Aren't we all tired of the same old game with a new theme? Isn't it time for something new and fresh? Grand Theft Auto is on it's fifth game, and Halo is going on it's third. Metal Gear Solid is on it's fourth, and we all know how many times Mario shows his face. How many Final Fantasies are we going to get before someone reinvents the console RPG? Everything else is just a ripoff of a ripoff, when it's entirely possible to recreate a game from the ground up... why is no one taking any risks? Why aren't we seeing a leap of faith from gaming companies who have taken our money for years?
If it isn't a first person shooter it's a random encounter game, I mean a role playing game... unfortunately no one does this better than Square. Sure there are some decent ones, but they all borrow or use the same combat system, and take the same elements and add it to their theme. Same ol' small town tough kid that rises up to ridiculous hit points and damage.
Sometimes we get something that comes out but doesn't really get anywhere, like Black and White. Remember that game? Littered with bugs but fun and addicting? At least they tried. Alone in the Dark came out but it lacked execution, great ideas but nearly unplayable. Though it gave us the greatest opening sequence in a long long time. The Bourne Conspiracy is a lot like many games, yet it added something interesting.
The console market today is a lot of rehashed same old, same old. Resident Evil is getting better, but come on... can't they just call it something else? I mean how many STARS have to die before they make a completely different story and world? We like the RE series, but can we just move on?
Street Fighter seventy is coming and we're all... have any of us played every one of these versions? Does anyone care about Street Fighter anymore? Soul Calibur 4, and Mortal Kombat, Tekken and Virtua Fighter... good grief. Can't we add something new? How about taking the fighting element from Soul Calibur and adding it to one of those console RPGs? The combat system would be a million times better than anything out there!
Can we get a FPS with some real boss fights? How about some puzzles? Portal was something, but it lacked in story. Great idea, but what do we get? Short handed. Aren't you tired of tearing through FPS levels that lack substance? Can't something happen, how about a challenge and a reason for having skills and weapons? Do people really find it fun to kill things in a different way rather than presenting a challenge and giving us a reason for guns? Violence is cool and all, but it's just a way to kill time.
How about an epic FPS with challenges of boss fights that require some thinking and ability, rather than unloading hundreds of rounds of ammunition that no person could realistically carry? Better yet, how about a game that has a lot of story, a lot of puzzles, and no guns and violence? Or if you have to have violence, how about hand to hand combat? Wouldn't it be nice to have some kind of grappling, choke moves, bone breaking martial arts in a game? I mean, it'd have to be executed to perfection... and it is possible. So how about some guts you lazy gaming companies?
Whatever happened to positional attacks? World of Warcraft does this well, for example, the Rogue depends on the element of surprise, and being behind or out of range. Stunning and disorienting is the name of his game. Stealth and ambush, gouge and backstab. Having enough energy and timing is crucial. Why does no other game offer a mechanic like this, but they'll steal almost every other element? One of the major things that keep WoW fun and on top is probably the best game controls ever in an MMORPG. No other comes close, and no other game offers the same quality of action. WoW characters definitely have to think about what they are doing (if they want to play and win instead of grind and complain), and each class has it's challenges.
Why can they not implement this into other games? Why can't they steal Rainbow 6's cover system and put it into something interesting? Why do they keep making the 5th installment of Hero runs through map soaked in blood to get to the next map of the same thing? Why can't they make GTA into an MMO? They have plenty of money, they have plenty of time, and they have plenty of talent and ability.
But while stealing the gameplay and adding it into another game seems like a good idea, I'm losing my whole point. What I'm suggesting is something new and fresh, bring us amazing... bring us a revolution. Invent a new genre, create a masterpiece, inspire us, give us awe... define art and creativity through interaction and give us a reason to spend our money. Stop wasting our time with the next Fallout, and the next Gran Turismo, and the fifty millionth Mario. How many times can they do Devil May Cry? Isn't there enough Maddens? Haven't you taken enough of our money?
Give us something to rave about, give us a reason for the hype. Turn gaming around before it's too boring to play anymore.