Topic: IGN's Ten Trends That Are Destroying Video Games

[MysterD]

First list, this is the list of IGN's TEN Trends That Are Destroying Gaming.

1. Great Cast With A Dud Script
2. Unreal Engine Overdose
3. Sequelitis
4. Too Human Syndrome
(i.e. Announcing A "Trilogy" Before the First Game's Even Complete)
5. Production Values vs. The Wii's Production Values
6. Sonic and Mario Visit the Rainbow Dentist
(i.e. Plastering Gaming Icons In Other Games Not Really Catering To Their Original Fanbase)
7. Motion "Control"
8. Promises, Promises, Promises
(i.e. Not Living Up To Those Promises)
9. Strong Female Lead Character = Edgy, Clever and Desirable
10. Casual Gaming

So, guys -- what do you think of their list?

IGN's next list coming up will be Ten Trends That Are Saving Video Games.

[Pugnate]

1. The very nature of most mass appeal video games means most of the scripts will be dud.

I agree with 2. Unfortunately the problem arises due to the exceeding costs of development, and publishers just find it really cost-effective to employ the Unreal engine. I fear with the death of software technology in PC gaming upon us, this trend will just continue. Currently we have a very sad situation where PC hardware is not one, not two, but possibly three generations ahead of most PC games. At most resolutions, the fairly old 8800GTX is able to spit out most modern day titles thrown at it. Cards like the 4870 and the GTX XXX series feel like overkill. Developers are simply waiting for the next iteration of consoles to work on new engines, and until 2013, expect to see every other title to continue to look generic Unreal. Even afterwards, I wouldn't expect much in the way of change.

3. This seems like a trendy complaint. Boo Hoo... sequels. So what? Most sequels in most of the top franchises are actually good. Yes, it can be a problem in movies, when they run out of room to explore their subject matter, but games can be innovated in many ways, and aren't limited only to story telling to keep things fresh.

4. Yea this is stupid, but I read a stat that said most big budget games really start to pay back on their investments when their sequels roll out. I am sure publishers have product maps planned out.

I don't have much to say about the other points, except how is casual gaming hurting hardcore gaming? They are two different audiences, I believe.

Anyway, I think this list is pure sensationalism -- as evident from the list title -- and has been artificially inflated to ten points in order to get cheap web hits.

edit:

Currently we have a very sad situation where PC games are not one, not two, but possibly three generations ahead of most video games

It was three in the morning here when I typed that. What I meant to say was that PC Hardware was there generations ahead of most PC games. WTF.

[MysterD]

About The Unreal Engine, I agree -- the engine has been used and over-used to the high heavens. I would've figured engines like Crytek's CryEngine 2 would've been licensed-off more -- but, of course Crysis not running that great on many PC's on its release probably stopped that thought dead. I hope Crysis: Warhead PC was performed WAY better -- as that might help get that engine licensed off more. Maybe it'll be licensed more-so so when much newer hardware it out there and can handle the engine flawlessly?

Also, I would've figured engines like The Serious Engine (from Serious Sam series) and Painkiller's PAIN Engine would've been more widely used too, as those were meant to really handle craploads of enemies on-screen at once quite easily -- yet still look great while doing so.

[K-man]

I don't have much to say about the other points, except how is casual gaming hurting hardcore gaming? They are two different audiences, I believe.

Two different audiences for sure.  However, when devs stop putting their time, money, and efforts into games we want in favor of the cheaper, more economical, and profit assuring casual market then we'll have huge problems.

[Ghandi]

However, when devs stop putting their time, money, and efforts into games we want in favor of the cheaper, more economical, and profit assuring casual market then we'll have huge problems.

*cough*EA

[K-man]

Actually I have to give it to EA.  They've really taken chances with some new IP's in the past year. 

[Quemaqua]

They have.  It's a shame they really didn't use a lot of them very well.

[Cobra951]

There are always trends that stray away from what gamers really want, and they turn a profit too.  But then something invariably happens that dispels all the false notions that gamers somehow magically changed what they wanted overnight.  Little things like Doom emerging from the sad age of FMV-based games on CD.  We still want the same perfect and infinite virtual worlds we've always wanted.  Better tech brings it closer, and invariably someone will jump into that in some innovative way, clarifying what's what again.

