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Is it time for the rise of the AAA action sidescroller?

AAA action sidescrollers?

  • Nah

  • Hell yeah, bring it


Results are only viewable after voting.

Marty-McFly

Banned
I'd really want

- 2D Ninja Gaiden with combat as polished as Dread
- 2D Kid Icarus made by Nintendo EDP and Mercury Steam after they give us an HD port of uprising with good controls
- 2D new Strider made by Capcom
- 2D Zelda with excellent swordplay and AI
- 2D Metal Gear from Kojima
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
For me AAA isn't just the budget, it's the implied quality. Totally agree those studios/games have a larger budget. I don't believe it necessarily results in a better quality game though.

So what a game you dont like that has a massive budget? Is that not tripple AAA anymore?



"In the video-game industry, AAA (pronounced and sometimes written Triple-A) is an informal classification used to categorise games produced and distributed by a mid-sized or major publisher, which typically have higher development and marketing budgets than other tiers of games"
 
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Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
Mass Effect Andromeda. AAA budget, not AAA quality.

MCC at launch, AAA budget not quality.

MCC now, AAA budget and AAA quality delivered finally.

This is this first time ive seen someone use AAA as a metric for quality. It will certainly make conversation confusing as most people refer to AAA as a metric of budget.
 
This is this first time ive seen someone use AAA as a metric for quality. It will certainly make conversation confusing as most people refer to AAA as a metric of budget.
Sure, perhaps I'm redefining the term somewhat but I've always viewed it as budget vs quality in terms of measuring AAA game titles. I cannot just go on either alone.
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
I consider quality part of the AAA equation too. Need both.
You and the other guy are outliers, anthem is AAA but not the best quality, same with other games, the order 1886, days gone maybe (please dont come at me if u like days gone, its just an example, relax)
 

Sleepwalker

Member
These days I have no idea. Pokemon considered AAA IP and yet games like Shin Megami Tensei V have higher production value but still considered AA game.

Id argue both are AA.

Pokemon used to be AAA for the systems it was in, as technically it was good for those portables. For the switch its put to shame by indie games, only AAA thing about Pokemon is the sales.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Id argue both are AA.

Pokemon used to be AAA for the systems it was in, as technically it was good for those portables. For the switch its put to shame by indie games, only AAA thing about Pokemon is the sales.
You also have to consider how much budget Pokemon has for marketing which Atlus doesn't anywhere near that for SMT5.
 
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Pull n Pray

Banned
I would love to see more 2D games with polish similar to Ori and Hades. A triple A budget isn't necessary, and that's a good thing.
 

Pull n Pray

Banned
You mean like a 100+ million dollar investment to make a side scrolling game?

Are all the animations like captured by professional Hollywood stunt actors then redrawn from scratch by Kyoto Animation Studio?

Realistically Ori and the Will is like the peak of side scrollers in terms of budget. Watching the deep dives into how they put Ori together is like magic.
Its like the last time I looked at a game and dev techniques and thought to myself yeah these guys are really doing something special.
A true benchmark that likely only they will top.

But if you just mean you want good side scrollers to return.
I fully agree I think with the prevalence of digital there wouldnt be a need to release the game physically and with a good marketing push we good be in a golden era.

Q7vHD5e.gif
What games is this?
 

Black_Stride

do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
What games is this?


Because im a stickler.
Its actually:
854x1200.jpg


Best played with this:
GameCube_controller.png


You can use the stick or dpad for movement.
The switch/attack button is L.
The attack button which you will always use in the game is..........A.
Tell me the designers werent geniuses when they supported the Gamecube controller.



<-- Actually made the gif a million years ago.
Lost my original photobucket account and randomly found the gif on the internet literally a decade later.
The internet man.....the internet.
 
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An AAA sidescroller would still be Dirty cheap to make.The Developers could make it very packed with content and very long.I would like to play an RPG sidescroller with jumping elements in it,lots to explore,collect and 200 hours gameplay.I would pay full price no question.
 

