by Sean Wheeler

Created on: February 10, 2008

As technology improves, games are becoming complex, brighter, flashier, and down right nice to look at. The cost of these advancements has been more than money. Series like Final Fantasy have lost the magic and story that made the games enjoyable. Games such as Sonic Adventure only show us what the future looks like, but doesn't bring what made the games fun in the first place. Developers are beginning to drop the content of the game, in exchange for a prettier looking experience.

Games heralded as "Game of the Year" and "Greatest Gaming Experience" seem to be awarded to mediocre titles. The Halo Trilogy features standard shooter controls, and a fairly boring storyline. This game looks good, but the single player is a bore. The game only shines for those who want to deal with the X-Box Live community. This seems like a poor way to launch a game, especially on a console.

Another example of the a game that has done terribly in the 3D world is the Mega Man franchise. With the launch of Mega Man X7, the first 3D plat-former in the series was plagued with numerous problems, such as bad camera angles, poor voice acting, and poorly designed levels. The game looked visually good, but the new aspects of the 3D environment made the game play a chore.

The Final Fantasy franchise has also gone this way. Before the Sony Play Station, Final Fantasy 6 drew me in with its enthralling storyline, use of mechanics in combat, and the characters found in the game. Final Fantasy 7 was released, and was a good game, but when put on the same scale, its story seems drawn out and became boring near the end. The eighth and ninth installments were mediocre, but the tenth game was a complete disappointment. The game traded the actual game for hours of video. I felt like I was playing during intermissions, and the game was down right boring. It looked gorgeous, the voices sounded great, but the story and the constant interruption of actual play sent me away from the game.

Today we see the same with many new titles. Heavenly Sword for the PS3 was a gorgeous, well done title. However, the game's length was compromised. It's short, and makes a gamer feel as if they spent sixty dollars on a thirty dollar game. We see this in games like No More Heroes as well. The game fits a style that's enjoyable, the voices are done well, and the story is terrific. In the end, the game is only a series of boss fights and mini-games. The game could have been extended, and it would have been appreciated.

Developers need to stop focusing making a game look good, and start making it have a good story and interesting characters. The industry needs to start investing in something new, and stop rehashing everything we've seen before. We don't need another game with Master Chief, we need a new character.

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