| CGI-Quality said: Some good points, but I still disgaree with the mindset that two consoles sharing 70% or so of their libraries is good. In fact, I think it's tragic, and the very reason the two consoles share the same library in the first place (chasing the quick buck). I'm a person that understands that costs are high. Then we need more risks such as HEAVY RAIN or Flower. The point of a new console, and furthering to a new generation of gaming, is to exploit new innovations that were not only unavailable before, but can't be found on competing hardware, no matter how similar costs/specs are. If more companies strived for difference, they might just find success. Of course, nothing is guaranteed (we have examples this gen that support both theories). 3rd parties are just chasing behind similar, money grabbing properties and unlike past gens, it's hurting more than helping. Genres are beginning to feel stale and worn-out. That is WHY Flower or HEAVY RAIN or even ALAN WAKE felt like such reliefs, there's not much out there like them (no, WAKE isn't much like SILENT HILL or Resident Evil @ it's core). No matter, 1st & 2nd Parties are a Godsend. |
If you're lamenting the loss of innovation this generation, then I feel you're lamenting the wrong reasons. This generation has been a transitional one for the gaming industry into new revenue models, new multiplayer experiences and new control schemes. The best reason why the industry has been stale on many genres is that both the consumers of game media and publishers have retrenched into a more conservative mindset. This generation in many ways is simply an extension of the previous generation with the experiences being more inline with previous generation offerings. To get truly innovative experiences you need both the hardware and the consumer to be alligned to look to both create and consume these innovative new game experiences. This is the reason why the most innovative software can be found on the Wii. It has nothing to do with a game being nominally exclusive unless supported by explicit reasons for that exclusivity, I.E. the experience can not be recreated on other hardware.
First and second party software are a different animal entirely. They don't have to be successful by themselves because they have an alterior motivation in their creation in terms of selling additional hardware and by nature they are there to pave the way for the rest, I.E. consumers/3rd party publishers to follow. If the loss of 3rd party exclusivity and homogonisation is a problem for you then you have to lay the blame on the feet of both Microsoft and Sony for their own lack of hardware innovation and vision. Thats the major reason behind why everything is multiplatform is because they themselves both created a Playstation 3. The foundation of this generation was laid for them to be conservative and risk averse because the platforms themselves support nothing more than this. Never before has there been so little difference between two consoles as they both have DX9 specification graphics cards, they both have the same quantity of RAM and they both have CPUs which share a very close lineage.
The only way you're going to see a truly innovative and exciting console generation is if all parties diverge in terms of their hardware and ecosystems and something new comes into the mix. The reason why I believe so strongly in 3D is not that im interested in the 3D effect itself, im more interested in what comes of the experimental development where both developers are pursuing innovation towards this field and consumers are interested in trying out a completely new experience. This generation is a transition really into the next generation. The next generation is the culmination of this one and the period of consolidation will end. Its up to the console makers themselves to lay this foundation and create truly differentiated hardware and finally we have this opportunity. AMD has a fantastic CPU/GPU called Llano, Intel has Larrabee 3 in the pipeline for 2011/12 and IBM has multiple architectures of interest to us like POWER 7 and further development of the Cell. Beyond this we know that all three are pursuing innovation in different fields, Microsoft has their camera interface, Nintendo isn't going to release the Wiimote 2 and Sony has their Move. Each are relevant in different ways to 3D and in creating new experiences.
Tease.
