Anyone else getting tired of retro indies?

[Big Head]

I loved Hotline Miami. I think I'm falling for Lone Survivor. I'm excited for the Hyper Light Drifter release. But...

Please stop with the 2D retro indies.

It's 2014 and the Vita is a fantastic piece of hardware that is coming into its own, yet we get games that could have been developed for the Game Boy 25 years ago. Open up the Vita and lets see what devs can do with it. It's a Rolls Royce sitting in the garage.

 

[Arthur Sataine]

No. Absolutely not. If you want to see what the Vita is capable of, contact Sony's first party and exclusive studios. They are the ones in need of showing off how great the machine is. The indies are all awesome. 2d sprites, so far, age the absolute best. And only go to prove that you can have a phenomenal game without all the photorealism. In fact, most of my recent purchases have been sprite based indie titles on Steam. And I love them. Rogue Legacy (I'll get that on PS4 as well), Starbound, RPG Maker VX ACE, etc. And I'll continue to do so. I take game quality over graphical prowess any day of the week.

 

[Lifewish]

I am not tired of them, though I would agree that the Vita needs to some more software to really push its limits. However, it also needs 2D indie games to balance it out.

 

[Big Head]

In fact, most of my recent purchases have been sprite based indie titles on Steam. And I love them. Rogue Legacy (I'll get that on PS4 as well), Starbound, RPG Maker VX ACE, etc. And I'll continue to do so. I take game quality over graphical prowess any day of the week.

That seems to be all that has been released lately. I'm good with the indies, and some are really good...but come on. Devs need to think outside the box a bit, homebrew included. Maybe the deluge of 2D retros coming all at once is what's getting to me (and they are a thousand times better than another awful rhythmic or puzzle game), but I want something different than another pixel art scroller.

 

[MakaiOokami]

That seems to be all that has been released lately. I'm good with the indies, and some are really good...but come on. Devs need to think outside the box a bit, homebrew included. Maybe the deluge of 2D retros coming all at once is what's getting to me (and they are a thousand times better than another awful rhythmic or puzzle game), but I want something different than another pixel art scroller.

Where the hell are they supposed to get the budget for it?

Indies are small developers. If they do 3D modelling that requires more powerful computers, and a lot more time.

The problem is that making 3D games is extremely hard. If they made Age of Zombies in 3D the effects would probably look worse than they do. Would you rather have well articulated Hand Drawn stuff, or pixel art stuff? Or badly rendered or designed flat 3D objects?

There are lots of games where it'd be much better if they made it 2D intsead of 3D. Contra wasn't really helped by being made in 3D on the PS2. Sure that's a side scroller but...

Did you buy When Vikings Attack? That one is thinking out of the box and Cross-Buy with Vita.

 

[Big Head]

Did you buy When Vikings Attack? That one is thinking out of the box and Cross-Buy with Vita.

One of my favorite early Vita titles. Urban Freestyle as well.

 

[MakaiOokami]

One of my favorite early Vita titles. Urban Freestyle as well.

I don't want the Vita to become a PS1 or PS2 situation where everyone tries to do 3D even though they shouldn't and there's a ton of games that just look like crap, and don't play quite right and everything would have been better if they did 2D.

I'm more excited about most of the 2D indie pixel based games than I am about other games.

 

[Borshay]

Not remotely close to being tired of them. If a game is good it doesn't matter if its pixel art or amazing 3d effects.
If it looked like Ratchet & Clank Full Frontal Assault on Vita would that be a preferable to 2d art?

 

[BigPete7978]

I just want good games. Don't care what they look like. Never been a graphics whore. I will take gameplay over graphics every time.

 

[Vinomen]

I just want good games. Don't care what they look like. Never been a graphics whore. I will take gameplay over graphics every time.

I would just like to see more Indie RPG's

 

[Big Head]

I just want good games. Don't care what they look like. Never been a graphics whore. I will take gameplay over graphics every time.

I agree that several of these 2d pixel indies have been solid (Hotline, Knytt, and Lone Survivor come right to mind), but when the hardware is there to really open it up and blow minds, I want to see it. If funding is the main issue, how many Kickstarters do you read about on a daily basis? The funding is there more than ever.

Maybe I'm missing something, but these 2d retros aren't taking any of the Vita options- front screen touch, touchpad, vertical or horizontal tilt/motion, light sensor, camera- and incorporating them into games. It's a D pad and two or three buttons. Just give me something different!

 

[BigPete7978]

I agree that several of these 2d pixel indies have been solid (Hotline, Knytt, and Lone Survivor come right to mind), but when the hardware is there to really open it up and blow minds, I want to see it. If funding is the main issue, how many Kickstarters do you read about on a daily basis? The funding is there more than ever.

Maybe I'm missing something, but these 2d retros aren't taking any of the Vita options- front screen touch, touchpad, vertical or horizontal tilt/motion, light sensor, camera- and incorporating them into games. It's a D pad and two or three buttons. Just give me something different!

