New Ideas Were Becomming Rare in Games, Hopefully That's Changing

ttocs

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Edited By ttocs

After work today, I'm heading to Best Buy to pick up a video game by the name of Darksiders. If you aren't familiar with the game, you play as War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. War has unintentionally started the apocalypse and sets out on a path of vengeance to punish those who made him do this. Sure, it's

an absurd video game premise, but you know what? I like it! Why is that? Because it's different. It seems that we as consumers are becoming more and more complacent in the games we purchase. We don't like to take chances and instead by the sure bets. This past year has seen more sequels than any I can remember. Sequels aren't a bad thing per say, but what I would like to see is more originality. Thankfully, for every sequel we saw this past year, we also saw another new idea put forth in a video game. Hopefully this kind of mentality sticks around because before we know it, we're going to be playing Modern Warfare 17 and hating it...and when we begin to hate Modern Warfare games, then a sad time is upon us.

Looking back into 2009, I can think of a couple new ideas that really shook the gaming world. The first one that pops into my mind is Borderlands. Borderlands took

two things, than of themselves are pretty damn common, and infused them together to make something that was altogether new...an RPG FPS with a cartoony violent exterior. People didn't know what to do when they first saw the game but luckily the sales took off. People love playing co-op and Borderlands was the definitive co-op experience in 2009. The developers went out on a limb and created something that they thought was cool, and we got one hell of a game because of it. I'd like to see this happen a lot more. Sure, we'll see a Borderlands 2 in the future, but at least that sequel is based off of a unique idea that was part 1.

Video games don't have to create a brand new game design or mix two types of play styles together to create a unique idea. They can keep doing the sa

me thing they've always done and still do something different. Take Atlas for instance. This developer has been known to have hit or miss games since before I can remember. For every hit they put out, there's a stinker sitting next to it. But when the idea came out for Demon's Souls, I'm sure a lot of people thought it would be a stinker. Instead of making a new gameplay mechanic, the developers just made the game ridiculously hard. Let me clarify that...they didn't make it unfair, just tough. If you read my previous post you can see how I commended them for doing it since I feel video games are becoming too easy. By making a really difficult game, they brought a new idea into an already existent world and went with it. This is just another means by which unique ideas are coming back to the video game world.

I could go on and on about different games putting out new ideas, but the simple fact of the matter is that I'm at work and I can't. There's been a ton of them and I just

wanted to share my pleasure about it. Bayonetta is another game that comes out today that has some new and fresh ideas. For chrissakes the lead character wears her hair as clothing...you don't get much more strange or unique than that. Looking forward into 2010, I hope to see a lot more new ideas coming to the forefront of gaming. For every sequel that is released to big dollar spending, I want to see a new IP coming out right beside it with it's head held high. What about you guys? What were some of your favorite new idea's or unique gameplay designs that have come up in the recent past? Tell me about it in the comments.

14 years ago

ttocs

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#1 Edited By ttocs

After work today, I'm heading to Best Buy to pick up a video game by the name of Darksiders. If you aren't familiar with the game, you play as War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. War has unintentionally started the apocalypse and sets out on a path of vengeance to punish those who made him do this. Sure, it's

an absurd video game premise, but you know what? I like it! Why is that? Because it's different. It seems that we as consumers are becoming more and more complacent in the games we purchase. We don't like to take chances and instead by the sure bets. This past year has seen more sequels than any I can remember. Sequels aren't a bad thing per say, but what I would like to see is more originality. Thankfully, for every sequel we saw this past year, we also saw another new idea put forth in a video game. Hopefully this kind of mentality sticks around because before we know it, we're going to be playing Modern Warfare 17 and hating it...and when we begin to hate Modern Warfare games, then a sad time is upon us.

Looking back into 2009, I can think of a couple new ideas that really shook the gaming world. The first one that pops into my mind is Borderlands. Borderlands took

two things, than of themselves are pretty damn common, and infused them together to make something that was altogether new...an RPG FPS with a cartoony violent exterior. People didn't know what to do when they first saw the game but luckily the sales took off. People love playing co-op and Borderlands was the definitive co-op experience in 2009. The developers went out on a limb and created something that they thought was cool, and we got one hell of a game because of it. I'd like to see this happen a lot more. Sure, we'll see a Borderlands 2 in the future, but at least that sequel is based off of a unique idea that was part 1.

