Originality in current generation console games

[Dji]

As of today, July 13th, I have made a list of IGN's Editor's Choice games for GameCube, Xbox and PS2. I have chosen IGN because it seems to be the most mainstream gaming site out there, and the one most casual gamers would rely on first and foremost.

It seems most old-school video game players think today's games have no originality. I mostly think so too. Therefore, I have only selected games which are neither a sequel, nor part of a franchise, nor licensed, nor a remake, nor a compilation. Basically, something that stands on its own. Of course, even then many of these games are still cookie-cutter rip-offs. Sequels/etc. can also be excellent, original games in their own right. But usually, this is not the case.

Although I am quite a Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, etc. fan, I am more than sick and tired of seeing sequels. I am not interested in the least in the upcoming 15th (if not more) Zelda game. Start with three hearts, get weak sword and weak shield, bow and arrows, bombs, boomerang, grappling hook, better sword, red tunic, go to one of eight dungeons, get compass, get map...yawn. It was fun the first five times. Do something NEW already! On the NES Nintendo created Kid Icarus, Clu Clu Land, Balloon Fight, Urban Champion, and countless other standalone games. On the GCN they created Pikmin, and even that got a sequel.

Anyway, the purpose of this thread is to show how unoriginal current consoles are, but also to praise games that break the current mold and try to do something new for a change. Basically, I want you to convince jaded bastards like myself what we are missing. Thank you.

The percentage represents the number of Editor's Choice which are original games. Note that the "*" means that the game is available on one of the two other consoles. Also, you may not agree with some of my decisions (such as omitting Splinter Cell because of the Tom Clancy license, or including Maximo even though it might easily be argued that it's part of the Ghosts 'n Goblins series), and perhaps I have included licensed games (I'm unaware of that), but this is just an overview. And it's skewered strictly towards IGN, meaning no Alien Hominid and whatnot. I can't stand IGN, by the way, but it's still ubiquitous.

GameCube

10 out of 94 (10.6%)

*Aggressive Inline
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
Beach Spikers
*Beyond Good & Evil
*Dr. Muto
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
*Freedom Fighters
Ikaruga
Pikmin
*Viewtiful Joe


Xbox

36 out of 180 (20%)

*Aggressive Inline
Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
*Beyond Good & Evil
Blinx
*Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
Crimson Sea
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Dead to Rights
Deathrow
*Dr. Muto
Fable
*Freedom Fighters
Full Spectrum Warrior
GUNVALKYRIE
Halo: Combat Evolved
Hunter: The Reckoning
Jade Empire
Karaoke Revolution
Max Payne
MechAssault
*Mercenaries
Moto GP: Ultimate Racing Technology
*MTX Mototrax
MX Unleashed
Otogi: Myth of Demons
Top Spin
*True Crime: Streets of L.A.
*Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Phantom Dust
Project: Snowblind
Psychonauts
RalliSport Challenge
Steel Battalion
*Suffering, The
Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus
Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions

PS2 (18%)

44 out of 245

ATV Offroad Fury
*Beyond Good & Evil
*Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
Burnout
Culdcept
Devil May Cry
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
*Dr. Muto
*Freedom Fighters
Frequency
Gitaroo-Man
God of War
Half-Life
ICO
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Katamari Damacy
*Karaoke Revolution
Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color
Manhunt
Mark of Kri, The
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory
*Mercenaries
Midnight Club: Street Racing
*MTX Mototrax
Onimusha: Warlords
*Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
*Psychonauts
Ratchet and Clank
Red Faction
Rez
Ring of Red
Rumble Racing
Samurai Warriors
Shadow of Destiny
Sky Odyssey
Sled Storm
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Splashdown
Stuntman
*Suffering, The
TimeSplitters
*True Crime: Streets of L.A.
*Viewtiful Joe
War of the Monsters


Dji's Choices for truly fun, new games (among the ones previously listed):

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
Gitaroo-Man (PS2)
GUNVALKYRIE (Xbox)
Katamari Damacy (PS2)
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (PS2)
War of the Monsters (PS2)

[calthaer]

What is this? We're skewering Alien Hominid? Since it's on a CD and has a hole in the middle, I guess it would be easy to do without damaging it, but...