Oh I agree completely. There definitely needs to be variety within gaming. If you have the same thing over and over things become boring and stale to a gamer.

 

[Dullshimmer]

I don't know I rather like the Retro 2D titles. Granted I mean variety is good too. I wouldn't want them to all disappear and be left with none, but some more variety is always welcome if they've got the vision and the ability to do it well. I'd rather be flooded with good-great retro 2D titles than with mediocre 3D stuff.

Rogue Legacy (I'll get that on PS4 as well), Starbound, RPG Maker VX ACE, etc. And I'll continue to do so. I take game quality over graphical prowess any day of the week.

And Rogue Legacy is coming to the PS4? Well there goes some of my money.

 

[Arthur Sataine]

I don't know I rather like the Retro 2D titles. Granted I mean variety is good too. I wouldn't want them to all disappear and be left with none, but some more variety is always welcome if they've got the vision and the ability to do it well. I'd rather be flooded with good-great retro 2D titles than with mediocre 3D stuff.



And Rogue Legacy is coming to the PS4? Well there goes some of my money.

It is. And Starbound too at some point.

 

[yowzagabowza]

Id like a game that WASN'T released on pc years ago.
And i dont understand why people think good graphics = poor gameplay. You can have both now a days.

 

[Arthur Sataine]

Id like a game that WASN'T released on pc years ago.
And i dont understand why people think good graphics = poor gameplay. You can have both now a days.

The fact of the matter is, it is done every rarely. Oftentimes studios pass on overall quality just to get something morons will drool at.

 

[Dullshimmer]

It is. And Starbound too at some point.

Nice, I haven't picked up Starbound, I might wait and do that on the PS4 then.

Id like a game that WASN'T released on pc years ago.
And i dont understand why people think good graphics = poor gameplay. You can have both now a days.

Eh, both of those games were just released last year (Starbound isn't even officially released yet is it? Isn't it still in beta?), makes sense for them to get them out on multiple platforms if they are able.

I don't really see people saying that you can't have good graphics and good gameplay, just that it may be more expensive and harder to do than using retro graphics and a 2D scheme. So while it's certainly possible it may be a bit more of a gamble both for the company and the gamer. Really I'd like both or heck even 3D with not the best graphics but good gameplay would work too.

 

[wolfehound22]

Nope, we should be able to haved both. The indies that are developing these titles are doing so because that is the funds they have. There are developers out there for the big titles, but the indies have smaller budgets so smaller titles. That said, graphics shouldn't matter, whether they look retro or not, a good game is a good game.

 

[Lionheartwolf]

I will say I think the market is becoming saturated with them, but I wouldn't go as far as saying stop. The reality of the situation is it's not like they would go out and make the next Uncharted game, but instead chose to make an 8-bit retro game. So really your options are they make those games or don't make games. So I would always rather them just make games and not play them if I really wasn't interested.

It's also easy to forget that there is a large audience that didn't start with 8 bits a joystick, and 1-2 buttons. I say it's the best way for them to start. I probably wouldn't be a gamer if I didn't have the opportunity to evolve with the gaming industry itself. I barely made it through the first level of Super Mario Bros. When I was 3. Now that I have a 3 year old I cannot imagine how she would ever wrap her mind around a PS4 remote. 8-bit games in the new generation are a nice compromise to introducing non gamers to simpler elements. (although, I'll be fair and admit that indie games have a bigger problem with making their games overly difficult for it, but that is really another conversation for another time.)

 

[MakaiOokami]

I will say I think the market is becoming saturated with them, but I wouldn't go as far as saying stop. The reality of the situation is it's not like they would go out and make the next Uncharted game, but instead chose to make an 8-bit retro game. So really your options are they make those games or don't make games. So I would always rather them just make games and not play them if I really wasn't interested.

It's also easy to forget that there is a large audience that didn't start with 8 bits a joystick, and 1-2 buttons. I say it's the best way for them to start. I probably wouldn't be a gamer if I didn't have the opportunity to evolve with the gaming industry itself. I barely made it through the first level of Super Mario Bros. When I was 3. Now that I have a 3 year old I cannot imagine how she would ever wrap her mind around a PS4 remote. 8-bit games in the new generation are a nice compromise to introducing non gamers to simpler elements. (although, I'll be fair and admit that indie games have a bigger problem with making their games overly difficult for it, but that is really another conversation for another time.)

My problem is that the bit pixel art games can look good and do look good with a small budget.

However time and time again when indies have a small budget and try to make 3D games, so much of the time it is an ugly, shitty mess that looks like it belongs on the PS1.

Perfect example. Minecraft is popular despite its graphics. A ton of people rip on it for its graphics, but fact of the matter is, those graphics were largely created by 1 single individual. A lot of the indie games only have 1-5 people working on artwork.

Is hand drawn art ok?

Is this ok?
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2888/11877745123_ee80717616_n.jpg