70°

Twisted Metal developer David Jaffe to address storytelling at D.I.C.E.

David Jaffe will deliver a speech about negative effects of storytelling on the video game medium at the D.I.C.E summit in Las Vegas.

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psbeyond.com
rezzah4881d ago (Edited 4881d ago )

Negative aspects of storytelling within video games (that i can think of):

Cut-scenes - take up part of the game`s time. There are those who believe that games are meant to be solely played without any ``interruption`` from cut-scenes.

Don`t care - Some people simply don`t care for story and only play for gameplay. CoD MP only players, and then there are games like monster where the focus is only gameplay (story is in mission notes).

Repetition/bland - With each game it becomes harder to create something original (something never done before), this being that people naturally borrow ideas from others or something to blend ideas together. Sometimes this may not appear as ``new`` but as a rip-off of someone else idea. In the example of sequels, some may increase with intensity and actually engage the player while others may lose the player`s attachment and eventually appear bland. In my opinion, KZ is a series in which the story has gotten interesting and very engaging over time. On the other hand, CoD4 to MW3 is an example of a story losing its touch with each sequel (opinion).

I am sure there are other reasons that can be brought up, but I cannot think of anymore currently.

Still something to note is with each negative idea brought up there is a equal positive idea in opposition.

LightofDarkness4881d ago

Cutscene overkill, hand-holding, corridor gameplay (designing maps to funnel you from one cutscene to the next, eliminating exploration), not allowing player interactivity during key moments/scenes...

There are a few.

rezzah4881d ago (Edited 4881d ago )

I can think of positive reasons for all of those examples except 1.

Hand Holding.

I must admit that there is only 1 game think I can think of that had Hand-holding in it, and to me it was the worst aspect of the game. Enslaved.

If possible can you provide other games that have hand-holding?

Edit: i want to see if I can find a positive reason for hand-holding story telling.

SamPao4881d ago

I agree with rezzah.

I mean I LOVE the storytelling in Killzone 2 for example, I think its VERY VERY great and the gameplay is total Tunneling, but hey, it is actually fun.

Hand holding...Enslaved, wow that game sucked hard because of the gameplay, let alone story that was fkng rushed at the end...

Nac4881d ago

Can't we have a medium that caters to both crowds? I have long felt that there is soon to be a split between things that are meant to be "fun" and things that are meant to be experiences. What is wrong with having things for all people? Hell, if Jaffe wants to make something that is pure game, let him. If ND wants to go out and make something that is more of an experience, power to them, I am sure I will/would enjoy both.

160°

Twisted Metal Actor Has Heard About a "Special Release" Bundle Coming to PS5 in 2025

Will PlayStation bring back some classic Twisted Metal games?

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comicbook.com
Tacoboto264d ago

TM3 is my favorite but I'll take what they bring out gladly. Fun times back in the day and great soundtracks

Cacabunga263d ago

Last one on ps4 wasn’t good at all.
Hoping for some good reboot or remake of the first 3

Dagexon263d ago

You mean the one on ps3?

Cacabunga263d ago

Yes i do, thanks! I realized too late couldn’t edit

badboyz09264d ago (Edited 263d ago )

Lego 2K Drive features an exciting mode called Brick Brawl, inspired by Twisted Metal. Players can create, share, and upload various cars, including ones like Sweet Tooth. The game boasts thousands of custom cars, ranging from the Batmobile to the Sweet Tooth ice cream truck.

InUrFoxHole263d ago

Never understood the like for the series. Not my bag but I know a lot of gamers are clamoring for a new game and liked the TV. Series

TiredGamer263d ago (Edited 263d ago )

TM1 and 2 are time period classics. They were a bit rough, ugly, and grungy, but they felt right during the time period they were released and they scratched that early console “death match” itch before FPS games would completely swallow that market.

Many great memories with friends playing couch co-op and 1v1. Short, and quick-and-dirty gameplay that we returned to over and over. I’d buy a remake or proper remastering of the first two games day one.

InUrFoxHole263d ago

Lol, nice! I remember having the tiger handheld or watch..

FinalFantasyFanatic263d ago

I played those so much as I kid, I bought the Twisted Metal games that were on PSN as Playstation Classics, wow, they feel clunky by today's standards, they could really use the remake/remaster treatment.

UltimateOwnage263d ago

Twisted Metal: Black is when the series really hit for me. I still love that game so much. It was kind of downhill for the series after that IMO. I'd love to see the series go back to its roots, but I don't hold out a lot of hope for David Jaffe coming back from where he is these days to oversee development of a competent sequel.

Snookies12263d ago

Black was the pinnacle in my opinion. I adored TM1 and TM2, for sure. But Black brought it to a whole new level of awesome.

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60°

Twisted Metal Retro Review – Nothing Short Of Iconic

Everyone knows Twisted Metal... I mean literally everyone! Whether it is simply a childhood classic for you, or one of the worst, mind-corrupting disgraces to entertainment you can think of, you've at least heard of this iconic title.

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pslegends.com
360°

God Of War Creator Thinks That The Character Of Kratos Took A Wrong Turn

Terri writes: "In a recent video released by the creator of the God of War series, David Jaffe, we can see that Jaffe is not fond of the direction PlayStation took regarding the franchise, and in particular, Kratos himself."

SinisterMister550d ago

Well, I personally think that Santa Monica did an absolutely phenomenal job with Kratos, showcasing insane character development in all the right ways.

Jin_Sakai550d ago

I disagree. God of War went from a brutal action game where Kratos was slaying gods to a boring father figure. God of War 3 was my favorite in the series.

