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[Combichristoffersen]

Silent Hill is dead, so this can't be the best gen yet.

RIP in peace, Triangle Head.

The last game I cared enough about to buy for PS4 was Psychonauts, which is a port of an 11 year old PS2 game. Just sad.

 

[JBwB]

I disagree.

Gaming is better than ever, especially if you game on PC.

 

[Skiesofwonder]

I disagree completely.

There are more ways to play quality games than ever before. We have your usual high-end scene (X1/PS4/WiiU), two quality portables in the end of their life spans (3DS/Vita), fricken' three legit VR platforms (PS/Vive/Oculus) + mobile VR, actual quality gaming experiences offered on every phone under the sun, PC gaming more prominent then ever thanks to Steam/the indie scene, and a Nintendo hybrid coming in three months.

Honestly, if you are having trouble finding quality experiences or getting excited about the current gaming landscape, then maybe you should start looking at your gaming appetite instead of complaining about the current offerings available.

 

[Lothar]

That's exactly what it is. Every type of game imaginable exists now. You only want to play 8BIT side scrollers, there are dozens that come out a year, only a fan of strategy games; there's no shortage of those either - big AAA shooters? We had three come out this month. You can make the argument certain genres have gotten worse, but to say gaming as a whole has gotten worse is just plain wrong and probably an indication that your own tastes are very limited. There are more games and more types of games coming out than ever before. And more ways to play these games too. Gaming is the cheapest it's been, and virtually everyone will find something they enjoy.

Here's what I like. Challenging 2D platformers. Survival Horror. JRPGs. Splitscreen multiplayer. What is there for me? Not saying there isn't but I haven't seen games in these genres that are as great as they were in the past.

For Survival Horror. I've played Silent Hill 3 and Fatal Frame for the first very recently so it's not nostalgia. They're terrifying and awesome. Resident Evil 5-6, Dead Space, and Evil Within don't come close.

For challenging 2D platformers, there's Volgarr the Viking and Rouge Legacy, and they're very good, but I wouldn't put them up with NES and SNES's best. Even though they're fun, they're no Castlevania 3, Mega Man 3, or Contra 3. Axiom Verge is a fine Super Metroid ripoff but it's no Super Metroid.

Safe to say no recent JRPG can compete with Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenogears, Lufia 2, Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy X.

 

[E_Darkness]

Gaming decline when people stopped using Blast Processing.

Safe to say no recent JRPG can compete with Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenogears, Lufia 2, Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy X.

Did you stop playing JRPGs post PS2 or something? Weird that the only PS2 JRPG you mention is FFX.

 

[DedValve]

Given my insane backlog of current gen games and the absolutely stupid next 6 months of endless big releases id say there are way too many quality games right now and i just have to deal with not playing them all.

 

[Strangelove77]

I love when these threads pop up.

 

[Devilgunman]

Wtf? Video games are better than ever right now. We have big devs doing their things, indies self-publish their stuffs, flood of games on PC and mobiles, and VR. There are so many great games to play. I think we're having much better than the 90s. I remembered being stuck with 1 snes game for awhile because there was nothing worthwhile to play.

 

[enigmatic_alex44]

Disappointing games, new IPs are awful (besides Splatoon), endless remasters. This gen has been trash all around.

I do have a feeling of hope Nintendo will use the Switch to save this creatively bankrupt industry once it takes off like the Wii did.

 

[Goldenroad]

There's never been a better time to be playing video games.

 

[Maximo]

Never been happier playing games on PC, we may have more squeezing practices to customers but your kidding yourself if were not in the best time to be a gamer.

 

[Benzychenz]

Disagree--there are more quality games coming out this holiday season/early next year than I have time for.

Pretty much, just over the next few months I'm grabbing Pokemon Sun, Steins;Gate 0, Final Fantasy XV, The Last Guardian, Gravity Rush 2, Dragon Quest VIII, Kingdom Hearts 2.8, Nioh, Persona 5 and Nier Automata.

Gaming is insanely good right now.

 

[george_us]

7th generation was absolutely awful. This generation has been pretty good. Not the Golden Age that the 6th generation was but not the affront to gaming the PS360Wii generation was (hyperbole!). If you're a player who primarily loves Japanese console or handheld games then you're fucked, and it's only going to get worse from here on out if sales are anything to go by. The Western AAA scene is mostly a wasteland though except for 2016, which has actually been pretty stellar.

The indie scene seems to be pretty great although I haven't played an indie title yet that compares to some of my favorite games of all time. I hear it's much better on PC though and I don't game on PC at all.

 

[Spinluck]

I go Sony console, Nintendo console/handheld, and PC.

Gaming is still pretty nice to me. You get your fill with the platforms listed above.

I can't really justify owning an Xbone while having a PC and PS4. Not a lot of the 1st party appeals to me either.

 

[WillyFive]

There's never been a better time to be playing video games.

Yeah. Companies come and go, game series rise and fall, but for the player, never have they had these many great games and choices to pick from.

 

[Octavia]

Gen 7 was amazing. So many good games. Easy online for the mass consumer. Patching/DLC was a net good even if it was abused.

