Which is your fav computer game

[Vikramjit Singh Hans]

What's wrong with today's action games? Most action games released today, specially those belonging to the FPS genre, feel stale. Yesterday I played the demo of a game called Chaser and found that it didn't have anything new to offer. Apparently it is a big budget game. They must have licensed a really cool and expensive engine or made it themselves(which is just as expensive). And what do they do with this super cool engine? They go right ahead and create another half-life game. Have people stopped thinking creatively? Why is it that every FPS is happy to walk the same path? Sure we've heard that DOOM3 is going to bring movie quality experience to the videogames. But what about it's gameplay? Is it going to be truly enjoyable? SOF2 was made by giving the Quake3 engine a cosmetic uplift. But it's gameplay sucked. A couple of months down the lane, people won't even remember it. Why can't developers focus as much towards the gameplay as they do towards the graphics? This genre has lost a lot of faithful fan following due to such reasons. I have already started playing more sports and racing games. They are enjoyable as well as graphically well endowed. Action games should take a cue from them. Maybe STALKER will finally answer my prayers. Maybe it would bring a breath of fresh air to this otherwise stale genre. I know it's possible to exhibit innovation in this genre- remember Op Flashpoint?

PS:I think that Hardwar is the greatest game of all times. It was the first game ever to sport a truly complex game world. It was both addictive and fun at the same time.
Vikram

I had to format this post because it was very hard to read with the spaceing that it had.  I didn't change any of the content.--Spriggan

[Fellfrosch]

I think there's only so much you can do with the FPs genre. They're fun, but it's very hard to distinguish one from another because the core concept, by necessity, has to be the same every time. There is a lot of innovation going on, though, with stuff like Savage that tries to break out of the mold.

Sometimes, though, you don't need innovation. Serious Sam and its sequel are two of the best FPS games ever made, and it's because they perfected the formula instead of changed it.

[Spriggan]

I think the best FPS ever was System Shock 2,  It's got FPS, survial Horror, and RPG elemnents.  I think the last truely innovative game was Mario 64, that was the game that took us into the 3D era and showed that it could be done.  I cannot think of a game that had so many people talking about the future of video games. Grand Theft Auto 3 got a lot too but that game is just a build off of the M64 concept.  I'd be surprised if any game comes out in the next 4-5 years that does invent a new game genra that's truely unique.  I grew up playing VG, as have most on this site, there's not much I haven't seen.  When I was in highschool and freshman in college I bought a LOT of game, easly 20-25 a year then rent another 10 or so a year.  Now a rarely rent games and may only buy abouy 10 games a year.  A majority of games (weither they be good games or not) just don't intrest me.  I've seen it, played it all before and unless there's something realy cool/unique about the game (story, a gameplay element) I don't want to play it.  And of those games I buy about 1/4 of them I never finish, which I never use to do.  So I think a lot of us are jaded when it comes to games.  And that we have to come to grips that there's not going to be these amazeing games like we've never seen before, and look for those ones that take the concepts that we know so well and make a realy good game in all other respects.

[JP Dogberry]

I'd say that the sims was the last game to be original, but that doesn't actually make it any good.

Put simply, you can be original, you can make a game about watching paint dry or whatever, but unless it's a genius concept, it probably won't be any fun, which is the bottom line. That's why new genres are so rare, becuase the old onces are proven fun. And people don't like to risk money when they can guarentee a good seller.

[Spriggan]

Ya you're right the sims is pretty orignal, I probaly blocked it out becasue it's so boreing.  But we're in the minority, it's like the all time highest selling game ever.  Largely thanks to all the women that bought it, over 50% of the people that play the sims are female.

[Vikramjit Singh Hans]

I've played Mario64. It was a really fun game, but calling it innovative would be exaggerating it a bit.

[Spriggan]

it was the first 3D platform game.  Up until M64 came out people only speculated if it could be done and how, there were a lot of people/game designers that thought the consoles at the time couldn't do it or that 3D games would control horribaly as well as how to deal view in a 3D game (called the camera now).  Nowdays it's hard to think that M64 would be innovative, but it was the pong of the next gen platforms.

[Fellfrosch]

As much as I hate to admit it, Mario 64 was amazingly innovative for its time. To say that few games have been as innovative since, however, is pushing it.

[Spriggan]

well name some.  I admit I made a mistake by not mentioning the sims.  GTA is innovative but it has just taken a genra and expanded on it.  Ultima online is another that could go on the innovative list, and maybe Metal Gear Solid.

[Fellfrosch]

I probably wouldn't include Metal Gear Solid, but I think you're not giving GTA enough credit. It's technology was old hat, but it's gameplay--the first truly non-linear, multi-genre video game--was amazing. Off the top of my head, I'm also going to mention rhythm games like Frequency and DDR. They weren't as big as M64, but they did the same thing--create a new genre.

[Spriggan]

ya DDR is a good one.  GTA3 wasn't the first openended game, but it was the first one that did it good.  You might remeber daggerfall which was the second game in the elder scrolls (morrow wind is the 3rd), and I'm sure there were others that came before GTA3 that sucked so we never heard of them.  Maybe I've got my standards too high on this.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

Ya, but DDR cannot go in there. It is a nationaly pitfall to all. I will not agree that DDR is a good game/bound pushing game, whatever.

You want a game where you could do pratically anything, try Bubble Bobble. Sure the only way up, was up. But you could do anything, you could jump on your bubbles, you could jump anywhere. Now that, that was pushing it way back when.

[Vikramjit Singh Hans]

Speaking of openended gameplay- does anyone remember Gothic? Sure it had annoying controls that were difficult to get used to, but it also had an expansive world and the player could do whatever the heck he/she wanted to. So I think Gothic was just as innovative as GTA3. BTY-has anyone tried Gothic2?

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

Ya, well why don't we put Postal 2 up on that innoavtive list too. Heh smart guy?

[Vikramjit Singh Hans]

 :-/I think there is a huge difference between Postal and Gothic. You have to understand that Postal glorifies violence in a childish sort of way while Gothic has a more mature premise. Umm ok?