Where is the originality?

[Nu Zalem]

I'm not sure if this is in the right place, it's been a whilke since I made a topic though. We as gamers in general have seem to forgotten what a game is supposed to be and that is entertaining, suspenseful, worth your money, and all together, original. I'm just gonna quote myself from another forum. I want ALL of you to read this. This isn't meant to be too harsh, but I have to tell the truth.

@The whole gaming community:

Nintendo already has all the money it needs since their debut in the 80's. I'm not bashing anyone or trying to defend Nintendo's name b\c they don't need defending since they have already proved themselves worthy, it's just that games aren't what they used to be and you guys damn well know it. The sole purpose of video games is entertainment, why play a game that you won't enjoy and cherish for a long time? What do you all expect games to be? All movie like? Not so friends, even though it's heading in that direction. It's that way b\c developers have lost sight of what true video games should be. Video games are like the NFL, in the beginning they both were very fun to get into and now, many years later it's turned into a strict business and that's sad considering that I was a gamer since I was two years old. The thing I love has turned into something...horrendous. Devs nowadays are taking everything away from the games, not listening to the fans that devote time,money, and energy, and sucking away the fun factor (I'm speaking of games from all consoles, even PC, in general).

I mean, you spend over $400 for a new console b\c it has graphics that came from a high-end PC only to have one or two games that you like for a little while doesn't make much sense to me. I think that was what Shigeru Miyamoto was trying to say when I quoted him earlier. Sure AC4 will be here in a while, but I dare say if the PS3 version of AC4 gets online (which I'm thinking they will before it releases), Xbox may as well kiss its ass goodbye.

The main reason people will buy the PS3/XBOX360 (more than likely PS3) is b\c of its graphics and overlook Revolution b\c of its weird look and remote-like controller, they won't even give it a chance. So right now I feel like Shigeru is telling all truth, you can't say he isn't b\c if you did you're lying to yourself (Yes, I'm pointing my finger at the entire Legion and everyone else who is into these "new" consoles). That's why I added that first quote I got from Gimpy777 in my sig, but so far only a few people grasped it and got the meaning of it (when I say few I mean like four or five).

So let me ask you guys this, Where is thou originality? Don't you dare say "Meh", answer my damn question right now! And no, I'm not going too far with it, I just want an legit answer. Bill Gates seems to want to take over the whole frickin' world with Microsoft and a ot of people hate him, but it doesn't seem to be slowing him down. If Sony or Nintendo ousted Microsoft, what would happen then? Would the gaming world get better or would one of the two companies inherit this...monopoly fever that Bill Gates has b\c that's what he wants to do...monopolize. If it were not for that four letter word starting with the letter "H" Xbox probably would've been done for for a while. I bought into that Xbox crap a while back, but starting about over a year ago, I see the truth. I hardly play my Xbox now save for Unreal Championship 2 occasionally.

Someone came up with a valid point a few days ago and showed me that Nintendo could be money grubbing by re-releasing Game-Boy's and such, so my theory on nintendo not being money-grubbing could be wrong, but it's not like it would kill them if their handhelds didn't succeed. So far the DS is killing the PSP due to PSP being so damn expensive (man I want a DS so I can play Metroid Prime: Hunters).

So, in the end, Nintendo may "lose the race" once again, but the chance of that isn't as predictable this time since the hatred of Microsoft is getting stronger. Sony isn't going anywhere for a long time, and Nintendo isn't going to die...not for a while anyway. So once again, I petition you all to read the quote in my sig, heck, i'll put it here and end it:

gimpy777:Too many people care about graphics so much that they don't even care about the games anymore. It is so incredibly annoying that people don't even pay attention to the story any more. It's all graphics nowadays.

Btw, that quote isn't going anywhere for a long time.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

too many people care about creativity, so much they dont even care about graphics anymore. It is so incredibly annoying that people don't even pay attention to textures or polygons anymore. It's all just story nowadays.

sorry I had to, for my actual opinion check out
http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1683872&postcount=33

 

[Absinthe]

I have yet to meet a single person that can successfully make the case that "gaming ain't what it used to be". Honestly, how is shit any different from a decade ago? Obvious technical improvements aside, since when has the general nature changed? An innovative concept comes out, followed by a plethora of copy-cats. Some of these improve the formula while others settle for being carbon copies, and then the process repeats itself again. With each iteration, the bar is raised. The same applies to graphics, in which one system or game sets the benchmark and then all others catch up to replicate. That's existed since the 8-bit days to our current day of bump-mapping and physics.

