Adventure Forums - View Single Post - My problem with next-gen games...

squarejawhero · 12-08-2005, 03:23 PM

Well, as much as I love these graphics and the opportunites for new technology... well, coming from animation and direction (now, thanks to a new job) I'm starting to find myself underwhelmed by next-gen games.

Why?

a) Game creators still don't understand about visual narrative and how to tell a story. That people PLAYTEST their interactive direction even in first person and hone it from the ground up this way, rather than have someone on board that already knows the tricks in how to make a flat, 2D surface work for you, and thus waste hours and possibly more money, amazes me. But there ya go.

b) and this is a BIG B)... animation.

I see a lot of eye candy hanging off of overused mocap and poor animation routines with absolutely NO subtlety. I love Oblivion, truly I do... I WANT to play it... but the animation lacks any kind of interest for me. The ideas are great, but the execution? Sure, I understand it's not possible to run through Pixar routines, but the truth is, this kind of thing is a deal breaker in believing in a world. You could with Morrowind, for example, because fundamentally we're asked to step over an imaginative threshold into the world because it's presentation wasn't lifelike. Now, as characters reach a point where it's becoming uncanny, having the same stiff routines as games over 5 years old doesn't cut the mustard and can break effect.

Truth is, until games actually suit their overall sheen from very fundemental levels, I'm always going to feel a little out of the picture.

Anyone else feel the same way?

12-08-2005, 03:23 PM	#1
squarejawhero Epinionated. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: London Posts: 5,841	My problem with next-gen games... Well, as much as I love these graphics and the opportunites for new technology... well, coming from animation and direction (now, thanks to a new job) I'm starting to find myself underwhelmed by next-gen games. Why? a) Game creators still don't understand about visual narrative and how to tell a story. That people PLAYTEST their interactive direction even in first person and hone it from the ground up this way, rather than have someone on board that already knows the tricks in how to make a flat, 2D surface work for you, and thus waste hours and possibly more money, amazes me. But there ya go. b) and this is a BIG B)... animation. I see a lot of eye candy hanging off of overused mocap and poor animation routines with absolutely NO subtlety. I love Oblivion, truly I do... I WANT to play it... but the animation lacks any kind of interest for me. The ideas are great, but the execution? Sure, I understand it's not possible to run through Pixar routines, but the truth is, this kind of thing is a deal breaker in believing in a world. You could with Morrowind, for example, because fundamentally we're asked to step over an imaginative threshold into the world because it's presentation wasn't lifelike. Now, as characters reach a point where it's becoming uncanny, having the same stiff routines as games over 5 years old doesn't cut the mustard and can break effect. Truth is, until games actually suit their overall sheen from very fundemental levels, I'm always going to feel a little out of the picture. Anyone else feel the same way? __________________ Starter of Thread Must Die.