What do you think and why? I'd write my opinions but I've got only 3 mins left and my opinions often take 15 mins to type. I think we could actually produce some cool games here, just need to know why games suck so bad
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Perfection? Well, I think the most enjoyable, immersive game I've ever played was Beyond Good & Evil, even though it wasn't as long as it was supposed to have been. The atmosphere and characters were just so appealing that I played through again for that alone.
But really, you can't quantify 'perfection' in games any more than you can movies or other forms of entertainment. True, there are outstanding examples in every genre, and games especially have the potential to enthrall the audience, but it's a disposable medium. You're supposed to play it, enjoy it, and move on.
Grossing higher than Hollywood? Only if you count expansions. To the Sims series. And people who buy versions of games for their PC, XBox, and PS2 versions. The movie industry only counts box office tickets, not video/CD/DVD rentals & purchases, or the money they make off selling it to movie & normal channels. Nor do they count the money off video games, licenses for lunchboxes, toys, series, games, etc, etc. And what about the companies that pay to have advertising (eg characters using Samsung handphones) in movies?
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
First off, whether <a href="video%20games" onmouseover="window.status='video games'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">video games</a> are the top grossing media or not, they are still a very powerful force today. Now if that is a good or bad thing is a completely different question. This growing popularitly undeniably comes with a plethera of bad games. These games are usually to satisfy the casual gamer who basically does not see games as an art form whatsoever. Developers can throw any crap at these people as long as theres guns and graphics. This is basically the problem with games nowadays and is one of the reasons why i treasure Nintendo. All of their games have an extreme push on originality and fun factor and have a great polish to them. They havent sold out like lots of others have. This is definitely not to say that there are no others like this. There are many well established companies that still create new and exciting games like Konami, Capcom, HAL labs, and lots of others that i'm forgetting. So basically, I dont think video games have gone to the dogs just yet.
On another note, I always said that If I ever make a game as good as Kirby Superstar(SNES), I will be complete. I think, as you put it, it is very close to perfection. Not as if perfection actually existed of course.
Edited by the Author.
This curse is more cursedly curse-worthy than any curse that's ever cursed you!
You have no idea how those factors you mentioned effect the profits of either, do some research instead of citing your speculations as fact. Anyway the intricacies of the comparison don't matter, that it even can be compared to movies is proof enough that it's not the least popular "big media business" (whatever the hell that is). 60% of the American population plays video games in some form or another.
From what I've seen, there are only 4 types of "big media businesses" (whatever the hell those are), and that's TV, radio, movies, and video games. Everyone watches TV and movies, though only the rich & middle class kids play games. Radio's about as unpopular, but I suppose the poor people listen to it a hell lot more since they can't afford TV, making it still a lot more popular than games. Video games are only played as a side thing, and most of the profits come from the overpricing.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Metroid prime I & 2 is the closest you can get to perfection.
Or warcraft III.
Everyone's throwing shit at the gaming industry just because they think it's passivating people, or they're just jelous because they don't know jack about computer games because they've grown up in a community without computers, i'm now mostly talking about grown-ups, parents. And when all gamer's parents have made gaming unpopular noone wants to admit it's actually nothing bad at all. As long as you don't sit in front of your computer 24/7.
Why would you even ask a question like this? I mean, it's like asking what the perfect car is, or who's the perfect woman. It's all a matter of taste. Even if you take the biggest selling game of all time, there are still going to be plenty of people who don't like it. Same with movies, same with everything. That's why different people produce different things: because we all like different crap. You may just as well have said "What's your favorite game?" which has been asked a billion times in one form or another and nobody really cares or remembers what anybody has to say about it.
Hmm.. good point. But I kinda had my own opinions on the idea, but since I could only use the internet in short 5 min bursts, I haven't had time to do one of those article-length posts...
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Maybe you shouldn't. Brevity is the soul of wit, you know. Also, we all have ADD because they put aluminum in baby food and we probably won't read any of it anyway.