Marty-McFly

Banned
They don't need it. But it looks like OP wants AAA pricetag instead, looking how he praising 8 hours 2d-sidescroller for full price.
I have over 50 hours in Dread right now, though I have multiple playthroughs.

If you played the game you'd realise that timer doesn't actually count deaths. My first playthrough was well over 20 hours.

Dread is clearly a cut above the other 2D sidescrollers in production values with seamless 3D transitional cutscenes, gorgeous vistas and the best 2D gameplay and combat ever. I haven't played a game worth the full asking as much in years.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Nah we don't need AAA sidescroller, except for nintendo fans, nobody is ready to pay 60-70 dollars for the genre, but i would love if more 2d games could have fist\ori production values since they can maintain the 20-30 dollars price tag.
 
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GymWolf

Gold Member
I have over 50 hours in Dread right now, though I have multiple playthroughs.

If you played the game you'd realise that timer doesn't actually count deaths. My first playthrough was well over 20 hours.

Dread is clearly a cut above the other 2D sidescrollers in production values with seamless 3D transitional cutscenes, gorgeous vistas and the best 2D gameplay and combat ever. I haven't played a game worth the full asking as much in years.
Ori and fist production values piss all over dread dude, and they are full fledged 20 hours games, not 8 (i can also play those games for 50 hours but they don't magically become 50 hours game because of that).
 
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Marty-McFly

Banned
Ori and fist production values piss all over dread dude, and they are full fledged 20 hours games, not 8.
I own Ori and while great, it's not on Metroid's level. Dread completely destroys it in my opinion. Also, hours of gameplay have little to do with production values.
 
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GymWolf

Gold Member
I own Ori and while great, it's not on Metroid's level. Dread completely destroys it in my opinion. Also, hours of gameplay have nothing to do with production values.
Ori is arguably the best looking 2d game of all time dude, do you know what production values even are?! Dread looks well...dreadfull compared to ori, especially ori 2...

Never said that production values and hours of gameplay are the same thing, but if i'm forced to pay 60 euros for a sidescroller, i would be more glad to pay for something with great prudution values that can run on modern hardware and at least 15-20 of new contents (not stretching 8 hours of content into 50 because i'm bad at the game or whatever reason you had).
 
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Marty-McFly

Banned
Ori is arguably the best looking 2d game of all time dude, do you know what production values even are?! Dread looks well...dreadfull compared to ori, especially ori 2...

Never said that production values and hours of gameplay are the same thing, but if i'm forced to pay 60 euros for a sidescroller, i would be more glad to pay for something with great prudut ion values and at least 15-20 of new contents (not stretching 8 hours of content into 50 because i'm bad at the game or whatever reason you had).
Dread doesn't look dreadful compared to any 2D game. I don't even really like Ori's muddled visuals tbh, and the gameplay is certainly not even close. Production values are more than merely artwork btw, you'll never see seamless 3D cutscene transitions in Ori. Cut scenes are more prevalent in AAA budgeted games, but they're done just right in Dread where they don't take control away from the player for very long.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Dread doesn't look dreadful compared to any 2D game. I don't even really like Ori's muddled visuals tbh, and the gameplay is certainly not even close. Production values are more than merely artwork btw, you'll never see seamless 3D cutscene transitions in Ori. Cut scenes are more prevalent in AAA budgeted games, but they're done just right in Dread where they don't take control away from the player for very long.
Muddled visuals?!

Let me guess, you played the game on switch didn't you?!

And i was banned for a week because i said that switch owners are sadist who play the worst version of every third party game, oy vey...
 

Marty-McFly

Banned
Muddled visuals?!

Let me guess, you played the game on switch didn't you?!

