Are Indie Games Overrated?

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

I was reading these threads on the web:

www.gamespot.com/forums/games-discussion-1000000/indie-games-completely-overrated-31025451/

www.gamespot.com/forums/system-wars-314159282/are-indie-games-overrated-or-overhyped-31274436/

www.gamefront.com/are-we-too-generous-to-indie-games/


I think they may have a point to some extent. I think that many indie games are good, but they have a bit of that "indie factor" going on with them where they get high ratings because they are viewed differently than the Assassin's Creed's and games like that. That doesn't mean they are bad, just that many aren't as "innovative" as people think.

What are your thoughts?

[gurpwnder]

I'm gonna have to disagree, but that's because I haven't played too many of them.
I agree that indie games should be held to the same standards as triple A games. We're consumers, the problems of the developers are not our concern, we're just here to judge the final product.

I did, however, enjoy games like Super Meat Boy considerably more than any Mario game I have ever played. Games like Broforce and Guacamelee are excellent games (IMO) in their own right as well.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Aug 25, 2014 16:32:54 GMT -5 gurpwnder said:

I'm gonna have to disagree, but that's because I haven't played too many of them.
I agree that indie games should be held to the same standards as triple A games. We're consumers, the problems of the developers are not our concern, we're just here to judge the final product.

I did, however, enjoy games like Super Meat Boy considerably more than any Mario game I have ever played. Games like Broforce and Guacamelee are excellent games (IMO) in their own right as well.

I think that there is some truth to what they're saying. There are definitely some good indie games, but many of them do often end up feeling like re-skins of old school games. In many cases I get a much better experience playing old classics like Super Mario World or Sonic 3 and Knuckles than playing a newer game. So it's not like they're doing anything "new", they just have the creative spirit of games 20+ years ago and many young gamers have no experience with that so they are just realizing what older gamers knew growing up.


In short it's like some people say "Indie is good because it's indie." Which is silly, no genre is going to be perfect overall.

[gurpwnder]

To be fair, it's probably one of the most cost efficient graphic style indie developers can use.

I'm not saying "indie games > triple A games, fuck the man." I just had a great overall experience with the few that I've played.
I love old games, but replaying them really devalues the experience for me, because I know the answer to most problems before encountering them. For me, the most fun aspect of a game is being challenged, so playing old games over and over won't cut it for me. However, they are still excellent games for sure.

At least indie games are new and give me some fresh challenges while not being dumbed down like most other games.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Aug 25, 2014 19:33:46 GMT -5 gurpwnder said:

To be fair, it's probably one of the most cost efficient graphic style indie developers can use.

I'm not saying "indie games > triple A games, fuck the man." I just had a great overall experience with the few that I've played.
I love old games, but replaying them really devalues the experience for me, because I know the answer to most problems before encountering them. For me, the most fun aspect of a game is being challenged, so playing old games over and over won't cut it for me. However, they are still excellent games for sure.

At least indie games are new and give me some fresh challenges while not being dumbed down like most other games.

I don't mind 2d, I love it. I just mean they're doing what old games did, which isn't bad.

Old games were among the hardest. If you're looking for challenge, you'll definitely find it. Tons of great and challenging stuff from back then.

[taysoul]

I'm a fan of indie games but I think a big thing about them is they don't have the budget or team behind them to be able to have the production values and polish that AAA titles have. You also have to factor in that indie games generally cost much less. In a "bang for your buck" scenario, I often personally get more out of indie games than I do AAA titles because of this. That doesn't mean that they deserve higher ratings. But I do believe a lot of AAA titles get higher ratings than they should because production values are high, and not necessarily because gameplay is good.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Aug 25, 2014 22:40:44 GMT -5 taysoul said:

I'm a fan of indie games but I think a big thing about them is they don't have the budget or team behind them to be able to have the production values and polish that AAA titles have. You also have to factor in that indie games generally cost much less. In a "bang for your buck" scenario, I often personally get more out of indie games than I do AAA titles because of this. That doesn't mean that they deserve higher ratings. But I do believe a lot of AAA titles get higher ratings than they should because production values are high, and not necessarily because gameplay is good.

Right, the fact that they don't have the money means they have to use creativity to make their games worth playing. Companies with big budgets who make games don't stray from the norm as much because they're scared of alienating fans they spent so much money to get. That said on PC, I find indie games, at least the more known ones can get pretty pricey compared to modern games on sale. What I mean is it's very easy to buy a game like Arkham for 10 or less in a short period of time, whereas some of these popular indie titles can cost $15-$20 and don't seem to go down as much.

Modern AAA games have a ton of flaws which we've all talked about before (dumbing down, and catering to the fans), but I think they are judged harshly compared to indie's because they're "big budget". Many indie games are just re skinned 2d games, and honestly it's very easy for me to pop in say Super Mario Bros 3 or Donkey Kong Country and have a great time playing those games at no cost. So I think they do get overrated in some aspects because people don't realize there are already amazing games out there that did those things two decades ago.

I think AAA titles get high ratings because they pay for them or exchange... other services.

