Cage On Next-Gen: We Don't Need Power, We Need Ideas

I salute you, David Cage!

It always bugs me when I see folks like CliffyB complaining that they've run out of things to do on the current hardware. You can improve your stories, characters, aesthetics, presentation, music, gameplay, and acting performances without upgrading the platform.

Whereas every time you jump to a new platform, suddenly the creative energy of a developer has to be channeled into understanding the new technology, leaving less time and energy for innovation in the areas that actually make the most difference.

That's why I many of my favorite games appear close to the end of a given console's active life cycle rather than the beginning. Your studios aren't wrestling so much with the razzle-dazzle of the hardware anymore, and can actually focus on the essence of what makes a given game great.

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Agreed!

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word

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Very true!

Q!

"play.experience.enjoy"

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''As if we didn't like this guy enough already.''..But, but I like him :D , anyway I want to play more of this dude games, PS3 or PS4.

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Last edited by Oxvial on 5/18/2012 11:02:01 AM

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Ben says he likes him too in that quote. :p

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Indeed I didn't read properly.

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Last edited by Oxvial on 5/18/2012 12:31:20 PM

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People like this are sorely missed. They make games because they like to make games. They don't treat the industry like a cookie cutter business model. I so appreciate this mentality as this is how the industry started and grew to what it is today. We need more companies like this and with Kickstarter and IndieGoGo there is no excuse as to why they can't do this.

Please Ben forward this article to every studio out there, lol.

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I like that he oonly mentions the PS3. I hope QD can solely develop for Sonys machine(s) because Cage is obviously devoted to pushing games in a direction the industry could use.

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we really need more people like mr cage in this industry.

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Superb David Cage.

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Cage deserves a medal for that. Seriously? Where do we keep the medals!? Lol, Sony is definitely lucky to have him developing for them. I'm just glad there are still people in the industry who actually remember what makes games so great. It's never been about the graphics, ALWAYS about the ideas and execution of said ideas. Whether that be characters, locations, story, gameplay, etc.

*applauds* Heavy Rain was an absolutely amazing, one of a kind experience. I'll definitely be picking up his next game day one.

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Cage u hit it!! With the amazing graphics we are living i wonder in what way how next generation power and technological capability can surpass it. U think the eye or ear can notice?

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Of course I agree, and I'd like to add my own idea to the mix (as if anybody gives a sh*t)

It doesn't make sense to me that games still just have a handful of "types" of enemies that occasionally swap palettes. Look at what these machines are capable of, how about some kind of enemy generator so they aren't always the same?

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That's a great idea, I love functionality like that.
Would be awesome if the variations were not only visual either, but also their behaviour had each their individual, random twists.

With more power (especially memory) comes more opportunities like that. Can't wait.

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Last edited by Beamboom on 5/19/2012 12:18:53 PM

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I agree whole heartedly with better or new ideas. I am sure I am in minority but the focus of current console gen has shifted to multiplayer which of course needs hardware to perform. One reason I do not buy many games anymore other than if there is decent single player component.

I still replay games from all gens of Sony, because of the gameplay and story/character. A game or system can boast its technology or graphics, but if it lacks decent gameplay and/or story it generally sucks. Well for me. I am sure there are plenty out there who like mindless games as a form of escapism, but immersion is what I think drives most people to play.

Thank you David Cage for focussing on what counts for some and avoiding being apart of the now main stream game development. He's not the only one, but glad to hear that he is speaking out about it.
Keep Playing!

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His point is exactly why I went on hiatus from gaming for a few years. A part of me was looking for that technological leap in graphics and gameplay and this generation delivered on that. But technical achievement is not the only thing I am looking for. Gaming is a melting pot of all media, storytelling, art, music, and while most games can look pretty and sound amazing very few tell a story that stir emotions and intelligence. Sure I can enjoy some mindless fun killing shooting and destroying, but why can I not also enjoy feeling, learning and soul searching as well in my favorite pastime. Developers really need to examine Mr Cages statement. Maybe I will get more of the experiences I am looking for.

