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[Drizzlehell]

Now, what do I mean by that? Well, think of the last game where you got so enamored with the story and gameplay that it was all that you could think of for an extended period of time. A game that you'd spend every possible waking hour playing, and if you weren't playing it, you kept thinking about playing it. It had to be a game that you were so completely invested in that it felt like binge-watching a really great TV show and as soon as it was over, you felt a bit of an emptiness, kinda like the one that you feel when you miss a really good friend, and the only way to heal it was to start playing through the game again. It had to be the kind of game that would completely occupy you for a very long time and cause you to ignore all the other releases for at least a couple of months. The kind of game that very much resonated with you on a personal or emotional level thanks to its themes, characters, or the story that it was trying to tell.

For me, the last game that hooked me that hard was The Witcher 3. I was so into it that I wouldn't play anything else for the better part of that year. I legit played it for the entirety of 2015 and haven't touched any other game in the meantime. I also remember on a number of occasions I would call in sick to work just because I spent the entire weekend playing the game and didn't want to stop, and then I would continue doing so throughout the week, playing roughly 17-18 hours per day.

That shit was pretty wild and what kinda bums me out is that I never found another game afterwards that would have the same effect on me. So much time has passed since then that I'm actually starting to wonder if it's just me who can't find that kind of passion for gaming anymore, or is it the games that have been on a downward slope ever since?

To paint a better picture of what I'm talking about, there were a number of games that I was really looking forward to and was hoping to hook me in a similar fashion, but every time they fell short of my expectations for various reasons:

• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Good, but disappointing in a lot of ways.
• Mass Effect Andromeda - Do I really need to explain...?
• Red Dead Redemption 2 - Close, but no cigar. The gameplay was just too boring and I saw no reason to revisit that depressing-ass story again.
• Jedi Fallen Order - By far it's the game that came the closest to the kind of experience that I'm talking about here. Really fun and emotionally engaging but I dunno, I can't put my finger on what was missing here.
• Death Stranding - Very unique and sometimes even emotional experience but overall, it's just too fucking weird and repetitive, lol.
• Cyberpunk 2077 - I think that was the final nail in the coffin as far as killing my enthusiasm for gaming goes. If CDPR dropped the ball so hard, then there just wasn't any hope left that I would ever find another game that would engage me in the same way that The Witcher 3 did.
• Starfield - The jury is still up on that one but so far I'm leaning hard towards "no" because the characters all fucking suck and I hate them and the story and how it's presented is very lackluster.

 

[fran.fernandez]

Wut

 

[Zheph]

Could it be a YOU issue and you feeling a bit jaded about it? maybe time to take a break and come back stronger, nothing wrong with that

 

[tommycronin]

You listed a lot of mainstream games. It's like someone listing out the top 10 Pop singers currently in the world and saying you don't feel a strong attachment to them as singers. Like good music you need to seek it out these days not settle for radio trash. So many indie games came out in the last few years that I'm sure you'd love if you gave them a go.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Try Baldurs Gate 2.

Old one.

 

[Chuck Berry]

No, you're just getting old. It happens.

Rarely nowadays do I get to that level of obsession with a game where it just devours my psyche. Elden Ring was probably the last time and that seems like years ago at this point.

 

[Kuranghi]

I do feel that a bit but also I know it's just me, but at the same time the last game I loved like that was like 3 years ago and I didn't finish it fully until 2022 so it's not like I'm starved

 

[Gaiff]

Nah, Baldur's Gate 3 did exactly that for me. It was to the point I even tried to have it run on one of the old graphics designers laptop at the office to play during downtime.

Phantom Liberty's story and questline also really stuck with me and touched me more than any game since like Mass Effect 2.

So, no.

 

[Kupfer]

Horizon : Forbidden West

Most hollow game I've ever played. Although it has some nice tech and looks gorgeous, I just couldn't bring myself to continue playing it.

 

[Drizzlehell]

Nah, Baldur's Gate 3 did exactly that for me. It was to the point I even tried to have it run on one of the old graphics designers laptop at the office to play during downtime.

Phantom Liberty's story and questline also really stuck with me and touched me more than any game since like Mass Effect 2.

So, no.

I actually haven't played those so maybe I should give them a go.

 

[SlimySnake]

Read books. Game designers are not storytellers. They graduated with fucking computer science degrees.

