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[Speevy]

Not calling LBP a failure commercially, but it's still too early to say it has to be emulated at all costs.

I'd like to see an FPS-maker like LBP, for consoles. It could be done. You specify the time period, weapons, buildings, characters, stats for soldiers, monsters, whether there's voice chat, is it squad-based, can you use vehicles, is there destruction, scripted events like things exploding or collapsing, music triggers.

There's so much they could do.

 

[onipex]

What the hell has Nintendo put out in the past few years? Another Mario? Another Metroid? Another Zelda? Another sloppy fucking mess of a casual game? What have they produced for the hardcore gaming community that they didn't have their name attached to 10 years ago?

I could be a total fanboy and point out how the Wiimote was Nintendo's main investment this gen and has lead to new/better controls for PES, REWii, FPS and gave a new feeling for some when it comes to some fighting and other sports games. I wont do that though as I know you were talking about software and used the hardcore term in case someone tried to mention brainage, WiiFit, WiiSPorts, ect.

You sound like a child with his hands over his ears.

You never sound anything like that or worst right?

LBP is the reason (since its announcement) that companies are scrambling together to put Web 2.0 features in to their games.

Oh.

 

[kinggroin]

Ugh. As much as I love LBP, I don't feel the same way about some of its fans, that's for sure.



Trust me, you don't.

*looks at gamecube collection


I'll keep my trust right where it is.

 

[_Alkaline_]

That's about as far as I'm willing to go as well, though the features you just described are the biggest step forward that any game developer has made so far with regards to a new direction in gaming.

edit: this gen I'm referring to of course.

I don't want to discredit LBP or its community aspects, both of which are phenomenal.

But wouldn't Wii Sports get that accolade? I mean, if we're talking the most important game this generation, in terms of shaping the future of gaming, isn't that Wii Sports?

 

[jman2050]

I'll tell you why it isn't.


The reason consoles exist is because they offer convenience and accessibility.

Point

PC games have for years offered editors, mods, stats, and generally a way to tweak your gameplay experience to your liking.

The reason they usually don't make console games this way is both the method of input and because players don't want to spend hours in boring menus. They want to get to the gameplay.

Eh, I don't really see this. I'm pretty sure the answer lies almost entirely with the method of input (as you mentioned) and the fact that data storage wasn't feasible on consoles until 3 years ago.

In LBP, the tweaking is accessible, fun, and it bridges the gap between those two worlds.

I respectfully disagree. Although it's a pretty good implementation, it still suffers from every single problem that continues to make level creation a niche among games. Only this time I'm controlling things with an analog stick rather than a mouse. I applaud the effort though, and it's certainly not bad, but revolutionary it is not.

You need to work to make a worthwhile level, but the endeavor doesn't require a programmer's knowledge or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

It never did in past games unless you really tried to break the mold of what you were editing.

Changing console games makes a difference, because the editors and tools of PC gaming's past will be long forgotten when accessible replacements for them are seen on consoles. It's only a matter of time.

Oh lord.

 

[comedy bomb]

I'd like to see an FPS-maker like LBP, for consoles. It could be done. You specify the time period, weapons, buildings, characters, stats for soldiers, monsters, whether there's voice chat, is it squad-based, can you use vehicles, is there destruction, scripted events like things exploding or collapsing, music triggers.

There's so much they could do.

That seems more like work than fun. It'd be a bit like a comic book company releasing a comic with blank pages and saying, "draw it yourself."

 

[Jammy]

I'm pretty sure the biggest influential games of the past few years have all been by Nintendo ONLY.

When I mean influential I mean INFLUENTIAL.

These games are in millions upon millions of peoples' hands, not only shaping the way the hardware "races" have played out, but also spawned an influx of similar gameplay styles in numerous other games.

These games, of course, are Brain Age, Nintendogs, Wii Sports, and to lesser extents Wii Fit and Wii Play.

