I love the 3D Zelda camera systems. I still think their camera system could make for a neat fighting game system. While game designers should be able to make their default camera work, I personally think the more control given over the camera the better. Same goes for options in a video-game. I understand defaults, and they can make the options unlockables, but it almost always bothers me when fairly easy options aren't added. Nintendo is usually a big culprit of missing options.

Also, I've not really noticed any lag issues with the Wiimote, but that's not to say it's not there or that it doesn't need to be fixed. Nintendo does need to get cracking on being more innovative/relevant with the wiimote functions though.

You made a bunch of other good points, but I'm lazy and just responded to these two.


I agree. Before, this was an issue -- they could only risk so much with so much money invested in the game's development. With the rising use of episodic content and xbox live arcade/wii shopping channel and the like, they really don't have an excuse anymore.


I HATE THAT! The Grand Turismo games never felt like a good simulation at all because they'd bounce off the walls when you ran into them. Ugh.

As for scripting, developers should stop claiming that salespitch when they don't have it, but it does seem really hard to avoid scripting, and "unscripted gameplay" is a really big selling point.

I'm really sick of cheesey anime themes and girlyboy character design. Ultimately even the more mature Japanese games all seem like the males are channelling Dragonball Z and the females are straight out of Sailor Moon. I haven't been captured by the storyline in a Japanese game since I've gotten a bit older, and I just feel like I've outgrown that type of game. Meanwhile American game studios have been tearing it up for the past couple of years with games that aren't held back by really annoying characters.

That was another bad one. And not just the infinite stack room, but everywhere. You had rooms filled with shipping crates but no way to get the crates in and out of the room. The crates were all way too big to fit through the doors. All they needed to do was put a door on the ceiling. Taking it a step further, have some of the doors be open and showing a crane up above. Just something.

As I recall JK did a pretty good job of it. In Nar Shaddaa, all the cargo moved through the system in a reasonably realistic fashion, especially for 1997 when game engines weren't really advanced enough to put too much detail into less important aspects of the level. I remember the cargo lift system from the Valley of the Jedi levels, that was awesome.

Except for that one part in level 2 where the crates magically slid off the elevators.

You could actually see the crates being moved too, and in rooms or arenas full of crates there'd usually be a hoist or a crane kicking around somewhere. It's done way better than I've ever seen it in any other game.

HL1, as awesome as it was, suffered so much from this problem. Did they actually build Black Mesa with crates and crates full of army supplies or something? The big crates are so huge you'd need a forklift to move them but they, again, aren't sitting on top of pallets.
You'd think at least one person at Valve has worked in a warehouse.


I'm going to add something to my list. Something that I'd forgotten, even though it pisses me off more than everything else combined:

- HIDDEN SLASHABLE GRATES! This is not good gameplay! This is not fun! Raven, you bunch of tools: every single room in every single level of JO was identical. In some levels you literally copied and pasted an entire area and made the only distinguishing element the fact that you could now slash open a previously-unslashable grate.

You know what? JO seriously is the incarnated combination of the worst ideas from every single FPS ever made. Jumping puzzles, hidden grates, key hunts, generic architecture, enormous open level full of snipers, escort mission, forced stealth segment... were we really ever so desperate for a new Dark Forces Anything that we thought this was fun?

I liked JO...

What I don't like?
Games are more of the same nowadays.
There's little innovation.
I haven't played Okami, but it looks to be innovative.
Viewtiful Joe was a great game. It was slightly innovative in that it was a new take on the side-scroller game, with a 3d twist.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time ranks as one of my all-time favorite new types of gameplay/innovative titles. I also loved the story/environments/characters. The sequals were ok/good, but I consider SOT to be an original on its own, despite being based on a previous series.

I agreed with whoever said that "next gen" games are just better-graphic versions of old gameplay mechanics. (Gears of War might be an exception).

There's just not much good storytelling nowadays.

The problem is, someone with a great idea for a game needs billions of dollars (yes exaggerated) and 100 developers to do it.

Also, some new ideas tend to be smashed into games as "part" of the game: "Now in GTA(x), you can swim on top of stealing cars. Oh look, spraypainting. Now you can press the buttons on the panel instead of just hitting the "use button" in the FPS on top of shooting stuff."
Albeit cool, you still get the same feeling as the previous game with little new innovation.

Yeah, that shows in the the lack of interesting environments as well.

this is a multiplayer game... doesn't count in the conversation

Crates and boxes, as far as the eye can see!

