Went to an Arcade Tonight.....WoW!

[APFelon]

Kinda lends credence to the talk I've heard about no innovation when it comes to producing new games. This above problem is not only in the arcades but in the console world also.

The lack of creativity is killing the PC platform (or has already killed, according to some) as well. Crappy PC games from floor to rafters at any local software depot. It sucks. I used to follow the PC game scene with a religious vigor, now I have a hard time leafing through a PC game mag without feeling disgusted afterwards.

I know this topic has come up a billion times on a billion different forums, but it always worth noting. I mean, what do we have for new games (non- homebrew) coming from the remaining software houses? Me too MMORPGs, FPSes with well armed characters running around shooting each other or sneaking somewhere, RTSes that have very little difference from last year's RTSes...

Even software pioneers and creative icons like Sid Meier is dripping me tooisms from his sphinchter nowadays.

...and in other news, Microprose is still dead.

Lucas Arts, the one software house that had some of the most creative titles known to man (from Ballblazer to Grim Fandango) now make games that aren't even worth scraping from your shoe if you accidentally step in one.

The sorry thing is that people buy the latest craporama and that's why they keep making it. Painkiller, ballyhoed by game magazines everywhere, had nothing new to speak of and the multiplayer is terrible. Same game, new ways to kill people. Snoresville: Population- Me.

Rome: Total War. Wow, pretty. Loved the creative, pioneering first two of the series. Rome went down like a beer opened for two days and left on the radiator. Prepare for the expansion pack.

KOTOR II... More bugs than a certain scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and a storyline that can be described as a really, really long joke with the lamest punchline in the world. I had to run six fans 24 hours a day for two weeks in order to destink my home from that lousy ending. Pee-yew.

What do you get when you wrap a classic title in reams of soiled toilet paper and sell it? Master of Orion 3, that's what. It's so bad, it's used to exercise demons from the posessed.

But I go on.

Whether it's arcade games, console titles or PC software, I think what we have now is what we are going to get. Sure, somewhere down the like someone will create something new which will be fun or groundbreaking (like The Sims or Grand Theft Auto 3), but in its wake will be a dozen titles just like it filling up the shelves of Best Buys everywhere.

I used to hate it when people would pronounce PC games dead (usually related to console / PC discussion) but all three platforms are seriously mired in garbage. So, as a consumer, I must sit and wait for the next great thing with my fingers, toes and arms crossed in expectation.

Good luck to us all.

APf

[Timstuff]

Oldsage, I told my brother about your idea for "Real American Guns" yesterday, and he really liked the idea. He says he'll probably call the game "Real American Gunslingers", and now he's talking about introducing elements from Metal Slug and Contra as well. He also drew up some very cool sketches for characters for the game. I shouldn't give away too much, but rest assured, it will definately be a cab-worthy game when it's done.

[rohan]

Luckily I've got a classic arcade somewhat near my house called the Reagan Years in Fullerton, CA.  It's all classics and 90% are only 1 token(25 cents)...Many games are in poor condition, but a partial list of games is as follows:
Burgertime
Track and Field
Berzerk
Scramble
Heavy Barrel
Gorf
Galaga
Ms. Pacman
Tron
Moon Patrol
Defender
Spy Hunter
Rampage
Star Wars
Pole Position
Super Pac
and many more including some modern games in the rear

This place is attached to a restaurant that's being renovated, and word has it that the members of the band Lit are co-owners of this place...Maybe they'll use their money to actually fix this place up.

[Daniel270]

For me personally...

I'm tired of the console scene for the most part.  Games that require strategy guides to play (much less complete) the game....  games that require internet connection, high price accessories and subscript fees.....  more than the average person (much less kids, who alot of these are geared for) can pay unless they have 3 jobs....  Gimme the Atari 2600 days again...

Also...  PC games...  same as above... but buggy and requires patching to actually run...  and THEN, rotten gameplay by the time you get it running halfway decent.  Not to mention the clone games (FPS's particularly)....  I think we've seen the last of originality for PC software ....

I didn't originally start this post to complain, but I'm tired of spending what little money I get every month on stuff I'm not that happy playing anymore...  Lately, besides MAME^TM, wife and I have been toying with Sims 2... and that's about the only gaming fun we have anymore....  otherwise, I'll drag out either Trivial Pursuit or Aggravation and have a better time....

[end rant]

[tommy]

For me personally...

I'm tired of the console scene for the most part.

[Navmaxlp]

APFelon -

I know it's not the point but, that post was hysterical. I know it's not the point but, I figured you would want to know, at least your pain made me laugh.

Oh and I agree with what you said. If you need proof just look at all the MMORPGs that have come about since the success of a few.