[idolminds]

I don't mind casual games. The billion clones of Bejeweled I can do without but the people that make something new, even if simple, are helping gaming. If they hit on a new fun idea it can be built up into a hardcore game. Only way to find out is to make it cheap and easy to get into and see if people like it. You can afford to have a few idea not stick if the game didn't cost $40million to make.

[W7RE]

I've got to agree that the sequel complaint is the cool thing to do right now. I never played the first Gears more than 30 minutes at a friends, but it must be fucking amazing if Gears 2 is considered bad for being a sequel. I mean, I haven't finished it yet (bought too many games at once, haha), but what I have played is badass. Oh shit, it's bad though, because it's a sequel.


I can't remember if this was on the list or not, but I think it was and I want to bitch. (I read this post like 6 hours ago and just now decided to reply, so I don't remember)
Fucking milking me for money with DLC. Yea I bought Braid and Megaman 9, but those were exceptions. My 360 came with like half a dozen demos on it for puzzle games and stuff. I went through and deleted most of them, but I swear to god some of them have come back, and some new ones have appeared. I think the 360 is downloading XBLA demos in the background and not telling me. I don't want that shit, I want real games with substantial content.
Then there's game addons. I'm perfectly willing to pay for something that adds a decent amount of content, but stop charging me for little shit like maps. I got Gears 2 and Halo 3 recently, and both have map packs that cost to download. I think I paid 600 points for a Halo pack and 800 for a Gears 2 pack. Remember when Epic used to release UT map packs FOR FREE?


The casual gaming thing I don't think matters that much, because as has been said already it's a different audience. I'm not gonna get some random $20 game collection over Prince of Persia or whatever just because it's cheap. My mom loves those puzzle game collections, but wouldn't know what the hell to do with PoP. She'd probably make a few jumps using the tried-but-true method of "if I move the controller the way I want to jump, Imust jump farther, right?". Then when she missed a jump and got saved by Elika she'd laugh her ass off to the point that she couldn't play.

[idolminds]

Heh, funny you mention PoP. In an earlier draft of my post I was going to point out how the original PoP, if released today, would be considered a casual game.

[W7RE]

I actually don't mind cheap games that don't take long to finish, as long as it's trying to make something fun, instead of like you said, redo Bejeweled for the 50th time. Braid seems not that long (rofl I still haven't finished it, though I do insist on trying to get every puzzle piece as I go), and it takes like 5 minutes to get to one of the bosses in Megaman 9, but they're fun and worth the price. It's interesting you point out cheap games trying new things. I wouldn't be surprised to see some elements of the puzzles in Braid making their way into full priced games.

I guess my final descision on wether it's worth my time is based on, "ok are these guys trying to make a fun game that they'd play, or trying to make a quick buck by producing something cheap?".

[scottws]

Do you guys consider things like World of Goo and Geometry Wars casual games?  I'm just curious because I do and I think they are fantastic.

[Cobra951]

World of Goo, maybe.  But not Geometry Wars.  I consider that hardcore arcade.

[W7RE]

Those I'd say are the good kind of casual games, proof that the word casual isn't bad. (though I haven't played WoG) Just as long as people aren't expected to pay $50-60 for something they're gonna pick up and play for 30 minutes a couple times a week.

Pacman, Uno, and Zuma trial versions are all on my 360 hard drive, and I didn't tell it to download them. I'd have to be really bored to want to check those out. Pacman I could probably find for free somewhere in flash form, but I'd have to pay for it on XBLA.

[Cobra951]

Zuma and its clones I played to death on PC before it ever made it to XBLA.  So I agree there.  But PacMan CE is a new take on the game entirely from the original PacMan creator, and you can only play it on XBLA.  It's not some minor difference either.  The game takes on a more hectic and continuous dynamic, with mazes changing on the fly based on eating dots and fruit.  It's sort of the ultimate updated PacMan.  I don't understand how Uno ever became a videogame, let alone a popular one.

[Pugnate]

Currently we have a very sad situation where PC games are not one, not two, but possibly three generations ahead of most video games

It was three in the morning here when I typed that. What I meant to say was that PC Hardware was three generations ahead of most games (PC or otherwise).

I've got to agree that the sequel complaint is the cool thing to do right now. I never played the first Gears more than 30 minutes at a friends, but it must be fucking amazing if Gears 2 is considered bad for being a sequel. I mean, I haven't finished it yet (bought too many games at once, haha), but what I have played is badass. Oh shit, it's bad though, because it's a sequel.