Even filmmakers are now being handed scripts that have been touched by up to 10 people. how are you going to get anything meaningful or deeply personal from a design by committee approach?

Read books. Games are there for fun. Witcher 3, The last guardian, MGS3, SOTC, TLOU, mass Effect 2 are all very rare games that come once every 5-10 years or so.

 

[lughnasadh123]

Personally I think having that kind of end of the run blues is fairly rare for games at least for me yet they do still happen. RDR2 was one where I just spent a few days going over what happened in the story wrapping things up emotionally not even wanting to play another game for a bit. Returnal was one as well but in a different way where my brain couldn't resist the addictive game loop.

Something else that might effect those feelings are people wanting to finish their backlog making them more likely to rush through a game rather than go at a slower pace that would allow them to delve deeper to savor it more. Games become something you just chew through, get credits or your trophies, and move on to the next one.

 

[Sushi_Combo]

Horizon : Forbiden West

Most hollow game I've ever played. Although it has some nice tech and looks gorgeous, I just couldn't bring myself to continue playing it.

It was a nice tech showpiece. But we did not need a sequel to HZD.

 

[ReBurn]

Not if you play the right games. AAA has been soulless mass market bait for years, but for me smaller games can still be personal experiences.

 

[analog_future]

the hell's wrong with ya'll

 

[justiceiro]

Op, you sound like a drug addicted chasing that first high.

Not that I never felt like you, but man, some emotion should come from real experiences with real people, not movies or video games. Go live your real life instead of chasing a virtual one.

 

[Drizzlehell]

You listed a lot of mainstream games. It's like someone listing out the top 10 Pop singers currently in the world and saying you don't feel a strong attachment to them as singers. Like good music you need to seek it out these days not settle for radio trash. So many indie games came out in the last few years that I'm sure you'd love if you gave them a go.

Any examples? Not trying to challenge you, I'm just genuinely curious because I find that a lot of indie games are often lacking in presentation.

Games are a very visual medium, after all, so if there's no strong audio and visual component present in the game, then it can have the best story ever told and it still wouldn't connect with me.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Massive you issue considering how many complaint topics you made in the last year. Maybe its time to take a break from gaming, connect with something or someone else? Maybe play some shallow online games?

 

[Chuck Berry]

Touch Grass: The Thread

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Dunno but now I wanna listen to Pantera's Hollow

 

[Gaiff]

Read books. Game designers are not storytellers. They graduated with fucking computer science degrees.

Most of them actually don't know the faintest thing about computer science which is a totally different ballgame from game design.

 

[tommycronin]

Any examples? Not trying to challenge you, I'm just genuinely curious because I find that a lot of indie games are often lacking in presentation.

Games are a very visual medium, after all, so if there's no strong audio and visual component present in the game, then it can have the best story ever told and it still wouldn't connect with me.

If we're talking indie game with a strong visual and audio component together I'd suggest the game Everhood. it just came out recently on consoles. It may look like a Undertale rip off at first but the boss battles and music are excellent. Its an absolute drug trip of a game and is pretty cheap to pick up too.

 

[Mr Wonderstuff]

Fair thing to raise this. Connection is an important part of gaming - story, characters, music and place all have a part to play (if we put gameplay to one-side). The best, such as Witcher 3, manages all four which is no mean feat and, I would, agree not many games have topped this. I'd say RDR 2, for me, comes pretty close - especially the connection with Marsden and what, ultimately, transpires. Whilst you may scoff, Skyrim, is a game with which I felt a connection with the world itself coupled with the music. Didn't want to leave that world and have 'the feels' when I hear the soundtrack even to this day. VR increased that connection exponentially. Kingdom Come Deliverance also had some engaging world building and characters. Cyberpunk I certainly didn't have a connection with - too much B movie style dialogue and characters (I may try the DLC though). An interesting topic.

 

[Punished Miku]

I think you should try seriously mixing up what you play. Everything on that list is boring except Starfield to me. I still connected with tons and tons of games this year. You need to start thinking outside the box and looking for lesser known stuff. It's out there.

