New Rising Media

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Video Game industry: out for creativity's blood.

From vector-based graphics to crisp high-def visuals, chip-tune soundtracks to 7.1 surround and cartridges to the proliferation of download services such as Steam and PSN, it'd be disingenuous to think that videogames haven't evolved in the past 15 years. But yet, it's become an industry indefinitely suffering with creative stagnation. Yearly franchised sequels litter the shelves, while projects are green-lit not through being innovative or, you know, wholly original, but on its long-term commercial viability. It's why after an arduous 15-year long development period, we've finally seen the release of Duke Nukem Forever – rightfully slammed by critics but topping sales charts – a game so abhorrently poor and immature that it serves to fuel the mainstream press' anger towards our medium. Where has the inspiration gone?