[gurpwnder]

Even if you completely remove the developers' budgets from the equation, there are many indie games that as good, if not better, than big budget games. I agree that indie games don't deserve extra special treatment, but many of them can stand up on their own by just being excellent games.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Aug 26, 2014 12:43:52 GMT -5 gurpwnder said:

Even if you completely remove the developers' budgets from the equation, there are many indie games that as good, if not better, than big budget games. I agree that indie games don't deserve extra special treatment, but many of them can stand up on their own by just being excellent games.

Absolutely, I don't think a big budget makes a good game. I think a good game is a good game. However, if an indie company and a big company made the exact same game, should the indie company get higher scores because it has a smaller budget? Most people would say no, but I think many would instinctively do that based on the fact that it has a small budget. If a AAA type game did make it by an indie studio I suspect they would get more praise by many.

[gurpwnder]

Hmmm, but since when did we care about review sites like IGN and Gamespot? I trust word of mouth and trailers far more than I care about those websites. Granted, when I consistently hear terms like 'challenging', and 'tough', I become much more interested in a game, but I don't really care for traditional scores anymore.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

I was thinking more of individual reviews, or a compilation of reviews on Steam for instance before you buy the game, many get high scores for innovation when they are similar to games of the past. Not saying they're bad though.

[gurpwnder]

Maybe that's just the reviewers saying that what's old feels new in this day and age.

Look at Bravely Default on the 3DS. I think it was made by the Final Fantasy devs, it supposedly plays like an old Final Fantasy game and everyone loves it because of it.
Tonnes of critical acclaim for bringing back the old.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Sept 1, 2014 14:08:25 GMT -5 gurpwnder said:

Maybe that's just the reviewers saying that what's old feels new in this day and age.

Look at Bravely Default on the 3DS. I think it was made by the Final Fantasy devs, it supposedly plays like an old Final Fantasy game and everyone loves it because of it.
Tonnes of critical acclaim for bringing back the old.

True, thought that's different from innovation. Nothing wrong with a classic though.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Bizump!

[JACK-2]

The fans can be pretentious for sure. I lke indy games because of how small scale they are. It's easier to enter the market as developer. Triple A titles resemble Hollywood movies in regards to how they're made.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Aug 14, 2015 17:08:07 GMT -5 JACK-2 said:

The fans can be pretentious for sure. I lke indy games because of how small scale they are. It's easier to enter the market as developer. Triple A titles resemble Hollywood movies in regards to how they're made.

Well like movies I like the old school stuff because they are much better made and aren't aimed at the same audience. Older games are much better quality than their new counterparts and that's what the indies are like. You can also emulate them on your PSP or laptop/desktop for free.

It's a win/win.

[Maulen]

Aug 25, 2014 14:25:32 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

I was reading these threads on the web:

www.gamespot.com/forums/games-discussion-1000000/indie-games-completely-overrated-31025451/

www.gamespot.com/forums/system-wars-314159282/are-indie-games-overrated-or-overhyped-31274436/

www.gamefront.com/are-we-too-generous-to-indie-games/


I think they may have a point to some extent. I think that many indie games are good, but they have a bit of that "indie factor" going on with them where they get high ratings because they are viewed differently than the Assassin's Creed's and games like that. That doesn't mean they are bad, just that many aren't as "innovative" as people think.

What are your thoughts?

Why I like Indie games:
+some of them are exceptionally good.
+some of them are just made professionally awesome, original story and gameplay.
+cheaper, of course.

Why I don't like Indie games:
parody? I don't have parody, but some of them are pretty close to plagiarism.
some of them are unpolished and makes me think anyone can just create one.

I think so too, I think people give mild critics compare to big games, and people see mistakes of these big games more clearly. Some Indie games just deserve to be rewarded just like games made by famous ones but there are just few of them.

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Aug 19, 2015 4:31:41 GMT -5 Maulen said:

Aug 25, 2014 14:25:32 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

I was reading these threads on the web:

www.gamespot.com/forums/games-discussion-1000000/indie-games-completely-overrated-31025451/

www.gamespot.com/forums/system-wars-314159282/are-indie-games-overrated-or-overhyped-31274436/

www.gamefront.com/are-we-too-generous-to-indie-games/


I think they may have a point to some extent. I think that many indie games are good, but they have a bit of that "indie factor" going on with them where they get high ratings because they are viewed differently than the Assassin's Creed's and games like that. That doesn't mean they are bad, just that many aren't as "innovative" as people think.

What are your thoughts?

Why I like Indie games:
+some of them are exceptionally good.
+some of them are just made professionally awesome, original story and gameplay.
+cheaper, of course.

Why I don't like Indie games:
parody? I don't have parody, but some of them are pretty close to plagiarism.
some of them are unpolished and makes me think anyone can just create one.

I think so too, I think people give mild critics compare to big games, and people see mistakes of these big games more clearly. Some Indie games just deserve to be rewarded just like games made by famous ones but there are just few of them.

With the huge burst of the "free" games and cellphone games, the market has flooded with these titles so they're plenty of bad. The really good ones give a feeling that's reminiscent of classic games of time past.