Violent game classics make a comeback...!

[Tawmis]

I couldn't decide to put this in the recently created Duke Nukem thread or the Mortal Kombat thread since it mentions BOTH games... among others...

So... I finally decided to just make it it's own thread!

From:
http://blog.games.yahoo.com/blog/372-vi ... a-comeback


When action video games hit their first golden age in the early 1990s, concepts like “stealth” and “consequences” weren’t even a glimmer in developer’s eyes. The focus was on over-the-top carnage. The premise: if it moved, shoot it – though you could also kick, punch or stab it, depending on the title.

As the industry matured, though, in-game violence evolved. Narratives were added to the action, and heroes became more than one-dimensional instruments of destruction. It wasn’t a bad thing, per se, but it seemed like a move away from what hardcore action titles were all about.

Recently, some developers have begun to hearken back to the genre’s glory days.

An upcoming remake of Mortal Kombat will be as visceral as the 1992 arcade game that first sparked the debate over video game violence. A third entry in the Postal series -- which was at the center of last year’s Supreme Court oral arguments on restricting game sales to minors -- is due later this year. Long-delayed shooter Duke Nukem Forever is about to see the light of day, and new title Bulletstorm is a throwback to the days of games whose motto was “Shoot first, ask questions later.”

The timing of the new wave of unashamedly violent games is ironic, given that the Supreme Court decision is looming and legislators are rolling out new rounds of proposed laws surrounding the medium.

It might be easy to read something into this resurgence. Perhaps game makers are revolting against the legislative push or the tide is once again shifting in the action genre. To do so would be a mistake, however. For the most part, this confluence of old-school shooters and action games is a happy coincidence.

Mortal Kombat, for instance, is about to enjoy its 20th anniversary, so a new game was a virtual certainty. And after 2008’s Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe -- which was substantially grittier than previous entries in the series -- proved a hit, Warner decided to up the ante.

And Duke Nukem Forever? Heck, the game started development when the old-school was simply…well, school. Fans of the flat-topped muscle man aren’t looking for nuance in this game. They want one-liners and lots of aliens to kill. Developer Gearbox Software is happy to give it to them.

Bulletstorm, meanwhile, is a love song to the days when shooters didn’t take themselves seriously. Rather than plot-driven narratives, the sole purpose of the game is to kill in creative fashion and be rewarded for it. Dubbed “skillshots,” these methods range from “Gag Reflex” (a kill shot to the throat) to “Juggler” (launching an enemy skyward and peppering them with multiple shotgun hits.) Needless to say, not everyone is thrilled with the subject matter -- but clearly it depends on whom you ask.

"Are we yearning for a bygone era? Perhaps, but it's not just enough to be nostalgic," Bulletstorm producer Cliff Bleszinski told us. "People Can Fly and Epic have taken old-school sensibilities and merged them with the sophistication of a 2011 blockbuster shooter design."

Quake Arena Arcade is part of a continuing rollout of classic id Software games for Xbox Live – following in the bloody boot steps of Doom and Wolfenstein 3D. Even Postal 3 has been in the works for a while -- long before its forerunner had its time in court. Production started as far back as 2006, just as the add-on well for Postal 2 ran dry.

Sometimes, though, it’s simply player demand that brings back this sort of game. A group of fans of the 2004 release Painkiller recently put together a mod entitled Painkiller: Redemption. Publisher JoWood was so enthralled with it that they plan to release it as a full game in February.

After all, when the players are so passionate about old-school action that they’re willing to go ahead and make the game for you, even the stubbornest of publishers get the hint.

[MusicallyInspired]

All we need is Half-Life Episode 3. Yeah, I know it's not as violent as the other games listed, but it is the only game to stand its ground and keep the same old-school style of pacing, gameplay, weapon count, and lack of iron-sights all through these years since the original. Episode 3 would be a nice full-circle.

Also, they didn't seem to mention the Serious Sam HD remakes. Those belong on that list for sure.

[DeadPoolX]

Meh. I like story and elements beyond "shoot-everything-in-sight" in most current games. This seems like a step back in video game development.

