Topic: Hopes and dreams for 2013?

[JoshuaKadmon]

I do blame HD gaming. Costs to make games are more expensive now than ever, so developers are trying to earn back their costs(and then some) by catering to the popular trend.

That may be true, but we've seen some outstanding hardcore, unconventional titles transcend this issue in the current generation.  Demon's Souls is the prime example, flourishing in the West through word-of-mouth despite its relative lack of Sony [Japan] support and zero marketing.  Atlus itself has some strong examples in its Persona series, which always make the most of a small budget and often manage to deliver better gameplay than the multi-million-dollar Final Fantasy entries of late.  Digital distribution through Steam, PSN, and XBL has re-opened the doors for smaller studios and greatly revitalized retro gaming.  And we've seen a revival of 2D fighters and side-scrolling platformers that would suggest that many gamers still value gameplay over cinematic presentation.

Perhaps we need another bold SotN-type scenario to revive Castlevania properly.  What I mean by that is this... SotN came out at a time when 3D seemed practically mandatory for 32-bit disc-based platforms, boasted some decidely old-school mechanics, yet made the most of SS/PSX technology by dropping in pieces of 3D, beautifully smooth sprite work, and deep layers of parallax.

If Konami bravely crafted an HD 2.5D Castlevania for consoles, using traditional side-scrolling gameplay mixed with 3D assets, this would make several things possible:

1) Development costs would be drastically lower than that of a fully 3D game.

2) Hardcore old-school fans would appreciate the construct of traditional Metroidvania titles, but mainstream gamers could enjoy HoD-esque cooperative connectivity and the cinematic presentation that 3D assets would allow.

3) 3D assets would also allow complete visual customization of characters, perhaps even full character creation.

4) Ecclesia's world map system could be evolved and incorporated to lend more non-linear exploration to the game, which has almost become a prerequisite for games with RPG elements.

5) Side-scrolling games often allow for greater detail in level design because they don't suffer the spacial issues and technical limitations of full-3D with a roaming/controllable camera, thus allowing the visual style to be more unique, perhaps even moving closer to Ayami Kojima's artwork with the right filters/shaders.

There are other advantages, as well, but such a game could be released on a limited edition retail basis with a stronger focus on digital distribution [to bloat profits considerably, with less overhead to boot].  Slightly lower-res handheld editions would also be possible, so innovations like cross-platform play might be possible.  It would be a gamble, for sure, but would it really be more risky than the entries we've seen in the last decade?  I doubt it.

[Flame]

Yeah I was about to say similar myself... You cant quite lump all of "HD Gaming" into one whole. Theres quite a few "HD" sidescrolling games on the likes of Xbox and such which cost 20$ or less, and deliver on beautiful visuals and gameplay. Even many HD "console" releases are cheaper if purchased online for download, because it cuts out the middle man of distribution through physical medium, which boosts the cost up significantly.

HD gaming isnt the problem itself, IMO, the problem is how "big budget"  everything has become and how much money companies expect to make. From the games, to the consoles. Remember the PS3 Starting price? that shit was steep. Thats the kind of thing that effectively killed smaller consoles back in the day, like the 3DO. It's also the reason the Wii was so damn successful. It offered AMAZING potential with (for the time anyway,)  innovative technology, and pretty damn good system capabilities, even though many games didnt really know how to properly utilize the full extent of the system. (Some of the later Wii games almost match up to PS3/360 graphical quality- just look at a game like Sonic Colors)

[Ratty]

Well as it's been said before, one of the worst effects of the mainstreamization of games over the last decade, something usually viewed as positive, is the death of the mid-level studio. It's increasingly the case that you're either a Goliath like Capcom, or you're a tiny Indie dev team- or you're going out of business. Hudson*, THQ, many other midsize developers have not been able to sustain themselves in the face of rising production costs and a fickle, unpredictable market. Konami, who I guess you could say was one of the "major minors" back in the day, is trying to prevent falling in this trap... but with the large volume of shovelware they've put out in recent years and what appears to be an insane wo/man in charge of marketing, this effort is having mixed results to put it mildly.

*Which was swallowed up by Konami in fact, in a case of the kind of bigger-fish-eats-smaller-fish behavior we see so often from EA.

[son_the_vampire]

i hope LoS2 sets up to tie in classics like Sonia, Trevor and even Chris! I also hope they announce a sequel to CoTM

[Inccubus]

Yeah I was about to say similar myself... You cant quite lump all of "HD Gaming" into one whole. Theres quite a few "HD" sidescrolling games on the likes of Xbox and such which cost 20$ or less, and deliver on beautiful visuals and gameplay. Even many HD "console" releases are cheaper if purchased online for download, because it cuts out the middle man of distribution through physical medium, which boosts the cost up significantly.

