• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Do you find the industry still caters to your gaming tastes sufficiently?

D

decoyplatypus

Member
A decade ago my answer might have been different, but the last three years have been pretty good for me. Major publishers released some excellent 2D platformers, adventure games,* and local multiplayer titles. XCOM: EU/EW/LW and Crusader Kings 2 were so good I hardly thought to ask for more strategy games. And thanks to kickstarter, I've got more interesting RPGs than I will ever have time to finish. I am not the target of the AAA sector any more, but I am quite happy.

*I'm thinking specifically and maybe exclusively of the Souls series, but given my work schedule those can account for almost a quarter of my gaming time in a given year.
 
K

KingBroly

Banned
Not really.

Every big game seems to have a series of checkmarks that they have to have in order to sell, otherwise the game won't be put out. Multiplayer, Open World, social media integration, microtransactions, pre-order DLC, big day 1 patches, season passes, etc. They're also marketed the same way too and it just comes off as goofy and embarrassing most of the time. I'm pretty tired of everyone chasing the golden goose around all the time. I'd rather let the goose come to me. It may not be everyday, but when it is, it's all the sweeter because everyone else is clearly gassed.
 
K

Kiddy Dong

Member
Nope. I'm a big fan of arcade racing games, and it's been a wasteland for almost a decade now. Let's do a headcount of some of my favorites:

F-Zero: Lost to time. A game as brutally challenging as GX would never get approved by Nintendo today, and Amusement Vision is long gone.

Wipeout: MIA after Studio Liverpool shut down.

Burnout: Never the same after Paradise and its features merged into Need For Speed.

Need For Speed: Lost sight of what made the series great after Black Box went defunct. Fuck always online.

Extreme-G: Died alongside Acclaim years ago.

So yeah, not much out there that's appealing to me. I cannot understand the massive appeal of simulation style racing. At least FAST is getting a sequel, which is my most hyped game for this year.
 
D

Darkiway

Neo Member
I will echo the sentiments of others here: I grew up loving big production turn-based rpgs and 3d platformers, and my favorite games are the more specific turn-based strategy jrpgs.

Disgaea and Fire Emblem are what keeps me alive as far as that's concerned, but I wouldn't say they're really common. We don't get new Tactics ogre or FFT announcements anymore.

3D platformers are being supported through kickstarter campaigns, but none of the big 3d platformers titles have come out yet. Games like A hat in Time and Yooka Laylee. Big companies all went back to 2d platformers: Sega announced future sonic games would return to that formula. Rayman went back to 2d. Kirby went on in 2d instead of delivering on that old gamecube announcement child-me so desperately wanted. Yoshi was and is still 2d. DK went back to 2d. Even flipping chibi robo's latest game is a 2d platformer. Nintendo even came up with the fantastic Mario 3d World and 3d Land, but those games have been heavily influenced by their classic 2d games.

Meanwhile turn based rpgs are still only thriving on handhelds. Almost nothing for my big screen. I'm still grateful, about that, mind you.
 
V

ViewtifulJC

Banned
There's usually enough every year that I enjoy, even if its not a specific thing. I'm just not gonna get that every year. There was no great Platinum games action title, and Devil's Third was a disaster. BUT in Freedom Planet I got the closet thing to Sonic 4 we'll probably ever get, and Axiom Verge was the best Metroid-style game since Zero Mission.

Also, I'm kinda already happy with the things we already got? Like there will never be a Viewtiful Joe 3, but The Wonderful 101 fulfilled that niche so I don't really need it. Star Fox Zero looks like trash, but Sin and Punishment: Star Successor was GOAT rail shooter so I'm happy either way.

I just like to be realistic, ya know? You're not gonna get masterpieces in your personal favorite genre every year. Or every other year. Or maybe for half a decade! Especially if your fave genre is niche as fuck. Like, no you're not gonna get a lot of 3D platformers anymore, diversify your gaming taste and be appreciative of every Super Mario 3D World and Yooka-Yaylee you get.
 
G

Gunstar Ikari

Unconfirmed Member
Nope, and the likely-numbered days of dedicated handhelds means that it's probably going to get a lot worse. I'm not even excited about Nintendo's releases for the most part. The less said about AAA gaming, the better.

Definitely feel like the industry is leaving me behind.
 
S

Snakeyes

Member
Yes and no. On one hand, fighting games have made a comeback and their quality is arguably up there with the genre's golden years aside from SNK, while the community is about as good as it can be after the decline of arcades. There's a lot of variety in the indie space too.

On the other, there's a clear lack of 3D games developed with an arcade-style philosophy in mind, and mid-tier games in general. I also feel that JRPGs are the least interesting they've ever been, both from a gameplay and thematic perspective. Back in the 90s and early 00s, developers were experimenting with all sorts of battle systems and crazy settings - nowadays there's little middle ground between a traditional turn-based approach and an ARPG, while the themes are mostly limited to otaku stuff and established IPs (FF, DQ, Tales).
 
