Cody's PROBABLY right. (Gaming)

by CruelLEGACEY , Toronto, Friday, June 19, 2015, 18:27 (3444 days ago) @ Ragashingo

I think you're jumping in to defend something that doesn't need defending while largely ignoring what Cody actually said.

Are the odds against a new, unproven game studio? Of course! And that's true regardless of their budget or team size! But Cody more or less wrote off a new, unproven studio that's less than a week old and has yet to announce any titles simply because they believe in being small! And he's doing so based on a quote from someone who has a ton of experience in the gaming industry. That's something quite different than talking about the ratio of good / memorable small games vs good / memorable big games made each year. And I think Cody absolutely deserves push back on what he actually said.

Consider these two questions:
1. Can a "cutting edge" game be made by a small team with a small budget?
2. Can a memorable game be made by a small team with a small budget?

If yes, then it seems way too early for anyone to be disappointed in Highwire Studios.

I don't disagree with anything you've said here, but I think it's also understandable to carry over past experiences and preferences.

I was also disappointed to hear that Highwire Games would be staying small... not because I don't believe they're capable of doing amazing things, but because smaller games from smaller studios almost never appeal to me personally.

I find that with smaller teams, the most I can usually hope for is a small set of simple mechanics that are refined and well implemented, that are fun for a few minutes. The kind of games that make me go "oh, that's cool" and then I put it down and never think about it again. Even more often than that, I find smaller games tend to incorporate fun and exciting ideas, but lack the kind of finesse and polish that I personally need from a game in order to find it enjoyable.

For all the faults of big-budget AAA games, I find games like Destiny, AC 4, Titanfall, or Halo to be far more "revolutionary" in terms of the kinds of experiences they allow, and the mechanical intricacy that they can deliver. For every Journey out there, I've played a dozen AAA games that delivered experiences I wouldn't trade for anything.

But of course, this is 99% just personal preferences. I'm just talking about what clicks with me. Either way, I can't wait to see what Marty and co. have up their sleeves :)