Where's the originality in games these days?

20goto10

I've been out of gaming for the best part of a year now. Really lost faith in it. Sh!te unoriginal games and a community full of tossers (generalisation I know but there is an overwhelming amount of gob sh!tes). Got the urge to get back into it and made the big mistake of picking ODST as my first buy in a long time. What a load of twonk. Same old same. Where's the originality in games these days? I realise it was originally meant to be an add on but thats no excuse. When I think back to the days of the C64 and Amiga. Gods, Speedball, X-Type, Shadow of the Beast, The Last Ninja to name just a few. All we have these days are FPS'ers EA sports games and racing games.

They should go back and remake all the old games imo. Imagine a modern X-type....fecking savage. Most people tell me buy a Wii, there's originality for you. And I agree, its a fresh of breath air as far as originality goes but the thing is you don't actually have to jump around like people do. It can all be done sitting on your couch with a flick of the wrist. I mean I can jump around with my xbox controller if I like. Doesn't make any difference but neither does it on the Wii. And the games are just far too simple and boring for my liking. What is the age group on the Wii, 5-10 years?

Sorry for the rant Can anyone recommend a decent xbox game with some level of originality before I pack away the xbox again only this time for good? Bioshock was great, in fact I think thats the last game I enjoyed before packing up.

Kinetic^

20goto10 wrote: »

a community full of tossers (generalisation I know but there is an overwhelming amount of gob sh!tes).

Within the xbox community there are many smaller communities/clans that cater for people from all ages. Have a look around and you'll find one that suits.

20goto10 wrote: »

Got the urge to get back into it and made the big mistake of picking ODST as my first buy in a long time. What a load of twonk. Same old same. Where's the originality in games these days? I realise it was originally meant to be an add on but thats no excuse. When I think back to the days of the C64 and Amiga. Gods, Speedball, X-Type, Shadow of the Beast, The Last Ninja to name just a few. All we have these days are FPS'ers EA sports games and racing games.

Games are rarely original these days because gaming is old at this stage so innovation is going to come in the form of stuff like the wii/natal as games have been done to death. It's not really going to improve as most developers will make what's going to sell.

20goto10 wrote: »

They should go back and remake all the old games imo. Imagine a modern X-type....fecking savage. Most people tell me buy a Wii, there's originality for you. And I agree, its a fresh of breath air as far as originality goes but the thing is you don't actually have to jump around like people do. It can all be done sitting on your couch with a flick of the wrist. I mean I can jump around with my xbox controller if I like. Doesn't make any difference but neither does it on the Wii. And the games are just far too simple and boring for my liking. What is the age group on the Wii, 5-10 years?

The wii probably has an older age group then the PS3/Xbox 360 due to it's ease of access and fun games that cater for everyone from 5 to 50.

20goto10 wrote: »

Sorry for the rant Can anyone recommend a decent xbox game with some level of originality before I pack away the xbox again only this time for good? Bioshock was great, in fact I think thats the last game I enjoyed before packing up.

Mirrors Edge, it's a first person based free running game. If you can get it for 10-20 then it's an ok deal. Skate 1/2 (not sure if 2 is out yet), the best skateboarding game and not just a button masher, it requires skill with the analog sticks to get through the game.

NotorietyH

I like that your solution to the unoriginality problem is to remake old games.

Batman Arkham Asylum is pretty interesting, not sure how original it is, but I've seen it compared to Bioshock in a few reviews and I enjoyed the hell out of it.

I don't think originality is the main problem, I think setting, tone and gameplay are more important. Dead Space wasn't very original at all, it ripped off Bioshock, Resident Evil 4 and countless other games, not to mention movies, but it was a really solid, atmospheric game.

Oafley Jones

You complain about lack of originality, yet you decided to buy the fourth game in a FPS series. That's like going to see Die hard 4 and expecting a challenging, artistic indie film. What were you expecting from it, you've only been out of the loop for a year? What not buy something like Mirror's Edge, a game that can be got for about a tenner in most Game stores.

20goto10

Thanks I'll check out those games. Remaking old Amiga games would be considered original. The likes of X-Out but with modern 3D graphics. But then people would probably just compare it with Elite so yeah I don't suppose thats very original

I agree that atmosphere and tone are important. I'd actually consider Bioshock to be an original game even though its a FPS.

