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Veknoid_Outcast on 13 November 2016
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pokoko said:
Veknoid_Outcast said:

I also think it has a lot to do with technology, Reim.

I believe strongly that constraints actually boost creativity. That's why you see so many great games from Nintendo and indie developers. They're operating under (sometimes self-imposed) restrictions in terms of power and budget. Then you look at games built with blank checks and you see a creatively bankrupt experience.

This is a generalization of course. Gears of War 4 and Infinite Warfare are two of the finest games of the gen, and they cost a fortune.

But I think as technology has advanced over the past two generations it's made studios lazier, less imaginative, and much less open to risk-taking.

Sony and Microsoft don't seem to get it. With Scorpio and Pro, they're actually doubling down on power.

That would be Nintendo in a nutshell, which is at odds with your praise.  They do more "more of the same" than anyone, resulting in a lot of the market moving away in order to find different experiences.  I'd easily put them behind Sony in terms of imagination and risk-taking relative to the games themselves.  If developers and publishers are being called out for cultivating a stagnant garden, Nintendo should probably be on that list.  

But I'm talking about game design. Sure Sony can make an experiment like Puppeeter or Tearaway - something very imaginative and risky that ultimately plays poorly.

I think making a 2D Mario in 2012 and using it to launch a system is pretty ballsy, especially because prevailing wisdom among hardcore gamers is what you've summarized: it's a lazy, uninspired cash grab. But that couldn't be further from the truth. It's packed with creative mechanics and interesting ideas.

Nintendo is creative and takes risks in terms of mechanics and gameplay, which is really all that matters. Being able to superimpose myself into the sun in Tearaway is fine and all, but it's not rewarding. 

Edit: I think we're on different pages. You're talking about genre diversity and creativity, and I'm talking about mechanical diversity and creativity. In the case of genre diversity, I agree that Nintendo is too narrowly focused and reluctant to take on riskier projects. But when it does take on an unexplored genre, as it did with Splatoon, it proves how inventive it can be.