Brontoforumus Archive

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:


This board has been fossilized.
You are reading an archive of Brontoforumus, a.k.a. The Worst Forums Ever, from 2008 to early 2014.  Registration and posting (for most members) has been disabled here to discourage spambots from taking over.  Old members can still log in to view boards, PMs, etc.

The new message board is at http://brontoforum.us.

Author Topic: Do you know what it truly means to be LIVE?  (Read 1091 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Disposable Ninja

  • Tested
  • Karma: -65447
  • Posts: 4529
    • View Profile
Do you know what it truly means to be LIVE?
« on: February 25, 2010, 12:33:33 PM »

I downloaded the demo for The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom. Now, don't get me wrong, it's a neat enough game but Jesus Christ I am pretty well annoyed of this shit. I mean, it's another puzzle platformer, which isn't so bad in and of itself, but what gets me is that this is generally about as ambitious as these LIVE Arcade games get.

On the other hand: Chime is pretty sweet. I will probably end up buying it.
Logged

James Edward Smith

  • CIS male, Albeist Scumbag
  • Tested
  • Karma: 11
  • Posts: 2087
    • View Profile
Re: Do you know what it truly means to be LIVE?
« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2010, 12:44:03 PM »

I might release Pike & Shot on XBLA and it's not a puzzle platformer. *shrug*
Logged
Talk? Talk is for lovers, Merlin. I need a sword to be king.

Disposable Ninja

  • Tested
  • Karma: -65447
  • Posts: 4529
    • View Profile
Re: Do you know what it truly means to be LIVE?
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2010, 01:01:52 PM »

No, see, I'm complaining about a lack of ambition, not the actual genre itself. There's a few out there that really make an attempt, but most games on XBox Live don't really seem to aspire to be more than a casual diversion.

When I first really got a look at the Live Arcade, the first thing that ran through my head was "Oh, Boy! I bet someone is going to release an amazing, epic 2D RPG series on there for everyone to enjoy!". Now, admittedly, Penny Arcade has managed to do just that (and even made it 3D), but they're the exception. Not even Square-Enix seems to really want to do anything with it (No, Gyromancer doesn't fucking count). Most games available for Digital Distribution on consoles are just slightly dressed up Casual Games.
Logged

Bongo Bill

  • Dinosaurcerer
  • Tested
  • Karma: -65431
  • Posts: 5244
    • View Profile
Re: Do you know what it truly means to be LIVE?
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2010, 01:39:38 PM »

There was Shadow Complex and Splosion Man, but I've got to say I'm in agreement.
Logged
...but is it art?

Disposable Ninja

  • Tested
  • Karma: -65447
  • Posts: 4529
    • View Profile
Re: Do you know what it truly means to be LIVE?
« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2010, 05:40:55 PM »

Toy Soldiers

Not my genre of choice, but this game looks super sweet.
Logged

Beat Bandit

  • be entranced by my sexy rhythm
  • High-Bullshit
  • Tested
  • Karma: -65418
  • Posts: 4293
    • View Profile
Re: Do you know what it truly means to be LIVE?
« Reply #5 on: March 01, 2010, 10:52:39 PM »

I'm downloading that song and putting it on loop whenever I play.
Logged

James Edward Smith

  • CIS male, Albeist Scumbag
  • Tested
  • Karma: 11
  • Posts: 2087
    • View Profile
Re: Do you know what it truly means to be LIVE?
« Reply #6 on: March 02, 2010, 06:05:46 AM »

I dunno, I mean, the problem is, if someone is attracted to XBLA's distribution system it's going to be by and large because they don't have any money, they are a bedroom programmer and are either a one man operation like Kayin, Zara, Me, etc, or perhaps up to a three person operation where each person can't commit to even close to full time.

Now when you are a one man operation like this and you are making your first game, you want to make a smaller game that just does a simple concept well. Making a studio level game would just take way to godamn long or would end up being shit despite its depth. So you make a simpler game and it sells and you keep making XBLA games, or it doesn't and you give up on the avenue.

The chances of making enough money to go "Cool, I should actually invest in myself and get a bigger team together here and start making something really substancial" are pretty rare and pretty scary especially when all you have proven is that you can make a smaller game competently.

People only have so much time in a day, and some of that time HAS to be spent doing something that is actually going to feed and clothe them.

It's really easy to claim that people should be making these crazy good games. But why should anyone do it? Failure is too scary to indies, and the amount of work required doesn't seem worth it to a major studio.

It's never going to happen unless some indie makes a game that is ALMOST big, that does really well in sales, then you might see something a little more ambitious. Take the Castle Crashers guys for instance. But the chances of them just selling it through more traditional chanels is very high because major publishers aren't stupid, if someone has a real chance to make a game like this, they will want a piece of the action and will get involved.
Logged
Talk? Talk is for lovers, Merlin. I need a sword to be king.

Ted Belmont

  • Tested
  • Karma: 50
  • Posts: 3447
    • View Profile
Re: Do you know what it truly means to be LIVE?
« Reply #7 on: March 02, 2010, 07:40:07 AM »

Have you thought about the xbla indie games thing? It's a way to get your name out there, and they have the yearly dream-build-play contest, where the winner gets $10,000 and an xbla development contract.
Logged

James Edward Smith

  • CIS male, Albeist Scumbag
  • Tested
  • Karma: 11
  • Posts: 2087
    • View Profile
Re: Do you know what it truly means to be LIVE?
« Reply #8 on: March 02, 2010, 07:41:26 AM »

I might release Pike & Shot on XBLA and it's not a puzzle platformer. *shrug*
Logged
Talk? Talk is for lovers, Merlin. I need a sword to be king.

Disposable Ninja

  • Tested
  • Karma: -65447
  • Posts: 4529
    • View Profile
Re: Do you know what it truly means to be LIVE?
« Reply #9 on: March 02, 2010, 01:56:35 PM »

But are casual games really that more difficult to make than deeper, niche titles? Would P.B. Winterbottom have been any more expensive or difficult to make if it were more of an adventure game?
Logged