Damn, playing Jedi Outcast today, I realized how bad and ugly some of the level design is. Seriously, I didn't remember it being this bad. Maybe because I've played the game mostly on a laptop with a resolution less than 800x600. Or maybe because I'm still editing with the Q3 engine.

For example, in the picture, you can see spots of light but no light sources what so ever.

haha, do you have other pictures of bad level design in JO? It's good for the lulz and I haven't seen/played the game in forever...

Well, I don't want to derail the subject, but sure. 3 screenshots from one level (cairn_reactor).



I'm not sure if anyone remembers this well, but I think it's one of the most bulls**t moments in JO. It took place where you had to navigate, with force speed, a network of insta-kill lasers. There was moment where two paths of lasers intersect at a corner. Now, one laser follows a predictable pattern of going on and off. Okay, so you used force speed when it was temporarily off. So you assume the second laser (the one facing the camera in the SS) is time-based too. Ha, f*** no. The only time the second laser turns on is when you trigger the scripting event by being at a certain spot. In other words, location-based. In this case, near the "path" of the second laser. So you have to trigger the firing of the laser, back off, wait till the laser is finished, and move on. But Raven gave the impression that all these lasers are just timing puzzles. Then how the hell does the stupid-a** laser beam "know" that you are in the immediate area. Did the reactor become self-aware and is out to get you? I never been so frustrated at a game before.



This is what Emon was talking about (I think). The two stormtroopers are in a recessed area that is too high to reach without force jump. There is no door to get there and no lift to use. Then how the hell did the two get up there?



Worst texturing job I've seen in a game. Hurr, pipes!

Yeah I liked JO because of the combat and the "feeling" of being a jedi. But the poor level design just sometimes blow me away, especially now when I return to look at it with a more critical eye. *shrug*

let me expand on this a little:

when the escortee is stupid

and when the enemies are bountiful

Repetition.

Yeah, JO design sucked pretty bad, but I only play it for the MP anymore, and most on Bespin Streets at that.

I liked JO. And I like JA. They're not as good as JK though (although JA comes close).

I would have liked to see the weapons from JK in JO and JA. The only "new" weapon I really liked was the trip mine.

Agreed but dear bloody God even JO's insanest levels hold no candles of retardation to the Coruscant level in JA. In fact, calling it Coruscant is pretty exaggerating itself.

As well as calling it a level... hrrr.

see JO: Imperial Officer only walks when you point a gun at it directly

wrararar

Sometimes I'd rather have just 10-12 hours of strong narrative than hundreds of hours of sandbox gameplay with very little narrative. Of course, if it's going to be 10-12 hours of strong narrative, it probably isn't a simple FPS.




The co-op in System Shock 2 was sloppy and tacked on, yet it still managed to be one of the most satisfying gaming experiences I've ever had. I agree.



I thought Shadow of the Colossus pulled off the brown-with-an-orchestra thing pretty damn well.

I like escort missions where the person you're escorting is competant.

directly directly. To a subpixel accuracy. He walks slow as hell, too, and up a flight of stairs so you were forced to actually walk with him by meticulously tapping the walk forward key and constantly adjusting your aim. It's like the developers knew that players would just line up their aim and grab a beer while the officer walked himself to the control room and tried as hard as they could to prevent that from happening.

Along those lines, I used to keep a rubber band on my joystick so I could let TIE/XvT/XWA just hull-bash a cruiser after stripping the defenses.

Got any examples? I can't think of any escort mission I've done with any competent AI.

HL2: Episode 1 and 2. At first I thought Alyx was fragile and jumped to take on any inbound attacks toward her. Like any gentlemen would. Turns out, she takes on an ungodly amount of damage and enemies and rather helpful when clearing out foes. The only time I saw Alyx die was in Episode 2 when she took on like 3 Combine Hunters to the face. And I sat back and watched.

i managed to run her over in the car AND SHE STILL DIDN'T DIE even gave me that same "i love you gordon" look

that's some true love there

Well, Alyx wasn't an escortee, she was a partner.

A partner who by all rights should have optionally been controlled by player 2.

Wow, that would make for one lousy ex girlfriend, lol

I think Resident Evil 4 did the escorting pretty well.

And honestly, Alyx is too much of a character to rightly replace for player 2 in a co-op option. However, they could easily add player 2 (plus however many) as random resistance members.