There's no question that what you're saying is correct - that's why we need more indie venues in the game industry, along with the alternate methods of distribution that Warren Spector, gaming genius, has suggested.

Lack of originality IMO is directly related to the fact that the bean counters don't want to take any risks with the large wads of cash required to develop games nowadays.

[crazyjackcsa]

You lost me! A lot of games you are prasing in case of originality are just original in title and nothing else. For example: Halo, originality? It's a FPS pure and simple, a very good one but not original.

True Crime is a GTA knock off and not a good one either and yet it make your originality list. There are others on the list like that too.

A snowboarding game, a war sim (or two) and an inline game make the list. Nothing real original there.

You seem to base originality on the title alone. A lot of games come out that are just knock offs with a different title that never see a sequel for that very reason.

Don't get me wrong, I agree to an extent with you, but I think your critera is all wrong.

[ddockery]

You know, I see TONS of posts like this, and to an extent I agree with them. But what a lot of people seem to miss is that it was like this "back in the day" to a great extent too. Most classic arcade were a ripoff of something else. Sure, most were varied a bit, but are they really all that different? How many different "shoot the alien" space invaders like games are out there? Yes, it seems a bit worse now, but it has always been there. Not to mention, you can still take a concept that was done before, but by doing it right have a great game.

[Daria]

True Crime is a GTA knock off and not a good one either and yet it make your originality list. There are others on the list like that too.

While conversely, GTA 3 while being a sequal, was vastly different then it's previous installments to the series and influenced a hell of a lot of knock offs.

[Gamereviewgod]

There's as little originality this gen as there was in the 16-bit era. Character platformers, beat-em-ups, and shooters are now replaced by racing, FPSs, and 3rd person actioners/adventures.

[YoshiM]

As of today, July 13th, I have made a list of IGN's Editor's Choice games for GameCube, Xbox and PS2. I have chosen IGN because it seems to be the most mainstream gaming site out there, and the one most casual gamers would rely on first and foremost.

It seems most old-school video game players think today's games have no originality. I mostly think so too. Therefore, I have only selected games which are neither a sequel, nor part of a franchise, nor licensed, nor a remake, nor a compilation. Basically, something that stands on its own. Of course, even then many of these games are still cookie-cutter rip-offs. Sequels/etc. can also be excellent, original games in their own right. But usually, this is not the case.

Although I am quite a Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, etc. fan, I am more than sick and tired of seeing sequels. I am not interested in the least in the upcoming 15th (if not more) Zelda game. Start with three hearts, get weak sword and weak shield, bow and arrows, bombs, boomerang, grappling hook, better sword, red tunic, go to one of eight dungeons, get compass, get map...yawn. It was fun the first five times. Do something NEW already! On the NES Nintendo created Kid Icarus, Clu Clu Land, Balloon Fight, Urban Champion, and countless other standalone games. On the GCN they created Pikmin, and even that got a sequel.

Actually, if you take a step back, most games since the original Odyssey have had a lack of "originality". Since then until the early 90's we got "genre beating" (shooting, maze games in the early 80's, platformers in the late 80's and Tetris clones in the early-early 90's). It was even mentioned in magazines that the onslaught of "me too" games would kill the industry. For a while now we've got a combo of sequelitis and genre beating (survival horror, FPS, etc.). It's not right to just point at the modern stuff and cry foul.

Oh, out of your examples above you mention the many sequels of Mario, Zelda, etc. Are you including games on other systems (NES, SNES, GBA, etc.)? If so, Kid Icarus also had a sequel on the Gameboy :P . Balloon Fight is, at its core, a Joust clone.