I'm not seeing this draught of good games so many other people swear exists. "Entertaining, suspenseful, worth your money, and all together, original" is a string of adjectives that I can apply to a number of recent games I've purchased. Now you can argue that expenses are an issue because of the growing demands of the industry (although you'd be ignorant to say that relativity hasn't played a part in that over the years), but the underlying development is the same as it ever was.

 

[Adabiviak]

...not a console player myself, so I can't say one way or the other for those, but I'm quite happy with the past and current selection of PC games. Some have very rich storyline and good graphics, some so-so storyline with good graphics, some good storyline with crappy graphics, some crappy graphics and storyline, and I'm not even including playability, overall fun, etc. I'm trying to think of a game that I purchased that I really didn't play or enjoy at least once. Far Cry comes to mind. Maybe I've been picky in my games, maybe I've been lucky, but maybe many of them don't suck.

 

[Reaktor4]

Lack of quality is more of a problem than lack of originality i think.

 

[The Mullinator]

I have yet to meet a single person that can successfully make the case that "gaming ain't what it used to be". Honestly, how is shit any different from a decade ago? Obvious technical improvements aside, since when has the general nature changed? An innovative concept comes out, followed by a plethora of copy-cats. Some of these improve the formula while others settle for being carbon copies, and then the process repeats itself again. With each iteration, the bar is raised. The same applies to graphics, in which one system or game sets the benchmark and then all others catch up to replicate. That's existed since the 8-bit days to our current day of bump-mapping and physics.

I'm not seeing this draught of good games so many other people swear exists. "Entertaining, suspenseful, worth your money, and all together, original" is a string of adjectives that I can apply to a number of recent games I've purchased. Now you can argue that expenses are an issue because of the growing demands of the industry (although you'd be ignorant to say that relativity hasn't played a part in that over the years), but the underlying development is the same as it ever was.

There are still good games being released but in all seriousness what we get now is nothing like what we used to get. My total play time invested is often a way for me to measure how much fun I have found a game to be. Right now World of Warcraft is my current favorite and certainly has the highest play time. However in the past the games that have held my records for most amount of time played are most likely these in no particular order:

Goldeneye
Perfect Dark
Zelda OoT
Wing Commander 1
Wing Commander 4
Harvest Moon
Super Mario Bros 3
Dark Forces
Jedi Knight 1
Gothic 1
Starcraft
Half-Life 1

The fact is those were all amazing games and in recent years I have yet to find any games that have held my interest for as long as those other than World of Warcraft, Half-Life 2, Gothic 2, Morrowind, and Rome-Total war. And out of those 5 only World of Warcraft, Gothic 2, and Morrowind even come close to the same amount of play time I have given the games in my list. There was a certainly level of magic that is simply not there anymore, or if it is then it is in so few games that it is really nothing that is often seen.

Its not just that however, its the fact that in the past the genres that we constantly see being re-made over and over again were all new. It wasn't something that became tired back then. Today its just all the same thing, do additions like physics add something? Yes but not too much. The only games that seem to be produced now that end up being successful or at least hyped are FPS's and RPG's. RPG's can stay fun simply because they are based around a story and as long as the stories are still new and interesting they will do fine. FPS's however don't have that advantage, you can only do the same thing so many times before it becomes tiring.

When was the last time we saw a decent combat flight sim that was a must buy for the mainstream gamer? How about adventure games? How often do we even see a new genre being created? And no i'm not talking about those cross-genre games, I mean something completely new and unique?

What is new and unique about this new generation of consoles? What, other than graphics and AI will they offer when compared to the previous generation? Nothing as far as I can tell. Thats what people don't like, thats what people are scared of, and thats why many people are looking to Nintendo more and more. Ya there is those classic "If it ain't broke don't fix it" or the "Hey I liked this then so why shouldn't I like it now?" arguments. However eating Pizza for 2 straight weeks can get quite tiring, working at the same dead end job recieving minor pay hikes every year will get tiring, as a kid playing on the same playground for too long will get tiring, watching too many cheesy action movies will get tiring after awhile. It just doesn't do it for many people anymore. It may do it for you and thats fine, but don't blame us for wanting something more.