B

BONDO

Member
Nope, dont care for anything open world unless its a Rockstar game.
I have varied interests though....but that particular trend annoys me.

First it was multiplayer tacked onto everything, now its openworld
 
M

MastaKilla

Member
It's funny, i actually called in sick at work today, but i'm sitting here bored. I played a little Red Alert 2, thinking of buying Insurgency for the SOCOM mod... but otherwise i really don't have anything i want to play. I feel like the industry that i loved is gone, but that's life.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Yes. I have way more games that interest me than every before, and I've been gaming heavily since the NES.

Tons of great AAA games, indie games etc. in every genre I like. Easier than ever to replay old games with the digital stores, emulators etc. as well.
 
M

Mass_Pincup

Banned
-There's a new Persona
-A new Mirror's Edge
-A new Uncharted
-A new Mass Effect
-Dragon Age is still fine
-Trails in the Sky second chapter just released with Trails of cold steel 1 and 2 coming shortly (based XSEED)
-Harebrained Schemes are making kickass cyberpunk RPGs and being successful
-Cyberpunk 2077 is coming
-Horizon: Zero Dawn and Detroit look hot
-There's Gravity Rush 2 and The last Guardian
-Dragon Quest is back on console (on handheld, best of both world)
-XCOM 2 is coming
-Square Enix are making JRPGs again (Star Ocean 5, Nier Automata, Sestuna)
-And a whole lot that I forgot

It's already way better then last generation, that's for sure.
 
C

crpav

Member
Not really. I am a "traditional....old school" JPRG fan with turn based combat and those are a dying breed. I still find enjoyment with games that are made and with the small amount of time I have anyway so I guess it works out.
 
D

Duster

Member
There's still more than enough games that I'm interested yet it doesn't really feel like I'm being catered too, it's more like I'm being thrown the odd bone while I look on disgusted at the greed at the big table.
 
S

spliced

Member
Kind of a mix I guess. Dark Souls is scary how well it caters to me, I think From may have designed the game around my old message board posts. :p

Some trends that do not cater to me:
Games trying to be movies
Big boring open worlds
Random level generators
Entire games designed around gimmicks
Realism obsession in sports/racing games
 
nkarafo

nkarafo

Member
Let's see, my favorite games:

Super Metroid/Prime
F-Zero X
Dungeon Keeper
Doom


So, no. Dark Souls comes close to something for me though.
 
M

Mesoian

Member
For the most part yeah. I miss my big budget RPG's, but that's because the grand majority of them are mishandled and are still coming out, just...slowly and in the distance. Ultimately I have nothing to complain about, there's always something ground breaking and interesting to play if you're willing to put the time into it.

nkarafo said:
Let's see, my favorite games:

Super Metroid/Prime
F-Zero X
Dungeon Keeper
Doom


So, no.
Click to expand...

You should play The Fall.

Blasian Persuasion said:
I'd also like to see more games like Mario Tennis, NBA Jam, Street Hoops, and SSX Tricky.
Edit: Also where the hell has boxing games gone?
Click to expand...

I mean, a new Mario Tennis drops in like a week.

I'd like another SSX though. The last one wasn't bad, it just....lacked soul, made a lot of bad decisions...
 
N

NoblesseOblige

Banned
These days where more games are coming out than ever? Yes, I feel my gaming tastes are satiated. The AAA space has fell off a bit, but several smaller independent studios have more than filled what was lost to me. Though to be honest it could be more that my tastes have changed.
 
Z

Zepp Twofist

Member
The big studios keep pumping out open world games while the mid tier PC studios keep pumping out great quality innovative stuff. I love both, and couldn't be happier.

I think I'd be more pissed if I relied on consoles only though.
 
C

Chû Totoro

Member
Well I think that I have enough games to play to still enjoy gaming so in a way it's ok but there are still genres I like that are not covered well imo

There is also the fact that gaming in general is not evolving the way I hoped it would evolve. Most editors are clearly treating gaming like movie and just think about giving the best interactive experience instead on focusing to actually making a game the best way possible. It made me discover other genres and some of the products that I describe are really good but the industry sadly tends to focus on less risky games since the market is growing while mobile took the big part of this new market. As a result, we as hardcore gamers (not matter what hardcore part of gaming we like) are less taken into account and the trends (that may not stay here forever... we all started with more accessible games and accepted various anti consumer practices as a compromise) are not the ones we want to see being accepted as a "proper" gaming definition.

And, because of this I think console makers are also taking less risks on what use to define a console vs. PC or other electronic devices. It's now more about the thing you'll see than what you'll actually play...

At the end I just hope that what I like to play will still sell enough so the companies behind these games will still be here in 10 or 20 years.
 
Mihos

Mihos

Gold Member
There have never been more games of every genre and never been more ways to play them.

