Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet and game animation

[kitten]

Aug 5, 2011 3:30:30 GMT -5 kal said:

I wouldn't know anything about the Xbox Indie store specifically as they've dictated that Australian convicts and peons don't deserve access. Although I usually don't factor in low level indies in the grand scheme of industry direction as a couple of guys knocking a project up in a month with no external support to capitalise on something's popularity isn't really indicative of the direction the industry is heading in even if it is Gameloft's entire business plan.

Popular indie/downloadable games influence other indie games, especially when they're very easily imitable. Take a look at Geometry Wars' popularity and tell me that didn't make a huge, huge impact on downloadable gaming. Braid has also had very considerable influence, as have a few others. Limbo's popularity is alongside theirs, and its influence is already being seen in a lot of indie games. Downloadable games with immense popularity and praised styles have a history of setting new standards and creating a lot of lazier copycats.

Personally when I played Limbo I didn't really stop and think it needed better animation even if it would have been nice also I think like 3 guys created the whole thing. Yes that does excuse them from not creating 2 hours of full 60 FPS animation for a $10 game.

If it were a $10 game, I'd be considerably more lenient, but it was a $15 game, which is a really significant price increase. You might just say "well it's only $5 more," but when a game costs 50% more, I expect it to do something setting itself aside from the games that are less expensive. Instead, it's a lazily animated, 4 hour-long game with zero replay value, zero color and no music. Generally when I spend more money, I expect... more? Of something? Anything?

Limbo is just less and less of everything, and it's prided on that. I mean, sure, I'm not going to deny that it provides some sort of interesting experience, and I'm not going to say that playing it is devoid of entertainment. It's an interesting game, but I don't throw $15 at "interesting," nor do I go on and on about it being a deep and profound "art game." Sure, 3 people made it! I believe just 2 people made Braid, and it looks leaps and bounds better. Isn't just one person animating Dust, too? There are quite a few other examples of this.

I'm not saying Limbo is terrible, but it's certainly mediocre (given its pricing and the expectations reviews would you lead you to believe). At a lower price and with less attention, I'd likely be praising it. It's the undeserved attention, price and laziness that just make it embarrassing.

People have been using marionette animation well for decades unfortunately it has an extremely low entry level so regardless of how high ITSP or the upcoming Bloodrayne sets the bar it'll always be capable of great laziness.

Flash animation has a low entry level and is capable of great laziness, too, but most popular, independent flash animators like Harry Partridge and Egoraptor are popular because they actually do something. They set the bar high and keep most amateurs from getting noticed because their work is better, and they inspire others to do better. Limbo's acclaim contrasted with its level of effort is just sad. I'm not saying all games need to reach ISTP's or Dust's or Braid's level of artistic value, but when they're going to be made out to be the next great "art game," they damn well better get close. Limbo was ballparks away.

[clubamerica]

If I had an xbox I'd jump right on this game just from seeing the trailers. This game reminds me of PixelJunk Shooter which I enjoyed a lot.

Its funny how people pay as much as they do for CoD map packs and SF4 costume packs yet are so very strict about what they'll pay for downloadable games. Although you know what? If you're buying map packs for CoD you already know that you're supplementing a game that you know is good (I will maintain though that you're completely daft if you're giving capcom more money for outfits which don't change the game.) With indie games there have been some pretty bad ones, far below the Limbo bar, and overall a much larger difference between the low and high quality ones. You don't know if you are getting a good game to begin with, which is why people are so hesitant when buying cheaper games. What it all comes down to is what devs can get away with charging for their games.
I do hope that downloadable games continue to reach new heights, (even phone games) as most of the games I've played this gen have been downloadable ones.

[kitten]

Also, I play each new Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack considerably more than I do the majority of downloadable games I get And I pretty much exclusively play Zombies (with a little matchmaking) with close friends.

[clubamerica]

I did enjoy the Rayman trailer though. And I didn't notice the lazy animation at first. And even then I still enjoy it.

I guess I'm just a Goddamn Philistine...

[TheGunheart]

I think in Rayman's case, the praise is more geared towards the quality of the art assets rather than the animation itself. For some, and admittedly myself included, this offsets the inherent problems with the symbol based animation.

[kal]

Rayman does indeed look gorgeous - and at least in my mind, Rayman has always had a sort of float feel to it thanks to the protagonists lack of limbs so I was not really bothered by their choice of animation.

Kitten on the subject of Indie Games, the games you've brought up were released exclusively on Xbox Live arcade (and other distribution systems) and weren't bargin basement indies in the Xbox Indie Game...thing, nor in something like the App Store. They had a big influence because they appeared in the greater gaming community and most of their knock offs are doomed to reside in channels of complete non-influence.

Flash is also often considered to be one of the factors in killing off animation of any quality in the earlier years of the internet so not really the best thing to bring up. For every decent animation/animator - hell Metalapocolypse was done in Flash - there's ten thousand Strawberry Clocks. But I have no beef with flash (I use it myself) it's been gradually getting better and quality is pushing up as a result. The difference here though is Flash was a tool that wasn't considered part of a serious animators kit until over the past 5 or so years it's been influence has grown - none of the techniques are that new it's just the distribution system has grown up enough to accommodate it.

[KeeperBvK]

*looks up on wiki*
Who's this Michel Gagné guy people are tal- HE MADE THE LAND BEFORE TIME?! OMG, my childhood's coming back. Good times.

[TheGunheart]

He made Saga of Rex? That's it, I'm hunting down that graphic novel!

[clubamerica]