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S
Skellyton

I really feel a game that’s similar to baldurs gate but with more choices would save a lot of gaming, 100+ races 100+ stories to make just so much options in a video game would be awesome.

Christian J. H.'s avatar
Christian J. H.

Game: Silent Hill
Genre: Survival horror

Characterized by Psychological horror, Slow-paced gameplay,Atmospheric environments and Character-driven narratives

With the recent announcement of Silent Hill 2 Remnake for the PS5 coming on October 2022, this particular announcement makes me realize that this kind of genre is one of those that are struggling to stay afloat and needs an strong attention due the lack of developers interested in it, in the case of Silent Hill we are talking about a game with a rich-story mixed with that psicological/atmosferical terror that we dont see nowdays.

While the remake is very welcomed , we need a fresh new game of this saga that would set this particular gender to the top like the good old days.

Personally i feel that the Soul-Like genre has saturated the gaming market nowaday and its time to make great again this particular genre that only a well developed Silent Hill can save.

N
Noodlez

I think a genre that could have been even bigger than it was, and has always died off because of greed is those figure collecting games such as Skylanders or Disney Infinity.

It's very clear that the main downfall for games that try to do this is the price they sell the characters for, not only that but they added vehicles and locations just to suck up even more money out of their fans, and the kids who see them in shop windows.

Im a dream world it would be ground breaking if Sony and Microsoft would join together and make a mega version of this genre that has characters from both consoles. I honestly think this would work because the majority of gaming fans collect figures for their favourite characters anyway, so if they could get a figure AND have it fight alongside characters from other consoles it would be amazing. Imagine Master Chief working with Kratos against villains from both games.

To have this work however, they would need to sell the characters for an affordable price, and if they REALLY need more money, then just make a separate rare looking version of each character for more money, so the normal versions are accessible to anyone still.

B
Bonoc

Ill need alot more than $4

Imbra's avatar
Imbra

Open World Role Playing Games

A Rant About Ever-Increasing Scale

2015 saw the release of The Witcher 3, an undeniably great game (not without flaws) whose effects still ripple through the genre today. It had a huge open world for the time that was just utterly stuffed with meaningful optional content - a compliment many have regarding CD Projekt RED is that they often have side questlines that can match or even exceed the main story in terms of quality.

Since then, countless others have begun scaling up the worlds in their games - see Bethesda with Starfield, or Ubisoft with the newer Assassin's Creed formula. However, many of these games lack the meaningful side content that CDPR had in The Witcher 3, and again in Cyberpunk 2077.

The problem of the ever expanding open worlds has reached a stage of community exhaustion where people often describe "lifeless open worlds that are too big for their own good" as "Ubisoft open world". Though Bethesda's Starfield suffers from a similar, albeit still very different problem - procedural generation.

Procedural generation or "proc gen" as it is often called is not a bad thing in and of itself, it can provide theoretically infinite substance to a world with otherwise limited content. However its real problem is when a developer relies too heavily on it, Starfield has approximately 1,700 planets (and moons) that can be visited - of which it is estimated that only ~10% have life generally. You can land pretty much anywhere on a planet but unless it's a city or quest specific area, it will be procedurally generated, which causes the content to become stale very quickly if the player wants to go sightseeing between quests.

A game that (I think) does procedural generation well is Shadows of Doubt, an indie 1980s-cyberpunk detective immersive sim. It relies on procedural generation to form the murder cases or side jobs which the player can take on without it feeling too stale or overwhelming. The reason why it works despite relying so much on it is because the entire gameplay loop is designed around it - finding the evidence, murder weapon and arresting the killer feels so exhilarating every time because of the fact that it all forms at the whims of the game. The murder is always solvable if the player can put in the effort to follow all possible leads. Rather than using procedural generation for everything else in the world, Shadows of Doubt uses it where it can shine brightest and developed the gameplay loop to perfectly compliment it.

With each paragraph getting significantly longer than the last, as I let myself get further off-topic to explain the individual problems and the counterpart games that solve them, let's get back to the original idea - What is the problem with Open World RPGs and what can solve this.

