The level of influence that Looking Glass had on my gaming life cannot be overstated. It's refreshing (although not unexpected) that many of Looking Glass' alums went on to join and also lead some of today's top game companies. I can only hope that my design work is as respectful to my audience as Looking Glass was to theirs. This is really special. Thank you for sharing.
Origin Systems had a big impact on game industry. A lot of Looking Glass people came from Origin, and later they formed studios like Irrational Games, Arkan Studios, Ion Storm, FunCom and so on. All of them were extremely talented people. And even after Looking Glass and Origin close their doors, their work continues to inspire new devs.
Thanks mate. Those podcasts are actually forming the centre of the inspiration of my next mobile games. I've listened to them over and over. Cheers, and enjoy!
Yep, Looking Glass made some of my favorite games of all times, especially the Thief games. Love these interviews. Also, check out the GAMBIT PODCASTS, where a guy from MIT interviews 10 different sessions of Looking Glass employees. Awesome!
Thief 2 and System Shock are still some of my favorite games ever made. When Looking Glass closed shortly after me hearing all the rumors of Thief 3 (which later came out from Ion Storm with the name Deadly Shadows - also very good), it felt like I was punched in the gut.
i was in my thirties when i got to play the thief 2 demo and got me hooked. when i went out i got thief gold(used), for only ten bucks and rushed to play it on my then just bought e machines 433i computer. by the time i finished it, i went back to the computer game store and bought thief 2(used again) (thanks to the same fool who took in to trade it) ( decided to buy thief the dark project used from the again same fool who brought it in to trade to the store and I knew it was a prier of thief gold, but the weird shaped box is what i wanted.) later the same store had a give away at dirt cheap price of unwanted games, System shock2 and I wanted it for on the box was looking glass 2.75 bucks and from again the same fool who did not want it no more. Really love these games and still playing them on my old 433i computer(though I am interested of the new pod stuff for the old games with better graghics and response from the people in the game) I still love more than some the modern games that tend to be the same story wise, I admitt i still can not finish system shock2.
5:05 - Yeah! Now I recognize him from a Skyrim documentary clip from Bethesda, the one of the "Barbarian Choir" singers recording the song in a Studio with Jeremy Soule. The guy who wrote the lyrics for the "Dovahkiin song" in a weekend, and invented the dragon language for the game, he came from Looking Glass and the Thief games. Enough said.
The problem with nowadays games is that they are being made for the consoles, which are actually limiting their potential by lack of power. If World moved back to the PC's we'd see Looking Glass-like teams emerging from the grasps of publishers and onto the light. On the other hand - LG went bancrupt, which would signal, that "intelligent" and "commercial success" just doesnt go well together in this world. Which applies not only to video game industry, tho.
Games such as half-Life, System Shock, and Theif wouldn't of been able to run on consoles due to the environments size and complex AI. Any PC game can run on a console these days, so what exactly are they are holding back?
CornishCreamtea07 Not true. Most games that would be designed for PC from ground up would have a problem running on the consoles, even when they cut up the levels, lower the resolution and make it only 30 FPS.
Back in the late 90's, technology was being push FAR more than it is today. There was never an equilibrium between hardware and software back then, one industry was constantly pushing the other, which was desperately playing catchup. If you compare like for like, the advancements were much more groundbreaking and came faster in the old days. Today it's almost stagnant. Check how much graphics over 10 random games of the same genre have improved since 2004-2012. Then check 1996-2004.
The qualities that separate passing games and ones that stand the test of time? Care. Effort. Passion. A desire to make a game that is truly unique, enjoyable, immersive, or any combination of the 3. A desire to make a game that you want to make, rather than what a group of pigs in suits want made in order to be like top-selling franchises (Name me one situation where a game clone has met or exceeded sales/reception of the original).
Games which I have bought and enjoyed which were made post 2006? Off the top of my head (there are few) - Super Meat Boy, Sonic Generations, Starcraft II Wings of Liberty + Heart of the Swarm, Heroes of Might and Magic 6, Quake Live + League of Legends (both free to play), Tribes Ascend (again, free to play), GTR 2... okay that's all I can think of right now. Ask me for a list pre-2005 and I will need a lot more room ^^
i agree with your statement to a certain extent, but i think you got your years wrong... i would say the big changes came from 1990-2007(best year for games imo). 2008-2013 has made some changes in video gaming, but for less so...especially 2011-13
I'm curious to see what games you like this gen (2006-2013)...cause it seems like you only enjoy games before from like 1990-2004 (mostly great classic pc games)
I have exquisite taste in games. Most of the games you mentioned are console games which were ported to the PC and they cater for the lowest common denominator of the market, as well as a control pad. YOU, sir, have a casual taste in games.
