3D is becoming better and better, and there's been an idea floating around since the N64 that more dimensions is better( which is BS) when it comes to games. We're losing our 2D, and I, and many others, want it back.
Don't you find it odd that most people are able to have as much or more fun out of 2D games which are now mostly only on handheld consoles? However, if handhelds keep getting better, with the current mentality, we'll see a huge decline of 2D games, and we can already see that with the PSP, as most games for it are in 3D.
3D is not "better" than 2D, and many gamers agree, yet the industries aren't paying attention. We end up with mostly indie developers that make decent 2D games nowadays, since they actually look around.
Think of the awesome effects we could get out of 2D with how powerful the consoles are now. Just look at Odin Sphere on the PS2 and just how amazing 2D can look. Most gamers like both 2D and 3D, though we have a group that prefer 2D and another that prefer 3D, and that's fine (different strokes for different folks). A lot like the simplicity and clear view that come from 2D. People who like to feel immersed, however, like 3D: They prefer all the bling bling and the realistic tone to everything, including a camera view that reflects 3D in which you actually need to turn around to see what's around you :S.
Lots of people still play old NES and SNES games, not just for nostalgia, but because some games are just generally fun.. and back then we had crappy systems and programming techniques, along with unexperienced designers.. Imagine how awesome 2D could be if they spent more resources on those nowadays. We musn't forget what a "game" is. It can be realistic, sure, but some people have enough of reality, and just want some good ol amusing gameplay. I consider puzzle games and Geometry wars to good examples of pure gameplay, since there's not even gravity, and it's fun and amusing, and it had nothing to do with realism; but realism or no realism, games should be about fun.
Now, when I say 2D, it mostly refer to 2D gameplay, but 2D graphics are also design choice that a lot of people just generally prefer, just like many prefer cartoons/anime over reality shows, so both need to stay alive. My friend was pretty pissed off when they used a 3D mario sprite in the 'new' mario. We're losing the look as well. Cell shading is a poor replacement.
Personally, I like both 2D and 3D, and enjoy them for different reasons. I think the gaming industry is doing good pacing on 3D gaming, but is overlooking the potential of 2D gaming. Thankfully, since downloadable games have started popping up, 2D game back into the scene for a while, but now it's starting to decrease again. We can see many franchises that use to thrive in 2D shift into 3D instead of doing both.
How do you guys feel about losing 2D more and more? And what are you thoughts on it?
