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[Drek]

Simple question. What genre has made the biggest strides in terms of quality, features, etc. with the move from PS1/N64/Saturn to DC/PS2/Gamecube/Xbox? Figured this is a great time to ask the question since we're now looking forward to what the future might hold, and will help us all set our sights on what to expect from next generation.

Obvious candidates are:

FPS's - more comprable in quality and control now to their PC brethren, and with the addition of online play they've taken a major step into the amazing world of near everlasting replayability. The AI upgrades have done much for the genre as well.

Sports games - where to begin? Improved graphics, AI, and physics makes for a more realistic experience. Online play and roster downloads are a major upgrade as well. Analog face buttons also add an extra wrinkle.

So what's all your opinions? Which one of these genres would you choose, or is there one that I completely missed? Fire away.

Sub-question: what genres have done the least in terms of improvement? Fighting games? RPGs? The growing scarcity of puzzle games?

 

[drohne]

probably third person 3D action games. they were scarce and almost uniformly inept last gen. now "asian fellow hitting things with swords in a 'stylish' manner" is probably the dominant form of console game. and some of them are really good.

 

[belgurdo]

RPGs-we're beginning to see expansive worlds and multiple battle/world systems in games other than your standard obscure PC D&D fare

FPSes-core gameplay hasn't changed since Half-Life and its ilk, but damned if they haven't gotten prettier

Strategy games-within a couple of years we went from grid systems and dots representing the Roman army to being able to see all million+ soldiers on the field in real time

 

[Pedigree Chum]

3rd person action games.

Prince of Persia, Devil May Cry, Splinter Cell, etc.


Since that's my favorite genre, I LOVE this generation of games. Can't wait till this genre is further refined next gen (or maybe even this gen)

 

[RiZ III]

Everything improved. How could it not have.

 

[Drek]

Everything improved. How could it not have.

What genre has made the biggest strides in terms of quality, features, etc.

Critical reading skills are important, might I suggest some practice?

 

[Red Dolphin]

Well I think action games and racing games have benifeted the most because they are able to maintain fast framerates (e.g. Burnout series, First person shooters) which really spoiled otherwise solid games from last generation (e.g. Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, most racers)

 

[DDayton]

Bongo Games.

(PAN PAN!)

 

[Kseutron]

racing games

 

[Jonnyram]

shoot-'em-ups: fast, stylish, and finally getting somewhere with difficulty slopes.

 

[Hooker]

I don't know really. All genres have received the same kinda boost this generation. Better graphics, better AI etc. But not many are better games due to this. I can't think of any as a matter of fact.

 

[hobbitx]

Crime sim........

 

[The Faceless Master]

Racing! way better physics!

 

[Kuroyume]

I would say FPS game. RPGs have sucked ass this gen compared to the PS era.

 

[Kon Tiki]

FPS's - more comprable in quality and control now to their PC brethren, and with the addition of online play they've taken a major step into the amazing world of near everlasting replayability. The AI upgrades have done much for the genre as well.

How did you get a phantom? I want one!

 

[etiolate]

FPSes have better framerates now, but they have also gotten redundant.

3d action games certainly seem a lot more common and use a lot more abilities.

 

[buck naked]

I would argue that there has been little to no evolution in the first person shooter genre. It has been improving through refining already established concepts (mixing in adventure or rpg elements). Nothing as revolutionary as last gen, but the games are much better.

Ragdoll physics are the lens flares of this generation. There are so few action games that turn the implementation of character and environmental interaction into good gameplay. Outside of driving games and sports games, physics have been pretty dissapointing overall.

Slowly we're seeing the potential of open ended game structure with proper physics systems (the vehicle side of the 3D GTA games), but it has a long way to go (the combat side of the 3D GTA games). What has been publicly shown of Half-Life 2 seems to hint at using the physics of the game to create open-ended scenarios, but I'm a bit cynical about the actual implementation of that. I don't think the physics will create any open ended scenarios more advanced than what Theif 1 achieved in 1998 (use environment to get past gaurd, use weapon to get past gaurd).

 

[Sho Nuff]

Fighting games have done NOTHING NEW in the latest generation. Just more polish.

 

[Ghost]

definitely the 3d-action genre, fast paced games like DMC and Ninja gaiden simply were not possible in the previous 3d generation, so much style and flair that can only be captured through the use of more detailed characters, smoother animation, and better framerates.


Most other genres (apart from the simulations) are doing exactly the same things they were doing years ago, only prettier (GTA3 being the perfect example).

 

[Prine]

FPS - immserion, online and physics being the main advances

RPGs - For me personallly, KOTOR was a complete breath of fresh air (first PC style RPG) and now Fable with its NPC interaction and micromanagement

 

[Fatghost]

Most improved:

3D action (Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden, Prince of Persia)

Sandbox (Crime sims especially)

3D Platformers

Movie license games (Spiderman 2 was awesome, Riddick was a nice surprise)

Horror adventure (lots of new and interesting series debuted this gen. Fatal Frame in particular has really raised the bar).


Least improved:

Fighting games (hell, the genre was almost dead for a few years)

Japanese RPGS (Better visuals only for most of the genre)

 

[Kiriku]

Games with focus on atmosphere, like adventure/horror games.

 

[Prospero]

S-RPGs are developing interesting battle systems, building on the games that have come before. Gladius, Disgaea, and now Phantom Brave are some of the best games of this type I've ever played. Advance Wars 1 and 2 aren't really S-RPGs, but are close enough.

 

[Kiriku]

S-RPGs are developing interesting battle systems, building on the games that have come before. Gladius, Disgaea, and now Phantom Brave are some of the best games of this type I've ever played. Advance Wars 1 and 2 aren't really S-RPGs, but are close enough.

