Game Genres That Are In Decline

[Sky10w10w]

Let's consider some game genres that aren't seeing nearly as many titles as they used to. Also, let's comment on said genres.

SHUMPS - You don't see many shoot-em up games (i.e. Gradius, R-Type, The Guardian Legend) being made these days. I think this is a shame, as those games are not only fun to play, but relatively simple for game developers to design.

Beat-Em Ups - Beat-Em Ups (i.e. Double Dragon, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Final Fight) seem to have gone the way of the dodo with the popularization of 3D games. I think this is a shame, as the Beat-Em Up genre was one of my favourites. Sure, you see the occasional 3D game with Beat-Em Up gameplay every once in awhile (i.e. Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, The Bouncer), but it's not the same!

Point-&-Click Adventures - I REALLY regret that we are no longer seeing new games that play like King's Quest, Phantasmagoria, Leisure Suit Larry, Space Quest, Shadowgate, Deja Vu, The Uninvited, etc. Today, RPGs are all the rage. When I ask gamers why they like console-style RPGs (i.e. Final Fantasy, as opposed to Fallout or Morrowind) so much, the most common reason I get is story. Well, point-&-click adventures typically had TONS of story without all the silly, monotonous combat of console-style RPGs. Bring back the point-&-click adventure genre, I say!

[Gnash]

Those video adventure games that were common on sega cd and turbo duo. I'm glad those are gone.

[triverse]

Those video adventure games that were common on sega cd and turbo duo. I'm glad those are gone.

Full Motion Video games have disappeared from consoles but you can still get plenty of them on PC (there are a couple of online only ones).

I miss the beat em up and shooters like Gradius as well.

[Sky10w10w]

Those video adventure games that were common on sega cd and turbo duo. I'm glad those are gone.

If you're talking about FMV games then I agree with you that they are a thing of the past. I'm sure the developers WANTED the games to be much more interactive than they were, but interaction was limited by the fact that actual video was used rather than computer animation. The whole point of FMV games was to capitalize on new technology, using life-like visuals to tell more compelling stories than gamers were used to.

[DPsx7]

More shoot-em-ups would be nice. I found several for PS2 at the last GS sale. Can't say I was a fan of beat-em-ups. Point and Clicks were fun.

Outside of the DS I still think platforming games are struggling. We get one or two here and there but I'd enjoy more. The other genre that's nearly disappeared is the lightgun genre. I'm kinda hoping the Wiimote allows them to make a comeback.

[9646gt]

I think SHUMPS still have a decent support. Mainly as downloadable games on the current gen consoles. Although not quite what they used to be. I just found out tyrian was released on the Iphone! Love that game. I think Racing games are on a decline. There are fewer these days and usually offer nothing new really. Would love to see NFS get back to it's roots but this year I hear they are going with a gran turismo approach.

[Count_Zero]

The Console turn-based country-management Turn-Based Strategic games (instead of Turn Based Tactical*) game, like Pacific Theater of Operations, Gemfire, Caesar, and so on.

Note, by Turn Based Tactical, I'm referring to stuff like Disgaea & Final Fantasy Tactics, which are usually lumped into (Turn Based Strategy), where you're using a small number of units in a a turn-based enviroment and trying to defeat all the enemy or complete an objective. Turn Based Stategic* games would entail managing an entire theater of operations, handling (to a certain degree) supply lines, base building, etc. Thus far, the only games in this "field" would be the Civ: Rev, and the Romance of the 3 Kingdoms games.

For the record: I'm not deriding the tactical level games or anything. I love those games. It's just that going by the formal definitions used by wargamers and military brass (which is where the wargamers get the terminology from) - Tactical goes by the unit by unit scale of the battle, while Strategic goes basically at the near-logistic scale. Occasionally one game or another will cover both, like Romance of the 3 Kingdoms and Nobunaga's Ambition, where you can control the actual tactics of the battle, or on the PC, the Total War games, as well as Paradox Interactive's games (Hearts of Iron, Victoria, Europa Universalis, etc.) Civ just handles combat on the logistical scale, with out going into the nitty gritty of tactical troop movements, which is fine, there's enough stuff in those games to keep track of already that adding battle tactics would probably cause people's heads to explode.

[Helperspanish]

I think the classic platforming ones, I miss it

[Tron]

Screwattack Europe did a good video on the rise and decline of the anthropomorphic animal mascot games. Some were good like sparkster and other were lame like bubsy.

[Guest s1500]

I guess I'll be missing the Point & click adventures the most then. I'm right now playing Fallout 2, pretty much staying up until 12:30am trying to do all the side quests and such.

[Hidinger]

I do not know if this is considered a Genre, but I think that trully humerous games and AO (content not just gratuitous blood/nudity) are few and far between.

I use to love it when games came out simply to BE funny. For instance, Clayfighter was a horrible fighting game, but something about a Chinese cook throwing a frying pan at an evil santa made me laugh every time.

Conker's Bad Fur Day - a pretty descent platformer about a squirel and magical chocolate. Funny as just about anything.

People need to make more games for the purpose of being funny.

[Areala]

I do not know if this is considered a Genre, but I think that trully humerous games and AO (content not just gratuitous blood/nudity) are few and far between.

I use to love it when games came out simply to BE funny. For instance, Clayfighter was a horrible fighting game, but something about a Chinese cook throwing a frying pan at an evil santa made me laugh every time.

Conker's Bad Fur Day - a pretty descent platformer about a squirel and magical chocolate. Funny as just about anything.

People need to make more games for the purpose of being funny.

AO-rated games are few and far-between simply because none of the big three players (Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony) will OK their release on their systems. That leaves the PC as the last bastion of the Adults-Only games, but there's one other major factor that prevents the PC from being overrun with these titles: Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart refuses to carry software that is not rated by an official ratings association (a stance they have held since 1995), as well as any software title on any platform rated higher than an M/17+ just as they refuse to carry any movie with a rating stronger than an R/18+, which is why you won't find anything that carries an NC-17 or X-rating on their racks. And given that Wal-Mart is one of the largest distributors of computer and gaming software in the world, making a game with the AO rating is essentially a kiss of death because 95% of the gaming world won't even be able to find the title on store shelves. It doesn't prevent you from releasing it for purchase on the web (though any of the big 3 will sue you if you create a game for use on one of their platforms that was not given their seal of approval), but your sales will be nowhere near what is necessary to cover the cost of development, and you can kiss virtually all of your potential sales to casual gamers goodbye.

So, when Wal-Mart, Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft all stand between you and your target market, it's game over. And you're all outta continues.

*huggles*

Areala

[CharmedonWB]

Although it has recently been revived, platformers are on a decline. At one point in the gaming industry, platformers actually dictated the success of a console. The DS has revived interest in this type of genre but I feel it is still in decline mode. Turn based strategy games are on a decline as well. RTS games seem to be more popular but I love TBS games such as Civilization and AOE.

[E-Day]

Although it has recently been revived, platformers are on a decline. At one point in the gaming industry, platformers actually dictated the success of a console. The DS has revived interest in this type of genre but I feel it is still in decline mode. Turn based strategy games are on a decline as well. RTS games seem to be more popular but I love TBS games such as Civilization and AOE.

I don't think they are decline anymore. For a while, they were almost non-existant, especially 2D platformers. I think platformers, especially 2D ones, are making a comeback. The Klonoa remake, LittleBigPlanet, new Super Mario Bros. Wii, Shadow Complex (that's somewhat a platformer); the Lego series of games has been popular, and lots of fun too. I think platformers already went through a decline and are now returning.

If only first and third person shooters would decline. Then maybe we would be more variety in games.

[Gnash]

2D Platform games are still very much liked. If Sega would just realize that Sonic the Hedgehog would be back to the top with Mario.

Please Sega! Bring Sonic back to 2D on the Wii.

[CharmedonWB]

I don't think they are decline anymore. For a while, they were almost non-existant, especially 2D platformers. I think platformers, especially 2D ones, are making a comeback. The Klonoa remake, LittleBigPlanet, new Super Mario Bros. Wii, Shadow Complex (that's somewhat a platformer); the Lego series of games has been popular, and lots of fun too. I think platformers already went through a decline and are now returning.

If only first and third person shooters would decline. Then maybe we would be more variety in games.

I'm with you E...pretty tired of the flood of shooters out there.

[Tron]

some of the newer platformers are good, but aren't as good as the old ones. the new super mario bros on the ds is an example of this. the power-ups weren't that great, and there weren't a lot of levels. don't get me wrong, i loved the game, but it left me craving for more.

it looks like the new super mario bros wii will have some original power-ups, and i like the level design so far, so maybe it will be a great game instead of just good.