 

[Absinthe]

There are still good games being released but in all seriousness what we get now is nothing like what we used to get.

Almost your entire argument is based on this subjective comment, so I can't really refute anything you say.

You think things have changed for the worse. I think things haven't changed at all and I see no reason to fret over the next generation. The transition from the N64 to the GC and the PS1 to the PS2 (largely nothing but technological improvements) yielded some of the finest games the industry has ever seen in its lifetime.

I honestly think people conveniently forget this just so they can be prophets of doom. As for things not having that "magic" you speak of, I think that's a rather vague term. Half-Life 2 had a magic to it. So did KOTOR. Was it the same as when I first played Donkey Kong Country? No, not really. But as far as I know, that can only be chalked up to an almost lifelong experience with gaming on the whole that didn't exist in its heyday.

You are getting more. You're getting more with each generation. You have been since gaming's birth. I find it stunning that some people can't see this. Case in point, brushing off something like physics or genre-blending as adding little contribution is, I find, an extreme downplay of their current and potential contribution. And it sadly forms a bitter taste in my mouth whenever Nintendo is mentioned with such a sanctimonious air. It's like you expect some pie-in-the-sky revolution overnight when these things take gradual time.

I also find it mighty condescending of you to imply that I hold the simple want of more of the same, and that I'm of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. I'm awfully sorry that you can't see the changes and improvements that I see.

 

[CyberPitz]

I'm liking Battlefield 2. The sqad mockup is pretty damn "original" in its own senses. Nice working on it.

And for some reason, i hated Age of Empires 1 and 2, but i'm loving 3, wtf?

 

[Kschreck]

I use to be all about graphics and nothing more but now lately all of the games have been pretty born. Games like Far Cry showcase some of the best graphics ever yet it feels like an interactive tech demo with hardly any story to it. Heck I still don't know the story even after playing through a few levels. The only FPS games that I enjoyed at all this generation where Halo 1 & 2 and Half-Life 2. Doom 3 was ok but not THAT impressive once you got past the good visuals and this is why I am probably most excited about Nintendo's Revolution. Yeah many of you will laugh at the remote controller but if you actually sit down and think about it the controller looks plain freakin fun. It simply looks like a very interactive and very fun controller that will help make the gaming experience feel more hands on. Whats even more interesting is the recent comment from Nintendo saying that there are still major pieces to the Revolution that has yet to be unveiled. I did a major writeup on this for anyone interested. You can read it at my Revolution Blog here:


http://theboard.zogdog.com/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=11&


The topic is called "Augmented Reality! Nintendo's Secret Weapon?". Before you laugh and say not going to happend I suggest you read the article. If your interested in the Revolution then I suggest you to bookmark my blog as I post more Revolution news/speculation then ANY other blog out there. I hope you guys like.

Back on topic though I do think games are starting to get a bit stale or what I like to call to many "Cookie Cutter" games out there these days. To me it's mostly all about the story. I like big epic well developed stories/plots. Of course though graphics are really important to me as you kind of need both in my opinion for a truly immersive experience. I am looking forward to the new Zelda: Twilight Princess as it really seems like Nintendo is going all out on this one. Recently unveiling that the game takes over 100 hours to complete fully and that it's the largest budgeted game ever for Nintendo and that Miyamoto gave the go ahead to the development team to use any of the ideas that where originally going to be used in future Zelda games. Nintendo wants to create an epic and they probably will succeed.

I hate to talk about Nintendo so much as yes I have an Xbox 360 preordered and with 10 games and lots of accesories and I also plan on getting a PS3 but it just seems like Nintendo is the only one trying to innovate. Will they be able to innovate and create something that I will really like? Well I don't know and only time will tell. I am not a big fan of the DS so I don't know. Though Nintendo is starting to release a better selection of DS games so I might start becomming more Pro DS. Lots of good games will be coming. Anyways I am hoping that games will start to get better soon and hopefully Nintendo will innovate and shock the world at E3 2006 when the Revolution is revealed 100% and in playable form.

 

[Jintor]

Psychonauts?

City of Villains/Heroes?

The Movies?

