Title says all. I guess it could apply to a countless amount of games, but which one came to your mind first?
"All about the execution". Tell me a game that doesn't do anything new, but it nails it's execution regardless
- Thread starter Lightjolly
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A lot of modern AAA games tbh. It's been a really, really long time since we've seen anything new in that space.
Most recent example I can think of is Psychonauts 2. There isnt anything new gameplay or mechanic wise that I can think of that I havent seen in other games.
Thats a good pick. They haven't surpassed that game for me yet.
Came in to say this , Darksiders didn't add anything new but everything it did added up
I would kind of say Guardians of the Galaxy..... It's mass effect but executed without the down time of a mass effect
How many platformers from before
A lot of Sony's first party AAA games in the last handful of years. Spiderman, GOW, Horizon, etc. I loved them all, still
Jedi Fallen Order. 😌
Granted the combination of things led to a game that felt quite unique.
Granted the combination of things led to a game that felt quite unique.
The camera perspective for God of War and also the combination of things it did was definitely new. The closest thing to it was Hellblade and only on paper in very specific ways.
Streets of Rage 2.
Mechanically, SoR2 isn't doing anything to reinvent the wheel within the genre. What it does, it does extremely well, though.
Mechanically, SoR2 isn't doing anything to reinvent the wheel within the genre. What it does, it does extremely well, though.
I was gonna say 3 lol but I guess gameplay wise 2 didn't revolutionize either. I just love new set pieces, new story, new cool puzzles, and cool chases and stuff
That does end up changing a lot though. The traversal is very different compared to Arkham including a lot of the extra activities that stem from swinging plus the combat felt way more agile and open compared to the more grounded and stiff Arkham combat (which fits the character and I'm not knocking it but it feels WAY different)
About that camera thing. Just watch the first minute of this.
This reminded me of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. A typical God of War clone of the PS3/360 era, with elements from Shadow of the Colossus thrown around. Excellent execution though, one of my favorite games from those years. Good story, excellent gameplay, superb ambiance, music, and Patrick Stewart as a narrator. I couldn't ask for more.
Did you just imply that I haven't seen this video multiple times? Dead Space 2 is one of my favorite games lmao.
Came to say this. Fantastic game, but it's definitely not trying to break new ground. It's just very very good at what it tries to do.
I feel like that game really peaked in the middle. The vampire levels were so freaking incredible that the final third felt like a letdown, but yeah I agree overall
When I was pulling curtains off the windows and frying those early guys I figured I had it down...then the sun goes down and the light goes away and it was one of the biggest "welp...I'm boned" moments in gaming lol
That's what jumped to my mind first, as well. That game is as rote as it gets, but it's exceptionally polished.
Definitely God of War 2018.
Definitely different within its own series, but nothing original in the grand scheme of things.
Pulled it off incredibly well though, I enjoyed it immensely despite the above!
Definitely different within its own series, but nothing original in the grand scheme of things.
Pulled it off incredibly well though, I enjoyed it immensely despite the above!
Depends on the definition of "doing anything new".
For example, Metroid Dread is one game that comes to mind. Its mechanics are things that were either refinements of things already done with Samus Returns, or concepts explored elsewhere in other Metroidvanias over the years, but that doesn't stop it from being top of its class. Despite that, it does provide an experience that's still very new for "Metroid", and also somewhat unique among other currently popular Metroidvanias.
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is one game that in some aspects streamlines mechanics from Returns while also adding a couple new Kongs to play with, though mechanically it still plays pretty similarly to the previous game. Despite that, the level gimmicks, aesthetics, and design are also quantifiably improved from is predecessor and offer a fresh experience.
For example, Metroid Dread is one game that comes to mind. Its mechanics are things that were either refinements of things already done with Samus Returns, or concepts explored elsewhere in other Metroidvanias over the years, but that doesn't stop it from being top of its class. Despite that, it does provide an experience that's still very new for "Metroid", and also somewhat unique among other currently popular Metroidvanias.
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is one game that in some aspects streamlines mechanics from Returns while also adding a couple new Kongs to play with, though mechanically it still plays pretty similarly to the previous game. Despite that, the level gimmicks, aesthetics, and design are also quantifiably improved from is predecessor and offer a fresh experience.
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Breath of the Wild for me, with top-notch execution of puzzle-based emergent physics and its "Chemistry" engine.
Agreed. I just finished it for the first time. Totally worthy of all the praise it receives. Not sure if it reinvented the wheel in any fashion but it definitely is the very best of its time.
I don't think Uncharted 2 nailed the stealth stuff. 3 did though.
Another game that comes to mind:
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, nailed the execution of making me cry. Probably the only time I cried.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, nailed the execution of making me cry. Probably the only time I cried.
A lot of rhythm games and shmups fall under this. A lot of Bemani (Dance Dance Revolution, IIDX, Pop'n Music, Sound Voltex, etc..) games will get like QoL additions but rarely get new gameplay additions. Pop'n Music debut was in 1998, but they didn't add hold notes into the game until their 24th release in 2016. Their gameplay is just so timelessly solid that they can just focus on creating amazing songs and videos/characters/charts for those songs.
Mass Effect 2 lost features compared to its predecessor, but was still far, far better. The writing, the characters, the level design, the combat, the cutscenes, the choice & consequence...generally those weren't fundamentally very different from ME1, just refined until their execution blew past ME1's equivalents.