The Disney effect – Realizing the Open World
With Skyrim, GTA V, and Assassin’s creed 4, Triple A gaming has finally managed to Open up the Open World (Sand Box) game design.
I feel it’s time to quantify how games can encourage a more open play environment, and divine a standard for the future.
The Immature M rated games
What if M rated games where only sold to adults like their cinema counterparts. Not to shield children, but to build for adult interests. Currently every game made assumes children may play it, thus including them in the target audience. In my perfect world the M rating would be taken seriously as it would limit your audience to being college aged and older.
It appears to me that we have created two thoroughly undeserved audiences; we are selling games to adults that intentionally appeal to children. One could assume that the T rating serves no purpose. However, most games contain at best PG-13 subject matter and similar mindset in regards to content quality.
I enjoy the silly and the strange, but I want more video games made purely for the adult audience.
Sequels for the One Off
As a nerd I hate when a story decides a universe ends with its main characters.
Recently it’s been suggested that the “One Off” video game is too expensive to produce, and no one wants another Highlander sequel. However it’s not impossible to continue a mythos or universe.
This got me on the line of thinking what if they did make, just as an example, a Last of Us Sequel (Last of Us 2 Knights of the Damned). I would set the sequel in England, you’d have to retake the ravaged British islands. Joel and Ellie are still in America doing whatever; the new version would simply be King Arthur vs Zombies with improvised weapons.
Maybe it’s not a worthy game story but it’d be a way of doing more with the Last of Us universe.
That’s not to say that every game universe can be expanded into a sequel. For the games with non-recyclable settings you can always recycle the game assets.
The Fan Fiction Game
I think you can’t rate Shadow Run solely on its included story; Shadow Run should, instead, be rated on its ability to allow amateur game designers, fan fiction writers, and dungeon masters to tell their own stories.
It’s my interpretation that the campaign, which teases of greater story options, intentionally provokes player’s creativity. The included modding tools are already in use and I look forward to playing the story driven campaigns (now works in progress), built by members of the community.
Can we be honest about JRPGs?
I am a JRPG Fan, and I’m not entirely embarrassed about that fact. What little embarrassment there is often stems from games that slip past judgement and become hallmarks of the industry.
I’m often frustrated by the way the video game reviews industry has tried to work with the JRPG fan-base. It’s becoming more necessary to compare opinions. Some people prattle on about the combat system (often the least interesting part) and some get hung up on singular story elements. While all we, the fans, want is a complete and concise evaluation, similar to those found for almost any FPS, Racer, or Western RPG.
Make a new product before ruining this one
Ever play a video game that seems like it’s trying too hard to be a different video game?
Need for Speed Shift, I would have liked it if only the game was focused. Had it been entirely arcade or entirely a simulation (like Forza), I might have actually enjoyed it instead of getting my money back. More…