Would You Play It? Criticism Welcome

I come to the forums today to ask you guys for your humble opinion. I feel very much that any style of game today has to reflect the vested interests of the development team; otherwise it would just turn into a project that lacked passion and would turn into a subpar manifestation. At the same time however, said game also needs to cater to the interests of the parties that will ultimately buy and play it; so in the end, we all need to be in harmony about the direction the game will take.

I say these things as a developer that is trying to justify their vision in a world full of very stiff competition making stereotypical games. I have always been a very hard gamer to please, and to be honest, I am glad I have been this way. I have played and still play many many games, but found that so few of them actually provide me thorough enjoyment from start to finish. I have enjoyed the random FPS matches in the COD series and most recently PS2, as well as a good strategy game. I am also ALWAYS willing to give a polished indie game a go just to help support the community even if the game isn’t my cup of tea. But…I do have to say that no type of game has been able to really captivate me the same way that games with well written stories have. A lot of games have good writers on their team, but very…very few games actually provide characters and a story I actually care about. Movies are one thing because I don’t have to sit there for more than 2 hours to get the complete package, and I don’t have to invest any actual time physically walking a character around the screen; so most movies I enjoy. Games though require you to become personally invested in them, and I am so disappointed when I am just running around shooting something and I don’t even know who the hell my character is.

So now that I have engaged you in thought I pose a question. How much do you care about playing a story…not just a game, but a real story full of emotional ups and downs, plot twists, and characters you would grow to love? I ask this question because looking at the games currently on the market and what is set to be released, compared to the title we are developing, are generally very different worlds. Say for a few projects like Metal Gear Solid, Uncharted, The Last of Us, Assassins Creed(which is getting a bit contrived) and a few others, most of the games just seem like beautiful hack n’ slash shoot em’ ups with some glossy graphics and slick gameplay.

I ultimately would like your opinion on whether or not you think, in this market, if my team’s vision is a viable product that you would want to play. Even in the preproduction stages, funding is something that is scarce and ever so precious. Hiring the best guys to get the work done is not cheap and even getting our proof of concept out for your eyes will cost quite a lot. So I ask, would you play a game where as the main character, you are NOT the superhero that will act as a one man army to fend off an alien invasion. Rather, you are a father and a husband trying to do his best to keep his family alive during a crisis that cannot be avoided. A good portion of the game revolves simply around survival at first, caring to just stay hidden from the forces that threaten humanity. Eventually the gameplay will pick up to be much more action oriented, but not in the same way you are used to. You are a powerless human, and wits and intuition are the only things you have in your arsenal. It will feel very much like a cross between Resident Evil 4, Metal Gear Solid, and Heavy Rain.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated and we look forward to your thoughts. Our hope is that our vision is something that the rest of the world would cherish just as much as us. Thanks!

 

Wait wait wait...

Did you mean story-driven survival horror? With actual survival horror?

I'd play it!

The successes of games like The Walking Dead and Spec Ops: The Line should be enough to show you that there is still a market for story driven games. I also seem to recall a large amount of moaning from many reviewers about the 'CODification' of many games these days and how their favourite franchises are turning into action shooters centred around gunning down as many people of X nationality/brain-dead zombies/aliens as possible.

 

I'm actually surprised that we haven't seen more games like Heavy Rain. The new play style was a big risk, but it received critical acclaim. It outsold other games around the same time, and has a significantly higher completion rate (people playing all the way through to the end), than most other games.

Personally, I think these story-driven, dramatic games are a great evolution in gaming. I'd love to see more games of this style.

 

Thanks for the replies! As for it being a survival horror, well...only sort of. I would like to think of it as just survival. There may be some horror elements from time to time, but there will also be adventure and a mixture of Heavy Rain style gameplay to get you invested in the characters. We are trying to capture the emotion of what it would actually be like to go through an apocalyptic event as a real human with a real story...not Master Chief. It will be a no holds bar emotional roller-coaster that is often very unforgiving.

A good example of the story telling we are shooting for can kind of be summed up from a scene in the Walking Dead game. When Carly is killed, you instantly were struct down by how such a cruel thing could happen; there are even entire discussions about why it happened and so on. This is what I aim to achieve. I want people to remember the story because they were so invested in a character, and no matter what happens to them, it will be significant enough to warrant buzz and discussions.

There will be many areas of the gameplay where things like stealth, problem solving and action will play a part...but it's more about the overall package to deliver an engaging entertainment medium where when you kill someone, if wasn't just a matter of pushing a button and forgetting about it 10 min. later.

 

More story driven games? Yeah I'm all for that.

More story driven games with gameplay and controls of Heavy Rain? Please NO!

 

+1

 

I guess a bit of clarification is in order.

My reference to gameplay like Heavy Rain does not mean it will control like Heavy Rain. To be honest, while I did personally like the game, sometimes having to extend my arm to shut the car door and then turn on the engine was a bit much.

No...what I mean when I say it will have elements of Heavy Rain influence is; it will allow the player to actually have control of the character during key development scenes where you might not typically have control. The control scheme and actual gameplay will be very adventure/3rd person like. There will be cinematics where the player will not control the character, but these will be limited to specific situations.

Hope this helped clear the air. (You will not be going through a 40 button process to brew coffee in your house).

 

I always beleive the best games arent the ones that are most fun, its the ones that are most immersive. The ones where i lose myself and become part of the world, and that character, that is more fun to me. A lot of games dont have the story to do that nowadays, but have the world to, Skyrim, being one.

Its hard to cater to a world that has the schematic: "LOOK DOWN THE BARREL OF THIS GUN AND SHOOT EVERYTHING THAT MOVES", thrust down their throats, and really all we see. Dont get me wrong, i loved Far Cry, and i dont mind the odd game of COD. But if you can offer me a game with a story that would make Se7en weep, and realistic characters who actually solve real world problems with real world methods (rather than just, ya know, conveniently having a grenade) i would love it.

But you gotta find that fine line between what is reality, and what is fun. For example, i really liked the game dragons dogma, but making me traverse from one side of the map to other for every single quest ruined it, but that is far more believable to happen than a fast-travel/teleport system. Bear in mind what will keep the audience engaged, otherwise. I AM ALL IN!

 

Yes, story is one of the number one things that drive me to play a game. Games have potential to be the best medium to tell a story because of the interactivity aspect of them. When a game makes you feel what the character would be feeling is awesome. For example the COD(I know COD might not be the best thing to reference but, meh)'No Russian' mission. When you were walking through the airport killing innocent civilians, it made me feel guilty. The civilians didn't fight back, no one could contest you. You were just slaughtering them. If things like that are used more in games, I think better stories will come out of them.

 

It was a very easy game though , you had 3 chances to win it after all .

 

You are right. It was easy. That is why I am looking to meld it into a more thorough adventure experience where actual problem solving will need to be used. It will be a delicate balance and that is why the preproduction phase of this game is taking so long.

 

Just don't use sixaxis controls*shudders*

 

My most prominent memory from that game is the very beginning, when you're getting ready in your apartment. I was just getting the hang of all their strange controls, and wandered in to use the bathroom. My only thought was "Please don't make me shake it. Please don't make me shake it."

 

Sorry my comment came off a little harsh. I'm just not a fan of the way Heavy Rain did it controls/mechanics.

Your idea does sound really interesting though.

 

Would I personally play it? No. Some people are just more content with action and adventure than getting to know a character and feeling for them.