Open world RPGs right now suffer from A) ever increasing world scale and a lack of content density to fill it, and B) reliance on procedural generation in these ever expanding worlds to fill out the side content with quantity rather than quality.

The solution to this would be for studios to stop for a minute and take a breath, bring the scaling back down a little, we don't need maps that encompass half of Britain or a thousand soulless and empty planets to "explore". The open world doesn't need to be gargantuan, it specifically shouldn't be that big unless there is enough content to make it truly enjoyable to roam. Scaling down the worlds to a reasonable size would also allow for procedural generation to compliment the world, in the form of radiant quests which nowadays can have astonishing amounts of content and diversity in comparison to the radiant quests in 2011's Skyrim.

I'm no industry expert but having played each of the listed games to death, I would like to think that I know what I'm talking about regarding the most prevalent problem in the genre.

Games Listed

  • The Witcher 3

  • Starfield

  • Assassin's Creed (Valhalla specifically)

  • Cyberpunk 2077

  • Shadows of Doubt

  • Skyrim

Honourable Mentions (other open world RPGs off the top of my head that don't suffer from the overarching problem)

  • Baldur's Gate 3

  • Disco Elysium

P
Pnut8989

The game is ESO, I feel like the game would make a comeback if they reset everyone cause everyone is far too advanced now for new people to even play, and if everyone started from zero, it would be a fun experience

M
Maskedgambit

Unfortunately, it seems as though the MMORPG genre is slowly falling to its knees, and has been for a decade. Yes, WoW is still somewhat popular, as are long-serving games like Runescape, but new entries to the market have often fallen victim to closures or poor performance (New World being the obvious recent example). Gamers don't necessarily want to pay big upfront for an MMO or expansions and also don't want to deal with a recurring subscription cost.

To save MMORPGs with a single game, I think the key has to be appealing to a huge audience and creating a game that uses a massive IP but doesn't alienate the core concepts of what makes an MMORPG so unique. Too many games replicate popular titles and fail to do anything to bring in lapsed or first-time MMO players. Using an established IP also makes it easier to justify the upfront or subscription costs.

I would create a Witcher-themed MMO game to save the genre. In theory this works great, what is already such a lore-heavy IP lends itself well to countless questlines spread across a large sprawling world. This would work similarly to the FInal Fantasy MMO, but it has a broader appeal in Western markets.

Admittedly, the idea of having so many new witchers roaming the world would be hard to adjust to, but perhaps there could be classes outside of just your basic Geralt template. In an ideal world, there would be multiple factions to choose from, each with unique character stories, classes, and starting areas.

The reason I believe this would work so well is because The Witcher 3 appealed to a huge audience, with gamers who would never have bothered with RPGs even giving it a try. Adapting the IP as an MMORPG could offer the same surprise resurgence for MMOs and Wild Hunt did for RPGs.

Philip's avatar
Philip

Sim City - city builder game.

I would love to see a game where instead of building a city from scratch, you could build a suburb with a level of attention to detail such as making the roads and blocks whatever size or direction you want. Where you could view terrain at the street level. Manage development costs and land prices, and make covenants for style, etc.

I'd love a game that allows you a lot of customisation.

CMDR Henckes's avatar
CMDR Henckes

The FPS games aren't that bad but a common complain is that they are losing its
essence or not getting a fantastic title in the last few years and i agree completely with that . We se a lot of competitive FPS like CS2 and Overwatch that are good games but it isn't in its peak and sometime looks like it lacks the care that the devs once had and when we talk about the singleplayer experience we continue to have good games but note are like to Modern Warfare 2 from 2009 or the first 2 Halo games. The new ones in most times are at least good but not beyond that and I think the reason for that is that the most of this problem is that the companies are spending more time creating extremely good visuals or worse creating a multiplayer mode that looks much more a cassino or a custom store and the game it self is put aside.

But now how would we change that, and I think its simple, just go back to the past, and use the same formula, focuses in the Single player first like Call of Duty and Halo did, a straight and
catchy campaign with good characters and great plots, and avoid make a remake or a reboot, you pay good writers for that, create great stories. And after that you get the elements created for this and put in multiplayer. A good FPS with a great camping would be fantastic, and avoid make it open world, the ones that have open or semi open worlds are good games but the tradicional FPS genre doesn't fit that well with Open World. Cyberpunk is good but not because the FPS, i some times think the FPS part of it could be a way better, the same thing for Sarsfield.

