Are games sucking more or are we just old gamers?

[emsley]

When I say old I mean for the length of time we have seen games evolve.

 

In the last few years games have become so big that its all but expected that they do well when they have the right name or loyal following.

 

The nintendo Wii sucks - I'm sorry guys but its just crap there are only a handful of titles I want for that machine and no way in hell does it warrant me purchasing a unit just to play super Mario galaxy.

 

The games that spring to mind for the reason of this topic:

 

Metroid prime: How fucking AWESOME was this game? Then what happened? they churned out a really shitty sequel nowhere near as good, polished or lovingly crafted as prime. No we have another few cash ins that dont even go down in the halls of fame.

 

Metal gear solid: Playstation version - I shit my pants at how great this game was - and then I shit them even more with MGS2 - Then when sneak eater came out - I punched an old lady in the face THEN shit my pants. Apparently MGS4 if shit but I have only heard that of my friends.

 

Super mario: nes upwards, then I think it hit a really bad patch with super mario sunshine - apparently its been reprieved with galaxy.

 

resident evil: All kicked off on the PS one then hit its prime with resi 4 (the best game ever in my opinion) then we get resi 5.

 

What I have been seeing is games company's so "cocky" of there art and the ignorance of the market that when a game sells well they can just cough another squeal out like its nothing.

I don't wanna hear shit about profits I wanna know where the love has gone into making games.

 

I just got through modern warfare 2 - an excellent game with AI flaws and a tendencies to actually be quite boring in single player mode. And the prices they were charging (other than some supermarkets) was shocking. Im so glad I did not buy this game.

 

This year I have only seen a handful of games do anything awesome - Batman asylum been one, GTA BORE (lol that was a funny replacement for the number 4!) although good soon i found my self cutting the story short.

 

Why is everything going to the multiplayer experience?

Why are company's trying to control what we play and how we play it - and even control what we do with something we own so we cant sell it on.

Crappy bullshitty downloadable content - remember when you just bought an expansion pack for red alert then the worst that could be expected was a few patches here and there?

 

What are your thoughts on the current climate?

[Agozer]

I started noticing a lot of these things when console manufacturers didn't really regard their hardware as just video game consoles, but rather entertainment centers. Playing with friends at a party seems to be old and busted, new hotness is being connected and playing online, which the whole multiplayer angle plays into. All three major players are guilty of this. Crappy Bullshit Downloadable Content™ is probably the culmination of this - and of course, it's simply just another way to make more money.

 

Sure, the PS2 had an Ethernet and a HDD addon, but it never really went anywhere, because of 1) the whole endeavor was doomed in PAL territories from the start, and things weren't much better in America 2) I don't think Sony even cared enough about online play with the PS2, and pooled their online resources to the PS3.

 

As to why fewer an fewer games truly innovate, I reckon it has to do with corporate execs basically demanding how a developers should develop a game. This happened with Sega's Sonic Team, for one, and they certainly aren't the only ones feeling the sting. One problem to go along with that is developers (either by their own doing or by executive meddling) try to cram too many genres into one game. As for Nintendo Wii, Nintendo discovered the "casual gaming" market, and the rest is history. They've always been really poor at signing deals with "high profile" third party developers or caring about them ever since Square and RARE left. Plus, Nintendo themselves as a developer doesn't even try to create something new, hence why we always get yet another Mario game.

 

What really pisses me off the most is that you are required to install a console game (!) on the console's HDD in order to play it. What the fuck, are loading times that much of a curseword in the industry these days? A Blu-Ray disc can easily hold 25+GB of data, and a game has the audacity to tell me that it needs to be installed first. The whole point of console gaming is that you don't need to jump through the same hoops as PC gamers to enjoy a game - at least, the point USED to be that.

[VT-Vincent]

I've always been a Nintendo fan, and I have to admit I'm actually pleased for the most part with the Wii. The launch was very strong and the console has some great first-party titles. I think the biggest failure of the system at this point is to keep it's launch momentum going and also the lack of compelling third-party content.

 

The reason you don't see direct sequels so often from Nintendo is they don't believe in that formula - for the most part, they will never make Mega Man style sequels where the sequel is virtually indiscernible from the original. At times, that too has frustrated me about many of their classics, but usually I've found that their unique direction has actually worked out for the better. I think Super Mario World is a prime example of this. Back in the day, it was one of my all-time favorite platformers and I wanted nothing more than a direct sequel to it - Nintendo never delivered that sequel, but near the console's death they released Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island instead. While it had virtually nothing in common with the game I loved, it was a fantastic work of art and in many ways was much better than it. In retrospect, I'm glad they handled that license the way they did.

 

I really thing the worst days for Nintendo were without a doubt on the GameCube. The console had an extremely weak launch with a minimal first-party presence. While all of Nintendo's games of the GC era were technologically sound, looked good and played well - they just weren't fun. It was one of the first times in history I actually had to force myself to play through a Mario title. My best gaming experience on that system was actually Wind Waker, and even that didn't compare to many of my favorites. I think aside from the VirtualBoy, it's one of the few Nintendo consoles that could be considered a major failure.

 

Regarding today's consoles though, I would agree with Agozer that most of the manufacturers are essentially using gimmick features and functional as a cop-out for real content. I see a bigger issue though, just look at how online dependent most consoles and even some games have become these days. We all know that when these consoles finally die, we'll be lucky if they maintain the servers for 1 to 2 years after the console's official end-of-life date. When that happens, just imagine how much of what you own will actually still work. What if you want to go back and play one of these games 10 years from then? I think that much of this generation of gaming is going to be lost due to it's tight integration with these services.

[emsley]

What really is odd now is that the industry expects you to have an internet connection, preferably a hard line.