While we are on this subject. My ideal game would include Oscar level story, mindbending graphics and gameplay in the realm of: If I am driving it is like playing Gran Turismo, if I get into a fight it is like Tekken/Soul Calibur and if I am in a shootout it can be like Killzone 3 in first or 3rd person. Possibly open world with some puzzling. Honestly, if anyone can answer, how far are we away from and experience like that? To me it seems like just piecing together some of what we already have. Or is it just a pipe dream of mine?

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This guy and Jenova Chen are beautiful examples of what he is on about. They are widely regarded as being among the most powerful games (emotionally) available. One may be a technical marvel, but the other is simplicity embodied. Honestly, I am more impressed by the ideas than by the technology. It's why Valkryia Chronicles and Heavy Rain are amazing. It's why I can't wait to finally get in to Catherine. Why Demon's Souls and Bioshock were so memorable. If the next generation facilitates such ideas, then bring it on. If not, I'm happy with the PS3.

As for Cage, I want his next game now. Of course, we likely won't be seeing it until Gamescom, but imagine if it ended up being the surprise keynote of Sony's E3. I would lose my f**king mind.

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Cage's thoughts & ideas are exactly why I love his games so much!!!!

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Wouldn't it also make sense to have more powerful hardware in order to be able to create new ideas? Developers already know how the current hardware works, so they just make games that fit that hardware best.

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If it wasn't for Epic the XB360 would have had only 256MB of RAM.... Also, people were also saying the same damn thing last generation. Cage has been saying this for awhile (I think it was him who said it already) but once the new generation is here he'll be singing the praises of the PS4 and talking about it like it's a revelation and the best thing ever. The only reason some are fine with it is because they don't want to go back and do all the work that comes with a new console generation.. But still one would think it costs would jump nearly as much as they did going from last generation to this one with the leap from SD to HD.

It's going on year seven for this generation and year eight before the next XBox and PS4 supposedly come out (WiiU? Welcome to the current hardware generation Nintendo) while I won't be jumping on board for another year or two after launch, but we're overdue for new consoles. More power can result in a lot more than just prettier pictures but that can't hurt. Personally I was looking forward to games finally being 1080p running at a solid 60FPS for the games that could benefit from it.

Judging from the rumored hardware being included in the next XBox and PS4 they're going to be very easy to develop for though if the rumors are indeed true the next gen won't be a huge leap like Cliffy wants. Personally, despite other things over the years that he's said that made me roll my eyes I find that disappointing also, the next generation could be so much more while still having consoles at a $400 price tag. But it looks like both Sony and MS are going to go cheap this time and will be selling us hardware that should launch at no more than $300 for $400 instead with a GPU was overpriced "budget" garbage for PCs and won't be much better for consoles despite the lack of overhead and better optimization. That GPU (7760 which is a re-badged 6670) is still selling for way more than its worth on Newegg without a rebate, one with a rebate is going for $40 but without a big rebate is still selling at a price that for a few bucks more you could get a videocard that while older will beat the pants off the 7760/6670 in the GTX 460. IMO a GTX 460 based GPU for a console would have been the "sweetspot". The odds of us seeing 1080p/60FPS with resources to spare aren't looking so good.

Okay I need to stop rambling and get some sleep....

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a thousand thumbs up to this guy.

me said many times already too, say again, I am fine with PS3 at least till 2020 and I do not need PS4, instead, I need quality games. I think essentially we said the same things. :)

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oh hogswash!
he would jump to a newer console the second he got a chance just like any other developer would!
if hes so uninterested in advancing tech then why has he wasted the teams time on creating a new engine?
why not just keep the same engine has heavy rain, and build another title off that?
seriously dude, way to go slap your work down!

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Great article Ben :). Deffo agree, and try and reward games with new ideas by buying and playing them. Mr Cage has an interesting sense of time though:

"As an industry we have pretty much have been building the same games for fifty years, despite the platforms changing."

If my maths is correct, fifty years ago was 1962! Game design has changed a _little_ since then ;). The main 'lock in' seems to really have occurred since everything hit 3D, in the late PSOne/early PS2 era.

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