I'm not quite sure how to read your lists, though. Very few of those titles really "break the mold". Don't get me wrong, many of the games on your lists are good. However what you think and what I think are mold breakers is purely subjective

[Nature Boy]

It seems most old-school video game players think today's games have no originality.

Oh they do, but it's not just sequels that gets under their skin. It's the fact that no new genres have sprung up either.

(BTW: I'm not one of them - I quite like games from all eras)

If you or someone else had the time, I'd like to see something similar done for previous generations. Like the SNES era say, which many still remember fondly. What % of that era was original and good?

[Ed Oscuro]

It seems most old-school video game players think today's games have no originality. I mostly think so too.

You either haven't played any of the good titles coming out, have forgotten how much utter shit used to clog aisles (as it still does), or aren't very patient. Creativity is helped along a lot by 3D-capable consoles and modern budgets...hampered somewhat too, but overall the effect has been positive.

So...you are wrong.

[davepesc]

I would like to hear ideas for these new genres some want invented. What need is not being served?

I agree that there is as much originality as there ever was. Lord, 58.6% of Atari 2600 games are maze games and 47.423% involve shooting aliens. (percentages may not be accurate as they came out of my ass, but you get the idea.)

For every "Adventure," there were 17 "Space Caverns"

[Dji]

Many of you make very good points, however there seems to be a misconception of what I've tried to do.

You lost me! A lot of games you are prasing in case of originality are just original in title and nothing else. You seem to base originality on the title alone.

I'm not praising them (except a few at the bottom of my first post), I'm just saying they are unrelated to any franchise and as such are probably more original, even though it's certainly not always the case. And indeed I am basing originality from the title alone, because being the tenth game in a series is already proof enough of a lack of originality, i.e. Final Fantasy, Madden, etc. I agree that Halo and True Crime are unoriginal, though. But at least they have their own universe, and that's something.

How many different "shoot the alien" space invaders like games are out there? Yes, it seems a bit worse now, but it has always been there. Not to mention, you can still take a concept that was done before, but by doing it right have a great game.

Both valid arguments. However, if we take the NES for instance, there are games like Snake Rattle 'n Roll, Marble Madness, Adventures of Lolo, Bubble Bobble, and still many others which are truly unique video games and not part of a box office scheme for the latest summer blockbuster. And as far as concepts go, I agree wholeheartedly. I'm not against sequels per se, but often they don't bring anything to the table.

While conversely, GTA 3 while being a sequal, was vastly different then it's previous installments to the series and influenced a hell of a lot of knock offs.

Excellent point. Super Mario 64 comes to mind, too.

There's as little originality this gen as there was in the 16-bit era. Character platformers, beat-em-ups, and shooters are now replaced by racing, FPSs, and 3rd person actioners/adventures.

True, and I admit to being biased to these old genres myself.

If so, Kid Icarus also had a sequel on the Gameboy Nyah . Balloon Fight is, at its core, a Joust clone.

He he. True.

You either haven't played any of the good titles coming out, have forgotten how much utter shit used to clog aisles (as it still does), or aren't very patient. Creativity is helped along a lot by 3D-capable consoles and modern budgets...hampered somewhat too, but overall the effect has been positive.

So...you are wrong.

I sometimes play titles which I've heard are pretty original, but I am indeed out of the loop, staying in my comfortable 8/16-bit vortex. That's why I asked everyone to name new, original console titles to convince me that I am indeed wrong (because it's a lot different on the PC, thanks to the amateur/independent scene). Which, I might add, nobody has done. Not one game has been mentioned. Come on, people, you can do better than that!

[Xantan the Foul]

Original games? I can name a few (sorry if any of these have been mentioned). I'm only naming games I own:

PS2:
Aqua Aqua
Culdcept
Katamari Damacy
Magic Pengel
Metropolismania

Gamecube:
Animal Crossing
Cubivore