I've been somewhat dissatisfied with the gaming industry of late. I've been playing a lot of indie games. This one rules:
http://www.adamatomic.com/canabalt/
What kind of scores are you guys getting on this game? I haven't played it that much but I can't even break 2000!
I've reached 5300 a couple times, but I average at about 2500.
If anyone is interested, the iPod version of the game is available for purchase at the iPod Touch/iPhone app store.
Which reminds me, the Myst series was awesome, amirite?
I haven't been blown away by a new videogame in years. Can you guys really say that this current era is bringing us anything that is truly innovative?
Games like Doom and the original Half Life left everything in the dust when they first came out. I mean, completely annihilated everything that came before them, but nowadays it seems like the same old tired formula in each and every new game with little to no variation.
fallout 3. i mean, really.
world of warcraft was innovative as shit, too.
but if everything is gonna be a ripoff and we are going to speak in that context of things not being original, then doom wasn't original at all. it was just an updated version of wolfenstein. pretty sure both game were developed by the same company.
Sure, some of the titles listed are solid games. I can find some enjoyment in the Fallouts, Bio Shocks, and Dead Spaces of the world. However, I just think that the 90's produced far better games than this decade has overall... maybe it was because the technology was still largely emergent at the time, but the medium came into its own and many companies that have since then gone to shit effortlessly produced one classic title after another. It was truly a "golden age," and maybe it's a bit of childhood nostalgia on my part, but I would take that over the current age of graphics fetishdom any day.
Sure, some of the titles listed are solid games. I can find some enjoyment in the Fallouts, Bio Shocks, and Dead Spaces of the world. However, I just think that the 90's produced far better games than this decade has overall... maybe it was because the technology was still largely emergent at the time, but the medium came into its own and many companies that have since then gone to shit effortlessly produced one classic title after another. It was truly a "golden age," and maybe it's a bit of childhood nostalgia on my part, but I would take that over the current age of graphics fetishdom any day.
understood. i played a shit ton of computer games in the 90's. i always had a phat computer and connections for pirated games, so i played tons of them. the only ones that stand out were doom and quake, 2 fps'. sim city 2000 was also pretty wicked wild. other than that, i couldn't name you one game outside of those. there wasn't really anything particularly ground breaking for the snes and genesis consoles. most were side scrolling platforms, top view shooters, rpgs and 3rd person fliers, all of which were accomplished with the original nes.
the 90's did some improvements, obviously. this is most probably attributed to technological advances, but as many things changed, most everything also stayed the same. making video games is like filming a movie or writing a book - you might think it's original, but in reality it's already been done before. it's just a variation on another principle. i can almost gaurentee you that video game developers adopt many ideas, characteristics and mechanics from games that already exist. this can simply be based on the fact that it is much easier to use a template as opposed to using your imagination, especially when working on a corporate deadline.
Sure, some of the titles listed are solid games. I can find some enjoyment in the Fallouts, Bio Shocks, and Dead Spaces of the world. However, I just think that the 90's produced far better games than this decade has overall... maybe it was because the technology was still largely emergent at the time, but the medium came into its own and many companies that have since then gone to shit effortlessly produced one classic title after another. It was truly a "golden age," and maybe it's a bit of childhood nostalgia on my part, but I would take that over the current age of graphics fetishdom any day.
understood. i played a shit ton of computer games in the 90's. i always had a phat computer and connections for pirated games, so i played tons of them. the only ones that stand out were doom and quake, 2 fps'. sim city 2000 was also pretty wicked wild. other than that, i couldn't name you one game outside of those. there wasn't really anything particularly ground breaking for the snes and genesis consoles. most were side scrolling platforms, top view shooters, rpgs and 3rd person fliers, all of which were accomplished with the original nes.
the 90's did some improvements, obviously. this is most probably attributed to technological advances, but as many things changed, most everything also stayed the same. making video games is like filming a movie or writing a book - you might think it's original, but in reality it's already been done before. it's just a variation on another principle. i can almost gaurentee you that video game developers adopt many ideas, characteristics and mechanics from games that already exist. this can simply be based on the fact that it is much easier to use a template as opposed to using your imagination, especially when working on a corporate deadline.