I agree, games like Journey, TWD, the Bit.Trip series, Team Meat, are all awesome, but other games like Witcher 2, Batman AC, the Uncharted series, Far Cry 3, God of War, etc, are just as great mechanically, if not overly revolutionary (which is understandable, considering the cost). DE:HR was a very enjoyable experience, minus the 30 minutes or so of all the boss fights put together. At least it is in my opinion. I'm sorry if you don't find any satisfaction in modern games - your loss.
Not a loss at all. I am just as happy now playing Tron 2.0, Quake Dissolutions of Eternity, Deus Ex 1, System Shock 2, Master of Magic, HOMM 4, Civilization 2 Advanced (the list is endless) as I was back when they first came out. The loss is the developers of poor over hyped casual games, because they never see my money. I advise all my friends to never buy them too, and they usually don't. Starcraft 2 was worth my £40. Since then, not a penny has gone to the unworthy greedy vultures.
Once you overcome the tedius and boring opening act, and the game finally opens up, it becomes fun. Quite honestly, despite the repetitive objectives and shallow story, Far Cry 2 is my favorite far cry game thus far. The setting and the atmosphere is amazing, and exploring is always fun in that game. FC 2 crushes Crysis in terms of gameplay in my opinion. Crysis is just a watered down Far Cry 1,with special powers. In fact the entire FC series is fantastic. Crysis was good, 2 and 3 were average
DS was a good game. Not to the standards as Metal Age, to be sure, but still not bad. Deus Ex 2 was much worse than 1, but HR brought the series back to quality, I think (except for the poopy boss battles - which the dev agreed was a mistake.) And that's too bad. There's a lot of awesome modern games out today.
mario galaxy is so inovative with its gameplay, original bioshock, mass effect, red dead redemption, LA fucking Noire, Ico, world of goo, fallout 3. minecraft,?? I have tons of other games....but the fact that You dont like a single one i have listed shows you hate games that are good, critically acclaimed, innovative, Not boring...
are u fucking kidding me...80% of those games are no pc games. I love all types of games...PC games, ps3, nintendo, 360 (much less so), but they all have great games
amnesia dark descent (return of survival horror), some great adventure games...heck all u have listed are free to play, multiplayer, starcraft, world of warcraft like cheap games that only people with no lives play..play games that are art and actually good!!!!
Did he really mean Far Cry 2 at 31:30? There was a split after Far Cry between Crysis (Crytek) and Far Cray 2 (Ubisoft). Far Cry 2 wasn't really an amazing looking game. It was good looking but they weren't shooting for anything incredible looking... However Crysis...
Quake Live (aka Quake III) is accepted amongst the top players of FPS games worldwide as the best competitive first person ever made. It STILL is. Everyone knows that. Starcraft 2 is the benchmark is RTS gaming. This is not a coincidence or an accident. They were made to push the boundries and improve on past games. And they worked. I never mentioned WOW - it's not my thing. I played Warcraft 1,2 and 3 only. And to talk about games being 'art', well for sure LA Noire and Bioshock sure ain't art.
A LASER CAME FROM MY SMART TELEVISION BEAMING ME WITH A STRANGE DONALD TRUMP ACTING LIKE GOD ILLUSION 😠😠😠 THY SHALL NOT LIE..... 😭😠😠😠 JESUS IS THE LORD
Im sorry, Quake Live is casual? There would be no chance in hell for a casual gamer to glean ANY amount of enjoyment entering the Quake Live servers. You have to have a TON of FPS experience to even hope to compete in the LOWER tiers. Quake is NOT a casual game. Period. Exactly the same with Starcraft 2. The competition is of the highest level. Same with LOL, although that is more accessible than the other two. If I want to play a casual game, I load up my Dreamcast or an emulator.
i respect your opinion...but imo the games you listed are sooooo fucking casual, free to play, cheap, and lame..super meatboy is the only one game u listed which i have played and liked
HR did NOT bring the 'series' (which by then consisted of one of the best games ever made, and a clunky, unoptimized port of an XBOX game) back to quality. It was better than DX2, but everything is better than DX2. It's quite funny the way people just write off the fact that the art of the industry has simply been replaced with formula. Oh and the Dev's admitting their game had 'mistakes' makes me feel no sympathy or forgiveness for their non-effort. The best games out today are indie games.
wow...is all i have to say...bioshock, bioshock infnite, dishonored, skyrim, portal/portal2, uncharted 2, LA noire, heavy rain, shadow of the collosus, last guardian, last of us, zelda, mario galaxies...u sir have no taste in games
Out of the list there really is nothing new. World of Goo is a great game, but you didn't mention that before. Fallout 3 is a casual game, it's not a true RPG and considering where it came from it's a such a different experience that I hardly thought it should have the Fallout name. In my opnion, the last great game that Bethesda made (and by that I mean the last step FORWARD) was Morrowind. Since then everything has been so watered down it is a backwards move.