I don't know what you like. Hi-Fi Rush hit me. I think I actually slightly got moist eyes around the end because it was just so perfectly done and synced to the music and art and vibes. Listened to the OST for months.
Bayonetta Origins had me order a stuffed animal collectible to remind me of the game.
Starfield is literally one of the biggest gaming obsessions I've ever experienced, and I get to live in that world and explore space unlike any game I've played. I've been listening to the OST every day for over 2 months when not playing.
Jusant and Cocoon are both $25 each so you can buy them both brand new and still save $20 compared to a new release, and they're 2 of the very best games this year, and both hit me mostly in gameplay, but had memorable emotional vibes and fantastic music.
I connected with Wanted: Dead and beat it 7x this year. Most people think it sucks, but who cares. It feels like the spiritual successor to Ninja Gaiden 2, one of my favorite games of all time, and I like the cast of characters and the OST which I listened to for months.
The Ascent is one of the coolest games I've played this whole gen. Phenomenal art and graphics, and it's a retro top down shooter. Most people don't know it even exists.
Try Psychonauts 2. Most people didn't.

I'm mostly just lacking time. I want to see the multimedia spectacle of Alan Wake 2, play through a lost sequel to Robocop we've been waiting 35 years for, finally start Sea of Stars which seems like one of the best retro RPGs since Chrono Trigger, and the list just keeps going.

Play something new to you. I got extremely into Forza Motorsport this year. My first sim racer, so it feels awesome and fresh. I want more time to play Age of Empires 2 and 4, which feel extremely fresh since I've basically never put real time into a RTS game. I'd like to play top down tactics games like Shadow Gambit and Aliens Dark Descent. Or just play something zany and stupid like WarioWare, and maybe it will at least be a new experience. Find a puzzle game like Talos Principle 2 that will force you to think. Pick up a highly rated visual novel like Citizen Sleeper that feels like reading a book, or Pentiment if you skipped that is perfect for introspection and is great for the holiday vibes.

Mix. It. Up. If I didn't try to constantly find unusual games I would never be able to stick with this hobby for so long.

Do you play any Nintendo games? They are literally the antidote to "modern" game burnout. If you skipped most Switch games, you're really missing some of the best stuff in the whole medium. Play Metroid Dread or a dozen other great games. I wrote a thread gushing about Triangle Strategy and think it's the best tactics game ever made.

 

[Drizzlehell]

Op, you sound like a drug addicted chasing that first high.

Not that I never felt like you, but man, some emotion should come from real experiences with real people, not movies or video games. Go live your real life instead of chasing a virtual one.

Oh, sure, just because I'm able to engage with fictional storytelling on that level then it must mean that I have no life.

Man, shut up, lol.

 

[Games of Today]

I have a few things to comment on about this.

First of all I know how you feel, from 2009 to around 2011 I played Modern Warfare 2, Bad Company 2, Uncharted 2 and Battlefield 3 religiously. Multiplayer games especially don't have any staying power like that anymore. It's really a bummer. Hell Let Loose is probably the only game that I would say gives me that effect in the multiplayer space. A lot of it has to do with the lack of voice chat in these games, it's almost non-existent outside of personal friend groups in party chat now. You can't make new friends and you can't trash talk which was always so much fun.

Uncharted 2 on the other hand, when I wasn't playing with friends, this was on my TV. I have 40 hours played on my second PS3 that I still have after my fat one died. All in all I've beat it easily over 10 times. A lot of times on easy mode with one shot kills and infinite ammo to make it look and feel more like a playable movie. I played it so much that nearly every line of dialogue is permanently stuck in my head, I can even recite scenes based on the timing of the soundtrack when listening to it. No linear, story driven game will ever beat it in my opinion.

Also, these games that you have listed are not the games I would typically expect to get an emotional reaction from or be attached to them in any way.

For me, Death Stranding is close because the characters are more interesting than the gameplay. I did play that straight through without taking a break. In Red Dead 2 however, the characters are less interesting than the gameplay. I don't care about Arthur like the general audience does. I like him because sounds and looks like a stereotypical cowboy, not because I'm attached to his character and personality. And because of this I usually prefer playing as him over John Marston and treating the game as more of a camping and wilderness simulator.

You should try some shorter games that are specifically meant to elicit some sort of emotional reaction.

A few examples that did this for me at least...
- Journey
- Abzu
- Limbo
- Stray

All four of those games I became emotionally attached to.

Journey is especially great because you can beat it in 2 hours and I've had different experiences each time I've played through. One way or another it usually makes me cry.

Stray was a knee jerker as well and got me pretty good.

