They did pretty well with the DS Hardware. I’m impressed.
Is it just me, or does limited hardware and huge sales = innovation?
Because on the DS you’ve got Scribblenauts, Nintendogs and a whole lot of games that actually use the touch screen and microphone well, whereas in other systems that are stronger graphically, you get the same old games over and over.
Personally i think that trying to do the same old thing on a DS is doomed to fail, and that they should just leave it to quirker, more imaginative games.
Agree on the looks of what they are going to squeeze from my poor little DSi. Still, reminds me quite a lot Metroid Hunters, but without the varied colours that helped me determine what was what.
I would have to disagree about the limited hardware being what allows a lot more of these games to come out. I think it’s more the relative cheap development costs (caused by the limited hardware maybe?). I was under the impression a DS game can be completed for less than 100k USD, which is a far removed from the 150 million that GTA4 apparently commanded.
The same goes here for DLC and other games on XBLA/VC. I think 2009 has really been a good year for games in general. With lots of smaller, lower budget, independent stuff to fill in the gaps between CoD:Modern Warfare 1 and 2.
I personally think that limited hardware (and by extension cheap development costs as Phil mentioned) + huge sales = lots of shovelware. I can’t walk through the Wii section without being accosted by shovel-loads of crap games (department stores are especially guilty of this). The Xbox has some shovelware, but nowhere near the depths of the Wii and DS.
You are right in that the Wii and DS have some truly innovative games, but to me those innovations come from the innovation of the platforms they are on rather than the design of the game. Perhaps I’d prefer to call them inspired use of the platforms’ innovations.
Innovations are of course hard to define, but I’d like to point to a small list of games as what I consider to be rather innovative (and not because they make use of new technology, but are in themselves new ideas using old technology) (feel free to add more): Braid’s limitless time reversal and other time mechanics, Gears of War’s cover mechanics, GTA’s sandbox nature, Halo perhaps (somewhere along the way it made console shooters possible, but also I like the way it balances guns, grenades and melee, making them all viable in most circumstances).
As for your last comment I very much agree with you though would extend it to say doing what everyone else is doing on a system that can’t do the same things is not the way to go; Call of Duty on DS looks terrible. Same reason Conduit wasn’t received so well.
Ollycity
August 18, 2009 at 2:54 PM
They did pretty well with the DS Hardware. I’m impressed.
Is it just me, or does limited hardware and huge sales = innovation?
Because on the DS you’ve got Scribblenauts, Nintendogs and a whole lot of games that actually use the touch screen and microphone well, whereas in other systems that are stronger graphically, you get the same old games over and over.
Personally i think that trying to do the same old thing on a DS is doomed to fail, and that they should just leave it to quirker, more imaginative games.
Thoughts?
Report Permalinkphilomglol
August 18, 2009 at 4:10 PM
Agree on the looks of what they are going to squeeze from my poor little DSi. Still, reminds me quite a lot Metroid Hunters, but without the varied colours that helped me determine what was what.
I would have to disagree about the limited hardware being what allows a lot more of these games to come out. I think it’s more the relative cheap development costs (caused by the limited hardware maybe?). I was under the impression a DS game can be completed for less than 100k USD, which is a far removed from the 150 million that GTA4 apparently commanded.
The same goes here for DLC and other games on XBLA/VC. I think 2009 has really been a good year for games in general. With lots of smaller, lower budget, independent stuff to fill in the gaps between CoD:Modern Warfare 1 and 2.
Report PermalinkSing Nguyen
August 18, 2009 at 5:49 PM
I personally think that limited hardware (and by extension cheap development costs as Phil mentioned) + huge sales = lots of shovelware. I can’t walk through the Wii section without being accosted by shovel-loads of crap games (department stores are especially guilty of this). The Xbox has some shovelware, but nowhere near the depths of the Wii and DS.
You are right in that the Wii and DS have some truly innovative games, but to me those innovations come from the innovation of the platforms they are on rather than the design of the game. Perhaps I’d prefer to call them inspired use of the platforms’ innovations.
Innovations are of course hard to define, but I’d like to point to a small list of games as what I consider to be rather innovative (and not because they make use of new technology, but are in themselves new ideas using old technology) (feel free to add more): Braid’s limitless time reversal and other time mechanics, Gears of War’s cover mechanics, GTA’s sandbox nature, Halo perhaps (somewhere along the way it made console shooters possible, but also I like the way it balances guns, grenades and melee, making them all viable in most circumstances).
As for your last comment I very much agree with you though would extend it to say doing what everyone else is doing on a system that can’t do the same things is not the way to go; Call of Duty on DS looks terrible. Same reason Conduit wasn’t received so well.
Ding!
Report PermalinkAdam McDougall
August 18, 2009 at 3:27 PM
wouldn’t this be alongside the release of MW2? we’ve got a pre-owned copy of COD4 on DS at work, have had for a while now.
Report PermalinkDen Bones
August 18, 2009 at 10:26 PM
I think lukes confused as yes CoD4 was released for DS a while back and oer the trailer this is “Modern Warfare Mobilised”
Report PermalinkTasos Chrysostomou
August 18, 2009 at 3:50 PM
wait what? COD4 coming to DS? Wasn’t there already a COD4 game out for it, or one made for it when cod4 came out on other consoles.
Report PermalinkSnacuum
August 18, 2009 at 8:33 PM
yeah!, what’s so new about this?
Report PermalinkKorwin
August 18, 2009 at 8:29 PM
It’s like its 1996 and I’m playing quake all over again, but with militia and grizzled cockney’s.
Report Permalinkannonie
August 18, 2009 at 10:52 PM
There is already COD4 for DS and its a first person shooter, so wtf.
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