So I think that this genre can be saved just creating a new IP focused in the campaign just like the old fashion way that Halo and Call of Duty was created.

T
TrialByStory

Bullet Hells and other types of SHMUPs have had occasional resurgences, thanks to the likes of Cuphead, Vampire Survivors, and Rabbit & Steel, but it's largely a genre that has been relegated to arcade cabinets and retro consoles. The biggest reasons for this I would point is the monotony of gameplay, the lack of a meaningful goals, and difficulty spikes.

In light of this I would like to introduce a new IP to breathe new life into the genre. Let's call it Caged Suns.

First and Foremost, Caged Suns would attempt to address the issue of not having goals. Specifically by setting a focus on having a strong narrative. Caged Suns is a space combat sci-fi story set in the universe of a galaxy-spanning empire that relies heavily on slave labor for resource extraction, refinement, and production in order to order to fuel their way of life, with entire planetary systems locked down for the slaves to inhabit and work well away from the rest of society. The game begins with a revolt on a slave transport ship where the prisoners take control of the vessel and hope to use that success as the starting port to save others and create a safehaven. Obviously a single ship can't pull that off alone, so the former slaves become pirates. From there you journey across the stars capturing more ships, liberating slave systems, and dismantling key pieces of the empire's galactic infrastructure, ultimately culminating in a final battle against the imperial flagship where, upon your success, you can force the empire's surrender and have your emancipated federation of planets officially recognized as a soveriegn entity.

The next issue to deal with is the monotony. At its core, Caged Suns' gameplay will still be piloting your ship(s) through waves of obstacles, enemy fighters and projectiles, but at any given point you will be able to choose from a variety of missions to progress your goals, and different mission types will have different goals and require different startegies:

  1. Regular Space Battles - These are the old standby, the classic bullet hell experience of 'Survive through waves of attacks while destroying as many enemies as you can along the way.' These are intended to be more of an upkeep or filler kind of mission, a way to quickly target farm resources and push back the empire's warfront a small bit to gain breathing room.

  2. Capture Missions - These will often be similar to the regular battles, but with the additional goal of capturing an enemy ship along the way to add to your fleet. This will be accomplished by attacking and disabling specific subsystems without destroying the entire ship so that members of your crew can board the vessel and take control.

  3. Liberation Missions - These will be the missions you complete in order to conqure and liberate slave systems, adding them to your own territory. As such there will be more of an emphasis on making precise strikes on ground targets while avoiding defensive anti-fighter weapons and enemy interceptors. Getting sloppy with your bombing runs will result in penalties to the new system's resource generation or even a failure to capture the system at all.

  4. Denial Missions - These are the big ones; missions where you hit imperial infrastructure and strike a massive blow for your cause. One examples of denial missions is using your fleet to take down the shields and communications arrays of a dyson sphere then defending a transport ship while your engineers work on taking control of the structures systems so that you can claim its considerable power generation capabilities instead. Another inolves engaging in a DeathStar-style trench run to dismantle an imperial warp gate, wreaking havoc on their logistic capabilities.

Resources have been mentioned a couple times now but what are they used for? Well they're the main pillar behind my answer to the difficulty problem of the genre. Caged Suns is intended to be a challenging game, but there are two ways to tilt the scales in your favor as the player. The first is fairly straightforward: Upgrades! You can increase your ships' armor, customize their offensive capabilities to better deal with the expected opposition, and increase the abilities of your crew members and officers. The other tool at your disposal comes in the form of the strategy metagame. In addition to being the primary way you gain your upgrade materials and determining the availability of missions and general flow of the campaign, you can put your strategic mind to use and give your fledgling federation an strategic edge. You can send multiple ships/fleets to different parts of the galaxy to do missions, which opens up the possibility of misdirection. If you find resistance is too strong on one warfront, simply assault another area to draw resources and reinforcements away from your primary goal, giving your scrappy crews a better opportunity to push through.

