The Digital Pulse 03.23.07: Attention Developers
Posted by Joshua Richey on 03.21.2007
I've returned from hiatus with a message for Game Developers everywhere.
Hello everyone. I am Joshua Richey, and welcome to the official re-launching of The Digital Pulse; a column so good, you'll want to take it behind the Middle School and get it pregnant.
In this week's edition of The Digital Pulse, we take a look at a few of the things that Game Developers do that just drive gamers up the wall. Some Developers appear to be out of touch with the very people that they're trying to get to buy their games. Now I offer up these helpful words of advice free of charge, in hopes that we can get some of these re-occurring problems taken care of once and for all.
Show us some day gameplay!
Remember these screenshots?
… These were our [gamers] first glimpse at what EA's Madden would look like on ‘Next-Gen'. The knowledgeable gamer likely already knew better than to believe it but just imagine the erection that casual gamers got when they first seen those screens. It set the bar to unrealistic heights. Was it fair? Hell yeah it was fair. If EA didn't want gamers to think that Madden 2006 on the Next-Gen was going to look like a Pixar production – then maybe they shouldn't have given them that impression. This is the risk that all Developers take when they release FMV's and/or concept art before showing what the actual game looks like.
EA released that ‘Next-Gen' Madden trailer during the airing of the NFL Draft in 2005. At that time, I was a complete NFL 2K-Fanboy; was totally anti-EA everything. But on that fateful April day, I was sitting there waiting for my Bengals to make their pick – when I caught the commercial. I was impressed... skeptical, but impressed. By that time EA had already scored exclusive rights to the NFL – which meant that NFL 2K was no more. It was during that time that you either conformed to the EA way – or go without playing football games. That trailer gave me hope that perhaps my football playing days weren't over.
Flash forward 4 months.
‘Next-Gen' Madden is released and what do we get? We get a buggy, ugly, piece of shit game that looks nothing like the commercial and resembles everything that we had grown to hate.
I sometimes don't think that Developers realize the damage that they're doing by releasing concepts, arts, trailers, and pre-renders before gamers are able to see some hands on footage. Another note worthy example of this is Killzone for the PS3. Two years ago, this game was the buzz of E3. How could it not be? It was explosive, it was easy on the eyes, and it looked so damn cool that we all would sell our souls for just a few moments alone with it. Two years have passed. The PS3 has launched. Where's Killzone? We've not even heard about Killzone since that E3 presentation. Think of how bad that looks on Sony and Guerrilla Games. After that showcase, Sony fanboys everywhere thought that they were on top of the world. Sony (with the help of Killzone) was so totally going to ‘pwn' Microsoft. They thought that it was a true representation of what the PS3 was capable of. Sony later had to back up their original statements and announce that the Killzone footage was merely ‘CGI video created by Guerrilla – and not gameplay footage.
Let's put this into perspective, shall we? Let's say that I wanted to hook you up with my friend. Of course, you're going to ask what she looks like. I'm probably going to tell you that she's a really nice girl, that she's funny, and she has huge boobs. You're excited. But what I failed to mention to you is that while she may have DD's – they're a direct result of her being 300 lbs. No fair right?
Dammit, you know that you're not exclusive
Myself, I'm not a big fan of exclusives. But if you're going to come out and show your support for a console by being ‘exclusive' – than dammit, stay ‘exclusive'. In the past few months we've seen several titles claim to be Xbox exclusives and then announce that they are making a PS3 version a week later. It works vice versa as well (see Devil May Cry).
This madness is getting to the point where the very word is losing it's meaning. Saying that your game is a ‘Playstation Exclusive' these days is about as meaningful as saying that you're in an ‘exclusive' relationship with Paris Hilton.
Stop making World War II games!
Don't get me wrong on this, I'm a history buff and there are few times in our history that are more fascinating than that of World War II. But please… just stop. There are still great battles that haven't been recreated. There are still stories that haven't been told. But just stop. Really, it's been beaten to death already. You can blame the dozens of developers that have made mediocre World War II game after mediocre World War II game. We gamers are tired, beaten down, and underwhelmed.
Stop shoving HD down our throats!
Developers, please learn from Capcom's mistake. Capcom came up with this great (and by great I mean incredibly stupid) idea of having Dead Rising be more effective with the use of a High Definition television. Font that would appear at the bottom of the screen during gameplay read fine for folks with HD support; but it was hell for people with a standard television. What's even worse was that that font was crucial in telling the gamer where to go. I'm not sure if it was arrogance on their part or if they had just misjudged how many people had already made the HD switch – but it was a terrible idea on their part.
We're still in that transition period where people are waiting for the cost of the technology to lower. In the mean time, don't force it down our throats anymore. We get enough of that from News Corp.
Cut Scenes: Make them short or let me skip them.