I'd argue that the SNES and Genesis produced far more "playable" classics than the NES. I mean, I loved the NES... but most of those games are just too primitive now. The SNES/Genesis perfected the 2D side scroller, too. The 2D side scroller had its last breath of air during the SNES/Genesis era and it was later dumped in favor of 3D style gaming once the Playstation and N64 hit.
I would have to say that the original Playstation set the blueprint for modern day console gaming in terms of graphics, design, etc. So many games came out for that system that were unbelievably ambitious... they pushed the system far beyond what it was even capable of doing.
In any case, there are certain things that have been impressive in recent years, such as the Nintendo Wii which reinvented system and controller design, but for the most part it feels like the mid 90's to the earlier part of this decade was a special and revolutionary time for console gaming. Where one title lead to another and each year brought about new and startling innovations, but like I said... that could largely have to do with the fact that the technology was relatively new and emergent at the time.
However, that could perhaps be somewhat of a biased opinion on my part because that was probably the time period that I was the most heavily involved in it. I'm sure that there's probably some gems to be found out there, but like I said I don't know about them because I am not as into it as I used to be.
I'd argue that the SNES and Genesis produced far more "playable" classics than the NES. I mean, I loved the NES... but most of those games are just too primitive now. The SNES/Genesis perfected the 2D side scroller, too. The 2D side scroller had its last breath of air during the SNES/Genesis era and it was later dumped in favor of 3D style gaming once the Playstation and N64 hit.
as a big sidescroller fan myself, you may be interested to know that Castlevania lived on with a few gorgeous sidescrollers on the NDS. The first, Dawn of Sorrow, possibly the best.
Also Castlevania Symphony of the Night on the PS1 is a sidescroller of mythic proportion.
Unfortunately a Metroid NDS sidescroller stalled in production. Some homebrew nut was recreating the 3-d Metroid Prime (Gamecube) as a sidescroller, but not sure if that's still in progress.
Streetcleaner, I hear you on the 90's thing. The N64 really set the pattern for 3D game design. Mario 64 and Zelda: OoT are both classics, and they were really the first of their kind.
Klawful, I'm a HUUUUUGE Metroid fan, and believe me, I was so sad when I found out that Metroid Dread was stalled. I played Fusion through, but I did find it a bit linear. Zero Mission was amazing, really really awesome. That game has literally 24 hours of replay value at least. I would have loved to have seen a new Metroid game with a similar design.
I would have to say that the original Playstation set the blueprint for modern day console gaming in terms of graphics, design, etc.
doh! how retarded can i be? i totally forgot about the ps1. jesus, that's pretty much end of my argument. the playstation was on some serious shit. too much to name.
the problem with games on next-gen consoles is - they're too fuckin expensive too make. Nobody wants to take the risk because if it'll result in a flop, you're gone baby.
Besides, where are all those 'I hate mainstream gaems' people when it comes to buying some genuinely good stuff. ICO, Shadow of the Collosus, Beyond Good & Evil, Okami, Psychonauts and other. Those are just a few of the games that go outside the box, but nobody bought them. Clover Studio (guys behind Okami) even got locked down.
Besides, where are all those 'I hate mainstream gaems' people when it comes to buying some genuinely good stuff. ICO, Shadow of the Collosus, Beyond Good & Evil, Okami, Psychonauts and other. Those are just a few of the games that go outside the box, but nobody bought them. Clover Studio (guys behind Okami) even got locked down.
I wouldn't say "I hate all mainstream games", but I am frustrated with mainstream gaming in general. Shadow Of The Colossus is a really great game, and I'm a huge fan of Team Ico. It's too bad I don't own a PS2/PS3, cause I wish I could play those games more often. To be honest though, the prices are just too high. I mean, if $300+ for a piece of plastic and metal, then an additional $150 for a handful of games? Not in my range at the moment.
Sony screwed themselves by making the PS3 so outragously expensive.
