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View Full Version : Old skool games and the current state of the industry



jeff127
May 30th, 2015, 07:07 AM
I bought Wolfenstein: The Old Blood for ps4 this morning but haven't played it yet because I got side-tracked writing about games instead. Today I published a piece titled The Future of Gaming (http://jeff-mitchell.co.nz/old_skool_games.html). Aside from the use of h2 header tags it isn't very well structured but that's the point, I write briefly about a few games and then discuss some of the problems I see in the industry today. The two most important points I make is that "remakes" or attempted clones of old games is not an acceptable model. There are obviously good mods out there like the OpenRA (Open Red Alert) engine but I believe that games should be made from scratch and not rely on other people's intellectual property. The other point is the bizarre obsession with multiplayer. Some of us spend most of our time at work and I find the reliance on multiplayer very obnoxious, as I don't have real life friends who have time to play online with me. Who are these people who have multiple days per week to play online? I don't plan on being unemployed, so I feel left out by the industry of today.

The Future of Gaming is my personal opinion so perhaps instead of disagreeing with specific things I say, perhaps commenters could offer their own opinions based on their memories and past gaming experiences. Some of what I say is already well documented eg, the commercialisation of gaming over the past 15 years. My interest goes beyond the obvious. I want to be able to describe today's games with words like "magic" - a word that I've seen in the comments for Legend of Kyrandia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg6o077L5Wk). Another word I'd like to describe games with is "clever". I can say that GTA V and Wolfenstein have clever themes which reflect today's world. In GTA V the International Affairs Agency (the IAA) wants to stage a terrorist attack in a populated area to secure funding, while private security firm Merryweather (really Blackwater) is busy "fighting our secret oil wars" (using contractors instead of official US personnel) according to one character. While the game is installing a tip appears: "in GTA V you can now smoke cigarettes while watching mindless TV, just like a real American". The blatant "anti-American" content in GTA V shows the benefit of a game developer working without the help of the Pentagon or arms industry. If Rockstar Games got advice on how to make "realistic weapons" with the help of the Pentagon, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin, then I think some concessions would have been made, and comments about corruption would have been scrubbed. GTA V is a clever parody of today's America, they use satire to cushion what would otherwise be blunt and inappropriate.

Wolfenstein too features stuff about "terrorists" and includes a "yes we can" poster in one location. The third-to-last boss, called The London Monitor, speaks to the player and says "lay down your arms, terrorist". When The London Monitor is shot at it says "you are damaging state property... which is tantamount to treason". It's like I'm fighting a robotic version of John Ashcroft lol.

The biggest disappointment I have with games today is the endless iteration of FPS titles. The only FPS I'll play is Wolfenstein. I'd also like to see new RTS games, but because everybody has a console or a tablet it seems everything must be dumbed down to suit. The games industry has become so stupid that EA Games shut down Victory Studios, which had Command & Conquer: Generals 2, in alpha stage. Their model was butchered from the start - it was meant to be free to play, with added [compulsory] DLC. Plus it was intended as a multiplayer game presumably with no campaign. Generals 2 was destined to fail. EA should make Generals 2 but put a less cartoony twist on it. Have single player. And have Russia as a faction, but not the stupid coMM-you-neest Russia from Red Alert, I don't want a Russian faction that fights using Hindenberg blimps. I want a Russia with s-400 anti-air systems and Armarta Tanks! Another cool thing to bring back: hybrid genres.

What would you like to see, that doesn't exist on the current market?

Also, do you like all these horror/survival games that are out? I've read about them and it sounds weird, it's as if they want games to be more like movies.

acedia2
May 30th, 2015, 11:33 AM
You can use emulators to play classics with long story lines and playtime. There are good games that exist out there, you just got to find them. Try watching some top ten countdowns on current games. The pay to play business model has destroyed many games in my opinion, many talent has been sucked up into that specific category. Personally I was a huge halo fan all the way up to Halo 3. I clocked good hours into that franchise and had tons of fun. I liked the flexibility without modding in customs and joining modded games. Campaign with really good original stories are rare, the re-playability is low and it is not the best business model. Personally I think projects that are more focused on content and are done out of passion instead of profit turn out to be way more enjoyable. Even really simple games, I have a few addicting games that took tons of time to master getting through the levels. I am a sucker for arcade style games. It also makes it easy when its 1-4 players local and the bros are over.

I hope more focus will be on educational style games. Ones that are fun and competitive that have underlying purpose of improving yourself. Good Sci-Fi mind bending thrillers are my absolute favourite. Portal was fun and full of Easter eggs. Every time I replayed it there was something mildly interesting to discover. Anyway that’s my two-cents, enjoy!