Game features gone?

CheapAlert

Notice how many new games don't have shapable (as in not relying on a flat water level), swimmable water now? it's like they only have water to show off some reflection gimmick of the engine

Rick Stirling

Silent hunter 3?

cholden

I noticed while playing Serious Sam 2, they didn't use water at all. There's a few spots where there is water such as the beginning of the game, but not used at all like SS 1st or 2nd encounter.

ElysiumGX

I've bitched about this for years. We can render normal mapped crates in a dark hallway dynamically, but can't get anywhere near realistc water. There are those jetski racing games, FarCry, and Mario Sunshine, but those are all stylized or unique in someway. It really needs to be part of the gameplay to be done well. And that requires creative ideas...which is limited in the FPS genre. I was disappointed with Source engine's water, and may be with Unreal3 as well...since UT2k4's is very limited with no LOD system.

PotBS is doing a nice ocean swell in their game.
http://www.burningsea.com/images/screenshots/sshot30.jpg

arshlevon

waverace 64 for the N64 still to this day has the best water i have seen.. not so much visually, but the way it behaved with the jetski was really amazing.. i am still waiting on a game to surpass it. i think water is possible, its just never a huge part of any game and i can imagine the physics involved are more trouble than its worth. i have a feeling once physics cards hit the market there will be a more standardized solution for handeling water, like normal maps. rumor has it unreal 3 engine has some type of pysical based water system in the pipe.. guess we have to wait and see..

Vermeulen

waverace for the gamecube had better water, basically the same system as waverace 64 but with reflection and all that.
Most developers seem to just ignore water now, if they can't pull of the same effects as source or farcry they just take it out of their game completely.

blankslatejoe

another missing feature in games nowadays:

Spikes.

Rememeber the old sidescrollers? There were spiked death thingies EVERYWHERE. Spike pits, spike traps, gigantic rolling spikeballs... and my favorite, the WALL of spikes that would chase you through a level.

Think about it. Contra, castlevania, megaman, ninja gaiden, double dragon.. stop trying to remake them, just look for the common trait: Spikes!!




actually, I know this sounds like it's half joking, but I'm also half serious. Games nowadays take themselves too seriously when really we all just need a good few random spikes to be impaled on.

ElysiumGX

I miss spikes too. Wasn't there a spiked pit in Mortal Kombat 2, maybe 3, that was part of a fatality. That was awesome.

We need more side scrollers, and platformers, running off new engine tech. Awesome graphics, same great gameplay.

Major Clod

Quake 1 had a quite a few spike traps if I remember? Spike walls, spike pits? Well I don't know about spike pits, but there were definately moving spiked walls. Its been a while

Keg

the prince of persia series has spikes in it.

Bort

Spikes? I hate spikes!

cholden

Bort, I was totally thinking that.

KDR_11k

Even Sonic has less spikes these days, now it's all instakill lasers or bottomless pits.

Jeff Parrott

I remember when I got Waverace 64. It was amazing to just move around and watch the water. Of course there were only 2 games at that point so I was pretty bored. Personally I could use me a good grappling hook in a game.

blankslatejoe

grappling hooks like BIONIC COMMANDO?

now THERE'S a game that needs to be remade.

and it had spikes too.

JKim3

*shameless plug*
Kim Possible 2 and 3 for GBA has a grappling hook.

Something I miss is the ability for a second player to join in the middle of the game. I know some games still do it, but very few. But then, there aren't really any action games that are 2 player, nowadays, are there? I'm thinking old school Contra and such. 2 player games are ususally FPS, sports, fighting, or party games.

KDR_11k

Ninja Five-O (GBA, Ninja Cop in Europe) had the grappling hook and the game rocked.

The only cooperative join-any-time game that I've heard of lately was Lego Starwars, I agree, we need more coop.

_Shimmer

Well, a game that does actually have features that are fun would be cool enough..

Gmanx

XIII had a brilliant grappling hook (although a little limited). Hair and fluids are the true next-gen - and we're nowhere near yet.

KDR_11k

Another feature that has died is semi non-linear levels. In games like Doom, Quake, Descent, etc you didn't follow a single corridor from beginning to end (as you do in Half-Life), you explored an actual map that had multiple pathes to many goals.

CheapAlert

Yeah, and I also missed the cool "shortcuts" that are made from near the start of the level to the current progression of the level.... they don't make levels like those anymore having to go through a long stretch to catch up.

Keg

for co-op my favourite recent game was zelda: 4 swords. just a total party game even in the single player story line cause you could still be total pricks to each other.

ElysiumGX

[ QUOTE ]
Even Sonic has less spikes these days, now it's all instakill lasers or bottomless pits.

[/ QUOTE ]

And they gave the black Sonic a friggin glock. Knuckles was cool enough with being able to climb walls and glide, and spin. So many gameplay elements there. Atm, they're just throwing old sonic characters into boring 3d games.

Mark Dygert

[ QUOTE ]
for co-op my favourite recent game was zelda: 4 swords. just a total party game even in the single player story line cause you could still be total pricks to each other.

[/ QUOTE ]

I second that

KDR_11k

Ely: I was talking about Sonic Rush with that bit, seems to be the only good Sonic game lately.

Four Swords has the problem that you can't play it with regular controllers...

Mark Dygert

[ QUOTE ]
Four Swords has the problem that you can't play it with regular controllers...

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah asking nintendo fanboys to plug thier GBA into thier cube, was asking too much...

KDR_11k

Well, you'll need more than one fanboy to supply enough GBAs and cables to play that. I only have one cable (used to have two but lost one, the first one came with FFCC) so those friends would need their own cables even if they could borrow a GBA from their brother or sister.