[IG-88]

Oldsage, I told my brother about your idea for "Real American Guns" yesterday, and he really liked the idea. He says he'll probably call the game "Real American Gunslingers", and now he's talking about introducing elements from Metal Slug and Contra as well. He also drew up some very cool sketches for characters for the game. I shouldn't give away too much, but rest assured, it will definately be a cab-worthy game when it's done.

Keep us updated on your bro's game thru this thread. Hell, I'll slap some $$ down for it if it's as good as you think it will be!

[Dire Radiant]

This is what I love about retrogaming. So what if the games industry is going down the tubes? There are literally THOUSANDS of games for old 8 and 16 bit consoles that I haven't played yet! The really great thing is I can buy the consoles for $10 and the games for a buck or two each. They're not that hard to find either.

I reckon as long as I don't sell my NES, SNES, Genesis, TG16, 2600, c64, Amiga or any of the other old stuff that's lying around the house, I'm sitting pretty.

[IG-88]

This is what I love about retrogaming. So what if the games industry is going down the tubes? There are literally THOUSANDS of games for old 8 and 16 bit consoles that I haven't played yet! The really great thing is I can buy the consoles for $10 and the games for a buck or two each. They're not that hard to find either.

I reckon as long as I don't sell my NES, SNES, Genesis, TG16, 2600, c64, Amiga or any of the other old stuff that's lying around the house, I'm sitting pretty.

Good point. Alot of them can be played on a cab also, with some slight adjustments, making for a new experience!

[MajorLag]

Maybe it's time for one of the hobby-ist cabinet makers to pair up with a game designer, and.... 

 

Even though I'm not sure you're completely serious, i really think this will happen soon! My personal dream is to own a gaming company and produce new, old-style games... And i am pretty sure there are at least a few here with that same dream that are actually capable of doing that...
I think we should gather a bunch of the more skillful software engineers in these forums and get them to make a game! Hardware probably won't be a problem as there are quite a few people here selling cabs and the like (correct?)!
Oh, but don't invite ChadTower... He's mean! 
 

Well, I'm probably exaggerating a bit, but i really think we could pull something like this off!

I'm a programmer, and I program games as a hobby... well, more like parts of games, school has thus far managed to keep me from completing anything before losing interest and moving on to annother project. I'd definatly be interested in something like this though, I've long ago given up all hope for the console industry (unless nintendo can pull off something amazing with revolution) and even moreso the PC gaming industry. Arcades nowadays are fun, but paying $1 for about 50 seconds of gameplay (in extreme cases) is just rediculous.
If anybody is actually interested in putting together a team, or a community, or something, then please PM me.

Oh, thought some of you might be interested in this:

its a vertical shooter I've been working on (not too recently, thanks to school) that began as a coding exercise but is turning out alright considering there is no design doc. The premis is simple, you can fire 3 types of shot: red, green, and blue. Enemies who are made up of one or more of these colors are immune to that color bullet and it will pass through them. For instance, blue enemies will be unaffected by blue shots, and yellow enemies will be unaffected by red and green shots. What is pictured is the 3 types of shot, the player's ship, some square test enemies of various colors, and a test scrolling background. The game is supposed to have a retro Atari 2600 feel to it (thats my excuse for the graphics anyway), but I haven't adjusted the colors to achieve that look just yet.

[Timstuff]

Looks cool, in a very retro way.

If anyone's interested in seeing my brother's current game project, Chaos Gate, here's a link you can check out for some info and screenshots.

http://www.gamesare.com/chaos.htm

[Nailz]

Looks cool, in a very retro way.

If anyone's interested in seeing my brother's current game project, Chaos Gate, here's a link you can check out for some info and screenshots.

http://www.gamesare.com/chaos.htm

Looks cool, a Ghouls and Ghosts meets Final Fantasy?

[Timstuff]

A little, yeah. But those certainly aren't the only games it drew inspiration from. It combines so many other gameplay elements I think I've lost count. Devil May Cry, Legend of Zelda, Quest for Glory, Megaman, and many other influences are being drawn upon. I can't wait till it's done.

[IG-88]

A little, yeah. But those certainly aren't the only games it drew inspiration from. It combines so many other gameplay elements I think I've lost count. Devil May Cry, Legend of Zelda, Quest for Glory, Megaman, and many other influences are being drawn upon. I can't wait till it's done.

That does look cool. I can't remember if you said, but will it have re-mapable keys so we can use our arcade type controls? A MAME type set-up would be sweet!

[Timstuff]

I don't know if the software he's making it with is compatable with key-reassignment, but there's a really good keyboard/mouse/gamepad reassignment program (I believe it's called Joy to Key, do a google) and he used it to map the keys to a gamepad, and I'm sure it would be easy to remap the keys in the game. And best of all you can turn it off simply by closing it, so it's pretty straightforward software.

So in a nutshell, no, I don't think it will have reassignable keys built in. But there's very good solutions avable if you want to reassign the keys and get it running on a Mame cabinet.