Gaming Console Crash Article

Don't read if you are easily offended. This semi-spoof article does make some good points and is pretty funny:

http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/games/crash.html

Interesting to read.
I disagree that hardware power shouldn't be developed, but I agree that it's being misused.

For example Half-life 2 didn't raise the bar for pretty graphics; it raised the bar because it used pretty graphics to accomplish some excellent character interactions. It tries to give the game a human element, which makes it live on even after its graphics effects are being bettered.

Cutscenes are still scripted, but that's another thing that can be somewhat enhanced by improved processing power.
(The vision here is animations modelled entirely on top of physics objects and generated in real time by moving physical limbs. As well as having interactive animations which can dive behind a wooden crate in many different ways, cutscenes could behave in a far less scripted manner, with the only scripted portion left being speech and the situation).

Also, as I read, I must point this out:The author contradicts himself instantly by giving two examples. He automatically implies that both knitting and doodling can be considered fun, so what makes it impossible to add another item to that enormous list of fun things?
(He mentions costly things in that list too, btw).



Agreed on games being too movieish.
If they're going to be cinematic, they have to be fun in a way that doesn't force the player to quickload constantly. Prey works on fixing this problem, and in Lucas Arts's old adventure games the player was usually invincible.
Bad Day L.A looks like an interesting idea, since it's a cinematic sort of game that - while expressing a valid satirical point - couldn't work as a movie. It is made in such a way that few people mind how blatantly scripted it is.

Regarding memorizing a game, that point is preposterous in the way it's covered.
A good game is at least 20 hours long, while a good movie is generally 2-3 hours long.
Which one could you memorize first?
(Note that this game should actually have content, like Oblivion).
A movie is completely scripted, whereas a decent game can be affected at least by where the player's character is standing.

When I rewind and play a movie, the same thing happens.
When I rewind and play a video game like COD2, the same guy runs in front of me and gets shot.

Games are too focused on shooting growing masses of bad guys, but I'm actually happy with this; the worse they get, the better everything decent looks by comparison until those less intelligent game developers notice that they need to do something new.
It means that good games such as those designed by Sid Meier or Will Wright will get better sales, and as a result things will have a chance to be sorted out.

The only way out of the dark inevitable path of self destruction that is the egotsitical nightmare of most games, is to inspire games from spirituality, not from the ego. Spirituality is not profitable, however. Business will always seek the egotistical path and will eventually destroy itself. The world is not improving just because it is getting more productive in its crap games, it is going downhill.

I agree deeply with his thoughts, and to that end I'm still waiting to the neurological future. ;)

Quite like the updated version of that article......especially with his thoughts regarding HDTVs and why the sales of the next-gen systems wont be as high as they could be due to them.

yeah I read the original version too. I like the screenshots of those two early games (showing big change) then Golden Eye and Red Faction showing very little change. Also the fact the Sony sold most of it's consoles since it dropped the price and the fact that the Wii controller may be a step in the right direction for re-capturing people's interest.

I think he's right about the PS3 flopping, although I think it'll be interesting to see if the Wii performs as well with the remotes as we're lead to believe.

$600 for PS3 in USA - $700+ for it in Europe - only hardcore gamers would consider that a good option.

A PS3 with regular DVD would probably be more popular.

It almost seems like the hardware is developing faster than the cost to develop. I mean, consoles were under $100 not so long ago. I think the N64 was like 99 pounds, or something.

All this `lets have a supercomputer to solve all our problems` isn't exactly progress.

As long as we have PC games gradually becoming more graphically detailed (and faster than consoles, considering how many 360 games this mid-range PC seems to run reasonably well) as opposed to console games doing it all at once, graphics on consoles aren't exciting enough.

Yeah I bought a PS1 when I saw wipeout and MY PC was still pap. Then one day I saw tomb raider on a PC running on a Voodoo 1 (I owned it for PS1) and it didn't suffer from PS1 warp and looked lush. At that point I stopped buying PS1 games and just got everything for the PC. Later on I got a PS2 and I play non-FPS games on it as who needs a console controller for FPS games, YUK!

I played a james bond game on the playstation.. and i can say, the graphics are mince. They was a pretty decent improvement in graphics. Graphics contribute to the gameplay. Like Gran Turismo on the playstation. Looked awesome and played great. Try playing it now? Crappy framerate. It's kind of unplayable. Someone else made this point recently.

