game fresh and interesting.
So, yes, there will be the games that let the side down, but originality doesn’t need to mean a completely new game and a constant push to find new ideas within the tried and tested genres can provide some of the best results.