|
August 2003
A
CHAT WITH THE CRITICS
 Chuck
Osborn
Senior Editor, Features
PC Gamer
What's the biggest improvement you've seen in
game development over the past year?
For me, it's the concept of making games into
"immersive entertainment" (to steal a phrase from Warren
Spector). Most games follow a rigidly linear path to
completion, meaning that you're forced to play the game
the way the designer intended. So that "Grab key=unlock
door=pull switch=open next door." The trick isn't
wondering "How do I get to Point A?" but "What path did
the developer set for me to get to Point A?"
In games like Splinter Cell - and, to a certain
extent, Grand Theft Auto III - plus upcoming
games like Deus Ex: Invisible War and
Half-Life 2, developers are giving you the tools to
discover your own solutions. Thanks in large part to
advancements in graphics, lighting, and physics, future
games promise to be more like big sandboxes where you,
not the designer, are in charge of your destiny.
What still needs to be improved?
Without a doubt, Artificial Intelligence. Developers
can make a game environment profoundly immersive, but if
the non-player characters have the virtual intelligence
of a wet sock, then you'll be pulled right out of the
experience.
What was the best "sleeper" game of the past year and
what made it stand out?
My personal pick is Freedom Force. It's one
of the few super-hero games to "get it right" – good mix
of strategy, action, and humor - all while remaining
faithful to comic book sensibilities. Also, it has an
incredibly dedicated mod community that has pumped out
some of the highest quality, most enjoyable mods I've
ever seen for a game. The fact that Freedom Force
has made its way to bargain bins so quickly makes me
weep like a little girl.
Who, in your opinion, are consistently the best game
developers and what makes them so?
When it comes to consistency, developers like Blizzard
and Bioware lead the way. When a Blizzard game comes
out, you buy it - no questions asked. Consumers have
grown to trust Blizzard in a way that they wouldn't
other developers, mainly because they know that this is
a company that concentrates on quality. Similarly,
Bioware revitalized the RPG market with the Baldur's
Gate series and has now hit a home run with
Knights of the Old Republic. If there's a lesson to
be learned here, it's to recognize what you do well and
then do it better.
If you could give game developers 3 tips that might
help their games receive more critical-acclaim, what
would they be?
1) Don't release a game before it's ready.
Obviously, we know developers don't always have a say in
this, but - especially on the PC - taking the attitude
of "ship now, patch later" won't win you any praise from
gamers or reviewers.
2) Choices, choices, choices! Too often, it feels like
we're not playing the game, the game is playing us. If
we have to crawl inside your head to figure out how to
proceed then something is wrong.
3) Let us save anywhere. Especially on the PC, we like
the option to save our progress at any point, not just
when we've discovered the next save gem, or finished a
level, or danced the hokey-pokey. If you're worried
about the game being too short, then give us reasons to
replay the game (e.g., ecret areas, unlockable
features, different endings, etc.)
<<<Back
|
A Chat with the Critics Link
Index:
Richard
Aihoshi
Editor In Chief
IGN Vault Network
Wagner
James Au
Writer/Designer
Embedded Journalist
Jim "Ripclaw"
Broach
CEO
Gamer's Pulse Magazine
Eric
Butcher
Editor
punchbutton
Steven
"Westlake" Carter
Reviewer
Game
Over Online Magazine Computer Games Magazine
Victor
Godinez
Staff Writer/Game Reviewer
The Dallas Morning News
Tricia "Kazi
Wren" Harris
Freelance
Dave
"Fargo" Kosak
Director of Publishing and Community
GameSpy Industries
Phil
LaRose
PC Game Guy
St. Paul Pioneer Press/
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Chuck
Osborn
Senior Editor, Features
PC Gamer
|