A lot of poor people are missing out - or people who like to have a PC but don't want the internet.

if it wasn't for this dongle thing I got I would be screwed, sure I can not play on-line games because my ping is so shitty on a wireless connection - it just feels like they are controlling our hobbies and telling us we must do this we must do that to play a game.

 

We get stuck with a needle for something we like and they suck it out till there is no blood left (cough GTA) If it was not for piracy i would of not played... well nearly all the game I have this year.

 

I remember buying farcry two and installing it only to find out I needed to activate it on-line - so i had to take my rig up to my old man's house just to activate it!!!

 

i think my main points are

 

Gaming is becoming quite an expensive hobbie/entertainment. (How long before we get fed up of EPIC titles like MW2?)

Poor people who dig games will find it hard to play all the new stuff and get all the cool updates. (Me been one of them)

 

if your hungry and you have no money you go with out.

In gaming the idea is the same - now when you buy something it looks set to be yours for ever.

Thats why i love the pirates

 

Vinnie: Yoshis island is in my top ten game of all time: Touch fuzzy get dizzy! DS version blowed though.

[veristic]

I think it makes sense.. gaming is a luxary and considering they rival and often exceed major blockbuster movie productions in costs again, it only makes sense.

 

Moore's Law stipulates that the number of transistors being inexpensively installed on integrated circuits doubles every two years in efficiency, size and speed while also reducing the cost of technology given the rate of the technology advancing. If cars behaved in the same way we would eventually have cars that could travel light speed and would be cheaper to buy a new one then have one fixed for malfunctions. However, Moore's Law is a business practice and while it's truer for PC hardware lowering in price relatively faster, consoles are a different matter because of the nature of the business in intentionally not replacing systems as often as PC's get upgraded. Console technology still advances pretty fast though.

 

I mean I remember being on a psx a decade ago and now ps3's are supporting blu-ray and the graphics (while not the best) its come a long way and they will profit for this luxary they provide us with.

[L.S.D]

I miss the time where i can plow through a 12 - 20 hrs game without the need to ever go online, then come to forum to discuss/brag about it. Those are the golden days.

[emsley]

Yeah, dont get me wrong my best gaming memories are of multiplayer firing up the all seeing eye to find a MOHAA server on 56k dial up and finding a ping of 125 was amazing - I was always on that server and one guy ruled it - i was a top three player easily after 6 months of playing but could never beat this guy - turns out he had some hacks that never missed.

I used to call my self "Mr Club" and all I did was run round pistol whipping people.

People used to fire a clip off at me and miss THEN RUN While I bashed after them saying "Just let it happen!"

 

Counterstrike was a good game too.

[The-Ice-Man]

For me, nothing will beat the late 80s to mid 90s for video games. The simplicity, detailed 2D graphics and pick up and playability of many games from that era is something that seemed to get lost with the turn of the century. Maybe it was the development of 3D technology. As things got more and more complex, we started to stop appreciating the simple things, like shooting/beating the crap out of things for no good reason. And it does seem now that games try to do everything in one game, like how every FPS needs to have driving sections these days, which are usually crap. If I want to drive I'll buy a driving game. I mean look how hard it is to control the vehicles in Far Cry. They nearly always end up going over a cliff. Grand Theft Auto 4 is the best example though. It tries to tick all the boxes. You can drive, fly, shoot, play pool, go bowling, have sex, and so on, all in one game, but in the end, it doesn't do any of those things particularly well. One thing’s for certain though, the Wii is a piece of shit. Which is ironic since its name means piss. It has stupid gimmicky games with graphics that a Dreamcast would be embarrassed of. If that's the future of gaming, we may as well end it all now.

Edited November 13, 2009 by The-Ice-Man

[emsley]

^ QFTT

[VT-Vincent]

For me, nothing will beat the late 80s to mid 90s for video games. The simplicity, detailed 2D graphics and pick up and playability of many games from that era is something that seemed to get lost with the turn of the century. Maybe it was the development of 3D technology. As things got more and more complex, we started to stop appreciating the simple things, like shooting/beating the crap out of things for no good reason. And it does seem now that games try to do everything in one game, like how every FPS needs to have driving sections these days, which are usually crap. If I want to drive I'll buy a driving game. I mean look how hard it is to control the vehicles in Far Cry. They nearly always end up going over a cliff. Grand Theft Auto 4 is the best example though. It tries to tick all the boxes. You can drive, fly, shoot, play pool, go bowling, have sex, and so on, all in one game, but in the end, it doesn't do any of those things particularly well. One thing’s for certain though, the Wii is a piece of shit. Which is ironic since its name means piss. It has stupid gimmicky games with graphics that a Dreamcast would be embarrassed of. If that's the future of gaming, we may as well end it all now.

 

I would have to agree that we've lost that type of simplicity that made games of the past so great. I think it a lot of ways it has limited the creative scope of today's games. A good example would be the previously-mentioned Mario Sunshine. That game diverted away from the abstract nature of most Mario titles and put too much effort into making sure the levels made sense and fit within the game's specific setting. That put a lot of limitations of what could be done and in turn made it a very dull release. In Galaxy, they released the error of their ways and returned to the abstract style with minimal story and explanations. That is what made that game great, they could do anything they wanted and there were no creative restrictions.

 

Nights: Journey of Dreams, a game I reviewed a few weeks back is another game that suffered from this problem. They took the simple and whimsical mechanics of the original Saturn game and attempted to craft an explanation for EVERYTHING in the game. Having to listen to 10 minutes of that drivel at the beginning of the game was mind numbing.

[The-Ice-Man]

There's another point there, cut-scenes. A lot of games now go overboard with cut-scenes. I like MGS2, but I don't like that only 35% of the game is actual gameplay, and the rest is cut-scenes. Put down the controller people, you won't need it for a while, girl face is about to have a half-hour codec conversation.