200°

8 modern videogame design trends that need to end on PS4

OPM: As the PS4 fast approaches and the next gen prepares to become current gen there are some things we never want to see again. Tired tropes and lazy design ideas that have no place in the future. Or our future at least.

Read Full Story >>
officialplaystationmagazine.co.uk
FortKnight4358d ago

Couple of spelling and grammatical errors in this article.

Anthotis4358d ago

That's the least of the article's worries. Aside from dub step, the writer was wrong on every point.

No "brutal kill moves" or "morally ambiguous heroes" just makes this guy sound like a complete and utter wimp.

No more cover systems!?

wat

minimur124358d ago (Edited 4358d ago )

Here's my opinion:
1 " It’s got to a stage now where it feels like a cop out option." Listen mode, agreed.
2.I LOVE these, theyre halairiousKEEP
3.but...but.... I want Uncharted 4....KEEP
4. Holding your breath, in real life, does this even work? But it is extremely useful in any case
5.QTE's? Hmmm.... KEEP, but not as may games
6.Collectables? HELL NO Muthaaaaa collectibles means harder plat, harder plat means better feeling when you get it :3 KEEP
It also gives the game more play time.:)
7.Snap to cover? Hmm, yeah, ND did it right with auto cover, and the AI if you spent however long in cover
--
"In some games the magical power of the snap-to cover system means you can wander off and make a cup of tea or check twitter mid-battle safe in the knowledge that nothing can touch you. " Lol
8. I guess so, I do like some types of dubstep though.

levian4357d ago (Edited 4357d ago )

#1 is so true, I absolutely detest any sort of focus mode. Listen mode in TLOU, the see through walls power in Dishonored, etc

#2 I don't mind as long as they're not in there for the sake of being gory. It just fits the God of War theme

#3 Just about every game with human enemies does this.

#4 Realism is never a bad thing

#5 I agree with the QTE's needing to be gone to an extent. Ryse? Kill the QTE's. God of War again does it right. Use them for finishers on large enemies.

#6 I hate collectibles that are there for no reason except to give the illusion of having something to do when you beat the game.

#7 Cover works in some games, but in others it just makes the gameplay boring. Assassin's Creed make this work well, and it looks like Watch Dogs might make it work as well.

#8 I do disagree with games throwing in random things from pop culture to try to sell your game

Rettom4357d ago

So it's unprofessional.

FortKnight4357d ago

"So"? That's ridiculous. They were callous errors. Poorly edited and sloppily written. In a journalistic career, that shouldn't happen.Standards are important.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4357d ago
KUV19774358d ago

Bad spelling and grammar is definately a trend that needs to go next gen!

Bluepowerzz4358d ago

ok lets pack our bags and never read anything on the n4g site ever again

GuyThatPlaysGames4358d ago

This isn't school. But seriously. no cover system in a shooter? That's like playing Madden without a football lol

Ilwrath4358d ago

No, it's not school; it's professional journalism site, which is a job one would ideally get after finishing school. Therefore, spelling and grammar should probably be top priority in their presentation of an article.

GuyThatPlaysGames4358d ago (Edited 4358d ago )

Don't you mean it's a professional journalism site? Not professional journalism site? Do it correctly before you defend it lol. Oh yea, you clearly know what you're talking about with those 3 bubbles you have there :)

rdgneoz34357d ago

@OVOXO_Mike A) He's not the one writing an article for a site (professional is a very loose term here with the quality of the work), B) you bring up bubbles to try to justify the lack of polish on the article which is suppose to be on a "professional journalism site"?

As for the article, please for the love of god stop the trend of having to click to the next page to view the next item in the list. Is the site that desperate for hits that it has to resort to that?

Christopher4357d ago

Disagree to most.

1. Focus mode is used properly in many stealth games. It's also used to weaken some others. Don't just outright remove it, but use it properly.

2. So, they should just fall dead? Also, are we just talking about Dishonored here with #1 and #2. I say keep them in check, but keep them in. It's part of the "did you see that" part of gameplay that doesn't harm it in any way.

3. That's all up to the writing. And, most people see a guy in cut scenes who jokes around a bit as the "good" guy when you're trying to make a guy who lies and steals for a living look like killing people who are shooting at him as some huge step in another direction.

