[E3 '12] Electronic Arts Recap

[MagGnome]

Originally Posted by Mot Wakorb

Okay, interesting info from EA: SimCity is an online-only game in the Diablo III style. I know it's craptaku, but: http://kotaku.com/5915377/like-diabl...ine-connection

Interesting design choice - seems to be the way major publishers are starting to go?

They announced that a few months ago, actually. I've already shaken my fist many times over this boneheaded decision. I'm hoping it changes, or I might skip the game. :/

[menage]

Watched the trailer. Yeah, so they basically killed Dead Space for me. I hate them.

Crysis 3 looked like a fun 20 buck purchase.

[muddi900]

Originally Posted by OldJadedGamer

Sure but not to reflect all the time spent on it. Would be like having Madden at Gamescom.

No, because nobody but Americans plays that abomination.

[Orca]

I'm happy EA got the UFC license. Their MMA game had promise and I'm hopeful they can handle the online better than THQ ever did...and if it works for a week, they'll have done that.

Now if someone can just pry the WWE license away. I think they have it locked up until 2018...

[Narradisall]

Originally Posted by MagGnome

EA grabbed my attention a few years back when they were doing more new IP - Mirror's Edge, Dead Space, etc., but that interest has been squashed under an endless parade of sequels. It seems like that's all that comes out of the "AAA" publishers these days, with only the occasional exception. Many of us have complained about that repeatedly though, so I guess I'm just beating a dead horse...

No offense, but you should know the reason for this by now.

AAA games are often expensive and don't take risks because fear of failure, and finances.

Yeah, Mirrors edge and Dead Space were good games, and because DS was so successful it got a sequel, which was also successful. It makes perfect sense to me, and as long as they either plan games over 3 story archs (like ME) or keep it fresh and improve on the series as they go (like *most* of the AC games) I have no problem with being interested in sequels.

i'd love to see more new IP's, but I get why AAA publishers don't want to take risks on unknown, untested and possibly unprofitable games.

[muddi900]

Originally Posted by Narradisall

because DS was so successful it got a sequel, which was also successful..

So they turned it into Gears of War.

[MagGnome]

Originally Posted by Narradisall

No offense, but you should know the reason for this by now.

AAA games are often expensive and don't take risks because fear of failure, and finances.

No offense, but I'm well aware of why the big publishers are almost entirely bankrupt creatively. Thanks.

[Xerxes]

Originally Posted by Orca

I'm happy EA got the UFC license. Their MMA game had promise and I'm hopeful they can handle the online better than THQ ever did...and if it works for a week, they'll have done that.

Cause they'll shut the servers down a week after it works. HA.

I could do a EA Server Shutdown joke a week.

[Orca]

Originally Posted by Xerxes

Cause they'll shut the servers down a week after it works. HA.

I could do a EA Server Shutdown joke a week.

That would be a week longer than THQ managed.

[Narradisall]

Originally Posted by muddi900

So they turned it into Gears of War.

I can't say the co-op is exactly selling it for me, but making sequels of successful series is hardly shocking. Taking it away from what made it an enjoyable series, sure, but people are talking about it like making sequels = terrible development.

[Narradisall]

Originally Posted by MagGnome

No offense, but I'm well aware of why the big publishers are almost entirely bankrupt creatively. Thanks.

How does this have anything to do with creativity? You make it sound like producing a sequel to a game is creatively bankrupt. There are plenty of sequels from this gen which exceeded the first game in many or every aspect.

[menage]

Sequels are great imo, if they turn out like AC2 did, or UC2, I love em. It's making it more mainstream and samey which is the problem

[Xerxes]

I said it somewhere else but apparently the single player and co-op are different experiences. You will not be escorts a NPC around in single player.

[Karak]

Originally Posted by Narradisall

How does this have anything to do with creativity? You make it sound like producing a sequel to a game is creatively bankrupt. There are plenty of sequels from this gen which exceeded the first game in many or every aspect.

It doesn't there has always been a strange panacea in peoples brains about games and sequels. Strangely books are not viewed the same way. And many movie series are not either.
What matters is content and creativity and while some bemoan from the tops of the buildings, ANY mention of a sequel, many desire sequels to games where the story is fun, the gameplay is fun, or it is a flawed gem.

Devs have the unique prospect that releasing a sequel means they will be "cashing it in" by some, and by others extending enjoyment in a world or fixing previous issues. It isn't unique to games, but the outrage seems overly high in the hobby for sure.

Another thing that is strange is the sheer outrage when a sequel sells well. As if some people feel that they alone hold the heartbeat of fun in their hand and that it is impossible that anyone can enjoy it unless they are stupid.

Mags feelings, as he has described many times, are far deeper than just sequelitus and he has many points that are fair.

[Xerxes]

Originally Posted by MagGnome

No offense, but I'm well aware of why the big publishers are almost entirely bankrupt creatively. Thanks.

They aren't bankrupt creatively. Like all publishers keep whining about, they don't want to start a new IP franchise on system with little in the tank. So play some of these games we can almost be sure to get our money back on.

See you at E3 2013.

I should of done like Ubi with ZombiU and jumped on the Wii U train. I don't see that going anywhere for third party developers but it's something.

[bgizle]

Originally Posted by Orca

I'm happy EA got the UFC license. Their MMA game had promise and I'm hopeful they can handle the online better than THQ ever did...and if it works for a week, they'll have done that.

Now if someone can just pry the WWE license away. I think they have it locked up until 2018...

If only someone could pry away the NFL license from EA

[Narradisall]

Originally Posted by Karak

Mags feelings, as he has described many times, are far deeper than just sequelitus and he has many points that are fair.

Fair enough, his comment just made it sound like he is uninterested in the endless parade of sequels just because they are sequels, which seemed odd.

[Karak]

Originally Posted by Narradisall

Fair enough, his comment just made it sound like he is uninterested in the endless parade of sequels just because they are sequels, which seemed odd.

Oh it did sound unique I know I think after he has delivered his message so many times it gets shorter and shorter until all we will get is a post that says, "FUCK" ahhahahahahaha.

And I am personally of the school that no one is bankrupt of creativity. To me bankrupt means none and as we all know a GOOD portion of a dev team is going to actually be interested in making amazing games.

I laughed when I was playing Game Dev Story because the game mimics the sequel industry perfectly

[MagGnome]

Karak nailed it on the head. I've listed my complaints so many times that I've grown really tired of doing so.

I won't go into a whole laundry list of things, I'll just say this:

Making sequels is fine. I have played and enjoyed many sequels, and there are favorite series of mine that I would love to see get the sequel treatment (such as Age of Wonders). My problem comes when sequels appear to be the vast majority of a publisher's catalog. Anymore this seems to be the case with most, maybe even all, of the big publishers. I was glad when EA released some new IP a few years ago, but since then they seem to make almost nothing but sequels. It gets really boring, IMHO. It doesn't help that so many of these sequels are first person shooters, which is one of my least favorite genres.

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, and I'm trying to cut back on complaining so that others can enjoy the games they love.

[Narradisall]

I get ya, and I agree.

I don't think we're likely to see many new IP's this gen though, for some odd reason, devs and publishers seem to have it locked in their minds that doing a new IP end of gen is a terrible idea, whereas it'll be better next gen! Either that or the tech improvement allows them to do fresh things next gen and they work on new IP's then. it's a weird thing.