Don't get me wrong, the article def has a valid point, but i think the increased graphics and increased frame rates only serve to better games.

I would really like the big companies to fail miserably though, companies like EA and Ubisoft.
In a perfect world, bedroom coders would be the only producers of games :D

I'd say he's about dead on.

YAY to that!

My eyes glazed over after a bit, but he seems to think the only games people play are First Person Shooters?!

Psst! The games industry and videogames - now a legitimate, mainstream form of entertainment - is not going to curl up, die and vanish.

I a perfect world, anyone that played a game would create it themselves.

That is the closest thing to realizing that we each create our own reality.

But until people realize that, they will continue to let themselves be spoonfed. So I don't exactly thing the market will crash irrecoverably, because there are enough sleeping humans to depend on it.

When people realize more that they can `create their own` rather than be spoonfed, they will get more into that. I think THAT is an expanding `market`. Having said that, to realize that you create reality also entails realizing that you are ONE with your creations, and in so doing it really doesn't help that awareness to use it for creating dark and disturbing games. So I think the only saving grace is positive spiritually inspired games.

Just my take.

Manifest that game using the universal law of attraction!

Here's a different sort of game:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5153694.stm

It already is. That was one of the points raised in the article.

Now if only said frame rates could keep up with the "next-gen" graphics thrown at it at an HD resolution of 720p or above.......

Was really hoping this be the generation where a constant 60fps+ during gameplay was a standard.
(even though TVs are limited to displaying around 30'ish iirc)

This only applies to last-gen CRT TVs and not HD-Ready LCDs and Plasma screens.

Although I agree with most the guy writes, he kinda contradicts himself when saying that MMORPGs is so totally different and such. Have you ever played a MMORPG that doesn't involve insane amounts of grinding or other repeating tasks to get anywhere.

The thing is though, that once a game comes out with new cool stuff, everyone copies it - not realizing that the fad is over - people want new stuff like he said. The games industry almost has to give out original stuff at every turn to stay afloat, and how well do you think the industry has tackled that in the past?

I'd like to see rock solid high FPS instead of fancy effects, or better still both. But every time a new card comes out, everything slows down again as the developers max out the capabilities.

I don't doubt that the industry is heading for a major kick up the arse, but no-one every died from a kick up the arse.

..And add more bugs :)

So? No one has 'HD-Ready' TVs. And those who do will be forced to upgrade again soon.

It's not strictly and FPS, but [a http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/924491/-/Product.html?searchstring=Rogue+Trooper]Rogue Trooper[/a] is one of the best games I've played in a long while. And it's a steal for a tenner.

Ocean, Team17, Bullfrog, Bitmap Brothers, Atari, Interplay, Westwood, Maxis. And the list is non-exhaustive.

I thought we were talking about the videogames industry as a whole, not individual companies. Companies come and go on a regular basis in ALL industries, not just this one.

The industry is no stronger than the diversitity of the companies it is composed of. What good is it going to do you if the only company left to buy games off is EA Sports and Microsoft?

True. Major difference here is that on the videogames industry in general, and console market segment in particular - they only go.

> What good is it going to do you if the only company
> left to buy games off is EA Sports and Microsoft?

That will certainly be the day I stop playing games.
Thankgod for Japan though :)

Well, I can't see that ever happening, TBH. And what about Nintendo? I can't see them going anywhere anytime soon - thank God. At least they (alone) seem determined to experiment with new ideas (hardware and software) to keep the industry alive, and make lots of money in the process. Maybe without Nintendo, the industry would disappear up it's own backside - I dunno.

That's a neat trick: companies that go without first coming into existence! :P Seriously though, are you saying that ALL companies will eventually disappear and thus the games industry with them? I mean, seriously?

Maybe he's just alluding to the come/go ratio, as in more companies going bust or being bought out than new ones started in the present climate...

Yeah, I know. I was just pulling his chain. :)

WHOA!!!!

did that come out of FlameDuck's beak!!!

that is truly inspirational 'Duck...

no kidding... i am shocked that you, the crown prince of the delusional logic circuit board, would come up with such a profound statement...

please... tell me that you quoted it from somewhere... so my world can regain its tiltoid...

:)

also, a big LOL @ Zenith...

be carefull... Daniel can indeed hypnotize you if you're not carefull... don't let him get to far into your mind... his stuff is really deeeeeeep...

:)

--Mike

hahah :D

Uhh, call the US SPCA about this one, it deserves a little investigation... :D