The Wii's major selling point last gen was the whole motion control party system thing. But that concept barely seems to register as a thing these days.
How many video games have actually benefited from motion controls? I'll list the ones that come to mind:
Wii Sports & Wii Sports Resort Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 (did they even serve a purpose here? can't recall) Metroid Prime Trilogy No More Heroes
Not that many, frankly. And there were other Wii games where the motion controls actually made it worse (Donkey Kong Country Returns, GoldenEye Wii) or weren't even used (Xenoblade). And the Wii U uses them pretty sparingly. Plus the handful of Sony or Microsoft games with motion controls seemed to suck and/or shamelessly copycat Wii games.
Time for a good coverage of this topic. What's the overall takeaway when it comes to motion controls? Innovation or gimmick? Fun or tedious? Relevant or irrelevant?
I think one of the cooler things that the Wii did was use the motion controls for DBZ: Tenkaichi Budokai. It was beyond awesome that you could use special moves with the corresponding motion. The game brings to mind an important point: at what point are motion controls unrefined enough such that using them becomes a poor design decision instead of a good one? For a game such as Budokai, the motions are distinct enough to distinguish one special move from another but remain simple and seemed to be an integral and self-explanatory aspect of the game. It's also a lot cooler to be blasting a Kamehameha when you do the motion as opposed to pressing circle left on a controller. Other successes follow a similar trend: Okamiden utilizes a paintbrush, to which a wiimote is similarly used; Wii Sports makes you go through realistic swinging motions, whether you're throwing a punch or swinging a bat. Things are a little different for other genres, say, platformers, in which there's no real naturally befitting control scheme. You're not going to run and jump with your Wiimote, that's for sure. Let's take a look at Golden Eye. At first, it seems like a cool concept to use motion controls as a substitute for a conventional controller. It seems natural and self-intuitive to use the Wiimote as a gun. However, a lot of the complaints about the game comes from the clumsiness of the controls. The finesse of motion control isn't convenient for the likes of a fast paced game that requires both a good reaction time and precision. Even playing Just Dance will reveal the fact that the motion sensor isn't the most reliable mechanism. Running out of space here. There are games in which motion controls are boons (DBZ, Okamiden, Wii Sports), inconveniences (Golden Eye, DKC), and gimmicks without introducing new gameplay (Twilight Princess). I didn't discuss the last one, but I think discussion of motion controls affected games in – Austin10 years ago
The game is Okami, not Okamiden. My bad. – Austin10 years ago
Ever since Slender went viral, it seems that survival based horror games are gaining attention. An analysis of the effectiveness of horror in video games could create an interesting article. SCP Containment Breach is another survival based horror game. SCP is particularly interesting since the game was created from multiple horror stories. Although both of these examples are PC games, it could be interesting to analyze the use of horror in other game mediums as well.
A lot of resources out there for whoever decides to pick this up. Here's a brief list of some things that might be worth taking a look at:
-Jump scares vs. true horror
-The Uncanny
-Creation, climax, and decline of tension
-The knowledge of the object of horror within a game
-Instances of horror that occur outside of strictly "horror" games. – Austin10 years ago
I think it important to discuss how graphics affect the horror elements. For example the first Slender game is often considered to be the most scary despite its low res graphics. Where as Slender the Arrival has an expanded story and better graphics but pales in comparison in terms of scares. It also be cool to discuss the atmosphere in survival horror. – Cagney10 years ago
I think it would be interesting to explore how recent survival horror games, such as Outlast or The Evil Within, to other titles such as Resident Evil 6 which deviated from the survivor horror aspect in favor of action. You could explore what made games such as Slender effective compared to action-focused horror games and maybe how they use atmosphere and sound design to create effective scares. – Seth Childers10 years ago
An analysis of the eyesight correlation in the kingdom hearts game. Talk about the game design of the hud and how it effects the game play
I love Kingdom Hearts! This topic would be interesting, not just because it relates to Kingdom Hearts, but because the HUD can vary greatly between games. Players get a different experience with every game. Also, the HUD in the Kingdom Hearts series has varied but maintains similarities between them. – S.A. Takacs10 years ago
The gameplay throughout Kingdom Hearts is very similar. Each game is a variation of the same basic system. This would be fun to read. – Travis Kane10 years ago
An article discussing the greatest movie-based video games. Some to consider including: – Alien: Isolation was a fantastic surprise. Really enjoyed that one. – The Riddick games have also been very good. – Wallace and Gromit: Curse Of The Were Rabbit
in this case the bad would out way the good, just make sure you are prepared to address certain arguments your audience could throw at you – DoctorAgency10 years ago
Two axis of "good" in play here -- the playability of the game, and the extent to which it conveys the sense of the canon it's portraying. Part of the issue with movie-derived games failing in the marketplace is that they have to be good in both ways. Might be interesting to use examples of games that succeeded in one way but not in the other. – Monique10 years ago
Also, what elements made these more successful/better to play over other movie to video game adaptations? While many superhero games fall short, why are the Lego adaptions more successful? – Liz Watkins10 years ago
Some good movies based on video games... yeah, definately have to include Prince of Persia and the Resident Evil saga (with the exception of the second to the last one). – jmason810 years ago
The video game industry was stuck in a holding pattern until the recent rise of the indie game studio. The AAA studios know what to pump out to make money, but the majority of games released today lack the evolution and inspiration that games had during the first wave of 3D games in the late 90s early 00s. The rise of the indie game studio has brought minimalism and creativity to the gaming audience. With the exception of very few select titles, there seems to be no growth in the creativity in the industry.
Great games seem to rise from a consubstantiality between plot and gameplay. Bioshock (2007) is a classic example of this. The seamless integration of artistic vision, new gameplay methods, and story telling that questioned the nature of linear gameplay.
This begs the question: is consubstantiality in gameplay and creative innovation all you need to make a perfect game?
It could be helpful to bring up Destiny, which drew ire because it "could have been better," in some nebulous sense. – Kristian Wilson10 years ago
To whoever picks this up: be sure not to confuse creativity with the perfection. There are many games that innovated in a way previous games did not, but ended up being an imperfect game. Also important to bring up would be to define what a perfect game would be. This one's a biggie. Best of luck to whoever picks it up. – Austin10 years ago
I think "perfect" is a tricky word to navigate for whoever chooses to write about this. It's so concrete and universal that it is certain to draw some ire for certain readers and players. I completely agree with Austin in how he says to define what a perfect game would be. It might be more helpful to shift the focus on the opposite end...identify what's making these AAA studio games lack innovation and what other companies can take away from those failures in making more successful games. – Giovanni Insignares10 years ago
