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[Laieon]

Anytime I feel bored with gaming I jump into a genre I haven't played in awhile and start having fun again. Like Breath of the Wild, I didn't find myself loving Tears of the Kingdom (I really miss the old formula for 3D Zelda games and nothing new scratches that itch, unfortunately) and despite loving Hogwarts Legacy earlier this year, also wasn't in the mood for a big, sprawling, open world game.

My summer has been full of Diablo IV, which is incredible, and sim/city builder games like Two Point Campus. Can't wait for Cities Skylines II in October.

 

[mortal]

Even when things are considerably more positive than negative, there will always be some people that will look for the negative in just about anything and fixate on it.

I just learned to tune out cynical and jaded people because constant whining gets old very quickly, and trying to reason with these types is often futile.

 

[Fbh]

On the one hand I think modern gaming is great, there's consistently more releases I'm interested in than the time I actually have to play games and I think many people fall too easily to nostalgia, selectively remembering only the good parts while hyper focusing on the negatives today. If you can't find a few games you like this year then maybe you just don't like games anymore.

On the other hand I think it's important to remember that gaming is a fairly new type of media that has had a fast evolution. Unlike with movies or books or comics, people who are in their 30's basically got to experience this new type of entertainment from the early days. In our lifespan we've gone from very simple 2D games to increasingly more complex ones over various generations, then we experienced the jump to 3D and the evolution from super low poly models to exponentially more detailed and realistic ones (including the jump from SD to HD along the way).

Expecting gaming to keep going at the same pace of innovation and graphical evolution forever is unrealistic. Continuing to push the graphical barrier gets harder as hardware requirements keep raising for visuals improvements that have started to feel increasingly more subtle, making something that looks 5X as good as the OG FFVI was relatively "easy", making something that looks 5X as good as RDR2 or TLOU2 is going to be harder. Budgets have gone high enough that companies have become more risk averse just like with every other type of media. Coming up with groundbreaking never seen before ideas is harder when you need to account for 40+ years of games instead of 10, etc.

 

[samoilaaa]

 

[8BiTw0LF]

No mention of Remnant 2?

 

[March Climber]

Even when things are considerably more positive than negative, there will always be some people that will look for the negative in just about anything and fixate on it.

I just learned to tune out cynical and jaded people because constant whining gets old very quickly, and trying to reason with these types is often futile.

Last year I was willing to concede because 2022 was pretty dry in terms of overall content, but this year has really shown who is actually being cynical and negative because there's barely any excuses left.

At a certain point it's less about the hobby and more about whatever someone's personally going through that has made them this way. That feeling inside that can't be satisfied, won't be solved with video games.

 

[MagnesD3]

You're doing the thing that a lot of people here seem to be doing when it comes to new releases: Setting very strict limitations on what you'll decide to play and then blaming the gaming industry for everything not meeting your specific parameters. The reason I can tell this is because you've said 'No incredible new RPG that appeals' and 'no big new IPs'.

Objectively, that's not true at all. So why make your personal preference an objective fact?

So what im looking for are "Great" games that stand out, there are more "Good" games than ever before but the creative and passion well is mostly tapped, im looking for stuff my nerdy asshole wont shut up about. The big boys known for innovation have done thier work in the past and now sit on thier ass making easy to please mostly forgettable/dispassionate/homogeneous but competant games. Its very rare we see big pushes from games in our industry compared to the past because they can get away with it, I fully believe there is years worth of innovation in the genres to pump dry but thats not the direction our industry heads in anymore now that gaming is popular and a big money maker.

Dont get ne wrong every now and then something akin to Elden Ring appears but the past had far more great games than todays age.

 

[cortadew]

You had the best trilogy ever made in Mass Effect made in the span of 5 years,

Never liked that series.

 

[Mayor_McCheeze]

No more big budget arcade racers is a huge loss.

I want a new Motorstorm dammit!

 

[Krathoon]

I find a game like Metroid Dread to be more fun than a huge open world game.

A tightly focused game is more enjoyable.

 

[samoilaaa]

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.

i agreee the solving puzzles by an AI companion or voice of the protagonist is very annoying , lucky for me i mostly stay away from games like these

 

[KXVXII9X]

On the one hand I think modern gaming is great, there's consistently more releases I'm interested in than the time I actually have to play games and I think many people fall too easily to nostalgia, selectively remembering only the good parts while hyper focusing on the negatives today. If you can't find a few games you like this year then maybe you just don't like games anymore.

On the other hand I think it's important to remember that gaming is a fairly new type of media that has had a fast evolution. Unlike with movies or books or comics, people who are in their 30's basically got to experience this new type of entertainment from the early days. In our lifespan we've gone from very simple 2D games to increasingly more complex ones over various generations, then we experienced the jump to 3D and the evolution from super low poly models to exponentially more detailed and realistic ones (including the jump from SD to HD along the way).

