I've recently picked up two of the most wildly popular 3-D action-adventure titles in recent years. One is Sony's Greek epic God of War, and the other is Ubisoft's sequel to a classic Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. Experiencing these games one after the other has prompted me to think about state of the 3-D action-adventure genre, and the importance of titles like these to future generations of 3-D action games. Just what is it that makes these games so different from other games in this and other genres? What game, if any, provides promising innovation fit to inspire future titles?


The Appeal

The first question that needs to be answered is, what is the appeal of games like God of War and Prince of Persia, and how do they differ from other games in the same category? Both of these games offer fast paced game play mixed with mind-bending puzzle elements, which is pretty much the definition of a 3-D action-adventure game. These titles are made special by both the great deal of polish put into the common action game elements and the great deal of depth added to the games by diverging from the conventions of 3-D action games.


God of War, for example, is acclaimed for, among other things, its deep fighting system. Often 3-D action-adventure games are plagued by incredibly repetitive game play, God of War's fighting system does wonders for keeping the game interesting as the game progresses. The ability to learn so many combos and magic spells increases the game's replay value tremendously. All three of the recent Prince of Persia games however, owe most of their popularity to the time manipulation game mechanic and to the smoothly animated, acrobatic abilities of the main character. By doing away with the stiff, clumsy animation characteristic of so many games Prince of Persia offers a better looking and more immersive game.


The similarities and differences between these two games are quite ironic. It seems that each game is lacking in the areas that the other does well. For example, Prince of Persia's fighting system, although much improved from previous games still lack's the depth of God of War. Conversely, the animations and movements in God of War are incredibly clunky, especially when compared to Prince of Persia. Because of their offsetting shortcomings it's very difficult to say if either game is much better than the other. However, it is safe to say that they are both good games, and they stick to their strengths. This is also true of many of the other recent action-adventure success stories such as Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden and Capcom's Resident Evil 4, which also draw their success from polished action-adventure game play and defiance of convention.


The Innovation

Defiance of convention is synonymous with innovation. The recent innovation seen in 3-D action-adventure titles has helped to provide the video games industry with a much needed creative shot in the arm. God of War's innovation, the fighting system, is not only innovative because of its depth, but also because of elements such as the "reaction command" (i.e. quickly entering the on screen button combination in order to rip off the head of a Gorgon). This is an element that is gaining in popularity because of games like Resident Evil 4. Prince of Persia's main innovation of time manipulation is now a few years old, but it's still an interesting and enjoyable game mechanic. Like the "reaction command", the time manipulation game mechanic has begun to show up in many games in all different genres.


God of War and Prince of Persia provide interesting and enjoyable new flavors of action-adventure game play, but neither of them completely redefines the genre. The only recent action-adventure game that comes close to being that revolutionary is Sony's Shadow of the Colossus. A game that pits the player against sixteen colossi in a string of boss battles that are the equivalent of solving giant, moving (and attacking) puzzles. This is a game that is very difficult to put in the same category as God of War and Prince of Persia. In fact, it's very close to being in its own category, not thanks to enhanced fighting or time gimmicks, but thanks rather to a different organization and approach to game play.


The Future

So what is the future of 3-D action-adventure games? One possibility is the enhancement of common action-adventure game elements such as God of War's fighting system. Another is the introduction new enjoyable game play gimmicks like Prince of Persia's time manipulation. Yet another option is the complete genre revamp like Shadow of the Colossus. Which of these options is better for gamers and the gaming industry? My personal opinion is that, even though I will still buy games like God of War the gaming industry needs more games like Shadow of the Colossus. I think the industry benefits from the type of game that introduces a whole new approach (think Metal Gear Solid or the first Resident Evil). Games like these show signs of industry growth.

Note: views and opinions expressed in this article are the author's and are not necessarily those of Wolverine Soft.