EA: GoW has "No Innovation"

[jdechko]

I didn't see this anywhere, but I found it interesting (read: ridiculous).

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=69805

[clayj]

That's about the sort of commentary I'd expect from a French Canadian. ;)

[MacRumorUser]

LMAO: EA criticing others for lack of originality.


My god that one deserves the 2006 Irony Award for Gross Stupidity

[Dagless]

Out of curiosity and will I in no way support EA, but where is the innovation with GoW?

[MacRumorUser]

As a poster on eurogamer said

From the review:-Inevitably the multiplayer component of Gears of War is big news, but it's important to stress that until boxed copies arrive, we're limited to testing the offline portion of the game. When that time comes (expected to be next week) we will put that side of the game into its proper context and provide an update to this review to take all of that into account. In the meantime, be sure to check out our in-depth hands-on with all three multiplayer modes here.

If you know it's "big news", why would you knowingly leave such an important aspect of the game out of the review of a game as big as GoW? It's pretty obvious that the only reason was to intentionally give GoW a lower score than it would have received had you guys just waited.. It's obvious from the preview of GoW multiplayer that it would have weighted heavily in the final review of the game.

"Generally, the impression of the game is that it is not one of great innovation, but one in which the features are implemented with brilliant cohesion."

So it may not be innovative on one sense (heck what is nowaday's really) but its where everything is so right and so cohesively glued together in such a tight package which is that rare these days - (great graphics, sound, action, multiplayer and gameplay in all 1 fine package) compared to the majortity of titles released in the last 3 years - that could almost be construed as innovative in todays marketplace.

Heck HL2 was great, but bar the antigrav stuff (previously done in other games like psi-ops) there was little innovative about it either, but it didnt stop it stepping up the benchmark for FPS games did it.. :)

[Dagless]

Tch :rolleyes: I got chastised for saying GoW was nothing new too.

[XNine]

Tch :rolleyes: I got chastised for saying GoW was nothing new too.

No, you got chastised for saying it would be a lousy game. There's a difference. ;)

[SilentPanda]

I don't believe the game is innovative but that doesn't mean it's not good. If we threw out all the non-innovative games every year we might only have 5 left!

Single Player - I played the first act and half of the second by myself. I then started playing co-op with my friend via XBox Live. In my opinion that is what made the game. I know, I know... you can probably list 20+ games where you can do this but aside from the previous Splinter Cell game that had online co-op I haven't played one in recent history. The added bonus here though is that you are playing co-op through the main game instead of through additional co-op only levels. Plus games like Quake I which can be played co-op never really felt as such... in GoW your co-op buddy is another character in the story, not just an additional "you".

Multi-player - Some people hate it, some like it... it's certainly a new style. I've primarily played Assassination mode I believe. Most multiplayer deathmatch devolve into a run around solo, pick up ammo, health, and armor and shoot rockets at the wall in hopes of getting that random kill. The GoW multi-player demands that you actually use cover which I didn't think they could make you do and it's actually very beneficial to stick together since you can revive downed buddies. I suppose you don't *have* to use cover but it is rather advantageous. Even games like Rainbow 6 felt like a Halo/Quake compared to GoW. In my opinion it's very much an alternate type of FPS right up there with Splinter Cell. It will have a niche but a large niche.

That's my thoughts. I haven't played every game known to man so I'm sure these things aren't innovative to some... but they're a first for me so that's why I enjoy it.

I would probably rate it a 7 or 8 out of ten but I start all games at a 5. They have to earn their way up (or fail their way down) the scale.

[zero2dash]

"Hello, Mr. Pot? Yes sir, an old friend of yours identifying himself as 'Kettle' is on line 1 and he wants to talk about the color black."

EA chastising others on "no innovation"? LOLRORZLMFAO :rolleyes:

This, the company who realized that 'the other company' (2k Sports) had a better football game and Madden was old news, so they decided to throw an exhorbitant amount of money at the NFL to obtain an exclusive license, therefore putting 2k Sports out in the cold in regards to any future NFL games

and

A company which has bought several small but loved developers (Criterion and Free Radical) and begun to release an endless array of soulless sequels of those games, which will eventually drive those franchises into the ground (Burnout and Time Splitters) since EA wouldn't know innovation [these days] if it slapped them in the face.

