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General: Undead Labs' Dim View of Today's MMOs
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
In a new report over at Massively.com, Undead Labs developers take a very dim view of today's PC MMOs. In fact, former Guild Wars developer, Richard Foge, says that ""MMOs get breaks because of their social nature, but if you really look at them closely they're barely even games."
Foge goes on to say:
Mario 64 (nearly 15-years-old at this point) feels better than any MMO I've ever played. MMOs aren't even close to keeping up with cutting edge videogames from a gameplay or presentation perspective."
Undead Labs is currently working to develop a console MMO with a zombie theme and Foge believes that consoles are the future of MMOs.
Read more here and weigh in with your thoughts on Foge's statements on our forums.
Comments
I wish them alot of success. Just from seing who works for Undead Labs I'll definitely be playing because they are great developers.
I think if i want to kill zombies i still have left for dead installed on my computer.
Zombies? Aweso-- wait... console? Meh. I don't care who their staff are or who they used to work for... if they're developing an MMO purely for consoles, I'm not even remotely interested. Same way my enthusiasm evaporated for DUST, when I found that it was consoles-only.
Heck, FFXIV didn't get any breaks despite its social nature! (and arguably because of it.) And at least I can't finish these "not cutting edge video games" in less than 8-16 hours and wonder why the heck I shelled out my money, in the first place.
I suspect they just want to develop a zombie game for a console since it'll make development easier for them. Cloaking it within a faulty comparison of "GameType A feels better than any completely-different-GameType B" is just downright weak and deserves little more than a "duh!", by way of response.
At any rate, after this little blurb of his, I'll just have to take a very dim view of Foge... since he's really not one to be talking about games falling short under close scrutiny. (disclaimer: IMO. :P) People in glass houses and all that.
I dunno, playing an MMO on a console means either I cannot type anything, or I have to by a seperate keyboard peripheral (which my computer already has).
AND I can't watch TV while playing!
These guys are idiots.
"MMOs aren't even close to keeping up with cutting edge videogames from a gameplay or presentation perspective."
So you going to make MMO for a platform that is stagnating the rest of the genres of games? LMFAO!
Hes comparing rpgs to fps and even to platformers. the guy is lost.
"Consoles are the future of MMOs"
Microsoft agrees with this, as long as they can charge you for downloading content, mods and other things while you pay your xbox live fee plus the MMO fee.
Me on the other hand, I laughed a little. Not because I don't think it will work, just because I know there a plenty people who don't have enough sense to turn it down.
Hmmm,
"They are barely even games"
Well I guess we can all have opinions ...
Mine is that Richard Foge is barely even a developer.
I hope I don't get punished for this.
If Ya Ain't Dyin, Ya Ain't Tryin
I can see what he is trying to say. He's saying that the games out there now are hollow, that the content they offer lacks variety, and that developers have made no effort to alter this. Whilst I would argue that he is talking out of his arse in regards to the latter point, I am with him right up until he starts saying they are barely games.
And I challenge him to do better. I mean, not that I'm not excited for his title, but what the hell can you get out of a Zombie shooting game? The genre is over subscribed and - frankly - the Left for Dead devs have done everything he's likely to do, better than he's likely to do it, and they aren't asking me to fork out a monthly fee for it.
He has thrown down the gauntlet as far as I'm concerned. His job now is to deliver a persistent, story driven MMO experience with variety of game play. If he delivers an instant heavy, player-limited game, he's failed. If he delivers a single player experience embedded within a "multiplayer" world, he's failed. And if he fails I will be certain to shove his words right down his throat at the soonest opportunity. I'm more than happy to walk up to the guy at a convention and say, "nice talking to you and all, and nice game, but you said this at one point... and you've done nothing different here. How does that make you feel? Do you like the fact that you failed to meet your own criteria?" Of course, he's a developer. He'll have all sorts of bullshit stashed away to justify his position.
http://www.themmoquest.com - MMO commentary from an overly angry brit. OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED!
Remind me to avoid anything written by this yahoo Forge. Looks like another clueless developer to me.
A console zombie games is going to be better than what we have with the existing games, yeah right.
I'm excited!
He spouts off about a lack of diversity in MMORPGs, and then promptly declares he wants to do away with design elements that appeal to "nerds" (more often than not the intelligent?). And concentrate instead entirely on action oriented play (games presumably made for the opposite of intelligent?).
I'm sure this guy has a bright future in the industry, but in the end - in my opinion - he's exactly what's wrong with it. I hope a satellite falls from space and snuffs him out.
I'm not saying he's stupid... I'm saying he's just trying for media hype.
I am guessing his opinion of MMO's must stem from the newer, graphically fancier, MMO's.
Comparing a HUGE MMO game to a tiny, controlled, on rails, console game is stupid. OK, I said it. He's stupid.
Okay so his ego might not be QUITE as big as Derek Smart's, but his mouth sure seems to be. It's been a long time since I've seen a developer make a fool out of themselves this well. I'm wondering how old this Foge person is, because he certainly can't be over the age of 30 if he really envisions those of us who ARE, sitting and playing console games on a television. Most adults (MOST) see console games as the kiddie version of gaming. Adults, overall....I believe....generally prefer computers for multiple reasons.
I'm a long time MMO player and an even LONGER time gamer in general. "Grown up games" get a grown up platform. I wouldn't play his MMO if it was the game god's GIFT to gaming unless he released it for an ADULT platform....i.e., the PC or MAC.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
Hmm.. well if you want to "really look closely" at all video games they're all "barely games" I guess.
I mean all FPS are boiled down to just shooting guys in faces right? All fighting games consist of combo/special attack moves to knock out your opponent. All platformers involve running to the right and jumping. All SIM games involve building up something in a sandbox. All MMO's require running around killing random things over and over again. So sure we can say that about anything, including whatever he's making.
Current Game: Asssasins Creed 2(PS3, Gamer Tag: Happy_Hubby)
Current MMO: World of Warcraft and World of Tanks
Former Subscribed MMO: Star Trek Online, Aion, WoW, Guild Wars, Eve Online, DAoC, City of Heroes, Shattered Galaxy, 10six.
Tried: Too many to list
I really doubd what they say about consoles being the future of mmos...
now, really, how are you supposed to chat in mmo without a keyboard? voice chatting is good only for people who's primary language is english, and we are not all like that.
and the console controllers aren't very good for mmos, how would you activate all of your skills without a keyboard again? either they would need less skills or have a keyboard again. and there's a million of small things like that.
IMHO, to support mmos the consoles must became a clone of pc that is stripped out of all PC's valuable opportunities like photo/video editing software and that stuff (if the consoles would support that too, they'll be just another kind of computers, additional to PC and Mac). i can plug a keyboard into PS3 right now, and it's just like a malfunctioning piece of PC - i can watch pics and movies, but can't use any software i use at my PC everyday or look at any sophisticated webpage, because it's not supported. well, it's just my imho, nothing more.
Online Games in Girl's Eyes
http://chickgeekgames.blogspot.com
"Consoles the future of mmos".. ill have to google these guys and Richard Foges blog and website.. im always interested in reading stuff crazy people write...
I bet Richard Foge had the most sincere, serious face when he said that shit... lol
FoE Fist of the Empire
