Poll: Genres, are they good or unnecessary.
- Thread starter Epyc Wynn
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Genres are like linearity; the more genres (or the more sandbox) the less focus and while it may sound fun on paper, you run the risk of making the game seem overly spread out. It's like what Ben said on the Rage critique: (paraphrase) If you mix racing with first-person shooting you run the risk of not having enough sweet jumps or, giant spider bosses as you would have in a dedicated racing or, shooting game. Unlike linearity though, not having a focused game genre can be more debilitating than having a more open game.
The Halo Series is a good example: it's a good FPS but the vehicle sections SUCK. The AI can't drive and they have a bit of difficulty prioritizing enemies (especially in a mongoose which the guy behind you has a rocket launcher). It can be done well though like, Mortal Kombat Mythology: Sub-Zero which was a mix of platforming and, Mortal Kombat. You know what? I take that back but it could have been a good idea I guess.
The Halo Series is a good example: it's a good FPS but the vehicle sections SUCK. The AI can't drive and they have a bit of difficulty prioritizing enemies (especially in a mongoose which the guy behind you has a rocket launcher). It can be done well though like, Mortal Kombat Mythology: Sub-Zero which was a mix of platforming and, Mortal Kombat. You know what? I take that back but it could have been a good idea I guess.
Don't have time to read all the responses as I'm about to leave or work, but I can only hope that someone brought this up aready:
Genre's are nothing more than descriptive devices that help define what a game is. They have no other real meaning or purpose other than to define thhe key characteristics of a game. The vast majority of games made these days can be described in many ways, as such they already fit in with many genres. Portal isn't just a puzzle game, it's a puzzle platformer. Mass Effect isn't just a 3rd Person Shooter, it's a 3rd Person Shooter RPG Action/Adventure (and probably a couple others) game. Even some fighting games cross genres with hints of RPG elements (leveling up custom made characters and increasing/customizing their stats). While it is true that some games stick to one genre, most games these days pull elements from numerous genres, and as such get the long winded descriptions such as 3rd Person Shooter RPG Action/Adventure.
Oh, just thought of another genre to tack onto Mass Effect's list: "Dating Sim".
Genre's are nothing more than descriptive devices that help define what a game is. They have no other real meaning or purpose other than to define thhe key characteristics of a game. The vast majority of games made these days can be described in many ways, as such they already fit in with many genres. Portal isn't just a puzzle game, it's a puzzle platformer. Mass Effect isn't just a 3rd Person Shooter, it's a 3rd Person Shooter RPG Action/Adventure (and probably a couple others) game. Even some fighting games cross genres with hints of RPG elements (leveling up custom made characters and increasing/customizing their stats). While it is true that some games stick to one genre, most games these days pull elements from numerous genres, and as such get the long winded descriptions such as 3rd Person Shooter RPG Action/Adventure.
Oh, just thought of another genre to tack onto Mass Effect's list: "Dating Sim".
Yes, but not all. A number of genres get mixed with others to make 'better' games, whilst many would just enjoy the focus on just one of the genres.Epyc Wyn said:
Both. Some should have mixes, some should be pure. Too much of anything is bad. Several genres doesn't make things diverse, nor does one genre keep things simple. Diversity is having a mix of both single genre games and hybrid genre games.
That too would be good.
These days we need more diversity. That ain't going to come from constantly mixing genres together, as usually companies will follow the mixed genres that others used successfully and you get samey games. Instead, we need non-mixed games to come more to the forefront, and different styles of mixed genres to be tried.
Sadly, I'm running out of uses for genres. These days they get so muddled up with everything they include, but will carry the title of the genre that is the favourite of the demographic they wish to sell to. There are still a few distinct genres, but they are so broad as to be useless. Try to get people to agree on what an RPG is for example (DO NOT START THAT CRAP HERE OK?).
This guy hit the nail on the head. I don't have a particular favorite genre of game, I like all kinds of games. I enjoyed Half-Life 2 and Portal and hell even Doom 3 the first time through, I've also played the Diablo games and Titan Quest and Torchlight. I've lost countless hours to X3 Reunion and Freespace and Freelancer, and sometimes when I'm in the mood I'll fire up one of the Need for Speed games or Audiosurf or Beat Hazard.CannibalCorpses said:There are 2 genre's of games aren't there? Good and bad
You shouldn't allow yourself to pick just one genre of games and say this is all I'm ever gonna play as a gamer. It's good to try new things, except for Giants: Citizen Kabuto, that game was a steaming pile of donkey shit covered in Taco Bell "taco meat".
Absolutely this.WoW Killer said:
A genre is just meant to give a very basic idea of what to expect. Fighting over genres or what genre a game belongs to is silly, it's not meant to be a set of chains that force a game to behave a certain way.