Short G.A.S
That's right, G.A.S, also known as Gaming Attention Span. Mine is very short. I've been a gamer for a very long time and I've noticed a disturbing trend in most games these days: They fail to hold my interest for very long. Maybe it's just me, but most games don't really make me want to keep on playing all night. There are, of course, a few exceptions; certain RPGs, for example, but not as many as I would like. Sure they're fun, but I don't get that "I have to keep playing to see what happens next" kind of feeling.
I'm the type of gamer who constantly needs something exciting to be happening, a certain "if I don't keep playing the world could end" kind of feeling. My G.A.S is getting worse with each passing year too. Why? Lack of innovation in games. Most games are "been there, done that. Rehashes of stuff I've seen a million times. There are way too many copy-cat games on the market.
A lot of games just aren't fun enough to warrant long periods of play. The gameplay gets repetitive, the story starts to drag, too much CG.... you get the idea. They are only fun for a few hours, then I just play it for something to do. I figure "I bought it, so I might as well finish it." Not "This fucking rocks! I can't wait to see what's next."
Maybe I'm just picky? Maybe I expect too much from a game? Not every game can be a Madden, Grand Theft Auto or Final Fantasy, right? Still, would it be too much to ask that they at least try something different?
There is, however, hope for sufferers of short G.A.S. Though rare, some companies are taking a risk and making games that might not appeal to many people. To those companies I say thank you. Your risks are the only thing keeping me interested in gaming during the wait for such games as Final Fantasy XII, Madden 2005 and GTA:SA.
My pick for Most Entertaining? Katamari Damacy, due out this fall exclusively for the PS2. Just what is it? Well, in Katamari Damacy, "players take on the role of Prince of the Cosmos, whose father – the great King – managed to inadvertently knock the stars out of the sky. As the prince, a player’s duty is to clean up the King’s mess and re-create the starry skies by rolling around the cleverly designed locations to collect objects and build up their “katamari” -- a Japanese word for clump or large mass". You can thank Namco for this one. A sequel is also planned.
View some screenshots here.
posted by Rodney @ 11:20 PM
6 Comments:
It's interesting that you say this--aren't Final Fantary and EA sports games basically the same thing over and over?
Personally I think innovation is aiming a little high; most designed don't have a grasp of the basics.
Thanks to typos, I sound like a retard :\
Well, Mark, you do have a point. But EA and Square-Enix are constantly trying to improve their franchises, while other games only attempt to mimic what makes those games great to begin with and that is the problem. Take the new Final Fantasy XII; The old ATB is a tried and true battle system, but now they have decided to try a new battle system. It might suck, but at least they tried. The established franchises like Final Fantasy and Madden are not the problem, games that try to cash in on the success of those franchises are the problem.
I don't see how one game made by an outside developer can suck because it's derivative, but then the same game becomes good when it's part of a franchise.
The problem is publishers. They won't take chances. We're still in the game equivalent of the Hollywood System. We're starting to see some break-aways, but the indy games industry is still way behind the indy movies industry.
Any game made by an outside developer can be good, just as long as they have some original elements to the game. Not every game has to be a franchise, but, when it comes to games, I prefer quality over quantity. Developers are just looking for a quick buck, so they base their games on more successful ones without trying to improve upon it. GTA:SA is following the same formula that Rockstar always uses, but they are adding a number of improvements too.
They are still perfecting the GTA system--this will only be the third GTA3-style game they've done.
This is what, the 12th FF game and the 9th Madden game?
Post a Comment
<< Home