Can a Triple A game be a side scroller?

[Yassen]

I was thinking to myself this evening about the recently announced and upcoming Oddworld game. It's been 5 years since Stranger's Wrath and I've been dying to return to that bizarre world once more. But there's an undeniable fact about the Oddworld games that has me worried. The fact of the matter is, they were at their peak when they were 2D side scrollers.

That isn't to say I thought Munch's Odysee or Stranger's Wrath were bad, in terms of story and personality they were the peak in the series. But in terms of gameplay they just could not match the satisfaction or edge-of-your-seat intensity and pressure the first two games could. Not to mention the artwork in the first two is still (for me) some of the best in the entire history of games.

So this got me thinking about side-scrollers in general. The idea of a triple A game being a side-scroller or even a "2.5D" seems ludicrous in current times. Those sorts of dimensions are only for indie games. But why? Can a triple A game not be a side-scroller and still sell like hotcakes? Especially a game with a reputation like the Oddworld games?

What are your opinions on the topic?

 

[Aura Guardian]

Spoiler: Yes it can

 

[Dexiro]

LittleBigPlanet?

 

[FlamingForce]

I think it's crazy to think that it couldn't be. It's funny that I read this topic now, because I recently started replaying Abe's oddysee and exoddus for the gazillionth time.

Munch's Oddysee was a fun game and Stranger's Wrath was just fantastic, I really don't see the problem, Oddworld games have always been great and I'm extremely eager to see what they'll come up with next.

 

[Irridium]

Well there's LittleBigPlanet and the upcoming LittleBigPlanet 2.

So yeah, they do exist, they're just incredibly rare.

 

[Outright Villainy]

This game [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Super_Mario_Bros._Wii] right here made enough money to buy a small country.

I think 2D scrollers can sell pretty dang well actually, particularly on handhelds.

 

[chromewarriorXIII]

LittleBigPlanet worked as a side-scroller, the new Mario game was a side-scroller (although I wouldn't completely say it's a good one)

I think that with Oddworld's reputation of being good in 2D, it will be better received if it is that way. Of course, I could be wrong and people could complain because it's not 3D and therefore not "good".

 

[FlamingForce]

LittleBigPlanet worked as a side-scroller, the new Mario game was a side-scroller (although I wouldn't completely say it's a good one)

I think that with Oddworld's reputation of being good in 2D, it will be better received if it is that way. Of course, I could be wrong and people could complain because it's not 3D and therefore not "good".

Naturally, no game will ever be able to please everyone.
But really, Oddworld's 3D reputation isn't that bad either, Strangers Wrath was really brilliant, not perfect but very good still.

Though a 2D game would also be a really cool throwback to the earlier days, I'm pretty sure Oddworld Inhabitants is well capable of producing a good game in either dimension.