Current gen of gaming.

[StartOurwar]

I was going to post this under the resident evil 6 thread, but I realized it got off subject and may come off slightly trollish(I seriously hope not) Just kind of looking for an outlet to discuss the current generation of gaming.

I must admit, this gen of gaming has me completely jaded and unenthused. I can't tell if I'm changing or if the gaming industry itself is changing (little of both honestly).
I'm getting to the point where that every new trailer, new announcement, new game on the shelf...just kind of...leaves me bewildered. I'm tired of shooting, beating, maiming, destroying, and blowing up hoards of gangs, aliens, foreigners, terrorist, and innocent civilians.
I think back to the last five years and wonder....what games truly made me feel something(other than like a badass) or what games really left an impression on me. The Portal series? Yeah, maybe. Bioshock? To a degree, it was still pretty much about shooting people in the face. Heavy Rain? I like what it tried to do, but it failed miserably. Catherine? I'll admit, that game almost had me. The twist killed it.
Games are just an artistic outlet, like movies or books. They can be about anything. Love, hate, envy, regret. You could tell any kind of story. It can be anything at all. Yet, we shoot things in the face and ask for more. "Oh? Another lifeless Resident Evil? Another generic third person shooter? Another first person shooter? Another generic third person shooter but with robots??? Yes give me more of this!" As a side note, I'm guilty of this too. lol

What was the last game to make you feel something? A game that stuck with you? A game you know you will remember for years to come. For me, it was Shadow of the Colossus.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Bioshock had the whole package. and Metal Gear Solid 4, i cried at the end

 

[StartOurwar]

Bioshock had the whole package. and Metal Gear Solid 4, i cried at the end

I'm going to agree to disagree with Bioshock. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the game. I highly enjoyed the way they pulled Ayn Rand's Philosophy into the game. But, the game was pretty much a reimagining of System Shock 2. But, these days I'm a cranky nit picker.

As for Metal Gear Solid 4. I forgot about that game. The games story was a bit convoluted. But, that scene where you're crawling down that microwave, the final fight, and the scene where Raiden saves your ass. Pretty stellar stuff.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

As for Metal Gear Solid 4. I forgot about that game. The games story was a bit convoluted. But, that scene where you're crawling down that microwave, the final fight, and the scene where Raiden saves your ass. Pretty stellar stuff.

the microwave hallway with the button-tapping input really mirrored the struggle on-screen, and i loved how they turned the gane on its ear for the final fight into a 2-d brawler

 

[StartOurwar]

the microwave hallway with the button-tapping input really mirrored the struggle on-screen, and i loved how they turned the gane on its ear for the final fight into a 2-d brawler

As much as I enjoyed Metal Gear, the series never really evoked a great emotional reaction out of me. Now, Shadow of the Colossus on the Ps2. That game made me honestly sit down and rethink the idea of gaming conventions. Why we do the things we do in games. Obviously we do what we do to progress! But, even early on...this game felt different. It felt like the actions I was undertaking had a greater meaning, a greater loss really. I won't spoil anything, but it turned into one of the most beautiful games I've ever played, highly recommend it if you haven't played it yet.

 

[Serpentor]

This generation has been over crowded with games and that is the start of the problem. The other problem is squeals, or more accurately the quickness in which squeals are made truly great sequels take time but now its every 2 years like clock work or every year if possible. No one takes the time to sit down and plan out a story and then get down to the task of making a great game. I could go on and on but this whole generation really has come down to the big companies just looking for the next big thing to latch on to and make a quick buck. Creativity has died in the favor of a basic formula.

The basic formula for this generation is Shooter First or 3rd Person, online multi-player be it needed or not (Dead Space 2 did not need an online component it was a survival horror game.)

Some of the more interesting games this generation get over-looked, Mirror's Edge was a great game, a first person game that didn't focus on violence but it didn't sell that well, so now the question is will EA allow DICE to make a sequal? Or will they have to do more Battlefield games to make everyone happy?

Its like the 90's were for comics in the sense that games are selling tons
of copies and everyone is making them, but the industry is heading for a crash. Already we see a lot of people avoiding the console and handheld games in favor of things for their phones or i devices or Facebook.

I was a big gamer when this gen started now that may be in part because I missed out on the PS2 X-box gen and I felt like I had catching up to do, but now I have so many games sitting here un-played and I can't bring myself to bother for the most part. I loved Bioshock and have played it through multiple times. Outside of that? Mass Effect 1 and 2 were great games and I played them a couple of times. Outside of them however, if it wasn't SFIV I haven't bothered to replay much of anything. Creativity had died and its just do what ever the other guy did that made money.

 

[snappahead]

This has been the best generation of gaming I've had. The sheer number of fantastic games I've played during this console cycle has been way more than any other. I think the high quality of gaming today (for the most part) is part of the problem ironically. People have come to expect so much from games that anything less than amazing is considered a "disappointment".

I feel for developers. Game development is such a complicated and difficult process and peoples expectations are through the roof these days. Competition is stiffer than ever and you're playing to a pretty fickle and jaded audience that is waiting to be blown away.

I personally have rewritten my "favorite games of all time" more than once this gen and would honestly say that the 360 is my new favorite system of all time. Blasphemy!? Not really. Just my honest opinion. I went through my "meh" phase last gen, but this one has kept me entertained all the way through and I'm definitely ready for the next go-around.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

gears of war. books, games, comics everything ties into each other

 

[CultofSkaro]

If you look at stuff like Xbox Live arcade, this generation isn't that bad. You can avoid mindless uninspired shooters by playing Super Meat Boy, Trials, Fez, Joe Danger, Limbo, Braid etc, and the occasional beautiful game like Journey on the PS Store.