Caged Suns is a game that will allow you to fight for freedom, forge your own space-faring society, and play the role of an underdog spitting in the eye of a titanic enemy, all while delivering engaging, fast-paced bullet hell gameplay.

Gaypengwing's avatar
Gaypengwing

I’m not saying that the genre is completely dead due to some games like Little Nightmares 2 and in a way the Dark Anthology series with their sofa mode, but multiplayer horror story games.

I am one of those insufferable resident evil fans that is “patiently” waiting for resident evil 5 remake to happen. Yes, they are working on a new resident evil game and I’m so excited for it but the ending of resident evil 5 (boat and onwards) deserves justice and I would love to be able to play it one day without having to add a “but” every time I talk about it.

https://www.tumblr.com/gaypengwing/755532639449071616/life-is-very-hard-when-all-you-want-is-a-resident

I will happily replay the game with all of its issues because it means a lot to me but I know a lot of hardcore resident evil fans that would even be hesitant to do so. For characters as awesome as Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar (who needs to come back asap plz), the game lets them down.

I had great fun playing 5 with my boyfriend at the time (now fiancé) but it’s known to be a game that can be very buggy and the mechanics transfer badly between single player and multiplayer, so much so that changing to single player is needed at times to be able to continue. With their experimentation of Leon in resident evil 4, being accompanied by Ashley and Luis at points, they were clearly exploring if having a partner could balance well in these situations and it worked well.

With the right amount of time put in to the game and making sure that the bugs are fixed, it could be amazing. Better options for saving needed, storage increase, automatic ammo from partner, better user interface and the introduction of a character like the merchant or the duke, instead of the between chapter “shop”, alongside other things.

I could go on about this but I think this sums up the idea pretty well.

taha's avatar
taha

I feel like the genre of anime games has been so hit or miss in recent years and some games have just lacked any real story or plot other than revisiting anime storylines and reliving the same plot points in a new game again. I think a game with a certain IP would not only revitalise the genre but bring something iconic and artistic to video games, potentially saving multiple genres of video game too: a Studio Ghibli game.

There are a few games out there that have definitely taken some inspiration from films by Studio Ghibli, like Ni No Kuni and the Legend of Zelda series. However, a game set in the many worlds and stories of films like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle would be not just an awesome set of stories to revisit in a new way for the first time but also be visually impressive and potentially have the most all-star cast ever seen for a game.

In terms of actual gameplay, it would make sense for it to be an action adventure in 3D, but in keeping with more traditional animation and art style, the worlds and characters could be given a more 2D look with cel shading and hand drawn animations to make it feel more like a Studio Ghibli movie than just a 3D game based on an animated movie.

I think something along the lines of an epic fantasy like Kingdom Hearts, a game that crosses over multiple games and characters, bringing together some of the characters we know and love like Ponyo, Haku and Sophie, would be a fresh and exciting addition to the Studio Ghibli universe as well as an emotional and nostalgic game for many!

A
Asim
taha

I think this would be pretty solid tbh

Elech's avatar
Elech

I think a game idea to save a genre would need to be a moba. Mobas are tough for new players to get in to for various reasons.

Number of heroes

Items

Builds

All of this while not really being immersive using the standard top down pov.

My idea would be to create a new mobabut in a way that minimises the boring side.

This will be a new take on a moba where the combat is at the very end.

It will be a 5v5 in which the map is seperated in the middle. The teams must go about a generated world in which they must collect certain milestones to unlock new abilities and gear. This is done via team work and delegation. Split teams up in to roles like a normal moba but roles can be split between jobs to do. During the match you will look into, gear gathering, sustain, stat building and skill unlocking.

The game is no longer first to win. It has a time limit of 15 minutes preperation so the game itself is a speed run and once the 15 minutes ends the wall comes down and you can start pouring through your standard moba map. The towers become targetable, You can now take aspects of the map the enemy hasn't taken and you can now aim to take down the towers. There are no minions in the moba. The towers HP goes down based on kills per team in that specific lane. By default the tower hp does drain if an enemy is not there to protect it (similar to capure the flag) Once contested you must fight your lane opponent in a third person pvp fight and use the gear, skills and sustain you collected prior.

The game ends once all towers are taken and the heart of the enemy side is destroyed.