GoW has innovation; you can look at a screenshot of the game and see the aspect of "hiding" and read how "stop and pop" works and realize that the game does have innovation.

[MacRumorUser]

in fairness to EA it was innovative how they re-defined the meaning of "additional" content for the marketplace... ;)

[jdechko]

I agree that the game is probably going to do very well for itself. Though it isn't bursting at the seams with innovation, the cover system looks like a nice addition.

[Dagless]

No, you got chastised for saying it would be a lousy game. There's a difference. ;)

WRONG! I said it was nothing new, it was a scripted 3rd person shooter. To which Skinnixx said Zelda wasn't new. :)

[technocoy]

really, jesus.

I had my doubts about the game. but it's bad-ass. all around. and I'm not the biggest shooter fan. I LOVE resident evil though, and this game brought me into the fold as a fan of that genre.

You can be one of the few that don't like the game, and maybe it isn't overly "innovative" but by god there are very few games that have put these elements together into a combination thats so sickly sweet. If other games attempted it but came up short on delivering the experience, do they really get the kudos for the innovation?

2: EA sucks.

I love my nintendo too, seriously, but let's all get over it and give credit where credit is due. this game is SICK. and graphics do make a difference. This game could have come out on the xBox or PS2 and had prerendered backgrounds and been a solid game, but the amazing visuals allowed on a next gen system that this game delivers on hand over fist (with AMAZING art direction mind you) just immerse you into the world of this game.

So, everyone can be all partisan and lame and call each others games names, but I'll be loving it as I play all the great games this winter and leave EA's crap out in the yard where it belongs.

I hate when other companies feel threatened and have the need to step in and take a swipe.

[sixstorm]

WRONG! I said it was nothing new, it was a scripted 3rd person shooter. To which Skinnixx said Zelda wasn't new. :)

Have you even played Gears? Sounds like you havent. I don't see how anyone could say the things you say about it.

[greatdevourer]

A company which has bought several small but loved developers (Criterion and Free Radical) and begun to release an endless array of soulless sequels of those games, which will eventually drive those franchises into the ground (Burnout and Time Splitters) since EA wouldn't know innovation [these days] if it slapped them in the face 1) Timesplitters ends at 3 anyway - there are no sequals to "destroy" and 2) FRD is still a free company, and will probably stay that way for a very long time

WRONG! I said it was nothing new, it was a scripted 3rd person shooter. To which Skinnixx said Zelda wasn't new. :) I remember you saying it would be rubbish because it ended with a cliffhangar :rolleyes:

[srobert]

That's about the sort of commentary I'd expect from a French Canadian. ;)

Strange… I'm French Canadian and still think EA is full of it. :confused: I'm disapointed to learn that my ethnicity is associated with questionable commenting.

[sikkinixx]

That's about the sort of commentary I'd expect from a French Canadian. ;)

Good to know there are still racists in this world.

[Dagless]

I remember you saying it would be rubbish because it ended with a cliffhangar :rolleyes:

Why would I go out an play a game with repetitive and recycled gameplay? For the storyline! But oh wait. They expect me to pay £50 now, and £50 for it's sequel. Should I give any respect or my money to a company who do that?

Have you even played Gears? Sounds like you havent. I don't see how anyone could say the things you say about it.

Because if we're being realistic that's what GoW is. Just like how the next Zelda is an upgraded OoT with new controls, just how the next Final Fantasy will still fail to be as good as 7, just as the next hundred FPS games will end with cliff hangers.

[2nyRiggz]

Fire Bun EA. Talk about lack there of.....these guys are nuts.



Bless

[GFLPraxis]

Regardless of my opinion on GoW (I see some innovation, but to me it looks like just another incremental FPS upgrade with really good graphics), EA has absolutely NO right to criticize the originality of others. GoW has a billion times more innovation than anything EA has developed, which doesn't say much ;)

[Haoshiro]

Firstly, it is not a FPS.

GoW seems to be an excellently made action-shooter, possibly the most refined and perfected such game made to date.

Zelda:OoT, to me, was the best made action-adventure title ever made. The "innovations" in the game are arguable, but it's execution is almost universally acclaimed.

