Wanted: Original Content

So, yesterday I received the latest issue of the Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) in the mail. I spent a few minutes to read through the articles and advertisements about new and upcoming games. My biggest complaint I have after reading that is the severe lack of original game content being produced. Almost every single game I read about in the magazine was either a game based off of a feature film or television show, a game that was a sequel to a previously released game, or a sports game. It's almost as if the creativity people at game studios went on strike and the developers just kick out tried and proven ideas. The only problem with everyone releasing games based off previously successful ideas is that it gets old real quick.

Just looking at the Top Live Titles for Xbox Live this last week, only one game can be seen as 'original'. It also happens to be the oldest game on the list and it's still at #6 most played (Gears of War), attesting to its success. Game studios seem to just look for hit games and then try to copy them. While that may be financially all well and good for some (Call of Duty, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Grand Theft Auto), the parade of sequels and knock offs can't last forever.

Another thing that I just don't get is the need for every major movie release to be accompanied by a video game. I mean, if I want to be enterained with that particular storyline, I'll go watch the movie. If I want to play a shooter, RPG, or whatever style of game it is, I'm sure there are better, more original games than the ones based off of a movie.

Sports games are another genre that just gets rehashed over and over. Almost every sports game is eerily similar to every other sports game out there for whatever sport it is. It doesn't matter if I play Madden 08 or NCAA 08...they're basically the same game with just different decorations. While I enjoy the friendly competition involved with sports games, I think developers are missing out on a good opportunity here. Why not branch the sports genre with the RPG (role playing game) genre (or other genre)? I'm sure fans of sports aren't just fascinated with the athletic abilities their role models posses, but with their lifestyle as well. Why not use other genres to explore that?

The seemingly unending flood of sports, movie and sequel games has left me wanting more from my video games. There are more games coming out now than ever before, and yet, I can't find a single one out there worth purchasing right now. It's not that game studios need to come up with a new genre of game or style of play, but just get some good original content. Give me something to be intrigued about when I play the game. Generic war shooters with generic bad guys to shoot at isn't fun anymore. If you're going to base a game off of a movie, don't just remake the movie in game form. Give the game it's own original story based in the fictional universe of the movie. Don't just retell the movie story through my Xbox. I really do like playing video games, but I don't play just to click buttons. I play to be entertained. I want to be entertained. Unless game studios finally decide to get some original content creators involved I foresee my Xbox devolving into just an expensive DVD player.

In news of the stupid...

Have you ever seen the commercials for Lifelock, an identity theft prevention service? They're the ones where Lifelock spokesman and CEO Todd Davis starts off the commercial by stating his real social security number and then tells you how secure he knows his identity is secure because of Lifelock. Well, in what had to have been expected by most of the intelligent world, news broke today that Mr. Todd Davis' identity has been stolen. Can't say I didn't see that one coming...

Grand Theft Auto

First off, let me premise this post by stating that I have not played the game Grand Theft Auto 4 at all. I'm not going to make the mistake of reviewing the game when I haven't taken the time to sit down and play it. Instead, this post is about why I haven't played the game and a review of the other reviews I've seen of the game.

Whenever new games come out I have to make the decision as to whether or not I'm going to purchase the game. I consider myself an avid gamer with a wide range of gaming tastes. Different factors affect my decision, such as reviews I read, friends' recommendations, trailers I watch, game rating, and game genre. I try to pick games that I can play anytime, whether my family is in the room or not. With that said, GTA4 failed to meet that criteria and thus, I did not purchase the game. While I'm sure GTA 4 is a well designed game with many of the criteria met that I discussed in previous posts as to what makes a good game, the content of the game itself didn't meet my own personal standard. I didn't make the decision because of what some crazed lunatic said on national television. I made the decision on what I feel is best for me and my family.

Many in the media try to lay the blame for societal problems at the feet of video game developers. If there's a school shooting, many jump to the conclusion that a video game caused it. The morality of video games keeps coming up in the media with each successive game release. [link] Government legislative bodies keep trying to pass legislation to restrict the distribution of these games and almost every time the laws get shot down as unconstitutional. [link] The funniest part about all this is that the games in question all have content less controversial than most prime time network television shows, yet no one is making a fuss over that.

To be blunt, many out there need to sit down and take a chill pill. Stop trying to legislate the gaming industry. Let the free market do that for you, the way it did with the movie industry. Nobody is yelling about passing laws to prevent kids from buying R-Rated movies because retailers already enforce that policy. Most retailers are moving in that direction with M-rated video games as well. The media are also incorrectly assuming that because GTA 4 is so successful that it must mean lots of kids are playing it. What they fail to realize is that the average age of video game players today is somewhere around thirty years old. GTA 4 is a game that is actually appealing to many adults. I just did a check of my Xbox Live friends list and noticed that almost every single adult on that list has played GTA 4, yet when I checked those who I know are minors, all but one or two has NOT played the game. This tells me that for the most part the ratings system is working. Adults are buying and playing the M-rated games and kids are not. Those few kids that are playing the M-rated games are likely getting their parents to buy it for them. That's not a problem for the government, retailers or gaming industry to concern itself over. If parents want to let their children play M-rated games, that's their decision. No laws should be passed to prevent that.

