I see London, I see France...I don't like what I see
A recent conversation with my elder brother was met with a jarring realisation smacking cacophonously into my cerebrum. We were talking about the next-generation consoles and the underlying philosophies behind M$'s latest abomination juxtaposed with Senator Palpatine when the term 'innovation' became lodged between my incredibly potent grey-cells. Innovation...is that what we are getting via the next-generation?
I admit, since the announcement of the next-generation consoles, I got caught up in the mind-altering drug that is hype. I saw the tech demos and the different trailers for games and the only word that can convey my enthusiastic elan was pure, unbridled idiocy. I drooled over every screenshot, I sang hymns at every trailer...but the stark truth was well out of the reach of my superior intellect...until now.
Yesterday, I asked myself after the life-changing conversation, "Where is the innovation?"...I mean, I agree that the next generation will look like the beautiful love-child of Avalon and Heaven...but the question remains...are we not back where we are? The consoles are indeed powerful enough to keep the skies from slipping from Atlas' feeble grasp...but are they not merely overpriced shells without games? So the innovation we are looking for lies not with any console per se but with the game developer? What has truly changed except for $400 dollars deducted from your bank account and a very powerful paperweight invading your living room?
Granted, there is the argument that the new hardware will allow for developers to put even more detail and opportunities in a game for us. But will things so drastically change? Have we not just merely upgraded our video cards? Take a look around...the only thing that people seem to comment on about the next-generation systems are the visuals. Innovation does not translate into visuals. I want to be able to grab an attacker's attacking appendage and, while keeping said appendage hostage, I want to be able to kick him/her in other appendages, without any of this to be scripted. I want to be able to pick up a magazine...roll it up, and smack an enemy soldier in the groin! I want the freedom to enter every single room a certain setting has...if the door is locked, I want to be able to go outside to the garage, pick up a hacksaw and cut the door down. I want enemies so smart that the sight of just two enemies will force me to rethink my objectives. I want the freedom to change sides in a war in the middle of a gut-wrenching battle and serve my days as a nazi spy! THAT is simply the tip of innovation that developers can accomplish...but I dont see even that.
What I see is the same Prince of Persia clone wall-running and attacking with the same pre-programmed moves. I see the same Halo/Doom/Half-Life clone running with an armory decimating an entire army whose only fault was being stupid enough to attack humans in the first place. I don't see a fighting game with the unscripted fun of Rag Doll Kung Fu. I don't see an FPS where your enemies will blow through walls to attack you. I see the same rag-doll physics perfected on the Source Engine...the same lighting effects perfected on Doom 3...I see no innovation.
What I see so far can be likened to Michael Jackson getting a decent face-lift. Only visuals...no sign of anti children-molestation microchips embedded in his cerebellum.
Once again we are at the mercy of game developers out to make a quick buck...yes, I'm looking at you EA. Our only hope is that maybe developers as brave as the makers of ICO come out of the woodwork to take advantage of the cosmic power that is the next generation console. Maybe even Square-Enix will pull one of those genre-defining RPGs out of their hats that made them household names in the first place...after they remake Final Fantasy VII of course.
In fact, the only console I see with innovation right out of the box, which promises innovation to the masses, which forces developers to look the harsh face of innovation in the face...is the Nintendo Revolution. This also forces me to acknowledge why so many developers and gamers are so keenly enthusiastic about Nintendo's latest pokemon-on-steroids. After years of laughing at Nintendo until my sides exploded, and ridiculing Nintendo to the point of Corporation suicide...they have finally earned my respect.
But I still probably won't get a Revolution. I'm awesome that way.
Caio.
I admit, since the announcement of the next-generation consoles, I got caught up in the mind-altering drug that is hype. I saw the tech demos and the different trailers for games and the only word that can convey my enthusiastic elan was pure, unbridled idiocy. I drooled over every screenshot, I sang hymns at every trailer...but the stark truth was well out of the reach of my superior intellect...until now.
Yesterday, I asked myself after the life-changing conversation, "Where is the innovation?"...I mean, I agree that the next generation will look like the beautiful love-child of Avalon and Heaven...but the question remains...are we not back where we are? The consoles are indeed powerful enough to keep the skies from slipping from Atlas' feeble grasp...but are they not merely overpriced shells without games? So the innovation we are looking for lies not with any console per se but with the game developer? What has truly changed except for $400 dollars deducted from your bank account and a very powerful paperweight invading your living room?
Granted, there is the argument that the new hardware will allow for developers to put even more detail and opportunities in a game for us. But will things so drastically change? Have we not just merely upgraded our video cards? Take a look around...the only thing that people seem to comment on about the next-generation systems are the visuals. Innovation does not translate into visuals. I want to be able to grab an attacker's attacking appendage and, while keeping said appendage hostage, I want to be able to kick him/her in other appendages, without any of this to be scripted. I want to be able to pick up a magazine...roll it up, and smack an enemy soldier in the groin! I want the freedom to enter every single room a certain setting has...if the door is locked, I want to be able to go outside to the garage, pick up a hacksaw and cut the door down. I want enemies so smart that the sight of just two enemies will force me to rethink my objectives. I want the freedom to change sides in a war in the middle of a gut-wrenching battle and serve my days as a nazi spy! THAT is simply the tip of innovation that developers can accomplish...but I dont see even that.
What I see is the same Prince of Persia clone wall-running and attacking with the same pre-programmed moves. I see the same Halo/Doom/Half-Life clone running with an armory decimating an entire army whose only fault was being stupid enough to attack humans in the first place. I don't see a fighting game with the unscripted fun of Rag Doll Kung Fu. I don't see an FPS where your enemies will blow through walls to attack you. I see the same rag-doll physics perfected on the Source Engine...the same lighting effects perfected on Doom 3...I see no innovation.
What I see so far can be likened to Michael Jackson getting a decent face-lift. Only visuals...no sign of anti children-molestation microchips embedded in his cerebellum.
Once again we are at the mercy of game developers out to make a quick buck...yes, I'm looking at you EA. Our only hope is that maybe developers as brave as the makers of ICO come out of the woodwork to take advantage of the cosmic power that is the next generation console. Maybe even Square-Enix will pull one of those genre-defining RPGs out of their hats that made them household names in the first place...after they remake Final Fantasy VII of course.
In fact, the only console I see with innovation right out of the box, which promises innovation to the masses, which forces developers to look the harsh face of innovation in the face...is the Nintendo Revolution. This also forces me to acknowledge why so many developers and gamers are so keenly enthusiastic about Nintendo's latest pokemon-on-steroids. After years of laughing at Nintendo until my sides exploded, and ridiculing Nintendo to the point of Corporation suicide...they have finally earned my respect.
But I still probably won't get a Revolution. I'm awesome that way.
Caio.
posted by Shampad | 3:51 AM
2 Comments:
Interesting blog. Affected my viscera, it did.
~ Arnob
That's just nasty...(^_^)
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