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[samoilaaa]

Except some political stuff in some games and greedy tactics by some companies gaming has never been more fun and creative

We have big releases like

Baldur's gate 3 - big rpg with alot of choice and consequence , alot of freedom when it comes to gameplay , alot of interesting characters , everything you could want in an rpg

Legend of zelda TOTK - another game with alot of gameplay freedom that stimulates your creativity , if you think of a solution its probably is a posibility

Star wars Jedi survivor - sure the game has optimization problems but the game itself is amazing , it improves everything from the prequel

Starfield - another huge rpg , from the looks of it they improved the rpg mechanics from fallout 4 , no more dialog wheel with answers like "yes , no , maybe "

Armored core 6 - sure the graphics are nothing special but the combat looks amazing and the costumization options of the mech is insane

Resident Evil 4 remake - ive never played the original so for me this game was a new experience and it was amazing


And then we have smaller games but very good too like Entrophy center , Viewfinder , Five nights at freddie's security breach , amnesia the bunker , dark light , dredge , age of wonders 4

You would have to be very picky to not find anything fun to play

 

[TheDraconian]

I've been gaming for decades and games are better than ever

 

[Onironauta]

I don't think gaming is dying but obviously it can't compare to what is was 20 years ago in terms of innovation.
All the games you mentioned are sequels, except for Starfield being Elder Scrolls in space.

 

[Ginzeen]

Nope. Gaming is alive and well.

 

[Zuzu]

Neither do I. Gaming is as good as it’s ever been and in many ways better than it’s ever been. I’m 35 and have been gaming since the SNES. I own or have owned a SNES, PSone, Sega Saturn, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox original, Gamecube, Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PS4 Pro, computers capable of gaming and now a Switch, PS5 and Series X.

I’ve played a vast amount of games across all those generations. There are many games these days that are just as excellent as anything from the past. Many of the gameplay mechanics are far superior now than in games in the past.

 

[Bernoulli]

Games are better but everything is about monetization now
They work with psychological teams to make people spend the most and be addicted
Consoles gaming is becoming like mobile gaming just with better graphics

 

[Kadve]

AAA Gaming is currently in one of those slumps where people are getting tired of the current dominate genre (open world RPG-lites, think what happened to military shooters). The current economy + ever increasing development costs are also making them play it safe rather than take risks which are also not sitting well with some people.

 

[SHA]

So you don't understand gog and some rare newer ones that has as much spirit to it?

 

[samoilaaa]

AAA Gaming is currently in one of those slumps where people are getting tired of the current dominate genre (open world RPG-lites, think what happened to military shooters). The current economy + ever increasing development costs are also making them play it safe rather than take risks which are also not sitting well with some people.

hey everyone plays what they want , if someone wants to buy a new call of duty /fifa/ assassins creed every year thats their problem , the games that i listed dont fit in that catagory

 

[Masterri]

Gaming peaked in the PS2/XB/GC era.
It went downhill from there.
Nowadays new releases (especially AAA) consist in remakes/remasters, sequels/reboots of already established franchises and GaaS.
New IPs are exceedingly rare and most of the time derivative as all hell. And if that's not enough development cycles are much longer and microtransactions are everywhere.
So no, I can't really agree with you, OP.

 

[samoilaaa]

Gaming peaked in the PS2/XB/GC era.
It went downhill from there.
Nowadays new releases (especially AAA) consist in remakes/remasters, sequels/reboots of already established franchises and GaaS.
New IPs are exceedingly rare and most of the time derivative as all hell. And if that's not enough development cycles are much longer and microtransactions are everywhere.
So no, I can't really agree with you, OP.

look im not saying Gaas or remakes dont exist , but there are great games out there aswell , i listed quite a few in the OP , you decide in which direction your attention will go

and whats the problem with sequels ? as long as they improve and its fun does it really matter ? so i cant enjoy baldur's gate 3 because its a sequel from a game made 20 years ago ?

 

[SJRB]

Only troglodytes who spend 100 hours a week playing Diablo 4 or fucking Valorant and then complain about lack of content whine about how videogames are dead and “not fun”.

 

[k_trout]

if someone finds gaming not fun, go do something else

 

[IDKFA]

The games have better graphics and are bigger in scale. In that regard gaming is better than say 20 years ago.

However, 20 years ago was a much simpler time.

