The 7 Commandments of Video games

I really think Cracked.com's articles are amusing, and knowing I'm not the only person here who likes to play video games, I thought you'd also get a kick out of it (I'm looking at you Tim )

http://www.cracked.com/article_16196...ould-obey.html

Not bad, some good points and a bit tongue and cheek there. I like it. I do not agree with all of his conclusions, but it is well written nonetheless.

I think that's just his writing style really I agree on a lot of his points, others I don't really care about. But every person is different, what you might want is probably different from what I want in a video game

I decided to respond to a few points.

1. Split Screen multiplayer. This does not work for every type of game, and the mechanics of SSMP are very limiting, especially FPS games like Far Cry 2 with huge enviorments, or a game like MAG, which can host up 256 players a match. The reasons that this was so comon in the old days, was that old systems were limited to how many players could play and also online gaming was not really a factor until the last generation of systems (PS2, and Xbox, GC was not an online capable system)
Xbox Live and PSN have millons of users so I am not sure that "no one" wants to play games online.

2. Padding game length, I agree here, I hate wondering forever through empty environments, GTA4 at least has a lot to look at and some cool side quests to unlock. I think open world games can be enjoyable, but there has to be things interesting to look at and do in said vast world, otherwise its more irritating than fun.

3. Repetition, I agree with some points here. Sometime mowing down vast numbers of bad guys can be fun, I cannot get enough of Kratos tearing 1000's of Zombies a new one. At the same time agree that games that force you to repeat a long failed sequence are not good, thats lazy development. Also with the QTE again he is right on this one.

4.Making Killing fun good points here. I agree there should be a logical progression of weapons with a decent amount of ammo available (he is right on the money about RE5) and decent animations, also enemies should be varied (sorry Heavenly Sword, one of your minor flaws)

5. Buddy AI, I agree this has been a achillies heel in many games (Far Cry 2, ) there are some games that really do a good job with this. Killzone 2 and Uncharted 2 not only have AI smart enough to stay out of your line of fire, but they of actual assistance in battling large numbers of enemies.

World War 2 games, he is right, ever since Medal of Honor there have been a ton of WW2 based games and I agree it really is being done to death. The primary reason this genre is so proficate is that WW2 was a clear cut conflict that had a definate conclusion and good and bad guys. Also there is a decent selection of weapons to be had and there is just something very epic about battles such as Market Garden, Pearl Harbor, D-Day, Battle of the Buldge etc... that make this attractive to both gamers and developers.

6. Making a game that works, AMEN BRO. I have played a lot of "broken games" Tomb Raider is especially guilty of mechanical flaws. The newest Prince of Persia for 360 and PS3 frankly was a colossal disappointment because of stiff and poorly reacting controls. Mechanics are extremely important. So are proper collision detection, object placement and having as few "cheap deaths" as possible.

7. Graphics aren't everything, Tru Dat!! a pretty game with broken controls is still useless. However certain games feel a lot better to play with great graphics, games like Forza and Gran Turismo make you feel like you are behind the wheel of a Ferrari in part because of the realism, same thing with Ace Combat and Modern Warfare. Also Uncharted 2 would not pull off the amazing cinematic feel without being as beautiful as it is.

That said, not all games have to be bump-mapped into photo reality. Plenty of games are fun and enjoyable without being hyper-real. (Katamari, Viewtful Joe, Borderlands, XIII etc...)

I don't think the point was that nobody really wants to play online, it's that all games should allow for you to play multiplayer with your friends offline because it's fun and it's the reason why those games are top-sellers. Like it or not, it's what Joe Schmoe the casual player likes a lot, and if casual players didn't make up the majority of sales then really, Nintendo should have lost this generation's console wars.

but other then that I agree with you

Nintendo did not so much win the console wars as they simply left and went to a different battlefield altogether. Nothing wrong with that, frankly its the smartest thing they have ever done and they deserve every ounce of their success for making a great decision.

I would argue that Wii has no direct competitor, which has given them a huge untapped casual/housewife/elderly/kiddie gamer to buy and play their little games. Here is a little secret, Nintendo is still basically a game developer that uses Wii( gamecube, NES, N64) as an exclusive chanel to market their games.

I have often fiercely debated this on Hardcore game forums, but I will make the contention that Wii took very few sales away from either PS3 or Xbox 360. Rather the majority of Wii buyers are either first-timers, long time Nintendo fans, who would never buy anything else, people who wanted a safe family system, or have not played games since the days of Atari. So rather than taking a bigger slice of the console pie, Nintendo made the pie bigger, which is a great thing.

In my opinion a lot of Wiis will be nothing more than paper weights by this time next year, because for many, the novelty has worn off. Others wanting a deeper experiance will trade in for Xbox 360 or PS3. In fact Wii sales have plummeted in the last couple of months and PS3 sales have surged (price drop) I think it is in part because Wii misses out on games like Brutal Legend, Borderlands, Modern Warfare 2, Assasin's Creed 2, Halo ODST, Need for Speed Shift and many other high quality titles, Wii's selection of AAA titles is getting thin. Wiis one novel advantage, the Wiimote, is going to be lost in the few months as Sony and MS launch their own motion based control system. The PS wand (no actual name yet) is light years more advanced than the Wii-Mote and MS's NATAL works entirely by body movement.

I think by the end of this generation (2012-2013) we will see a rough parity between all of these systems and that will be fine. I think 3 is a good number for consoles and 3 it should remain.

So my Wiitards, worry not I am your fiercest defender on many a forum. So if I occasionally rib or poke you Wiitards on PC, it is because I love you guys, you are MY Wiitards... LOL

I don't agree with the games cited as examples for 6) Padding Game Length. I thought Elder Scroll: Oblivion had a brilliant world and traveling through it added to my gaming experience greatly and really brought the story to life, plus they gave you the option to quick-travel if you didn't like exploring. Maybe my experience with WoW has rendered me accustomed to fetch quests, but I thought the retrieve x from y quests in Oblivion weren't too repetitive, since the dungeons were genuinely interesting and well-designed, and always coupled with interesting stories and NPCs.

And again they mention it for 4) Make Combat Fun. Yeah, you fight rats while you're escaping a sewer prison. It's logical. Soon enough you'll graduate to demons, bandits and vampires. Wouldn't make sense to have you escaping the tutorial level, said sewer prison, with plate mail and a magical sword, fighting dragons, would it? Start off humble and earn your way to epic.

Thanks for the game humor for all us gamers.... from beginners to advance