Hello all, I wanted to hear your opinions regarding weather or not top down shooters are becoming "over-rated". It seems to me like everyone makes them. I saw a bunch on the first page of the game maker creations.

I think that the reason that people like top-down shooters so much is because they are the closest thing to a FPS you're going to get without using a 3D DLL or the 3D functions. I find no harm in that.

-Halo

I actually kinna like 'em.

There not overrated. Period.

Oh im all for top down shooters in fact I make em myself, it just seemed like everyone did em.

There was a time when everyone made ____ games. These things come in cycles, when one person sees a game get a good reaction they might make a game like that of their own.

You'll never get bored of top-down games so long as original games keep coming out; Like how I'll never get bored of FPS games so long as they're original... Top-Down = the View; NOT the genre.

Regards
Rhys Andrews

I'll ask you what I asked in a previous similar topic: what exactly makes them overrated other than your personal view?

People call something "overrated" because they themselves do not find it as enjoyable (or whatever the criteria is) as a certain group who is promoting it. Saying that something is overrated is basically telling that other group that they should change and think like you do. However, your opinion is no more or less important than any of theirs.

There is no such thing as "overrated" when you consider everyone instead of yourself alone... only differences of opinions.

i dont think there over rated, in fact i dont think theres enough of them! and personally, i think there great (im involved in a top-down shooter: SW battlefront 2D)

Exactly. Also, they are very easy to make.

True, last year (to my knowledge) lots of people were making zelda fan-games, this year people moved on to evolution sims.
Like he said: it moves in a cycle.

*recalls the Sub-OS wars and shudders*

I would agree that it's a cycle. Sub-OSes, mario clones, stop at x, the list goes on. The worst part is that once someone sees something original, the first copy sucks more and more becuse more people make it. That's why "simple, addicting" games belong on www.addictinggames.com and not here. Too many people clone them if they see someone else made it in GM.

-Halo

I have never enjoyed the genre. It dosent do much for me. The entire genre is overrated. Now as for how overrated games inside the genre are, I wouldent know. I dont play them.

I love this genre.



THAT WAS THE WORSE

I remember, I was the idiot that stopped em. As soon as I started a flame war in that topic (Got a warning for it) The mods decided to close it and the others. Yay for me! I hated that!

'top-down' is not a genre for games. Top-Down is a type of view from the game. Action and Adventure is a genre, however top-down is not. Top-Down games will not get boring so long as the genre of the game is something that the player enjoys; and the genre is not top-down.

-Rhys

I guess people just don't like the view then.

For one thing, a top-down view is a little easier to work with because you needn't worry about things like gravity, or even speed at all. You could easily get away with nothing but x+=4, y+=4, and similar movement.

Also, as stated earlier it's the closest you can get to a FPS, without actually having to deal with the difficulty of 3d. Running around a room, and shooting anything that moves has and probably always will be popular.

'Overrated' is a poor word, because that's nothing other than an opinion, which many may disagree with.

Actually... I think it's more that most top-down games are almost identical genre's and subgenre's as each other. That's why I'm saying top-down games aren't overrated, the overly-used genre's that are generally put into top-down are overrated... And like t3mp3st, 'overrated' is a poor word.

-Rhys

HERM HERM HERM (Scratches chin)
Is there an ignore button?

I think most people hate topdowns because they're all very simular to eachother and there arnt enough unique ones with interesting gameplay.

Hopefully once i finish my FPS i will have the time to make a good topdown for you guys.

Even if the top down shooters were bad they take the attention away from (other) good games... and that's not good.

I love Top Down Shooters, infact im making one myself, Airbase 101, you might of heard of it. If a top down shooter is original and replayable then you got yourself a good game. If the gameplay is different every time, eg customizable deathmatches or an online mode, that always spices things up.

TheMagnitude aka Adam Yaxley

I think that's just opinion. Every one has one. YOU might think they're overrated, but someone who likes them would object.

Similarly, if you like adventure games, but someone else doesn't, they'll say they're overrated.

I think people who make TDSs are giving them a bad name. People are making crappy little excuses for games, becuase they can't work with gravity and haven't got the programming skills to make a program.

Some of the best games ever are TDSs, like Grand theft auto.


So, in summary, it's opinion. There are three answers ; yes, no and maybe.

But fact is, alot of top-down shooters today arent so well made. It's an easy type of game to create, so alot of begginers tries to make good top-down shooters themselves.

True. There aren`t so many good top-down shooters (RhysAndrews is that the correct way to call it? ) out there, but many of them get a lot of attention. So I would say that some of them are overrated.

David

I find them entertaining, I have no problem with them. And plus they are easier to make then FPS so they are popular.

I was just wondering, people here don't really consider TDS to be a genre, but how come people SORT OF consider FPS to be a genre. I guess you can say that TDS isn't a complete genre, but alot of people compare it to FPS so...

Anywho, I like TDS, good way to get action into a game. Most people who don't like TDS would prefer something like a Zelda style game. But from a game creators point of view it's alot easier to do TDS, all you do is have one sprite and rotate it. Where as with Zelda style you need 4 or more sprites for everything!

So yeah, I like TDS because of everything I stated above, plus I'm making one XD

Ahem. FPS stands for "first person shooter". "Shooter" - so it`s genre. It action shooter (I`m guessing that all shooters are action based). So TDS is "to-down shooter". So same as before with FPS. But if you say top-down game... what kind of game then? Shooter, simulation, sports? So here is the difference.

David

Hey guys TDS arn't bad at all, i love them, buy your right in saying loads of newbie's make them. Guess what .... im making one too

ITS NOT A GENERE!
EDIT:
im making one too..exept mine has the "good" stuff:


btw, anyone wanna help?

The helicopter looks pretty retarded lol. mabey use the helicopter sprites in the transport section of the sprite files you may have on your computer. What "good" stuff does your game have then. everone says that!
TDS's are one of the best type of games i think. Especially if they are online. I dont think they are overrated, but I do think 3D games are overrated like men of fire!
Anyway thats my opinion, everyone has different opinions and that is mine

I also don`t think they`re generally overrated. Some, like Conflict and Battlefront (and MechBot and many others) are just good. Others normally get some attention because they`re top-down and I think this is kinda "hip" now. Such games. But some are overrated and normally get quite many replies.

David

if anything, i thinhk TDS are becoming under-rated
i spent several months on mine and people dont even seem to care

I wouldn't consider TDS over-rated. I think people tend to make them a lot because creating a simple TDS is very easy compared to other genres (eg. platformers) or views (eg. First Person). And as we all know, since something is easy you will have dozens upon dozens of noobs making simple, almost identical games (think: Pong). However, I quite enjoy TDS when they are done well with plenty of details and effort put in to them (eg. my own game Trigger [/shameless plug]). Of course, they tend to get 'lost' amongst the noob TDS, so people are less likely to pay serious attention to them. It's the same with any other 'popular' genre of the time.

Sidenote: Whether or not TDSs and FPSs would be considered different genres or not depends largely on how you define 'genre'. Some people consider them quite different games (and they can be) but they also have a lot in common (the 'shooter' part, obviously). It's the same with RTS (Real Time Strategy) and TBS (Turn Based Strategy), or RPGs (Role Playing Game) and ARPGs (Action Role Playing Game).

Top-down shooters aren't overrated, there are just way too many of them made. I can understand why though; they are very easy to create. My first game, I'm sorry to say, was a top-down shooter. The thing is that people create these games and they are basically all the same, but with different sprites and sounds. They are overhyped and there are too many, but they are not overrated.