Games worked out of the box. Massive day one patches to fix broken games didn't exist. A game had to work as shipped.

Following on from this, you didn't need to install games onto a hard drive. There was no danger of running out of space. The game went into the console and just played.

There was no aggressive monetization. Games had unlockable content on the disc. Now we get a basic base game with a season passes, micro DLC, loot boxes etc etc. Yeah there were expansion packs to PC games, but those were massive expansions that actually added value. Now publishers do anything to squeeze as much money out of the player as possible.

 

[Kumomeme]

some people spend more time on tribalism and engage in toxic conversation

some of people nitpicking at everything while pushing personal narrative agenda. worst case, some of them become unofficial PR spokeperson.

some people, cant separate politics within game


while videogame is supposed to be something fun and provide engaging experience, these kind of issue take away the attention toward that. its like in entertaiment industry. unnecessary gossip and unneeded interaction online could take away the good stuff and make people blind toward the things that most matter. no matter how sweet it is, it make things turn sour. not suprise if people spend more time discussing about videogame while playing less videogame.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

Just people you really shouldn't listen to.

 

[Masterri]

look im not saying Gaas or remakes dont exist , but there are great games out there aswell , i listed quite a few in the OP , you decide in which direction your attention will go

and whats the problem with sequels ? as long as they improve and its fun does it really matter ? so i cant enjoy baldur's gate 3 because its a sequel from a game made 20 years ago ?

Nothing particularly wrong with sequels.
But you can't deny they're a much safer choice.

 

[Chastten]

I agree with you. While there are some things I could do without, things have never been better than now, especially for us Europe folks. We get games same date as everyone else, and way cheaper than back in the day.

People who are saying 'gaming was so much better back then' never had to wait half a year for the GameCube to finally release in our continent (november 2001 rest of the world, may 2002 Europe and Australia). Or wait 2 plus years on a game, only to get ultimately cancelled (too many to name here). Or pay the equivalent of €200 for a single 8 hour game.

Maybe gaming right now sucks if you only play the casual triple A stuff like GTA, Fifa and CoD, but everyone else is eating good.

 

[HL3.exe]

Gaming is still very fun! It just hasn't progressed in the ways that I've hoped, especially in AAA. It's still 'lavish production value > interesting design/simulation/structure leaps'.

Games are better than ever thought, I agree. I just wish bigger budget games would focus more on utilizing that budget for great design leaps (like BOTW) and less on being a visual spectacle, but at it's core still being a PS360 game in a lot of ways.

 

[Danjin44]

Because most people on internet enjoy act of whining and complaining more than playing actual games.

 

[KuraiShidosha]

Compare years past vs today. The number of games coming out, of which a significant portion of them used to be masterpieces year after year, completely blows the modern gaming landscape out of the water. Compare 1998 to 2022 and tell me with a straight face that 2022 has a better lineup.

 

[JCK75]

There are always exceptions... But overall I just find things to be so different in a bad way. I used to live for death match and team deathmatch online first person shooters and now I can't bring myself to play any of them. I was so excited for Diablo 4 and after playing it enough I realized it doesn't matter that I just paid $70 for this freaking game. I don't own it. I'm going to have to buy more to keep playing it.. It's like I have to go to the indie game market to buy a game and experience it completely without buying more

 

[damidu]

people have been saying this for decades now.
usually said people themselves are dying inside and are not fun anymore

 

[Fart Knight]

Name the last trilogy that came out in one generation.

 

[Shubh_C63]

We have lost the wide eyed immersion we used to have. Games are ok I guess.

 

[Sakura]

There are lots of good games still coming out today, for sure.
But some of the games I used to like just aren't being made any more, or are shit. For example, I really like dating sim type games. There were tons in the 90s, all sorts of themes, settings, etc but nowadays they just aren't really a thing.
Visual novels are another one. All the great visual novels are from the 90s or first decade of the 2000s. Like Clannad, or Muv-Luv, Fate Stay Night, KimiNozo, the Rance series, Steins;Gate, etc. Visual novels are still getting made, but they aren't as good.
Now I realise I am going to be in the minority for those genres, but that is how I feel personally at least.

Then you have other series or genres which are still getting made, but aren't quite what they used to be. For example, Star Ocean 2 compared to 3 or 4 or 5. Or more mainstream series like Final Fantasy. The Bungie Halos compared to the post Bungie Halos. etc.

