[General Discussion] Are developers afraid to make 2D games on Consoles now?

I honestly wish that more 2D games would come out. Right now people have such a hardon for graphics that something gets forgetten in the process: Actual gameplay and enjoyment. When 2D games were in their heyday, that's what developers had to focus on when making the game, since 2D graphics would only take them so far. It became up to the game itself to determine if it were good or not, rather than the pretty screenshots put up to sell the game in advance.

Me, I find most 3D games very ugly, and really wish that there would be a push to either produce better games or go back to when games actually meant something.

I miss the fun that games used to have. Playing Gauntlet or Contra or R-Type or Tetris for hours on end. What is there now that compares? Not too terribly much, and when a game gets re-made 3D, it mostly ends up sucking hardcore. There are a few exceptions (I enjoyed Pitfall 3D), but they all seem to "lose" something in the translation, and end up being far worse than the older originals. It's too bad really.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I understand what you're saying JackyBoy. I'm not saying that all games that are 3D suck for gameplay, nor that all 2D games are great. What I am saying is since 3D is the accepted style now, it seems as if all gameplay elements and the things that make games fun seems to have taken a back seat to prettifying a game. It makes it easier to sell a game if it's pretty, simply due to magazine adds and such that can advertise your pretty graphics.

2D games had a limitation to how gorgeous they could be (although developers were always pushing that limit somewhat). Thus, the game could focus more on the actual gameplay in development, rather than spend all its time making a pretty CG scene or making the background flawless. Of course there are exceptions to everything. Look at God of War or Devil May Cry. Both absolutely stunning games that were fun to play, and both 3D. They problem is these games are more the exception than the rule. 2D games that are released in recent times tend to be much better than 3D games (I'm not stating a fact here, simply opinion... ). The problem is those 2D games, although great looking for their style, simply can't compete with the 3D games and their "leet" graphics.

A simple (opinionated, of course) example is this: Look at Final Fantasy VII and compare it to Final Fantasy VI. Everybody and their dog loves Final Fantasy VII (except me, heh). They think it is the epitomy of games. For many games it is the first Final Fantasy game they've played, let alone their first RPG. When told there are earlier games, they eagerly jump to them...only to say they suck because they aren't as pretty. That's where the problem lies. They are the "mainstream people". The hardcore gamers know that this is not true, but games are a big money business and developers will put out games to what the mainstream audience wants, which means too much 3D and not enough "game".

There's nowhere I can't reach.