Saw this over at Gaming-Age and thought it was interesting.
Quote:Have you ever seen an independent or small budget film where you could tell by the story and direction that the people behind it were geniuses in the making? Like Terminator, with its experimental effects and choppy stop motion… Advent is like that. The difference is that in Hollywood talents like these are showered with praise and given more money and resources to create their opus, where in gaming, select “press” see these instances as an opportunity to salt the wound; search for every last bug and put them under a microscope.
Does Advent slow down? Yes…Is Gideon dynamic to the environment…no. But as they said in one of Cameron’s many future opuses; “you have to look with better eyes than that”. Advent is a Halo scope game by a first time developer meant to immerse us in part one of a cinematic trilogy, much like Star Wars; another cobbled together first effort. On the whole the game is an experience no sci-fi fan should miss and in a proper environment would be critiqued for what it does right, over technical flaws inherent of time technology and a first time developer. This, right here, is why games like this are endangered and why our industry often veers in the wrong direction. As long as it’s easier and safer to put out cookie cutter flavor of the year games, we won’t see proper strides in gameplay. New ideas and franchise players such as this need support, not undue scrutiny.
Want me to go off on the technical snafus of GTA…Got an hour? But it’s a great game! Do you see these outlets doing that? No? Hmmm; I wonder why? Did anyone bag on Halo when Covenant troops glitched and ran into crevices like broken robots? Of course not…Or how about the trees in Halo 2…They’re square…and have no transition to the ground. I could have modeled them better. Anyone pick that apart? No; of course not, because it’s an awesome game. It was also made over three years on a titanic budget with a huge team and cutting edge tools, the same tools and treatment Donald Mustard and company now deserve to complete his trilogy. They should also recruit David Siller, one of the best producers in the country, if not the world, who is currently shopping for a new home. Only one of the main guys responsible for making the original Crash the game it was and creator of the first ever American made Capcom hit; Maximo. With Dave on the team, Advent is a 10…But that’s just my two cents.
We all scream for original games and innovation and here Glyphx and Majesco are delivering, and all certain outlets want to do is focus on what should be regarded as asides; things easily explained within the context of the development process. Well, enough. I said my piece. They are entitled to their opinion and their process. I just don’t agree with it. I don’t mean to throw stones. Lord knows I’ve scored some games high that many people weren’t so wild about…(P.N. 03, Voodoo Vince…) I just feel that in this case certain reviews have been overly critical in the scheme of things.
To Donald and everyone at Glyphx (and Tommy T. for a truly stunning score) I say hang in there and let the game buying public (who seem to love it) be your guide. I only hope the right message gets through so that we see you guys again real soon. Our cover will always be open for Advent Rising.
Quote:Nintendo: Innovation is dying
Mario creator Miyamoto discusses what's wrong with the video game industry today
June 3, 2005: 8:11 AM EDT
Game Over is a weekly column by Chris Morris
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – This might come as something of a shock to the gaming world, but Shigeru Miyamoto – the man who created Mario, Donkey Kong and Zelda – really doesn't feel like playing games these days.
"There's not a lot I want to play now," he told me recently. "A lot of the games out there are just too long. Of course, there are games, such as 'Halo' or 'Grand Theft Auto,' that are big and expansive. But if you're not interested in spending that time with them, you're not going to play."
What he misses, he said, are games you can pick up and play – something the company hopes to accomplish with its next generation home console, currently code-named "Revolution".
Nintendo deliberately avoided giving too many details about the Revolution at the E3 conference this year, frustrating some fans who felt the company did not fight back against the PR onslaught of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Miyamoto didn't offer any firm details either, though he did offer a few more vague hints about how the system would be different.
"The Revolution will use cutting edge technology, but it's ultimately about how that technology is used," he said. "We asked ourselves 'why would a family need or want to have a gaming console?' The answer is what's driving development of the Revolution."
While Miyamoto insists the Revolution will have advanced graphics and features, he doesn't want that to be the focus of the machine.
Instead, he's trying to encourage developers to think outside of the genres that have become so well known in the industry. In other words, there's more to gaming than role playing, simulation, strategy and action.
"Rather than thinking we have a new console, let's make epic games, I want [developers] to make more unique products," he said.
That's the school of thought behind some of the upcoming games for the Nintendo DS. "Nintendogs," a Tamigachi-like canine simulator lets you experience the joy of raising a pup with none of the house-training. Whether U.S. audiences will embrace it is a mystery, but Japan has gone crazy for the game, buying more than 400,000 copies, according to Nintendo. "ElectroPlankton," meanwhile, blends music and art, letting owners mix their own tunes.
Less likely to make it to Western shores is "Touch Dic". (Really, that's the name.) This dictionary application for the DS is a bit different than standard electronic dictionaries, turning learning a new language into a game. For example, one person, using the DS' stylus, can draw Kanji characters onto their Picto-chat screen while others try to guess their meaning.
There have even been whispers of a PDA application for the DS in the works, though Nintendo declined to comment on that.
Of course, the Revolution and the DS will continue to primarily be game machines. (Nintendo's not straying that far from its roots.) And company president Satoru Iwata has indicated established franchises, such as "Super Smash Bros." and "Metroid" will be ready at or near launch.
How much support Nintendo will get from third-party publishers remains to be seen. Though they used a lot of smoke and mirrors, Sony and Microsoft both turned heads at E3. Nintendo's next-gen device was barely an afterthought for most developers.
If Miyamoto is concerned, though, he didn't show it. He said he wasn't overly impressed with what he saw from Sony (Research) and Microsoft (Research) at the show – particularly in their pre-show press conferences.
"Most of what you're seeing are not even the first projections of games," he said. "They're just shiny computer graphics. They're things anyone using a computer can do. ... It's how we're going to use the technology that separates us. What we want to do is different – and we're happy with the road we're taking. When you have a Revolution, you're not going to have the same experience as you would with the other home consoles."
Quote:Killer 7, a psychological action thriller by Hiroyuki Kobayashi that has been in development for years, is confirmed to be released simultaneously on the GameCube and PlayStation 2 on July 7. The release date of July 7 appears to be a marketing gimmick, but seems to point to the completion of the title.
Nintendo's upcoming FPS Geist has also met another in a series of delays. Developed by N-Space in cooperation with Nintendo, Geist, which focuses on possessing others to progress, has been pushed back to an August release.
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