And i was banned for a week because i said that switch owners are sadist who play the worst version of every third party game, oy vey...
Nope I played it on Xbox One. I'm not going to say I didn't enjoy the game but Metroid is simply a higher caliber game and looks better as well. I presume you only played Ori and not Dread. If not, I guess we'll agree to disagree.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Nope I played it on Xbox One. I'm not going to say I didn't enjoy the game but Metroid is simply a higher caliber game and looks better as well. I presume you only played Ori and not Dread. If not, I guess we'll agree to disagree.
I was not talking about the quality, i would probably like metroid more because i like combat\exploration more than platforming and i'm gonna buy the game on hard discount sooner or later.

But muddling visuals are not a thing on ori, maybe the xone was 900p resolution, i don't know...

But i played both games on pc at 4k and they are arguably the best 2d looking games of all time, especially the second who also vastly improve the combat, try the second one when you have the chance, just not on your switch, the graphic is a big selling point of ori games (other thanxbeing greqt games in general) and they are wasted on old ass hardwares.

And try fist if you like cutscenes and transition in a metroidvania.
 
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Marty-McFly

Banned
I was not talking about the quality, i would probably like metroid more because i like combat\exploration more than platforming and i'm gonna buy the game on hard discount sooner or later.

But muddling visuals are not a thing on ori, mayne the xone was 900p resolution...

But i player both games on oc at 4k and they are arguably the best 2d looking games of all time, especially the second who vastly improve the combat, try the second one when you have the chance, just not on your switch, the graphic is a big sellimg point of ori games (other thanxbeing greqt games in general).
I've played Will of the Wisps as well. It's got great combat Dread is just the best ever on the 2D front.

Ori is a beautiful game. When I say it looks muddled I mean more that it looks like a painting and it's a lot harder to see what's going on the screen. Dread has more of a gamey look which I prefer and closer attention is paid to allowing the player to see every detail on the screen, which is imperative to the gameplay.

I wouldn't say either is significantly better visually than the other, the designers were clearly going for completely different aesthetics.
 
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NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
That time was 30 years ago, methinks.

By the current definition of AAA, as vague as it was, you don’t need AAA budget to make such a game, so it couldn’t be AAA anyway.

Nobody except Nintendo is going to invest those resources and ask that price for a game of this kind in the 2020s, and I don’t think there’s any turning back.
 

Marty-McFly

Banned
That time was 30 years ago, methinks.

By the current definition of AAA, as vague as it was, you don’t need AAA budget to make such a game, so it couldn’t be AAA anyway.

Nobody except Nintendo is going to invest those resources and ask that price for a game of this kind in the 2020s, and I don’t think there’s any turning back.
Okay let's say Metroid's budget was a third of BOTW's, but still in the AAA range.

If Nintendo sells over 5 million copies massive success no?

I think in order to pull this off you need a high caliber, big name franchises (I suggested Ninja Gaiden, and Metal Gear for instance) and the business model could be quite profitable.

You just know Nintendo is going to continue resurrecting higher budget action sidecrollers after Dread's success.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
I've played Will of the Wisps as well. It's got great combat Dread is just the best ever on the 2D front.

Ori is a beautiful game. When I say it looks muddled I mean more that it looks like a painting and it's a lot harder to see what's going on the screen. Dread has more of a gamey look which I prefer and closer attention is paid to allowing the player to see every detail on the screen, which is imperative to the gameplay.

I wouldn't say either is significantly better visually than the other, the designers were clearly going for completely different aesthetics.
Yeah ori sometimes is a bit confusing, not gonna lie, the sequel was better in this sense for me.

Not sure if i share the best of all time narrative, i need to play it first but from the trailers i saw nothing that scream first in class tbh, both ender lilies and fist had trailers with elements that i liked more(the aesthetic and combat with summons in ender, the melee combat with combos etc. In fist), since i'm not a huge fanboy of metroid,seeing the ball transformation or 360 laser shooting does nothing to me, but again, i need to play it first.

Maybe you don't see the graphic difference but you just had to look at the topics for both games, for ori we were all with our jaw on the ground and everyone and their mother praise the graphic for this brand, in dread topics you have people calling it cheap and mobile game since the first trailer, it's not like i'm the only one who think this.