I think this is a good change of pace for general mobas because the farming matters as a team. The game will be designed to distribute evenly once farm phase is over but after that it is free for all once you spawn in your lane after the wall drops.

The main way this was designed was to remove the idea of needing to learn to make a build from items. The gear comes automatically once the clearly marked gear is collected and you don't need to worry about looking up how to build a character externally.

Open to thoughts of he concept. It obviously needs refining but this is the main gameplay premise.

H
HeiseN

Lack of Accessibility in Indie Games

Indie games often boast innovative mechanics and unique narratives, but accessibility is frequently overlooked. This can exclude players with disabilities, limiting their enjoyment of the gaming experience.

Proposed Game: "Universal Horizons"

"Universal Horizons" is a sci-fi adventure game designed with accessibility at its core. The game's core mechanic revolves around exploring a vast, procedurally generated universe, filled with diverse alien civilizations. To ensure accessibility, the game will incorporate the following features:

  • Adaptive Controls: Players can customize controls to suit their needs, whether it's using a gamepad, keyboard, or alternative input devices.

  • Adjustable Difficulty: The game will offer multiple difficulty levels to cater to players of varying skill levels, including those with cognitive impairments.

  • Visual and Audio Cues: The game will provide clear visual and audio cues to help players navigate the environment and understand game mechanics.

  • Subtitles and Closed Captions: All dialogue and sound effects will be accompanied by subtitles and closed captions.

  • Color Blind Mode: The game will offer a color blind mode to ensure that all players can easily distinguish between visual elements.

  • Controller Vibration and Haptic Feedback: The game will utilize controller vibration and haptic feedback to provide additional sensory information.

By prioritizing accessibility, "Universal Horizons" aims to create a gaming experience that is inclusive and enjoyable for players of all abilities. This game will not only address a systemic problem in indie gaming but also set a new standard for accessible game design.

okayameji's avatar
okayameji

Name: Toram Online, Genre: mmorpg, Toram Online actually in my opinion is a very exciting game, it is an adventure game and is multiplayer, where we can meet various players, both in our country, or outside our country. but in my opinion this game has started to decline, the thing that affects this game is rarely in demand by players may be boring, and less challenging, and that's all that is done, so many players start switching games, then this game also has many bots that harm some players. because of the many bots, making the game server experience damage such as congestion, lag, and many more, because the many bots make the currency in this game destroyed, moreover in my opinion the events held by this game are less interesting. maybe because of those things, making this game less in demand again. in my opinion the game that can fix this game is, genshin impact, actually a bit different genre, where genshin impact is an RPG game, blooming open world, but one of the lessons that can be taken from this game, such as the events held by genshin impact, which are quite interesting and always diverse, this makes some players not bored. then also because of the system of this game, there are no bots, which can harm other users.

Translator by google translate

Shovel's avatar
Shovel
Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer

I believe classic RPGs still have the potential to perform exceptionally well! The recent astonishing success of Baldur’s Gate 3 revealed some interesting things.

Yes, the game is fantastic, there’s no doubt about that, but more importantly, it has shown that modern players still have a strong passion for lengthy role-playing games with complicated combat systems, deep dialogue trees, and the opportunity to shape their characters' destinies in meaningful ways. This success is a clear signal to other developers that there’s still a huge audience for complex RPGs.

I remember attending roundtable sessions in 2022, where professionals discussed how modern games should cater to low attention spans and avoid complex mechanics, unless targeting niche markets. Larian’s success has proven that notion wrong, revealing that a broad audience still craves immersive, multi-layered role-playing experiences.

This year at Devcom, the halls were buzzing with excitement about BG3 and the resurgence of classic RPGs. So, maybe it’s time to revisit franchises like Might & Magic , Mass Effect or Fallout.

With modern game engines, AI, and adaptive environments, we could create nearly limitless role-playing opportunities. I foresee future RPGs evolving into platforms for players to craft their own personal stories, offering deeper and more immersive experiences than ever before.