These are top-tier games in their respective genres. Neither is a new genre, and I'm not sure why that bothers people in regards to some games and not others.

[sikkinixx]

How many people here have played GoW? You can't judge a game by watching a preview. The game takes Co-Op to a new level. My buddy and I have almost beat it on Co-Op and I dare say it is the most fun I have had in a LONG time playing a game muliplayer.

Yes it is predictable.
Yes the guns are pretty plain jane.
Yes it is linear as hell.
Yes the cover system isn't perfect.

But it is a blast to play so who cares? Everyone seems to hate EA so much yet people MUST like them because aren't they the top seller publisher in the world? Someone is buying their games.

[MacRumorUser]

But it is a blast to play so who cares? Everyone seems to hate EA so much yet people MUST like them because aren't they the top seller publisher in the world? Someone is buying their games.

Exactly. It's the same people who on this forum that bitch that 'gameplay' is the most important factor when pointed out Wii faults..

Here we go boys, a game that may not be innovative, but has awesome gameplay, especially in co-op...

so whatcha bitchin about really ?

[clayj]

Good to know there are still racists in this world.Good grief. Is the meaning of ";)" lost on you people? :rolleyes: ;)

[sikkinixx]

Good grief. Is the meaning of ";)" lost on you people? :rolleyes: ;)

;) doesn't always mean you are kidding.

[technocoy]

don't judge a book by it's cover, you need to play the game.

It actually not very repetitive at all, there is variation to the mission. the hammer of dawn stages with the berzerkers are one example... the vehicle stage where you have to alternate between driving and blasting the flying things with the spotlight is another... yet another is making your way to the car via exploding propane canisters... the level bosses are more resident evil than FPS... as a matter of fact the whole game is... it takes the best elements of a FPS and throws them into a slightly more interesting game engine.

And while the story wasn't heavy on interesting (how involved do you WANT a shooter to be... I'm there to shoot, not conversate) I didn't think the cut scenes where all that bad (or are rather, I'm only about 60 percent through it) and the voice acting isn't half bad. I mean, it's a bunch of butch grunts in a military squad... what kinda of conversation do you think they will have? seriously.

the point is you play a shooter/action game for the GAMEPLAY to be fun, and GOW MORE than comes through on that. WAY more.

[Dagless]

You haven't played much FEAR, Half Lif or Deus Ex have you?

[risc]

If there was a GoW Wii I'm sure it would be innovative then. ;)

[zero2dash]

I can't speak for other Wii fans but I myself think GoW has innovation. Like I said in my previous post...the duck/cover system and the "stop and pop" idea are both innovative.

If I ever get a 360, GoW will be the first game I buy; I said that in the thread the day the game came out. :)

[clayj]

;) doesn't always mean you are kidding.It does in my case. :)

[risc]

You haven't played much FEAR...

I got F.E.A.R for 360 y'day I have to say I must be the worst FPS player in the world. God I suck at that game! :)

No Gears of War for me yet though, it won't be released in Australia for a couple more weeks _BUT_ it sure looks great! I can't wait to play it!

[clayj]

BTW, GoW is BANNED in Germany because of the blood in the game... German law prohibits (I believe) any videogame depiction of blood.

Of course, that just means they can't sell the game in Germany... any Germans out there might want to make a quick trip to France or Austria.

[zap2]

Who cares? If its fun I'll play it, I've heard good things from the online gaming community, and a good friend of mine who has it said its great. Thats good enough for me!

[Dagless]

If there was a GoW Wii I'm sure it would be innovative then. ;)

Depends if the controller was used in a creative way, but then the interface would be innovative - not the game.

[technocoy]

I've played half-life quite extensively and have started the demo on fear... half life was good when it came out, but it's old hat now... and FEAR... talk about generic... a slightly more atmospheric DOOM or QUAKE but with real present day people and creepy kids...

And aren't you the one all hyped for "red steel"?

And don't claim the wii controls on that one... The only things that does that you couldn't do on house of the dead or any other nameless gun shooter is the sword and the "innovative" reload.

I'll wait for metroid to buy my first Wii FPS...

I will say though that I would like to see more platformers and such on the 360... I thought they said they were going to change that this time around.