Besides, some game series shouldn't be continued. Postal 2 was so violent and disgusting that it offended even me. You stuffed cats onto shotguns and used them as silencers! The cats screamed in pain each time you fired your gun and eventually fell off after dying!

Shit like that makes the GTA series seem as harmless as Super Mario Bros in comparison.

[Tawmis]

Besides, some game series shouldn't be continued. Postal 2 was so violent and disgusting that it offended even me. You stuffed cats onto shotguns and used them as silencers! The cats screamed in pain each time you fired your gun and eventually fell off after dying!

Shit like that makes the GTA series seem as harmless as Super Mario Bros in comparison.

I dunno, with GTA, you can have sex with a hooker, pay her, then beat her up, AND take your money back. And that's one of the "NICER" things you can do in the game...

EDIT: Not to say POSTAL 2 wasn't bad. Was just saying in comparison to GTA.

[DeadPoolX]

Besides, some game series shouldn't be continued. Postal 2 was so violent and disgusting that it offended even me. You stuffed cats onto shotguns and used them as silencers! The cats screamed in pain each time you fired your gun and eventually fell off after dying!

Shit like that makes the GTA series seem as harmless as Super Mario Bros in comparison.

I dunno, with GTA, you can have sex with a hooker, pay her, then beat her up, AND take your money back. And that's one of the "NICER" things you can do in the game...

EDIT: Not to say POSTAL 2 wasn't bad. Was just saying in comparison to GTA.

I guess I value the lives of animals over most humans.

Besides, a hooker has a choice to do what she does; an animal doesn't.

[Tawmis]

I guess I value the lives of animals over most humans.

On that we agree.

Besides, a hooker has a choice to do what she does; an animal doesn't.

I hope you're kidding, about the choice thing...
Because it's not always a choice, just a bad set of circumstances.
And also, because one is a hooker, doesn't mean they also deserve to be beat up...!
(And robbed no less!)

[DeadPoolX]

Besides, a hooker has a choice to do what she does; an animal doesn't.

I hope you're kidding, about the choice thing...
Because it's not always a choice, just a bad set of circumstances.
And also, because one is a hooker, doesn't mean they also deserve to be beat up...!

I'm not kidding. Everyone has a choice. Instead of selling her body out on the street, she could find work somewhere like a fast food place. Yeah, that's pretty shitty, but it's better (and safer) than performing sexual acts for perverts.

Even stripping is better, if for no other reason, it's legal so her chances of ending up in jail (or the emergency room) is a lot lower.

I understand that bad circumstances can really affect some people, but aside from being sold and forced into prostitution, there's ALWAYS a way out.

My point is that, barring an extreme and somewhat unusual set of circumstances, people ALWAYS have more options than domesticated animals. A domesticated animal needs people to survive. Even a cat, which generally has some good survival instincts, can't hunt and live on their own forever.

Cats and especially dogs need someone; if they didn't, animal shelters and places like the SPCA wouldn't exist. Maybe it'd be better if they didn't need us, but that's not the case.

[MusicallyInspired]

It's not like there's no story at all. It's not like arcade shooters are coming back. DNF has a story that goes deeper than the premise for Duke3D ever did. And do you really think games like COD are a step AHEAD?

aside from being sold and forced into prostitution, there's ALWAYS a way out.

I think that was more what he was saying.

[DeadPoolX]

It's not like there's no story at all. It's not like arcade shooters are coming back. DNF has a story that goes deeper than the premise for Duke3D ever did. And do you really think games like COD are a step AHEAD?

Ahead of D3D? Definitely. That doesn't really say much, however. D3D had no plot at all.

aside from being sold and forced into prostitution, there's ALWAYS a way out.

I think that was more what he was saying.

Yeah, but I'm making a distinction between girls who're sold to become prostitutes and someone who feels they're down on their luck. The former have no choice while the latter does.

[MusicallyInspired]

It's not like there's no story at all. It's not like arcade shooters are coming back. DNF has a story that goes deeper than the premise for Duke3D ever did. And do you really think games like COD are a step AHEAD?

Ahead of D3D? Definitely. That doesn't really say much, however. D3D had no plot at all.

Heh. That's debatable. COD to me is way more bland than Duke3D ever was. But that's my opinion.