Little Big Planet is influential? Spore? Bullshit. They're ambitious and AAA, but they released one fucking month ago. Where are the huge sales? Where are the clones? We've seen Ubi-Soft capitalize on the Nintendogs craze with all of their AnimalZ that they pump out. We've seen numerous games and even knock-off books release after Brain Age became massively successful. Hell, I don't think we'd see stuff like Flash Focus, Picross DS, or numerous handheld Sudoku games without the franchise's success. And I don't even need to talk about Wii Sports. It almost single-handedly has given Wii the type of games that hardcore scorn and everybody else adore, probably leading to the small budget/few mini-games from Carnival Games to Big Beach Sports to Deca Sports, and even more.

Influential is what GTA was, or Halo.

 

[Speevy]

But wouldn't Wii Sports get that accolade? I mean, if we're talking the most important game this generation, in terms of shaping the future of gaming, isn't that Wii Sports?

When a single developer puts their A team and a big budget behind a well-presented game like Wii Sports, then yes.

I wish people would stop assuming profitable and influential are always the same thing.

 

[_Alkaline_]

*looks at gamecube collection


I'll keep my trust right where it is.

Eh, I think you might have some rose-tinted glasses on right now. Nintendo sucked a fair bit of ass on the Cube. The only notable brand new IP was Pikmin, many of their Gamecube sequels were better on the N64, and their releases were too spread apart and few in number.

Whereas at least on the Wii we've been given lots of games in a very short period of time (which has actually been somewhat to the console's detriment as it's dried up their releases this holiday), most of which are arguably superior to their Gamecube counterparts, and are also reviving several franchises that went ignored during the Gamecube era.

I'll agree though that Nintendo has been shocking so far in relation to creating new core IP, even worse than the Gamecube era. For nearly everything else though, I would say they've been better.

 

[jman2050]

When a single developer puts their A team and a big budget behind a well-presented game like Wii Sports, then yes.

I wish people would stop assuming profitable and influential are always the same thing.

but Wii Sports IS influential. It's probably the most influential game since Super Mario 64, for better or for worse.

 

[HK-47]

I'm pretty sure the biggest influential games of the past few years have all been by Nintendo ONLY.

When I mean influential I mean INFLUENTIAL.

These games are in millions upon millions of peoples' hands, not only shaping the way the hardware "races" have played out, but also spawned an influx of similar gameplay styles in numerous other games.

These games, of course, are Brain Age, Nintendogs, Wii Sports, and to lesser extents Wii Fit and Wii Play.

Little Big Planet is influential? Spore? Bullshit. They're ambitious and AAA, but they released one fucking month ago. Where are the huge sales? Where are the clones? We've seen Ubi-Soft capitalize on the Nintendogs craze with all of their AnimalZ that they pump out. We've seen numerous games and even knock-off books release after Brain Age became massively successful. Hell, I don't think we'd see stuff like Flash Focus, Picross DS, or numerous handheld Sudoku games without the franchise's success. And I don't even need to talk about Wii Sports. It almost single-handedly has given Wii the type of games that hardcore scorn and everybody else adore, probably leading to the small budget/few mini-games from Carnival Games to Big Beach Sports to Deca Sports, and even more.

Yes to BA, WS, and Nintendogs. No to Wii Play, the future will tell on Wii Fit if balance board games take off

 

[Fredescu]

It'd be a bit like a comic book company releasing a comic with blank pages and saying, "draw it yourself."

It would be wrong to sell that as a comic book, but it could be a good product in and of itself. Some people like drawing, others don't. Some like to make levels and alter mechanics, others don't. Nothing wrong with a bit of diversity in play styles.

 

[manueldelalas]

I'm pretty sure the biggest influential games of the past few years have all been by Nintendo ONLY.

When I mean influential I mean INFLUENTIAL.

These games are in millions upon millions of peoples' hands, not only shaping the way the hardware "races" have played out, but also spawned an influx of similar gameplay styles in numerous other games.

These games, of course, are Brain Age, Nintendogs, Wii Sports, and to lesser extents Wii Fit and Wii Play.