4. It's done right in many games. I love this as it doesn't mean constant steady aim. It makes you time your shots around the battlefield. Removing it from all games? Unnecessary. We need a diverse form of gameplay rather than just CoD shooting mechanics everywhere.

5. QTEs have their place. Just don't over use them.

6. Collectibles are completely optional and a lot of people like them. Why remove?

7. I'm not sure what games the author is playing that snapping to cover means they're invulnerable. Tons of games have snap to cover and it only protects you partially. That's the point of it, partial protection that you can more easily recognize and manage.

8. Just less, not complete removal. Don't worry, it will go away as soon as the next music fad comes in.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4357d ago
Wizziokid4358d ago

The only thing I agree with is the Dubstep point, but I don't like dubstep.

Hellsvacancy4358d ago (Edited 4358d ago )

I'm not a fan of collectables, unless they tell you some kind of backstory or reveal some cool information about the game world

And the cover system I kinda agree with, a lot of the time when i'm gaming I KNOW when a shootout is about to take place because i'd walk into a room and notice ALL the cover (tables and worktops for example) would all be the same height and strategically placed around, thats why I found The Last Of Us a breeze to play through, I honestly felt it was too easy in that sense because I knew exactly where to hide and what path to take to avoid detection (that doesn't mean I didn't like TLOU because I LOVED it)

Kurt Russell4358d ago

I'm not a fan of collectables, but I'm happy for them to exist. I just don't collect them.

And as for cover systems, they just need to be improved rather than removed I think.

iceman064357d ago

I think that the "cover system" should just be more natural. Like you said, in most games you can tell because the elements of the room change. It they just allowed more "natural" cover or anything to be used or tipped over for more natural cover, then it would probably feel more organic.

thezeldadoth4358d ago

need to end on ps4 only? what about that box will end gaming trends.

savaroth4358d ago

Maybe the writer is assuming that the WiiU and Xbone will become irrelevant? ;)

PSN_ZeroOnyx4357d ago

Or perhaps the writer feels the PS4 should usher in a new era of gaming. PS4 takes the lead and competing consoles follow.

Gaming_Guru4358d ago

I don't agree with many of the things on the list, but how is eliminating holding your breath for steady aim a bad thing? Don't get me wrong Halo is a good game but the sniper rifle is used as a golden gun because it's so easy to aim with.

Show all comments (45)
50°

Uncharted Cast Doesn’t Take the Games’ Success For Granted at MCM Comic-Con

During MCM Comic Con London X EGX, CGM got the chance to be part of a press group interview with the stars of the Uncharted titles, namely the legendary Nolan North, who played protagonist Nathan Drake, Emily Rose, who portrayed Elena Fisher and Richard McGonagle, who took on the role of Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan,

Read Full Story >>
cgmagonline.com
30°

Tomb Raider’s Risky 2013 Reboot Revived a '90s Gaming Icon

Crystal Dynamics' daring reboot of Tomb Raider brought Lara Croft back into the spotlight.

Godmars290835d ago

An attempt at a reboot with no momentum for continuance. Just a torture-porn trilogy about a poor rich girl with daddy issues reluctantly being pulling into a world of violence, versus say the adventures of a quipping Brit treasure hunter who solves ancient puzzles while gunning down rare and extinct animals that it originally was?

Honestly, don't have all that killing. If the devs had been truly clever, not focused on mangling a message about the senselessness of killing which was seemingly and quickly forgotten, they could have worked, if not bloodlessly then not directly by Laura's hand, dealing with enemies as part of the puzzle solving - they didn't have in the game in the first place...

badz149835d ago

"Revived a '90s Gaming Icon"

LOL

the only thing similar between the 2 is the name of the protagonist. if they would have given the game a different name, NONE would even think that it was somehow a resurrected Tomb Raider IP. the last game with the real Tomb Raider DNA was TR Underworld.

250°

The Tomb Raider Survivor Trilogy's Take on Lara Croft Deserved More Recognition

The Survivor Trilogy was a drastic reimagining of Lara Croft and Tomb Raider, and it provokes changes for the character that are truly fantastic.