Gen 8 is the dud IMO. Just nothing really noteworthy that I (personally) care about. A couple of neat games, Vive is neat I guess but not accessible for me, and that's kinda it. Other than that I'm sorta just like, eh.

But I guess I'm the gamer who's turned from playing stuff like Uncharted to Farming Simulator so my opinion is probably skewed.

 

[ShadowFox08]

One of my problems with gaming today is that there are too many games. Too many quality options leave me fatigued mentally and increase my backlog. And when the backlog is big, I have like no motivation to beat any of those old games, especially for the oldest ones . Sigh.

 

[Skiesofwonder]

Pretty much, just over the next few months I'm grabbing Pokemon Sun, Steins;Gate 0, Final Fantasy XV, The Last Guardian, Gravity Rush 2, Dragon Quest VIII, Kingdom Hearts 2.8, Nioh, Persona 5 and Nier Automata.

Gaming is insanely good right now.

Just look at that list. And most of those are releasing within the "downtime" of the gaming year.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

I agree generally. I don't think gaming is bad now, but it has a lot more hurdles and is limited when it comes to genres.

Thankfully it's propped up by indie studios and crowdfunding, other wise the industry would look pretty bad.

 

[Spiritwalker]

AAA is definitely worse, but gaming in general is fine.

 

[tilomite!]

I've been gaming since Atari 2600, still having a ton of fun. But I do miss the mid tier games.

 

[Alligatorjandro]

Gaming now is what I've always wanted to be since I was a kid. The experiences are amazing.

 

[Lothar]

Gaming decline when people stopped using Blast Processing.



Did you stop playing JRPGs post PS2 or something? Weird that the only PS2 JRPG you mention is FFX.

FFX was the best one I think but Dragon Quest 8, SMT: Nocturne, and Persona 4 stand way above recent JRPGs as well. (I don't play portables though)

 

[entremet]

AAA is definitely worse, but gaming in general is fine.

.

 

[Sarcastic Poster]

Silly to be blaming "the west" on the downfall of gaming. The decline of some formerly prominent genres like JRPGs is more to do with rising production values and the like. PC gaming is as healthy as it's ever been.

 

[MogCakes]

JRPGs are fine, in fact this year is something of a resurgence for them.

 

[SephLuis]

Honestly, I am not even worried except for my financial health.

Just Q1 next year is going to be insane enough to give me games for a whole year. And just this year I finished a lot of great games that were mostly recently released.

I'm not preoccupied with lack of good content. I'm preoccupied that there's too much and not enough time/money to enjoy it, thus leading to more than a few titles to be forgotten by the public.

 

[Maxrunner]

This and 70€ Sony and Ms asks for games.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

Souls games
Indies

I'm pretty satisfied tbqh

 

[Golden Slumbers]

there's never been a better time to be playing video games

 

[Kureransu]

Honestly, the issue isn't so much amount of games or lack of variation at all. They are there, but they are pretty much all digital and lack the marketing that gets poured into the triple a titles. It's not the same "browsing" steam (or other e-shops) as it is walking into a brick and mortar and browsing looking to try something new on impulse. Truth be told, there's more games and variety out there than ever, it's just harder to stubble upon without going through lists of games on a page.

My personal issues is that they are really pushing games as a service, where they control when you can play the game (needing to be only) and just so many things locked behind a premium. I feel like the average AAA game is about 100-120 dollars now, which I guess technically is about right with inflation, but it's a lot to swallow for a hobby. I also an not a fan if paying to play online, especially when games are unplayable without a connection. But as far as games go, they're there.

 

[Metalmarc]

Boot up ps4. Load disc, install game, download patches, load screens, more loads screens, unskippable cutscene, unskippable tutorial.

Playing games from the c64 era was quicker than some of todays games to play from boot, this is my bug bear with modern gaming. (Suspended gaming though is a great Feature)

Also i do miss the days where we didnt care about the hollywood like story (we had books and movies for that) much and we'd just pick up and play games like Sonic and Mario and Alex the Kidd.

But at the same time i love some of these newer games with big stories, (some are as good as hollywood movies now) but not many, but as others have said theres indies and also Nintendo games for me.

 

[Bronetta]

OP is a textbook example of a pessimist, glass half empty type.

You may not like the direction the industry is heading in but there are still many great games being released all the time not to mention never before in history has such a vast catalog of games spanning decades been so readily accesible.

 

[Sauce Marlow]

Boot up ps4. Load disc, install game, download patches, load screens, more loads screens, unskippable cutscene, unskippable tutorial.

Playing games from the c64 era was quicker than some of todays games to play from boot, this is my bug bear with modern gaming. (Suspended gaming though is a great Feature)

Also i do miss the days where we didnt care about the hollywood like story (we had books and movies for that) much and we'd just pick up and play games like Sonic and Mario and Alex the Kidd.

But at the same time i love some of these newer games with big stories, (some are as good as hollywood movies now) but not many, but as others have said theres indies and also Nintendo games for me.

It takes like 30 seconds to boot the PS4 up, load the disk and install the game. Most games don't have gigantic day one patches either, so if there is one it'll probably take no time at all to download. Load screens are as short as ever or non-existent and the majority of games have cutscenes that are skippable.