Yeah, they may have been a number one, but not many people are going to want to pay the same price as a laptop computer for a fucking videogame console. It's unfathomable... and then they wonder why the Nintendo wii slaughtered them completely in sales.
I remember when the standard price for a console was around 200 dollars and it included a game + controllers. That's not the case anymore... with shit like the PS3 you are paying for a blue ray DVD player along with other shit that you don't need. Just give me the meat and potatoes along with a decent web server for downloadable content.
Klaw: I am well aware of the Castlevania series, and yes... SOTN is definitely a classic.
I haven't been blown away by a new videogame in years. Can you guys really say that this current era is bringing us anything that is truly innovative?
Games like Doom and the original Half Life left everything in the dust when they first came out. I mean, completely annihilated everything that came before them, but nowadays it seems like the same old tired formula in each and every new game with little to no variation.
fallout 3. i mean, really.
world of warcraft was innovative as shit, too.
Are you serious? Fallout 3 was a pretty bad game, and even worth when compared to previous Fallouts.
What's innovative in WoW? It's all the rehashed ideas of previous MMOs thrown together with a little bit more money for polish...
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Quote:
Sony screwed themselves by making the PS3 so outragously expensive.
i dont think its that expensive. and also i think its the riese of Sony with ps3 cause its the only console they made that ppl cant play with non-original games, they just cant break/hack them this time - no chips nuthin its strange.
What's innovative in WoW? It's all the rehashed ideas of previous MMOs thrown together with a little bit more money for polish...
I don't know. I had been playing the WarCraft strategy series when I was a kid and went crazy when I heard WoW would be released. Perhaps because it's because of it's huge lore, history and changing world. Think that's why game has been successful compared to the other MMOs around these days... I've been playing WoW every now and then since its release. I must admit, it can suck and be very addictive but it's really good for killing some time.
yeah, WoW is on the tongues because it's big. There's nothing really innovative in it.
I LUV THIS VERY MUCH <3
I don't really enjoy shootan games, they're all so fucking boring and generic and "serious". This is something different. I love how you have to form a really good team to be able to survive on the highest difficulty. Besides, ZOMBIES. The sequel is going to be even more badass.
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 4078
Location: Reading, UK
so yeah...After someone mentioned it on here, I'm slowly making my way through Deadly Premonition. Awful controls, awful graphics, awful shooting, awful driving yet funny as hell and pretty addictive.
When I stopped actively playing was probably about 1991 or so (when I got my first guitar haha).
The 2nd edition was brand new and I had a couple friends that started getting all the new rulebooks and one friend who even bought all of the Monstrous Compendiums, it just seemed like the new rules were more complicated and made the game TOO MUCH about numbers instead of just having fun. I played so much of the 1st edition those rules are pretty ingrained into my head even to this day (although those Survival Guides can make it too number crunchy if you add those)..
I think I still prefer the old school regular D&D the best. The Basic/Expert/Companion/Master rules.. That was what I started playing in junior high and those were still some of the most fun times Ive had playing the game.
Until I got the Temple of Elemental Evil book that is!
I just wish I had more modules nowadays.. All I have left are the original A1-A4 Slaver storyline (those are the smaller books on the end right next to the Logic Platinum box). Sammis kid wanted to learn how to play so I bought those on ebay last year but the game was just too over his head.
yeah 2nd ed was really terrible, no lie. Pushed me into trying other RPG systems (GURPS, Palladium, Steve Jackson, etc) and i played alot of weird games i wouldn't have otherwise.
if you have the original splats (D&D, red box) with some graph paper you should be good to go. I am pretty sure we just fudged a lot of rules and such until we got a bit older when I started, which was like 4th grade.
I had most of the TMNT and Robotech books back in the 90s (which sadly I only now have in PDF format thanks to Demonoid).
I know theyve redone the Robotech one but I havent checked it out yet.
Their system was awesome in that every game, no matter what setting, used the same rules (isnt GURPS supposed to be this way too??). If you wanted to really geek it up you could have your mutant bat superheroes flying Veritech fighters while storming a castle in their Palladium Fantasy campaign.