It just seems like we have less games, and they are trying to make them more linear, cinematic, high budget experiences. At least in the AAA space.
There is still plenty of unique and/or innovative fun experiences to be had in the indie scene though.

 

[ShirAhava]

95% of the type of games that are popular today I never liked in the 90s, 2000s and I don't like now

The only thing I care about from that list is AC6

The vast majority of the genre, series and types of games that I loved to play aren't even being made currently

Where is Lunar? Where is Altered Beast? Where is Fatal Fury? Where is Fighting Force? Where is Psychic Force?
Where is Landstalker? Where is Vay? Where is Phantasy Star(mainline series not online)? Where is Virtua Cop?
Where is Destrega? Where is Rogue Trip? Where is Parasite Eve? Where is Vagrant Story? Where is Tobal? Where is Ehrgeiz? I could go on and on 98% of what I love is either nowhere to be found or is vastly different than it used to be
WHERE ARE THE AAA TURN BASED JRPGS? Why is Final Fantasy a Generic action-jrpg shit show? Where are the hand drawn 2D fighting games? Almost NOTHING I cared about growing up is anywhere to be found in the current games industry yet "things are better than ever" yeah ok I don't want to play the horseshit you guys love so much people have different taste I didn't like most western games in the 90s I wasn't mad when they came out because I had other options which I don't have anymore.

 

[digdug2]

Gaming is the best it's ever been. However, I have been gaming for 35 years and it's losing its appeal to me somewhat. I just don't find the joy and excitement in it that I used to and the only games that really excite me these days are From Software releases. I put in 165 hours into my first playthrough of Elden Ring, for example. On the other hand, I tried out Final Fantasy 16 for a few hours and it really just didn't do it for me.

 

[samoilaaa]

Compare years past vs today. The number of games coming out, of which a significant portion of them used to be masterpieces year after year, completely blows the modern gaming landscape out of the water. Compare 1998 to 2022 and tell me with a straight face that 2022 has a better lineup.

2022 no but 2023 looks very awsome especially for me as an rpg gamer , im 33 years old so the 90's and early 00's were very awsome but now technology allows for very fun game mechanics , i dont rememeber an rpg being as good as baldurs's gate 3 , ive played all the classics and they are great but baldurs gate 3 has alot of verticality in level design , awsome puzzles that put my mind to work , cinematics that help immersion alot

just tell me a game from 1998 that can compare with a great game from 2020's in terms of game mechanics , level design , combat , graphics not included because obvious reasons

 

[Wildebeest]

Is this a shut up and enjoy Final Fantasy 16 thread?

 

[samoilaaa]

Gaming is the best it's ever been. However, I have been gaming for 35 years and it's losing its appeal to me somewhat. I just don't find the joy and excitement in it that I used to and the only games that really excite me these days are From Software releases. I put in 165 hours into my first playthrough of Elden Ring, for example. On the other hand, I tried out Final Fantasy 16 for a few hours and it really just didn't do it for me.

i have that same feeling sometimes and i think i know why , in so many many years you have seen it and done it all so in order for a game to impress you pretty cutscenes and quick time events arnt enough , for a well matured mind the game need to be a little challenging , it needs to stimulate your creative thinking

im enjoy so much when i get stuck sometimes in a game and i have to ask "what should i do , what am i missing , how can i use the environment to my advantage , maybe there is a switch hidden somewhere , a hidden passage "

 

[Morrie’s wig shop]

The ones crying about every single little fucking thing. They might be out grown video games and should probably concentrate on other hobbies like playing an instrument discovering they might have a green thumb.

Gaming has never been better and I never want this industry to go backwards.

 

[Pejo]

Imagination and creativity have been traded for 20FPS pseudo realism and face mapping and endless sequels. That's my current issue with gaming.

We probably get comparable numbers of good games per year as in the past, but there's also a lot of garbage. Also modern day devs are seemingly in it for the paycheck and social media clout, not the passion, but that's just an armchair remark from me.

 

[MagnesD3]

From Software is good, Nintendo is currently very meh but not awful, Remakes make up half of the big releases in a year, alot of big titles release buggy as hell, Gaas sucks, Battle Passes suck, Game Pass sucks, Digital Only games suck when developers are actively destroying/making unavailable your older purchased content, Playstation sucks and Xbox sucks two of the major players in gaming so yeah its grim and the future is grim even if there is the occasional indie darling or great third party game every now and then.