I disagree. Deadly Shadows was a console game, same as Deus Ex 2. It was a leaguestep backwards from both the original Thief games and Deus Ex 1 respectively. Strange how the panel are talking about these 'amazing games' clearly with some degree of personal nostalgia, yet they bring out filth like Dishonoured, 15 years later, and expect what? For me to buy that shit? I wouldn't even pirate modern day games. R.I.P Looking Glass Studios.
disnonoured is an amazing game, on par with the original thief games - thats not even for debate. I dont even care if you commented 7 years ago, youre full of shit
Limbo was okay for the hour and a half it lasted. I would not replay it. There is no reason to. Braid is the same. Journey is more of a tech demo, almost scene like, than a game. Walking dead is more of the same. I look for depth, replayability, originality and innovation. I cut my teeth in the 80's on the Amstrad CPC and BBC Micro games. I gorged on every title released for the PC throughout the 90's. I no longer have time or patience to tolerate shit games.
The level of influence that Looking Glass had on my gaming life cannot be overstated. It's refreshing (although not unexpected) that many of Looking Glass' alums went on to join and also lead some of today's top game companies. I can only hope that my design work is as respectful to my audience as Looking Glass was to theirs.
This is really special. Thank you for sharing.
Origin Systems had a big impact on game industry. A lot of Looking Glass people came from Origin, and later they formed studios like Irrational Games, Arkan Studios, Ion Storm, FunCom and so on. All of them were extremely talented people. And even after Looking Glass and Origin close their doors, their work continues to inspire new devs.
This sounds look a post 10 year funeral.
"Oh looking glass we will hold fond memories of you."
Thanks mate. Those podcasts are actually forming the centre of the inspiration of my next mobile games. I've listened to them over and over. Cheers, and enjoy!
Yep, Looking Glass made some of my favorite games of all times, especially the Thief games. Love these interviews. Also, check out the GAMBIT PODCASTS, where a guy from MIT interviews 10 different sessions of Looking Glass employees. Awesome!
Those podcasts were gold.
My pleasure. Those GAMBIT podcasts are really excellent!
One of the top 10 game studios of all time. Most of these devs went on to create even more amazing games afterwards after shown here.
Thief 2 and System Shock are still some of my favorite games ever made. When Looking Glass closed shortly after me hearing all the rumors of Thief 3 (which later came out from Ion Storm with the name Deadly Shadows - also very good), it felt like I was punched in the gut.
Thumb this guys comment up, those are excellent podcasts!
i was in my thirties when i got to play the thief 2 demo and got me hooked. when i went out i got thief gold(used), for only ten bucks and rushed to play it on my then just bought e machines 433i computer. by the time i finished it, i went back to the computer game store and bought thief 2(used again) (thanks to the same fool who took in to trade it) ( decided to buy thief the dark project used from the again same fool who brought it in to trade to the store and I knew it was a prier of thief gold, but the weird shaped box is what i wanted.) later the same store had a give away at dirt cheap price of unwanted games, System shock2 and I wanted it for on the box was looking glass 2.75 bucks and from again the same fool who did not want it no more.
Really love these games and still playing them on my old 433i computer(though I am interested of the new pod stuff for the old games with better graghics and response from the people in the game)
I still love more than some the modern games that tend to be the same story wise, I admitt i still can not finish system shock2.
5:05 - Yeah! Now I recognize him from a Skyrim documentary clip from Bethesda, the one of the "Barbarian Choir" singers recording the song in a Studio with Jeremy Soule. The guy who wrote the lyrics for the "Dovahkiin song" in a weekend, and invented the dragon language for the game, he came from Looking Glass and the Thief games. Enough said.
ttlg brought me here. Thank you
Awesome panel
The problem with nowadays games is that they are being made for the consoles, which are actually limiting their potential by lack of power. If World moved back to the PC's we'd see Looking Glass-like teams emerging from the grasps of publishers and onto the light.
On the other hand - LG went bancrupt, which would signal, that "intelligent" and "commercial success" just doesnt go well together in this world. Which applies not only to video game industry, tho.