I definitely recommend Ghost of Tsushima (if you haven't played it and have a Playstation) if you're looking for something more like the Witcher that is more about spirituality and emotional depth of it's characters. The way this game treats nature definitely connected with me on a personal level. It's so quiet and peaceful and makes me very mindful of my thoughts. And definitely made me appreciate being outside in real nature even more.

Days Gone plays with similar emotional and personal themes as well, just in an apocalyptic setting.

I also played Six Days in Fallujah in early access the other night and the opening cinematic genuinely scared me and made me cry which is an emotion that I rarely feel anymore from modern media. I'm really excited for them to eventually release a full campaign for it with real documentary footage and interviews with U.S. Marines and Iraqi civilians. That will be an incredible experience.

Edit: Oh and holy shit, if you're into CoD campaigns at all, try out the Infinite Warfare. It's one of the greatest games I've ever player period. A true emotional roller coaster with epic first person set pieces and animation. All set in the backdrop of our solar system.

I just hope one of these days some really good FPS games come out again (hopefully Battlefield or something with all encompassing warfare) that can really draw me in again.

 

[Dacvak]

Give Baldur’s Gate 3 a try. It did the trick for me.

 

[Loomy]

Branch out. Play something other than massive AAA games. Something that you can sink your teeth in for 3-5 hours(not MW3), and be done with. Journey was like 2 hours of abstract sand surfing and it was super engaging and had an amazing climax/ending. Titanfall 2 made me care about a robot almost as much as Wall-E did.

Even the best steak eaten every day will get boring after a while.

 

[Drizzlehell]

I really appreciate the responses so far. It's reassuring to know that I'm not going crazy and other people had similar experiences or at least understand what I'm talking about, lol. A lot of those games that were mentioned I haven't actually played because their overall themes didn't fully align with my sphere of interests but I like to keep an open mind regardless. Maybe I should just start catching up, and Ghost of Tsushima or Hi-Fi Rush, for example, are definitely near the top of my backlog.

The thing is, I actually do play a lot of different games and I do try to mix things up as much as I can. But I guess maybe because there are so many damn games to choose from these days, and I do have other responsibilities other than gaming, it's that much harder to find that one elusive game that I've been chasing for over half a decade now.

Read books. Game designers are not storytellers. They graduated with fucking computer science degrees.

I've read four this year already. Don't worry, I know where to look for good storytelling if I really need it. But gaming has a unique way of combining many different storytelling methods and entertainment into an experience that is unique and cannot be substituted with a really good movie or a book. I agree that a lot of video game writing is just terrible but that only makes those gems that are able to nail that aspect all the more treasured.

 

[UltimaKilo]

Wut

OP needs to seek help.

 

[StereoVsn]

I actually haven't played those so maybe I should give them a go.

Yeah, BG3 is amazing. Also could they Star Ocean 2 Remake. It’s a really good game and story.

 

[YukiOnna]

It's a personal thing. Maybe you have lost interest on a subconscious level, or that feeling is glorified to some degree as it's a memory, could be anything, but I don't think one is too old for anything, all about the mindset. Maybe you'll encounter that again if you narrow down and understand what parts you like. I understand what you're talking about and it's why I continue to play, or read, or watch what I do in my hobbies.

I haven't lost that yet, so I can't agree with the notion that games have become that hollow, just I've identified my tastes and stick to it. I still regularly experience that personal connection and what brings out that excitement for me. But there are plenty of games out there to try, identify and narrow down what you like and maybe you'll experience it more often. Don't feel bad about some people here saying it's weird, nothing wrong with enjoying fiction that way. It's the best part.

 

[64bitmodels]

Well, think of the last game where you got so enamored with the story and gameplay that it was all that you could think of for an extended period of time.

Baldurs gate 3. Before that it was OMORI. It came out in 2020. Before that it was celeste in 2018. And then Undertale in 2015. And then before that it was fallout new Vegas in 2010. And then corpse party and Yume Nikki before that.

Yeah. I think games can still hit hard story-wise.

 

[PrefectAboro]

OP I agree with your thoughts on Death Stranding, I wanted so badly to connect with the characters like the Metal Gear series but no matter how well directed the cutscenes were, the characters were just too empty for me.

Here are some recommendations for some games where the characters made an emotional impact on me.