Originality is hard to find, but yeah, it's cool. I mean, Oendan! Electro-Plankton!

 

[Absinthe]

The Movies and Psychonauts are excellent examples of originality and innovation in our current times. And has everybody forgotten about the upcoming Spore?

 

[AmishSlayer]

I think there's still a few games around that strive for originality...but I think it's mainly the gamers that have been changing. Lots of gamers only keep an eye on a game because of graphics rather than content. 1/2 of the debates around forums are about which has the better graphics it seems. People take such pointless things as ragdolls as huge factors in judging a game.

If you ask me the thing that's suffered most in games lately is story and co-op. There are lots of good original games out there but lots of them are sandboxing games with no driving story (which I like a lot - I get lost in the open-ended games out there and don't have much ambition to keep going).

I've already made my own thread about co-op and how it makes games like 10x better so I won't post the same arguments, but it owns nonetheless. More games need it.

 

[15357]

Why doest thou bring Bill Gates in yon argument?

 

[Danimal]

The Movies and Psychonauts are excellent examples of originality and innovation in our current times. And has everybody forgotten about the upcoming Spore?

Oh god I want that game now!

 

[VirusType2]

the only thing lacking originality are these threads!
Isn't this like the 4th thread on this exact same topic in the past few days?!

You guys that keep bringing this up are the ones killing video games IMO. It's a game, its not a replacement for life. You aren't going to find a magic game that you can play all day every day for the rest of your life.

I play games for at least a few minutes almost every day. Sometimes I play them all day and have a fun time you know? If you find a good game hold on to it. If it's a good game it should still be fun months or years down the line.

How many different ways do i have to state that video games are fun to me? I have no problems. If a game is not worthy I do not buy it, and therefore maybe next time they won't sell such crap.

Unfortunately there have always been and always will be games that are not worth a food stamp. You have to find out what kind of games you like and check for reviews and such.


when i watch low budget movies I often don't see any originality, its the same old plot, same story and the good guy always wins in the end. I don't complain about it becuase I didn't BUY the movie. I didn't rent it, it just came on T.v.

When it comes to games you need to do a little research, find out what the hell you are buying. This world contains like 7 billion people trying to survive. Trying to make a fast buck.

If they don't have the talent to produce something great, they dress it up in a box up with good artwork and sell a crappy game, so BUYER BEWARE.

The Video game market is the most vicious in the world. Part of the problem is that many of the buyers are children who see an add for a horible game during cartoons, but are victims of good advertising.

You definately have to watch out for these kinds of games! I hope you don't buy a music CD by judging from the artwork on the box. I highly recomend downloading playable game demos

Other types of games to avoid are games based on movies, cartoons, toys, stuff like that. 9/10 times they are the very worst games. But a review should let you know if there is an exception.

Im off topic: You want original games but you refuse to accept them as being original. Max Payne was original, phantasy star, world of warcraft, medal of honor, just about every great game is either original or part 2,3,4 .. Yes gamers beg for sequels. I mean if you didn't get any sequels you would just complain about that!

 

[Fishlore]

The only thing I know for sure with regards to this subject is that I have bought a grand total of 1 video game since Half Life 2. I've played demos, rented games and played a lot of games at friends' houses. I'm simply not at all impressed with the games that have been coming out for the last year or so. I haven't seen a title due out anytime soon that sounds the least bit intriguing to me. But hey, games have never looked better. For so many people out there, that's all that matters. I'm so glad I'm not one of those people.

 

[VictimOfScience]

I think that as publishers focus on the almighty dollar, we will see more creative folks forced to go their own way and that's not altogether a bad thing. I have in other threads discussed the former Lucasarts employees that have all gone on to form their own development houses where their creative forces won't be stifled. And with Digital Distribution methods starting to come into their own, I am not worried about creativity and originality for the PC at all.

The consoles are slightly different. Game development for the consoles is a bit trickier since the digital distribution model won't work for them right now. It may in the future, but its going to be a while. So developers need pretty big publishers if they want to sell any games. And pretty big publishers are mainly concerned with their bottom line, so that is why you have the EAs of the world selling tons of sports games (though God knows why people keep buying them year after year) instead of the newest and most original IPs out there. Their risk management team usually won't go out on a limb too often.