Games such as half-Life, System Shock, and Theif wouldn't of been able to run on consoles due to the environments size and complex AI. Any PC game can run on a console these days, so what exactly are they are holding back?
Consoles will always serve as a progress retarders, no matter what Microsofts' PR office will tell public to think.
CornishCreamtea07 Not true. Most games that would be designed for PC from ground up would have a problem running on the consoles, even when they cut up the levels, lower the resolution and make it only 30 FPS.
No thats not the problem. That is just the system.
I came to this conclusion after finishing FEAR 1 and then playing the stinker that was FEAR 2: absolutely limited by consoles
Thanks, these really make up for a lackluster E3.
Back in the late 90's, technology was being push FAR more than it is today. There was never an equilibrium between hardware and software back then, one industry was constantly pushing the other, which was desperately playing catchup. If you compare like for like, the advancements were much more groundbreaking and came faster in the old days. Today it's almost stagnant. Check how much graphics over 10 random games of the same genre have improved since 2004-2012. Then check 1996-2004.
The qualities that separate passing games and ones that stand the test of time?
Care. Effort. Passion. A desire to make a game that is truly unique, enjoyable, immersive, or any combination of the 3. A desire to make a game that you want to make, rather than what a group of pigs in suits want made in order to be like top-selling franchises (Name me one situation where a game clone has met or exceeded sales/reception of the original).
Great panel.
Games which I have bought and enjoyed which were made post 2006? Off the top of my head (there are few) - Super Meat Boy, Sonic Generations, Starcraft II Wings of Liberty + Heart of the Swarm, Heroes of Might and Magic 6, Quake Live + League of Legends (both free to play), Tribes Ascend (again, free to play), GTR 2... okay that's all I can think of right now. Ask me for a list pre-2005 and I will need a lot more room ^^
well said!!
i agree with your statement to a certain extent, but i think you got your years wrong... i would say the big changes came from 1990-2007(best year for games imo). 2008-2013 has made some changes in video gaming, but for less so...especially 2011-13
I'm curious to see what games you like this gen (2006-2013)...cause it seems like you only enjoy games before from like 1990-2004 (mostly great classic pc games)
i see no fly, but if you refer to what's worth the wait, i approve. No news of it, do they wait for the next-gen consoles ?
I wish I could pay attention to what he was saying.
Why didn't you like Dishonored, I almost enjoyed it as much as Ken Levines Masterpiece Bioshock Infnite (1999 mode)
You guys are unwittingly constructing the matrix...
I have exquisite taste in games. Most of the games you mentioned are console games which were ported to the PC and they cater for the lowest common denominator of the market, as well as a control pad. YOU, sir, have a casual taste in games.
I agree, games like Journey, TWD, the Bit.Trip series, Team Meat, are all awesome, but other games like Witcher 2, Batman AC, the Uncharted series, Far Cry 3, God of War, etc, are just as great mechanically, if not overly revolutionary (which is understandable, considering the cost). DE:HR was a very enjoyable experience, minus the 30 minutes or so of all the boss fights put together. At least it is in my opinion. I'm sorry if you don't find any satisfaction in modern games - your loss.
Not a loss at all. I am just as happy now playing Tron 2.0, Quake Dissolutions of Eternity, Deus Ex 1, System Shock 2, Master of Magic, HOMM 4, Civilization 2 Advanced (the list is endless) as I was back when they first came out. The loss is the developers of poor over hyped casual games, because they never see my money. I advise all my friends to never buy them too, and they usually don't. Starcraft 2 was worth my £40. Since then, not a penny has gone to the unworthy greedy vultures.
Once you overcome the tedius and boring opening act, and the game finally opens up, it becomes fun. Quite honestly, despite the repetitive objectives and shallow story, Far Cry 2 is my favorite far cry game thus far. The setting and the atmosphere is amazing, and exploring is always fun in that game. FC 2 crushes Crysis in terms of gameplay in my opinion. Crysis is just a watered down Far Cry 1,with special powers. In fact the entire FC series is fantastic. Crysis was good, 2 and 3 were average
DS was a good game. Not to the standards as Metal Age, to be sure, but still not bad. Deus Ex 2 was much worse than 1, but HR brought the series back to quality, I think (except for the poopy boss battles - which the dev agreed was a mistake.)
And that's too bad. There's a lot of awesome modern games out today.
wat about some great indie games...limbo, braid, journey, walking dead, flower
It's on the bald guy's head at 46:46. :D :D
mario galaxy is so inovative with its gameplay, original bioshock, mass effect, red dead redemption, LA fucking Noire, Ico, world of goo, fallout 3. minecraft,?? I have tons of other games....but the fact that You dont like a single one i have listed shows you hate games that are good, critically acclaimed, innovative, Not boring...