Little Big Planet is influential? Spore? Bullshit. They're ambitious and AAA, but they released one fucking month ago. Where are the huge sales? Where are the clones? We've seen Ubi-Soft capitalize on the Nintendogs craze with all of their AnimalZ that they pump out. We've seen numerous games and even knock-off books release after Brain Age became massively successful. Hell, I don't think we'd see stuff like Flash Focus, Picross DS, or numerous handheld Sudoku games without the franchise's success. And I don't even need to talk about Wii Sports. It almost single-handedly has given Wii the type of games that hardcore scorn and everybody else adore, probably leading to the small budget/few mini-games from Carnival Games to Big Beach Sports to Deca Sports, and even more.

I agree with you, but I would remove Wii Fit and Wii Play from the list. The reason is that Wii Fit was mostly influenced by the success of Brain Training (which started the whole training daily concept) and Wii Play is influenced by Wii Sports.

 

[Lathentar]

Eh, I think you might have some rose-tinted glasses on right now. Nintendo sucked a fair bit of ass on the Cube. The only notable brand new IP was Pikmin, many of their Gamecube sequels were better on the N64, and their releases were too spread apart and few in number.

Whereas at least on the Wii we've been given lots of games in a very short period of time (which has actually been somewhat to the console's detriment as it's dried up their releases this holiday), most of which are arguably superior to their Gamecube counterparts, and are also reviving several franchises that went ignored during the Gamecube era.

I'll agree though that Nintendo has been shocking so far in relation to creating new core IP, even worse than the Gamecube era. For nearly everything else though, I would say they've been better.

Its difficult when 90% of your buyers want sequels.

 

[HK-47]

It would be wrong to sell that as a comic book, but it could be a good product in and of itself. Some people like drawing, others don't. Some like to make levels and alter mechanics, others don't. Nothing wrong with a bit of diversity in play styles.

Its called Garry's Mod, isnt it?

 

[schuelma]

When a single developer puts their A team and a big budget behind a well-presented game like Wii Sports, then yes.

I wish people would stop assuming profitable and influential are always the same thing.

I don't think that's necessarily the proper benchmark. You can argue whether its a good thing or not, but just look at Microsoft's E3 P.C this year and the Wiimote clone rumors that emerge every month or so. Wii Sports isn't merely going to influence future games- its more than likely going to significantly impact the next generation of systems.

 

[_Alkaline_]

When a single developer puts their A team and a big budget behind a well-presented game like Wii Sports, then yes.

I wish people would stop assuming profitable and influential are always the same thing.

Wii Sports is the reason so many people, who otherwise would never play games, have actually started playing them. It's drawn millions to gaming, millions of people who probably once looked at the medium in disgust. It's actually given a positive face to gaming.

It's been the biggest revolution in the industry for a long, long time.

Isn't that pretty important?

 

[Jammy]

When a single developer puts their A team and a big budget behind a well-presented game like Wii Sports, then yes.

I wish people would stop assuming profitable and influential are always the same thing.

Wii Sports is both HUGELY influential AND profitable. Are you kidding me? You think Wii Sports hasn't influenced anything?

The game is what the Wii is all about. Companies saw its low budget and motion controlled mini-games that people fell in love with and they made a bunch of even crappier knock-offs. Why the fuck do you think GAF hates Wii so much?

 

[soldat7]

You think its a coincidence that after LBP's announcement many games have come out with the ability to edit and share content? Everything from Halo 3 to Banjo.

Little Big Planet had zero influence on Halo 3. Halo 3's features were known well in advance of Little Big Planet's debut announcement.

 

[road2serfdom]

CONSOLE GAMES, I even specified as much.

Like This?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excitebike

In Design Mode, the player has the ability to build his or her own racing tracks. The player can choose hills and obstacles of various sizes and place them. The player can also choose where to finish the lap, and how many laps there are (up to nine). After it is finished, the player can race the track in either Selection A or Selection B.

The game allowed saving the custom-designed track to cassette tape, requiring the Famicom Data Recorder peripheral (basically the Famicom equivalent of the C-64's Datassette).

 

[B-Rad Lascelle]

I said it before, but the overhype is actually making me like the game less because it's forcing me to pinpoint flaws that I wouldn't notice otherwise.

