Final-Fan said:
Wait, I would have thought that homogeneization of game engines was part of the devolution of gaming that you hate. Not so? |
Game engines? No, I don't mind that at all, older isometric RPG's, among other things, show that this can yield truly great results and it unties developers' hands from the slavery of constructing everything from absolute scratch so they can focus on content, not to mention the massive scaleability and customization possible with such engines. Unoriginal concepts, piss poor writing, cheap scripted tricks to cover poor AI, superficial gameplay features that add nothing, repetetive gameplay, polish over depth, hand-holding features to appeal to a broader audience, day one DLC, tacky dialogue added to "shock" or to be "mature" and a lot other hallmarks of the 7th gen; yes.
On the controller issue, Kinect and Gamepad specifically:
Kinect is seemingly going into a more interface directed phase of use, it seems, voice control, gestures etc, still not nearly good enough for the price but a use at least. The thing is; you could remove Kinect entirely and the console itself wouldn't really be worse off for it, it's not a vital part of it for gameplay purposes and it still has the market constant and massive support without the need for a unique feature to lure in customers.
The Gamepad does not have this luxury and it is also by far a more clumsy concept, I see a lot of people in here stating that they should simply remove the Gamepad and re-brand the Wii U. What would that make it? A less unique console, a less powerful alternative to the One/PS4 will terrible support and worse non-gaming features. That's my whole point through the last two-three years; the Wii U is designed from the bottom up with the Gamepad in mind as a unique feature to set it apart and as a gimmick to draw in customers but the Gamepad is a poorly conceived and executed idea and is in no small part to blame for the lousy sales we're seeing. To top it off; it has yet to prove itself as a meaningful addition to the ever growing world of alternative controllers, and in many cases it makes processes needlessly complicated and adds nothing of value to the gameplay.
The Gamepad is attempting to coverge two concepts and thus draw in gamers from two markets, all this from a position of absolutely no momentum and this plan is bound to fail. We're seeing it fail right before out very eyes. Imagine trying to sell a Toyota Yaris with the engine from a Ferrari 430 Scuderia, a quirky and fun concept for someone with peculiar interest but hardly a worthwhile product for the fans of either the Toyota Yaris or the Ferrari 430 Scuderia (not saying which is which, I'm just making a point here). This also ties into my point about one platform appealing to the entire breadth of the market, or two very different segments of it, it's just not doable to any significant extent.
Kinect is somewhat better off in that it can at least appeal to more than one demographic as an interface tool in the OS, if not as a controller option.
I also think, as I've mentioned, that focus will be shifted more and more away from Kinect overall. If MS decides to take it out of the equation through a new SKU, it would still be an appealing product at the core, properly aimed at the constant through breadth of software and support, as well as good integration of non-gaming features, the same cannot be said for the Wii U; removing the Gamepad gives it an even more severe identity problem and effectively makes it even more confusing to new customers and takes away the one unique feature without a proper constant to fall back on. The worst part is that with the extended development cycles compared to the 7th gen, Nintendo can't simply mass produce software and have a new batch ready almost in an instant like before, this is also probably why we're seeing such lack of proper announcements with set dates, even at a time where they should be desperate to show future promise.
Nintendo hedged their bets on the casual base from the bygone Wii-era falling for the Gamepad, as well as the core, this shows better than anything that they just can't read the market properly as it stands, they don't fully grasp what it is that makes people shell out for an iPad or a PS4/One and their constant PR blunders are also awkward to watch (Reggie making a lukewarm announcement very recently being among them).
I imagine a lot of people in here will be left hanging in their anticipation of the great return of the Wii audience, they must have missed the exodus and the fact that consumers like these move only forwards towards higher percieved value (see more detailed post for further explanation), and not back. This amazing turnaround is an illusion, it would require the utter and simultaneous collapse of several markets and providers and hinges upon circumstances so unlikely they bear no thought. This whole thread is a continuation of the 6-7 year old crusade to see the likes of Sony and Microsoft burn due to past sleights, the agenda is crystal clear if you're willing to see it.