20goto10

Oafley Jones wrote: »

You complain about lack of originality, yet you decided to buy the fourth game in a FPS series. That's like going to see Die hard 4 and expecting a challenging, artistic indie film. What were you expecting from it, you've only been out of the loop for a year? What not buy something like Mirror's Edge, a game that can be got for about a tenner in most Game stores.

Fair point :-) I wasn't actually looking for originality when I bought it. I was just looking for a good game to get back into it. My rant on originality still stands, but that was a bad example:)

X_X

Hmm there are many good games out there for you to buy:

As one mentioned Skate... Skate 2 is out and it is supposed to be much better than Tony Hawk or any other skateboarding game...

If you are into adventure based games.. then Fable 2 is the game for you.. I personally haven't played it yet but reviews on the game are magnificent.. You can decide whether you are good or evil and the more you do of one you transform progressively through the game... When I say transform I mean transform.. Horns start to grow if you do evil etc... I think it is a lot like world of warcraft... but not too sure... What I mean is you can play it again and again doing things differently..

Then if you are into Games where you talk but you choose what they say then Mass effect is great!!... It has wonderful graphics, great voice control... as in the mouths aren't moving up and down while they speak... Great cast of voice actors.... And if you choose certain things through out the game then the endings will be different... It is a HUGE game with over 40 hours of gameplay...

Then if you are into killing and such then I believe that Assassins Creed is a good game... Assassins Creed 2 will be out this year so if you want to skip the first game you can..

OK I think that I am finished talking about games for now but if I think of any others I will post them here...

Oafley Jones

X_X wrote: »

Hmm there are many good games out there for you to buy:

As one mentioned Skate... Skate 2 is out and it is supposed to be much better than Tony Hawk or any other skateboarding game...

If you are into adventure based games.. then Fable 2 is the game for you.. I personally haven't played it yet but reviews on the game are magnificent.. You can decide whether you are good or evil and the more you do of one you transform progressively through the game... When I say transform I mean transform.. Horns start to grow if you do evil etc... I think it is a lot like world of warcraft... but not too sure... What I mean is you can play it again and again doing things differently..

Then if you are into Games where you talk but you choose what they say then Mass effect is great!!... It has wonderful graphics, great voice control... as in the mouths aren't moving up and down while they speak... Great cast of voice actors.... And if you choose certain things through out the game then the endings will be different... It is a HUGE game with over 40 hours of gameplay...

Then if you are into killing and such then I believe that Assassins Creed is a good game... Assassins Creed 2 will be out this year so if you want to skip the first game you can..

OK I think that I am finished talking about games for now but if I think of any others I will post them here...

Are you quoting someone?

Fingleberries

I think that video gaming has reached a point now that it is quite a mature entertainment format, like music or movies. As such there is still room for originality, but it's harder to try and come up with something that hasn't already been done in some form before.

The key these days is to try and come up with a new take on an old theme (e.g. Mirror's Edge: essentially an FPS, but one with free-running and you can complete without shooting - so just an FP, then?). Or, do something in such a stylish or atmospheric way that players get immersed in the world (BioShock or Arkham Asylum: basically a first / third person shooter, but done really well).

There are others that use their imagination (not in the trippy Jeff Minter way on the C64 - showing my age here) but come up with new takes on old formats.

• Splosion Man (2D platformer)
• Braid (2D platform puzzler)
• Portal (3D FPS Platform Puzzler - ok that's kind of original )
• Shadow Complex (2D Platformer, a la Flashback / Metroid)
• Maw (3D exploration puzzler)
• Brütal Legend / Psychonauts (3D Platform exploration, with Puzzles).
• Battlefield 1943 (online FPS)
• Mass Effect (RPG)
• Assassins Creed (3D platformer, with puzzles, etc.)

All of these games have their flaws, but they work really well because they do a very good job of immersing the player in a well developed story, a good game world, or the sheer love that the developers have lavished on it is apparrent while playing it - they want you to enjoy playing it and have thought about it.
(OK Brütal Legend isn't out, but you can see that effort and thought have gone into the game world).

I think this is where the next steps in video game development will take place.

The Wii / Nintendo DS are cases that has done really well - thinking outside the box has got a new take on the type of games that can be played, but quickly get filled with shovelware that are made to the formula that has worked in the past on the platform.