Nothing is more of a buzzkill than having to sit through a 5-10 minute cut scene. While these cut scenes do progress the ‘story' and explain why you're doing what you're doing… rarely are they able to actually entertain the gamer. There are few games that are as cool as the Metal Gear Solid franchise. But as cool as it may be, imagine what it would be like if you weren't able to skip all those long, drawn-out codec conversations. It would be downright unplayable. All that we ask is that you give us that option. If your story is good enough, than the gamer is going sit back and take in your cut scene. If not, allow us to skip it and not be forced to lose any momentum.
One way that you could make both parties happy in that situation is by having interactive cut scenes. Allow the gamer to feel as though they're actually making a difference even though it's a cut scene. Games like Resident Evil 4 and Shenmue did this and it had some incredible results.
Multiplayer is still alive offline
Believe it or not, but there are still some gamers that can enjoy the experience of killing their friends in the same room… on one system. I assure you, split screen isn't dead. There are still people out there that haven't embraced online capabilities. These people don't have Xbox Live accounts. They're simple gamers that still have fun with that feature. It's important that you don't forget this segment of the market.
Enough with the filler
I think that Developers have put way too much emphasis on how much the casual gamer enjoys mini-games. News Flash: We don't like them. If I wanted to play mini-games than I'd play Mario Party, Fusion Frenzy, or Wario-Ware.
With the said, I'd like to address EA a little further on this.
EA,
I play football games because I want to play football. Not because I've always wondered what it was like to lift weights, and button mash my way through a 40-yard dash.
Why don't you spend less time making irrelevant features like Mascot Challenges and games of Tug-of-War – and spend more time making games like Madden and NBA Live not suck?
People seem to want to describe Crackdown as a cartoony-GTA. This is probably because those very same people are narrow-minded and mentally challenged. Apparently any game that allows you to wonder freely around a city environment is a Grand Theft Auto clone now. Retards. Yes, Crackdown allows you to wonder around a city. Yes, Crackdown allows you to jack anyone and everyone's ride. They have those things in common, but that's pretty much where the comparison ends. To me, the better game to compare this to is The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction... but since none of you have probably played that, then I'll spare you the comparison (Just know, it was a good one).
Crackdown has a very basic setup. You have this city that's been overrun by drug lords, gangsters, and mobsters... you, of course, play the heroic enforcer that has to clean up the streets. Yep, that's pretty much it. Told you that it was basic. The thing that keeps you playing this game is the progressions that your character achieves by taking out these bad guys.
The game will reward you for using a strategy. For example: In any given city, you'll usually have at least 5 bosses. One of the bosses will be in charge of providing transportation to the criminals. Take out this guy first, and the rest of the level will be easier because bad guys aren't coming after you in cars. Take out the guy in charge of recruiting druggies off the streets, and then they won't constantly respawn after you kill them. It's these things that make the game seem fresh and don't make this feel like your typical button-masher.
The above-mentioned Progression system is also pretty cool. When you first start playing the game, your character will be able to jump 12 ft. or so and he'll have the strength of the average person. Once you start saving the city, the Progression kicks in, you'll then be leaping buildings and picking up Semi's. It makes the game worth checking out, and I'm highly recommending that you do so.
Verdict:
NEXT WEEK: GOD OF WAR 2
Eye Candy: Bioshock
Here's a small walk-through of one of Bioshock's levels done by an employee at 2K. If you're not sporting wood after watching this video, than you are either A.) As lame as a Robin Williams joke, B.) So gay that you could host a televised singing competition on Fox, or C.) Female. Bioshock is scheduled to be released on August 21st her in the states for the Xbox 360 and PC.
If you've seen 300 and didn't like it, please, e-mail me with your name so that I may publicly humiliate you at a later date. Honestly, I don't see how any man, woman, or child could possibly not like this film. It's got swords, hunchbacks, children getting beat up, titties, and a flute-playing Billy Goat. What more do you greedy motherfuckers want?
If nothing else, I hope that 300's success accomplishes a number of things. First, that Zack Snyder is one of the most terrific young directors in Hollywood. He's the man to thank for 2004's ultra-underrated Dawn of the Dead remake. He writes and directs 300, and I honestly couldn't imagine it being done any better.
Secondly, Frank Miller is a genius. It's about damn time that people start acknowledging him as one. Not only did he create graphic novels like 300 and Sin City – but he also completely revolutionized comics in general. His handling of the Batman and Daredevil characters led to darker and more mature comics. And I don't know about you, but I happen to fucking love Robocop 2 & 3. Granted I have to be burying a 12 pack into my stomach in order to enjoy it… but I enjoy it nonetheless.
And lastly, I hope that this makes filmmakers and studio execs get off their asses and take some risks. Furthermore, I hope that it teaches them that they can stay true to a source material and have the audience accept it. I'm so tired of moviemakers completely destroying source material out of fear that it'll confuse moviegoers.
Basically what I'm saying is that 300 is the tits.
Closing Arguments:
I've got myself a pretty good feeling about this format of The Digital Pulse. I used to write a column by this name for the Music section back before the Gaming Zone launched. It was pretty successful. So I'm hoping that this one will be as well. If you've got any thoughts or just want to tell me how much I rule (I love that), you can do so by dropping me a line. See ya's next week.
