Has the end of 2D gaming finally arrived?

[Scrubking]

Thinking about the new 3D handhelds coming out I wondered if this would now be the end of 2D gaming. Forever. There may be some 2D fighters here and there (if the genre survives), but will we see regular 2D games like rpg's or scrollers? I think that the end is very near if not already come for 2D gaming.

[ananag112]

Nope. According to many developers, the DS is perfect for 2D gaming. Just look at the new Castlevania games.

[AdamInPlaidum]

It certainly seems like a lot of the games on DS are turning out to be 2D. And 2D still reigns supreme as far as cell-phone gaming goes.

[Wshakspear]

PURE 2-d games will die. 2-D games enhanced with 3-d backgrounds/effects will go on. Que Celine song...

[worx]

PURE 2-d games will die. 2-D games enhanced with 3-d backgrounds/effects will go on. Que Celine song...

Haha - why ruin fond memories of 2D games with that horrible Canadian import.

[Dok Diamond]

I think 2-D is dying, not dead but after the ds it's not looking good

[Chris in Cali]

Nope. According to many developers, the DS is perfect for 2D gaming. Just look at the new Castlevania games.

In other words, not good enough for 3-D. I think 2-D gaming will take a serious blow after the DS though.

[redgopher]

Two words:

Alien Hominid

[AdamInPlaidum]

Nope. According to many developers, the DS is perfect for 2D gaming. Just look at the new Castlevania games.

In other words, not good enough for 3-D. I think 2-D gaming will take a serious blow after the DS though.

I think Mario 64 DS really kills any argument you have about the DS not being good enough to do 3D. I think the DS could do a great job of being a "'tweener system".

[chubbyninja1319]

There's a market for 2-D, it's only a niche now. I don't think it'll ever truly "die" but we'll see less.

I think 2-D on the DS can be interesting. For instance, an action game that goes vertical instead of horizontal. For example, Castlevania in a tower or clock tower type of thing. The DS is perfect for that type of thing. I'm really anxious to see more of the new Mario 2-D game.

[jmcc]

I think the question is, what's good about 2D that can't be replicated in 3D? I can't think of anything anymore. Purity of concept? Visual charm?

[willardhaven]

Thanks to the Gameboy Advance, it's seeing a huge revival... I don't know about the future, but I will always love 2d games, there's just something about them that I prefer.

[guessed]

There's a market for 2-D, it's only a niche now. I don't think it'll ever truly "die" but we'll see less.

I think 2-D on the DS can be interesting. For instance, an action game that goes vertical instead of horizontal. For example, Castlevania in a tower or clock tower type of thing. The DS is perfect for that type of thing. I'm really anxious to see more of the new Mario 2-D game.

I agree with your post in its entirety. Aside from handhelds, however, it is hard to market 2-D as anything other than a value game. Internally within development companies, 2-D game development is a tough sell to management. Mainstream gamers see a product that doesn't have impressive 3-D visuals and dismiss it, so a 2-D concole game is likely to not only have a lower price per unit, but also a lower production run than a 3-D game. Thank god for GBA/DS.

[elprincipe]

I think the question is, what's good about 2D that can't be replicated in 3D? I can't think of anything anymore. Purity of concept? Visual charm?

Better (non-polygonal) graphics (this is obviously very IMO), much better gameplay, better perspective. Some genres are better in 3D (sim racing, flight sims, FPS), but most are not.

[jmcc]

I think the question is, what's good about 2D that can't be replicated in 3D? I can't think of anything anymore. Purity of concept? Visual charm?

Better (non-polygonal) graphics (this is obviously very IMO), much better gameplay, better perspective. Some genres are better in 3D (sim racing, flight sims, FPS), but most are not.

Those are what people usually say, but they're pretty vague. What about the graphics is better? What gameplay style is exclusive and good only in 2d?

[Kaijufan]

I don't think 2d will go away forever, but I doubt we will be seeing too much of it in the future. My guess is that most 2d games in the future will be shareware games you download from the internet.

[Nirvanaguy777]

Doubt it there may be only a few newly released 2D titles but they are all so good that they rank sequels allowing for 2D games to continue exisiting, for example metal slug.

[paean]

2D will never die.

[1SwtDeception]

2D is just dying out gradually, but not completely gone. Since developers are making it 3D, it's just a goal towards more and more making it really realistic to the point it's just real life or something.

Like MegamanX series were good when it was 2D and Street Fighter too IMO I enjoyed playing both as you don't need to go all realistic in the game. The 3D racing games though is better than 2D since it's more real. Fighting games should have some 2D and some 3 b like side stepping gives a more real fight, but hey 2D fighting is good too for some kind of fantasy fight (doing the "impossibles" with less razzle). You go more head-to-head since you have no place to run to that much and since it's somewhat "simple" to me it would have a bigger replay, even though you can with 3D, but it gets more technical ish. Sometime I would just wanna simple down a bit and play it old school.

So yea.. 2D is dissappearing x.x, but it's like a shadow, always there and all (sounding corny or something).

