O
Otyugra
Guest
It seems to me that game developers are more influenced by Nintendo, and Nintendo console exclusives, than Sega/ Sega console exclusives, early Sony exclusives, modern videogames, arcade games, or old home computer games (such as the Commodore 64). Shovel Knight, for example, plays like a combination of many NES games. Yooka-Layee/ A Hat in Time are very inspired by Banjo Kazooie, Rayman 2, and Mario 64, all Nintendo 64 games. I could name at least five recent indie games inspired by the Mega Man series. There are hordes of Pokemon-inspired games out there today, and more still that are shameless rip-offs. Ittle Dew I and II are both mostly inspired by Legend of Zelda. As a tool, RPGMaker seems directly inspired by SNES and NES rpgs like Dragon Warriors and Final Fantasy rather than Sega console RPGs at the time, such as Phantasy Star I, II, III, IV. OwlBoy is said to be most influenced by Legend of Zelda's dungeon design, though arguably unique otherwise.
More than that, I feel most indie games play like Nintendo games and barrow some of the tropes closer to those console games. A quality video essay I watched on game design pointed out that the platformers on the NES controlled more tightly and slower than Genesis games both from the culture surrounding each brand and because of the differences in code per console. Likewise, art/level design in Sega games tended to be based on simple geometric shapes 3D and 2D with a focus on rounded shapes (or was simply more free form/cartoonish as the case with Earthworm Jim, Toejam and Earl, and Comix Zone), while NES at that same time tended to have player characters that looked more square due to the sprite restraint. Square/cube shapes are more common today (Origin: Super Mario Bros. I, II, III, Bomberman, Mega Man I, II, III, Legend of Zelda I, II, Murasame Castle, etc) (Indie: Castle in the Darkness, Minecraft) than Sega-esque geometry focus (Origin: Vectorman I, II, Sonic I, II, 3D Blast, Ristar) (Indie: Scott Cawthon's pre-FNAF games). In later years, Sega consoles tended to conform more towards Nintendo's styles in order to keep up with competition, and from then on Nintendo's styles became the norm for all to follow in the days of Playstation 1 and onward so it seems.
Even though most indie games aren't directly influences by old games, I would argue that Nintendo's styles have tricked down into what we think of as the "traditional" way to make 2D games. It's uncommon to see games that have an arcade game mentality, though some popular flash games of the early 2010s did. It's rare to find "retro" graphics that take inspiration from home computer limitations, or use old-school vector graphics. "Retro" seems to mean NES 8 bit or SNES 16 bit only.
Like with how RPGmaker takes most of it's influence from Final Fantasy, most free chiptune software is based on the NES or Game Boy; I've yet to find a free composer program that uses a Genesis sound or a Game Gear sound. I find this to be alarming, almost as if it rewrites history before developers even begin their "retro" games. Even if a Genesis song program exists, the more obscure song chips probably don't due to their retroactive lack of popularity.
Do you feel like other developers, or ever yourself, fit this description (of being more inspired by Nintendo games and the culture specifically surrounding them than all other things)? Of course you have the occasional Freedom Planet and Dwarf Fortress, but I would argue that game design based on Sega, home consoles, etc is vastly underrepresented. Do you think different companies have different approaches to game design that can be compared and contrasted? Do you think developers would benefit from looking in more-obsure places to find inspiration on game design?
More than that, I feel most indie games play like Nintendo games and barrow some of the tropes closer to those console games. A quality video essay I watched on game design pointed out that the platformers on the NES controlled more tightly and slower than Genesis games both from the culture surrounding each brand and because of the differences in code per console. Likewise, art/level design in Sega games tended to be based on simple geometric shapes 3D and 2D with a focus on rounded shapes (or was simply more free form/cartoonish as the case with Earthworm Jim, Toejam and Earl, and Comix Zone), while NES at that same time tended to have player characters that looked more square due to the sprite restraint. Square/cube shapes are more common today (Origin: Super Mario Bros. I, II, III, Bomberman, Mega Man I, II, III, Legend of Zelda I, II, Murasame Castle, etc) (Indie: Castle in the Darkness, Minecraft) than Sega-esque geometry focus (Origin: Vectorman I, II, Sonic I, II, 3D Blast, Ristar) (Indie: Scott Cawthon's pre-FNAF games). In later years, Sega consoles tended to conform more towards Nintendo's styles in order to keep up with competition, and from then on Nintendo's styles became the norm for all to follow in the days of Playstation 1 and onward so it seems.
Even though most indie games aren't directly influences by old games, I would argue that Nintendo's styles have tricked down into what we think of as the "traditional" way to make 2D games. It's uncommon to see games that have an arcade game mentality, though some popular flash games of the early 2010s did. It's rare to find "retro" graphics that take inspiration from home computer limitations, or use old-school vector graphics. "Retro" seems to mean NES 8 bit or SNES 16 bit only.
Like with how RPGmaker takes most of it's influence from Final Fantasy, most free chiptune software is based on the NES or Game Boy; I've yet to find a free composer program that uses a Genesis sound or a Game Gear sound. I find this to be alarming, almost as if it rewrites history before developers even begin their "retro" games. Even if a Genesis song program exists, the more obscure song chips probably don't due to their retroactive lack of popularity.
Do you feel like other developers, or ever yourself, fit this description (of being more inspired by Nintendo games and the culture specifically surrounding them than all other things)? Of course you have the occasional Freedom Planet and Dwarf Fortress, but I would argue that game design based on Sega, home consoles, etc is vastly underrepresented. Do you think different companies have different approaches to game design that can be compared and contrasted? Do you think developers would benefit from looking in more-obsure places to find inspiration on game design?
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