Mass Effect 2, Trials HD prove power of polish, execution

Control Group · Aug 14, 2009

Jesus, Ben - are you trying to get all your articles out in the morning so you can take the afternoon off? Or are you just racing the Apple staff for the prolific posting award? -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_razz.gif -- On-topic, though, you raise a good point. IME, people complain that a game is a retread when they don't like it, but can't tell why they don't like it. There's a certain "something" to the games that really grab us (as you say), and it's hard to pin down. By the same token, some games seem like they should be better than they are (Killzone 2 is an example of this for me), but just aren't providing the secret sauce we're looking for. And if we can't figure out why not, we often blame it on the game being a rehash, or on sequelitis. I suspect this is related to people complaining about sequelitis at the same time as they hope for Dead Space 2 or HL2:E3.

Agnitio · Aug 14, 2009

Great post Ben, well said!

Epimetheus · Aug 14, 2009

This observation is not really new per se as criticism goes, but a common feature of art history. Shakespeare comes to mind, as it wasn't that all of his ideas were new, but also that his retreads were done so well. Whether games ARE art, we can leave for another day, but that there is an art to writing games, seems undeniable.

Arbogast · Aug 14, 2009

For people who spent hours and hours playing the old Trials game, it's like being a kid and getting this really great remote control Corvette for Christmas, and spending hours upon hours playing with it. Then later in life, getting a real Corvette that looks just like it, and spending hours and hours behind the wheel of it. It's nostalgia intermingling with the ability to have what you originally wanted to begin with; nostalgia just sweetening the deal this time around. Those are great arcade games. For bigger games, it's all about the story. How many times have people talked about how epic a game Fallout 3 is, but then complain about that stinker of an ending? We need games like Sixth Sense or The Departed. Games need plots with twists and turns. Stories in games are just way too linear and monotonous. I don't care if you can be good or bad, the ending is generally the same. We really need some surprises, or something that just comes out of left field.

tycheung · Aug 14, 2009

The one trap is that - game writers as a rule see games as a "cinematic experience" which for some reason default into your typical hollywood action movie. Mass Effect 1, and to a certain extent, the original KOTOR, fell into all the cliche's common to this genre. Unfortunately, it seems (from what's been publicly released) that Mass Effect 2 and SWTOR will be written along those lines as well. It's not that the writers purposefully try to write things this way, but it seems that an attempt to create more depth in the story feels more like lip service, and more attention is paid to the main "blockbuster story". To a certain extent, Mass Effect 1 tried to patch this over with cinematic camera effects and simulated "cinematography" but the weakness in its story is evident after the first or second playthroughs. Contrast this with KOTOR 2, where the writing goal wasn't so much a huge cinematic good vs bad guys but a slower paced look at more introspective themes - the ethics and morality of war and conflict and the consequences of the choices one makes for survival in such circumstances, what it truly means to be light side versus dark, self enlightenment and the sacrifices and benefits thereof, determinism versus free will in relation to existing definitions of the Force, the effects of personal tragedy and post traumatic stress on the way one experiences the world. All these themes and more are dealt with on a level of detail and literary thought significantly higher than any game before or since, and subsequently, KOTOR 2 provides a much more fulfilling experience for a game than many more polished efforts that have followed it. Hence the continued cult following of this title many years past its release, despite its many horrific bugs and rough edges left over from its disastrous release schedule. This comment was edited by tycheung on August 14, 2009 15:44

JPan · Aug 14, 2009

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">hat's harder is admitting that the distance traveled is evident in the quality of writing, the talent behind the voice acting, and the ability to craft a compelling scene using the virtual camera and the power of the characters. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> The thing is once you have a good game environment a good story line, quests etc. is the single most important feature of a roleplaying game. The rest, graphics etc. is not so important. I would still prefer a Baldur's Gate 3 to 100 Oblivions. Some of my absolutely favorite games of all time: Baldur's Gate 2, which had some gameplay/graphic improvements over Baldur's Gate1 but mostly a really amazing story line. Fallout 2: One of the best games ever. Although Fallout 1 was very good as well. Ultima 7b and Ultima 7a, both very similar in quality although the first half of Ultima 7b was great. Exceptions: Ultima Underworld 1 was much better than Ultima Underworld 2 and KOTOR2 is apparently pretty terrible although I didn't play it. And that is not only true for RPGs, some other minor enhancement sequels like God of War 2 or Tie Fighter were also amazing. One of the good things of consoles is that the fixed hardware almost forces developers to focus their second iteration on story and gameplay. I REALLY look forward to what this gen will bring now that the technical problems have been solved. And when I look back at the list I REALLY feel old.

kaldec · Aug 14, 2009

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by tycheung: The one trap is that - game writers as a rule see games as a "cinematic experience" which for some reason default into your typical hollywood action movie. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> This is the #1 reason I've lost interest in gaming. I've floated this idea before without gaining much support - but since the 80s my favorite game experiences have been much closer to reading a book than watching a movie. The pace is entirely up to me - I can burn through something simple at full speed, or stop to ponder something complex or savor something divine. There narrative ( either a plot provided, or one I create through choices ) takes it's time, and characters ( whether they be designed characters, or non-sentient entities in the game ) have some complexity and develop themselves. It even holds true on many surface attributes - content over polish, well-written text over well-voiced speech, and even play time. I'm sure the analogy isn't perfect, but just about every change in game design that has made me like games less is part of turning games into a 2 hour edge-of-your-seat thrill-ride summer blockbuster.