It is a good looking game for the switch hardware, and the metroid aesthetcs helps a lot, but ori is a pinnacle of 2d graphic right now.
 
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Marty-McFly

Banned
Yeah ori sometimes is a bit confusing, not gonna lie, the sequel was better in this sense for me.

Not sure if i share the best of all time narrative, i need to play it first but from the trailers i saw nothing that scream first in class tbh.

Maybe you don't see the graphic difference but you just had to look at the topics for both games, for ori we were all with our jaw on the ground and everyone and their mother praise the graphic for this brand, in dread topics you have people calling it cheap and mobile game since the first trailer, it's not like i'm the only one who think this.

It is a good looking game for the switch hardware, and the metroid aesthetcs helps a lot, but ori is a pinnacle of 2d graphic right now.
I'll say that the first trailers of Dread had a lot of people echoing those comments because the areas of the game (Emmi sections) are virtually black and white. As later trailers became available, and especially when people got copies in their hands not falling victim to Youtube compression a lot of the attitude towards Dreads graphics has shifted to the positive.
 

Cryio

Member
The most "high budget", if you can call them that, side scrolling games I've played the last decade were the Trine games and Rayman (Origins / Legend and the amazing platforming iOS/Android games).

Also Limbo, Inside.
 

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
Okay let's say Metroid's budget was a third of BOTW's, but still in the AAA range.

If Nintendo sells over 5 million copies massive success no?

I think in order to pull this off you need a high caliber, big name franchises (I suggested Ninja Gaiden, and Metal Gear for instance) and the business model could be quite profitable.

You just know Nintendo is going to continue resurrecting higher budget action sidecrollers after Dread's success.
Yeah, but it’s Nintendo we’re talking about here.
Do a Dread-like game with Kratos and people are gonna laugh their shit off until hell freezes over.

The problem with established IPs is, people have clear expectations about them.
People raged about Other M and Federation Force because those games were not what’s expected of a Metroid game.
Announce a 2D sidescroller based on The Last of Us and watch people react exactly the same, if not worse.

Mario is probably the only character who can change skin without getting people up in arms, but that’s only because Mario has been so many things in the past 35 years. But just look at the vitriol Paper Mario has received after The Thousand-year Door and you’ll see that not even Mario can easily get away with just anything.

Also, with the death of dedicated handhelds and the general disdain the west has towards portable gaming, even the era of portable spinoffs is over. That was the only thing that still made what you’re suggesting remotely possible.
 

RoboFu

One of the green rats
not as much the rise of big budget old school style games as much as the fall of big budget interactive movies and gamers who only want pretty cutscenes and a win button.
 

buenoblue

Member
I was saying the other day I wish the next mortal Kombat returned to digitised graphics. With today's high resolutions and technology, plus much more fluid animations it would look spectacular.

Plus Ori is legit one of the best looking games of any genre.
 
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joedan

Member
All I know is that I agree with several posters in their request for a new 2D Ninja Gaiden with a big budget, production values and marketing push off Metroid Dread.
 

BlackTron

Member
Side-scroller with expansive/expensive 3D world which you cannot explore because you are stuck on the 2d plane. I don't know - it just seems like a waste of money.

By it's design, and limitation of game concept itself - if they spent AAA -tier budget for it, it would be really a bad management of development fund.

I am all for a better looking game for sure.. but I am just not sure how would a 2D side-scroller could be as expensive as AAA games. I don't even think 3d Sonic games are as expensive to make AAA titles... no? Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Maybe they could revisit the concept in Link's Awakening where you sometimes go down to a lower level and it switches to 2D.

Like imagine a 3D exploration game like BOTW, but the shrines led to 2D levels instead. Even more so if they lead to other points on the map.

Not necessarily Zelda mind you, just to get the point across. I think this concept could work beautifully.
 
The market deems when its time for a AAA anything. If the sales indicate it, the companies will make it. Would I like more AAA side scrollers personally? Not really my kind of games.
 
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