I'll say this, though, to further illustrate the differences between game players. I used to work in a video game store, and I was talking to another employee. I mentioned that I thought Power Stone 2 was the best fighting game ever, and he thought I was crazy. But I liked it because it requires very little skill and almost anyone can beat the hell out of anyone else. To me, that kind of element is fun, but he was more from the Capcom vs. Street Fighter camp, and he felt that memorizing combos and stringing together endless chains of attacks so to can kill somebody with one super-long move was great, and I think that kind of crap is for punk asses who can't beat anybody up in real life. Then, I demonstrated that fact BY KICKING THE SHIT OUT OF HIM AT WORK.
good job, defenestrator =P. Sure, trying out the ten-string combos in the command lists of Tekken games is a fun diversion (for about ten minutes), but as for seriously using them in a match? You gotta be kidding. I have better things to do with my life!...Like, sit here making games
I think Beyond Good & Evil was an awesome game, too. It did a lot of things right that many other games stumble over, such as:
• Dead easy to control - For anyone with a passing interest in platform/adventure games, controlling Jade is a cinch. Possibly too simple (that's the other side of the coin).
• Original ideas - Or original to an extent. Dark Chronicle beat this game to the punch with the camera, but snapping the local 'wildlife' is still quite compelling. You can actually glean information that is useful by targeting some objects/scenery, too. Then there's your 'companion/partner'. Ordering them about for puzzles and combat isn't entirely new, but it's not often its done this well.
• It's take on stealth wont alienate you - For those who are a bit crap at stealth games in general (like me), you need not worry about getting seen, then tracked down by witheringly smart AI no matter where you hide. In BG&E, being spotted doesn't mean a restart may be in order - simply dash out of sight and guards forget you in seconds. Sometimes, fighting them may even be a good idea. By removing the annoying parts that typically come with stealth sections, the whole experience is a lot more enjoyable.
• Cool set pieces - Every game has them, true, but those in BG&E are nothing to be sniffed at. Later on in the game, you may find yourself legging it from guards as you jump along the rooftops, while constantly being shot at. Top stuff.
• Very little backtracking - The game designers even went out of their way to create quick exits that open up once you've been through a complex section. About time, too.
• Frustration is kept to a minimum - Leading on from the last point. If you die, you restart close by with just a small health penalty. The solutions to puzzles are never obscure/stupid. You never feel hopelessly lost...or lost at all, really. You don't have to spend ages collecting enough cash for certain items - snapping some of the wildlife along your adventures takes care of that. In short, all the annoying bits from other games are left out.
• Convincing characters - Erase any memories you have of characters awkwardly shuffling about, while occasionaly using a 'stock' animation you've already seen 50 times before. In BG&E, the characters could easily pass off as being real. Assuming you can accept a talking pig . If you don't care about them come the end of the game, you either have no heart or you're dead - check your pulse.
Phew...I'm done. Of course, these are just my opinions. Certain points would be hard to do, but anyone can try things like keeping frustration down and getting the controls right. It's all part of the gameplay experience.
you're right
perfection doesn't exist.
for perfection to exist we humans would have to have some kind of collective mind with only one taste in things. Like borg or something...
(no i'm not a trekkie!)
It is such a hard thing to say what is the most perfect game. I would say that a game that pushes the limits of the hardware most is better technically but if it is no fun then it fails anyway.
Well Thinking about it for me Final fantasy 9 is a game that pushed the psone beyond what anyone expected possible. It is certainly better than ff7 or ff8 from a technical view and i think it is still a damn fine game in many other areas too (music, playability, characters, etc). Maybe pro evolution soccer 4 is close to perfection in that it is a football simulation that is arguably closer to football than any other game.
Maybe its better to judge on a format by format basis instead of globally because a 'perfect' game on the nes given it limitations can be greatly improved on the snes.
You know, I really do want to make a good game. My aim was to produce an ff style rpg, but now i would settle for a Zeldary action rpg, and i am currently working on it, i hope nothing get in the way because my only real trouble last time was the battle engine. I have got a lot of insiration from a sega game called soliel (aka crusader of centy). If i can pull off a game similar to this i will be happy.
I also hope people will like Buzz the squirrel 2 because i think it will be good when its done.
Advertisement
Post Reply
Edited by the Author.