The unfortunate thing right now is that anything remotely positive about exclusive PS3 content is put through so much overhype spin from overzealous fanboys that it's downright distasteful.

As a PS2/PSP owner, I actually want Sony to succeed (btw, could we please have some new PSP-content that isn't Square Enix FF-fanboy material and/or expansion packs for LocoRoco/Patapon... Resistance PSP can't come soon enough)... but it's going to take another pricedrop to get me on board and I'll always have the reality-filter up whenever any new game comes out due to the overhype. (I'll be able to play these games without picking nits, though... fanboy spin is easily dismissed.)

Nintendo fans actually do have it worse right now as that company is creatively stunted in light of the soccer mom demo driving so much revenue. We could literally be looking at the Play/Fit/Kart/Sports 2 juggernaut selling non-stop through the majority of 2009. These aren't gamers that want or play core titles. Thankfully, third-parties are at least bringing worthwhile software out on the DS/WiiWare. Retail-wise is another story as games are either innovative but shallow (Boom Blox/de Blob) or simply don't sell at all (Zack & Wiki). The best third-party offerings after two years are ports of last-gen Capcom titles (RE4 and Okami)... that alone speaks volumes.

Finally, thank goodness for Atlus. Bring on Persona 4!

 

[Fredescu]

Its called Garry's Mod, isnt it?

Which was hugely influenced by LBP of course.

 

[Jammy]

I agree with you, but I would remove Wii Fit and Wii Play from the list. The reason is that Wii Fit was mostly influenced by the success of Brain Training (which started the whole training daily concept) and Wii Play is influenced by Wii Sports.

I said Wii Fit simply because we're now seeing four or so fitness games released on the Wii alone now. Even Namco's Outdoor Challenge has obvious origins coming from Wii Fit. EA's bringing out a whole new EA Sports Active line just for it. And now we have millions of Balance Boards out in the world and numerous other games like Rayman Rabbids TV Party, We Ski, etc. using that peripheral.

Wii Play was more of a mini-games thing, but I think Wii Sports has that covered.

 

[comedy bomb]

I hear God was influenced by LBP when He was creating the earth. True story.

 

[_Alkaline_]

Its difficult when 90% of your buyers want sequels.

Personally speaking I have no problem with Nintendo continuously publishing sequals. After all, it's some of these games that I love the most, and the primary reason I buy their consoles. And Nintendo have been fantastic so far this generation in this light - Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3 and Galaxy were all phenomenal.

That said, they really do have to try to create new IP at the same time, and not only in the casual region. The success of games like Animal Crossing and Pikmin should've lended itself to more and more new IP, but all we've seen so far this generation from Nintendo is the Wii__ lineup and practically nothing else. Which is pretty disappointing, especially when the controls should lend themselves to new and exciting ideas, not just sequals to already exisiting franchises.

 

[HK-47]

Which was hugely influenced by LBP of course.

Of course

 

[onipex]

I'm pretty sure the biggest influential games of the past few years have all been by Nintendo ONLY.

When I mean influential I mean INFLUENTIAL.

These games are in millions upon millions of peoples' hands, not only shaping the way the hardware "races" have played out, but also spawned an influx of similar gameplay styles in numerous other games.

These games, of course, are Brain Age, Nintendogs, Wii Sports, and to lesser extents Wii Fit and Wii Play.

Little Big Planet is influential? Spore? Bullshit. They're ambitious and AAA, but they released one fucking month ago. Where are the huge sales? Where are the clones? We've seen Ubi-Soft capitalize on the Nintendogs craze with all of their AnimalZ that they pump out. We've seen numerous games and even knock-off books release after Brain Age became massively successful. Hell, I don't think we'd see stuff like Flash Focus, Picross DS, or numerous handheld Sudoku games without the franchise's success. And I don't even need to talk about Wii Sports. It almost single-handedly has given Wii the type of games that hardcore scorn and everybody else adore, probably leading to the small budget/few mini-games from Carnival Games to Big Beach Sports to Deca Sports, and even more.