Video games don't have to create a brand new game design or mix two types of play styles together to create a unique idea. They can keep doing the sa

me thing they've always done and still do something different. Take Atlas for instance. This developer has been known to have hit or miss games since before I can remember. For every hit they put out, there's a stinker sitting next to it. But when the idea came out for Demon's Souls, I'm sure a lot of people thought it would be a stinker. Instead of making a new gameplay mechanic, the developers just made the game ridiculously hard. Let me clarify that...they didn't make it unfair, just tough. If you read my previous post you can see how I commended them for doing it since I feel video games are becoming too easy. By making a really difficult game, they brought a new idea into an already existent world and went with it. This is just another means by which unique ideas are coming back to the video game world.

I could go on and on about different games putting out new ideas, but the simple fact of the matter is that I'm at work and I can't. There's been a ton of them and I just

wanted to share my pleasure about it. Bayonetta is another game that comes out today that has some new and fresh ideas. For chrissakes the lead character wears her hair as clothing...you don't get much more strange or unique than that. Looking forward into 2010, I hope to see a lot more new ideas coming to the forefront of gaming. For every sequel that is released to big dollar spending, I want to see a new IP coming out right beside it with it's head held high. What about you guys? What were some of your favorite new idea's or unique gameplay designs that have come up in the recent past? Tell me about it in the comments.

14 years ago

Snail

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#2 Edited By Snail

I rushed through your post, I must admit.

Anyway, I do agree with you. One of the things I praise the most in games is originality. The year 2009 had a lot more original ideas than 2008, better known as the year of the sequels. There were many new amazing IP's, and 2010 seems to be a year much like 2009.

And I am totally picking up Darksiders. Why?

I love the way i feels like a Zelda game combined with God of War or Devil May Cry.
It is rather original.
It has Mark Hammil in it.

14 years ago

EVO

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#3 Edited By EVO

Those might be new ideas, but those games aren't exactly breaking new ground. Sure, Bayonetta wears her hair as clothing but at the end of the day it's still just another hack n slash.

If you want truly new ideas, you have to go to PSN, XBLA and Wii Shop, where developers are willing to take chances I.E. Noby Noby Boy, PixelJunk Eden, The Last Guy, Bit.Trip Beat etc.

14 years ago

ttocs

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#4 Edited By ttocs

I'm looking forward to it, I really am. Sure, there's a crap ton on sequels coming out, but a sequel is usually just a follow up to a unique idea.

14 years ago

penguindust

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#5 Edited By penguindust

There is a review of Darksiders up over on Kotaku. Not very original, he claims.

Playing through the game, it often feels like every element of Darksiders has been lifted from somewhere else. It plays like The Legend of Zelda (you even get a horse!), only with God of War's aesthetic and combat. There's also a bit of Prince of Persia platforming tossed in for good measure and even some Panzer Dragoon, all the above crudely cobbled together to form something else. It's the Frankenstein's Monster of January 2010.

I don't know whether or not you'll agree with his critique, I'm just saying that the reviews are out and you might want to take a look at them.

14 years ago

MrKart

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#6 Edited By MrKart

Games can be unique in story and character, but that doesn't make the actual gameplay unique. Darksiders is God of War in a different context, Borderlands is certainly not the first "loot" game to ever be born, etc. Obviously all of these games have SOME things that are unique to their gameplay, but overall, we're currently in a cycle in which games are ultimately not new ideas at all. The test for game designers is to be able to do something like Demon's Souls where they are either A.) doing a huge new gameplay feature in a game that is overall still based on something else, or B.) combine everything that is trite to make something new.

14 years ago

dbz1995

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#7 Edited By dbz1995

Games are starting to acknowledge the fact that a lot of games are nearly indistinguishable gameplay-wise from it's brethren. A lot of games, however, may be seen as 'the same game' but they're actually different. Take, for example, Braid. Braid is a 2D platformer much like Mario, but it also has time-based puzzles-something tat has also been done by Prince of Persia. However, it takes both these ingredients and turns it upside down to make a completely unique experience-apart from rewinding time backwards, there are other things you MUST utilise to complete the game in it's entirety-unlike Prince of Persia, which has it's time elements as a non-necessary and an add-on. Sometimes you have to dig deep to find originality.
However, some games are completely different outwardly as well as mechanic-wise, such as Flower. Flower is one of my personal favourite PSN titles because it's a good break from the derivatives and is completely original. Guiding petals may not sound like fun, but that game is outstandingly calm.