1. Shenmue 1 and 2 (obviously a love it or hate it series). Can't deny the quirky characters and storyline are unforgettable.
2. Silent Hill 1 and 2 is essential.
3. D2 (dreamcast) really felt the isolation of the winter landscapes, and the loneliness and longing of the characters to connect with each other
4. Enemy Zero (saturn) same as above but the gameplay is NOT fun.
5. Detroit Become Human had great "robot" characters that felt human
6. Skies of Arcadia had great characters you really felt the grand scale of the adventure they went on.
7. DBZ Kakarot is a great game to play WHILE you read the manga, the sagas and characters are well done especially if you're a Dragon Ball fan.
8. The Beast Within 1995 FMV game. Probably the best video game about werewolves ever. Some of my favorite "live action actors" in gaming.
9. Yakuza 0 is a must. It's been talked to death on gaf but it's reputation is warranted. Definite must play.
10. Shadow of the Colossus. Even without words or dialogue spoken, the atmosphere, music, design evokes an emotion out of the player.
11. Bubblegum Crash. An obscure adventure title on TurboGrafx-16. The characters made me want to watch the Anime. Can't wait to see Crisis.
    

 

[Jsisto]

I think it just comes with becoming older, more jaded/numb to embracing new ideas and experiences. And of course less free time/more important concerns outside of gaming. Can’t remember the last time I was obsessed with a game. Tears of the Kingdom came close, and I beat it, but I lost the enthusiasm about halfway through.

 

[Jsisto]

OP I agree with your thoughts on Death Stranding, I wanted so badly to connect with the characters like the Metal Gear series but no matter how well directed the cutscenes were, the characters were just too empty for me.

Here are some recommendations for some games where the characters made an emotional impact on me.

1. Shenmue 1 and 2 (obviously a love it or hate it series). Can't deny the quirky characters and storyline are unforgettable.
2. Silent Hill 1 and 2 is essential.
3. D2 (dreamcast) really felt the isolation of the winter landscapes, and the loneliness and longing of the characters to connect with each other
4. Enemy Zero (saturn) same as above but the gameplay is NOT fun.
5. Detroit Become Human had great "robot" characters that felt human
6. Skies of Arcadia had great characters you really felt the grand scale of the adventure they went on.
7. DBZ Kakarot is a great game to play WHILE you read the manga, the sagas and characters are well done especially if you're a Dragon Ball fan.
8. The Beast Within 1995 FMV game. Probably the best video game about werewolves ever. Some of my favorite "live action actors" in gaming.
9. Yakuza 0 is a must. It's been talked to death on gaf but it's reputation is warranted. Definite must play.
10. Shadow of the Colossus. Even without words or dialogue spoken, the atmosphere, music, design evokes an emotion out of the player.
11. Bubblegum Crash. An obscure adventure title on TurboGrafx-16. The characters made me want to watch the Anime. Can't wait to see Crisis.
    

Man after my own heart. I can’t think of a game that had a bigger impact on me than Skies of Arcadia. (if that wasn’t obvious). A true masterpiece.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

17-18 hours a day is pretty extreme. I can't imagine expecting any game to grip me like that. Maybe lower your expectations?

 

[Auto_aim1]

I kinda agree with you. I suggest going on a media blackout for a game you want to play. No trailers, forum threads nothing. When you discover shit for the first time that's when the magic happens. God of War 2018 was amazing but Ragnarok didn't have the same effect because you kinda already knew what you were going to get. Same thing goes for most sequels. Unless they are really good.

The Witcher 3 was actually a once in a generation game though.

 

[StueyDuck]

Now, what do I mean by that? Well, think of the last game where you got so enamored with the story and gameplay that it was all that you could think of for an extended period of time. A game that you'd spend every possible waking hour playing, and if you weren't playing it, you kept thinking about playing it. It had to be a game that you were so completely invested in that it felt like binge-watching a really great TV show and as soon as it was over, you felt a bit of an emptiness, kinda like the one that you feel when you miss a really good friend, and the only way to heal it was to start playing through the game again. It had to be the kind of game that would completely occupy you for a very long time and cause you to ignore all the other releases for at least a couple of months. The kind of game that very much resonated with you on a personal or emotional level thanks to its themes, characters, or the story that it was trying to tell.

