L.A. Noir and "episodic" gaming
Those of you into video games might know that a few years back, "episodic gaming" was all the rage, and pundits were talking about how it would change the industry. It didn't. I didn't think it would because of how it was implemented: nobody wants to wait months between episodes of an ongoing story. I mean seriously, how many people can't even wait a week, and won't watch TV until the season is done and they can "shotgun" it?
Anyway, L.A. Noir should be a textbook for a new kind of game design. It is broken into cases that can each be played through in one to two hours; it also has a very friendly failproof design that adapts the story to how well you are investigating. It's not how every game should be made, but it's a great model for presenting narrative-heavy games in a casual-gamer-friendly format. Even as a more dedicated gamer, I appreciate the "episodic" nature that gives me a perfectly sized story arc I can play in an evening without taking all night. And they delivered it all at once so I can play at my own pace. (There will be downloadable bonus cases, but they are presented as independent standalone "episodes" in an otherwise "season-length" narrative arc.)
Anyway, L.A. Noir should be a textbook for a new kind of game design. It is broken into cases that can each be played through in one to two hours; it also has a very friendly failproof design that adapts the story to how well you are investigating. It's not how every game should be made, but it's a great model for presenting narrative-heavy games in a casual-gamer-friendly format. Even as a more dedicated gamer, I appreciate the "episodic" nature that gives me a perfectly sized story arc I can play in an evening without taking all night. And they delivered it all at once so I can play at my own pace. (There will be downloadable bonus cases, but they are presented as independent standalone "episodes" in an otherwise "season-length" narrative arc.)