2010 wasn't too bad, I mean it had:
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Alan Wake
God of War 3
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Heavy Rain
Mass Effect 2
Fallout New Vegas
Just Cause 2
Halo Reach
Metro 2033
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Red Dead Redemption
Bayonetta
-
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Is it just me or was 2004 to 2009 some of the dullest years in gaming.
- Thread starter mdzapeer
- Start date
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Alan Wake
God of War 3
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Heavy Rain
Mass Effect 2
Fallout New Vegas
Just Cause 2
Halo Reach
Metro 2033
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Red Dead Redemption
Bayonetta
paragonpro
Banned
2007 though! 08 was no slouch either
GarthVaderUK
Banned
Um, that was an amazing time to be a gamer - from plentiful high quality big budget games, to the return to popularity of genres thought dying/dead, a whole bunch of exciting new IPs, hardware innovations, and the massive growth of the indie games scene and the return of bedroom coders to consoles. There was a hell of a lot of variety and fun to be had at all levels!
The start of that era was the height of the GBA and introduction of the DS, PSP and 360. It was magical, and that momentum continued into the release of the Wii and PS3. The PS2's presence was still everywhere, variety was great and led to some of my favourite games release.
100% anecdotally, but it was also one that had the best physical presence - nowadays gaming shops are fewer and and supermarkets stock very little products (Nintendo's presence is almost completely erased in my area).
The only time in gaming I felt unenthusiastic about its future releases was around 2014-2015ish, but that's because I only had a 3DS and Wii U.
100% anecdotally, but it was also one that had the best physical presence - nowadays gaming shops are fewer and and supermarkets stock very little products (Nintendo's presence is almost completely erased in my area).
The only time in gaming I felt unenthusiastic about its future releases was around 2014-2015ish, but that's because I only had a 3DS and Wii U.
Amibguous Cad
Member
You're thinking 2013-2015
Spiritwalker
Member
Agreed. I can't fathom why anyone would dislike that era. It was full of incredible games, hardware and innovation.
Even at the time it was horrible. It would be like saying 1992-1994 was bad because Bebes Kids was released.
https://youtu.be/6bFfu8kF1NU
b-b-but call of doody!
brokenbeans
Banned
You know when you have an idea about a thread and you are just about to hit that [create a new thread icon] but suddenly you have a wave of anxiety rush over you, you quickly click something else and move one... I wish this happened to more members of GAF.
NinjaCoachZ
Member
As far as home consoles go, I think it was the first few years of this decade you could make a case for being dull, honestly. PS3 and 360's lifespans went on way too long and a general sense of fatigue was really starting to set in by those last few years. Still plenty of great games, don't get me wrong, but those consoles really outstayed their welcome. The transition into the current gen was pretty rough and took a couple years to really get going across the board.
Wii also petered out almost completely by 2011/2012 because all hands were on deck on the 3DS and Wii U.
To me, 3DS was honestly the real MVP from 2012 - 2014. A bunch of my all-time favourite games of the past few years were on the 3DS. At the end of the day it seriously is such a great machine.
Very good point. It was really last gen where the whole indie boom started kicking off thanks to XBLA, WiiWare, Steam, and PSN. Plus companies started making much greater initiatives in making their back catalogues easily available. Virtual Console was a serious godsend.
It's kinda funny when you think about it. A lot of the things we tend to give this generation credit for are things that were really rooted in last generation. I think last gen was kinda like the prototype for this one in a lot of ways. Now that a lot of the growing pains have been ironed out, the overall quality of games has been higher than ever, even if there isn't quite the sense of HOLY SHIT MIND BLOWN innovation that was everywhere 10 years ago.
Wii also petered out almost completely by 2011/2012 because all hands were on deck on the 3DS and Wii U.
To me, 3DS was honestly the real MVP from 2012 - 2014. A bunch of my all-time favourite games of the past few years were on the 3DS. At the end of the day it seriously is such a great machine.
Very good point. It was really last gen where the whole indie boom started kicking off thanks to XBLA, WiiWare, Steam, and PSN. Plus companies started making much greater initiatives in making their back catalogues easily available. Virtual Console was a serious godsend.
It's kinda funny when you think about it. A lot of the things we tend to give this generation credit for are things that were really rooted in last generation. I think last gen was kinda like the prototype for this one in a lot of ways. Now that a lot of the growing pains have been ironed out, the overall quality of games has been higher than ever, even if there isn't quite the sense of HOLY SHIT MIND BLOWN innovation that was everywhere 10 years ago.
His Majesty
Banned
It was a pretty terrible time for rpgs.
DriftedPlanet
Unconfirmed Member
The time period listed was not bad in gaming in any general sense. The 360/ps3 chunk of in this period was great as well.