Influential is what GTA was, or Halo.

I think it was just that it was easier to copy non-games/casual games that Nintendo made.

Blaskworks needs more love when it comes to the sharing of user created content. It not only does a good job at it , but it also does it on the Wii. http://blastworksdepot.com/games/blastworks/

 

[HK-47]

Like This?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excitebike

In Design Mode, the player has the ability to build his or her own racing tracks. The player can choose hills and obstacles of various sizes and place them. The player can also choose where to finish the lap, and how many laps there are (up to nine). After it is finished, the player can race the track in either Selection A or Selection B.

The game allowed saving the custom-designed track to cassette tape, requiring the Famicom Data Recorder peripheral (basically the Famicom equivalent of the C-64's Datassette).

:lol

Excitebike, I love ye

 

[kinggroin]

I'll agree though that Nintendo has been shocking so far in relation to creating new core IP, even worse than the Gamecube era. For nearly everything else though, I would say they've been better.

bingo.

My point, and mainly Amir0x's as well.

 

[Speevy]

When I say influence, I mean the forward progression of game design.

"Games anyone can play" didn't start with Wii Sports.

I guess we just have different definitions of influence. When I say influence, what I'm referring to is a positive change which replaces the way we formerly played games. The move from the D-pad for Playstation games to the analog stick is an example of this.

I think you're getting what I'm saying mixed up here. Let's see if I can phrase it better.

I say "LBP is really influential."

and you respond "Well, what about Wii Sports? It sold millions of copies, and is causing developers to create casual-friendly games and indeed change their whole marketing strategy.

All of that is completely true. No argument there.

However, I believe there is a difference between merely capitalizing on a trend in the tastes of consumers and offering a package which expands exponentially upon itself. That is how influence is created, to me. Games which give more to the player than was thought possible before.

Saying "Super Duper Slam Wiimote Sports" from Ubisoft or whomever is an example of the kind of influence they'll be conducting keynotes at GDC about is laughable to me.

 

[jman2050]

However, I believe there is a difference between merely capitalizing on a trend in the tastes of consumers and offering something a package which expands exponentially upon itself. That is how influence is created, to me. Games which give more to the player than was thought possible before.

You seriously this LBP accomplishes this better than Wii Sports did? I'd have to argue that one.

 

[schuelma]

When I say influence, I mean the forward progression of game design.



I guess we just have different definitions of influence. When I say influence, what I'm referring to is a positive change which replaces the way we formerly played games. The move from the D-pad for Playstation games to the analog stick is an example of this.

I realize I'm kind of mixing Wii Sports with the Wiimote, but you don't think that Wii Sports is going to significantly influence the controller input next generation? Maybe it won't be completely standard, but I'm pretty sure all 3 consoles will have motion control as a pretty significant part of the experience. Without the success of Wii Sports I doubt you see that. How much more influential can you get?

 

[Regulus Tera]

When a single developer puts their A team and a big budget behind a well-presented game like Wii Sports, then yes.

I wish people would stop assuming profitable and influential are always the same thing.

Wii Sports, along its DS brethren (Nintendogs and Brain Age), are the most influential games in years.

LittleBigPlanet is innovative, but not influential (at least not yet).

 

[_Alkaline_]

bingo.

My point, and mainly Amir0x's as well.

But that's the only aspect that they were better at in the Gamecube era. And they sucked ass at that too.

So why would you miss it?

Nintendo fans actually do have it worse right now as that company is creatively stunted in light of the soccer mom demo driving so much revenue. We could literally be looking at the Play/Fit/Kart/Sports 2 juggernaut selling non-stop through the majority of 2009. These aren't gamers that want or play core titles. Thankfully, third-parties are at least bringing worthwhile software out on the DS/WiiWare. Retail-wise is another story as games are either innovative but shallow (Boom Blox/de Blob) or simply don't sell at all (Zack & Wiki). The best third-party offerings after two years are ports of last-gen Capcom titles (RE4 and Okami)... that alone speaks volumes.