14 years ago

ttocs

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#8 Edited By ttocs

@PenguinDust said:

" There is a review of Darksiders up over on Kotaku. Not very original, he claims.
Playing through the game, it often feels like every element of Darksiders has been lifted from somewhere else. It plays like The Legend of Zelda (you even get a horse!), only with God of War's aesthetic and combat. There's also a bit of Prince of Persia platforming tossed in for good measure and even some Panzer Dragoon, all the above crudely cobbled together to form something else. It's the Frankenstein's Monster of January 2010.
I don't know whether or not you'll agree with his critique, I'm just saying that the reviews are out and you might want to take a look at them. "

I think you missed my point. I wasn't saying the gameplay is new. Everyone knows that the gameplay has been "cobbled together" to form a different type of game. I'm talking about the outrageous story (and I thought I made that clear, sorry).

The reviews for the game are pretty good though and a lot of people are commending how it combined Zelda/Metroid/Castlevania/God of War, etc. all in one game and came out with a pretty good game.

14 years ago

ryanwho

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#9 Edited By ryanwho

The only boss fight I've seen looked like the worst boss fight from SOTC even more ghettoed out and simplified. Maybe its just because I'm so familiar with Joe Mad's art style and this premise in comics (Spawn, etc.) that gameplay aside the premise itself seems kind of derivative. Which is fine, whatever, plenty of games are nothing but composites and do fine. But just because you like something doesn't mean its original, just original to you. Joe Mad (art director) does shit visually and thematically similar to this all the time, though.

14 years ago

fripplebubby

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#10 Edited By fripplebubby

@Snail said:

" i feels like Mark Hammil "

Okay, maybe I took that out of context. Hell, maybe I lied completely.

14 years ago

lochmonster

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#11 Edited By lochmonster

Haha you are looking for DARKSIDERS to bring new ideas!!? This is the game that IGN completely trashed for being basically a ok copy of Zelda and God of War. Now a lot of people thought that his review was a bit too unfairly harsh, but the point remains that originality is hardly the game's strong suit.

14 years ago

Snail

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#12 Edited By Snail

@lochmonster said:

" Haha you are looking for DARKSIDERS to bring new ideas!!? This is the game that IGN completely trashed for being basically a ok copy of Zelda and God of War. Now a lot of people thought that his review was a bit too unfairly harsh, but the point remains that originality is hardly the game's strong suit. "

Stop your trolling.

Merging two completely different formulas into a fantastic game is not an easy task and requires a lot of originality from the developers. "Because IGN said so" is not an irrevocable argument.

14 years ago

Butchio

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#13 Edited By Butchio

i agree with always buying the safe bets, every year i buy cod and fifa

14 years ago

ttocs

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#14 Edited By ttocs

@lochmonster said:

" Haha you are looking for DARKSIDERS to bring new ideas!!? This is the game that IGN completely trashed for being basically a ok copy of Zelda and God of War. Now a lot of people thought that his review was a bit too unfairly harsh, but the point remains that originality is hardly the game's strong suit. "

Again, I think you missed my point. I specifically said I wasn't talking about gameplay with Darksiders. I was talking about a neat story and a new world. You play as one of the four horseman. Darksiders was my example of an original story, demon's souls was an example or doing the same buy making it tough as nails, and borderlands was my example of an art style with a combined gameplay being something special. So, please read everything before you comment in the future.

14 years ago

ttocs

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#15 Edited By ttocs

@Snail said:

" @lochmonster said:
" Haha you are looking for DARKSIDERS to bring new ideas!!? This is the game that IGN completely trashed for being basically a ok copy of Zelda and God of War. Now a lot of people thought that his review was a bit too unfairly harsh, but the point remains that originality is hardly the game's strong suit. "
Stop your trolling. Merging two completely different formulas into a fantastic game is not an easy task and requires a lot of originality from the developers. "Because IGN said so" is not an irrevocable argument. "

Well said.