Another problem with a maturing Entertainment Format is that the major publishers run out of original ideas and turn back to what worked in the past. In movies, how many films in the last few years were remakes (e.g. Fame); or in music, how many remixes (e.g. a remix of Saturday Night by Whigfield, for the love of all things good, sacred and holy, did we really need that? )

I believe that we are seeing a similar trend in video games: A company like 3D Realms would rather pour money down the drain for over a decade - eventually going bust - on a sequel to Duke Nukem than create something new, which may or may not work but you could have a few tries for the same time, money and effort. Or we see a remake of the Turtles in Time arcade game using the Unreal 3 engine ... Why?

Occasionally a really good one gets through, and tries to establish itself as something new. Of all people, EA deserve kudos for trying new things with the likes of Mirror's Edge - of course it was all with an eye on getting Mirror's Edge 2 out there.

And the circle begins again :pac:

X_X

No I wasn't quoting anyone I was just trying to "sell" the games... hehe

20goto10

Thanks guys. I feel the love of gaming creeping back in

I find Fable and Fable 2 to be quite immature. There's just something really basic to the gameplay. They're a good throwback to the Monkey Island days though.

I found Assasins Creed, athough beautifully made, to be a bit boring.

I enjoyed Protal, somethig like that with a bit more money behind it would definitely be a hit in my book.

So I guess, Mirrors Edge, Mass Effect and Arkham Asylum (FPS but looks good none the less) are the ones to try.

Cheers.

Retr0gamer

My advice to anyone burnt out by the poor showing on the consoles is to get a DS and start playing the better downloadable games on xbox live arcade. I've gotten far more enjoyment out of them this generation.

smk89

i think theres an anti creativity virus going around at the minute

20goto10

ooooh just discovered R-Type dimensions....now you're talking

Retr0gamer

If you liked Portal you need to get Braid, it's an amazing game. Also Shadow Complex is worth a go, I heard it's very like Super Metorid which is no bad thing. If you like shooters like R-type space invaders extreme is really good.

Atavan-Halen

Try Beautiful Katamari if you can find it. It's different and very enjoyable. Theres also peggle and portal on the arcade. I'd also recommend trying some of the arcade demos and see if theres anything you like.

NotorietyH

20goto10 wrote: »

So I guess, Mirrors Edge, Mass Effect and Arkham Asylum (FPS but looks good none the less) are the ones to try.

Cheers.

Arkham Asylum isn't an FPS, it's a stealth/action game. You play it third-person. The combat is great in it and so are the stealth sections. Best description I've seen of it is a Batman simulator.

I just bought my Xbox less than 2 weeks ago and I've played through Fable 2 and Mass Effect. I really enjoyed both, but Mass Effect it far deeper in terms of gameplay. It's much slower too, but it's a really good game. I picked it up pre-owned in Game for €16, saw it online on Gamesnash pre-owned for €15 I think. Fable 2 is much lighter. Mass Effect really reminded me of Fallout 3, which is well worth getting too if you don't have it. The combat can be a bit clunky in Mass Effect, so Fallout 3 beats it in terms of combat with the VATS system for me.

I picked up Dead Rising too, which is pretty original, but I'm finding it fairly frustrating.

I'd echo the people saying to check out the Xbox Live Arcade too, I haven't explored it much myself, but I've played a lot of PLaystation Network games and that's where you tend to find the most originality. Generally because they have smaller budgets and are smaller developments so don't have to play it safe to cover their costs.

silvine

If you want originality try Braid and to a lesser extent Shadow Complex. Mirror's Edge and Bioshock were pretty unique too.

I really can't agree that Mass Effect was original though. What exactly did it do that loads of other games haven't done before?

If you want retro try Geometry Wars 1&2, Trials HD and Splosion Man.

You should also check out Halo **exits forum quickly**

DirkVoodoo

I haven't read all the thread, so apologies if I'm rehashing someone else's point, BUT:

Back in the day, games were a toy and developers had smaller teams and even smaller production budgets. It's a lot easier to take risks when you aren't trying to create a follow-up to a game that grossed more than a lot of Hollywood films in it's first 24 hours alone.

I don't think gaming is any less original, just there is more money involved now so like movies, expect to see successful franchises churn out repetitive sequels until the cash cow expires.

corcaigh07

+1 for mirrors edge, i think its a fantastic game and whie its not long, thats almost a good thing in my eyes as it doesnt overstay its welcome and if you really want a challenge, there are some savage hard time trials to complete. very cheap now too, should find it for 10 or less pre-owned and 15-20 new.