Actually, Nintendo's 2009 output seem pretty solid as this stage. Punch-Out!! should turn out well, particularly since it's developed by Next Level who I have a lot of faith in. There's also Sin and Punishment 2 which I'm just estatic is being made since I loved the original. Pikmin 3 should release in 2009. And there's also several uknowns - new IP in fact - like Cosmic Walker, Dynamic Slash, etc that we can't pass judgement on just yet. But at the very least, it's nice to see that Nintendo are freshening things up a bit.

 

[Speevy]

I realize I'm kind of mixing Wii Sports with the Wiimote, but you don't think that Wii Sports is going to significantly influence the controller input next generation? Maybe it won't be completely standard, but I'm pretty sure all 3 consoles will have motion control as a pretty significant part of the experience. Without the success of Wii Sports I doubt you see that. How much more influential can you get?

I really, really, really don't think the next Xbox and/or Playstation will have a remote as a controller. Motion control, sure. That's it. Quote me on this.

 

[schuelma]

And there's also several uknowns - new IP in fact - like Cosmic Walker, Dynamic Slash, etc that we can't pass judgement on just yet. But at the very least, it's nice to see that Nintendo are freshening things up a bit.

Those are games I might add that have major question marks on whether they'll see release outside Japan.

 

[ZeoVGM]

But that's the only aspect that they were better at in the Gamecube era. And they sucked ass at that too.

Pikmin says no.

 

[schuelma]

I really, really, really don't think the next Xbox and/or Playstation will have a remote as a controller. Motion control, sure. That's it. Quote me on this.

They might not be complete Wiimote rip offs, but the concept of motion control, made popular and mainstream by Wii Sports is probably going to be a part of next generation, correct?

 

[soldat7]

I'm pretty sure the biggest influential games of the past few years have all been by Nintendo ONLY.

When I mean influential I mean INFLUENTIAL.

These games are in millions upon millions of peoples' hands, not only shaping the way the hardware "races" have played out, but also spawned an influx of similar gameplay styles in numerous other games.

These games, of course, are Brain Age, Nintendogs, Wii Sports, and to lesser extents Wii Fit and Wii Play.

Little Big Planet is influential? Spore? Bullshit. They're ambitious and AAA, but they released one fucking month ago. Where are the huge sales? Where are the clones? We've seen Ubi-Soft capitalize on the Nintendogs craze with all of their AnimalZ that they pump out. We've seen numerous games and even knock-off books release after Brain Age became massively successful. Hell, I don't think we'd see stuff like Flash Focus, Picross DS, or numerous handheld Sudoku games without the franchise's success. And I don't even need to talk about Wii Sports. It almost single-handedly has given Wii the type of games that hardcore scorn and everybody else adore, probably leading to the small budget/few mini-games from Carnival Games to Big Beach Sports to Deca Sports, and even more.

Influential is what GTA was, or Halo.

 

[Speevy]

They might not be complete Wiimote rip offs, but the concept of motion control, made popular and mainstream by Wii Sports is probably going to be a part of next generation, correct?

Sure, on a standard controller that looks very similar to what we have now.

 

[jman2050]

Sure, on a standard controller that looks very similar to what we have now.

I would actually be pretty sad if they didn't split up the controller. That's probably the one "innovation" that doesn't get enough respect around here.

 

[_Alkaline_]

When I say influence, I mean the forward progression of game design.

"Games anyone can play" didn't start with Wii Sports.

Throughout the last few generations, games were becoming increasingly complex and inaccessible to newcomers. Wii Sports completely turned things around. It's moved the gaming industry forward by bringing things back to the basics. Sure, casual games existed before - for example, Singstar and Guitar Hero were big successes - but Wii Sports has, in a sense, revolutionised the medium.

I think you're looking at Wii Sports as this hugely successful game that made things simple rather than moving game design forward. But for the majority of people, it's the opposite - Wii Sports provides an experience that no game has before it. It's like, the Super Mario Bros. of the modern world.

I guess we just have different definitions of influence. When I say influence, what I'm referring to is a positive change which replaces the way we formerly played games. The move from the D-pad for Playstation games to the analog stick is an example of this.