Expecting gaming to keep going at the same pace of innovation and graphical evolution forever is unrealistic. Continuing to push the graphical barrier gets harder as hardware requirements keep raising for visuals improvements that have started to feel increasingly more subtle, making something that looks 5X as good as the OG FFVI was relatively "easy", making something that looks 5X as good as RDR2 or TLOU2 is going to be harder. Budgets have gone high enough that companies have become more risk averse just like with every other type of media. Coming up with groundbreaking never seen before ideas is harder when you need to account for 40+ years of games instead of 10, etc.

I mostly agree. There is so much you could change with gaming to spice it up without focusing on graphical fidelity, but it would require everyone to move to a new framework for making games and no one really wants to get on board. It is too risky and would probably be costly at first and require new sets of skills to be learned. I notice a lot of things are passed off as gimmicks and people would rather stick to what works now than wait for new ideas to get refined.

Idk, I feel like studios keep making the same kinds of games but trying to make them look more realistic as an only way to improve upon the medium.

With that said, great games are still being released, but as a whole the industry is playing it very safe.

 

[Roni]

...gaming has never been more fun and creative...

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

Welcome to the party, unfortunately you're pretty late.

 

[wolffy66]

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

Good games but feels new anymore, at least not much

 

[SEGA_2012]

Gaming is dead to me. It is full of microtransactions, DLC garbage, GaaS crap. All the franchises i used to love are being killed one by one by incompetent developers (Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Gears, Halo, even Yakuza is going that way). Everything is expensive and takes too much time to be made, so we have the sames franchises over and over again. 2023 is full of turds and it is being praised as "one of the best gaming years of all time". We have the "PRO" consoles bullshit, now you buy your videogame and three years later it is obsolete because it was released a better version of it.

Gaming is fucked and DEAD. The only thing that is saving me right now is my backlog of great games of the past, otherwise i would have NOTHING to play. FUCK modern gaming!

PS: this is my perception and opinion, don't quote me to say things like "no man, Resident evil is great, we have new franchises just look at Returnal and Starfield"

 

[Krathoon]

As with anything, people have this tendency to screw up a good thing. You have to filter out the obnoxious games and focus on the good ones.

It like how they still put commercials in streaming services or show tv shows on cable before streaming.

 

[March Climber]

So what im looking for are "Great" games that stand out, there are more "Good" games than ever before but the creative and passion well is mostly tapped, im looking for stuff my nerdy asshole wont shut up about. The big boys known for innovation have done thier work in the past and now sit on thier ass making easy to please mostly forgettable/dispassionate/homogeneous but competant games. Its very rare we see big pushes from games in our industry compared to the past because they can get away with it, I fully believe there is years worth of innovation in the genres to pump dry but thats not the direction our industry heads in anymore now that gaming is popular and a big money maker.

Dont get ne wrong every now and then something akin to Elden Ring appears but the past had far more great games than todays age.

The games you are wanting are out there. The problem is that in today's age you have to do research to find them(because gaming magazines and blockbuster aisles are gone) and you also have to also be open to lower budget AA and indie games like most people were when they were kids(they just didn't know back then and games weren't labeled as such). Normally I'd do the song and dance of finding games, creating a list, and then showing it to posters like yourself hoping that you find at least one thing that interests you, but in today's world, 9/10 times people here will usually shoot down the entire list and then make me go find more.

I'm done doing that(at least from an argumentative standpoint, not recreationally). If you want what you're asking for, you'll find it. If not, then it's your fault. If you don't want to go find it, then you'll forever live life thinking that no one is doing what you're asking for, and then be blindsided by studios like Larian or Airship Syndicate who have been clawing and grinding their way to the top with great freshman and sophomore projects. Ultimately, it's your choice.

 

[Pasta la Vista]

The way I look at, is at this point there are more games that I still want to play than there is time left in my life. If you're into many genres of games there is literally enough that exist out there to keep you entertained for a lifetime.

 

[simpatico]

I'm still able to find plenty of games I want, it's just easy to point out the missed opportunities and poorly spent dev money. I've got plenty to play, but it still burns when you see one of your formerly favorite pubs spend half a billion on a poorly thought out turd.

 

[64bitmodels]

Where is Vagrant Story?

I find it funny you list that game when it was literally a one off game from square meant to be a swan song to the PS1. Did you really expect a whole ass franchise from that?

Where are the hand drawn 2D fighting games?

Everything Arcsys makes is a good candidate for one. They're a studio dedicated entirely to replicating that 2D anime style. Them's fighting herds, Skullgirls, Idol Showdown, Rivals of Aether, Fraymakers, Melty Blood, YOMI Hustle, Lethal League Blaze, so on and so forth.

WHERE ARE THE AAA TURN BASED JRPGS?

lol yep found the problem. What can an 'AAA' turn based RPG give you that lower budget ones can't?

