EA Aiming For 50% Innovation 108
Talking to 'The Street.com' EA Worldwide Studios president Paul Lee gets grilled on game delays and industry stagnation, and reaffirms EA's commitment to new IP. From the article: "There [have] been countless games in our industry that have looked great and didn't play particularly well. Going forward, there's going to be a lot of me-too products that look great -- because they all look great -- that aren't necessarily going to do great. But if you take a look at what we have -- you know, Spore is innovative game-play, and at the same time it's got great graphics. And I think that's what really knocks it out of the park. Innovative game-play helps drive [the cause] of gaming. And if you can do that, and you can have great graphics, I think that the market is bigger than just having one of the two."
yeah ok Spore's knocking it out of the park (Score:4, Insightful)
And it has a very great danger of doing a whole bunch of stuff Not Very Well. Sort of reminds me of City of Heroes, in everything I've seen about it - great costume designer (creature creator) but the gameplay doesn't live up to it.
Naturally, this speculation isn't that valid as I haven't played it either. But I'm not asserting it's "knocking it out of the park" or even that it will fail. I am simply skeptical that it's going to be the Only Game I Ever Play because of all the uniquely combined elements.
From the sounds of TFA... (Score:4, Insightful)
It sounds to me like the basic premise for their 'innovations' is that they plan on tacking GTA-style emergent gameplay onto ever title they can. Granted, it's a nice touch in certain titles but for God's sake, don't just shove it into games where it has no purpose. Going from one marketing gimmick (yearly sequels) to another (go wherever, do whatever) just because your original tactic is failing miserably doesn't make you save any face in my book.
Re:yeah ok Spore's knocking it out of the park (Score:3, Insightful)
50% Innovation is really... (Score:3, Insightful)
Half empty, half full - ad naseum.
FUR (Score:3, Insightful)
If I can't evolve my creature to look like any REAL creature as well as imaginary, then what's the point of giving me constrained freedom. If I can't evolve a mouse into an ape into a human, then why play an evolving game.
Seriously, the scale bump mapping looks great, but if the PS2 can do great fur for Shadow of the Collosus and the XBox 360 can do fur for Kameo, then the average 2007 gamer PC should be able to do fur no problem. I just hope that Will Wright rectifies this design error before the game ships - and doesn't make it a Mammals expansion. Just so you know I am looking forward to this game, I just thought I would cut through the irrational exuberance surrounding it.
Bullshit (Score:0, Insightful)
EA will just buy another company and use their innovation, and then promptly ruin it.
In reality, it IS about the games... (Score:3, Insightful)
For them to keep moving forward, they have to have people want to have their games and to schedule part of their time for them. I just don't see the bulk of the stuff EA's producing of late doing that for the most part. I mean, how many more NFL/NHL/NBA 200x games are people going to be willing to keep plunking down $50 or so for? That's their bread and butter right at the moment- sequels of "hit" games with "cooler, more realistic gameplay" than the previous versions.
Hmph... Like with Clear Channel and the RIAA labels and music, EA's more the cause of the current malaise than anything else. Unfortunately, entertainment can only be mass-produced so far before it's no longer really entertainment and more mere killing of time.
But hey, if you're willing to plunk down $50 for the equivalent of doing the crossword puzzle on the Sunday paper (which is what most of EA's offerings have become...), then more power to ya!
50% increase is easy... (Score:2, Insightful)