Are Games Being Too Original, Or Not Original Enough?

S

Strubes

I was sitting at home last night, thinking. I know, it's a rarity, but still. I was reading through some magazines and some are saying that some games coming out look too much like God of War, or too much like Zelda and so on. Now, is this entirely a bad thing? Do you think games should try and follow in the footsteps of other games, or create their own paths? We all know every game is influenced some way or another by another game, but what is too much? Personally, if I were creating a game, I'd add parts from different games to want it to work, and would love to hear that my game looks like Zelda, or God of War, or even Oblivion. Games like Katamari and Shadow of the Collossus have paved their own ways into the hearts of gamers by using unconventional game play methods. These are just my thoughts, but I believe borrowing some gameplay functions from other games, if only to better a game, is fine. We're also, as gamers, always looking for something new and original. With games like Bioshock, Lair, and Fracture on the horizon, only time will tell if originality pays off, or if gamers want more of what their used to in the given genres.

Post your thoughts and opinions please. :)
 
I kinda knew it's pointless making a thread on these boards anymore...

To answer your question Hines: Taking control of a dragon, fighting dragons in mid-air, attacking ground troops with said dragon. It's original. It doesn't have to be good, but it's original.

But now, back to the topic. Please post thoughts guys. :)
 
Well I think they are both, and that's the problem.

If you have a game that's too original, people don't always see it for what it is. Genre-bending games get ignored all the time. Dare I say Wii Fit probably fits in this category. It's definitely something that really hasn't been done, and because of that most people aren't even going to try it, as it's too far from the norm. If Wii Fit had been called Dance Dance Revolution Wii Fit or something and used a dance pad instead of the Balance Board, it would fall more along the lines of the norm, and people would probably be more willing to try it.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the games that aren't original enough. Killzone 2 = just another fps. Gears of War = just another fps. Heavenly Sword = God of War with a chick. Etc. Personally I love Gears and I think Killzone 2 and Heavenly Sword look fantastic. But there's a lot of people that don't think the same.

I think it just needs to be more balanced in the middle.
 
Drakengard was more or less an RPG. Let's try and stay on topic Hines. I know how you are with threads.

@ Mai, I agree, but do you know of any games that are more balanced? I'm just wondering cause I wouldn't know of any examples.
 
i think creativity is a touchy subject

there are great unoriginal games, like gears of war or halo, and great original games, like viewtiful joe and okami.

all these games come out, creating an even bigger basis to inspire dev's, and more things to try again, and improve on. it all creates a delicate balance that has shaped what games are today.

what would gears be if re4 didnt come out?

what would splinter cell be w/o metal gear?

god of war w/o devil may cry

get what i'm sayin?

hows that for on topic
 
Haha I like it. Nice post Hines. Sorry if I came off as snappy, but I hope you know where I was coming from.

I agree with each of those game comparisons, cept God of War/DMC...but other than that, you made a bunch of valid points :).

Games should take note of other games' accomplishments, knowing how great they work, but should also be thinking of ways to either improve upon it, or redo the entire function.
 
Hinesmdc said:
there are great unoriginal games, like gears of war or halo, and great original games, like viewtiful joe and okami.
Click to expand...

And unfortunately the great unoriginal games sold more than the great original games, giving publishers and developers the impression that more of the same is what people want. It's only going to keep happening that way, too. This year's best sellers will almost all be sequels in an already existing franchise. Even Bioshock is a spiritual successor to the System Shock games.

@ strubes - Odin Sphere comes to mind. It took elements from several genres and managed to blend them in a fascinating way. I'm sure the sales numbers won't reflect that, though.

@ Hines - Nice on topic post. :) Keep posting like that.
 
exactly, and if they didnt, we would just have crap, all the same

which brings me to another point

we need crappy games, we need for developers to say "dang that was a cool idea, lets try to improve on it" and come out in an amazing, much as how EA has been inspired to make Skate. in contrast to the tony hawk franchise

and now here we are, awaiting the next huge step in realism and fun in the action sports genre

its happened many times before, and its created many an amazing game.

anyone agree? strubes do i have good points?
 