That comic addresses overly common aesthetic annoyances in the era, but the period really wasn't awful for gaming. The trends listed were annoying (brown/tan filter, excessive bloom, bad lighting/low default gamma); so were overly linear level designs, bloody screen effects for health indication, uninspired cover-based shooting, low budget shovelware on Nintendo platforms, and the whole fight over how to approach dlc.
These were all annoyances, but there were still a large number of great games to come out across genres and platforms. Everyone else in the thread has been quick to list examples.
Maybe your experience was due to looking for a certain specific genre that was underserved? I'm interested to know where you're coming from with this thread.
EDIT:
Ah, there's the context.
So the games people love from the era weren't part of the genres you enjoy most. I agree that crpgs seen to have been robbed as a genre during that exact time frame.
That comic addresses overly common aesthetic annoyances in the era, but the period really wasn't awful for gaming. The trends listed were annoying (brown/tan filter, excessive bloom, bad lighting/low default gamma); so were overly linear level designs, bloody screen effects for health indication, uninspired cover-based shooting, low budget shovelware on Nintendo platforms, and the whole fight over how to approach dlc.
These were all annoyances, but there were still a large number of great games to come out across genres and platforms. Everyone else in the thread has been quick to list examples.
Maybe your experience was due to looking for a certain specific genre that was underserved? I'm interested to know where you're coming from with this thread.
EDIT:
Ah, there's the context.
That's quite true, I do enjoy Japanese games. But I also immensely enjoy western PC games for being deep and open-ended. Homeworld, Half-Life, Unreal, Quake, Starcraft II, Diablo 2. I missed out on CRPGs back then though
So the games people love from the era weren't part of the genres you enjoy most. I agree that crpgs seen to have been robbed as a genre during that exact time frame.
allenpergallon
Member
For once "is it just me/am I the only one" may be justified.
MatrixMan.EXE
Member
2012 beats both. Super fucking dull.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
I noticed this pattern too a long time ago. Every 3 years there was a huge blowout of great games.
I would almost say 2013 broke the pattern if the 3DS release lineup hadn't been full of incredible games that year.
MaverickVII
Member
2004-2007 includes several of my all-time favorite games, I fondly reminisce of that time period in gaming. So no, I'm going to go ahead and disagree with this thread.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
Not for me, other than the first year or so.
The 360/PS3 generation really rejuvenated my interest in gaming. It was the PS2/GCN/Xbox gen where gaming really faded for me, especially the latter half of that gen.
I could see the 360-PS3 and no generation being a downer for some who don't like current mainstream AAA gaming trends, but as someone who now loves shooters, narrative driven games, cinematic games that's when gaming brought me back. I like other stuff too, like Nintendo games, but those things put gaming back to being my main hobby where I was just paying a few games a year toward the end of the prior gen.
The 360/PS3 generation really rejuvenated my interest in gaming. It was the PS2/GCN/Xbox gen where gaming really faded for me, especially the latter half of that gen.
I could see the 360-PS3 and no generation being a downer for some who don't like current mainstream AAA gaming trends, but as someone who now loves shooters, narrative driven games, cinematic games that's when gaming brought me back. I like other stuff too, like Nintendo games, but those things put gaming back to being my main hobby where I was just paying a few games a year toward the end of the prior gen.
tiredheadcrab
Member
You are wrong. 2004 was the year I got into online gaming with Halo 2 that had an amazing follow up halo 3, also Half life 2, bioshock, super Mario galaxy, 2 Metroid games. I know I am missing a ton in there but that just stands out.
It's just you.
It's just you.
I agree, I liked:
Resident Evil 4
GTA San Andreas
Shadow of the Colossus
Half Life 2
Doom 3
Portal
I tried to enjoy but ultimate strongly disliked all of these games
and most of what they influenced:
World of Warcraft
Bioshock
Gears of War
Oblivion
Assassin's Creed
Halo 3
Mass Effect
The Witcher
Super Mario Galaxy
Rock Band
Okami
God of War 2
Uncharted
Final Fantasy XII
Call of Duty 4
Fable
Burnout 3/Paradise
Paper Mario TTYD
Dead Space
Borderlands
Dragon Age
Riddick
Arkham Asylum
Braid, Motorstorm, Yoshi Touch and Go, Metroid Prime Hunters, Kororinpa, and Zack and Wiki were good though.
Resident Evil 4
GTA San Andreas
Shadow of the Colossus
Half Life 2
Doom 3
Portal
I tried to enjoy but ultimate strongly disliked all of these games
and most of what they influenced:
World of Warcraft
Bioshock
Gears of War
Oblivion
Assassin's Creed
Halo 3
Mass Effect
The Witcher
Super Mario Galaxy
Rock Band
Okami
God of War 2
Uncharted
Final Fantasy XII
Call of Duty 4
Fable
Burnout 3/Paradise
Paper Mario TTYD
Dead Space
Borderlands
Dragon Age
Riddick
Arkham Asylum
Braid, Motorstorm, Yoshi Touch and Go, Metroid Prime Hunters, Kororinpa, and Zack and Wiki were good though.
