[casual_games] Just when you thought match-3 had beendoneinevery way...

[Stephen Triche]

By that I mean, while it's reasonable to think people can envision what
other people may find entertaining in order to make a game for them,
it's less reasonable to assume they are going to change what excites
them personally.

 

It's not just what their geek friends like; it's what they may like as
well. To ask someone to change what they find entertaining because other
people don't like it seems silly.

 

-Stephen

 

________________________________

From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Stephen Triche
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 6:06 PM
To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [casual_games] Just when you thought match-3 had
beendoneinevery way...

 

Well, there's the flipside of that as well.

 

Do what you know.

 

-Stephen

 

________________________________

From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Juan Gril
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 4:43 PM
To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [casual_games] Just when you thought match-3 had been
doneinevery way...

 

I think it's great that members of the core game industry and the core
game press are so excited about Puzzle Quest. I do feel that it's a
little disappointing that when Casual Game developers innovate over the
match-3 mechanic (ie: Jewel Quest, Big Kahuna Reef, Burger Rush, Cradle
of Rome), they call us "cloners". And then comes a traditional video
game studio and puts RPG elements in a match-3 game and oh no, that's
complete innovation. 

And please don't get me wrong, I love Puzzle Quest. But I'm an ex-core
gamer, and I've played core games for almost 20 years. So in reference
of what Andy was saying, the RPG elements are not appealing to casual
gamers. And it's because casual gamers don't have a reference of what an
RPG is. 

What the members of the core game industry and the core game press
should realize is that they need to take out their tights and put some
normal people clothes, so they can start looking at the entire world
instead of considering what's good and what's not based on what their
geek friends like. 

Cheers,

Juan

On 5/2/07, James Terry <JTerry at yatecgames.com> wrote:

I think it really comes down to what qualifies as a clone or not. Is
Bookworm Adventures a clone of Bookworm? Puzzle Quest and Bookworm
Adventures are very good examples of taking a solid game mechanic and
branching out into new territory with it instead of taking the base idea
and doing an IP theme change.

 

It may not appeal to all of the fans of the games the mechanics were
created from, but so long as it is bringing more fans into the mix, it
is probably a good thing.

 

I'll try waiting for the PC release of Puzzle Quest.

 

James R. Terry
Yatec, LLC
11606 Southfork, Suite 300
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70816
(225) 274-1550 Ext. 136
www.yatecgames.com <http://www.yatecgames.com/> 

 

________________________________

From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:
casual_games-bounces at igda.org <mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org> ]
On Behalf Of Robert Headley
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 2:23 PM
To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [casual_games] Just when you thought match-3 had been done
inevery way...

 

The game is also coming out for Xbox Live Arcade, and I plan to buy it,
when it comes out for that

Just as Puzzle quest might not appeal to some fans of Bejeweled, it will
appeal to other players, and perhaps, for a longer time then bejeweled
allowed. I almost think its unfair to call this level of remixing, a
clone. 

On 5/2/07, Andy Makely <rendermouse at gmail.com> wrote:

We often complain about how game mechanics can get cloned to death, and
it's refreshing to see someone take an old favorite and completely turn
it on its head and make an amazing game.

I'm talking about Puzzle Quest for DS and PSP.  I just got it for DS,
and I can't stop playing it.  Take your standard role-playing game, and
make the battle mode a gem-swapping match-3 where each character takes a
turn.  New quests, improved character abilities, acquiring magic items,
capturing enemy spells, etc. all depend upon you succeeding on the
match-3 battle grid.  This game has even hardcore console gamers raving
about it. 

Of course, the trouble is that Puzzle Quest may have crossed the "casual
game" line.  One person I know, who is a big Bejeweled fan, wasn't
interested in PQ because of all the extra role-playing elements of the
game.  It was a layer of complexity they felt like they didn't need.
Maybe it's not "casual" enough for some. 

What do you folks think?  How do you expand on basic, established game
mechanics without adding so much that it drives players away?

If you're curious, there's a PC demo available from their site...even
though there is no PC version for sale. 
http://www.infinite-interactive.com/puzzlequest/


-- 
andy makely 
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