Adeki spent at least ten minutes trying to come up with a good way to introduce the concept of Create and Play video games and instead of doing anything productive he just ended up tweeting again. A shame, really. He definitely had something when he called video games “fickle creatures.” Nonetheless, this editorial will be about video games that allow you to create your own enjoyment while also providing a base game. So do not look in this editorial for ways in which to make your own video game using software such as RPG Maker MV (but do look out for software in that vein in a future editorial). Go on, look deeper in this editorial’s cellar (body paragraphs) Fortunato, the rest of us at the site will be here actively not building a wall to trap you inside.
Not unlike the Great Pyramids of Giza.
The first game to be covered in this editorial is Super Mario Maker available for the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS, released in late 2015 and late 2016 respectively. Although the game does come with over 60 pre-built courses to either be played or used as a template, over seven million courses have been uploaded by users since its release using the game’s built-in creation system. Players are given the option to create stages in four different styles, each representing a different era of the “Super Mario” video game franchise. These four styles being: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U. Players can either access courses through the game’s menu which highlights new stages to be played, or if they want to play a specific stage they can enter the stage’s custom code in order to play it. Unfortunately, although Super Mario Maker has many fans worldwide many have taken issue with Nintendo’s bizarre policy to delete unpopular stages without giving specific reasoning for this deletion. Aside from this, the game has received very positive reviews for the Wii U and the 3DS and it offers a tremendous value for the asking price.
Look at this stuff! Oh, it is so neat!
Next up is LittleBigPlanet 3 released for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in late 2014 which is another platformer with lots of creation tools ripe for the plucking. The game is already equipped with an adventure mode that is fully voice-acted with a star-studded cast including Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie and it supports four player co-op throughout. In addition, DLC packs from the previous two games in the “LittleBigPlanet” franchise are fully transferable to LittleBigPlanet 3 giving players a real bang for their buck. Once players are done with the story mode though, they can partake in create mode and make their own stages either to be played with friends or shared online for all to enjoy. The create mode includes over 70 tools along with the ability to make new power-ups using the Power-Up Creator. In addition, the game also gives the player ways to “stitch” levels together in order to make them longer and more expansive than usual. Although the game continues to be played three years after the fact, initially the game received less than stellar reviews due to the many technical issues found at launch which have since then been patched. Another good reminder that initial impressions mean a lot and its a good idea to release a game without a medley of technical issues that prevent players from enjoying the game when it comes out.
That car is missing a tire.
The final game to be covered in this week’s editorial is Grand Theft Auto V. What a twist! Originally released 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 the game has also been released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC and has gone on to sell extremely well with over 80 million copies sold. Grand Theft Auto V is known for its large world with a wide variety of weapons and vehicles for the choosing but if a player wants to try something different the GTA Online Content Creator is also available. This tool allows players to make custom games which can be as basic as Capture the Flag or as exhilarating as sumo wrestling with large cars on floating platforms. This is just the tip of the iceberg as Grand Theft Auto V gives the player a lot of tools to work with in order to make their own fun in the case that they have gotten bored of Los Santos. These custom games are also readily available for players who are not as creative as others and only want to enjoy what others have made for them. It is also worth mentioning that Grand Theft Auto V is still being updated to this day with new content including vehicles, weapons, and missions but in many cases this comes with an added price.
So that is it for this week’s editorial all about games that give you something to play and the tools to create your own game as well. What is one of your favorite examples of this type of game? Maybe it is a game designed with creation in mind or it is just a standard game with a very generous map editor. Whatever the case may be, make sure to leave a comment below and let us know what you think!
