BioShock, Halo 3 not "next-gen" Related content
The Outsider game info
BioShock, Halo 3 not "next-gen" News
PC
PlayStation 2
PSP
DS
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
Wii
News
by
Robert Purchese
Frontier Developments boss David Braben believes BioShock and Halo 3 are not examples of "next-gen" games.
He was speaking exclusively to Eurogamer about his new project The Outsider, which he still believes will be one of the first proper examples of fifth generation gaming on the market.
"I loved the 1930s-1950s atmosphere of BioShock: the lovely Art Deco visuals and the audio that worked especially well," Braben told us. "Overall the whole game was beautifully executed, but the gameplay itself was not 'next-gen'."
"I found Halo 3 great fun, too, but also a little disappointing - as although there were a few nice touches and improved graphical fidelity, it hadn't really moved on much from Halo 2 in terms of the gameplay.
"So to answer your question, if anything I am reassured; I think Outsider more than stands up to them, and I still think Outsider will be one of the first 'next-gen' games," he added.
The Outsider was announced back in 2005 as a game that would bring around the same sort of freedom as Braben's other famous creation, Elite. For him, a next-gen game means giving you the tools to change the outcome of a story much more dynamically than by choosing good or evil paths - something only the new consoles have the grunt to deliver.
The Outsider is a high-tech thriller that pops you in the shoes of an Elite CIA agent made public enemy number one at the outset of the game. From here your choice of how to proceed is up to you: turn the tables and exploit your former employers, bring about ultra-violent destruction with your Jack Bauer-like training, or crusade to clear your wrongly slurred name.
Development on the title is going "very well, thanks", although no platforms, dates, or details have been heard about for the past two years.
Frontier Developments is also currently working on roller-coaster sequel Thrillville: Off the Rails, which will launch on PC, 360, Wii, DS, PS2 and PSP on 19th October.
Join us later in the week for our full chit chat with David Braben to find out how he has found working on the PS3 and 360, and what exactly the Wiimote is capable of.
Are you excited about The Outsider on PlayStation 3/Xbox 360/Wii?
View Eurogamer readers most anticipated games
Related Games
The Outsider
Latest News
-
Braben: pre-owned is "damaging" market [222]
-
Online distribution made LostWinds work [13]
-
Riskiest games most rewarding [27]
Latest Screenshots
4 May, 2006 [8]
Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!
|
rhinoxious
10/10/07 @ 16:09
0
I agree there's no gaemplay in Bioshock or Halo 3 that hasn't been done before (deus ex, system shock 2, halo 1 and 2 respectively).
But the added graphical grunt and superior sound effects of Bioshock over previous games of this type certainly adds more to the immersive feel and narrative. So it's certainly a step up. |
|
squarejawhero
10/10/07 @ 16:11
0
"Next gen"! The new buzzword for... er... I don't fucking know. Anyone got a thesis handy?
|
|
Poorandugly
10/10/07 @ 16:11
0
Well Elite IS a marvel... If you can repeat that, I'll forgive you for talking out of your ass this time.
|
|
TwistidChimp
10/10/07 @ 16:13
0
ffs.. now even respected devs are using the phrase next gen as some nebulous sodding buzzword. All next gen ever has, and ever will mean is the next generation of hardware. If you turn it into meaning "a leap in gameplay advancement" then it doesn't mean anything any more.
And whats with all these sodding devs lately talking down other games as a thinly veiled pr excercise to pimp their own titles.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 10/10/07 @ 17:13
|
|
Mr Harvest
10/10/07 @ 16:17
0
First Molyneux and now Braben. Is this the official "Yesteryear Devs Spout Bollocks" -day?
|
|
0
"And whats with all these sodding devs lately talking down other games as a thinly veiled pr excercise to pimp their own titles."
They probably believe if you take a really well-received game and say - well its all well and good, but my game is n times better, that they will somehow generate lot of hype for their own game. Of course the flip side of that is, if you release the game and its much worse than the game you compared it to, you are fucked. |
|
Mentalist(air)
10/10/07 @ 16:19
0
Oh, for god's sake, all the salty old sea dogs are mouthing off their soon-to-be-discredited opinions today aren't they?
How long before someone wheels out Jon hare to diss Fifa and pro Evo, and complain that 'Sex, Drugs & Rock N Roll' was the Real Next Gen. I think we need a new expression, 'next-gen' seems to have lost all meaning. People were using it to describe PS1 and N64 back in the day. |
|
crazyhorse174
10/10/07 @ 16:22
0
Hasn't EVERY game since the PS1/Saturn days just been similar ideas, but done with better graphics?
Doesn't next-gen just mean "the same as before, but a bit flashier?" |
|
0
Gen is just short for generation, so these games are current-gen. Games for the Xbox720 are next-gen - whether they are good, shite, revolutionary or whatever.
