innovation... man i hate that buzz word... because that is all it is used for this generation... it's like bump mapping or normal mapping... if something isn't innovative, it is simply a rehash... "innovation" this generation is overrated.
i'd much prefer a games that continue to be refined (be it gameplay, or story or even graphics) than simply adding in "innovation for the sake of innovation." if your gameplay needs some sort of new controller, go for it. Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Samba Di Amigo, DDR are all good examples of the gameplay requiring new control methods...
Mario Galaxy and Zelda:Twilight Princess really needed a new way to control? of course not. but since you have the motion control the developer feels it HAD to be used. they made the wrong choice. lots of devs make the same wrong decision. just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
as for hardcore gamers leaving the hobby, sure some do... but lots don't, explaining why the average age for gamers keeps going up. as for having fewer new players jump in, i am not sure about that... i think the wii brought in a lot of new gamers, many who wouldnt play before, but i think new gamers would have started playing regardless of the wii. the wii just went after a different market.
Thank you for your thoughts
I would argue that your comment about the average age of gamers constantly rising A) is very true, and B) proves that newer gamers aren't coming in in large enough numbers to support the industry long term.
I surely don't think innovation is a buzzword, it's what has driven the industry from the start. Super Mario Brothers was innovative. Mario 64 invented 3d gaming. GTAIII and it's open world gameplay was incredibly new and interesting, Wolfenstein 3D/Doom... etc. These all gave us new experiences, and I don't know about you, but those experiences are what kept me gaming from the 80's, into the 90's, and into the millennium.
But, like I said, with the PS2/Xbx generation, mostly due to stagnant sales against rising game budgets, true innovation stopped. You can also attribute this to the hardware not innovating. Hardware innovation will drive software innovation, by forcing devs to think in new ways. I will argue that I haven't played anything NEW in a very long time, in the "hardcore" front. God of War to me is just a violent Zelda 64. Call of Duty Modern Warfare, while very well done, is just Quake 3 (where the modern FPS was perfected). Guitar Hero, again, while well done, is just PaRappa the Rapper with a little plastic guitar. WoW is EverQuest. Personally speaking, I'm 30 years old... I came up in the NES generation. I started getting very bored with games around the millennium, and it took me a while to realize why: it's because of all the sameness. Once I got married and started a family, there was nothing to draw me back to gaming. Until the Wii came along.
To stop ranting, and just to use your specific examples of Mario Galaxy and Zelda: TP... did they
need the new controls? Hell no. I won't even try to debate that. However they damn well
should have used the new control, and I'm glad they did. If they hadn't there would have been nothing in those games to differentiate them from Sunshine and Wind Waker. or the 64 bit games before that.
And
Kelthaz, I do appreciate where you're coming from. Thank you, also, for replying and clarifying. I remember the FMV craze all too well (Night Trap *shudder*).
I don't think it's fair to blame the Wii, when it's the Devs fault for throwing out shovelware. I think the corporate suits have taken the very wrong message from the sales of Wii Play. Not seeing it as a $10 tech demo with a controller, and seeing it as a sign that's what people want.
That said, AAA hardcore titles are still being made, at just about the same frequency they were ever coming out, 1 or 2 a month.... and I don't think Natal, or the Wii or Sony motion control will ever change that. As long as there is a market for those games, they will continue to be made.
