Tradition or Innovation?

[Wes]

I've been thinking lately about this. Some games.... work best when they stay where there roots come from like... Sonic series as demonstrated in Sonic Rush. And some games work best if different then the norm such as... Super Smash Bros which isn't your usual fighting game but is very well received.

Some established franchises when trying to be different then the norm is not exactly praised like... Phantasy Star Online III.... needless to say the dramatic change for the game was not well received due to it being... different then past games. Or Pokemon Colosseum or Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness as another. Star Fox Adventures and... well you get the point...

On the other hand some etablished franchises benefit when trying something new such as the Mario series. Super Mario 64 is a good example of this. And I believe Sunshine and Galaxy as well are good examples as well. Also is the Mega Man series whenever they establish a new hero and plot for the next set of games (X, Battle Network, Legends, Zero, ZX, etc). Metroid Prime games as well show this feeling of innovation yet tradition.

Some series do best when stuck to tradition as well like Pokemon seeing how the formula is still deemed popular but is slowly becoming old and common.

Anyways... you get the point? Where's the line to try innovation.... or to keep tradition? Or both even for some game series.

 

[ShiningClefairy]

It is possible to keep both. Change is good for consoles. Legend of Zelda, Grand Theft Auto, and Mario have all become legendary due to their change into 3D, and Wii has already proven innovation.

But keeping handhelds in the generation that was alive 8 years before it (for example, Gameboy Color to NES, Gameboy Advance to SNES, DS to N64) works for tradition. In 2012, the newest DS may have a port for a motion-sensing device.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Legend of Zelda, Grand Theft Auto, and Mario have all become legendary due to their change into 3D

1 Infamous does NOT equal legendary.
2 GTA did not become "legendary" for 3D anyway, it became that because it was an incredibly violent game where you got to kill cops and hookers. (and a nice diversion for letting off a bit of steam on occasion.

 

[Kez]

Well, I think this is a pretty good thread, and I have been thinking about this for a while now. I remember talking to a friend about it and he was saying that consoles should just stick with a tried and tested method, but I would have to disagree. I mean, they say if it is not broke, don't fix it, but it does not say anything about Modifications. I think that the only way to keep this industry alive is by creating new and inivative ideas.

The person who I was talking to also said that it is stupid how nintendo spend so much money on research. I think that this is a stupid comment because how will they find out who likes what, and how they can make the audience wider if they do not research. Like the inspiration for the Wii controller came from a remote, becuase it is a household item and people are not affraid to pick it up, unlike a controller because it looks overly complicated.

I remember that my parents and family are not affraid to go on my DS games because they are simple and easy to controll...and most importantly, fun.

Inovation gets my vote.

 

[Nintandy]

I like games that stick to the good old roots, but also add innovation. That way you get old ideas with a new twist. It always works for me, and as long as the new ideas are good, and the original has not been tampered with too much, I'm happy with it.

 

[Shaorune]

I agree with Nintandy. While new ideas are good, especially if the ideas themselves are enjoyable, some old features are still good and combining the two will yield positive results.

Although, of course, the PS3's controller isn't particulary NEW, though...

 

[Nintandy]

Some games could benefit from "revolutionary changes". I'm almost tempted to say that Final Fantasy, each game is an experiement for RPG history. Even though for a while, each game's battle system was the same, the core gameplay of each game was different. It keeps an otherwise repetitive looking franchise going.

Precisely, that is what I love about FF ^^ they all have unique tales and gameplay methods.

 

[BluekiKatana]

Tradition is good, but IMO all games need innovation of some kind. A game can ALWAYS improve. You just gotta think about what the players would like and what would fit in the game and that will suit as easier and perhaps more efficient innovation than trying to think of something "unseen" all together.