40°

Too Much Change Spoils the Broth

James Bishop of TheGameReviews argues in his Spoony Bard column that attempted innovations of series themes and mainstays in God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII have disturbed both games to their detriment.

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thegamereviews.com
cain1415153d ago

I've really enjoyed god of war 3...

-Alpha5153d ago

And you should. I don't mind the complaint that a game feels too familiar but it's one of those things that shouldn't be forced. I hate when change results in drastic alterations. Also, I rarely mind familiarity. It's a sequel to a game so why expect major changes to the core formula? Gameplay doesn't age as fast as graphics and for the most part if gameplay is solid then it should remain in tact.

Look at MW2. People complained it would be too similar to MW1, but what would you expect? Additionally, they did make changes, but they were so horrible that they ruined the game. It's a fine balance that is hard to master.

I look at Bungie with Halo now and Reach's multiplayer is receiving numerous gameplay changes. Again, as long as that balance is there with the familiarity of a sequel then I don't mind it.

SlamVanderhuge5153d ago

...but too much familiarity can make a game feel like a semi-sequel, not an actual evolution. I didn't enjoy God of War 3 as much as the previous games. It just felt too uninspired and samey, but to each his own.

Haly5153d ago

Change always seems to be a little intimidating. We all like familiarity after all but it does take a while to adjust to especially if we're used to a set way of doing things as the previous God of War and Final Fantasy games made us feel.

mr durand pierre5153d ago

None of the God of War games have had a new game plus. GoW3, for better or worse, doesn't change the formula up at all.

Ixon5153d ago

Way to make me doubt myself! I was positive, and while Wikipedia isn't the best source, this was gleaned from there:

"There is also "Arena of the Fates", customized battleground with user-selected numbers and type of opponents. The experience points gained therein can be used in the main game. A rank of Titan must be achieved in the Challenge of the Titans in order to unlock the Arena of the Fates. Grecian urns are hidden urns throughout the game that unlock additional abilities when starting a Bonus Play."

You can change the game other than just supra-abilities.

Krud5152d ago

This article makes me wonder what changes they might be making in Starcraft II. Granted there's only been one previous title (plus its expansion), but the fans since who been waiting since its late 90's release will want/expect a similar experience, but geared toward modern systems/sensibilities. (Enemy AI and game interfaces have progressed somewhat since then.)

Part of what's kept me away from Mass Effect 2 is the amount of changes they've made. Removing inventory may have streamlined gameplay, but it doesn't sound like the experience I'd been hoping for. (I'm sure I'll end up getting it eventually, and hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised.)

90°

Two Decades Later, the Original Splinter Cell is Still a Masterpiece

They don't make games like this anymore.

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gamingbolt.com
vgvill8d ago

Too dated in my book. The AI is way too unpredictable to be acceptable today. It's definitely a game of its time.

Jingsing7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

Agreed with those sentiments. The quality of the CPU controlled characters make or break a stealth game and they are pretty poor in all the Splinter Cell games by today's standard. This is what led me to playing Spies vs Mercs all the time in later games just to get a better stealth experience from a real person. Arguably Sony are making better stealth games albeit not Tom Clancy stuff.

TheProfessional7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

You should stick with fortnite or one of the countless bloodborne style games then. What a joke.

rlow17d ago

I had a good time with the game. It is a product of its time. But when it came out it was a must have game for a lot of people. I wish Ubisoft would make another game in the series or at least a reboot.

vgvill7d ago

They are making a remake, I think. I loved the original game when it was released, but I tried to play it again in recent years and just couldn't get on with it. The same with the older Hitman games.

PrecursorOrb7d ago

Yeah chaos theory still holds up though I gotta say. If you’re a fan of the series I highly suggest you go back to that one. Ubi has said they are remaking sc for “modern audiences”. I don’t have a lot of faith for the future of that company

Chocoburger7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

Due to the lack of modern stealth games, and me constantly playing the MGS series, I've been looking for alternative stealth games to play, and went back and re-played the SC series recently. I wouldn't call SC1 or SC:PT masterpieces, there are AI issues, they're very much trial-and-error games, and that can lead to a lot of frustration. I also found the stories in this series to be boring, uninteresting, and just sloppily told. Cinematics are also of poor quality for both in-game scenes and CG cut-scenes, the soundtrack didn't leave any impression on me either.

Chaos Theory is better, but there was still a lot of room for improvement, and Double Agent (old gen ver.) was a sloppy mess that ended up a regression from CT. But still, at least they tried back then, these days Ubi-junk doesn't even try to make good games!

70°

A Matter Of Trust: What The Game Industry Should Do To Win Gamers Back

Skewed and Reviewed have written an Opinion Piece covering issues in the gaming industry, how current issues were issues years ago, and what can be done to help restore consumer trust.

anast13d ago

Nothing. It's up to the gamers to stop consuming content from companies that they don't agree with.

Garethvk12d ago

How do you know if you agree with it or not unless you play it? Which without conventions forces gamers to rely on trailers. Perhaps Demos should be made more frequently. But companies need to do better as well.

anast12d ago

Wait until release. Watch Gameplay. Exercise patience.

Garethvk12d ago

But is that not what they have now? Tons of gameplay or are you talking about watching actual gamers play it versus the trailers and streams? The big issue is that some companies pay streamers and influencers and they create content but for me; that is hardly a fair, unbiased, and factual look at a game.

1nsomniac13d ago

Get rid of the suits in the industry and job done!!

Garethvk12d ago

They usually are attached to the money sadly. It would be nice to have gamers in charge but you have so much money invested that business people are needed. Hence the issue; you need people who know business but are also gamers who know have an eye to the community. It sounds simple in theory that if you give gamers quality games that they want to play; money will be made. But that is not always so.

60°

From The Last of Us to Baldur's Gate 3: The success of the Game Music Festival

Marie Dealessandri speaks to Borislav Slavov and Gustavo Santaolalla about “the new golden age of games music”.

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gamesindustry.biz