Next Generation?
Every magazine or forum I venture into these days seems to include a story or thread on people's opinion that this is not the next generation of gaming but rather just a prettier one. Apparently people want a new way to play, they expect more form their euro.
All their pontification though is nonsense, as the industry has clearly evolved and most have simply not or refused to sit up and take notice.
Take the map and mode editing abilities of Forge in Halo 3, the emotional and moral roller coaster that is Bioshock, the great design and dialogue in Portal, the environments and physics in Mario Galaxies, the control scheme on Geometry Wars on the DS and EA's skill stick in NHL 08. There is digital distribution giving us the ability to download full retail games such as Warhawk and Psychonauts directly to our consoles from the comfort of our sofa and Infinitey Ward's online leveling up system in Call of Duty 4. What about the way we experience music with friends on our consoles with Guitar Hero and Rock Band and the way smaller developers can break into the market via Xbox Live Arcade and PSN, costing us less for a game that would other wise not make it to retail? The list is endless as to the improvements, refinements and leaps the industry has taken in this generation.
I keep hearing the complaint that better graphics don't equate to a game being a next generation experience. It has always been the case that with each new iteration of hardware there has always been a significant improvement in graphics. Therefore by default next generation equals better graphics. Vulcan logic also dictates graphics are the most visceral of the changes brought about by each new generation, as they have an immediate impact to the gaming experience. After all it is with the gift of sight that we enjoy this medium.
However processing power is not needed when trying to push boundaries, look at the Wii for example. The Wii is nothing more than a glorified Gamecube put through a crusher, whitewashed and controlled by a TV remote that doubles up as a hippy bracelet. The whole thing probably costs less to make than a dodgy midnight kebab laced with chilli sauce. If the plaintiffs all want a "next generation experience", as per their definition, so much then they should just go and buy a Wii. But be warned just because something is offering you a different way of interacting with a coded disc doesn't mean it's better.
Don't blame graphics for what you believe is a lack of innovation in the market. If you could turn your gaze away from all the perfectly rendered eye candy on your screen then maybe you would also notice the other changes. Graphics don't make a game. Though I know I would much rather spend my time looking at a beautifully rendered world, such as that found in PS3's Uncharted, than some pixelated monstrosity on the Wii.
Next generation software should not solely reliant on its hardware platform to be innovative and offer us a completely new way of doing things. A good developer will find ways of throwing new mechanics at the user, making them think outside the box and feel different emotions.
We don't need a new chipset to come along to enable us having a new way of playing our games. We just need new ideas from creative people.
Digg
hmmm dude i could not
hmmm dude i could not disagree with you more on almost everything.
1. Guitar Hero - first released on a previous generation console the PS2
2. Full game downloads were available on the PC years ago before the PS3/360 were even unveiled.
3. XBLA/PSN - i agree good for developers but the model is just a refinement of the PC indie game setup
4. Bioshosk - emotional roller coaster? How would you know?
5. HD graphics - already existed on the PC years ago
6. Which game do you find it better? HD Uncharted or pixelated Super Mario Galaxy?
7. Why do you think Portal was so well received? It was the oddity in a year or years of 100FPS, 100Sports game franchises and so on.
8. For all its shortcomings at least the Wii has made non-gamers to turn their heads and pay attention. For once they caught a glimpse of the enjoyment we have had for years. That is next-gen in a way although it still needs to establish itself in a more long-term manner.
9. DS same as the Wii above.
10. My game of the year was Okami even in the presence of COD4.
I have a lot more to say but i am busting my balls trying to stop CIV4 crashing on the damn Vista. Vista... NOW THAT IS NEXT-GEN!!!!!
You can't fault a system for
You can't fault a system for bringing something new to it's users because it has been done before in another sector of the industry. Comparing a PC with a console is a non starter for me as a PC is a truly open platform. With the pace of the tech industry meaning that practically every week you can buy an upgrade for you machine or obtain new software. A console doesn't work like that and to compare the two is like comparing apples and oranges. The fact that you can have these features and A performance almost on par with a fairly decent PC on a console for the first time and at a fraction of the price makes it a next generation experience for me.
Guitar Hero has only just stared offering "consistent" downloadable content alongside online play and even though it was released originally on the PS2 it is with the current version that it has cemented itself as a cultural phenomenon outselling every other IP in 2007 across all platforms.
You think Portal was well received because it was the only alternative to shooters and sports game? Portal is essentially a puzzle game at heart, although it has carved out a side niche of its own within the genre, and with the avalanche of puzzle games in 2007 it still managed to came through on top. A good game is a good game no matter how you cut it.
I wasn't saying that the Wii is bad, on the contrary it is probably the most next gen of the other systems on the market. I don't mind inferior graphics but given the choice I would opt for HD everytime. It's not a case of graphics or gameplay but a combination of both in an ideal world. What I meant to point out though was that just because it's different doesn't make it better. Until the developers find ways to exploit the strengths of the Wii (ease of play and understanding of game mechanics combined with motion control) it will not compete for the main gaming community, the community that drives the market with their consistent and frequent purchases. It may have caught the mass markets attention but they are still not buying any games.
I am more than happy with the current level of progress and innovation in the industry and I am looking forward to whatever it is that the future beholds. What do you think is missing?