For me, the last game that hooked me that hard was The Witcher 3. I was so into it that I wouldn't play anything else for the better part of that year. I legit played it for the entirety of 2015 and haven't touched any other game in the meantime. I also remember on a number of occasions I would call in sick to work just because I spent the entire weekend playing the game and didn't want to stop, and then I would continue doing so throughout the week, playing roughly 17-18 hours per day.

That shit was pretty wild and what kinda bums me out is that I never found another game afterwards that would have the same effect on me. So much time has passed since then that I'm actually starting to wonder if it's just me who can't find that kind of passion for gaming anymore, or is it the games that have been on a downward slope ever since?

To paint a better picture of what I'm talking about, there were a number of games that I was really looking forward to and was hoping to hook me in a similar fashion, but every time they fell short of my expectations for various reasons:

• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Good, but disappointing in a lot of ways.
• Mass Effect Andromeda - Do I really need to explain...?
• Red Dead Redemption 2 - Close, but no cigar. The gameplay was just too boring and I saw no reason to revisit that depressing-ass story again.
• Jedi Fallen Order - By far it's the game that came the closest to the kind of experience that I'm talking about here. Really fun and emotionally engaging but I dunno, I can't put my finger on what was missing here.
• Death Stranding - Very unique and sometimes even emotional experience but overall, it's just too fucking weird and repetitive, lol.
• Cyberpunk 2077 - I think that was the final nail in the coffin as far as killing my enthusiasm for gaming goes. If CDPR dropped the ball so hard, then there just wasn't any hope left that I would ever find another game that would engage me in the same way that The Witcher 3 did.
• Starfield - The jury is still up on that one but so far I'm leaning hard towards "no" because the characters all fucking suck and I hate them and the story and how it's presented is very lackluster.

You just have to fit into a very very very small vocal minority for games to made to resonate with you.

But I agree most modern game stories have been garbage (and no not just cause they are woke)

Play the talos principle 2 though, great story, it's a game that makes you think and not just because it's a puzzle game.

 

[Punished Miku]

I kinda agree with you. I suggest going on a media blackout for a game you want to play. No trailers, forum threads nothing. When you discover shit for the first time that's when the magic happens

That's the truth. People act like spoilers don't matter, but they're mostly just ignorant. If its a game you don't care about then that's fine, but otherwise you're just literally ruining the experience for yourself.

When you read a spoiler you will feel nothing. Then when you play the game later, you will also feel nothing. Then we'll see these same people saying gaming is boring.

 

[StueyDuck]

Read books. Game designers are not storytellers. They graduated with fucking computer science degrees.

Yeah the people writing these games definitely didn't graduate with compsci or even info sys degrees.

I'd be shocked if they even have English degrees, probably BFA in philosophy or something useless like that

 

[MarkMe2525]

Now, what do I mean by that? Well, think of the last game where you got so enamored with the story and gameplay that it was all that you could think of for an extended period of time. A game that you'd spend every possible waking hour playing, and if you weren't playing it, you kept thinking about playing it. It had to be a game that you were so completely invested in that it felt like binge-watching a really great TV show and as soon as it was over, you felt a bit of an emptiness, kinda like the one that you feel when you miss a really good friend, and the only way to heal it was to start playing through the game again. It had to be the kind of game that would completely occupy you for a very long time and cause you to ignore all the other releases for at least a couple of months. The kind of game that very much resonated with you on a personal or emotional level thanks to its themes, characters, or the story that it was trying to tell.

For me, the last game that hooked me that hard was The Witcher 3. I was so into it that I wouldn't play anything else for the better part of that year. I legit played it for the entirety of 2015 and haven't touched any other game in the meantime. I also remember on a number of occasions I would call in sick to work just because I spent the entire weekend playing the game and didn't want to stop, and then I would continue doing so throughout the week, playing roughly 17-18 hours per day.

That shit was pretty wild and what kinda bums me out is that I never found another game afterwards that would have the same effect on me. So much time has passed since then that I'm actually starting to wonder if it's just me who can't find that kind of passion for gaming anymore, or is it the games that have been on a downward slope ever since?

