Dear Square and Epic - why does Next Gen look so boring?

OXM's Edwin writes: "A bevy of supposedly "next generation" game engines saw daylight at E3 last week, and they all have two things in common. Firstly, they all look utterly majestic, plastered with the sort of audio-visual razzmatazz otherwise associated with interstellar collisions; and secondly, they all suggest the existence of games that are witheringly tedious."

[dirigiblebill]

I think the "next gen tech" that holds most promise is stuff like expanded online and cross-platform content. Oh, and: a wider range of game prices. When devs can price games that aren't guaranteed 10 million sellers appropriately, they'll be able to make more money from new IP and unusual mechanics. That's how we'll get our Mirror's Edge 2, Beyond Good and Evil 2, etc.

[Sarcasm]

They were showing next-gen tech and engines, not next-gen gaming concepts.

WTF is so hard to understand for these so-called gaming journalists???

[dirigiblebill]

That's addressed in the piece.

[sjaakiejj]

You mean this?

"But they're also exercises in shaping expectation and demand. They set an imaginative (or not) precedent that developers may follow."

Thing is that they don't. They don't set an imaginative precedent, they're not intended to shape player expectations. They're technological demos made to show off the technology, with the intention of interesting third parties to license the technology as well as attracting new developers into the company. That's why they're not shown in the main press conferences.

[dirigiblebill]

Mate - if Epic, the developer of Gears of War, puts a video out on the internet showcasing an engine which shows a bazillion lava molecules flowing down a mountainside, that video is going to "shape player expectations". Whether it's intended to is besides the point. :) This shizzle doesn't happen in a vacuum!

They could have made something that's both technically *and* conceptually impressive, like David Cage's Kara demo. Instead, we get Demon Knight With Hammer.

[eagle21]

I actually found Square's demo rather disturbing. They pumped a caged animal with something that made it go mad. The violence was almost non stop like relentless. I thought it looked creepy at times, pretty at times. I'm not even buying into a FF14 announcement, then wait till 2018-2019 to play it. Forget it.

I agree on realism becoming boring when it's the focus. It doesn't take long for the human eye to get used to something that wowed us a day ago. There must be balance, these are games not tech demonstrations.

[Capt-FuzzyPants]

FF 14 was announced and released years ago.

And maybe they wanted it to be creepy. Something as horrible as you described can create emotions in the person playing the game which is a good thing.

[sjaakiejj]

They're technical demo's intended to show off the technology in the new engines, effects like sub-surface light scattering. They're not games, nor are they likely to be games.

Two games that are next-gen are Watch_Dogs and Star Wars 1313, so look at those and tell me next-gen looks boring. I certainly don't think so. (in fact, I also quite liked the look of Agni's Philosophy)

". I know you're capable of extraordinary visuals, boys and girls. "
A technology demo is made to show exactly that - visuals, and nothing else.

[-Gespenst-]

What??! Agni's Philosophy looked insane!

[Inception]

I remembered i'm having a blast when i'm playing Xenogears, Vagrant Story, or Cloud Strife with doraemon (blocky) hands compare to FF XIII or Front Mission Evolved that had pretty graphics but boring gameplay & story. Sadly, look's like that age will not come twice in my life...

[Dms2012]

Realism is going to force developers to focus more on gameplay, story, and art direction because it will become harder and harder to wow gamers.