Liathroidi Dana

How is the game industry not being original?

Guitar Hero: New ways to control games and bring games to wider audience.

Forza Motorsport: letting people create their own skins and that for cars, and allowing people to but and sell online.

Gears of War: Introduced cover gameplay in 3rd Person shooters, now the standard within the genre.

Bioshock, Mass Effect: Made story a much larger part of the game, nearly a sole reason for the purchase of these games.

LittleBigPlanet: Lets people make whole levels and even smaller mini-games within the game itself. Also the ability to share with just about anyone.

Every online game: Now people can play games with just about anyone at any time.

And don't even me get me started on the arcade and psn! ( Portal, Braid, PixelJunk) Thats a very ignorant thing to say! Notice the way I picked some of the most succesful games.

Now let me pose you a question, how was the retro age original? From what I can see it was full of bland shmups and platformers. Enlighten me please.

Retr0gamer

Liathroidi Dana wrote: »

How is the game industry not being original?

Guitar Hero: New ways to control games and bring games to wider audience.

Forza Motorsport: letting people create their own skins and that for cars, and allowing people to but and sell online.

Gears of War: Introduced cover gameplay in 3rd Person shooters, now the standard within the genre.

Bioshock, Mass Effect: Made story a much larger part of the game, nearly a sole reason for the purchase of these games.

LittleBigPlanet: Lets people make whole levels and even smaller mini-games within the game itself. Also the ability to share with just about anyone.

Every online game: Now people can play games with just about anyone at any time.

And don't even me get me started on the arcade and psn! ( Portal, Braid, PixelJunk) Thats a very ignorant thing to say! Notice the way I picked some of the most succesful games.

Now let me pose you a question, how was the retro age original? From what I can see it was full of bland shmups and platformers. Enlighten me please.

Well for a start every game you mentioned is not original at all. Guitar Hero is a PS2 era game which is a carbon copy of the even older guitar freaks, Forza is a gran turismo rip off, gears of wars cover system was copied wholesale from kill.switch, Bioshock is a worse version of 1999's system shock 2, Mass Effect is every other bioware game with guns, little big planet is kind of original but people have been making their own game levels since Doom and before it, the interface is original. As for online gaming, I was playing Quake online when it came out and it didn't have horrible match making.

Arcade and PSN does have a lot of originality though.

As for the retro age, of course it was innovative. Stuff you think is unoriginal seems that way because back then it was revolutionary. Also just like today back then you had to look past the popular titles to find the games that where really original. It's not just bland shooter em ups and platformers, and some of those shoot em ups and platformers are fantastic.

There's far too much money at stake these days for publishers to take risks. We will hopefully see more originality as the cost of development drops at the end of the consoles life cycles.

Tea_Bag

Serious Sam HD is coming soon. cant wait for that. its just a remake of the original, but the original was amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTbwOukQlDY

LD 50

20goto10 wrote: »

I've been out of gaming for the best part of a year now. Really lost faith in it. Sh!te unoriginal games and a community full of tossers (generalisation I know but there is an overwhelming amount of gob sh!tes). Got the urge to get back into it and made the big mistake of picking ODST as my first buy in a long time. What a load of twonk. Same old same. Where's the originality in games these days? I realise it was originally meant to be an add on but thats no excuse. When I think back to the days of the C64 and Amiga. Gods, Speedball, X-Type, Shadow of the Beast, The Last Ninja to name just a few. All we have these days are FPS'ers EA sports games and racing games.

They should go back and remake all the old games imo. Imagine a modern X-type....fecking savage. Most people tell me buy a Wii, there's originality for you. And I agree, its a fresh of breath air as far as originality goes but the thing is you don't actually have to jump around like people do. It can all be done sitting on your couch with a flick of the wrist. I mean I can jump around with my xbox controller if I like. Doesn't make any difference but neither does it on the Wii. And the games are just far too simple and boring for my liking. What is the age group on the Wii, 5-10 years?

Sorry for the rant Can anyone recommend a decent xbox game with some level of originality before I pack away the xbox again only this time for good? Bioshock was great, in fact I think thats the last game I enjoyed before packing up.

You complain about games being unoriginal, then go on to say they should remake all the old games.:rolleyes: