What do developers have against 2D?

[Y-Disciple]

Aside from Blazblue, when was the last time you played a really good, original 2D game? I'm not talking 2.5D like SF4, but 2D. Personally, I can't remember, and I think that's a bit sad. I love 2D to the point that I play my Sega Genesis as much as my PS3. Now, I know that there are a lot of decent 2.5D games, but I feel that that's not quite the same. It doesn't amaze me as much as the animation in say, BB, and some of these developers are just plain missing the point. Have you played the Turtles in Time remake? It was meant to be nearly the same as the original, but because they added that third dimension- being able to face in all 4 directions instead of just horizontally like it was meant to be, the game is mostly viewed as mediocre.

Why the hell don't the developers realize that making 2D games 3D does not make it better? Look at MK, the first four games (counting UMK3) were a success, and now because it went 3D, it's widely considered a disgrace to the fighting genre and may have contributed to Midway's bankruptcy. Super Metroid was one of the best games on the SNES, but Nintendo seemed to move their attention to Metroid Prime, an FPS. Unless you count Metroid Fusion on GBA in 2002 as its sequel, I feel they've ignored the success of Super Metroid. My favorite series on the Genesis, Vectorman, was scheduled to have a 3D sequel on PS2 in 2003, but it was so bad that it was canceled before it was even released. Look at what Sega's doing now. The new Golden Axe game sucked because it was 3D, Altered Beast on PS2 was awful, the Ecco game on DC didn't make much of an impact, and Sonic has consisted almost solely of debacles since it went 3D. Why the hell doesn't anyone realize that the reason these games were successful long ago was not because of the name or the characters or the general idea of the game, but because of the 2D gameplay. This is why 2D Castlevania games are typically better than the 3D games as well.

End of rant. Thoughts? Agree/Disagree? I'd like to hear some other opinions.

 

[Jaxel]

To me, the way you are using the term 2.5D is wrong (fuck you Yahtzee!). If the game you are playing is on a 2D plane, its a 2D game, even if all the graphics are in 3D. So Street Figther 4, that is a 2D game; not a 2.5D game. To me, a 2.5D game is a 2D game that gives player's the ability to redraw the 2D plane on another axis. You see this in games like Klonoa, early Tekken games, and even the original Turtles in Time that you are mentioning. The new Mortal Kombat games too, are 2.5D, not 3D. When you step in MK, all it does is redraw the 2D plane.

But for your question... you are asking, why is there a lack of 2D games with 2D graphics? Becauses it looks old. Both Street Fighter 4 and BlazBlue are 2D games, one has 3D graphics though and one has 2D graphics. Why don't people make 2D games anymore? Because NOSTALGIA doesn't hold up for new games. Games today are generaly better than they have ever been; even if they are easier. Gameplay is better, stories are better, graphics are better. Older 2D games don't have as good gameplay, but the gameplay is SIMPLER.

You are critisizing REMAKES of fabled 2D games. These fabled games only hold up becuase of Nostalgia. Shadow Complex isn't the only recent Metroidvania style game, but its succesful, simply because the developers came out and said they were making a new Metroidvania style game. Nostalgia is why Shadow Complex is so succesful. But just because these new 3D sequels to these old genres are garbage (Shadow Complex is good), doesn't mean all 3D games are bad. All it means that these developers who try to cash in on the nostalgia by making shitty games... suck ass.

 

[Rekano]

These fabled games only hold up becuase of Nostalgia.

Truth. I like old stuff so when a new game comes out featuring something I enjoyed back in the day, I throw my money at whoever made whatever.

Although, I'd LOVE to see a disc based 2D Castlevania game on these newer consoles...namely a PS3 blu-ray.

I'd expect it to be HUGE and very, VERY pretty.

 

[KowtowRobinson]

Get money get paid.

 

[Tiamat]

Super Metroid was one of the best games on the SNES, but Nintendo seemed to move their attention to Metroid Prime, an FPS. Unless you count Metroid Fusion on GBA in 2002 as its sequel, I feel they've ignored the success of Super Metroid.

Metroid Prime is just masquerading as a FPS but it's really not. It is more of a "first person adventure" than anything else. Also, Metroid Fusion is certainly the sequel to Super Metroid, it says "Metroid IV" somewhere in the opening sequence iirc (Super Metroid is Metroid III of course.) I'd say that the Metroid Prime series managed to maintain the feel of the gameplay of the 2D games despite looking totally different. It is just that most other 3D adaptions of old 2D games don't translate nearly as well.

I agree about the Vectorman 3D game though, so glad that game got canned cause it looked BAD.

There are still a fair amount of good 2D RPG games that come out on portable consoles btw. Knights in the Nightmare is really good 2D strategy RPG/2D shooter hybrid for DS and I've heard good things about Devil Survivor as well, just to name recent stuff