Some Nobody
Junior Member
If you'd shifted it from 2008-2012 I probably would've been with you. But it might just be my hatred of the PS3 gen. You nailed the why, though. Too much brown, and too many FPS titles. Even the games people always swear by just don't look all that pretty to me in terms of art design, which is why I adore Infamous: Second Son but won't have anything to do with Infamous 1.
One thing you can't call this latest gen is colorless--everything's fucking gorgeous.
One thing you can't call this latest gen is colorless--everything's fucking gorgeous.
Couldn't agree more
The Albatross
Member
It's you.
And more. Sorry if I left off a franchise that I might have missed. These are the games that were noteworthy to me, but I'm sure there's plenty more that resonated with other people. I tried to leave off sequels except for major, major games (GTA, Fallout, RE, MGS, etc).
Honorable mentions of games that have been forgotten but were pretty major at the time:
Then toss the games on that were sequels of those games that many think are better... Skate 2 or 3, Assassins Creed 2, Just Cause 2, Saints Row 2, etc.
Not only that, but 2004-2009 is a defining age for when online gaming became approachable on consoles. Prior to 2004, playing a console online was incredible niche... Maybe for some people with an Xbox, or some people who took a chance with the Dreamcast or the horribly shitty online PS2 experience with that adapter, but by 2004, Xbox Live had started to have a presence... And then by 2006, Xbox Live would completely change online gaming. Even as a PC veteran, I was amazed at how well XBL worked on the Xbox 360... When for years even with functioning hardware I was renting surverys, sending IP numbers to friends over AIM, fighting with different systems like Gamespy 3D/Arcade, HLSW, internal non-global systems, etc. On the PC side, Steam would start to take off as a viable product in 2004 and unify the myriad PC-gaming online services like WON.net and whatever else.
I think there's a lot of things we take for granted from 2004-2009 because now it's like "Oh, Modern Warfare is just another CoD game..." or "Gears of War is just another GoW," or "God of War is just another God of War game..." but back when those games came out, they were seminal introductions to those franchises that completely challenged gameplay mechanics before them. Now we might be bored by the 20th iteration of Assassins Creed, Just Cause, or what have you, and now we might see Bethesda RPGs as formulaic, but back in 2006 or 2007, that wasn't the impression. Those games were all landmark achievements.
- Half-Life 2
- Forza
- GTA San Andreas
- MGS Snake Eater
- Doom 3
- World of Warcraft
- Resident Evil 4
- Shadow of the Collosus
- Psychonauts
- God of War
- Oblivion
- New Super Mario Bros
- Rock Band
- Gears of War
- Bioshock
- CoD: Modern Warfare
- Half-life 2 E1 / E2
- Portal
- Team Fortress 2
- Halo 3
- Super Mario Galaxy
- Wii Sports
- Uncharted 1
- Assassins Creed
- Mass Effect
- GTAIV
- Fallout 3
- Left 4 Dead
- Smash Bros Brawl
- Braid
- Arkham Asylum
- ...
And more. Sorry if I left off a franchise that I might have missed. These are the games that were noteworthy to me, but I'm sure there's plenty more that resonated with other people. I tried to leave off sequels except for major, major games (GTA, Fallout, RE, MGS, etc).
Honorable mentions of games that have been forgotten but were pretty major at the time:
- Riddick
- Def Jam NY
- Fable
- Far Cry
- Madden 2005
- NFL 2K5
- MVP Baseball 2005
- Indigo Prophecy
- Just Cause
- Skate
- Saints Row
- Dead Space
- Mirrors Edge
- Chinatown Wars
- Borderlands
- Dragon Age
- Demon's Souls
- ...
Then toss the games on that were sequels of those games that many think are better... Skate 2 or 3, Assassins Creed 2, Just Cause 2, Saints Row 2, etc.
Not only that, but 2004-2009 is a defining age for when online gaming became approachable on consoles. Prior to 2004, playing a console online was incredible niche... Maybe for some people with an Xbox, or some people who took a chance with the Dreamcast or the horribly shitty online PS2 experience with that adapter, but by 2004, Xbox Live had started to have a presence... And then by 2006, Xbox Live would completely change online gaming. Even as a PC veteran, I was amazed at how well XBL worked on the Xbox 360... When for years even with functioning hardware I was renting surverys, sending IP numbers to friends over AIM, fighting with different systems like Gamespy 3D/Arcade, HLSW, internal non-global systems, etc. On the PC side, Steam would start to take off as a viable product in 2004 and unify the myriad PC-gaming online services like WON.net and whatever else.
