10/06 Update: Since we no longer write for the Edmond Sun, this section is temporarily housing our podcast links for our iTunes feed. All of the columns are in the archives menu if you feel like exploring.

These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair.

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For the Sake
Wednesday, April 20, 2005

The recently released God of War (PS2) is good. Very good. It is currently number twenty on the list of the highest reviewed games of all time, and has been the best-selling game on the system since it's release. It's fast, it's gorgeous, and it's visceral - it's disgruntled protagonist Kratos makes the Prince of Persia look like Ghandi. The main reason the game is so good however, lies in it's design philosophy - don't innovate for innovation's sake, and rather just make a game that is as entertaining as possible to play. From the first showing of the game and up until it's release, creator and lead designer David Jaffe hammered home that fact every opportunity he got. I suggest you pick up the game to see just how strongly he succeeded.

Much is to be said for unique games that push the envelope and try new things, even within an established setting. Psi-Ops innovated by making physics your fun friend in an otherwise mechanically typical third-person action/adventure game. Metal Gear Solid 3 innovated by introducing a cool new camouflage element to spicen up the somewhat antiquated sneaking gameplay. And Katamari Damacy innovated just by being Katamari Damacy. It's not hard to do if you have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish and the talent and means to achieve it. Problem is, most developers don't. Traveller's Tales tried to include as many genres as possible in their platformer Haven, and therefore failed at making any of them fun. More recently, Point of View tried to make taking drugs a crucial gameplay dynamic in Narc, and we all know how that turned out (hint: not well). For all the forward-thinking and creativity that this industry needs, there are so many cases when making a game unique has taken precedent over making it fun. And that's not good for anyone. God of War is a veritable "best-of" the entire action/adventure genre, taking the best ideas from the cream of the crop and trimming them down to their essentials. And it's done in a unique setting (mythological ancient Greece), which makes it all seem fresh and compelling. As I've said, it's a shockingly effective way to make a game, but so few people try it, and even fewer accomplish it.

Imagine, for a second, how this could work in other genres. Let's pretend that instead of making Gran Turismo 5, Polyphony decides to make a FUN game, called Super Cartastrophe. They can keep their intricate physics and detailed car models, even a handful of licenses. But they'll add Burnout's amazing crashes and sense of speed, Midnight Club's open cities and breakneck competition, Outrun's simple-but-incredibly-effective powersliding system, Project Gotham Racing's points system, and, say, Mario Kart's power-ups. And set it in 2355, or perhaps 1963. There's no doubt that this game would be nothing short of derivative, but does it not sound like the best racing game you've ever played? By a very wide margin, you say? I thought so.

Let's keep going. Instead of Soul Caliber 3 (which is actually coming out this fall), Namco goes back to the drawing boards and comes up with Getting Your Fool Ass Kicked: The Game. It maintains the fluid and deep weapons combat of Soul Caliber, but adds the great character design of Tekken, the over-the-top moves and insane reversal system of Guilty Gear, the learning AI and infinitely deep move set of Virtua Fighter, the perfect balance of Street Fighter, and the finishing moves of Mortal Kombat. Is there any doubt that this would enthrall would-be brawlers like nothing before it? Hell, you could even have Todd McFarlene name it if he's dying to contribute.

Do you see how this works yet? Development costs are going to skyrocket for this next generation, which will also make games more expensive for consumers. Since you'll be buying fewer games from a smaller pool of games released, wouldn't you prefer to only buy one game from each main genre, outside of the usual franchises that you support? I almost want to write myself hate mail for this column, as it could be read as completely counteractive to creativity. That's not what I mean though - I just want to see more games like God of War, that don't go out of their way trying to be something new - they just end up doing so by following through on their original design and making sure it's fun to play every step of the way.


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