I agree, but exactly how do these games benefit from this generation?

 

[Prospero]

I agree, but exactly how do these games benefit from this generation?

They don't benefit from the technical specs of the consoles, but from what designers have learned in previous generations about creating complex rulesets, balanced gameplay, and engaging AI.

 

[Brofist]

The roll everything in sight into a giant mass genre.

 

[Teddman]

This genre didn't hardly exist before this generation, not in full 3D. But look what we've had since:

-Metal Arms (best 3PS evar)
-Armed & Dangerous
-Ratchet & Clank series
-Jak II & III
-Freedom Fighters
-The Red Star (kind of a 3PS)
-Max Payne
-Dead to Rights

And so on... The third person shooter has arrived.

 

[Meier]

Even though I hate the genre, survival horror. The improved graphics and sound do wonders for the immersion factor.

 

[sonycowboy]

1) Action platformers. Not that any of them couldn't have been done before, but their boundries have been expanded the most. Not only the bounce on somethings head or spin it to death stuff.

2) 3d-Action. Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden have been genre defining this generation

Not so much....

1) FPS'. Same as they ever were. Just prettier
2) RPG's. Although to be fair, the PSOne era wasn't big on innovation either.
3) Sports.

 

[User 406]

Well, for me it's beat-em-ups. If there's one game that epitomizes a genuine quantum leap from the last generation, it's Dynasty Warriors. Most games we've seen this gen are just higher poly versions of stuff we had on the PSX, and yes, this includes games like Devil May Cry. But Dynasty Warriors was the first game I had seen where there was just no way it could have been done on an older system. Not just a beat-em-up with thousands of enemies, but one where two entire armies are fighting each other independent of the player. I can't think of another genre imrpovement on the same level.

 

[MoxManiac]

Least improved? 2D fighters. While I play and enjoy the current ones, and look forward to upcoming ones like CFJ and NGBC, I can't help but consider the golden age of the genre to be past us; the genre really hit it's peak in the middle of CPS2 and 3, and pre-Playmore/Eolith NeoGeo eras. After 2000 though, it seems as though Capcom and SNK lost their touch a bit...with Arc System's Guilty Gear series an exception, i'd say post-2000 hasn't been too great for 2D fighters.

 

[Go Go Ackman!]

Another vote for 3rd person action.

Graphically - Look at the fluidity and complexity of Dante's motions, who I'd say is the best game character I've ever controlled. Lotsa special effects, environments, etc.

Technologically - Dynasty Warriors, KUF, hundreds of characters and their actions being tracked independenty.

Thematically - Sprawling, living worlds where time passes, events occur outside of the player's influence such as GTA and Dynasty Warriors, and probably some other shit I'm not aware of. Immersion is greatly enhanced by this.

Although, I must admit, fighting games have made great leaps in the boobie-jiggle field.

 

[Gek54]

TFF Wheels made sim racing games a hell of alot better.

 

[Lyte Edge]

Most improved is probably racing games IMO. Least improved is fighters, and maybe RPGs as well (MMORPGs are in a category of their own), as nothing has really changed about them; they just look better.

Least improved? 2D fighters. While I play and enjoy the current ones, and look forward to upcoming ones like CFJ and NGBC, I can't help but consider the golden age of the genre to be past us; the genre really hit it's peak in the middle of CPS2 and 3, and pre-Playmore/Eolith NeoGeo eras. After 2000 though, it seems as though Capcom and SNK lost their touch a bit...with Arc System's Guilty Gear series an exception, i'd say post-2000 hasn't been too great for 2D fighters.

Yeah, definitely, but go to countries like Japan, walk into an arcade, and it's like you've just entered a time warp and are back in the golden age of 2D fighting games.

I think for fighters, it's mainly the decline of arcades that's really brought down their popularity. New types of fighting games have been attempted, like Powerstone, but they just don't last the same way the traditional fighting games do. And while SNK has continued to make fighting games, Capcom suddenly stopped making them after 2001 for whatever reason, and is only now giving us a "new" and completely rehashed fighting game. It may have been bad from reports, but I still would have loved to have seen Capcom Fighting All-Stars on the PS2.

 

[Future]

Definately 3d action. PSX/N64 were not even close to powerful enough to handle the amount of enemies on screen and fluidity of movement we see today.

This gen also brought the best realization of complete worlds, like the cities in GTA and True Crime. Not possible before

Fighting games hardly progressed, although Soul Calibur was a nice addition. But there is just no difference from arcade/console conversions any more, which is cool.

 

[Gek54]

This gen also brought the best realization of complete worlds, like the cities in GTA and True Crime. Not possible before.

If Driver2 had more polish it could have been very close to GTA3. I wouldnt say games like that were not possible.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Most:

3D platform and action-adventure games. Zelda TWW IMHO is a flabergasting example of a giant seamless world with the hardware able to render it well. (Cel and sailing haters begone!)

Racing games of the sim and quasi-sim type improved a lot thanks to physics and stuff. Outrun 2 may make a case for hardcore oldschool arcade racers getting a kick in the pants.

Console FPS-ish games.


Least:

KOTOR does not a genre make. For most RPGs, particularly Japanese, there's been relatively little revolutions made this generation - most follow the standards set for 32-bit RPGs.

2D games / especially fighters. This generation had the potential to allow for beautiful, Ghibli/Disney-esque 2D artwork and animation in games of any genre, which has been almost entirely wasted and ignored. 3D is what mass-market wants, blah blah blah yadda yadda - yeah, sure. I feel if developers would have treated 2D like the afformentioned Ghibli/Disney, they could have found an appeal point in the same way 2D animated theatrical films (that are -good-) still do.