Why homebrew?

[mos6507]

This article pretty much explains the rationale for developers to pursue homebrewing as an antidote to big-budget corporate game development:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3185663.stm

 

Take a look.

[Big Player]

Good article there.

 

Now I know why I don't have much interest in modern games--they're basically the same thing as those big-budget Hollywood summer flicks.

 

Give me a novel anyday over that.

[Inky]

Nice t o see Jez San still around. I remember seeing his name on Starglider and Starglider 2 on the ST

[+Random Terrain]

Here's another thread about this article you might be interested in:

 

http://www.blitzcoder.com/cgi-bin/ubb-cgi/...21&topic=001222

 

Very entertaining thread, check it out.

[Chadivision]

"The market has grown up. There's no market for bedroom programmers anymore,"

 

 

Good thing I wrote Backfire in my den instead of the bedroom.

[Room 34]

Now I know why I don't have much interest in modern games--they're basically the same thing as those big-budget Hollywood summer flicks.

 

Good point.

 

Continuing the movie analogy, although this goes back a few years now, The Blair Witch Project proved that a low-budget, technically laughable "bedroom" project with a fresh idea and a compelling execution can stand up quite well against the slick multi-millon-dollar studio projects.

 

I think the fact that emulators (including those for 2600 games!) are popular on modern systems also says a lot. Namely, the same thing we've all said around here a thousand times:

 

It doesn't matter WHAT the game looks or sounds like... is it FUN TO PLAY? I've been getting more into the NES lately, which itself almost feels like "selling out" to me, but I guess it's time to admit that the NES is passing into the realm of hardcore retro gaming. I think the fulcrum point between great, simple classic gaming and over-the-top flash with no substance happened somewhere in the NES's lifetime.

[Chadivision]

I think that new games are like old games. Some are really great, some are really bad, and some are just ok. I don't think that great graphics = a great game, but it can add to the experience.

 

I will agree that there are a lot of games that look cool but lack substance, but there are also games like the Grand Theft Auto series that are truely innovative.

 

Years from now, people will be remebering Playstation2 and XBox and saying "They don't make 'em like that anymore. Sure these new games have fancy 3D hollograms that understand what you are saying and talk back to you, but the gameplay sucks!"

[Room 34]

I suppose I shouldn't really comment on the modern game consoles, since I've never touched one. I played a PlayStation (the original) once or twice, and was not thrilled with it.

 

Honestly, I guess these days I can't see buying a modern console, when most of the good games are ported to computer platforms anyway... and I think are better suited to the computer environment, where you can just use the keyboard instead of some arcane controller with 89 buttons on it, and the resolution of the screen is high enough to do the detailed graphics justice. So let's see... spend $200 on a console, and then $50 on the game I want, or just buy the computer version for $50. Seems simple, especially considering how few of the modern games I'm really into.

 

Two great modern games that I do give a lot of attention to are:

 

DEIMOS RISING

AGE OF EMPIRES II

 

I can't get enough of either of them. Of course, Deimos Rising is really just a "modernized" version of Xevious. But they really did it right... oustanding graphics, great sound, and most importantly, fantastic and engaging gameplay! (And it's a shareware title, no less!)

[Room 34]

By the way, I want to apologize for completely derailing yet another thread.

 

Why homebrew? I think it is a great way to prove that the specs of the console are not indicative of the quality of its games. Some really fantastic work is going on in the homebrew community that is really keeping the classic consoles alive.

 

There's also the fact that homebrewing is about "the love of the game"... it's not about making a product that is going to make someone (usually someone who had no involvement in actually creating the game) rich.