I think there's a lot of things we take for granted from 2004-2009 because now it's like "Oh, Modern Warfare is just another CoD game..." or "Gears of War is just another GoW," or "God of War is just another God of War game..." but back when those games came out, they were seminal introductions to those franchises that completely challenged gameplay mechanics before them. Now we might be bored by the 20th iteration of Assassins Creed, Just Cause, or what have you, and now we might see Bethesda RPGs as formulaic, but back in 2006 or 2007, that wasn't the impression. Those games were all landmark achievements.
NinjaCoachZ
Member
2013 was okay for 3DS (Link Between Worlds, Dual Destinies, and SMT IV are some highlights, I acknowledge X/Y were huge for the time even if they've aged like milk) but a lot of its best games in NA/PAL that year (e.g. Animal Crossing New Leaf, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Bravely Default) were just late localizations of 2012 games, so it really depends if you look at it from that perspective or not.
In general, 2015 was ok but 2016 and 2017 have blown it out of the water if you ask me.
People saying 2014 sucked slept on Nintendo and indies.
Rockandrollclown
lookwhatyou'vedone
You woulda had more support if you started at 05 or 06. 04 had Half Life 2, WoW, Ninja Gaiden, GTA San Andreas, MGS 3... Thats a damn fine year in gaming there. I'd be hard pressed to think of a better year.
Do you homework OP (and its only you)
2004
Half-Life 2
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
World of Warcraft
2005
Resident Evil 4
Sid Meier's Civilization IV
Shadow of the Colossus
God of War
2006
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Okami
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Gears of War
2007
Super Mario Galaxy
God of War II
Mass Effect
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
BioShock
Uncharted
Persona 3
2008
LittleBigPlanet
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Grand Theft Auto IV
Fallout 3
Far Cry 2
2009
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Dragon Age: Origins
Minecraft
Assassin's Creed II
Borderlands
edit: one of my personal picks... Feel free OP to google those years in video-game.
2004
Half-Life 2
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
World of Warcraft
2005
Resident Evil 4
Sid Meier's Civilization IV
Shadow of the Colossus
God of War
2006
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Okami
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Gears of War
2007
Super Mario Galaxy
God of War II
Mass Effect
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
BioShock
Uncharted
Persona 3
2008
LittleBigPlanet
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Grand Theft Auto IV
Fallout 3
Far Cry 2
2009
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Dragon Age: Origins
Minecraft
Assassin's Creed II
Borderlands
edit: one of my personal picks... Feel free OP to google those years in video-game.
Jesus. Have we even left that period? Seems like almost every game today is a sequel to or directly inspired by one of those games
SweetJohnnyCage
Member
DriftedPlanet
Unconfirmed Member
I'd put this post of yours at the top of the op for context. If you don't, you'll just keep getting lists of the same games and won't be able to discuss any crpgs or games similar to those you indicated you enjoy. Maybe someone will think of games you'd really like from 04 - 09.That's quite true, I do enjoy Japanese games. But I also immensely enjoy western PC games for being deep and open-ended. Homeworld, Half-Life, Unreal, Quake, Starcraft II, Diablo 2. I missed out on CRPGs back then though
Only bad year for games for me was 2015
Aside from bloodborne and the witcher 3 (which I played in 2016), batman , until dawn, and MKX it was the only bad year I've ever had with games
all years have been great, even 2014 had a great selection of games, even if they weren't particularly outstanding
Aside from bloodborne and the witcher 3 (which I played in 2016), batman , until dawn, and MKX it was the only bad year I've ever had with games
all years have been great, even 2014 had a great selection of games, even if they weren't particularly outstanding
For me 2007 to 2013 were pretty trash.
Yes there were good games, but it's not at the level of the gen before and the one after, and every publisher was running after the brown realism trend.
Thankfully there was the PSP with a bit more variety, but it was a far cry from the PS2 era (and now the PS4 era).
Yes there were good games, but it's not at the level of the gen before and the one after, and every publisher was running after the brown realism trend.
Thankfully there was the PSP with a bit more variety, but it was a far cry from the PS2 era (and now the PS4 era).
Poor GRIMES
Banned
Lots of people are bringing up console games which were great, but that period was also when the DS was at its peak. One of the craziest and most diverse gaming libraries.
Mysterious
Banned
GTFO
Fantastapotamus
Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
This is the weirdest thread
Octavianus
Banned
Op is right, that is fucking dull.
TakeItSlowDude
Member
There are plenty great games during that era. Though it does follow the 1997-2002 era, which in my opinion is the strongest era in gaming.