Why Gaming Needs The Last Guardian
The Last GuardianIt isn't coming out this year. If we're lucky, it'll come out later on next year, and it seems like an excrutiating eternity.
But now more than ever, we require the innovation of Fumito Ueda's newest vision. This isn't a complaint about current video game quality; there will be no shortage of amazing titles this fall. But while products like Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Battlefield 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Dark Souls, Batman: Arkham City, and RAGE are guaranteed to make millions of gamers happy, none are actually revolutionary. As fantastic as all of them will be, we've seen most all if it before.
And I'm really not one of those critics who bash games for "not bringing anything new to the table." I'm a big advocate of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy. That being said, we can't advance without the fresh and the new; innovation is essential. This holiday season may be awesome but it definitely could've used the refreshment that will be The Last Guardian. We really haven't seen anything so progressive with such a forward-thinking approach to interactive entertainment since Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain. L.A. Noire did something pretty special this year but the actual gameplay was pretty standard.
And besides Thatgamecompany's Journey, I'm not seeing a great many truly ambitious and innovative titles on the horizon. There will be a lot of sequels and new installments in established franchises, and a lot could be totally bad-ass, but where's that magical experience that reminds us once again that gaming continues to evolve? That indeed, we haven't seen everything there is to see? The Last Guardian can't get here fast enough.
Related Game(s): The Last Guardian
Tags: the last guardian, team ico, fumito ueda, last guardian ps3
10/3/2011 12:18:07 AM Ben Dutka
Put this on your webpage or blog:
Email this to a friend
Follow PSX Extreme on Twitter
Comments (37 posts)
AshT
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 1:30:26 AM
Reply
3 up, 0 down
Dancemachine55
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 1:36:35 AM
Reply
However, in saying that, does anyone else notice a trend where popular Japanese titles with a rather large scope take a ridiculously long time to be developed? Have Team ICO considered hiring another 10 or 20 artists, programmers and testers to help speed the process up a bit?
It just feels to me that Japanese developers are struggling to grasp the structure of current generation consoles. Maybe it's because Western developers are so good at handling the 360 and PC architecture when making a game, and then reprogramming it effectively for PS3.
And has anyone else noticed that credits for Western games tend to be about 5 times longer than credits for Japanese games? Perhaps Japan might want to take a little more risk and spend the money to make a bigger game and get it done faster than what they do now.
I think it's a shame Last Guardian won't make it this year. I reckon a late 2011 / early 2012 release would've gone perfectly with the current release of ICO SotC HD Collection.
All I know is this. The Last Guardian will be amazing and is on my D1P list for 2012.
5 up, 0 down
Lawless SXE
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 2:25:12 AM
1 up, 0 down
saini
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 1:52:09 AM
Reply
1 up, 3 down
Excelsior1
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 1:53:04 AM
Reply
what is up with game production this gen in japan? they seem to take forever to crank out a game. is it the size of the studios? these 5-6 yr development cycles are a thing of the past. i said this before bioware, and nuaghty dog will have managed to release 3 or more games before team ico releases even one new game. maybe the decline of the japanese gaming sector has impacted production.
3 up, 1 down
Lawless SXE
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 2:35:33 AM
Even so, Ueda has stated that they're working on bringing the game through to completion, and that they've got most all of the core ideas of it set, so perhaps it is closer than we expect. As for the development cycle, as I mentioned in reply to Dance, TI only has roughly 50 members, and the game is far more complex and revolutionary than most other games, even the likes of Uncharted, Mass Effect, though I daresay that Heavy Rain isn't overly dissimilar.
I definitely think that it is more this ambition that leads to the ridiculous amount of time, as opposed to the decline of the dominance of the Japanese development industry.
Peace.
0 up, 0 down
Ricochet
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 8:52:42 AM
From what I've read, the real problem with the game is the level design. So far, the majority of production has been the focus of the AI OF Toriko (that's a lot of time for just one particular AI). The idea is to make AI as realistic, flexible and unpredictable to the developers standards and then utilize it as a catalyst to solve puzzles or pass through certain levels.
Of course if you watched the ICO/Sotc bonus videos, he further emphasize he wants to design the levels that doesn't look "designed" but rather being naturalistic to the player. So obstacles would be just as you would encounter in real-life scenarios, etc.
If this is the case, I can see that even a small error could destroy the gameplay altogether. But if this works, we're not just looking at something revolutionary. This a whole new method of using a gaming platform to push interactive storytelling on a whole new level.
1 up, 0 down
Snaaaake
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 1:57:52 AM
Reply
But still, they're taking too long and I believe some people have lost their interest in TLG, I'm losing mine here but not all.
3 up, 6 down
Lawless SXE
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 2:20:52 AM
Reply
I hope that it does come out next year, and I hope that it comes during the lull, which will naturally persuade more people to buy it as a new release, rather than having to fight for the holiday dollars.
2 up, 0 down
Teddie9
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 6:51:15 AM
1 up, 0 down
___________
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 2:26:40 AM
Reply
but after playing the borefest of SOTC, and the infuriation of ICO i can honestly say f*ck it!
id be more excited for a rouge warrior sequel then this!
0 up, 20 down
BigBoss4ever
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 2:58:19 AM
P.S. I just platinumed ICO HD again and did the "Castle Guide" trophy speed run in 1hr52min, even 10 years later, the game cannot cease to amaze me --the feeling, the environment, the subtle arrangement, the intricate puzzle connecting the castle in one giant piece as a whole, the ending song...remind me the glory of one of the greatest adventure of all time.
also, I just moved onto the SOTC and saved at Colossus 5---every battle is epic and I often found myself pause and look at the vast and mysterious forbidden land... this is the true fantasy, this is the true adventure, this is the true meaning of gaming...none of today's gaming delivers the feeling like this, the Castlevania's choppy colossus boss comparing to this is worthless.
