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2D....unfinished business?

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    2D....unfinished business?

    We were all seduced by 3D. From developers looking to work on cutting edge technology to consumers looking to play the next big thing. But does anyone feel that 2D games suffered a premature death? Maybe that's a touch strong but the 2D game certainly had it's wilderness years.

    Todays consoles offer the 3D experience that was promised to us 6-7 years ago. Why has it taken so long to come about? And in that time if 2D games had flourished where would they be now?

    #2
    I wholeheartedly agree.

    Over here in Japan, 2D games- shooters and fighters are still very common and enjoyed by casual and more commited gamers alike. Wonderful games like Guilty Gear XX and Psyvarier offer some of the deepest gameplay available in the games industry.

    Some of my mates back hom who are less into gaming can`t understand why I bother playing games which have a 2D perspective. This is an inherent problem in the apparent maturity of the Western market.

    Sadly, I think we`ve seen the end of massmarket 2D gaming in the West (there could well be a revivial in simpler games through mobile phones however). It is fated to simply be niche over there.

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      #3
      As Tokuda said, there are still 2D games that are available, but sadly they are by and large left for the Japanese market. But something that is even missing over there is the 2D platform games. Although there are a host of them on the GBA (which are mainly old 16 bit ports) and the Klonoa games on the PS2, we don't get these types of games anymore, and I don't believe that developers had taken the genre to a satisfactory conclusion.

      3D platform games (with the exception of Mario 64) have been lifeless, predictable and ultimately very dull. I wish developers would go back to doing 2D platform games, as I am sure the current generation of consoles could add a lot to them.

      Games like Viewtiful Joe are starting to crop up, I just wonder how financially successful they will be outside of Japan.

      In fact that raises an interesting question. Are there any Western developers making 2D games for the current consoles (excluding GBA)?

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        #4
        My friends and I have been playing a lot of Sonic recently, and loving it. A pretty much general conclusion was that the next Sonic game should be 2D, because although Sonic Adventure was fun, it just wasn't Sonic. I'd love to see them in 2D, but utilizing the RAM and HDs of modern consoles - for example, expanding upon the time travel aspect of Sonic CD (which I still haven't played).

        It just needs a big ol' brainstorming sesh on behalf of Sega to come up with some unique features. Does Sonic Team even have them any more?

        Oooh, cynical.

        --Ed

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          #5
          Even in SSB Melee you can see the potential in the platform adventure parts or for that matter the morph ball sections in Metroid Prime or Luigi's Mansion, a rock solid 2D world with eye candy galore would be so refreshing but from a design/aesethetic angle i just feel 2D hasn't been exploited enough on todays machines.

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            #6
            Originally posted by Freddie
            Even in SSB Melee you can see the potential in the platform adventure parts or for that matter the morph ball sections in Metroid Prime or Luigi's Mansion, a rock solid 2D world with eye candy galore would be so refreshing but from a design/aesethetic angle i just feel 2D hasn't been exploited enough on todays machines.
            Well it isn't just aesthetics either. Going back to the platform genre, 3D platform games just play so differently. They are a lot slower and are much more lenient with regards to jumping platforms. They also have far fewer levels, but vary the missions within those levels. To me a proper platform game should be about precision timing jumps and getting from point A to B. They should also offer secrets for the gamer to find that are not that obvious. 3D platform games lead the player by the hand some what and half the fun of discovery is lost.

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              #7
              Originally posted by Ed-Epistaxis
              My friends and I have been playing a lot of Sonic recently, and loving it. A pretty much general conclusion was that the next Sonic game should be 2D, because although Sonic Adventure was fun, it just wasn't Sonic. I'd love to see them in 2D, but utilizing the RAM and HDs of modern consoles - for example, expanding upon the time travel aspect of Sonic CD (which I still haven't played).--Ed
              I got a small 'From the Forum' in Sega Saturn Mag demanding a 2d sonic game for the Saturn.

              I can but dream

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