He should call his game 'Gaming 2.0' or something. He'd still sound like a douchebag but at least it would make more sense than this 'next-gen' bollox. |
|
beastmaster
10/10/07 @ 16:26
0
Well H3 & Bio are here now. Outsider is still probably a long way off and may be superseded by the time it comes out. We've all seen this kind of thing before. I really hope Outsider and Fable 2 turn out great.
|
|
afghan_jones
10/10/07 @ 16:26
0
idiot.
next-gen is meaningless other than a way of grouping hardware iterations. That said, if you did want to quantify it, Halo 3 would be an excellent example of next-gen. Being able to run 4 player co-op over Live or party up and fight other teams in MP, then watch through the replay film of the entire level, shift the camera around wherever you like then take screengrabs and film clips which you can then send over Live to your mates seems pretty fucking next-gen to me... |
|
thepiedpiper
10/10/07 @ 16:27
0
deary me, seems like a lot of trash talk is being batted about today from developers
|
|
0
Can Frontier actually release a high enough quality game to back up what Braben is saying? I have serious doubts (although hope to be proven wrong).
Bioshock - the demo was enough for me. Halo3 bought it, not played it much. I was caught up in the hype :D However, soon a few games of 3-player co-op (I'm lacking friends) will justify its purchase but its not a fantastic game in my eyes thus far. |
|
0
Think he's wrong on this one.
Next gen is not defined by graphical fidelity only, its also about physics, A.I. and sound. To be a true next gen game it delivers on all fronts. Bioshock and Halo 3 are perfect examples of this. To be next gen, the game must only be possible on the 360, PS3 or even the Wii with its unique controls. Sounds like he is setting himself up for a fall trying to go up against these two which have been a hit with critics and gamers alike. Good luck mate, I do hope it turns out a good game. |
|
0
"Blah blah blah... I thought Bioshock and H3 were fantastic. This whole fucking "next gen" crap is getting tiresome."
He didnt say they were crap.. he just said they weren't exactly "next gen".. i.e. they're both something which couldve been done on last gen machines (if it wasnt for the gimmick of prettier pixels). i.e. the GAMEPLAY hasnt advanced.. just the GRAPHICS. Which is his point. Mind you, it seems people are MORE Than happy to buy over hyped dross just because it has prettier pixels.. so maybe he's wrong? |
|
0
TBH.. fuck off people who claim this. He should know better as a gamedev. Games that "do something new" only come along every 5 years or so. Doing something better, refined and more realistically than before like Halo 3 and Bioshock is next gen by definition.
" To be a true next gen game it delivers on all fronts. Bioshock and Halo 3 are perfect examples of this. " Indeed. QFT.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 10/10/07 @ 17:43
|
|
0
Here's my advice to developers who think it's a great idea to follow Braben, Molyneux et al in putting the boot into current-gen titles whilst trying to blow their own trumpets: shut the fuck up, and get on with producing something worthwhile of your own, you pilchards.
*goes back to pixel-bashing* |
|
0
Regardless of whether it's press bait.. no matter how much it upsets the fanboys..
he is correct. Halo and bioshock are nothing that couldnt have been done next gen (albeit with worse pixels). It's like in the bad 8/16 bit days of nintendo/sega where you upgraded to the latest machine only to get the EXACT same mario/sonic platformer with no real improvements over the prettier dots on the screen. |
|
NewbieZilla
10/10/07 @ 16:56
0
I've been looking forward to this game big time since I first read about it. Here, I believe, though i'm not sure about that.
When I saw the article title, I was wondering who'd be saying this, and seeing who is coming out with it, well, judging by what they promise (if they can pull it off) they'd have the authority to make that statement. If not, i'll just consider them followers of the philosophy of Molynuts. |
|
YourMessageHere
10/10/07 @ 17:03
0
Wow, you're all a bit hypocritical aren't you? The industry says HD, and everyone accepts that now it refers to several different resolutions despite HDTV originally being one specific resolution previously (IIRC). The industry obfuscatorially uses the marketing term "different SKUs" a couple of times, and everyone forgets that saying "different models" means the same thing and was perfectly acceptable previously.
The industry then notices how everyone expects the moon on a stick when they say "next gen" and acts accordingly, using it to mean a radical shift in the complexity of gameplay (or something like that, it's hardly well defined) and you all bitch at them for not being pedantically exacting. That's kind of why it's in quotes - because everyone ought by now to be well aware that it's not being used literally to mean the upcoming hardware generation, especially at this stage in the hardware cycle. I think he's right, but not that it's a bad thing necessarily. I'd certainly like to see games branching out in their styles of play. Bioshock was cool but not that unconventional, being less about what the game did and more about how these things were done. Halo 3 I won't comment on other than to paraphrase EG's review: more of the same, but tweaked well, I think they said. Maybe both games would have been better with more innovation; the point is they pleased loads without it. This Outsider thing also sounds interesting at this stage (PC release? Please?) and I'll keep an eye on it. |
Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!