Last edited by BigBoss4ever on 10/3/2011 3:04:38 AM
9 up, 0 down
Lord carlos
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 8:07:19 AM
oh yeah its because your a troll.
Don't listen to this supposed gamer,never has anything good to say about anything except multiplatform releases...wonder why that is...oh yeah its because he doesn't own a ps3!
Ico & SOTC are masterpieces,genre defining masterpieces.
10 up, 1 down
Underdog15
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 8:19:12 AM
The SotC/ICO genre.
There is naught a pair of beautiful titles like them!
6 up, 0 down
___________
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 8:38:17 AM
and haze, and heavenly sword.
and is why R&C is my favourite series of all time!
and is why the original crash bandicoot is my favourite game of all time!
sigh, the idiocy of this place never ceases to amaze me!
i hate ICO because its as entertaining as watching a episode of oprah!
same goes for SOTC, and add on top its as repetitive as f*ck!
gives a whole new extreme to the term cut and paste gameplay.
1 up, 7 down
Underdog15
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 9:12:00 AM
Speaking of idiocy, maybe you shouldn't try to label something as "boring" with a comparison to someone who's incredibly famous?
Anyways, I'm personally surprised that for someone who loves Heavy Rain, you can't appreciate that artistry in ICO/SotC. I don't mean to insult on that accusation specifically... I just don't get it.
2 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 9:49:00 AM
8 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 11:00:36 AM
Why, when playing FF7, when maxed out at lvl 99, bother killing the monsters you randomly encounter instead of saving time and running away, since the reward is so miniscule?
I'll tell you why...
It's because sometimes it's fun just to be superior to the little things you encounter in life.
That is why we continue to respond.
3 up, 1 down
wiley_kyotee
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 11:52:29 AM
5 up, 2 down
Underdog15
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 11:54:11 AM
No one is bothered that he doesn't like it. But he has a bad habit of making unintelligible posts that seem to harp on nearly everything exclusive. In addition to that, he likes to use "stats" to support his stance... stats that do no exist...
Just follow what he says over the next week or so... you'll get why he can be so tiresome. Everyone gets why he can be so tiresome. The little secret is that he likes to be so tiresome.... So really, we're all his suckers.
Last edited by Underdog15 on 10/3/2011 11:55:36 AM
5 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 12:51:10 PM
5 up, 0 down
___________
Tuesday, October 04, 2011 @ 8:30:45 AM
sigh, im done trying to explain myself.
0 up, 1 down
Underdog15
Tuesday, October 04, 2011 @ 9:46:37 AM
HEYO!!!
1 up, 1 down
BigBoss4ever
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 3:05:16 AM
Reply
P.S. I just platinumed ICO HD again and did the "Castle Guide" trophy speed run in 1hr52min, even 10 years later, the game cannot cease to amaze me --the feeling, the environment, the subtle arrangement, the intricate puzzle connecting the castle in one giant piece as a whole, the ending song...remind me the glory of one of the greatest adventure of all time.
also, I just moved onto the SOTC and saved at Colossus 5---every battle is epic and I often found myself pause and look at the vast and mysterious forbidden land... this is the true fantasy, this is the true adventure, this is the true meaning of gaming...none of today's gaming delivers the feeling like this, the Castlevania's choppy colossus boss comparing to this is worthless.
2 up, 0 down
CanadianGuy420
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 7:42:59 AM
Reply
Last edited by CanadianGuy420 on 10/3/2011 7:45:09 AM
1 up, 0 down
Lord carlos
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 8:16:29 AM
Reply
Key frame animation takes a hell of lot longer to do than mocap.
When this game releases we're gonna see the most realistic interaction and reaction from any animal in videogame history even though the animal itself will be totally imaginary.
These type off games is why i chose a PS3,nothing comes close to sony's exclusives.
This game's gonna rock :)
1 up, 0 down
D1g1tal5torm
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 9:21:57 AM
Reply
Just hope it wont suffer from the Batman effect.
0 up, 0 down
D1g1tal5torm
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 1:52:46 PM
0 up, 0 down
gumbi
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 9:41:44 AM
Reply
I had been placating myself by not thinking about it, but I've been playing the HD collection this past week and it's completely brought me back again.
And for anyone who hasn't bought the collection yet; Stop what you're doing right, go to your nearest video game retailer, and buy it... right now! GO!
0 up, 0 down
tes37
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 10:09:03 AM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Twistedfloyd
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 11:05:18 AM
Reply
TLG is definitely on my list of games I want, and it's right at the top after Twisted Metal and Uncharted 3.
Innovations is key for the industry and as someone who is studying game design at school right now, I study the hell out of games I really love and think that truly push the industry forward. TLG looks like another game I need to study to further my design skills.
0 up, 0 down
clockwyzebkny
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 11:36:21 AM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Karosso
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 4:34:17 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Crabba
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 5:24:42 PM
Reply
Considering they didn't even show it in either of the two big game tradeshows this year you start wondering how much they still have left to finish the game...
0 up, 0 down
zutou
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 8:40:26 PM
Reply
w w w . L t t s y - t r a d e . c o m
50%off ca,ed hardy t-shirt$15 jeans,coach handbag$33,air max90,dunk,polo t-shirt$13,,lacoste t-shirt $13 air jordan for sale,l nba jersy for sale sale,$35,nfl nba jersy for sale
and so on..
if you like to order anything you like.
More details,
please just browse our website Quality is our Dignity;
Service is our Lift.
enjoy yourself.
thank you!!
w w w . L t t s y - t r a d e . c o m
0 up, 0 down
LegendaryWolfeh
Reply
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 12:47:00 AM