If you've been playing 'Splosion Man as much as I have, this week's Soapbox is for you. The Sess uses that game as a springboard to talk about all the reasons why downloadable games are great for the industry and gamers alike. From the creativity aspect, to keeping platformers alive, to maintaining very challenging difficulty curves, Xbox Live Arcade games and PSN downloadable titles are selling well and getting great reviews. Now if only Microsoft would let me pay for them in actual dollars...
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Secondtooth ShowHide
Fallout 3 better freaken win
The_Masked_Donut
It's nice to see someone else loves platformers. I have no idea why they stopped getting made; back in the day Nintendo and Rare had some of the best platformers around in large quantities. I'm still waiting for a proper sequel to Banjo, not that there was anything bad about nuts and bolts, but it just missed the point on why people loved it in the first place. I love 3D mario games, but they lack the sense of open worldness that the Rare games had. This resurgence of 2D platformers is good too, but it's the 3D ones that will ultimately revive the genre.
ccruse1112
I halfway agree Adam. With a game that only lasts a couple of hrs, manufacturing a longer experience by having a really tough segment that may have to be tried over and over for an hr or so before finally getting it, makes those shorter games more rewarding and last longer, and not feel like a rip off for $5 to $20. A full $60 game cant be this way because us as gamers want real man hours and not just manufactured ones, and if a $60 game that is 10-50hrs long has a segment that is ridiculously difficult and that you have to try over and over again to complete, it just feels like the developers were taking the easy way out in trying to make there game longer (rather its true or not that's how it feels). But there is an art to difficult games at $60 price that feel very rewarding and not cheap, and that i would like to see more of; games like Gears of War on hard mode, Devil May Cry 3, God of War, Street Fighter IV challenge mode, Ninja Gaiden, even Mario Sunshine, .
Maxieon
I love platformers a lot because they have a great replay value and can take you a while to beat. I wish that they would make more platformers but everyone now loves their fps and rpg games. I like those kind of games to but I love platformers more. I guess that means I'm old to Adam.
RRODisBack
I agree with what Adams is saying for once, but the retail developers have to go with what works. Sadly, if there's not a gun in the hand of the lead character then the game won't do as well as the games with gun in hand.
top8cat
@ccruse1112
Could'nt agree more
Attifire
Man, I could really go for a brand new Donkey Kong Country. Wouldn't it be cool if Rare made a new one? -drool- Why mess with a perfect formula? Keep it 2D like the old ones (unless they are positive it will be better).
RobbyMac217
Two of my favorite game franchises are platformers; Jak and Daxter, and Mario. I don't know why I like platforming so much, but it just feels right when I play them.
crocodilius
Sega Genesis>Landstalker>best platformer ever.
b10laine2290
Adam is right on in this soapbox
ParanoiDave
'Splosion Man looks cool! Too bad I can't play it...
Since I missed GPhoria, what is the "stupid thing" Adam was talking about? Anyone know?
SG_17
Mario, Crash, and Sonic. The best platformers EVER.
zimmy91
two letters n+ its good go try it (xbl only sry)
Lawrence123
Mario had shooting , fireballs anyone ! and what did Adam say that was so bad, I watched the show
aidano
i agreed with most of the winners of gphoria today, turned out quite well it was nice to see the xbox win best console instead of the wii i also would have been happy with the pc or the ps3 vs casual gaming.
Catfishy645
I think it was the Fallout 3 question or when he said Littlebigplanet wasn't a hardcore game or when he said he thought most people that watch the show are hardcore gamers
Catfishy645
I think it was the Fallout 3 question or when he said Littlebigplanet wasn't a hardcore game or when he said he thought most people that watch the show are hardcore gamers
Catfishy645
I think it was the Fallout 3 question or when he said Littlebigplanet wasn't a hardcore game or when he said he thought most people that watch the show are hardcore gamers
takeoutearth
if you like platformers try n+ its one of the most frustrating and amazing platformers . its for computer and xbl try it out. i agree platformers are one of my favorites
randomamber
I think it is interesting that Mr. Sessler invokes the other creative forms of media in his soapbox.
Clearly video games, while at once drawing on music, visual arts, film and literature as their motivation, explore new territory as a burgeoning form of expression unlike anything to come before it. While the constraints of genre seem less confining for video games, (Although really how many comedic games are there aside from Sly Cooper and Psychonauts, anyways??) . Gaming IS however tightly constrained in other ways. As a community we seem to want to put our gaming experiences in a tidy little box. Developers take a real chance when trying to mix styles ( Hello, Too Human!) Unlike chocolate and peanut butter cups, we don't like getting F.P.S. on our Platforming.
Perhaps therein lies the almost universal popularity of platforming games. When done creatively they elicit pure joy from players of all ages. But they are more like a snack than a gourmet meal. It seems doubtful to me that a platformer could ever match the lasting emotional impact of the last act of Bioshock or even the gripping end to Modern Warfare. So maybe $20 is okay for a snack and $60 works for a full course meal. Now if we could just adjust the cost of minigame collections so that publishers are paying US to play them.
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