Developers are constantly looking for the next trick to make their titles stand out above the rest. If you’re a gamer, then you’re already familiar with the traditional interactive mechanics that get reinvented from time to time to change up the traditional feel of gaming. Such standards have typically revolved around graphics and gameplay interaction (PlayStation Move and vibration feedback for example). However, one particular dev thinks a new standard will be entering the competition in the near future.
With the recent advent of 3D home entertainment, SOCOM 4 lead designer, Travis Steiner, spoke his feeling to CVG about the third dimension, and he believes it will be the new par for industry standards.
Yeah, certainly… It’s been great [to use 3D] in SOCOM and it’s definitely something that we’re going to see more of in games in the future.
Steiner goes on to say that the immersion brought on by 3D is key to getting the players to feel greater depth and real danger.
Our goal is to make the game feel as realistic as possible and I think 3D is a big step in getting players immersed in the combat.
The 3D implementation in SOCOM really brings the locations to life. You really see great depth in the environment and when the combat starts. There’s things you notice a lot more.
Particularly incoming enemy fire, rockets, grenades machine gun fire, you know it makes you tense up and feel like you’re really in danger.
Already we’ve seen the full force of 3D in Killzone 3 and Zipper Interactive’s latest SOCOM 4. It’s no secret that Sony is also heavily investing into the 3D market with their next lineup of their hard-hitters getting the 3D treatment, such as Uncharted 3, Resistance 3 and the Last Guardian.
Perhaps Steiner is on to something here, but what are our readers’ thoughts? With 3D TVs already coming down in price, is this “new” dimension worth investing in?
