In fact, Wes seems very concerned that game sales numbers indicate the decline of all fun. But we're quick to point out the weakness of pretty much any opinion he expresses.
In the process, we'll debate where we think the industry is heading, and whether the growth of first-person shoots and sports games are a threat to the market.
Lest we forget... DUCKS!
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When is this just gonna finally turn into the dukcast?
ReplyDeleteYou talked about the decline of rhythm games and the shifting emphasis of genres. Wes was asking about the future of rhythm games and other favorites, when sports games are dominating the top-10 lists. I think this is similar to the disappearance of text adventure games; at the time, there was a generation who wondered what would happen when graphics took over, and text adventures went underground. Now, with the Internet and multiplatform virtual machines, you can play tons of text adventures (even over the web), and people are making new ones all the time.
ReplyDeleteThe same is probably true with graphical adventure games. Despair and depression swept over me and my friends when LucasArts stopped producing adventure/puzzle games like Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle, in favor of X-Wing flight simulators and so on.
Myst-style puzzle games were huge for a while too but eventually FPS took over.
But adventure games kept on going in the background, without a lot of publicity, and we got games like the Longest Journey and Syberia and Bad Mojo. We now have 3 new series of Sam & Max games, and Monkey Island, and Machinarium, and so on. Steam and the Internet allow these relatively unpopular "niche" genres to reach their audience. The big difference is that it's not front page news anymore and we have to wait longer between big notable releases.
Once upon a time text adventures were among the top-selling software products, and that period passed, but there were enough fans out there who started making their own and forming a community. Point-and-click graphical adventure games are the same way, with indie games like the Blackwell series.
The same could happen to rhythm games. I guess the big difference is that music games require a physical peripheral shaped like a drum kit or a guitar, so somebody needs to keep making those. If the market shrinks too far, that might not be sustainable.
Bring back the sections! When you talk about the games you played then you tell us what their gameplay is and if it's good. And usually, it's games that i never heard of or don't get the concept of. The main topic section is too focused and there's barely any jokes compare to the other sections.
ReplyDeleteBeen listening to you guys since the early CP days, but didn't feel like commenting until recently. I'm not going to lie, the lack of the weeks section and lack of jokes are making the podcast really dull in comparison to earlier episodes. Back in the day, I enjoyed hearing thoughts regarding games you guys might be playing. In some cases they would be games that I wouldn't have heard of otherwise. It really felt like not enough discussion was made regarding the future of rhythm games.
ReplyDeleteTruth be told, the most enjoyable parts of the episode were the semi-review of Rock Band 3, the sidetracking discussion of other genera and personal benchmarks of good games, and of course I love the duck.
-Quack Quack
Hey all,great podcast. Just finished listening to your podcast and I have to say I agree on your comments regarding the state of gaming. I think that developers are just not catering to the hardcore anymore. I guess I fit into that category because out of the list of games you read out I only purchased Fable 3 and have no intention of ever purchasing any other. I have also purchased Gran Tourismo 5, Ass Creed Brotherhood and am enjoying minecraft :) if that gives you any indication of what type of gamer I am. Oh and one of you guys mentioned you wanted a good space combat adventure, I'd recommend X3 Terran Conflict.
ReplyDeleteGood episode, and nice to see that regular episodes are returning. However, you have forsaken CP to the deadpool with no new episodes or tidbits in over 6 months!
ReplyDelete