HD gaming isnt the problem itself, IMO, the problem is how "big budget"  everything has become and how much money companies expect to make. From the games, to the consoles. Remember the PS3 Starting price? that shit was steep. Thats the kind of thing that effectively killed smaller consoles back in the day, like the 3DO. It's also the reason the Wii was so damn successful. It offered AMAZING potential with (for the time anyway,)  innovative technology, and pretty damn good system capabilities, even though many games didnt really know how to properly utilize the full extent of the system. (Some of the later Wii games almost match up to PS3/360 graphical quality- just look at a game like Sonic Colors)

In general it's a problem of how businesses have more a culture of economic growth over simply sustaining themselves. It's like no one is satisfied unless their growth reaches a certain level. it's a travesty if the next game doesn't make double what the last one made. It's the root of a whole lot of the problems with economics now a days. It started in the nineties with the advent of the idea on wallstreet that *greed is good* for the economy. We can all see where that has lead things. Fortunately for the game industry we have a strong indie sector to push innovation.

[DragonSlayr81]

Yeah, HD gaming ISN'T the problem, but the whole big budget projects are. Most of the games I've enjoyed this gen tend to be downloadable games(which is sad, actually). They are, in my humble opinion, what's right with modern gaming. I think the problem with HD gaming is bot the developers aiming for more mainstream popularity, though also the whole(which isn't new) believe people have that "big budget = good game".

It's the same thing with Hollywood. If it's a movie from big name studio, or has lots of A-list actors attached, people blindly walk in like it's a sure thing. These same people pass by a lot of indie movies simply BECAUSE they aren't "Universal" movies or "Paramount" or "Warner Bros" or "Disney". You see that sort of thinking with gamers too. It's a form of thinking that needs to be broken, IMO. Games should be judged on how good they are, not how large their budgets are. A good game, be it big budget or small budget, is good nonetheless, but just because a game has a big budget doesn't make it good. It's the whole "don't judge a book by it's cover", though I'd add, "Don't just a product based on it's price or name brand label".

But yeah, it's odd how I've become less of a mainstream gamer this gen than previous ones. Just the whole situation of seeing a lot fo companies(good companies) go under because they couldn't compete with high budget games, and lots of great franchises being forgotten(either by their developers shutting down, or by big developers who saw them as being not profitable by mainstream taste and cast them aside like some unwanted step-child), it just left a big bitter taste in my mouth. It's disgusting, and to talk to various gamers who are alright with that in various forums, how people could just say, "Oh well!", it's TOTALLY sickening.  Those kinda of gamers make me ashamed to even be a gamer. God, just hit the reset bomba!

[demon king 92]

i hope castlevanias future is bright and in the hands of a developer who can satisfy both old and new school fans like rocksteady did with batman

[Shiroi Koumori]

i hope castlevanias future is bright and in the hands of a developer who can satisfy both old and new school fans like rocksteady did with batman

Sigh... If only I could view the future as bright as yours....
It is hard to satisfy those 2 groups of people especially CV fans. There is a huge divide that I see just by browsing the forum.

[Super Waffle]

A good handheld Castlevania game.

My hope are crushed.

[Inccubus]

A good handheld Castlevania game.

My hope are crushed.

AND all your base are belong to us!

[Pfil]

I hope that the Lords of Shadows saga comes to an end in a somewhat satisfactory way so that fans of LoS can be happy and Konami give it closure and returns the saga to in house produced games. And if that can't happen, I'd choose Wayforward for taking Castlevania (with Jake Kaufman as the composer, of course, following the style of Dusk Falls). A second option could be Platinum.

[Pfil]

It seems my previous post received a negative...
I wasn't trying to be rude to LoS fans, I said that so they can be happy and after that Konami returns to what it was, because that is what I wish.
But if anyone felt offended by my commentary, these are my apologies.
I respect what everyone thinks.

[Sumac]

Abd once again - do you really think, that Platinum will make a good Castlevania, when it comes to style of the game?

[Pfil]

If it turns out like Bayonetta, in matters of music, gameplay and look of the game, at least I would like it. I'm talking for myself, of course. But I liked Bayonetta.

[Chernabogue]

I hope that the Lords of Shadows saga comes to an end in a somewhat satisfactory way so that fans of LoS can be happy and Konami give it closure and returns the saga to in house produced games.

This. Or give it to another studio like MS.