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Gamasutra Opinion: Do Video Games Over-Egg The Epic?
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Thu, 21 May 2009 19:58:03
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http://gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=23677

[Why is it that "epic" seems to be the ultimate height of ambition in the industry? In this Gamasutra editorial, editor-at-large Chris Remo explores the merit of games that succeed on their sense of restraint.]

I recently happened upon some footage from the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time film adaptation. Without speculating on the quality of the final product, I feel confident in expecting the big-budget Bruckheimer bonanza to be epic, for better or worse.

That sounds like an implicit endorsement. After all, works of epic scale have become so in vogue in recent years that the word "epic" has transcended being a qualifier of scope, and has become a broader positive descriptor that can refer to just about anything that is totally rad.



Read the rest up top^ (I haven't yet)

Edited: Thu, 21 May 2009 20:07:51

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Thu, 21 May 2009 20:39:38
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Perhaps but epic suits me just fine so I don't really see any problem with it.

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Thu, 21 May 2009 20:47:58
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I don't know if I'm just dumb and I missed the point, but this article really struck me as belonging in the "I'm complaining about having nothing to complain about" category.
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Thu, 21 May 2009 20:49:15
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Fri, 22 May 2009 02:44:46
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That's becuase mainstream is  the new hardcore, and epic is the new blockbuster, and hardcore is the new epic, because epic is the new mainstream.

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Fri, 22 May 2009 03:11:38
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Foolz said:
That's becuase mainstream is  the new hardcore, and epic is the new blockbuster, and hardcore is the new epic, because epic is the new mainstream.

What's the new niche?

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Fri, 22 May 2009 04:02:16
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robio said:

Foolz said:
That's becuase mainstream is  the new hardcore, and epic is the new blockbuster, and hardcore is the new epic, because epic is the new mainstream.

What's the new niche?

 The old niche. Nobody likes those games besides GG anyway. 

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Fri, 22 May 2009 04:06:51
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Archangel3371 said:

Perhaps but epic suits me just fine so I don't really see any problem with it.

  I bet it suits you fine. LOL 

Sorry man, you know I'm just messing with you. Nyaa

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Fri, 22 May 2009 04:09:54
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SteelAttack said:

Archangel3371 said:

Perhaps but epic suits me just fine so I don't really see any problem with it.

  I bet it suits you fine. LOL 

Sorry man, you know I'm just messing with you. Nyaa

 

LOL No problemo.

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Fri, 22 May 2009 11:08:14

So did you all actually read the article?

After reading it I'd say the writer answered his own piece, citing many other examples of games that dont over egg the epic. There are examples. But he's right in that the focus of games these days is making everything look as epic and blockbuster-ish as possible. That part about being seen as "totally rad" was spot on.

The problem with that is that like blockbuster movies, they all look epic as anyone can cut together a great looking trailer. But a lot of them fall flat. But only once you've paid your money, sat down for two hours and experienced a turd.


Edited: Fri, 22 May 2009 13:22:20

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Fri, 22 May 2009 13:25:01

Take this as an example. In say an action game, you can't just shoot at a car and have its window crack. Instead you shoot at it, it flies into the air, does several flips, bounces of something else, explodes in mid-air. The burning remains land right in front of you with motion blur and camera juddering. And then the foot of a giant boss lands on it.

This is modern gaming right? Nyaa

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Fri, 22 May 2009 15:51:06

gamingeek said:

Take this as an example. In say an action game, you can't just shoot at a car and have its window crack. Instead you shoot at it, it flies into the air, does several flips, bounces of something else, explodes in mid-air. The burning remains land right in front of you with motion blur and camera juddering. And then the foot of a giant boss lands on it.

This is modern gaming right? Nyaa

where do i buy this game?  Nyaa

is the main criticism here that modern games are more and more trying to emulate summer blockbuster movies?

in my mind the reason for that is that a lot of gamers just enjoy the escapism that comes with this sort of thing.  a lot of them feel that if they take an hour to play a game and forget their prozaic lives they'd want to do that killing the biggest monsters, running through the biggest explosions, fighting the most massive war or riding the baddest (sic) car.  that is what developers try to cater for that the same way it is with movies.

of course now the industry is now so big luckily that it now caters for virtually every type of gamer.  if there is perceived demand for something, chances are someone will make it.

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Fri, 22 May 2009 18:21:05

Putting a chainsaw on a machine gun in Gears of War though LOL I mean COME on. 

