What next-gen games should really be |
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Fanboys talk about specs of their machines or what their consoles can do, but what is there that separates new from old? Is it the surround sound audio? Online capabilities? Motion sensing controllers? With so many questions, we can at least be certain that game design plays a major role.
Adventure games, first-person shooters, platformers, role-playing games - name any genre, and it'll definitely be one that has been established years ago. Whether it's jumping around as an Italian plumber, journeying to save the world, or fighting off an alien invasion, we can be sure that we've done it before. That isn't to say 32-bit consoles back in the 90s could deliver what current technology can, but the gap is sometimes not phenomenal.
Graphics
For the most part, first impression is very important in video games. Graphics tell people what console could've ran certain games and in what generation they came out. What cannot be determined by looks alone, however, is if the game will play "next-gen." Let's take a look at Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped (PS) and Crash of the Titans (Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation Portable) for example.
From the 1998 game to the recently released 3D platformer, mechanics haven't really changed much. Instead of just having to go through stages and solving puzzles, you get to whack enemies and make them fight their own kin in Crash of the Titans. Nothing outstanding come from the control department, while puzzles haven't gone far. You'll find high resolution graphics, full voice-overs and other bells and whistles, but the jump to next-gen seems skin deep.
Presentation
After the layer of eye-candy, there's the presentation. In today's standards, a game without cutscenes is like a shoe without a sole. In other words, those explosive full-motion movies with great detail should always be present in next-gen games. Final Fantasy games first come to mind when talking about early adapters of mind-blowing movies, but now, even low budget titles have moments of stardom.
From the looks of it, next-gen presentation means making full use of powerful hardware to throw excitement at players. Apart from CG scenes, falling debris and collapsing bridges should happen during gameplay. Having thousands of objects on screen moving around is now possible, and there is no excuse to give gamers boring static backgrounds.
Audio
Immersive audio is another element that is almost required from games of this generation. Surround sound, without a doubt, provides a more believable experience. Gone are the days of stereo, and here comes audio from all directions. Thing is, surround sound has been around for years. Therefore, a next-gen game should do more than make use of the technology.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, PC)is one of the games that showed us how surround sound makes the difference. In the role-playing series where you're supposed to be in the shoes of your fictional character, walking around an entirely new world while hearing sounds from actual sources was god sent. You could feel the pressure of the imperial soldier chasing your back, or be aware where enemies will strike from.
Storytelling
The time when simplistic stories of bad dudes saving the president's daughter from ninjas has long gone. One strong point of games is the storytelling, and it's something that should've evolved along with the growth of consoles. Of course, we can't settle with "move from this point to that to encounter dialogue" anymore.
A good example of how a strong narrative should be delivered is Bioshock (Microsoft Xbox 360, PC). Even with the crazy tasks of eliminating creepy splicers and harvesting little sisters, BioShock established a solid setting oozing with details. Aside from the voice of Atlus guiding players, we also learned more by wandering around and picking up diaries or keeping a sharp eye on posters or whatever enemies say.
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Comments [refresh]
Story>Graphics>Presentation>Audio
story>Graphics>Audio>presentation.
For me the presentation as last relates to those games were the game is replaced by a cut scene. I think that with todays consoles the cut scene is actually a cheap way out as the graphics ability of todays consoles should allow the game to progress without interruption. The graphic scene should be merely a continuation of the gameplay and return the ability to control the character once the scene is over. Mass Effect comes very close to this. The use of a real cut scene should be kept as a reward at the end of a level and used as an entertainment tool during the loading process. In my opinion anything less than this is a cheap implementation of the available hardware.
Sound I regard as very important almost equal to that of the graphics. Voices should be convincing and effects need dynamics otherwise its just selling the consumer short.
Many games come close and titles as Bioshock, Halo 3, CoD4 and Mass Effect to name a few are games that are worth the money and will push the developers to attain higher levels in the future. Sadly I find many games released even today are often not worth the investment and should be relegated to rental only or there should be a better way to structure the price.
More and more PS3 games are like that too. One game I have been playing is Uncharted: Drakes Fortune which is fantastic. It has great graphics, great graphics, great audio, great gameplay, great storyline, great acting, and the game is one seamless nonstop adventure. The cutscenes are seamless to gameplay, man am I hooked on it! Sorry to run on but yeah, I agree with you
I said great graphics twice. I meant to say great effects.
Yeah its good to hear that some games on the PS3 are moving in this direction. Regardless of console the more that implement this type of representation the better the overall gaming experience can become. On the original xbox the cut scenes and intros were a real "wow" effect but often the real graphics in the game play were not as cool. For me the games graphics are important but the very high end cut scene is not needed if the scene can be seamless and not take you out of the game.
As for stating Graphics twice, no worries here as the more emphasis on graphics made the more chance that the developers will take note.
Happy gaming with Uncharted, me I am back to the story in Mass Effect. I am not finished yet. Clunky controls but such a great feeling of involvement.
Graphics, Presentation, Audio, and Storytelling.
Funny, but it seems all Wii games fail miserably in every category, even storytelling. In Mario Galaxy what's the goal again? Oh yeah, save the princess from Bowser for the 100th fu*king time. Does it even ever explain why he's always kidnapping her?
When we will be able to have the same level of liberty in a video game than in a game of D&D, we will have a next-gen title. We are getting close, but it's still not the same.
Guess mario *****ed up on Bowser's plumbing and is refusing to fix his screw ups, so bowser kidnaps his girl in order to get him to repair the mess he made.
Too bad mario just goes up to bowser and kicks his butt everytime instead of actually repairing the plumbing, leading to bowser kidnapping and scheming over and over again
I am not a real D+D fan but the point made is a relevant one. The more interaction the player has the more deeply the player can be immersed in the game. I think that this will occur in the future as the online gaming content increases. Right now the video game industry is limited in its resources. I do not mean inhibited by storage but inhibited by the fact that a video game in itself is sold often as a closed environment. You start you play you finish. In principle all video games are linear albeit that some games have huge environments in which to participate. However the outcome remains constant with only a small number of endings. For the 360 I believe "Mass Effect" has come very close to creating the ideal. Its story is strong enough and the interaction immersive enough to make the playing of the game feel as though we are having a real impact on the environment in which we are playing.
A truly open end game would need both the console and the internet where the console gives a game but online content and interaction would enable the game to progress beyond its pre-determined boundaries. However this may conflict with the basic premise of a gaming console. This type of game is readily available for the PC but may be unsuited for the console as it would impact the games world financially. Revenue for games would suffer as many people may be become involved in a particular environment for months or years.
Arguments for or against aside the level of participation in many of the console games is quite limited. Should this be addressed so that a player can replay a game with different choices and that choices would open hidden levels that are relevant to the choice as opposed to progressing through levels in a linear fashion. I would welcome a game with say 30 levels but only 10 needed for the game. In this way rather than play level 1 to the end in sequence we would only see the levels that were a direct result of character choices. This would truly have an impact upon the re-playable value as well.