New Genre's in Gaming

[PedroSteckecilo]

I've been thinking lately about Genre's and gaming... I don't mean things like RPG, Shooter, FPS etc. I mean fiction genre's and subgenre's like Space Opera, Dark Fantasy or Cyberpunk.

What are some underused genre's in gaming? What do you think could give some fresh fuel for the industry?

Personally I'd like to see a well made Space Opera RPG, something with Epic Space Battles and lots of focus on politics. You see Mass Effect, in essence, is a Space Marine or Military Science Fiction RPG, not a Space Opera RPG... same with most other Sci Fi RPG's of the moment.

I'd also love to see a Costumed Avenger game. Not a super hero game like Infamous or Prototype, but a game where you're an above average person who dresses up in a crazy costume to fight crime with your special skill set, a game where you play as characters like The Shadow, Lobster Johnson or The Spirit.

 

[Monocle Man]

I want more Steampunk, protagonists and villains,top hats and monocles. I've got it all in my head! I just fear I may not be able to realise it.

Stop the big gigantic swords, bring back the longswords, sabers and rapiers!
Hide them in umbrellas and canes! Use 6-barrelled revolvers when the enemy is just a little too far away. Laugh manically as you ride your gigantic mechanical spider.

Just, anything with some insanity, really. A villain who wants to take over the world for the hell of it with, the hero dying in the final battle much to the villains joy, the villain dismissing his army to do it all by him/herself. With lots of giant clumsy machineries that do the trick.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Ah Steampunk... I love thee so, I've composed that genre many a poorly written sonnet...

In a similar vein, I'd also love to see some Wierd West...

You know, Cowboys and Cthulhu and crazy things like that.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

I'd like to see something like Gaiman's Sandman comics and American Gods novel. I don't know what you would call that, metaphysical maybe.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

The term is, loosely, Urban Fantasy. And yes, a mystery game with Urban Fantasy trappings would be cool. Though The Longest Journey and Dreamfall do come close...

 

[More Fun To Compute]

The Longest Journey, of course. I think that Ragnar Tornquist is a fan Gaiman and Whedon like most right thinking people. Fahrenheit is a bit like that as well but I think of it as being more cyberpunk.

 

[Pyre00]

What I'd like to see is cyberpunk fantasy. Something like WarHammer40,000, but with a lighter, not as gritty tone.

Also, this may be off topic but...why no World War One games? The war is so poorly understood by most Americans that everyone thinks the entire thing is sitting in trenches and shooting aimlessly at the other trench.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

What I'd like to see is cyberpunk fantasy. Something like WarHammer40,000, but with a lighter, not as gritty tone.

I wouldn't call Warhammer 40k "cyberpunk fantasy" but then again, I don't know what to call it other than BritGrit...

It's Fantasy... in Space... with Gritty Supertech...

I dunno, I think Gritty Science Fantasy suits it best.

Still, a lighter 40k style RPG or something would be awesome.

 

[Pyre00]

What I'd like to see is cyberpunk fantasy. Something like WarHammer40,000, but with a lighter, not as gritty tone.

I wouldn't call Warhammer 40k "cyberpunk fantasy" but then again, I don't know what to call it other than BritGrit...

It's Fantasy... in Space... with Gritty Supertech...

I dunno, I think Gritty Science Fantasy suits it best.

Still, a lighter 40k style RPG or something would be awesome.

Yeah, that's what I mean, it's too gritty and dark and orderly to be cyberpunk. And I do beleive a Warhammer 40,000 MMORPG is in the works.

 

[Clashero]

Pirates! I mean the romanticized pirates, the kind you find in Sid Meier's Pirates!
There are far too many katanas and not enough cutlasses and rapiers. Sid Meier's Pirates was amazing, and Pirates of the Burning Sea was very original, but the genre (Setting, rather) is underused.

The Longest Journey, of course. I think that Ragnar Tornquist is a fan Gaiman and Whedon like most right thinking people. Fahrenheit is a bit like that as well but I think of it as being more cyberpunk.

Ditto on The Longest Journey, they need to make more games with that kind of setting(s). A fantasy world that runs parallel to a near-future, police-state, yet quite pleasant world? Give me more of that. Supposedly they're making episodical content for TLJ after they're done with their current MMO.

 

[Nossy]

Recently, Survival Horror has taken a decline. I want to see more.

And no, Resident Evil 4 and 5 do not qualify as survival horror. They're more like action horror, where the horror is that the games are so terrible you want to die after the first hour, BUT YOU CAN'T.

 

[Arcade_Fire]

Space Western (like firefly, but an RPG) ... that would be sick.

 

[Anachronism]

Personally I'd like to see a well made Space Opera RPG, something with Epic Space Battles and lots of focus on politics.

This is something I've wanted for a very long time. Like you said, Mass Effect is about the closest thing we have to it so far, but I think the problem with this is that it's very easy to fall into cliche in space opera. I guess we'll have to wait and see if we get anything like this in future.

 

[throwitinthetrash]

This thread makes me remember Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath... and how Microsoft can't make up an emulation code for it so I can play it on my 360. >.< But it's ok! I can still play Barbie games! ;-.-

 

[blankedboy]

Genre Wars type stuff. I guess that's text-based war games.

 

[Snor]

uhm... hmmm... oh! no.. (da vinci and assassins creed check)....

aha: space nazi's? but COD 9 will probably cover that

what about a new good pirate game (rpg maybe like a cross of oblivion,mass effect and sid M's)

 

[Rhob Anybody]

I would like to se some decent vampire games. VTM Bloodlines was pretty good but so far has been the only decent example of the genre. I wanna see more like this but much more open (sort of think bloodlines crossed with fallout 3 or morrowind) with good options for stealth, action and inteligent gameplay.

Rhob