I think people are so used to hearing this complaint about movies, that they've started to make it about games as well. Really, there are only so many stories you can tell about Rocky, without exhausting your subject matter, while you have a countless number of options when it comes to games. And besides, the gaming audience interact with video games in a totally different way than the movie going audience.

I realize that the sequel complaint does hold true for titles like Sonic, Tomb Raider etc., but I'll tell you one thing, if I were to hand Que a bunch of money to go make a Tomb Raider or Sonic sequel, I am sure he could do something interesting... but that wouldn't hold true if I told him to make another Rocky flick.

Two different audiences for sure.  However, when devs stop putting their time, money, and efforts into games we want in favor of the cheaper, more economical, and profit assuring casual market then we'll have huge problems.

That's a fair point. Well, let's just hope that doesn't happen.

[W7RE]

Actually Cobra, I just checked my console. XBLA lists 2 Pacman games: Pacman and Pacman CE. The regular Pacman is the one that magically appeared on my HDD in demo form. Well, either way I'd rather it not download stuff without my permission, but at least give me the good one instead of the old one.

[Cobra951]

You might have it set to auto-download new demos.  I have never had that happen to me, and I know there is a setting like that.

[W7RE]

If there's an auto-download option, I've never seen it. So it's probably on. I'm not seeing it though.

[gpw11]

Two different audiences for sure.  However, when devs stop putting their time, money, and efforts into games we want in favor of the cheaper, more economical, and profit assuring casual market then we'll have huge problems.

Nintendo Wii

80% of the games available for that console are mini game collections that apparently suck but also sell like hot cakes.

[Cobra951]

If there's an auto-download option, I've never seen it. So it's probably on. I'm not seeing it though.

This is more complicated than I thought.  Check out this old list of features.

Have all new Xbox Live Arcade games at the ready with auto downloads. Auto downloads optionally adds newly released trial versions of games to active downloads when you enter Xbox Live Arcade.

That's the feature I remember.  Now jump 2 years forward.  A story on X360 Fanboy talks about the removal of auto downloads in NXE.

How long ago did those games pop up in your 360?  I guess it had to be before NXE.

[W7RE]

I must be going crazy something then. I bought my Xbox on Nov 30th, 2008. That's after the release of NXE, so I've never used the old dashboard on this system.

I guess I didn't delete all of the demos after all.

edit: I just deleted several arcade demos from the system, now I guess I'll see if any new ones appear. If I go to My Xbox > Game Library > All Games, I see Braid, Dash of Destruction, Halo 3, Hexic HD, and Megaman 9.

[MysterD]

IGN's Ten Trends That Are Saving Video Games

1. Casual Games
2. Nintendo DS
3. Immersion and Wii MotionPlus
4. User Generated Content
5. Downloadable Games
6. 2D
7. Passively Online Multiplayer
8. True 3D
9. System Wars
10. Indie Games

[W7RE]

2. Nintendo DS - Actually, the "innovative" dual screen, touch screen, and stylus are the reasons I haven't bought a DS yet. It's gimmicky and rarely adds to the gameplay. Developers focus on integrating these features and controls, and the games are more cumbersome because of it. Yes, there are exceptions, but not enough to make me want one.

3. Immersion and Wii MotionPlus - Immersion = good. Wiimote = see above. The Wiimote detracted me from the Wii more than it attracted me. I tried my brothers, and even with the smoothing it does it still shakes all over and doesn't feel as accurate as I'd hoped. I can't imagine golf, bowling, baseball, etc being any more fun because of it. You either swing and it works, or you feel like the sensors are wrong and it fucked up your gameplay. Seems too dodgy for me to buy a system that will have tons of dodgy games that integrate weird controllers badly.

4. User Generated Content - Sure, just don't skimp on the built in content assuming the player base will create it for you. If a game has little or no on disc content and it's all user created, not only do you have to wade through mountains of shit to find something good, but the mountains will be built with giant penises and fart jokes.

