Video game innovation is dead and that’s okay – Reader’s Feature-GameCentral-Entertainment – Metro

Star Wars Outlaws – not the most innovative game ever (Ubisoft)

A reader argues that demands for more innovation are meaningless given the current quality of modern video games and their graphics.

‘The days of Star Wars video games being as innovative as the movies themselves are long gone.’

After reading GC’s preview for Star Wars Outlaws, I was left wondering what they meant by this statement. I hear this complaint about video games a lot. [Insert X game] lacks innovation. I often wonder what more people want when it comes to video game innovation. I’ve never heard any suggestions from people. We’ve kind of peaked as far as innovation is concerned and what more is there to add to a video game? Better AI from non-player characters, mission structure, level design. Buzzwords, but nobody seems to have suggestions as to how.

Let’s take a look at innovation in games throughout the years and see just how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time. We’ll start in 1983 when Nintendo released the Nintendo Entertainment System. A sprite-based system that was limited to 2D games, usually side-scrollers or top-down role-playing games. This was the third generation of consoles and the first real innovation in gaming. Still using the arcade model mostly, but with games like Final Fantasy and The Legend Of Zelda giving us rich stories and explorable 2D worlds.

Then in 1989, we got the shift to 16-bit systems with the Super Nintendo, Mega Drive, and Mega-CD. This brought better and bigger games and the first attempt at 3D graphics with Starwing (or Star Fox for the non-European parts of the world). Games were still sprite-based and mostly limited to 2D.

Mode 7 graphics were used in Super Mario Kart and F-Zero, allowing for pseudo-3D effects, enhancing gameplay experiences. This started two beloved racing franchises that have kept the same mechanics and only upgraded slightly with each iteration. Zelda: A Link To The Past took the already excellent formula of the first game and improved on it, setting a new standard for adventure games. I still remember the sense of amazement I felt when I first realised there was another world to explore within the game.

Next, after roughly five years, we got a huge leap in gaming with the fifth generation. With it, we got 3D graphics, polygon-based games, fully rendered cut scenes, and CD quality audio. Games could finally be cinematic and have a lot more depth within their storytelling. No game encapsulates this more than Metal Gear Solid. This game was a landmark in cinematic gaming, blending stealth action with a complex narrative, voice acting, and cut scenes that felt like a movie.

Players were introduced to deep, narrative-driven gameplay that included themes of war, espionage, and political intrigue. I remember playing Metal Gear Solid in front of my dad and him being in awe at the graphics and cut scenes. We also got huge games like Final Fantasy 7 to 9 and survival horror masterpieces in the Resident Evil series. We also got one of the biggest innovations in gaming that is still the basis of 3D movement with Z-targeting in Zelda: Ocarina Of Time.

This is where modern gaming begins to take shape. At the dawn of the millennium, we got the sixth generation of games and possibly my favourite generation to go back to. The PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube brought new graphics, physics, and the rise of open-world gaming. Entire worlds we could discover and essentially do whatever we wanted in.

Grand Theft Auto brought us Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas. We had missions that could be done in any order, side activities that added longevity to the games, and some outstanding storytelling for the time. I remember thinking this is the best gaming is going to get.

On the Nintendo side, we got Zelda: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess – huge expansive stories and worlds that encouraged exploration. And on the Xbox we got the prototype for future first person shooters in Halo and Halo 2. The Halo series added sandbox levels, multiplayer, cinematic gameplay, and vehicular combat to the formula. All things that had been done before but brought together masterfully by Bungie to create a new and exciting game.

The seventh generation, featuring the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii, continued to push boundaries with high-definition graphics, motion controls, and robust online gaming. Games like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption provided vast, open worlds filled with dynamic events and intricate storylines, further enhancing the immersive experience.

The eighth generation, with the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, took these advancements even further. Games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Zelda: Breath Of The Wild offered players unprecedented freedom to explore and interact with meticulously crafted universes. The level of detail, storytelling, and interactivity in these games is something we could only dream of in the early days of gaming.

Today, we have incredibly detailed open worlds, lifelike graphics, and deeply engaging stories. We can traverse entire galaxies in games like No Man’s Sky, experience meticulously recreated historical settings in Assassin’s Creed, and get lost in the intricate, sprawling cities of Cyberpunk 2077. The level of immersion and interactivity we have reached is nothing short of astounding. Yet, despite these achievements, there is a growing sentiment that games are becoming stagnant and lack innovation.

The reality is that we have reached a point where the leaps in technology and design are not as immediately apparent as they once were. The early generations of consoles saw dramatic changes with each iteration – moving from 2D to 3D graphics, from simple sound effects to fully orchestrated soundtracks, and from linear gameplay to expansive, open worlds. Each new generation brought something groundbreaking that reshaped the gaming landscape.

Now, the advancements are more incremental. We see improvements in AI, more realistic physics, and better graphics, but these are enhancements rather than revolutions. The foundation of gaming as we know it is already incredibly advanced. We have games that can simulate entire ecosystems, characters that can express complex emotions, and stories that rival the best of film and literature.

It is easy to forget how far we’ve come and to take for granted the incredible experiences available at our fingertips. The games we have today offer a level of depth, complexity, and interactivity that would have been unimaginable in the early days of gaming. While it’s natural to crave new and exciting innovations, it’s also important to appreciate the rich and immersive worlds that current technology has allowed us to create.

If I told a 10-year-old me playing Final Fantasy 7 that in the future I would have the entirety of Ancient Greece in a single world, with no loading screen. or be able to navigate planets in a spaceship and land flawlessly, I would have told you it’s impossible.

I’m trying to understand where people are coming from by saying Ubisoft and other publishers have made games boring. But at the same time, it seems like anything anyone does is met with the same responses: ‘Repetitive, bloated, unimaginative.’ I, for one, am looking forward to playing Star Wars Outlaws. It sounds like exactly what I’ve grown to love and expect from games with a nice Star Wars lick of paint – something 20 years ago I would have sold my soul for.

So, I leave you with one last question. What kind of innovation are you seeking in modern games?

By reader Anthony Daniels

*We were referring solely to Star Wars games when we said that, not video games in general. But that doesn’t affect your wider points. – GC

Final Fantasy 7 didn’t look like this on the PS1 (Square Enix)

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