Creativity = Risk, or have they forgotten that?
May 19th, 2004
This may come of as a harsh post, and I apologize for that now. Was anyone else let down by E3 this year? Aside from the announcements of the Nintendo DS and PSP was there anything new, and for that matter has there been anything new in a long time?
Today on Gamespot there is an interview That addresses some of my issues with the current state of Videogames. What happened to innovation, and creativity this year? Almost everything shown at E3 was a sequel or a re-hash of an old idea normally I would not have an issue with this, but these were “major” announcements (GTA:San Andreas,Halo 2,Doom 3)and aside from eye candy will anything new be offered? I’ll admit I am looking forward to Doom 3 and Halo 2 but a direct x9 re-telling of an old story and the ability to hold 2 weapons now does not a good game make.
There is some hope in the realm of sequels Ratchet and Clank 3, Will keep the same core game play, but there seems to be some new ideas thrown in there for good measure. I will end this rant of mine and again sorry if this came off at all harsh, but I can pinpoint to the date the last time I saw a new idea on a console (10.7.03 Viewtiful Joe)
No man. I think your right on the money. Games need some serious innovation!
Comment by Russell — May 19, 2004 @ 1:19 pm
Tis a sad truth. I guess games are becoming more like Hollywood.
Comment by Jordan — May 19, 2004 @ 11:01 pm
I think the DS will bring some innovation…but let’s hope it’s not controlling mario kart with your finger.
Comment by Jay Brewer — May 19, 2004 @ 11:05 pm
I agree somewhat. A lot of the major franchises aren’t about innovation. They shouldn’t be. They’ve already established themselves with a winning formula, so why should they alter it?
Halo was great. I would have been happy with an add-on; they [probably] didn’t need to add the dual-wielding, a new engine, shiny armor or destructible vehicle models for me to be satisfied with my purchase. I know you probably agree with me here.
Halo RULES! … I digress.
There’s a ton of risk this year but none of it is wraped up in game design. I don’t care what anyone’s said before, THIS is the year of the MMROPG. There will be more MMORPGs by the end of this year than there every have been, and only a few of these are ensured success. Just ask Westwood Studios, an established production house, who died trying to deliver Earth and Beyond in a climate before the saturation of such heavy hitters as Everquest 2, World of Warcraft, City of Heroes, Guild Wars, Lineage 2, Final Fantasy XI. Unfortunately none of these games are very creative when it comes to gameplay.
But there are some games coming out that I would say have innovative twists, if anything. I’ll list them by genre.
RTS - Rome Total War will be the most cinematic, epic and intricate strategy game we’ve ever seen.. by FAR.
Shooter - Brothers in Arms will put you into a true and unbelievable story using characters who were real people, settings that were modeled exactly as they existed, and with squad based command elements that will make multiplayer games a joy.
Runner Up: STALKER puts you in a breathing world, miles in szie, where wandering monsters could kill any and all NPCs.
Simulation - Full Spectrum Warrior. Realistic squad combat based on software Pademic was contracted to make to train light infantry lieutenants. Looks good to boot.
Sports - ESPN 2005 has more features and presentation additives it could choke Roger Ebert.
RPG - see MMORPG above.
Now after all that, to your question regarding if I was disappointed with E3 this year? Yeah, but I don’t know why. I think a lot of things were announced the week before. By the time the show started all the news was.. old news.
Comment by Della Bitta — May 19, 2004 @ 11:24 pm
As long as people continue to buy these unoriginal games and sequels, there is really no incentive for developers to come up with something new. This past Christmas I could not wait to get the new MOH Rising Sun for PS2, this game sucked, I mean frontline for PS2 is one of the all time greats, if anyone has played Rising Sun then you know what I’m talking about. Ratchet and Clank Going Commando on the other hand, is an amazing game, I would dare call it the best platformer ever? I read that San Andreas will allow you perform 4 person drivebys!
Comment by Malcolm and Penelope — May 20, 2004 @ 3:06 pm