Luckily for us gamers, the dev teams behind games like Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, God of War, and Okami (just to name a few terrific examples) have been allowed to take the time they need to realize the original and creative visions that they have come up with. These titles are perfect examples of a new way to think about videogames and how they should be played. The originality is evident from the start and the creative process involved with these and many of the aforementioned PC titles is amazing and so I am not too worried that originality/creativity will disappear in the gaming world. There will always be people who have a unique new vison and there will always be those other people who want to support it. And don't forget that we gamers have to do our part as well by supporting these titles which will be easy when they are all so terrific. :thumbs:

 

[Direwolf]

I think there's still a few games around that strive for originality...but I think it's mainly the gamers that have been changing. Lots of gamers only keep an eye on a game because of graphics rather than content. 1/2 of the debates around forums are about which has the better graphics it seems. People take such pointless things as ragdolls as huge factors in judging a game.

If you ask me the thing that's suffered most in games lately is story and co-op. There are lots of good original games out there but lots of them are sandboxing games with no driving story (which I like a lot - I get lost in the open-ended games out there and don't have much ambition to keep going).

I've already made my own thread about co-op and how it makes games like 10x better so I won't post the same arguments, but it owns nonetheless. More games need it.

Amish saved me from typing everything out.

 

[Warbie]

I do think there is drought in originality, but that's to be expected - the more games that are developed the less room there is to be original. It is still there if you know where to look.

Focus also seems to have shifted in favour of physics, cut scenes and graphics. HL2 is a perfect example, and improves in all these areas a great deal, but the basic meat and bones of the game hasn't changed one bit since the orginal. It's and old game in new clothes - the clothes are just so nice nobody notices.

 

[xcellerate]

Half-Life 2 was different, but it wasn't. And it was definitly original in the fact that it was the first game to have full use of physics like it did. I'm still waiting for the day when a level designer will build a level exactly like a construction company builds a building. So you can blow up walls, and destroy support beams, and have floors collapse, or doors blow open...

 

[Nu Zalem]

Um..wow, I didn't think I would get this much feedback this quickly, so thank you all for reading and replying.

VirusType2: the only thing lacking originality are these threads!
Response:I'm sorry to make a topic that has already been made, I guess I didn't look hard enough to make sure.

I agree with what you guys are stating as I can't quote everyone, I just posted what I felt about games and I felt that my statement was true. It seems like my question has been answered so this topic can be left open for discussion or closed if need be.

 

[dream431ca]

You want originallity...play shadow of the colossus for PS2..then you can have your originalliy.

 

[Sulkdodds]

You're not allowed to complain about lack of originality unless you bought at least two (minimum) of the following games:

Giants: Citizen Kabuto, Battlezone 1 or 2, In Memoriam, Hostile Waters, Darwinia, Psychonauts, also more that I've forgotten.

I plan to by Psychonauts as soon as I have some money/time.

EDIT: And these are just the original games that no-one bought.

 

[VirusType2]

I'm sorry to make a topic that has already been made, I guess I didn't look hard enough to make sure.

That's okay don't mind me, I seem to be the only one who noticed anyhow.

I seriously thought I was going Insane! everytime I answered one of these threads there was another one! OMG

 

[Nu Zalem]

You want originallity...play shadow of the colossus for PS2..then you can have your originalliy.

I plan on it. Sounded like you wanted to rip me in half for making the thread (just playin').

 

[FictiousWill]

You want originallity...play shadow of the colossus for PS2..then you can have your originalliy.

Beat me to it.

 

[The Mullinator]

Almost your entire argument is based on this subjective comment, so I can't really refute anything you say.

You think things have changed for the worse. I think things haven't changed at all and I see no reason to fret over the next generation. The transition from the N64 to the GC and the PS1 to the PS2 (largely nothing but technological improvements) yielded some of the finest games the industry has ever seen in its lifetime.

I honestly think people conveniently forget this just so they can be prophets of doom. As for things not having that "magic" you speak of, I think that's a rather vague term. Half-Life 2 had a magic to it. So did KOTOR. Was it the same as when I first played Donkey Kong Country? No, not really. But as far as I know, that can only be chalked up to an almost lifelong experience with gaming on the whole that didn't exist in its heyday.