Overall, I think GTA 4 is probably a very well made game. Due to the content I chose not to purchase the game. The media and government need to keep their noses out of individual citizens' decisions to purchase games when it's fully within their rights to do so. While I may not choose to play this game, I can only look forward to other games that do meet my criteria which will be of similar quality as Grand Theft Auto 4.

What makes a good game? (Part 4)

I've hit a few points of what I consider key components of a good video game in recent posts. The is the last post on the topic. While I consider these required for a game to be good, that doesn't mean the game won't be successful or profitable. These are mainly just characteristics of games that I've noticed have stuck around longer than others, games that people tend to play more often than others. The last component I feel needs to be included for a game to be good is realism.

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Part 4

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Realism isn't that the game reflects real life physics, but that would be nice. When I talk of game realism I mean that the game reacts the way you would expect it to. If a FPS game is going to put in a sniper rifle alongside a battle rifle, the sniper better have a much longer range than the battle rifle. If a rocket launcher is present, it better cause a lot of damage. With newer games, developers are even able to implement destructible environment. This means if I shoot a bridge with a rocket, the bridge better collapse.

Game developers need to first and foremost establish a law of physics for their games. Once that law has been established, they need to abide by it. One of the first things players will do when they get a game (besides playing through the storyline) is to test the limits of the game's physics. If a game reacts the way players expect it to, within whatever rules of the game exist, players will be able to enjoy the game more. If unexpected results happen, the game becomes to unpredictable and therefore un-enjoyable.

What makes a good game? (Part 3)

For online games this part is probably the most important part a game studio has to worry about getting right. Multiplayer functionality can easily make or break a game. The game may have a great storyline, but if the multiplayer aspect isn't there, a lot of incentive to pick up the game and play it goes out the window after the initial play through.

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Part 3

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There are two basic types of multiplayer functionality. There is player vs player (PvP) or player vs machine (PvM). While not totally necessary to have both aspects in a game, having both does increase the quality of the game, so long as they're done right.

In PvM multiplayer, players work together against the game itself. This is usually done in a cooperative version of game's single player campaign or done in role playing games. The benefit of this is that players are able to work with their friends towards the common goal. Some people don't enjoy the competitive nature of PvP games and are much more drawn to PvM multiplayer. PvM multiplayer also allows game developers to add in more storyline content that can only be accessed via PvM play, thus encouraging players to enjoy that aspect of the game.

In PvP multiplayer games, players are pitted against each other. This is very common in first person shooters (FPS) and fighting games. In fact, some FPS games are strictly PvP with no single player or PvM to speak of (Shadowrun). PvP multiplayer is probably the most important aspect of a game that developers need to get right. If the interface is awkward or ineffective, players just won't use it. With different broadband internet speeds between players, the game needs to take that into account and adjust for it. If done incorrectly the game can be filled with lag and the overall experience for players is worsened. To date, probably the most successful and efficient PvP multiplayer game on the market has to be Halo 3. The party system implemented along with their matchmaking system to pit similarly skilled players against each other has yet to be equaled by other game developers.

For a game to be considered a good game, I feel it needs to implement some form of multiplayer functionality. Whether it be PvM or PvP or both, something needs to be there. Games that don't put in some form of multiplayer support tend to start collecting dust after the initial glow wears off. Granted, just having it there doesn't make the game successful. Poorly implemented multiplayer can also kill a game's success.

New Gamerpic

Some may have noticed my new gamerpic. Those that know me know that I am neither a Pepsi nor a Coke man. I stick with the good stuff. One of these days I'll make the pilgrimage to Dublin, Texas to taste the real good stuff.

What makes a good game? (Part 2)

This is part two of a recent blog post I started about characteristics of a good video game. My last post was about the storyline. While storyline is vital in making a good game that will be enjoyed by many, other characteristics are just as important.

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Part 2

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Replay Ability
A lot of game studios out there are very capable of making good games. Unfortunately, many of them don't due to one key characteristic they leave out or overlook -- replay ability. I've played a lot of games that were awesome the first time through, but after I finished it I never went back to that game because it had no appeal any more.

Role playing games (RPG) are most susceptible to this problem over other genres of games. Due to technology limitations, many RPG's are limited in the options they can present to a player. Even complex games like Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect limit players to two basic endings, good or evil. Choices players make throughout the game seem to influence you one way or the other, but ultimately the story conclusion is based off which side of the good-evil line you're left standing on at the end of the game. Once you've played both to both endings the game has little left to offer the players.

One feature I'd like to see put into new RPG games is where the choices you make open or close different options for the player later in the game. Most RPG's allow players to take it slow and play out almost every single story arc in the game the first time through. Instead I'd like to see multiple possible story arcs that are only accessible through subtle character choices within the game.