sep332 · Aug 14, 2009

This makes me think of the Greek theater competitions. One of the rules was No New Stories. Playwrights would compete to tell stories that everyone in the audience had heard (literally) dozens if not hundreds of times before.

wireframed · Aug 14, 2009

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The one trap is that - game writers as a rule see games as a "cinematic experience" which for some reason default into your typical hollywood action movie. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Yeah, well it's part of the maturing of the audience. It used to be that only kids really played games, so naturally story and gameplay was adapted to them. Now that those kids have grown up and matured, along with a brand-new audience who weren't interested before, the scene is set for games that have more complex and nuanced stories. It also means room in the market for more genres of stories. L.

Staticstarter · Aug 14, 2009

This is why X-Com: UFO Defence still holds up after all these years. It has so much replayability- and it didn't need any cheap gimmicks like achievements to do it.

endekks · Aug 14, 2009

Good point, but... This pretty much is directed at the people who are just going to ignore the sentiment. It is essentially the same thing as insulting a game by calling it "repetitive". All games are repetitive, really. Look at the most popular sport in the entire world - soccer. Does not get much more same same as that. How about Tetris? That sold a copy or two and it isn't exactly variety central. What about any racing game - with laps? It all comes down to people finding something which is fun for them to repeat, and insulting the things which they do not like to repeat. I am sure many of the same people bitching "been there, done that" are often the same people who like installing emulators on newer game devices, or lamenting that part 12 of whatever game they love has been delayed another quarter.

OptimusP83 · Aug 14, 2009

All I know is hopefully since the graphical improvements are starting to stagnate, devs will begin to concentrate on the story as opposed to bloom effects and fancy shading techniques. I blame the move towards "cinematic" gaming being one of the reasons for the watering down of gaming in general. They spent too much time on making the game look good, and not enough time asking themselves if the game was actually good... A bit like a Michael Bay movie. (Even though I will admit I do enjoy his movies in a blowing-shit-up, action-movie sorta way). This comment was edited by OptimusP83 on August 14, 2009 18:16

twinstronglord · Aug 14, 2009

Anybody else initially read that headline as "...power of Polish execution"?

DaveSimmons · Aug 14, 2009

^ The Witcher is pretty good so far -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif -- > "It's the execution of the concept, not the age of it, that makes a good game great" Every time I fire up Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines and see how the story, setting, music, and art direction all work together I see an example of this. It's a great game as-is, that deserves an engine update to make it perfect.

Sir Pseudonymous · Aug 15, 2009

Trials 2 (I'm assuming they didn't change anything important for Trials HD), was simplistic, and derived from an annoying style of game. That said, it was a great game, inexplicably. It's the maps, I think, and how infuriatingly great the controls are. Now, I found the biggest flaw the first Mass Effect had was a lack of polish in places. Basically, annoying, frequent bugs and too little dev time. From what I've read, the development was rushed, I presume by EA... Yet bioware still had the pure awesome to make it a great game, despite their owner's insistence on making it suck. Mass Effect 2 sounds great so far, but... I'm doubtful when I hear "polished" about a game from EA... Or perhaps I'm giving Mass Effect too much credit. I found the writing and setting to be brilliant and subtle satire of sci-fi cliches, specifically space operas. Occasionally I have doubts, as it appears some others think it's meant to be properly dramatic and serious, in which case it's all cliched drivel... Funny when the line between brilliant writing and shit is intent, isn't it? The dialogue for the romance subplots is just so hilariously awkward... But, I'm digressing... In short, as the above is longwinded and rambling: trials is simplistic but amazing, and while the idea that Mass Effect 2 will be good is quite likely true, the notion that polish will be a strong point of anything touched by EA is laughable.

PseudonymAnon · Aug 17, 2009

Interesting point. I am one of those few who believe that human beings pretty much maxed out in terms of ideas. Most of things we do are regurgitation of the old ideas. I also noticed that those people who call foul over no originality, etc. happen to be hypocrite and they themselves do anything new (i.e. it's like if I talk to a woman in a suggestive way, it's called a flirt, but if you talked to a girl in a suggestive way, it's a sexual harassment, etc.) The idea is not a definitive thing. An innovation leads a best practice (for any given circumstance) --> the best practice becomes a good practice (as more people accepted the best practice concept) --> and the good practice becomes a generally accepted practice (as in everyone does the same thing such as driving car on the right side, etc.) then any creative person or company now has an incentive to come up with something new or regurgitate the old ideas with more polishes and refinements. Same thing applies to movies as well for me. I have absolutely no reason to hate remakes or reinterpretation of other people's ideas. I found most of them quite refreshing and if I am not in the mood to check it out, I just don't bother with them. I like choices and varieties better than anything else. And yes, there is new idea coming out of human species. It just does not happen everyday.

Mass Effect 2, Trials HD prove power of polish, execution

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