Of course, owning every console and a PC helps..... well actually, having a PC is a catch all for pretty much every need.
 
D

Deadstar

Member
No, RTS games are dead. We get maybe one big one every few years but it isn't enough. You have Supreme Commander Forged Alliance, one of the best RTS games of all time, then we had Planetary Annihilation which was fun and next week we will get StarCraft. I need more though. Give me Battle for Middle Earth 2.
 
K

Klossen

Banned
Not really. But I don't expect it to either since I regard my taste to be fairly niche. I'm content if I get one or two games like Bloodborne a year.

MastaKilla said:
It's funny, i actually called in sick at work today, but i'm sitting here bored. I played a little Red Alert 2, thinking of buying Insurgency for the SOCOM mod... but otherwise i really don't have anything i want to play. I feel like the industry that i loved is gone, but that's life.
Click to expand...

Head's up, you can get Insurgency for one dollar on Humble Bundle. Have you played Red Orchestra? It's WW2 but it rewards teamplay and coordination.
 
N

NahaNago

Member
It would be a no for me but then again i tend to play more Japanese games and they seem to have taken a massive hit last gen but next year is looking a lot better than the last few years for me.
 
R

RooMHM

Member
No, interesting fps are long gone.
Originality in AAA titles is dead and less risks are taken everyday. Also, gameplay becomes secondary to stories and graphics. This was depressing me before I almost stopped caring about gaming altogether.
 
A

Anno

Member
Deadstar said:
No, RTS games are dead. We get maybe one big one every few years but it isn't enough. You have Supreme Commander Forged Alliance, one of the best RTS games of all time, then we had Planetary Annihilation which was fun and next week we will get StarCraft. I need more though. Give me Battle for Middle Earth 2.
Click to expand...

Have you looked at Ashes of the Singularity? A friend who really loved Supreme Commander was pretty high on it.

Personally I just want more Sins of a Solar Empire :/
 
D

dead souls

Member
No it doesn't, sadly, though my wallet is happy. I miss the days of plentiful 2D/3D platformers and turn based JRPGs without any pedophile shit in them.

The main genres that are popular on consoles now--FPS, open world and western RPGs--leave me cold.
 
T

Tyrant Rave

Banned
I'm not a big fan of open world games so there weren't many big games that I wanted this year.

But there's still enough for me to play. Platinum still makes cool action games and Atlus still puts out RPGs so it could be worse. I love fighting games too, and those still come out pretty frequently. Next year looks a million times better than this year for me.
 
P

Perfect Cha0s

Member
Absolutely. There's always something out there interesting to me. Are publishers constantly pushing out my dream projects? No, but they never were to begin with.

Hell, the problem I have now is too many games and too little time.
 
D

Deadstar

Member
Anno said:
Have you looked at Ashes of the Singularity? A friend who really loved Supreme Commander was pretty high on it.

Personally I just want more Sins of a Solar Empire :/
Click to expand...

Yes! This looks like the most promising upcoming RTS game however it's early in development and on early access. I don't do early access anymore because it burns me out on the game before it's even out. But I REALLY hope it turns out well and I will absolutely purchase it if it's awesome. Other than that I don't know of any big budget upcoming RTS games other than StarCraft which is coming out on Tuesday.
 
IrishNinja

IrishNinja

Member
there's still RPGs, adventure games (including point & click) about, so that's cool! wish we had more AA type run & gun/SHMUPs/arcadey type gameplay etc but there's lots of old stuff i still have to discover. also there may be some of those going down from smaller studios on steam/etc that i'm not aware of.

i do wish we'd see more zany japanese releases like um jammer lammy/katamari/incredible crisis etc
 
A

Anno

Member
Deadstar said:
Yes! This looks like the most promising upcoming RTS game however it's early in development and on early access. I don't do early access anymore because it burns me out on the game before it's even out. But I REALLY hope it turns out well and I will absolutely purchase it if it's awesome. Other than that I don't know of any big budget upcoming RTS games other than StarCraft which is coming out on Tuesday.
Click to expand...

Yeah definitely not a lot of big budget. Going a little smaller though, Did you try Grey Goo? People seemed to enjoy it more than most Starcraft-alikes. Also I think that Satellite Reign went way under the radar this year if you enjoy small scale squad/objective based RTS's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Do game developers still want to publish on Xbox? A survey of independents and small studios
34
1K
ZoukGalaxy replied
Game devs praise Steam as a 'democratic platform' (a bastion in our panic mode industry)
2 3
104
4K
ArtHands replied
  • Poll
Do you really think gaming industry is in trouble?
Opinion 2 3
146
6K
Mooreberg replied
Now vs. Then: For those who've worked IN the Gaming industry, what were your experiences like?
30
1K
Rat Rage replied
How are you tracking your gaming list, watchlist, and other gaming-related news, info, etc?
2
81
2K
Tell’em Keb replied
Top Bottom