These downloadable titles are better than most retail games these days.

 

[Theokan]

I feel the same way, kind of jaded to be honest. I have an up-to-date gaming PC and a PS3, and I usually end up playing older games and other low budget games that I personally find them as better games than what's out there today. I recently found out about a few facebook and iphone strategy games that are actually more strategic then most $60 titles that I've played, which is pretty crazy to me.. but I digress..


I think Psychonauts was the last game where I truly felt something. It's kind of that same feeling when watching "Edward Scissorhands" for the first time when I was like 8 years old.

The first portal game was great too. haven't started the 2nd one yet so can't comment on it just yet..

If you don't mind indie point and click adventures, 'The Whispered World' and 'Machinarium' are truly beautiful games. The ending to Whispered World is one of those really memorable moments that will stick with you. You might find these types of games slow and boring at first, but it's good to mix things up a bit, play some slow "artsy" games if you want to be inspired, then some generic shooter when you want some more action, etc..

an older game that was extremely memorable to me was the beginning 20 minutes of 'Prey'. The rest of the game is just mediocre mindless shooter so I don't really recommend it for the gameplay alone, but I'd pay 10 bucks for the game just to experience the first 20 min, it's totally worth it. I got into the game not knowing what's gonna happen and it totally blew my mind out.


For games with current gen graphics, the closest one to inspiring me is probably the Mass Effect series, so far I think it is the best representation of living in a world among other alien species in a video game. All the background story and politics that go with it makes you feel and understand the world enough to care about what's going on.

some other older games that stuck with me: Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver(story), Hitman(gameplay), No One Lives forever(humor), Abe's Oddyssey /Exoddus(characters), Day of the Tentacle(humor), etc..


-

 

[intothevoid]

Oblivion and Skyrim, just incredible games with amazing depth in the stories

 

[JonD7]

I love the current gen of gaming...

The first 4 or 5 years was amazing... now I think we're just at the point where it feels as though we've seen and played everything *shrugs* but theirs always room for improvements.

My favorite games this gen... Heavenly Sword, Resistance, Uncharted 2, MGS4, Portal games and the Arkham Asylum games.

 

[DarthKy]

Uncharted were great games that had great story and gameplay.
Arkham asylam/city.
God of War
Fable series
Assasins Creed series
etc.

 

[DCM81]

I think it's basically the same situation with movies. Both are made, first and foremost for entertainement purposes. A big budget generic action hit is always going to be more successful than a very artistic piece - it's simply the mentality of the masses. Short attention spans and a growing inability to think about something are also a factor.

Individualism and creativity are slowly but surely getting erradicated by the global, all consuming capitalsm that now permeates every fiber of our present time.

If a company has the choice between a great, new, artistic idea or rehashing the same old idea but making twice as much profit off of it, for most at least, it's a no brainer.

 

[THX-182]

Games are what they are. Some are great others are "meh". I think the problem is that more of them are "meh" than actual worthy purchases. Games really have changed drastically. Many of them are copies or sequels that recycle the same stuff. Very few new ideas. I think one of the big problems is that there are few things that haven't been done. It's difficult to come up with something original now.

If I didn't have such a HUGE backlog of games to currently play I might subscribe to something like Gamefly because many games are good for one play through but not much more than that. It's a crapshoot and not worth $60 a pop to always take a chance on a game.

 

[lerath666]

Short Version, the corporate side of the industry, is killing the industry.
Brand Recognition has become more important than creativity, and telling good stories. People who don't understand games, are th ones making decisions.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FpigqfcvlM[/ame]

You can make the flashiest, most gorgeous game of all time, but if it's not fun, it's not fun .

Thankfully, we do have a Renascence going on in the form of Indie companies who still believe in being creative.

unfortunately, i think we will still have big business companies pumping out the yearly cawadoodie, and other lackluster titles, as long a s people keep buying into the hype.

You know what game I Love that could use a revisit?

Xenogears. I think I'm gonna go find my copy.

 

[Shropt]

Wow, that video made me hate all current gen games. LOL.

Seriously though. I haven't kept a game and played it for more than a few hours recently.

My list of games I've played for like 4 hours and sold:

Zelda: Skyward Sword
Assassins Creed Revelations
Dark Souls
Skyrim

/facepalm

 

[darthviper107]

The reason for this feeling is that basically every game studio can make a game like the first AAA games we had for this generation. We have so many games that are all around the same quality nothing can stand out anymore. That's one of the main reasons that we need to move to the next generation. BTW check this out:

[ame]https://youtu.be/KLd8kEQJIzw[/ame]

 

[StartOurwar]

You guys have raised a lot of extremely interesting points. Some I agree with...some I drastically disagree with. I'm not here to fight through, I just love talking about games.
I guess one thought I've been having with games is....maybe "fun" isn't enough anymore. I mean...shooting things is very fun, don't get me wrong. But, I do crave something more. Imagine if all movies decided to be romantic comedies. You might watch them and laugh at a line or two...maybe even have a little fun watching it....but at some point things are just going to feel stagnant, unoriginal, and boring. I know that logic has holes in it, but I think it draws an interesting parallel with how the gaming industry is going.

I also understand games cost a crapton of money. We are talking millions. I'm sure most companies aren't really interested in putting up money on the video gaming version of David Copperfield....

 

[KBA]

Got to reiterate what others have said: Metal Gear, Shadow of The Colossus, and Xenogears all struck chords with me that made it beyond a video game experience. I wonder if it was a perfect storm for growing up and games being created for the right reasons. I was 13 when Final Fantasy VII captured my imagination. A couple years later Metal Gear Solid and Xenogears did the same. The last game to truly kick my face off was Shadow of the Colossus. I hope its successor does the same.