Darker atmosphere doesn't equal better. (rant)
polycounter lvl 18
This whole idea that darker "badass" themes is the way to go is getting out of hand and worse by the month. Is it just me or is the current trend these days more prevalent than ever? When icons from Sonic the Hedgehog and Looney tunes get guns or turned into elite squads, it is indication that this trend has gone too far. Certain stories deserve to be dark, others don't. And to a certain extent I think the trend towards, darker, more mature is hurting the creative elements of games, and other forms of entertainment.
Was wondering what you guys think of this trend. Or even if the trend is that significant at all or maybe I'm exaggerating the issue...
Was wondering what you guys think of this trend. Or even if the trend is that significant at all or maybe I'm exaggerating the issue...
Replies
Prince Of Persia is a great example of this.
The original game is fantastic, I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the setting and I really felt attached to the characters.
Prince Of Persia 2 on the other hand, with it's darkened mood and nu-metal soundtrack just doesn't appeal to me.
I've heard the game is great but I just don't think that game needed the angsty goth treatment.
That was one of the reasons I enjoyed the original, it was unique, and not just another "angry at my dad" game.
if it's what sells. honestly, I'm going to sell my copy of Pop2 on Amazon soon, and just play the first one again. seeing as the nu-metal genre is dying off soon, ubi shot themselves in the foot.
I'm just glad they haven't turned Mario's hat around, and given him a pistol. And I respect Nintendo for that.
f-zero on the n64?
both "baddening" of games.
Don't worry this always happens. Kids who like it, like it.
i think it's because developers are targeting a much more mature audience.
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They are targeting a more mature audience, but not a much more mature audience.
I think every grownup (lets say from 21 on, for most people) just thinks this is stupid (proven in this thread so far
On the other hand, whilst this darker theme can be made to fit within the POP universe, it marks a rather extreme departure for Sonic and Loony Toons, which were always about bright colours, clean, wholesome fun and cutesy characters...it's almost as if the studios making them have decided they want to go ahead and make completely new franchises, and then have run out of time/money to design the lead characters, so have dug out some old character designs and given them guns. It's not as if the old franchises aren't still popular...I still watch Loony Toons cartoons now, and still find them as funny as ever (and i'm 23)...and Sega have just released "Sonic Mega Collection +" on PS2 and Xbox here in the UK, and both are in the top 25 sellers for their consoles on Amazon.co.uk...
In general, i'm not against giving games/cartoons a darker theme, as long as it makes sense within the context of the franchise and the story (ie. it works with POP, but not Sonic). Ubisoft went with the darker theme for POP2 and it sold by the bucketload (especially when compared to the first), and whilst it did lose some of the charm and originality of SoT, it was still an amazing game. Darkness obviously sells, and as long as the studios realise where to draw the line (Ubisoft are right on it, AOL Time Warner and Sega passed it a few miles back), there's no reason why we can't put up with a little bit of angst here and there in exchange for the continuing growth and prosperity of our industry (after all, whilst PoP:SoT recieved critical acclaim, it was still a bit of a sales flop...if they'd stuck completely to their guns with WW, and it too had performed as badly, then you'd think that the shareholders/Executives would never greenlight another sequel. I know i'd prefer to have a couple of awesome, but dark, sequels to continue on from the far-too-short original, than nothing at all...).
Mascots get guns, story is replaced with MTV-esque ADD and the difficulty gets lowered until even the most stupid redneck can finish the game without dying.
This is called the "mainstream" and "appealing to casual gamers". Going for more money, appeasing the shareholders. And you wonder why I hate capitalism?
This same thing happened over a decade ago back in comics, after Wolverine became the Marvel cash-cow. Suddenly they saw the opportunity to revamp 'sissy' characters, and bunches of comic characters got dark and angry. Like Aquaman, for example. Yeesh.
/jzero
there's always trends to make somthing more towards a certain style. personaly, i think the biggest abomination is this neurotic push towards realism.
http://www.csh.rit.edu/~rage/TLGmedia/anim_pages/anewbunny.htm
Scott
Going for more money, appeasing the shareholders. And you wonder why I hate capitalism?
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well they are only giving people what they want. Creative and diverse games also sell well, but to different audiences. (and different countries)
I don't see how giving people what they want justifies the mention of captialism.
I don't see how giving people what they want justifies the mention of captialism.
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Because in this case it is referring to profits as well? It sort of goes hand in hand with all this discussion of the relationships between publishers and developers. Personally I would think it wrong if a developer starts off figuring out how to make a game by thinking to him or herself; "hmmm time to make a game, I think I will start by making it dark and angsty, because our publishers will love it, and the average male between 13 and 18 will love it! Yay for sales!"
(ok sooo they probably wouldn't think that verbatim but ya sorta get what my point is, right?)