And that's exactly what Wii Sports has done.

 

[onipex]

Wii Sports is the reason so many people, who otherwise would never play games, have actually started playing them. It's drawn millions to gaming, millions of people who probably once looked at the medium in disgust. It's actually given a positive face to gaming.

It's been the biggest revolution in the industry for a long, long time.

Isn't that pretty important?

I think brainage has a bigger influence than WiiSports. Mainly because I remember Nintendo saying that the budget for brainage was very low, but the one for WiiSports was not. Most people just assumed that the WiiSports budget was low, but I'm sure it took Nintendo a lot of time to get the controls down for the game. The Wiimote was new for them at the time as well. I also remember reading that Nintendo put their top team on the game.

 

[_Alkaline_]

Those are games I might add that have major question marks on whether they'll see release outside Japan.

True, but we can't really make a call either way at this stage. I'm confident that most of them will eventually make their way across the border.

Pikmin says no.

Pikmin. That's it. Geist sucked balls, and I can barely remember anything else they made that was new.

 

[Speevy]

LittleBigPlanet is innovative, but not influential (at least not yet).

Okay, let me ask you a question.

Would it be fair to offer these as the premises behind each of the two games' greatest strengths?

-Wii Sports: Accessible, fun, the entire family can play whether they've ever touched a game or not, motion controls are perfectly suited to the actions of the sports, for many this is the only tennis/bowling/baseball game they will ever play, and that's saying something.

-LittleBigPlanet: Play, create, share. Takes a genre of gaming (doesn't matter which) and offers players the chance to start creating and interpret that genre in their own unique way, share it. Shareable, user-created content, online co-operative gameplay.


Tell me how LBP DOESN'T sound like the future of where games are going, even if no developer ever makes another platformer.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

Sure, on a standard controller that looks very similar to what we have now.

Yeah that Sixaxis really took off. The explosion of development for it was catastrophic.

 

[Tiktaalik]

I don't want to discredit LBP or its community aspects, both of which are phenomenal.

But wouldn't Wii Sports get that accolade? I mean, if we're talking the most important game this generation, in terms of shaping the future of gaming, isn't that Wii Sports?

Wii Sports is a good one to bring up. There are multiple ways in which you could interpret your statement that it's the most important game of this generation. If you mean that it's important in that it's introducing new gamers and lapsed gamers to gaming then I think you're only partially correct, since the DS and games like Nintendogs, Brain Age and more have done huge amounts toward that effort even before Wii Sports was released. If you mean the waggle controllers and the new way that people are interacting with games, then yes that is influential but I think in the far long term I think people will look back on it as somewhat of an evolutionary dead end, and not as remarkable as the social gaming experience.

You can almost see evidence of it already where there have been a small handful of games that have really used the motion controls to grand effect, but a whole lot of them (even from Nintendo) that have simply used motion as an alternate way to control the same old gameplay. I think in contrast the social gaming experience that is hinted at by games like LBP will have a much, much larger effect on video game evolution.

Folks that are whining that LBP is not influential because of a lack of copycats are being absolutely silly. The game only just came out. Look for copycats within the next year or so. I guarantee they'll be there.

 

[linsivvi]

I don't think we'd see stuff like Flash Focus, Picross DS, or numerous handheld Sudoku games without the franchise's success.

What the hell does Sudoku games have to do with brain age? They would have made a ton of Sudoku clones regardless. Sudoku is huge in Japan.

And :lol at Picross DS. I must have imagined all the Mario Picross games in the past.

 

[Speevy]

And that's exactly what Wii Sports has done.

Okay, examples of games which were even half as successful as Wii Sports in breaking away the cluttered gameplay mechanics and offering accessibility for the whole family.

And of course, not from Nintendo, since we're talking about influence.

 

[jman2050]

Tell me how LBP DOESN'T sound like the future of where games are going, even if no developer ever makes another platformer.

I don't get this though. If that's the future you're speaking of, it's *already here*. It's *been* here for years. That it's a pretty good implementation of that concept doesn't change that.