Popular Xbox 360 driving simulation Forza MotorSport 2 was a wonderfully realistic simulation guaranteed to get any petrol hedonist's motor running. Yet many critics and gamers complained the game lacked soul. They argued that it was too sterile, too predictable, that it was lacking a certain je ne sais pas pourquoi. Some even called it boring, surely one of the worst insults you can slap on any game.
Gamesmaster wholeheartedly didn't agree with the criticism, although Forza 2 would certainly have been better if it was imbued with more "personality". Like another wonderful Xbox racing series, Project Gotham Racing, the tracks are lifeless, which certainly doesn't help make it endearing to newcomers.
At the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo, the content director for Forza creators Turn 10, John Wendl, acknowledged to Gamesmaster that his team had listened to criticism of his Forza 2 that the game was "sterile".
To their credit, Turn 10 has responded with a much larger selection of exotic fictional courses to counter the criticism and make a driving experience that was more "exciting and thrilling". Many of the courses have also been designed to create drama and give a greater sense of speed.
John Wendl says that better lighting also helps give the game more depth and richness, and crowds and other animations also help make the racer feel more "alive" than its predecessor.
Today I’m interested to hear from you about the games you have played that have felt like they lacked "that certain something". Has there been any games you have played lately that you have felt have lacked soul?
A game that readily springs to my mind as lacking soul is Driver 76, a "by-the-numbers" sequel so generic (and inferior to its GTA competitors) that it's existence seems entirely pointless, despite its technical proficiency.
Other games in recent times that have also felt sterile include Formula One: Championship Edition, Juiced, Need for Speed Underground, and the disastrous Sonic the Hedgehog and Superman Returns games. Not all of the games in this list are terrible, indeed some are great games, but they certainly lacked something.
It's a hard criticism to put your finger on, and it's equally difficult to imagine how any creative endeavour ends up feeling sterile, especially when no developer could surely lack passion for their own project, regardless of how generic the concept or design. There is always room to add individual personality or spark to a game, even if it's just a few small features that set the game apart from all others.
Over to you now. What games have you played that have lacked “soul”?