Willits: Industry Too "Hit-Driven," Only Getting Worse

[Thunderfox]

Has anybody actually played Rage yet? How will ID software fare with just their company name to sell a product, rather than something revolutionary about the gameplay of the product itself?

Doom and Quake changed the industry, and people still play them. Doom 3 looked kind of nice, but the game sucked. Does anyone still play it? Is it fondly remembered? And most importantly, will Rage follow the same path of technical innovation mixed with flawed gameplay?

 

[czerro]

I think Doom 3 was more about developing a top tier engine that could earn profits through licensing. Rage on the other-hand appears to be an entirely different beast and a big departure for ID. Essentially Willits is admitting that ID is not immune to this blockbuster mentality. It is simply a reality that ID acknowledges, and I think shows they have adopted in the gameplay elements previewed in RAGE. Willits opines as to the direction this mentality is leading the industry, but concedes it is a nescessary mentality in the current environment.

There is another factor here. It used to be gamers were a small niche of individuals heavily invested in their "hardcore pc's" of the day. These sort of gamers had an expectation that everything would be a unique experience, and were usually turned off by something derivative. Now this niche has grown to include almost EVERYONE under the age of 60. If you don't create something glossy but essentially generic and redundant, you will lose out on 90 percent of the casual gamer demographic are turned off by new concepts and learning curves or ANYTHING that doesn't give an effortless 'win' gratification. Videogame-sturbation.

 

[kathiki]

Careful with the word RAGE in gaming forums. It will definitely enRAGE most people who bought that game.