As for gears of war... you keep referring to everything else, while still not having played it.

then again jimmi... maybe you just don't like those kinds of games much... I mean, I hate sports games... no harm in it at all.. but I don't keep hitting sports games threads talking about how they don't do it for me or offer nothing innovative.

To me, this game kicks the s^&% out of halo and halo 2, as well as most other shooters I've played... ALOT of people would disagree, but obviously ALOT of people agree that this is a really good game. mostly people who have played it.

[Dagless]

All hyped for Red Steel? You must have failed to see the newest Red Steel thread :D I'm getting it just to see how FPS can work on the system. I don't care about anything else with it. Music, graphics and gameplay I think I said? I'll probably end up taking it back. But I've been a keyboard and mouse player since ever, and I want to see if the Wii can match that (maybe it's too early to tell though?).

[sb58]

Who cares? If its fun I'll play it, I've heard good things from the online gaming community, and a good friend of mine who has it said its great. Thats good enough for me!

who?

[Haoshiro]

BTW, GoW is BANNED in Germany because of the blood in the game... German law prohibits (I believe) any videogame depiction of blood.

Of course, that just means they can't sell the game in Germany... any Germans out there might want to make a quick trip to France or Austria.

There is an option in the game to disable blood (turns blood to sparks) which also disables gibs.

Just a little FYI for those that didn't know...

[pionata]

Those people are sick, they seriously need to make a parental/no blood option. Honestly, maybe Im not normal, but blood doesnt turn me on either. Specially with the atrocities commited in the presents war, its quite hypocrit to create mindless violence in order to sell more copies of a game.

[Dagless]

It's a game mostly aimed at the American market. What do you expect?

[MacRumorUser]

Those people are sick, they seriously need to make a parental/no blood option. Honestly, maybe Im not normal, but blood doesnt turn me on either. Specially with the atrocities commited in the presents war, its quite hypocrit to create mindless violence in order to sell more copies of a game.

do you read 1 post up :rolleyes: there is an option to turn off gore, and i imagine that is tied into the 360's parental controls... happy now....

[pionata]

do you read 1 post up :rolleyes: there is an option to turn off gore, and i imagine that is tied into the 360's parental controls... happy now....

oops, then yeah I guess, still I think its too much and unrelated to the game fun factor.

But yeah, I tought I read the opposite.

[Haoshiro]

oops, then yeah I guess, still I think its too much and unrelated to the game fun factor.

But yeah, I tought I read the opposite.

There are a lot of people that would disagree.

I'm not saying I'm even a fan of hyper-violence, but it hurts the immersion factor of a game if when you chainsaw someone in half there is little to no blood, and no gore.

I still don't think it's all that over the top, not like, say... Kill Bill (which used 400 gallons of fake blood)

[technocoy]

let's kill the blanket statements there...

Thats why it's marketed at americans? watch much anime? Go to many football games the jolly ol' UK? let's refrain from insulting entire cultures unless you really do know every american. I think we can have this thread and keep it nice and fun.

Fits of all to whoever is upset about the blood... You are playing a game where the sole purpose is KILLING PEOPLE. Am I lost on something here??? Thats just about the most hypocritical thing I've ever heard... Besides the only ultra gore is when you hit someone with the Chainsaw or Heavy weapons like shotguns, and I would imagine in real life a chainsaw death wouldn't be all nice and whitewashed for those who wanted to watch someone killed with a chainsaw.:rolleyes:

[zap2]

who?



Joey....at first I was like, what do he mean by who? Then I read the username:o

[clayj]

Just for the record, technocoy is in Raleigh, where Epic Games, the company that made GoW, is based. :p

[Dagless]

let's kill the blanket statements there...

Thats why it's marketed at americans? watch much anime? Go to many football games the jolly ol' UK? let's refrain from insulting entire cultures unless you really do know every american. I think we can have this thread and keep it nice and fun.


every heard of stereotyping? Just look at Hollywood. Look at the output of American games. Look at what tripe is imported here (24, CSI and co). Gun culture and all that. The American public likes it's big super explosive films with gore and junk, look at the entertainment business there. :rolleyes:

[zap2]

every heard of stereotyping? Just look at Hollywood. Look at the output of American games. Look at what tripe is imported here (24, CSI and co). Gun culture and all that. The American public likes it's big super explosive films with gore and junk, look at the entertainment business there. :rolleyes:

Its true, American games are very bloody...but thats not to say some of use aren't fan of other games aswell. I like a nice shooter , but thats not to say TBS, RPGs and Racing games don't rock as well.