7. Passively Online Multiplayer - This is actually why I prefer XBL to PC online gaming. You have a friends list that you're always connected to, and joining a friend is always at the push of a button. On the PC you have to IM/call the friend, ask if they want to play, search out and decide on a server, hope it's not full by the time you both try to connect, then talk with in-game chat IF you have it setup. On XBL you get a popup that says "soandso wants to play Gears of War 2", you hit your Xbox logo button and choose accept, put the game in, and your'e in the game lobby and voice chat.

[scottws]

There is no question that Xbox Live is a fantastic piece of technology.  It's amazing at how easy it is and it just works.  You have to give lots of credit to the designers and developers of the system there.

[idolminds]

Doesn't Xfire/Steam do the same thing? You have a friends list, you can see what game they are in, the server, and with one link it'll launch the game and join the server automatically.

[Xessive]

Doesn't Xfire/Steam do the same thing? You have a friends list, you can see what game they are in, the server, and with one link it'll launch the game and join the server automatically.

Yep.

Personally I'm more impressed with Xfire than I am with Steam or Live. Plus Xfire had all those features long before Steam adde dthem and before Live even existed.

I use Xfire occasionally, but since I have no one to play online with all these services are pretty much redundant to me.

[Cobra951]

I don't think Scott meant to exclude other uses of similar technology.  He only praised the Xbox Live implementation and obvious great success.

[W7RE]

Well, Xfire and Steam aren't as widely used because they are an optional (well, not in most steam games I guess) part of the PC gaming experience that was added after the fact. They have had to rise in popularity so that they're used widely. I've still barely touched either, aside from buying a few games from Steam and playing single player.

Yea, Live didn't really do anything new, but by having it integrated into the system it makes it a lot easier to hook up with friends. It would be like if Windows had an Xfire like service that was built into the OS and was always aware of what games were installed and what friends of yours were online. I wouldn't be surprised to see GFWL go in this direction, maybe with an optional IM type program instead of something in the background. i actually installed Windows Live Messenger to see if it'll track my Live buddy list, but the shit can't connect for some reason.

[Xessive]

I think Xbox Live is fantastic on the Xbox as a service to the Xbox community. On PC it's like adding adding artificial sweetner to an already sugared up cup of tea. The only purpose I ever hoped for with GFW Live was cross-platform gaming, which is rare stock. There are like two maybe three games that actually support cross-platform, I think. What I expected was that GFW and Xbox Live would streamline the two platforms to ensure compatibility and stability. I guess that's why I was kinda let down by GFW Live.

I still don't understand why L4D is not cross-platform!!

I can understand why cross-platform doesn't work some games, especially with the obvious advantage of PC players, but I think cross-platform gaming will be a saving grace for both the console and PC gaming communities.

And the advantage PC players have can be easily rebalanced if they would just frickin' add USB mouse support to the games!! UT3 on PS3 has it and it's the only current proof that it works! (Not sure about the X360 version of UT3, can anyone confirm?)

[W7RE]

To be honest the only real advantage I see to GFWL right now is that I can buy a game on the PC and still get Gamerscore for my Live account from it.

It would be nice if I could use my PC or cell phone (if I still had one) to get info from my Live account though. I remember a long ass time ago seeing a promotional video for Live back on the original Xbox. It showed people getting game invites on their cell phones. Now it's one hardware generation later and as far as I know, that still hasn't happened. If a friend wants to invite me to play a game, I have to have my 360 on, or they have to call/IM/text me.

[Cobra951]

I have yet to do any significant multiplayer on XBL.  But over the past couple of weeks, I've hooked up with one guy who has a similar passion for creating stuff in the B-K Nuts & Bolts game.  When he sends me a message, I get the notification on the Xbox and read it on the Xbox.  Then I reach for the keyboard and look at the spare PC monitor to my right, where I have my messages up on xbox.com.  I reply on the PC, which is much quicker.  He gets the message on his Xbox.  We swap vehicle blueprints on the Xbox, and I help him tweak his, and send them back.  He's newer to the game, and is still ramping up on possibilities, though he is as dedicated to learning it all as I am.  We take pictures [in the game] of what we do and upload them [from the Xbox] to the official website, and post them on forums, where other people see them, then request them from us.

The integration works.  I have no doubt that GFWL will progress in this direction, if it really gets off the ground at all.

Edit:  Just a couple of details inserted above to clarify.  No digital cameras needed here.

[idolminds]

Its sad that so far MS has really botched and squandered what GFWL could have been.