I'd love just once, regardless of genre, for a major publisher to create one uber mainstream game in an old style, be it a 2D turn-based CRPG with an epic scope, a 2D platformer with an epic scope, a ultra-intelligent text-based game, etc. Go all out with the art, sound, writing, advertising, etc., as applicable, and really see what happens.
I've often had this thought as well. Take the basic gameplay of a game like Pool of Radiance (or Phantasie), vamp up the graphics, sound, interface, etc., but keep the gameplay intact. We're starting to see this (to a limited extent) with the old adventure classics, though it's always a grassroots/hobbyist effort and never (at least to my mind) a commercial enterprise. I'm still holding out for XLA or something similar to get very serious about updating classics without marring the gameplay. It's critical not to much around with the basic mechanics, though this seems to be all too common ("Let's make this 2D classic 3D! Let's make this turn-based game real-time! Let's get rid of the challenge and spoonfeed the gamer!")
I'd love just once, regardless of genre, for a major publisher to create one uber mainstream game in an old style, be it a 2D turn-based CRPG with an epic scope, a 2D platformer with an epic scope, a ultra-intelligent text-based game, etc. Go all out with the art, sound, writing, advertising, etc., as applicable, and really see what happens.
I've often had this thought as well. Take the basic gameplay of a game like Pool of Radiance (or Phantasie), vamp up the graphics, sound, interface, etc., but keep the gameplay intact. We're starting to see this (to a limited extent) with the old adventure classics, though it's always a grassroots/hobbyist effort and never (at least to my mind) a commercial enterprise. I'm still holding out for XLA or something similar to get very serious about updating classics without marring the gameplay. It's critical not to much around with the basic mechanics, though this seems to be all too common ("Let's make this 2D classic 3D! Let's make this turn-based game real-time! Let's get rid of the challenge and spoonfeed the gamer!")
Matt Barton, Managing Editor
Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Email: matt@armchairarcade.com