When Rifts came out, everyone ran out and bought it but I was still catching up on the Robotech RPG alongside the Star Wars RPG, and was just getting into TSR's Marvel Super Heroes (which was one confusing mother fucker of an RPG)..
I cant remember who made the Star Wars one but I always wanted to play their Ghostbusters one they made but never got it. (I think the same company made Paranoia too which was kinda cool)
Another awesome one I never really got to play alot was the ICE Law RPG's.. The Middle Earth one was awesome but by the time I got that me and most of my friends were more into full-time graffiti and starting punk bands and whatnot so it never got off the ground haha.
I still wish I had all my Battletech/Citytech/Aerotech/Mechwarrior stuff. Those were fun to play. Nowadays other then my AD&D books, I just have em all on a DVD in pdf I get to look at for nostalgia reasons. I bet Sammis happy I dont have any of that shit anymore or our house would be overrun with books.
@Gray - I can't wait to play Dark Souls. Thankfully it's not just a PS3 release like Demon's Souls was, which means I get to play it on the 360. I heard it's fucking impossibly hard though... ever since I saw a clip of Demon's Souls I was eager to play it because it looked like my kind of game, very dark and atmospheric and hellish!
Did you play Demon's Souls and if so does the new one compare?
Klawful, here is Demon's Souls. Prepare to drool if you've never seen this shit. You shouldn't buy a PS3 though. By an Xbox 360 buddy!!
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The Inferno Master wrote:
@Gray - I can't wait to play Dark Souls. Thankfully it's not just a PS3 release like Demon's Souls was, which means I get to play it on the 360. I heard it's fucking impossibly hard though... ever since I saw a clip of Demon's Souls I was eager to play it because it looked like my kind of game, very dark and atmospheric and hellish!
Did you play Demon's Souls and if so does the new one compare?
Klawful, here is Demon's Souls. Prepare to drool if you've never seen this shit. You shouldn't buy a PS3 though. By an Xbox 360 buddy!!
Demon's Souls was my reason for getting a PS3. Fucking incredible. Dark Souls takes it to a whole new level. It's a huge open, interconnected world as opposed to the hub system of Demon's Souls. There's more of everything. It's tough as nails, but so satisfying. There's nothing quite like the feeling of total dread and awe as you enter a new locaton and wonder what the hell is gonna kick your arse next. So good.
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Xbox for me as I also use Sky Player and sometimes last.fm (although that requires xbox live gold...) . And iPlayer is coming in the november dashboard update. The only reason for me to go to ps3 would be lovefilm. I know quite a few people who have both and they all complain about the updates for games on ps3.
Well Klawful, I can tell you that the PS3 has its advantages. The online gaming is FREE, which is fucking awesome. You have to pay 100+ a year for Xbox live online. And the PS3 just released (I think) an HD upgrade version of those ICO/Colossus games. And it has Demon's Souls.
But if you get a PS3, it's a Sony product, and they are legendary fuck-ups who have had really stupid shit happen with their systems. Not that the 360 is any better mind you, as the older models broke a lot. A lot! One buddy of mine had to send his back for repairs at least 3 times. This problem has been resolved on new ones.
But the main thing is - get a PS3, and you and I will never, ever go zombie hunting on Dead Island together. Or anything hunting in any game ever. So I am biased.
I brought an 360 last month just so I could play Space Marine. Been waiting 20+ years for a game like this and I'm not dissapointed. Being the huge 40K and Index Astartes geek that I am the customizer brought a smile to my face the size of the grand canyon!
Also been playing through The Thing game from 2002 in anticipation of the new film.
I know a few people who have the PS3 and they are always moaning about how impossibly slow the updates come down the pipe. The graphics do look amazing and there is nowhere near as many glitches on the PS3 as there can be on the XBox sometimes but everyone I know has an XBox so that was the main deciding factor in purchasing one for me.
@ Darwin - Ill be getting MW3 but Im the one odd man with a Wii so I cant ever play with anyone I know online since they all have 360's... As soon as I start getting paid and back on track a 360 is definitely in order. I still wanna see Ghostbusters on it cause it was lame on the Wii.
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its strange.
