A common feature of video game developers is that they are greedy and do things that they should not. Occasionally, this is the brutal and savage despoiling of classic works of literature. Other times it is an affront to humanity, sanity and good taste.
However, sometimes the naked greed and opportunism takes on a different shade… a shade of blue.
A discerning reader might ask, “Why not an Avatar MMO? Avatar was a very popular movie that redefined the term spectacle. The first thought of many upon seeing a world of floating rocks, aerial waterfalls, and strange beasts was that they would like to liv…
Oh, fuck it. They thought it was Thor-damned Nagrand, and started looking for Hemet Bloody Nesingwary.
If only there was some indigenous blue-skinned race tha... holy shit! James Cameron ripped of "World of Warcraft!"
There is a persistent problem with unoriginality in games. Occasionally, riffs on the familiar come out awesome (see the review of Torchlight posted on this blog a few weeks back), but most of the time, they feel crass and unwelcome, like the cold touch of a doctor’s stethoscope against one’s nethers.
What?
Looking back at some of the best games of the last twelve months, more than a few have been sequels: Mass Effect 2, God of War III, etc. A few have been pretty repackaging of common stories, such as Dragon Age…. which in a way was just a fancy graphics update of Baldur’s Gate!
Have we reached the point where innovation in games is not possible until some technological revolution comes along that changes the basic, organic rules from which games can be drawn? Or have I just missed the really cool stuff because I am still attempting to “Get Lich or Die Tryin’?”*
*PS: We have been working on the Lich King for freakin’ weeks at this point. WHY WON’T HE DIE?**
**PPS: Yes, Lusipurr, I know that is a contraction. You can sue me. No, literally. You can. I will win, but you could. And that is what is important.