To paint a better picture of what I'm talking about, there were a number of games that I was really looking forward to and was hoping to hook me in a similar fashion, but every time they fell short of my expectations for various reasons:

• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Good, but disappointing in a lot of ways.
• Mass Effect Andromeda - Do I really need to explain...?
• Red Dead Redemption 2 - Close, but no cigar. The gameplay was just too boring and I saw no reason to revisit that depressing-ass story again.
• Jedi Fallen Order - By far it's the game that came the closest to the kind of experience that I'm talking about here. Really fun and emotionally engaging but I dunno, I can't put my finger on what was missing here.
• Death Stranding - Very unique and sometimes even emotional experience but overall, it's just too fucking weird and repetitive, lol.
• Cyberpunk 2077 - I think that was the final nail in the coffin as far as killing my enthusiasm for gaming goes. If CDPR dropped the ball so hard, then there just wasn't any hope left that I would ever find another game that would engage me in the same way that The Witcher 3 did.
• Starfield - The jury is still up on that one but so far I'm leaning hard towards "no" because the characters all fucking suck and I hate them and the story and how it's presented is very lackluster.

I had a very different experience with RDR2 and Cyberpunk. Both games were able to elicit a strong emotional reaction from me. I appreciated the measured pace of RDR2 as it lends itself to a more believable world. Cyberpunk had some issues for sure, but the writing really spoke to me.

 

[arkhamguy123]

Read books. Game designers are not storytellers. They graduated with fucking computer science degrees.

Even filmmakers are now being handed scripts that have been touched by up to 10 people. how are you going to get anything meaningful or deeply personal from a design by committee approach?

Read books. Games are there for fun. Witcher 3, The last guardian, MGS3, SOTC, TLOU, mass Effect 2 are all very rare games that come once every 5-10 years or so.

Very reductive. And way too broad a generalization

Feels like you’re regressing back to the 2001 Robert Ebert “video games aren’t art” thing. That they’re just toys for fun basically. Because A. Game designers have written good material before and B. Probably since the early PS360 era have game developers been hiring actual experienced skilled writers for some games. It seems like you’re outdated in your assessment. Think the last time it was primarily just the programmer writing the dialogue and cutscenes was like the PS2/Xbox/GameCube era.

And I don’t even know what your comment on the film industry was. Garbage like your average MCU movie or the latest fast and furious have a lot of people on the scripts. And kids animated movies now typically have a lot of writer credits, but that’s not even the norm for most blockbusters. Most movie scripts are still 1-3 guys dude.

Your only good point here is ever since the extreme post Fortnite post 2017 gaming blow up have things taken a bit of a downward spiral. The more corporate mass market nature of gaming means they have to appeal to the most dumbass of casuals. Basically the dumbest budlight chugging fucks in all the land have to be able to grasp, like, and follow your story and dialogue. This is obviously not conducive to good art or good storytelling

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

Skyrim the thread for me

Me and my ex were so obsessed with the game we bought another 360 at the time and sat next to each other each playing at the same time, doing things in our own ways and looking what each other had found and went about doing the quests.

Since then I’d have to say botw and Nier automata

That’s really it for me

 

[Games of Today]

Very reductive. And way too broad a generalization

Feels like you’re regressing back to the 2001 Robert Ebert “video games aren’t art” thing. That they’re just toys for fun basically. Because A. Game designers have written good material before and B. Probably since the early PS360 era have game developers been hiring actual experienced skilled writers for some games. It seems like you’re outdated in your assessment. Think the last time it was primarily just the programmer writing the dialogue and cutscenes was like the PS2/Xbox/GameCube era.

And I don’t even know what your comment on the film industry was. Garbage like your average MCU movie or the latest fast and furious have a lot of people on the scripts. And kids animated movies now typically have a lot of writer credits, but that’s not even the norm for most blockbusters. Most movie scripts are still 1-3 guys dude.

Your only good point here is ever since the extreme post Fortnite post 2017 gaming blow up have things taken a bit of a downward spiral. The more corporate mass market nature of gaming means they have to appeal to the most dumbass of casuals. Basically the dumbest budlight chugging fucks in all the land have to be able to grasp, like, and follow your story and dialogue. This is obviously not conducive to good art or good storytelling

I hold video games in such a high regard over movies and books that most people I tell this to can't comprehend it.

There's a reason why people prefer books over their movie adaptaions. Because books draw you into the world and immerse you for hours and hours, slowly developing characters along the way.

Now you can have this in movies but it needs to be much quicker in most cases, however movies allow you to see visuals which is great for some people who lack more of an imagination.

Now games, combine the story telling length and depth of a book, with the visual engagement of a movie all while giving you full control. You can even use your imagination to enhance your experience in certain aspects.

