HappySqurriel said:
I really have to disagree with this ... Bioshock is (by far) the best game released this generation in terms of immersive environments and all it really is, is System Shock 2 (from 1999) with pretty graphics. For the most part, the entire FPS genre hasn't really developed much from games like Half-Life, System Shock 2, Deus Ex, Counter Strike, Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament. This genre has been stagnant for almost a decade even though processing power has gone up by more than 100 times. The same can be said about most genres ... There are (obviously) some people who are thrilled that racing games now model differentials, and cornering is slightly more realistic, but for the most part people are craving something new ... which hasn't been provided by either the PS3 or XBox 360 |
There is a lot different about games this generation then in previous generations... You stated the obvious graphics... But there is a lot more to them then that.
1) Games are getting better and better AI. The enemies move in many more complex ways then they did in previous generations, and they make better overall decisions which require a lot more processing then previous generations. Especially, as you up the difficulty. There is still lots of room for improvement but there has been a lot of improvements made.
2) Free roaming environments that have more then one solution to the problems. In almost all past generation games, you go through the levels in a very linear method and it was really the only way. Good modern generation games have more then one solution so you can finish the game in many different ways. Look at games like Crackdown where you could approach in almost any way, or BioShock where you can destroy bad guys using many different methods.
3) Size and varied environments. Games may not be getting larger in time required to complete them but environments in Halo 3 and Resistance are massive compare to past generations. Those massive environments are much more detailed and are no longer confined to small room levels in dungeons. Warthogs, planes, hovercrafts, races, etc. are changing games from just FPS to FPS + Driving + Flying etc. Hence the comments that each Halo 3 chapter is larger then the entire Halo 2 game. Again, future generations will continue to grow on this theme.
4) Weapons, Characters, and permutations. Good next gen games have many more weapon choices, characters and permutations that affect everything from the speed you travel at, to the damage levels, to using the right tool for the task. In previous generations there was some of this but in games like BioShock, Halo 3, and Ratchet & Clank you are beginning to really see substantial differences and results based on equipment and character choices.
5) Environment Interaction. More and more, games are allowing you to interact more and more with the environment you are playing in... Stranglehold for example allows you to slide, glide, roll, tumble on, and destroy almost everything that you would expect to do in reality. I don't think Stranglehold is the best game out there, but it is really showing the level to which you will be interacting with the environment going forward.
I don't think that we have seen everything this generation will offer yet, and many developers are just starting to understand what they can do in games this generation. The first year to two years have been about discovery. As new games like MGS, Too Human, Gears 2, BioShock 2, Resistance 2, GTA IV, etc. come out they will send things to a new level that quite simply will not be achievable on a Wii.
