Worried about possibly too much gameplay in MGS4.

[rocketpig]

I definitely agree with you, and I think some companies, Nintendo for instance, feed on the idea of gaming never growing up. I like to think of games as art, so I am resistant to companies like this and embrace game designers who try to do something artistic on more than a gameplay level. You were absolutely right in an earlier post when you talked about gaming budgets getting bigger but stories, voice acting, characterization, etc. are still neglected.

I'm of the opinion that there is a place for everything here. Nintendo doesn't focus on story but instead almost completely eliminates the story in favor of gameplay. Given the nature of video games as media, this is a perfectly acceptable way of doing things and not much different from your average pick-up-and-play puzzle game. Games retaining a focus is fine, just like movies. What really bothers me are the games that try to tell a story and end up rehashing the same cliched bullshit over and over again. It's actually one of the things that worries me about Gears 2. Personally, I appreciated the fact that Epic made absolutely no attempt to put a story in the game. If they did, it probably would have ended up insulting anyone with a brain or good taste, just like most other action games.

I'm not against the "Blockbuster" game... They have a place, just like the movies. But as I get older, I'm starting to get really irritated that 95% of games are the same bullshit over and over again and if they do try something different with the story, they fall flat on their face commercially.

I honestly think games are moving further away from artistic respectability too with the emphasis on casual gaming. Its like Jerry Bruckheimer has taken over the gaming industry. When development budgets eventually come under control by the end of the generation, maybe things will have improved a little.

I don't blame Nintendo for this... They're the ones who always remained true to the simple "let's get right to the gameplay" strategy of gaming. I blame all the "storytellers" in games who try to make something intelligent and then proceed to muck it up with bad dialogue, terrible acting, and plots that make Star Wars look intriguing and deep.