14 years ago

zigaroo

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#16 Edited By zigaroo

@ttocs said:

" @lochmonster said:
" Haha you are looking for DARKSIDERS to bring new ideas!!? This is the game that IGN completely trashed for being basically a ok copy of Zelda and God of War. Now a lot of people thought that his review was a bit too unfairly harsh, but the point remains that originality is hardly the game's strong suit. "
Again, I think you missed my point. I specifically said I wasn't talking about gameplay with Darksiders. I was talking about a neat story and a new world. You play as one of the four horseman. Darksiders was my example of an original story, demon's souls was an example or doing the same buy making it tough as nails, and borderlands was my example of an art style with a combined gameplay being something special. So, please read everything before you comment in the future. "

I think he'll continue to miss your point until he has to agree with you.

I picked the game up yesterday and am loving it. There's a few things that are a little off and there are some places that could be tweaked, sure, but overall at least it isn't a Dante's Inferno complete rip of God of War's mechanics... it's a little bit of everything and executed rather well.

14 years ago

ttocs

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#17 Edited By ttocs

@zigaroo said:

" @ttocs said:
" @lochmonster said:
" Haha you are looking for DARKSIDERS to bring new ideas!!? This is the game that IGN completely trashed for being basically a ok copy of Zelda and God of War. Now a lot of people thought that his review was a bit too unfairly harsh, but the point remains that originality is hardly the game's strong suit. "
Again, I think you missed my point. I specifically said I wasn't talking about gameplay with Darksiders. I was talking about a neat story and a new world. You play as one of the four horseman. Darksiders was my example of an original story, demon's souls was an example or doing the same buy making it tough as nails, and borderlands was my example of an art style with a combined gameplay being something special. So, please read everything before you comment in the future. "
I think he'll continue to miss your point until he has to agree with you. I picked the game up yesterday and am loving it. There's a few things that are a little off and there are some places that could be tweaked, sure, but overall at least it isn't a Dante's Inferno complete rip of God of War's mechanics... it's a little bit of everything and executed rather well. "

Yeah, the game has a few issues. I saw some screen tearing too, but nothing severe. I remember noticing it in a grey hallway and it made me stop for a second, but then I continued on and didn't see it again that night. I'm a fan of the mixing of genre's though. I don't really see it as stealing, more like borrowing to make something better. Every major invention in history had to borrow a prior invention to either get there new thing to work or get inspiration from. Making a game is no different. There's nothing wrong with using what worked before.

14 years ago

ttocs

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#18 Edited By ttocs

@zigaroo said:

" @ttocs said:
" @lochmonster said:
" Haha you are looking for DARKSIDERS to bring new ideas!!? This is the game that IGN completely trashed for being basically a ok copy of Zelda and God of War. Now a lot of people thought that his review was a bit too unfairly harsh, but the point remains that originality is hardly the game's strong suit. "
Again, I think you missed my point. I specifically said I wasn't talking about gameplay with Darksiders. I was talking about a neat story and a new world. You play as one of the four horseman. Darksiders was my example of an original story, demon's souls was an example or doing the same buy making it tough as nails, and borderlands was my example of an art style with a combined gameplay being something special. So, please read everything before you comment in the future. "
I think he'll continue to miss your point until he has to agree with you. I picked the game up yesterday and am loving it. There's a few things that are a little off and there are some places that could be tweaked, sure, but overall at least it isn't a Dante's Inferno complete rip of God of War's mechanics... it's a little bit of everything and executed rather well. "

Yeah, the game has a few issues. I saw some screen tearing too, but nothing severe. I remember noticing it in a grey hallway and it made me stop for a second, but then I continued on and didn't see it again that night. I'm a fan of the mixing of genre's though. I don't really see it as stealing, more like borrowing to make something better. Every major invention in history had to borrow a prior invention to either get there new thing to work or get inspiration from. Making a game is no different. There's nothing wrong with using what worked before.

14 years ago

Darksiders

Developed by Vigil Games, Darksiders puts players in control of War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as he attempts to find out who caused a premature Apocalypse while battling both Angels and Demons on a dead Earth.

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