(Damn that was long ... and I didn't even talk about .skate)
Ok. First of all we are
Ok. First of all we are talking about the videogame industry as a whole not just console gaming. Just because we are not fans of pc gaming we can't just ignore its presence and what it has achieved. It's there and it's basically the biggest selling games device of them all if you consider flash games and now of games like the facebook game applications.
Guitar Hero's big innovation was the use of a plactic guitar as the controller and certainly not downloadable content.
As for Portal i agree it was a breath of fresh air. But all i am saying is that it was one of the very few, that is why everyone was talking about it. In addition the game could have been done years ago. It was all about someone coming up with the idea. The technology was not the issue.
As for the graphics issue and gameplay. For me i would opt for gameplay everytime. For example, the best games i played last year were Portal, Okami, KOTOR and COD4. Out of these 4 only COD4 was graphically of today's standard. So gameplay has to come ahead of graphics.
And what is the main gaming community? You mean people who spend hours on games every day? Dude the gaming industry is the only industry were we separate consumers into hardcore and casual. I never heard of hardcore music lovers or casual movie viewers. Why is that? In addition for the industry to take the next step it needs to be accepted as a mainstream form of entertainment and one day be considered an art form. It can only achieve that by reaching a point where a family or a couple can play a game together instead of watching a movie. That is what will truly drive the industry forward. We have to think long term.
I am also happy with the state of industry but there are issues of concern. The year on year update of franchises, the fact that most developers choose graphics over gameplay innovation, improving the story in story based games and many many more things. As for next generation experience this will occur not in the standard form of gaming but with devices like VR Head tracking and Devices that recognise our thoughts to make actions.
For now the only next-gen possibility in general with regards to the industry is for me to go a friend's house for Mario & Sonic night instead of pictionary with male and female friends. That remains to be seen whether it will be achieved.
I am not ignoring the PC as a
I am not ignoring the PC as a gaming platform, all I am saying is that the steps taken forward by consoles should not be ignored simply because they have been done before on a PC. The PC is its own monster. The fact that every PC has different innards and processing power, customised by their owner, means its is not a fair comparison to a universal console such as the Xbox 360, PS3 or Wii.
What about things like user friendliness, price point and online interface. In many ways the PC is actually lagging behind the console and has major problems of its own. Valve are trying to shake things up with their online interface they are offering to developers through Steam but that is still in its infancy. I don't know the figures so this is a genuin question but do you think that PC gaming grosses more than console? Isn't the return of investment for developers also higher on the console? I digress ...
You are right that Guitar Hero is know for it's plastic guitar peripheral but it's latest offering to us has been downloadable content and online play. Although lagging behind Rock Band in content both have started offering ways to expand their game and their revenue without the need to purchase a separate disc. The user now not only has a choice of extra content but can specifically choose the parts of the new content that mostly appeal to them without being forced into purchasing the complete packs.
I think we are having trouble defining a next generation experience. For me I dont necessarily expect technology alone to offer me something new. I just want there to be a constant shift towards new and better concepts. What more can current technology realistically offer. Virtual Reality has been attempted before in the past and it was a huge failure, having seen that video you posted of the headset running on the Wii gives me hope though. Digital Distribution has begun but again this is not a technological breakthrough. Most new features are just about someone coming up with a new way of using existing technology.
The term hardcore is only used by us and the reason it keeps popping up is because we follow this industry with the passion that we do. We read serious magazines, we listen to podcasts, heck we even have our own website. Every industry has its hardcore fan base, what they are called doesn't matter. Everyone watches movies, listens to music and consumes whatever it is that tickles their fancy. At some point the number of people doing or purchasing one thing reaches a point that enables the producer of that product to survive and thrive. But the producers will always try and feed their corporate hunger by casting their net over as large a catchment as possible and gearing up towards the likes of the majority, i.e they are out to please the "hardcore".
Someone is a gamer regardless of how many hours they spend playing a week. My point is that the only reason Nintendo has been making a profit on the Wii is because they are selling every unit at a profit and certainly not because they are making money of software sales as no one is buying games.
I am sick today so i won't be
I am sick today so i won't be shooting down every single one of your arguments (which btw contradict your intial post) but i will shoot down one.
But the (movie) producers will always try and feed their corporate hunger by casting their net over as large a catchment as possible and gearing up towards the likes of the majority, i.e they are out to please the "hardcore".
Dude the movie industry's biggest hits are the ones which do not to appeal solely to the "hardcore movie goers" (if there is such a term) but to the masses. Spiderman, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Carribean are movies marketed and targeted towards practically everyone. That's why they make the big bucks.
Anywat it seems you need to define what next gen is yourself before calling people's arguments (in ur first post) as nonsense. I want new gaming experiences in whatever form. So far for the most part it has just been just a refinement of the existing experience.
Good VS mode dude but this is my last post on this topic.
Sorry to hear that you are
Sorry to hear that you are feeling under the weather and I wish you a speedy recovery ... you're not staying home to catch up on your gaming are you?!
It's funny because I was thinking the same about how this would have been ideal for a Pure VS Uber topic.
You are correct that the masses make for the blockbuster hits but how many of those are there in a year, maybe 3 or 4. It is the "hardcore" that pay their hard earned cash week in and week out to go to the cinema that are of the most importance. It's the equivalant of having a gamer only purchasing and playing Halo 3 and COD 4 for a whole year, that will not help support the platform.
I cant see any contradictions but it looks like we will just have to agree to disagree.
Great debate and one which was really enjoyable to me. Now roll on to the next topic.
Mardas, out.