With the success of Braid, it has reaffirmed a notion that I’ve heard among old school gamers, that 2d gaming can never die .I don’t know how far back the readers of this blog have been playing games, but I’ve been playing games since the mid 80s when there were only 2d games. Obviously comparing games for the Nes against full 3d titles on the 360 doesn’t work. My reasoning is that there are certain elements to 2d gaming that cannot be replicated by 3d.
First is an easy one, controls, it’s just easier to control characters when you only have to worry about going left or right. There are no cameras to worry about in 2d games meaning enemy shots coming from out of no where isn’t possible. This also leaves designers to design harder sections as they don’t have to worry about the camera being pointed the wrong way and the player missing the jump. Which is a pretty good transition to my next point.
Game play in 2d is more focused then in 3d, in the sense that in a 2d game you can see all obstacles, enemies, and traps around the player and figure out the best path through or around them. In a 3d title dealing with the camera means that extreme challenges need to be toned down somewhat. Looking at Braid is a great example of focused game play, the player can view everything needed to solve the puzzle in one screen and then can use the game mechanics to overcome it. I’m having trouble coming up with the exact line I want to use to describe the above mentioned feeling, in most 2d titles I can never really blame the controls for my deaths, but I can use that excuse more in 3d titles. To me great 2d gameplay holds up a lot better then 3d, as the only thing that has really aged are the graphics for the most part.
Graphics is a tough one to judge, personality I think excellent, clean 2d graphics stand up well over time then 3d titles. During the end of the Snes era, the last generation titles still looked really good compared to early 3d (as technology hasn’t developed far enough at that time.) Realistic graphics don’t work for 2d titles, as they aren’t that realistic to begin with. Braid with it’s stylized look really shows that a 2d game can look good in this day and age.
Games like Braid, the Castlevania series,hopefully the upcoming Mega Man title, and from early reviews the Bionic Commando update are looking to continue the tradition of great 2d gaming.I also have to give credit to the Nintendo DS and GBA for continuing the tradition, I’ve seen a lot of great 2d titles for both platforms and I can’t help but think that they have kept the style going as the consoles have dropped it for the most part. The big question is, can a big budget title on the consoles in 2d be successful now? I know someone is going to mention Odin Sphere but I’m thinking along the lines of a game that gets the recognition of God of War or Halo (not a game of those genres but of the same level of success). I’m not sure where I stand on this topic, I’ve seen some great 2d titles during the PS1 generation (Toomba, RayMan,etc) but I wonder how much has the market changed in that time? If a 2d game was going to be a major success I think it would probably be best on the Wii, with Nintendo aiming at casual gamers and experimental game play (man that sounds so weird 🙂 ) a new 2d IP might work there.
The other advantage of 2d that I’m exploring now is that it is a lot easier to create stuff in then in 3d. No way in hell I can afford 3d studio max right now. My action script self teaching is coming along , now I just need to learn how to animate and I should be onto something.
Josh