You are getting more. You're getting more with each generation. You have been since gaming's birth. I find it stunning that some people can't see this. Case in point, brushing off something like physics or genre-blending as adding little contribution is, I find, an extreme downplay of their current and potential contribution. And it sadly forms a bitter taste in my mouth whenever Nintendo is mentioned with such a sanctimonious air. It's like you expect some pie-in-the-sky revolution overnight when these things take gradual time.

I also find it mighty condescending of you to imply that I hold the simple want of more of the same, and that I'm of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. I'm awfully sorry that you can't see the changes and improvements that I see.

I am getting the same things now as I always have been, thats my problem. And the fact is I want something new now, I have been waiting for about 3 years now for something truly new and it hasn't come yet. Thats not wanting something over night at all. Besides, overnight stuff used to happen quite often, look at Doom, or Command and Conquer, or Civilization.

Also yes I see changes and improvements but they just don't change the fundamentals which is what I want to see changed. Once you realize that every FPS is fundamentally the exact same thing you begin to get bored of them. I have probably killed approximately 800,000 NPC baddies in FPS games, picked up 8000 health packs, fired every combination of pistol, machine gun, rocket launcher, and melee weapon defaulted to the 1 key over and over again. I have been faced with almost every situation possible involving baddies from the classic open the door only to be faced to faced with two turrets, to the situation where you enter a room only to find you are on the lowest level while enemies are on catwalks above firing down on you. In multiplayer I have probably killed over 20,000 human players from the basic go it alone deathmatch style matches to the work as a team tactic. My FPS career is winding down, i'm bored of it and unfortunately for me it seems like it along with the other genres I am currently bored with what are the only game styles that actually seem to do well anymore.

Could the Revolution re-ignite my gaming flame? Probably. Could games like Spore and Darwinia? Probably. However with so few people seemingly interested in them, heck many even bash them for not being "normal" I fear the kind of things I want will die off. If that happens my gaming career will probably end along with them.

 

[VirusType2]

now that I think about it, forget originality-- I've been patiently waiting for years for a game to put it all together.

Dual wield sub-machine guns
Rag Dolls
Phsyics
high rez textures
high poly models
shadows and shaders
Smart (but not bullshit) AI
A good story and killer enemies (like HL2)

Is Perfect dark what I have been waiting for this whole time? maybe pretty ****ing close!

But, I think a mix of Half-Life2 Red Faction 2, and Perfect Dark Zero would be the best game ever made.

I can't state in words how much I love dual wield machine guns and pistols(Red-faction2, Goldeneye), rag dolls physics and blood smears(HL2), Grenades that blow walls apart and shit (red-faction 2)

You can say how none of this is important but this is whats important to me, this shit is what I live for.

It's like in every FPS game I play 1 or more of these "required elements" are missing!

*looks on web for Red Faction 3*
EDIT: w00t looks like its planed for a x360 release. (no screenshots or anything yet though)

 

[The Mullinator]

now that I think about it, I've been patiently waiting for years for a game to put it all together.

Dual wield sub-machine guns
Rag Dolls
Phsyics
high rez textures
high poly models
shadows and shaders
Smart (but not bullshit) AI
A good story and killer enemies (like HL2)

Is Perfect dark what I have been waiting for this whole time? maybe pretty ****ing close!

But, I think a mix of Half-Life2 Red Faction 2, and Perfect Dark Zero would be the best game ever made.

I can't state in words how much I love dual wield machine guns and pistols(Red-faction2, Goldeneye), rag dolls physics and blood smears(HL2), Grenades that blow walls apart and shit (red-faction 2)

You can say how none of this is important but this is whats important to me, this shit is what I live for.

It's like in every FPS game I play 1 or more of these "required elements" are missing!

*looks on web for Red Faction 3*
EDIT: w00t looks like its planed for a x360 release. (no screenshots or anything yet though)

Red Faction would have been amazing if only they had decided to actually take advantage of the Geo-mod tech. Aside from being pretty and offering some unique experiences in multiplayer they never really did anything with it for the singleplayer protion of the game which really pissed me off.

 

[Absinthe]

Could the Revolution re-ignite my gaming flame? Probably. Could games like Spore and Darwinia? Probably. However with so few people seemingly interested in them, heck many even bash them for not being "normal" I fear the kind of things I want will die off. If that happens my gaming career will probably end along with them.

Just this one bit I felt the need to comment on.