 

[YuLY]

Look at 2007 or 2011 and then come back and say the same thing. Gaming peak was PS2 until end of PS360 era. You had the best trilogy ever made in Mass Effect made in the span of 5 years, now it takes 5 years to get a single game out. Most of the big genres and francizes that are known/popular now initially came out during 7th gen.

Lack of creativity, 1 game per generation from most AAA studios, microtransactions always online no ownership galore. Nah, gaming is in shambles. Just cause you get 2-3 good AAA games per year that look gorgeous doesnt mean gaming is better than ever. You probably just forgot how good we had it.

 

[Soltype]

2022 no but 2023 looks very awsome especially for me as an rpg gamer , im 33 years old so the 90's and early 00's were very awsome but now technology allows for very fun game mechanics , i dont rememeber an rpg being as good as baldurs's gate 3 , ive played all the classics and they are great but baldurs gate 3 has alot of verticality in level design , awsome puzzles that put my mind to work , cinematics that help immersion alot

just tell me a game from 1998 that can compare with a great game from 2020's in terms of game mechanics , level design , combat , graphics not included because obvious reasons

You have to judge these things with context, compared to other games on the market there wasn't anything like metal gear solid, half life or ocarina of Time. That's not to say today's games aren't good it's just the strides aren't as big anymore. I always think about the leap from Star Fox to Star Fox 64.You went from simple game with primitive polygons to a highly detailed fully textured game in 4 years. This is not even mentioning the gameplay refinements/level design, the fact it was fully voice acted or the rumble pack. New things seem to be coming at a higher rate back then. I honestly believe they're still a lot of good ideas that are untapped , but there isn't really an incentive to try anything different.

 

[Bartski]

Me neither

 

[The Cockatrice]

Gaf is a huge drama place where it has 0 impact on the real gaming world and gaf loves to think that they know when a game sells poorly or not, if games are dying or not, etc. This place is not even 1% of the actual gaming world. Personally, gaming has evolved in a lot of good things but in a lot of bad things as well. Games are not being made with the passion of being made, at least the majority of them. Gaming is now a corporation tool to make money. Before anything is made, big companies will have meetings to decide whether this will sell or not. Risk and making unique things does not exist anymore or it's very few in between. That is why gaf complains about Ragnarok or Spider-man 2 for looking more like expansions than actual sequels. They are wrong but right at the same time. These games among others are very safe, corporate and sales-wise. They do not diverge much at all from their previous blockbusters and only have incremental upgrades just to be safe. To make matters worse, now we're getting a lot more remakes, for games that were great many years ago. Is that a bad thing? Yes and no. Again, its great because we can replay and experience classics in modern skin but at the same time, they're just safe bets for corporations to make money with minimal loss.

So is gaming better? No idea tho big games are much fewer and creativity in the BIG 3xA is almost entirely dead. Take that as you will.

 

[Hudo]

Gaf is a huge drama place where it has 0 impact on the real gaming world and gaf loves to think that they know when a game sells poorly or not, if games are dying or not, etc. This place is not even 1% of the actual gaming world.

Replace GAF with "GAF + Twitter + Reddit" and you're correct.

 

[Captain Toad]

It's just a bunch of old people who are themselves dying and no fun anymore.

 

[tomato shrub]

I'm an oldschool guy, but the PS4 generation was one of my favorites. Awesome AA and Japanese game returned, including dead genres like classic survival horror, beat'em'ups, Metroidvanias, non-cinematic shooters, 3d platformers, etc. - Resident Evil 7 & 2, Bloodborne, Control, Streets of Rage 4, Sonic Mania, Hollow Knight, Bloodstained, Tetris Effect, Monster Hunter World, Doom 16, Hellblade, Nier, Cuphead, Sekiro, Yakuza 0... so many of these will remain classics.

Now this year I'm starting to get grumpy. When did the industry take a u-turn and turn every game into this?

Playing Final Fantasy 16, it's hard to even identify it as a game outside of combat - literally every "roleplaying" aspect is dumbed down to holding your stick towards an icon. Zero thinking required. Octopath 2 demo the same. God of War tells me solutions to puzzles before I even properly looked at them. Bayonetta Origins seemed like a nice Zelda clone in the demo, I'm playing it rn and there's glowing breadcrumbs throughout the entire thing.

wth happened, I HATE it. Elden Ring sold 20 mil, Metroid Prime is the second best rated game this year. Get a fucking grip, developers. Games are about problem solving, so how about don't make the problems increasingly redundant.