@Mai, thanks, and I'll look forward to it. P.S. You're a mod now? Was this just recently or do I need to have my eyes checked? :lol If it was recently, I was out of town for a couple days, so congrats. If it wasn't, then I feel like a jerk and I'm sorry. :lol

@Hines. You have some good points, but I'm not sure if we need "crappy" games, rather than mediocre games to build upon. Actually, we can relate this to earlier posts of Drakengard. Lair is adding a new sense of realism by throwing away RPG elements, updating the graphics, and making it into an Action/Adventure.

The action-sports genre has been flirting with the line between good and bad in recent titles. Hopefully, Skate, and other games will add some original game play, but not do away with what made other games (I.E. Tony Hawk) fun. :)
 
i didnt mean crappy per se

i meant w/o those games, we certainly wouldnt have some of the great ones we do

oh and im a huge fan of TH, i wasnt dissing it dont get me wrong. i have 10/13 titles (exceptions being thps2x, downhill jam and the upcoming proving ground)
 
Hinesmdc said:
we need crappy games, we need for developers to say "dang that was a cool idea, lets try to improve on it" and come out in an amazing, much as how EA has been inspired to make Skate. in contrast to the tony hawk franchise
Click to expand...

The only problem with crappy games is that the developers don't take feedback from the average gamer. They might listen to reviews, but in the end, how can we be sure that they know what is wrong with a game and therefore fix it for the next installment? The only way to really get a message across is to not buy a game period. But if you don't play it, how do you know it's bad? Therein lies the paradox. Renting games might get around that, but not everyone is willing to do that.

@ strubes - it just happened like two days ago. :)
 
no i meant other developers fixing it, like epic improved on capcoms re4 over the shoulder mechanic in gears of war, and ea is improving skating with skate.
 
Hinesmdc said:
i didnt mean crappy per se

i meant w/o those games, we certainly wouldnt have some of the great ones we do

oh and im a huge fan of TH, i wasnt dissing it dont get me wrong. i have 10/13 titles (exceptions being thps2x, downhill jam and the upcoming proving ground)
Click to expand...

True with your first point

And with your second, I think it was another misunderstanding...I wasn't accusing you of anything. :lol

@Mai...CONGRATULATIONS! I always thought you should be one. :)

Also, Mai, about your post..I think that some developers look at games that other developers have made, and take a look at something and say "hmm how can we make this better, because it seems like this will fit in great with our project". I think that's more along the lines of what Hines was getting at. Maybe I'm just confused though.
 
Hinesmdc said:
no i meant other developers fixing it, like epic improved on capcoms re4 over the shoulder mechanic in gears of war, and ea is improving skating with skate.
Click to expand...

Oh see, that makes more sense than what I was thinking. I see what you mean.

But in EA's case I don't know how much of it comes from wanting a genuinely better game, or just wanting more money. :lol
 
no, your right

just a misunderstanding :)

i think motion controls and touch screens are cool and nifty and whatnot, but i think conventional games, like the ps3 and 360 offer, will always hold a place in the industry, and will never stop being made.

out of nowhere? yes. on topic? yes.

EDIT - @mai, the skate team definitly wants it to be a huge improvement, check out some youtube interviews, the want real skating
 
I personally feel that originality is becoming far too rare in gaming today. There are plenty of good games out there that don't do anything new or original, but they're still great games. However, I feel its necessary to have original games, so the gaming industry can evolve and change. The problem is, publishers and developers don't like originality because they don't know how successful that game will be. I will admit that making a truly original game is a risk, but in my mind, taking that risk and succeeding to create something that will truly change gaming is what separates a good game from a great game.

In short, I think that developers should focus more on original games, instead of cranking out endless sequels, or clones of successful games.
 
I believe that a decent mixture of sequels that utilize what made the orginals great, and expand upon them, and original games are what we need today.
 
Strubes said:
I believe that a decent mixture of sequels that utilize what made the orginals great, and expand upon them, and original games are what we need today.
Click to expand...
Well sequels shouldn't be destroyed completely, but in today's industry, we have far too many sequels compared to the number of new and original games.
 
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