I've never seen anybody bash Spore or Darwinia. :|

 

[Sulkdodds]

There was a bit of bashing in the newspost thread but most were excited.

 

[UltimaApocalypse]

The originality will return when and only when the public stops wanting new and better consoles and new and better graphics. The game corporations give what the people want, and a majority of the population want.....better consoles and graphics!

Of course it's next to impossible to convince millions of game fans to switch their views, but still. I'm not saying better graphics is bad, and I wouldn't mind getting an XBOX 360, but the game corporations shouldn't just focus on the graphics and later just say:"Well yeah ok lets just have this guy travel to the center of the Earth and uh...retrieve some powerful crystal."

 

[mortiz]

I'm still enjoying games, but nowadays there's a lot more stuff out there so you've got to develop an ability to sort the crap from the good stuff.

There's just as many good games as there ever was, originality? I think every game should try to do something different. It doesn't have to take a genre in a completely new direction or anything just add an interesting twist to what's already out there. My pet hate at the moment is WW2 shooters, no originality at all, can't stand the bloody things any more.

 

[Cole]

Oringinality is about taking something a new idea and using it to change up the gameplay and make it something more, something else make it really change how the game is played.
HL2 had some oringinality but didn't bend to far from the oringal gameplay. It introduced physics and gameplay. It introduced physics that could alter the gameplay. Yet alot of the core concepts are still there. HL2 had some originality, but still was true to the original format.

Half-Life introduced a new style of immersion, and nice AI. Even it stayed true to the oringal format, but just adding that new style of immersion. It's style of immersion wasn't graphic based but tied in with no cutscenes, it added something extra....which made the game funner in a sense. Add in some nice AI for it's time and there ya go.

Oringinality dosn't have to be completly ground breaking or anything...but it does need to add something extra...something that keeps you playing that other games can't seem to grasp onto or another game never was able to pull off properly.

 

[TheSomeone]

You guys are either jaded with gaming or just like to whine.

We youngun's like to make fun of old people who say "In the old days we..." and so and so, but we aren't any better, if not worse.

There are as many good games coming out these days there were 10 years ago.

 

[Sparta]

But the main thing us old guys are complaining about, is that if you've been around long enough now then you've played them all.

 

[Absinthe]

Oringinality is about taking something a new idea and using it to change up the gameplay and make it something more, something else make it really change how the game is played.
HL2 had some oringinality but didn't bend to far from the oringal gameplay. It introduced physics and gameplay. It introduced physics that could alter the gameplay. Yet alot of the core concepts are still there. HL2 had some originality, but still was true to the original format.

Half-Life introduced a new style of immersion, and nice AI. Even it stayed true to the oringal format, but just adding that new style of immersion. It's style of immersion wasn't graphic based but tied in with no cutscenes, it added something extra....which made the game funner in a sense. Add in some nice AI for it's time and there ya go.

Oringinality dosn't have to be completly ground breaking or anything...but it does need to add something extra...something that keeps you playing that other games can't seem to grasp onto or another game never was able to pull off properly.

So when HL1 introduces something new, it's worthy of being called original. When HL2 introduces something new, such is not the case. Double standard? You decide. I think you people are complaining for the sake of complaining, yearning back for the old days to appease some faux sense of seniority.

But the main thing us old guys are complaining about, is that if you've been around long enough now then you've played them all.

The same can be said for any medium if you wish to employ such jadedness.

 

[Sparta]

That wasn't my opinion i was just saying...

 

[TheSomeone]

But the main thing us old guys are complaining about, is that if you've been around long enough now then you've played them all.

What? They come out all the time.

 

[Adabiviak]

Anything with a storyline (books, movies, TV) will be regurgitated in different clothes until something new comes out. How many times has the horror/comedy/drama/war movie been done, with shameless reuse of the same clichés, yet they all maintain a following. Video games haven't (in my opinion) reached that saturation point just yet, but they will, and real originality will come out about as often as an original movie, book, TV show, etc. comes out nowadays.

Now that I think about it, video games have come farther faster (than the previously mentioned media) because they have already seen what kinds of things work and can emulate those without having to wait for it to occur to a script writer. Have games enjoyed a glut of originality as they have "caught up" to the current level of originality in other media (and now is starting to slow down because of this)? Maybe.