[technocoy]

what chu talkin bout ClayJ? ;)

Yeah, I actually know a couple guys there. a modeler and an environmental artist. Though I haven't spoken to them since E3.

there are actually also some branches of ubisoft and tom clancy's game company here. I also realized recently that the icon factory was here... that was exciting for me as a designer. lol

Jimmi-

and every other country in the world imports and watches the crap...

just like many australians don't like Fosters beer, not every american only watches blow-em-up films and and drives the equivalent of a tour bus. I'm not attacking or flaming, I'm just saying let's try and keep the ethnocentric insults to a minimum. I love the discussion in these game threads and always enjoy your posts, but I'd appreciate not being called a violence nut by proxy.

[technocoy]

I just realized how badly the thread has gone off course...

jimmi, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one... We can have a more fun discussions once we both have the Wii :D ;)

I apologize to the original poster for the hiJack.

[wwooden]

Why do people care so much if someone doesn't like a game they like? There are always going to be people who are a fan of one type of game and not another. There is no point to arguing, neither is going to win.

I used to get really upset when people talked about Apple computers and how they didn't like them. But all the talk I did couldn't convince them otherwise. I realized that it didn't affect me at all if they liked the computers I liked or the games I like, I knew what I liked and that is all that matters.

Lets get back on topic and talk about Gears of War.....which is an awesome and you are an idiot if you think otherwise ;).

[SpankyPenzaanz]

granted it was on casual and I will begin hardcore soon enough but back to my point. I couldn't find the thread about where gears ends in a cliffhanger. It ends with the same type of ending that halo 1 did not halo 2 where it stopped with more story to tell. Halo 1 just left an opening for a sequel and thats it whereas halo 2 - we need to "finish the fight" literally. Ther sufficient closure for me in this game and BTW i thought the ending ciniematic was pretty cool

[Soulstorm]

EA has brought some nice games onto the PC and PS2. But that's it. Their games are total crap, and they are making sequels to nearly every game just for the sake of it.

Is Gears Of War innovative? Depends on what you mean by the term 'innovative'. If you are looking for new moves, a totally different single player experience thatn what you've experience so far, then, I'm sorry, but those kinds of revolutions are unlikely to happen these days. Do you know how many games have been released tha past decade whose quality was above average? Nearly each one of them introduced a new element into the gameplay, but none of them was revolutionary. No game has made me feel like the way I felt when I was playing Doom, or Castle Wolfenstein. You know why? Because I've seen everything again in the past years, I'm sorry. But that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy a good and well thought-out game, with attention to detail.

But I'm tired of seeing people wanting more innovation, more riddles, in FPS (what??) more gameplay enhancements and stuff like that. Guys, you are missing the whole point of action games by that.

Gears of War is such a success because it marries so well the graphics with the gameplay, and it's one of the first implementations of Epic's Unreal Engine 3. The only innovation I see is, that even if there is no particular innovation there, this game manages to do all the things it promised and many more, in a way that few games have achieved so far.

After all, what's the point of innovation if it's not done properly?

[ericsthename]

Strange… I'm French Canadian and still think EA is full of it. :confused: I'm disapointed to learn that my ethnicity is associated with questionable commenting.

Depuis quand est-ce que EA est liée avec le québec? C'est plutot une commentaire ignorante je trouves. Quand même, vive le Canada uni! Played a bunch of GOW in the last few days, gotta say that there are bits of truth to both sides. Its not the most innovative game to come out lately, but its damn sure one of the best.

[Symtex]

Depuis quand est-ce que EA est liée avec le québec? C'est plutot une commentaire ignorante je trouves. Quand même, vive le Canada uni! Played a bunch of GOW in the last few days, gotta say that there are bits of truth to both sides. Its not the most innovative game to come out lately, but its damn sure one of the best.

EA has open a montreal office branch last year. They even stole a few ubisoft montreal employe in the process. I know as a montrealer I have to encourage local business but I can't seem to do it for EA Montreal. I think he is just pissed because GOW did everything they wanted to do with Army of Two before them and better too.