For example, you can read about Omaha beach, you can see it in a movie but you can't feel it unless you play a game like Hell Let Loose.

 

[ChiefDada]

Returnal was that game for me. Had me thinking and dreaming about the dualsense, tight arcade controls, audio (the first gen where I ever really appreciated audio). I have spent hundreds of hours in the game and ignored almost everything else in my life in the 4 weeks subsequent to release.

 

[IlGialloMondadori]

Now, what do I mean by that? Well, think of the last game where you got so enamored with the story and gameplay that it was all that you could think of for an extended period of time. A game that you'd spend every possible waking hour playing, and if you weren't playing it, you kept thinking about playing it. It had to be a game that you were so completely invested in that it felt like binge-watching a really great TV show and as soon as it was over, you felt a bit of an emptiness, kinda like the one that you feel when you miss a really good friend, and the only way to heal it was to start playing through the game again. It had to be the kind of game that would completely occupy you for a very long time and cause you to ignore all the other releases for at least a couple of months. The kind of game that very much resonated with you on a personal or emotional level thanks to its themes, characters, or the story that it was trying to tell.

For me, the last game that hooked me that hard was The Witcher 3. I was so into it that I wouldn't play anything else for the better part of that year. I legit played it for the entirety of 2015 and haven't touched any other game in the meantime. I also remember on a number of occasions I would call in sick to work just because I spent the entire weekend playing the game and didn't want to stop, and then I would continue doing so throughout the week, playing roughly 17-18 hours per day.

That shit was pretty wild and what kinda bums me out is that I never found another game afterwards that would have the same effect on me. So much time has passed since then that I'm actually starting to wonder if it's just me who can't find that kind of passion for gaming anymore, or is it the games that have been on a downward slope ever since?

To paint a better picture of what I'm talking about, there were a number of games that I was really looking forward to and was hoping to hook me in a similar fashion, but every time they fell short of my expectations for various reasons:

• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Good, but disappointing in a lot of ways.
• Mass Effect Andromeda - Do I really need to explain...?
• Red Dead Redemption 2 - Close, but no cigar. The gameplay was just too boring and I saw no reason to revisit that depressing-ass story again.
• Jedi Fallen Order - By far it's the game that came the closest to the kind of experience that I'm talking about here. Really fun and emotionally engaging but I dunno, I can't put my finger on what was missing here.
• Death Stranding - Very unique and sometimes even emotional experience but overall, it's just too fucking weird and repetitive, lol.
• Cyberpunk 2077 - I think that was the final nail in the coffin as far as killing my enthusiasm for gaming goes. If CDPR dropped the ball so hard, then there just wasn't any hope left that I would ever find another game that would engage me in the same way that The Witcher 3 did.
• Starfield - The jury is still up on that one but so far I'm leaning hard towards "no" because the characters all fucking suck and I hate them and the story and how it's presented is very lackluster.

Cyberpunk is fuckin awesome. I connected emotionally with Jackie, and if you didn’t, you’re dead inside. *pour one out for Jackie*

 

[FeralEcho]

As much as I hate the shit landscape of broken releases,battlepass gaas riddled garbage that gets flung our way nowadays I can't believe I'm saying this considering the gaming industry nowadays and what I've just mentioned but I'm having the greatest years of my gaming life at 30 years old right now,between my insane backlog,the incredible games that have come out this generation I can safely say this is one of the best years in gaming ever.

Lies of P made me feel like a giddy kid while playing it reminding me of Bloodborne which is my fav game of all time. Cyberpunk Expansion restored my faith in CDPR,getting Spidey 2 and Mario Wonder on the same day reminded me of December 2008 when my parents bought me Resistance 2 and Little Big Planet and the same feeling of excitement I got back then. Baldur's Gate 3,one of the most amazing rpgs created is still waiting for me in my backlog as well as Tears of The Kingdom,then we have RE4,Separate Ways and Street Fighter 6 in the same year that reminded me of Capcom's golden days plus much more moments that stuck with me and reminded me that even though we have so many broken releases,gaas garbage everywhere and corporate greed and consolidation,despite all that the gaming that made us all gamers is still very much alive and kicking.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Just play VNs

 

[MidGenRefresh]

When my horse died at the end of RDR2, I wanted to cry. So this thread is not for me.