The only valid thing is unskippable tutorials, but those have been a thing in gaming forever.

 

[HotHamBoy]

This is like saying contemporary music is terrible.

Are you exclusively listening to terrestrial radio?

 

[kobu]

What's really crazy is that in 2016 we still have people like the op acting like wanting your games to look good is a bad thing.

 

[Bronetta]

Another thing which people complaining about the contemporary gaming landscape often forget is that there are lots of smaller games being released at budget prices on digital marketplaces all the time.

 

[bemusedchunk]

don't focus on the negativity

 

[Iva Demilcol]

Kind of agree with you OP, but instead of wasting my time watching what AAA devs do, I just play what catches my attention, which usually are mid-tier games.

 

[Loxley]

The economics surrounding the sale of AAA video games and DLC sucks...but the games themselves are better than ever.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

there's never been a better time to be playing video games

Indeed. This year alone has a staggering variety of quality games and it's still going strong. The Witness, Dark Souls 3, Hyper Light Drifter, Hitman, Kirby Planet Robobot, Titanfall 2, Doom, Stephen's Sausage Roll, Overwatch, Inside, Thumper, Forza Horizon 3, and that's not nearly all.

 

[me0wish]

I agree, but be prepared for the 'nostalgia' accusations.

I find the "nostalgia accusations" pretty silly. I've been exploring Sony's library properly the last 2 years, and I find the PS2's library vastly superior to PS3/4's library combined, PS2 has a huge versatile library with some really unique and fun games.

When I saw my favorite PS3 exclusive (Folklore) having mediocre results commercially and critically, I started accepting that the 7th gen is going filled with boring unimaginative games that take no risks, and amazing games like Opoona, Viva Pinata and Folklore will be overlooked.

Despite my criticism, there were a lot of great games 7th gen, but sadly right now, I can't say the same thing about 8th gen (Except for Nintendo and some exceptional titles).

 

[MatrixMan.EXE]

I feel like the only people saying this kind of thing are people who's gaming is taken up predominantly by AAA Western Games. If that's the case then I think this holds up to an extent, if not, then I can't think of a time where there's been so much stuff to play. Indie/Japanese developers doing god's work on handhelds/PS4/PC.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

Sure, I guess it's going downhill in some ways.

But in most other ways, it's really not. Step outside the western AAA bubble every now and then and discover a whole new world.

 

[Fracas]

I agree, at least speaking for big games. Just giant bloated garbage. Indies are keeping it real at least.

 

[Kurdel]

We got free dlc for Animal Crossing, a game from 2012.

In our awesome future, anything is possible.

Where is Crackdown?

 

[Skinpop]

aaa is worse then ever, but everything else is getting better than ever.

 

[jesu]

gaming keeps getting better imo

 

[PaulloDEC]

Gaming is absolutely amazing right now. There's never been a bigger variety of gaming experiences available, nor a wider array of avenues by which to enjoy them.

Indie games have risen to a point where they comfortably fill the gaps between the big AAA releases, and in many cases they surpass them in quality and inventiveness.

Many of the worst excesses of the current era (DLC, microtransactions, pre-order bonuses) are easily avoidable with a modicum of self control and patience, and Steam sales make the most expensive games affordable within a shockingly short space of time.

Emulation and high-powered mobile devices have made it possible to experience the classics of the past at higher fidelity and with greater flexibility than ever before. Remasters, despite being regularly complained about, allow new gamers to easily play classic titles for the first time.

I'm drowning in games I want to play, both old and new. I have so many options that I struggle to choose. There's dozens of games on the horizon that I can't wait to play.

Gaming is better than ever IMO.

 

[ReBurn]

Ever since the 7th generation, things have gotten worse & worse for gaming in general ever since the west took over.

We have tons of people caring about having superior graphics & having cinematics more so than demanding better games, we have people obsessing more about AAA gaming while treating mid-tier gaming & indie gaming like garbage, we have On-Disc DLC & Pre-order DLC, we have paid online for multiplayer, we have Microtransactions, we have tons of games being shooters, we have tons of 3rd party publishers going bankrupt trying to cater to graphic whores, we have Microsoft & Sony trying to be PC lite, etc. It's insane. And what's worse is that these so-called "gamers" of today tolerate this shit!

And they wonder why people like myself love generations 3-6 so much. Keep in mind that it's just my opinion. Just let the gaming industry implode so that things can go back to the way that they used to be. Please.

If we're being honest people were caring about superior graphics since there was competition in the market. I remember seeing commercials for Intellivision and Colecovision and then going to school and hearing my friends argue over which was better.

I started to lose my fascination for video games when they started moving to an online focus. I like to play alone. I never have liked having to spend my gaming time making sure I don't ruin other people's experiences when I'm ready to quit. I don't think it represents a decline as much as it does the world of gaming is evolving when I want it to stay the same.

As for DLC, I just don't care about it. I won't pay for costumes or weapon skins ever, but I will pick up the occasional story DLC if I really enjoyed the base game. It can bring new life to a game gathering dust on the shelf. You just have to be smart and not fall for the obvious money grabs.