JHenckes's avatar
JHenckes

Genre: Real-Time Strategy (RTS)

The RTS genre, was once stronger, was part of the main e-sports competitions and my God... Asian countries have always dominated the competitive scene. However, it has suffered a significant decline in the last decade. Classic franchises such as StarCraft, Command & Conquer and Age of Empires were once household names, but modern RTS titles struggle to win over the same audience and this is due to the problems that this genre presents in today's games.

  1. High barrier to entry: RTS games generally require a very high learning curve, which is unattractive to new players, especially in this increasingly fast-paced world we live in (remember that cell phones didn't used to be like they are today, where we can do everything on them and computer time has become less necessary). The complexity of base building, resource management and micromanagement can be shocking and off-putting.

  2. Lack of Innovation: Most new games follow the traditional formula without innovating anything or almost anything, and this makes the game “more of the same” and that's why players don't keep playing, there's no new experience, just a worse copy of the game you used to love...

  3. Shift in Player Preferences: The rise of MOBA and Battle Royale games has shifted players' interest away from RTS. These genres offer fast-paced action and simpler controls, which makes them more appealing to most people.

Suggested game: "Epoch Wars"

To save this dying category, “Epoch Wars” would be a revolutionary RTS game that aims to stand out in the genre by addressing its main problems and introducing innovative mechanics. The game is set in a dynamic and evolving world, where players guide civilizations through various historical eras, from the Stone Age to the Space Age. The key to its success lies in its accessibility, innovative gameplay and focus on cooperative and single-player experiences.

As players progress through different epochs, the gameplay evolves. Early game focuses on exploration and survival, while later stages introduce advanced technology, diplomacy, and space colonization. Each epoch offers distinct gameplay mechanics, keeping the experience fresh and engaging (if you know which game I love VERY much that I based this function in Epoch Wars, post it below hahaha. I'll leave the spoiler on the last line of the post).

The game features an adaptive AI-driven tutorial system that adjusts to the player’s skill level. New players are introduced to basic mechanics in a controlled environment, while experienced players can dive into more complex strategies. The game also includes customizable difficulty settings that allow players to tailor the experience to their preferences.

"Epoch Wars" offers a robust single-player campaign where players guide a civilization through different epochs, facing dynamic challenges and story-driven scenarios. In addition, the game features cooperative multiplayer modes where players can team up to tackle unique challenges or compete against AI-controlled empires.

The world of "Epoch Wars" is constantly changing. Players must navigate complex diplomatic relationships with other civilizations, forge alliances, or wage wars. The game introduces a "World Influence" mechanic where decisions in one epoch can have lasting consequences in future epochs, adding depth and replayability.

Instead of traditional resource collection, Epoch Wars introduces a “Cultural Development” system. Players gain resources by advancing their culture, participating in diplomacy and making technological advances. This reduces that boring resource management and allows players to focus on strategic decisions.

The game’s narrative is driven by player choices, with multiple branching storylines that adapt to how civilizations evolve. Cinematic cutscenes and immersive voice acting enhance the story, drawing players into the world and making them care about their civilization's fate.

Epoch Wars would breathe new life into the RTS genre by addressing its main challenges. By making the game more accessible to new players, offering innovative mechanics and providing a compelling single-player experience, it could appeal to a wider audience. Evolving gameplay and a focus on player choice would keep the experience fresh, while hybrid multiplayer options would ensure a loyal community.

This game could redefine what an RTS can be, making the genre relevant and exciting again, for veterans and newcomers alike.

OBS: The game I was talking about is SPORE, this whole function and mechanic of evolution is the defining point of this game and is rarely seen or dealt with well in RTS games

T
TrialByStory
JHenckes

My one concern about the concept is that the 'evolving gameplay' aspect could end up being to similar to how Spore played out, where one of the stages clearly received the most attention and was intended to be the one where the player spends the vast majority of the game rather than each stage being given an equal weight both during development and in actual gameplay.

yan57436's avatar
yan57436

As a lover of the Sim's City game and the skyline of its “daughter” cities (hahaha), I love the genre of creating and managing cities. In general, I'd like to point out some defects and some solutions together:

  1. Complexity: I remember when one day I ended up watching an architecture video on youtube about road flow to try to solve a problem in my cities skyline (AND IT WORKED!), so I end up believing that having ways for “noob” players to interact with the game and not be scared would make it much easier to get started.