A bit of self congratulations there :)
The self introductions strangely reminded me of audits.....wtf is wrong with me?
are u fucking kidding me...80% of those games are no pc games. I love all types of games...PC games, ps3, nintendo, 360 (much less so), but they all have great games
amnesia dark descent (return of survival horror), some great adventure games...heck all u have listed are free to play, multiplayer, starcraft, world of warcraft like cheap games that only people with no lives play..play games that are art and actually good!!!!
Did he really mean Far Cry 2 at 31:30? There was a split after Far Cry between Crysis (Crytek) and Far Cray 2 (Ubisoft). Far Cry 2 wasn't really an amazing looking game. It was good looking but they weren't shooting for anything incredible looking... However Crysis...
Quake Live (aka Quake III) is accepted amongst the top players of FPS games worldwide as the best competitive first person ever made. It STILL is. Everyone knows that. Starcraft 2 is the benchmark is RTS gaming. This is not a coincidence or an accident. They were made to push the boundries and improve on past games. And they worked. I never mentioned WOW - it's not my thing. I played Warcraft 1,2 and 3 only. And to talk about games being 'art', well for sure LA Noire and Bioshock sure ain't art.
TheVanillatech quake live=/=quake 3
A LASER CAME FROM MY SMART TELEVISION BEAMING ME WITH A STRANGE DONALD TRUMP ACTING LIKE GOD ILLUSION 😠😠😠 THY SHALL NOT LIE..... 😭😠😠😠 JESUS IS THE LORD
super meatboy is honestly the only game i can respect
Im sorry, Quake Live is casual? There would be no chance in hell for a casual gamer to glean ANY amount of enjoyment entering the Quake Live servers. You have to have a TON of FPS experience to even hope to compete in the LOWER tiers. Quake is NOT a casual game. Period. Exactly the same with Starcraft 2. The competition is of the highest level. Same with LOL, although that is more accessible than the other two. If I want to play a casual game, I load up my Dreamcast or an emulator.
TheVanillatech it depends who you play it with i mean you could have a fun casual expirience when playing with some other noobs
if you play pc games, u should have definitly listed some better games...amnesia?
i respect your opinion...but imo the games you listed are sooooo fucking casual, free to play, cheap, and lame..super meatboy is the only one game u listed which i have played and liked
HR did NOT bring the 'series' (which by then consisted of one of the best games ever made, and a clunky, unoptimized port of an XBOX game) back to quality. It was better than DX2, but everything is better than DX2. It's quite funny the way people just write off the fact that the art of the industry has simply been replaced with formula. Oh and the Dev's admitting their game had 'mistakes' makes me feel no sympathy or forgiveness for their non-effort. The best games out today are indie games.
They made REAL games, not these modern fancy looking boring straight corridor shooters.
Well, I hope we'll get some of LGS magic in dishonored.
wow...is all i have to say...bioshock, bioshock infnite, dishonored, skyrim, portal/portal2, uncharted 2, LA noire, heavy rain, shadow of the collosus, last guardian, last of us, zelda, mario galaxies...u sir have no taste in games
Out of the list there really is nothing new. World of Goo is a great game, but you didn't mention that before. Fallout 3 is a casual game, it's not a true RPG and considering where it came from it's a such a different experience that I hardly thought it should have the Fallout name. In my opnion, the last great game that Bethesda made (and by that I mean the last step FORWARD) was Morrowind. Since then everything has been so watered down it is a backwards move.
I disagree. Deadly Shadows was a console game, same as Deus Ex 2. It was a leaguestep backwards from both the original Thief games and Deus Ex 1 respectively. Strange how the panel are talking about these 'amazing games' clearly with some degree of personal nostalgia, yet they bring out filth like Dishonoured, 15 years later, and expect what? For me to buy that shit? I wouldn't even pirate modern day games.
R.I.P Looking Glass Studios.
disnonoured is an amazing game, on par with the original thief games - thats not even for debate. I dont even care if you commented 7 years ago, youre full of shit
Limbo was okay for the hour and a half it lasted. I would not replay it. There is no reason to. Braid is the same. Journey is more of a tech demo, almost scene like, than a game. Walking dead is more of the same. I look for depth, replayability, originality and innovation. I cut my teeth in the 80's on the Amstrad CPC and BBC Micro games. I gorged on every title released for the PC throughout the 90's. I no longer have time or patience to tolerate shit games.