Read Full Story >>
gamerant.com
isarai899d ago (Edited 899d ago )

Deserves less IMO, i think the 1st in the new trilogy was a perfect 1st step for the new direction. The next 2 games were half steps at best. Not only that, every character in the series including Lara is just annoying and doesn't make sense in terms of motive, like yes they have a motive, but none of it seems proportional to the lengths they are willing to go through for it. The most annoying thing is every one of the games say "become the Tomb Raider" yet 3 games later and we're still not there? No thanks. Then there's the mess of the 3rd game, massive skill tree that serves almost no purpose as there's literally only like 3-4 short encounters in the whole game, and they took till the 3rd game to finally manage some decent puzzles even remotely close to previous games in the series. Nah, the trilogy infuriated me to no end as a long time fan of the series, i hope we get better going forward cause that crap sucked.

Army_of_Darkness897d ago

The first in the trilogy was my favorite. I thought they were going into the right direction with that one until the second one came out and seemed like a graphical downgrade but the gameplay was okay. As for the Third, Graphics were really nice but it was kinda boring me to death with its non-stop platforming and exploring with not enough action! Well, for me anyway...

DeathTouch897d ago

Graphics on the 3rd one were abysmal. It’s more colorful and has more variety, but everything else was a noticeable downgrade.

The more open world with NPC quests was also handled very poorly, to the point I missed Angel of Darkness.

thesoftware730897d ago

I know it is your opinion, but she did progress as a character in each game, she even got more muscular and seasoned.

That is the thing, people first complained that there was not enough platforming and actual tomb raiding in the first and second games. Shadow remedied that and kept the combat elements.

3-4 encounters? huh? did we play the same game? there was plenty of combat and, the skill tree did matter, like being able to hang enemies from trees, set explosives traps on bodies, being able to counter, and that are just a few of the combat skills. The skill tree also had things like being able to hold your breath underwater longer, crafting upgrades, zipline upgrade, and climbing upgrades that all changed how you can approach situations.

Not knocking your opinion, but we definitely had different experiences. I had 98% completion on the shadow.

SoulWarrior897d ago (Edited 897d ago )

Sorry but i'm with him about the low number of encounters, the game throws loads of weapons and skills you're way with a comparatively low amount of places to actually use them, so they felt under utilised.

-Foxtrot899d ago

Yeah...no

It was awful, for THREE GAMES it was "become the Tomb Raider" where she went back to square one after each game. Not to mention after a huge reaction of killing someone for the first time she then becomes Rambo straight after and goes on a slaughter spree without a single other reaction. Her development was all over the place.

She was whiney, weak and in later game a little arrogant and selfish

Oh and the voice actress compared to the previous ones was not as good

Lara Croft deserved better and while they are decent games as they are, we deserved actual Tomb Raider games, we could have had better survival games if they just stuck with the original Lara Crofts origin about her plane going down. Surviving 2 weeks in the Himalayas...I'd have liked to seen that, who knows what mystical threat she could have faced in the mountains or underground some secret concealed cave.

Tacoboto897d ago

I thought Shadow of the Tomb Raider had better gameplay than Rise, but it annoyed me the most of the trilogy when I stopped to think about the story.

It's like they deliberately decided to make her unlikeable and did nothing to make the character you're playing as likeable or have even one sign of humility.

SoulWarrior899d ago

2013 I thought was a fine entry, but Rise and especially Shadow were painfully mediocre follow ups imo, I really didn't like how selfish and angry her character was in those two.

Terry_B897d ago

No. Please forget the crap completely.

northpaws897d ago

First one was decent, played through it twice.
Second one was okay, played through it once.
Third one was really bad, tried twice a year apart, still can't get through the first two hours, it is just really bad.

thesoftware730897d ago

Honest question, what did you find bad about it? the opening 2 hrs of Shadow were fantastic imo.

The opening was very similar to the first 2, what did you find really bad?

Not looking for an argument, just an honest question.

Starman69897d ago

3rd one just didn't feel like a tomb raider game. Possibly because the development was passed to another development team. Big mistake! Microsoft killed tomb raider making the first game a timed exclusive. Never recovered after that.

Show all comments (45)