[Javery]

2D will never go away. The most cutting edge systems out right now boast multiple 2D games...

Viewtiful Joe (1 & 2)
Ikaruga
Paper Mario
Alien Hominid
etc...

[dracula]

i will still play castlevania 1 until I am dead.

I think the new cv games for the ds are all 2D

[swetooth9]

i love many of the 2d games...fighters, sidescrollers, etc.

i hope developers continue to make 2d fighters and sidescrollers...those IMO are best left 2d

[epobirs]

The problem is that 2D is largely played out. It was the entirety of video games for nearly twenty years. (Those 1D systems they tried to sell in the early 70's are best ignored.) Good new ideas are rare that merit the investment in a serious production budget, thus the relegation to budget staus. Which doesn't bother me a bit so long as good product keeps coming.

Part of the problem is that most developers have no desire to artificially limit themselves. On any current console they can easily replicate the best of 2D games and veer off into 3D at any point they believe it fits the design. Early on, a 2D game defined entirely in polygons would be on the ugly side due to the crudeness of the images. Imagine a side-scrolling shooter done entirely in the SNES StarFox engine. But those days are long in the past. The upcoming generation of consoles will come close to polygon-per-pixel quality at the NTSC level and no designer can ignore that. They may create new side scrollers but it will have all kinds of nifty effects and elements that only 3D allows.

I'd like to take the Philosoma concept further and see a game that lets you play from any perspective at any time. The player must decide which is to his greatest advantage. An R-type sort of shooter could attribute the side view to a camera drone while the 3D is from the cockpit. The same could be applied to a game that has strong elements of both FPS and platformers. Mario 64 already elnlisted the Lakitu to explain the player's POV.

[elprincipe]

I think the question is, what's good about 2D that can't be replicated in 3D? I can't think of anything anymore. Purity of concept? Visual charm?

Better (non-polygonal) graphics (this is obviously very IMO), much better gameplay, better perspective. Some genres are better in 3D (sim racing, flight sims, FPS), but most are not.

Those are what people usually say, but they're pretty vague. What about the graphics is better? What gameplay style is exclusive and good only in 2d?

I like the look or style of the graphics better, nothing more. I realize most people don't. I feel Four Swords Adventures has some of the best graphics on next-gen systems if not the best, if that's any indication.

Gameplay styles? Are you kidding?

What 3D platforming game has had the same feel as a 2D one? You can't judge jumps, very important in platform games, you have to manipulate terrible camera angles in every 3D platform game. 2D ones are much better. I'll play Super Mario Bros. 3 any day over Super Mario 64.

3D puzzle games have been a lot crappier than their 2D counterparts. Same with adventure games, action games, fighting games. These are all my favorite types of games, and 3D versions of them are significantly worse, to me at least, on average. It's a combination of perspective, collision detection, and other genre-specific things like there being vast empty landscapes in 3D adventure games versus very active ones in 2D adventure games. A good example of this would be walking through the drab, dull Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time versus walking around the overworld in Zelda III or the first Zelda even.

[PaulEMoz]

Doubt it there may be only a few newly released 2D titles but they are all so good that they rank sequels allowing for 2D games to continue exisiting, for example metal slug.

The next Metal Slug game is in 3D.

However, certain games just don't play the same when "forced" into 3D. Why spoil something that works perfectly as it is by adding that erroneous third dimension? The only reason I can think of for that is that developers are scared 2D games won't sell because they supposedly don't look as good as 3D games, and so a lot of gamers simply won't bother trying them.

[Scrubking]

I think the question is, what's good about 2D that can't be replicated in 3D? I can't think of anything anymore. Purity of concept? Visual charm?

Better (non-polygonal) graphics (this is obviously very IMO), much better gameplay, better perspective. Some genres are better in 3D (sim racing, flight sims, FPS), but most are not.

Those are what people usually say, but they're pretty vague. What about the graphics is better? What gameplay style is exclusive and good only in 2d?

I like the look or style of the graphics better, nothing more. I realize most people don't. I feel Four Swords Adventures has some of the best graphics on next-gen systems if not the best, if that's any indication.

Gameplay styles? Are you kidding?

What 3D platforming game has had the same feel as a 2D one? You can't judge jumps, very important in platform games, you have to manipulate terrible camera angles in every 3D platform game. 2D ones are much better. I'll play Super Mario Bros. 3 any day over Super Mario 64.

3D puzzle games have been a lot crappier than their 2D counterparts. Same with adventure games, action games, fighting games. These are all my favorite types of games, and 3D versions of them are significantly worse, to me at least, on average. It's a combination of perspective, collision detection, and other genre-specific things like there being vast empty landscapes in 3D adventure games versus very active ones in 2D adventure games. A good example of this would be walking through the drab, dull Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time versus walking around the overworld in Zelda III or the first Zelda even.

I agree, especially with the empty landscape part. There are 3D games that have well designed areas - like Jak 3.

[-Never4ever-]

It may very well be the beginning of the end, but it's far from the end.