My weekly post is up at Nightmare Mode and only one day late this time. Here I go on about Gran Turismo 5 and Need for Speed: Shift. Neither game really grabbed me, in fact in the beginning they seem to do all they could to repel me. I understand both games are hardcore driving sims. Though I thought Need for Speed was a bit more arcadey. I just happened to pick up the only sim in the franchise.
But as they are hardcore sims and I’ve only started playing racing games a few months ago I didn’t want to flap my mouth off too much. Especially with sims that I have even less experience with and I could expect to be much harder to get into and handle. So I decided to limit myself to very specific design issues, some of which developers for other games could take heed of.
One thing I wanted to say, but couldn’t fit in otherwise was the circumstance of why I stopped playing, because they were the same for both games. I had finally fitted myself into each particular game’s groove. I had completed an especially challenging race, then I went and completed one more and found myself completely satiated. I found myself at that exact point of wanting no more and not regretting have done less. That doesn’t happen very often in anything. The thing is, in Need for Speed: Shift I had only completed the very lowest tier and a single challenge set in tier 2. There was at least 4 more levels to go and all these extra challenge modes that I had no interest in. I’m pretty sure I may have raced the exact same amount in Gran Turismo 5. Once I beat most of the race series in the lowest level from a single partition of races and one from the level right above it, I found I wanted to race no more. Both games had multiple hours of more content. I’m sure 30-80 hours at least and I couldn’t be bothered with it. In fact if much of the content was removed I might have been more willing to press forward with the game.
The feeling did not creep up on me. One second I was in the zone and the next I was done. Simply done with the game. I had no further interest and this happened twice in the exact same manner. I’m not sure if that says anything about the game or more about my tastes in video games. Still, it is something to mention.
However, these 7 issues I can speak with much more confidence. Some of theme are just inexcusable.
I’ve not read your actual piece yet (I’m so behind with everything right now it isn’t funny) but you touch on an interesting subject here, and one that I have been pondering lately, too.
Absolutely, no doubt in my mind, racing games have far too many events (or races, or missions, or whatever else they want to call them) in them. Perhaps this is because of a lack of a campaign or story structure, as in other games, but whatever the case these titles are usually full to the brim with events that are just there as an excuse to give more racing opportunities to the players. While I don’t mind it as much as you (given my tastes), even I find it overwhelming and repetitive at some point so it’s an interesting thing to contemplate, that’s for sure.
I’d like to address this subject on my blog at some point so I’ll leave it there for now but, rest assured, you’re not the only person who feels satisfied with their experience well before the true ‘end’ of any racing game. It’s also something that’s more prominent on the sim side than it is the arcade one, but it still permeates the entire genre, unfortunately.
I’ve been writing about driving games since October, I was wondering when you were going to drop by and what you were going to say when you did. This is another issue I have that I didn’t bring up in the list of 7, but I felt purpose, why am I doing this, what is the goal, was something missing from both games. In Burnout: Paradise I talk about how it evoked a theme and the play within the space engendered a feeling. It’s goal of leveling up was the same as GT5 or NfS: Shift, but it had a purpose based in its emotive feeling. I call both these games car porn for the true enthusiasts and I think that statement holds under scrutiny. Like porn, once you’re done with it, you’re done. I shot my driving sim load as it were and I’m ready for something else. These games don’t engage a player on any level than a purely mechanical one.
I both agree and disagree with the ‘car porn’ angle, and I’ll explain why in that forthcoming post of mine that will address this subject.
I just wanted to say that I was aware of your recent racing game coverage but, as I said, I’m so behind right now that I haven’t been able to engage with it as I would have liked to, so that is why I have been silent. I’m getting there, though, and it should go without saying that if you ever want to hit me up for anything regarding the genre then by all means go for it as I’m always happy to discuss it with others. In the two pieces I have read of yours thus far, I already have two replies to make so you must be doing something right…