CliffyB: Devs making "linear and easier" games to "grow audience"

[Blacksite]

Developers are making games easier in an attempt to grow the current console generation's audience, Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski believes.

"It feels like in this current console generation that we've taken a lot of steps to grow the audience and what I think's happened is that the games have become more linear and easier," Bleszinski told X360A.

"It feels like a lot of quick-time-events."

Bleszinski highlighted the growing popularity of games such as Dark Souls as evidence that gamers had grown tired of more mainstream offerings.

"The more I play games like that the more I turned off to them and just want to get back to systems interacting with systems, and get back to a game that, you know, when was the last time a game really challenged you and asked something of you, right?

"There's a reason why Demon Souls and Dark Souls have taken off lately. It's because they really require you actually try."

The same ethic will be seen in Gears of War: Judgement, Bleszinski's upcoming prequel to the Gears series, co-developed by Bulletstorm developer People Can Fly.

"Casual mode will still be casual, whatever, if you just want to see graphics and you don't want to die," he explained. "But every other mode will be hard in this game and you will die."

"If my buddies aren't reviving me, and we aren't working as a team, you're going to die, and it's okay to die a few times in a game to try some different strategies."

Gamers should not be presented with an identical experience every time they play a level, Bleszinski concluded.

"'I came around the same exact corner and saw the same exact plane crash, the same exact enemies,' there's nothing unique."

Source

[Funeralfog]

hell we were weened on the hardest shit ever and that was NES, kids these days should be punished as we were

[Chulo]

games from last generation and the ones before were allot better and put gamers to the test. now adays with the exception of a few (darksiders) are so linear and easy all these cheap camera trix and other special effects basically salve the puzzle for the user instead of learning for themselves.

when are we going to get games with complexity?
when are we ever going to see classic style level design where it was all maze like pathways not only horizontal but vertical as well?.
I miss games like MDK 2 or even Ecco for dreamcast, hell even the tomb raider games the ones made by core design followed this formula. honestly it seams to me that developers have forgotten their roots and let the trophies/achievements add longevity for their games and not the content and complexity from within the game do the talk'n.

this gen sucked for me because there are not enough games that have satanic themes (doom 3, nightmare creatures 2, blood omen 1)
and because games have gotten too short and don't have 30+ missions like they use to (return to castle wolfenstein, max payne)

[JackC]

Yeah I miss those days of wandering around a level for 90 minutes because I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do next, or spending an hour working through a level just so I could face some boss, get killed in 5 seconds, and then spend another hour just getting back to that point so I could try again. Or trying to solve some totally illogical puzzle that became unsolvable if you made a single mistake, requiring you to restart from that checkpoint 15 minutes ago, or dealing with masses of enemies when my guy became immobile when I brought my gun sights up.

Today's games, at least the good ones, when played on their hardest difficulty, are 1,000 times more fun and challenging than that old crap of yesteryear.

[AaronSOLDIER]

It's simple really, linear = cheaper, which is what most devs are doing now the cost of development is skyrocketing. That's why I love Bethesda, Sucker Punch etc. who are keeping open world alive.

The easier a game is, the more people are likely to buy it is probably their mindset.

[keefy]

The devs think we are all idiots because htey fill their games unnecesary on screen prompts.
"Press X to reload" "Press X to recharge suit" "press X to fire gun" "go find the bomb" "Attack A/B/C/D"


And few games thesedays allow us to play on hard from the begining forcing us to have to play on normal first.

This video bring up similar poitns what I described, instead of usign the manual or constant prompts megaman series let us learn ourselves with minor hints in gameplay an the way the game was designed.

[YoungMullah88]

yup weak sauce fps and 3rd person shooters! that holds players hands with cover/health regen/auto aim/OTS view...pointless gadgets that'll make the game easy!

[DreDayDetox]

No wonder his last game SUCKED ASS! lol

[Marisaur]

I don't mind linear because, depending on the game, i kind of like getting attached to the story with minimal frills. I think there's room in gamerspace for linear and open games.

As for difficulty, as long as games include difficulty modes for people who want an actual challenge then i'm down for whatever

[Shibby]

Linearity isn't the problem. The decision making or open world style just doesn't fit every game.

He's right about the difficulty though. Too many games try to appeal to the casual market, leaving their core fans wanting more. Cliffy has been one of the violators though.

[AaronSOLDIER]

I don't mind linear because, depending on the game, i kind of like getting attached to the story with minimal frills. I think there's room in gamerspace for linear and open games.

Last year I would say that open world is always better, but after playing Arkham City, I agree. I preferred Arkham Asylum to AC simply because it was more focused.

[MacP]

Isn't this in the wrong section?

I don't think games have got easier I just think they have got shorter.

[podsaurus]

Some games get difficulty completely wrong. I think what could be done is upping the AI on higher difficulty. The AI will do things it would never do on normal or easy. On hard the AI will flank you. They will use the environment against you. A lot of games I think just up the damage and/or lower your health buts that's it. You don't have to do anything differently. You just have to pop in and out of cover a little quicker.

My opinion is make AI smarter on higher difficulty. I don't consider having 3 grenades throw at my feet every 10 seconds more challenging it's just cheap and stupid.

[D3seeker]

Well that's gonna be quite an adjustment for many folks. Shame on you greedy narrow minded gaming industry

Maybe next gen you guys will start doing thing right again, now that you've adjusted to HD and what ever else for the most part....