Christopher550d ago

I much prefer the focused and purposeful with reason Kratos who still gets into brutal combat and still has to kill gods even though he tries not to. Past Kratos was just anger personified and did nothing but subvert any expectations of him being something else other than just rage.

darthv72550d ago

2 is still my favorite. Everything about that game is top shelf design. the scale and scope of things like fighting the colossus of rhodes to awakening the steeds of time... just epic. 3 was good, but 2 is the high point of the original trilogy (for me).

The direction santa monica took for the reboot was less GoW (god of war) and more GoW (gears of war). The whole 3rd person perspective, having a partner (even if its his son), and lack of verticality with no more jumping and creating crazy areal combos... it was difficult to come to terms with but i managed. the story was good though, but i still give the nod to greek mythology over norse (and likely egyptian if that is where they go next).

frostypants550d ago

I can see it either way. I agree that the series now has nothing in common with the original beyond superficial character appearances and general setting. They sort of used the IP to sell an entirely different style of game. That said the new games are well made in their own right.

VivaLaManual550d ago

Yes. The game grew and stopped being one dimensional. What a shame....

DarXyde550d ago

I don't even think Jaffe really understood Kratos, despite creating him. Or rather, he doesn't seem to understand how he created the fertile ground for this kind of character development arc.

He was always a warrior, but he had a very human element since day one. He had a chance to protect his family again in God of War I and Ares took them away... Again. He knows he can't get them back and moved forward as the new God of War. Fast forward, the Gods betrayed him (though he was still sympathetic to Athena at the time). Eventually, he waged war with Olympus.

He was part of the pantheon and that would've been the entirety of his story arc where he oversaw war for all time.

But the truth this, Kratos has changed, but he largely remained the same. His two constants were always pride in his family and revenge against those who have wronged him. You take those two together (a threat to his family and Gods looking to kill him) and the direction he's taken is pretty congruent with who Kratos always has been. I guess you can say Kratos would just be a merciless monster for the sake of it, but the old games never explore present aspects of the character (e.g., what kind of father Kratos was). We got a look at that, and with a boy, no less.

I find the franchise did well to age with the audience. I was an angry teen when the original came out. Now I'm kinda mellowed out with a family and I just get it.

I think it did an excellent job of connecting with the audience as we grew up. It's a bit like Toy Story in that regard.

Monstieur550d ago (Edited 550d ago )

Agree. I liked GoW 3 the best as well. There weren't enough unique boss fights in the reboot.

Crows90549d ago (Edited 549d ago )

Well he aged considerably. Define boring father figure exactly? Maybe your father was boring but don't put that blame on others.

As far as slaying gods ...you're right ...he went from god slaying to....hmmm god slaying.

The newer Kratos matured with the audience. They could have just kept doing the same game over and over but they saw it getting stale so they had to switch the formula...they did so incredibly well.

SinisterMister549d ago

While God of War 3 is undoubtedly excellent in its own manner, the "boring father figure" part is something I don't agree with. For starters, if the situation calls for it, the old Kratos is back on camera, like when he fights against a particular Aesir god in Ragnarok.

tombfan549d ago

He achieved his goal... he actually got the revenge he was so desperately needing and in the end what? It'd be terrible character development if he would just go to another mythology to kill more gods just for the sake of they being gods. They actually gave them a meaning in life, and even better, they got an amazing idea of how to create a new game with actual bealavility and a plot, not just merciless kill.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 549d ago
savedsynner549d ago

Agree 100% Kratos had about an inch of depth before the norse version. Now he feels like a real character, a real dad, with real reactions based on his experiences.

gold_drake550d ago

i think they did a fantastic job with Kratos.

Snookies12550d ago

Wasn't Jaffe the one who got stuck on something easy in Metroid Dread and started bashing the game because of it? From what I played of GoW 2018, they actually gave Kratos some much-needed depth. I definitely plan to finally go through the newer entries once my PS5 comes in.

tombfan549d ago

Jaffe got stuck with his young mind thinking and it really showed with his latest attempt in gaming "Drawn to Death" it was like a teenage dream that became true and also, sucked.

Christopher550d ago

This whole video was essentially him finding comments to back up his own opinion. "It looks like a lot of people think..."

Yeah, well what do the review scores, sales, user scores, and completion rates on the last two say? Anything on that?

Reaper22_549d ago

Nothing wrong with his opinion. He created it so he's earned the right to criticize. Review scores and sales have nothing to do with it. It's success was never in question.

Christopher549d ago

You should probably read the first part of my comment. He's cherry picking opinions to support his but ignoring the plethora of other opinions.

Yeah, he's allowed his opinion, but his arguing method is to act like people just agree with him and not the diverse opinions out there on the subject.

-Foxtrot550d ago (Edited 550d ago )

People won’t like it I know but he’s entitled to his opinion being the games creator

I totally disagree but it’s not going to ruin the game for us who do like it

purple101550d ago

Yeh I may or may not disagree but he created the original and without him we would have no god of war, (or maybe one that wasn’t as good). So he can say what he wants in my books

Last I heard of him he made a black ad white game with a weird sketch art style. Similar to Sega Madworld

Haven’t heard from him since
Shame

itBourne549d ago

Drawn to Death, yeh, played it at the Playstation experience, it was quite fun, an old school arena shooter. Then it came out, and everyone died quicker, so strafe battles gone. It essentially turned into die, insta spawn, use ult, get a kill, they insta spawn, ult you, you die, and just repeat that loop lmao, its was terrible.

Christopher550d ago

I just have a problem with him saying they shouldn't have called it God of War because his opinion doesn't align with theirs on the future of the IP. That part I felt was pointedly petty.

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