Is it getting to be parody? They keep trying to top themselves only not in a funny Madworld way. 

People seriously think its epic and cool. Like the jumps in Excitetruck, the next dev saying, yeah lets do a game where you hit a ramp, fly into outer space, drive around the rings of Saturn, then crash back down with flames on the wheels and sparks in the air. 

And then a UFO lands in front of you and you smash through it and the whole thing crumbles with realistic physics. 

It reminds me of Transformers, first you had the normal sized transformers. Then they make giant ones which are the size of 4 normal ones. Then they introduce ones as big as cities. And then the ultimate planet sized one. There is this game at the moment within games: how big can we make this boss?

Lost Planet 2 and Resistance are top contenders. 

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Fri, 22 May 2009 18:36:24

gamingeek said:

Take this as an example. In say an action game, you can't just shoot at a car and have its window crack. Instead you shoot at it, it flies into the air, does several flips, bounces of something else, explodes in mid-air. The burning remains land right in front of you with motion blur and camera juddering. And then the foot of a giant boss lands on it.

This is modern gaming right? Nyaa

Did Micheal Bay make that game?

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Fri, 22 May 2009 20:07:55

Bah. All that stuff you're saying GG sounds awesome to me. Putting a chainsaw on a machine gun was a brilliant idea and is indeed awesome. It totally defined Gears of War and I love it. Again I have no problems at all with this 'epic' approach at game making.

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Fri, 22 May 2009 21:08:14
ep·ic  (pk)
n.
1. An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero.
2. A literary or dramatic composition that resembles an extended narrative poem celebrating heroic feats.
3. A series of events considered appropriate to an epic: the epic of the Old West.
adj.
1. Of, constituting, having to do with, or suggestive of a literary epic: an epic poem.
2. Surpassing the usual or ordinary, particularly in scope or size: "A vast musical panorama . . . it requires an epic musical understanding to do it justice" Tim Page.
3. Heroic and impressive in quality: "Here in the courtroom . . . there was more of that epic atmosphere, the extra amperage of a special moment" Scott Turow.


I think the term itself has been bastardized. 

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Fri, 22 May 2009 21:42:02

or 

4. A game developer with a homoerotic fascination for extremely muscular men with phallic weaponry. 

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Fri, 22 May 2009 21:43:31

Iga_Bobovic said:

or 

4. A game developer with a homoerotic fascination for extremely muscular men with phallic weaponry. 

 Stop. You're making me horny. 

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Sat, 23 May 2009 16:47:45

Archangel3371 said:

Bah. All that stuff you're saying GG sounds awesome to me. Putting a chainsaw on a machine gun was a brilliant idea and is indeed awesome. It totally defined Gears of War and I love it. Again I have no problems at all with this 'epic' approach at game making.

 Yeah I know, I should be a games developer. 

Imagine this.... you log onto the VGpress, a gun is on the screen, it fires at a building, the building explodes so hard everyone in the building flies into the air in realistic physics. The cars spin and bounce through shop windows, the glass flies in the air in slow motion like snowflakes.

A man nearby stands and strokes his goatee beard. 

Then a police car comes round the corner, hits the rocket boosters whilst doing a handbrake turn and shooting dual guns at the same time at a hot dog stand. 

The stand blows up and real dogs swarm the streets for the contents! EPIC. 

And then the site refuses to log you in. 

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Sun, 24 May 2009 02:58:34

gamingeek said:

Archangel3371 said:

Bah. All that stuff you're saying GG sounds awesome to me. Putting a chainsaw on a machine gun was a brilliant idea and is indeed awesome. It totally defined Gears of War and I love it. Again I have no problems at all with this 'epic' approach at game making.

 Yeah I know, I should be a games developer. 

Imagine this.... you log onto the VGpress, a gun is on the screen, it fires at a building, the building explodes so hard everyone in the building flies into the air in realistic physics. The cars spin and bounce through shop windows, the glass flies in the air in slow motion like snowflakes.

A man nearby stands and strokes his goatee beard. 

Then a police car comes round the corner, hits the rocket boosters whilst doing a handbrake turn and shooting dual guns at the same time at a hot dog stand. 

The stand blows up and real dogs swarm the streets for the contents! EPIC. 

And then the site refuses to log you in. 

 While insulting your mother and kidnapping your sister with the help of cowboy alien bounty hunters and all as a teaser fr the VGPress 2?

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