18th November 2007, 4:18 PM
Looking Glass Studios-style-FPS-before-and-after comparisons:
System Shock 1 or 2 vs. Bioshock -- I've only played part of SS2 and not the others, but just based on what I know about Bioshock I'd have said something along the lines of what GR did -- it's much more FPS and much less RPG than SS2, and thus less deep and complex. "It's really an FPS" is what you hear about Bioshock, and that's not something people really said about the System Shock games... and the same development team made SS2 and Bioshock, so that's not the reason.
Thief 1 or 2 vs. 3 -- again I've only played the first two PC games, not the third console game, but the opinion from the Thief community was pretty united in that the game was substantially less complex than the older games, had smaller, more broken up levels, etc. Thief was a fantastic game on the PC... I'd have to play it to say how well the third one held up, but there's no doubt that it wasn't as complex and deep.
Deus Ex 1 vs. 2 -- same as the above two. Community's reaction was the same as Thief except probably worse because Deus Ex 2 was released before Thief 3 so expectations were probably higher, and the letdown when it ended up being so consolized was more. Deus Ex 2 has a pretty bad reputation in some PC gaming circles as a result, I think, while the first one is remembered as great...
Oh yes, and Looking Glass DID make console games. They just weren't ports of their PC games.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/company/2025.html
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/company/12900.html
In RPGs, of course, for Bioware, contrasting Baldur's Gate I/II(though perhaps not NWN... maybe, I'm not sure) to KotOR is a quite effective defense of the point, or for Black Isle/Obsidian, Torment/IWD I/II/Fallout 2 to console-centric KotOR II and then PC NWN2, which made steps back in the direction of complexity.
And I know I've talked at length before about some of the changes that were made to the Elder Scrolls series between the second and third games, when the series went console.
Strategy games and normal FPSes have mostly been less affected, but as I said in the last couple of years even strategy and FPS developers have moved in console-gaming directions...
System Shock 1 or 2 vs. Bioshock -- I've only played part of SS2 and not the others, but just based on what I know about Bioshock I'd have said something along the lines of what GR did -- it's much more FPS and much less RPG than SS2, and thus less deep and complex. "It's really an FPS" is what you hear about Bioshock, and that's not something people really said about the System Shock games... and the same development team made SS2 and Bioshock, so that's not the reason.
Thief 1 or 2 vs. 3 -- again I've only played the first two PC games, not the third console game, but the opinion from the Thief community was pretty united in that the game was substantially less complex than the older games, had smaller, more broken up levels, etc. Thief was a fantastic game on the PC... I'd have to play it to say how well the third one held up, but there's no doubt that it wasn't as complex and deep.
Deus Ex 1 vs. 2 -- same as the above two. Community's reaction was the same as Thief except probably worse because Deus Ex 2 was released before Thief 3 so expectations were probably higher, and the letdown when it ended up being so consolized was more. Deus Ex 2 has a pretty bad reputation in some PC gaming circles as a result, I think, while the first one is remembered as great...
Oh yes, and Looking Glass DID make console games. They just weren't ports of their PC games.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/company/2025.html
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/company/12900.html
In RPGs, of course, for Bioware, contrasting Baldur's Gate I/II(though perhaps not NWN... maybe, I'm not sure) to KotOR is a quite effective defense of the point, or for Black Isle/Obsidian, Torment/IWD I/II/Fallout 2 to console-centric KotOR II and then PC NWN2, which made steps back in the direction of complexity.
And I know I've talked at length before about some of the changes that were made to the Elder Scrolls series between the second and third games, when the series went console.
Strategy games and normal FPSes have mostly been less affected, but as I said in the last couple of years even strategy and FPS developers have moved in console-gaming directions...
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