 

[L*][*N*K]

I am 37 I have been playing video games as my main hobby since I was 5, now days I only have Fridays off and the past four Fridays I lied to my friends to not go out and just sat on my couch play Diablo 4 like a maniac, I have to put artificial tears in my eyes at least 2-3 times a day, I fucking love it I don't care what anyone says.

 

[The Cockatrice]

I'm an oldschool guy, but the PS4 generation was one of my favorites. Awesome AA and Japanese game returned, including dead genres like classic survival horror, beat'em'ups, Metroidvanias, non-cinematic shooters, 3d platformers, etc. - Resident Evil 7 & 2, Bloodborne, Control, Streets of Rage 4, Sonic Mania, Hollow Knight, Bloodstained, Tetris Effect, Monster Hunter World, Doom 16, Hellblade, Nier, Cuphead, Sekiro, Yakuza 0... so many of these will remain classics.

Now this year I'm starting to get a grumpy. When did the industry take a u-turn and turn every game into this?

Playing Final Fantasy 16, it's hard to even identify it as a game outside of combat - literally every "roleplaying" aspect is dumbed down to holding your stick towards an icon. Zero thinking required. Octopath 2 demo the same. God of War tells me solutions to puzzles before I even properly looked at them. Bayonetta Origins seemed like a nice Zelda clone in the demo, I'm playing it rn and there's glowing breadcrumbs throughout the entire thing.

wth happened, I HATE it. Elden Ring sold 20 mil, Metroid Prime is the second best rated game this year. Get a fucking grip, developers. Games are about problem solving, so how about don't make the problems increasingly redundant.

I think society is to be blamed for that. We live in a "hold my hand and be safe" age compared to "let me throw you in the pool and learn to swim by yourself" as most of us millennials/boomers grew up with. Everything needs to be safe, everything needs to be accessible to every single need, etc. Is that a bad thing? I can't honestly answer it because I usually end up regretting my words.

 

[Red5]

I always compare any era of gaming to 1995-2000 era, which is the best era of gaming, We had cRPG's, Immersive sims, Space Sims, RTS, Mech Sims.

We're certainly seeing a resurgence of all of these genres, I think gaming today is starting to feel a bit closer to 1995-2000 era thanks to AA, indie studios making games in genres AAA studios don't care about.

 

[Allandor]

Problem is - after all those year I play games - often you just see mechanics or situations you are somehow familiar with. That makes it hard for games to surprise.
Also some of the problems (IMHO)result in to good graphics. They no longer give your brain work to do, you can always identify something if it is visible. In older games your brain had always something to do because it had to guess/interpret what your eyes are seeing. That is also why e.g. comic like games seem to age much better. Somehow better graphics reduce the "mystery" that surrounded those games. That is also why I prefer surreal graphics before realistic graphics. Realistic is just "boring" for the brain.

 

[tomato shrub]

I think society is to be blamed for that. We live in a "hold my hand and be safe" age compared to "let me throw you in the pool and learn to swim by yourself" as most of us millennials/boomers grew up with. Everything needs to be safe, everything needs to be accessible to every single need, etc. Is that a bad thing? I can't honestly answer it because I usually end up regretting my words.

I think the problem is idiots in the executive suites who are convinced of that narrative, but it's not necessarily true - despite whatever the focus testing says. Because then come Elden Ring and Zelda and are the biggest sellers of the year. Resident Evil 2 remake one of best Capcom sellers of all time, despite having oldschool progression. People can clearly handle proper core games, but it seems the suits in charge have all gotten the same "blue ocean" bug from Nintendo.

 

[Valkyria]

It funny that the best era of gaming it’s always when the poster was 13-16 years old. Isn’t it curious?

Now days every single month dozens of games releases, look in other places if you don’t find risk, innovation or fun.

 

[Team Andromeda]

I haven't enjoyed gaming so much since the 32-bit era. What so many don't want to say or admit too, is many of us are old. The days of gaming until 4AM in the morning and getting up at 6AM, having drunken gaming sleepovers, and university massive meetups are over

Life is better in your late teens or early twenties, never mind gaming.

 

[Red5]

We just need more Deus Ex, Thief and System Shock games and XCOM 3.

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

Who said gaming is dying?