  2. Monotony: With the society we live in becoming more and more dynamic (I include myself in this, I only play while listening to music or podcasts), I believe it's necessary to use random elements to bring more dynamism, I'm inspired by rogue-like games that are always the “same thing”, but are different (Can you understand? hahaha)

  3. Multiplayer: I see great potential for multiplayer in these games and they simply aren't exploited, sim's city back in 2013 even tried, but didn't succeed because it limited the city too much. But generating an interaction where your city needs a product and doesn't have good geography for such exploration and ends up having to socialize and make economic alliances with other players would make everything very interactive! (I thought of the Ikariam game I played as an example in my childhood).

Amoni P's avatar
Amoni P

We need more shooters that are not live service games. Wolfenstein as a franchise has been the one that's refused to be a live service game and The New Order and The New Colossus were good. Mass Effect 3, while it's campaign story was polarizing, was beloved for its multiplayer. Perhaps the Bioshock sequel coming [waves hands in the air] will fill that void, but that's a lot of hope to hang on to one game whose last entry was... a source of great division.

If I were to make a game to save the FPS, I'd make it original IP level-based shooter. I'd set it in a fictional place, fictional time with maybe some aesthetics that callback to the real world but nothing so specific as to make it messy. I'd make three versions of the main character: standard dude, standard lady, and a nonbinary character (similar to the way Assassin's Creed: Valhalla did it). Everybody gets to see themself or something close to who they are in the main character. Most crucially, it would receive patches and maybe updates to improve upon existing features, but it would not be a live service game. No purchasable cosmetics, no DELUXE PREMIUM ULTRA RARE EDITION for half your paycheck plus a second mortgage on the house, and no content locked behind add-on packages.

The plot: You are a bounty hunter tasked with hunting rogue machines. They could be something as innocuous as a house cleaning bot that's gone AWOL to a lethal corporate security drone (inspired heavily by The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and maybe a little of the Wayfarer Series by Becky Chambers). The first third of the game is pretty standard bounty hunting when, uh oh, a mission goes sideways and now you've been captured. Turns out the bots going haywire wasn't an accident. The machines have been liberating each other. Now you spend the second third of the game escaping. In the final third you get to choose whether you'll turn on the humans and side with the machines or side with the humans and shut down the bot liberation movement for good. Either way the ending will be bombastic, promising an escalating challenge for even the most skilled of shooter players.

Then you develop an expansion, either based on a minor character (think Dishonored: Death of the Outsider) or expanding out from some little thing that was implied but never seen in the base game (think Mass Effect 3's Citadel, From Ashes, Omega, Leviathan expansions; Mass Effect 2's Shadow Broker expansion). People still talk about Mass Effect's expansions because they were so high quality and added so much value to the play experience (admittedly, there were a few that sucked).

Shooters have all but been decimated by the live service model. That's not to say they're all bad, but they don't play the same. You can never get closure with a live service game. I'll never get closure playing through Fortnite missions. Hell, people are still grinding out stuff on Destiny 2 despite the fact that the final big content update happened a few months back. It doesn't seem like folks who invested in the narrative for that game got any real closure. Maybe we can't go back to a time when all shooters were level-based, but honestly I think one or two good ones from time to time would do the game industry some good.

P
Peters

I think the industry consolidation is affecting games of all genres. The investment these big groups get and then snap up smaller studios with great game ideas and then close them down to make more profits and reduce outgoing employee costs is stupid.
I don't have a single game that can solve the problem, but Indie games do not have this silly structure and are able to defy the restrictions and make games for fun not purely for profit.

Braulio Lara 's avatar
Braulio Lara

PLATFORM GAMES

ASTRO BOT Can save the platform games because anyway we have Mario’s , and some failed Sonic the platform genre was saving the game industry when Atari and his infamous ET almost crash the industry

I’m play Astro Bot in Vr or in the Demo that come with the PlayStation 5 the new one l’m not taste it but all comments are positive and l believe that ASOBI TEAM (formerly Japan Studio) can make a very good game

The platform game start everything in the new videogame revolution run , jump and collect points

God bless you all 😊

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