I definitely agree about finally having a future with some damn color other than "grey" and "brick rubble." I'm definitely on your side, especially since I've found the concept of a desert anything excrutiatingly dull since childhood.
Changing trends in game design
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 On 06/12/2013 at 07:15 PM by Michael117 See More From This User » |
The 7th generation of video game consoles has been defined by shooters and action games set in deserts of the modern era, but here at E3 2013 I've noticed the trend changing once again amongst the design world. The modern desert setting is being left behind by many AAA developers, and in its place they are embracing variations of the science-fiction and post-apocalyptic settings. Many of the AAA shooters and action games at E3 still have a gritty edge to them, but I'm happy to see that they are beginning to add more color and variety into their worlds, and they are leaving behind the setting that defined the 7th generation.
Destiny
Bungie has always been in love with the sci-fi setting since the early 90s and their Marathon games for Apple Macintosh. Their mega franchise Halo was inspired by the 1970s sci-fi novel Ringworld by author Larry Niven. Since Destiny is getting so much love and appears to be one of the shooters that will define the next generation, it's nice to see that one of the big dogs will be a colorful sci-fi game.
Killzone Shadow Fall
Killzone has always been known for very dark and industrial settings. In the new game, Shadow Fall, they are introducing quite a bit more color and variety to the beautiful planet Vekta. Their new rendering engine is quite a piece of work and the environment artists are putting it to good use. There are colorful metropolises, green forests, treetops to zip line across, and more!
Titanfall
Titanfall is the first game from Respawn Entertainment, a company that was founded by Frank West and Vince Zampella after they were fired from Infinity Ward after the release of Modern Warfare 2. These guys were basically responsible for the huge success of Call of Duty multiplayer and the launch of the Modern Warfare franchise into super stardom. After keeping secret about their new project for years we can see that they're coming out with a huge game, and it's not a modern desert game. It's a crazy game with nimble humans, jet-packs, double-jumps, parkour, mechs, space ships, and color!
Call of Duty
In the 7th generation Call of Duty has had two major franchises, Modern Warfare and Black Ops. In the 8th generation both of those are making changes into new settings. CoD Black Ops 2 has already been released and the series has changed to a near-future setting with some sci-fi tech, and there's even horses! I can bet the next Black Ops game will try to continue the new trend of putting players into more interesting scenarios with near-future techology.
The Modern Warfare franchise name and story has been entirely left behind in favor of the new Ghosts franchise. You will surely be able to expect some familiar gameplay, but they have changed the setting to a post-apocalypse or post-calamity of sorts. They have also mentioned that they want to vary the pacing of the new Ghosts games, which should be welcome news to people who were tired of the way the Modern Warfare games were always cranked up to 11. At the beginning of CoD Ghosts you witness an event of mass destruction that changes the balance of power in the world. The United States is no longer a gung-ho superpower, and you have to fight a covert war against an unseen enemy.
Tom Clancy's: The Division
The Division is the newest game to have the Tom Clancy title, and it's going with a post-apocalyptic setting in which a disease has spread through the United States on Black Friday via the cash exchanged between people's hands, and has caused society and order to collapse. It's an online, rpg, open world shooter where you fight to save what remains. Some of the tech the player seems to be using is quite sci-fi in nature, but you're also in a very run-down world, therefore mixing the two settings to some degree.
Thief 4
Games like the current-gen Dishonored and the next-gen Thief 4 are not only bringing back the unique gameplay from first person stealth games like the original Thief in the 90s, but they are also reviving the unique settings and artistic mash-ups that those early games tended to bring. Dishonored's city of Dunwall is part steam-punk, part magical fantasy, but is ultimately a unique place where whale-oil, occult magic, and colorful aristocrats paint a compelling picture, while plagued zombies threaten to consume everything in sight.
Thief 4 will mix medieval, Victorian, and industrial themes, promising to be quite unique, dark, and colorful.
Based on what I've observed at E3, I can tell that the drab modern desert setting is starting to lose its hold on developers across our industry. In its place, creatives seem to be attracted to sci-fi and post-apocalyptic settings, as well as the concept of adding a bit more color and variety into their gritty worlds. With these new settings also comes the opportunity for new gameplay inspired by the fantastical technology, such as the jetpacks and magic of Destiny or the platforming, parkour, and mechs of Titanfall. This coming 8th generation seems to be starting off nicely, trends are changing, and we are creatively going in directions that I can get behind.
What do all of you think? If you agree, disagree, have thoughts on the subject, or just want to give me an internet hug be sure to leave a comment below and let me know!
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