Please play something like Sea of Stars or chained echoes. Or Octopath. Or the Live A Live remake. Omori, too. They aren't that much different from the SNES JRPGs you're nostalgic for. We've got tons of choice for games like that these days.

The ultimate problem you have ShirAhava is that you forget that there are other people who like the games you like too, and want to carry their legacy on. The only difference is that you just won't go looking for them. Or if you have found them, some superficial difference from what you're used to makes you ignore them. Like the stupid specification of 2D hand drawn fighting game, or AAA turn based RPG. Why the fuck does it matter? Why not try something out of your comfort zone? You've definitely grown since the 90s and 2000s, games you didn't care for then may be your taste today.

 

[MagnesD3]

The games you are wanting are out there. The problem is that in today's age you have to do research to find them(because gaming magazines and blockbuster aisles are gone) and you also have to also be open to lower budget AA and indie games like most people were when they were kids(they just didn't know back then and games weren't labeled as such). Normally I'd do the song and dance of finding games, creating a list, and then showing it to posters like yourself hoping that you find at least one thing that interests you, but in today's world, 9/10 times people here will usually shoot down the entire list and then make me go find more.

I'm done doing that(at least from an argumentative standpoint, not recreationally). If you want what you're asking for, you'll find it. If not, then it's your fault. If you don't want to go find it, then you'll forever live life thinking that no one is doing what you're asking for, and then be blindsided by studios like Larian or Airship Syndicate who have been clawing and grinding their way to the top with great freshman and sophomore projects. Ultimately, it's your choice.

I mean I research, via metacritic, youtube, neogaf, reddit, steam and general word of mouth. If indies arent making a big enough a splash either something is wrong or they are really bad at marketing themselves (or they could be very niche). One of my favorites a couple years ago for example was Inscryption and it blew up rightfully so, it was very good if your into the card game genre and good as a general game. I rarely see generally great stuff from indies though but every now and then something nice bubbles up, Ive currently got my eye on Pennys big adventure right now by the sonic mania guy's.

 

[mortal]

Last year I was willing to concede because 2022 was pretty dry in terms of overall content, but this year has really shown who is actually being cynical and negative because there's barely any excuses left.

At a certain point it's less about the hobby and more about whatever someone's personally going through that has made them this way. That feeling inside that can't be satisfied, won't be solved with video games.

Exactly. It's hard to appreciate the highs if you don't sometimes experience the lows. Otherwise, you start to take even the best things for granted.

Things aren't perfect, and I don't ever expect them to be. The landscape is always changing, sometimes for the best, other times for the worst.
Whether as a gamer or industry professional, it's always important to reasonably express our criticism and call out any exploitative practices whenever we can.

I consider the stance "that gaming is dying or not fun" to be an extreme and jaded perspective. Anytime I find myself feeling this way I'm usually experiencing some form of burnout.
My solution is to cut back or take a break altogether and focus on other things. It's easier to focus on what I can control than always stressing about the world at large.

 

[Hendrick's]

If you have been gaming for a long time like I have been, AAA games have not evolved very much. This can make a lot of popular games seem boring and repetitive quickly. The push for visual presentation above all else has tangibly hurt AAA gaming.

I think this is where the sentiment comes from, but looking at the wider gaming landscape, outside of AAA, the reality is that now if the best time ever to be a gamer. There is no comparison really. Pull your head out of the "blockbuster" space and you will find that gaming is as diverse and interesting as ever.

 

[Hudo]

Don't worry about it. People around here hate everything.

I hate you.

 

[64bitmodels]

However with gaming though, there's still a large number of video games, old and new, that are easily findable, purchasable, and playable through places like GoG, Steam, etc.

I can hop onto youtube right now and i'll immediately find videos on some brand new indie game that tries something different.

I can hop onto Steam right now and find many unique, interesting and fun games that no one are talking about. We just got Dave the Diver.

If you're constantly browsing the internet and staying in touch in the gaming space, you will not find many of these problems of there not being enough unique games or games that cater to your niche.

The problem is that GAF is a terrible place for this because 99% of the focus is on the AAA stuff. there's a major thread post disparity between AAA and indie. And the sites where people are discussing alternative, unique, interesting games, most people here hate for some reason regarding 'wokeness' or 'gen Z'. you can lead a thirsty horse to water but you can't make em drink.

 

[DavidGzz]

People can't differentiate between how they perceived games as a teen and now as an old fart. Games don't make the same impression as they did back then, but they are better than ever. Nostalgia also clouds their minds.

 

[bender]

Maybe if you started gaming in 2023. Maybe...

 

[March Climber]

If indies arent making a big enough a splash either something is wrong or they are really bad at marketing themselves (or they could be very niche).

This part is a tricky one. There are quite a few indie devs who begin with a budget of $0 and it makes it extremely hard for them to make a breakthrough other than pure luck. The best they can hope for is contacting showcases and venues to see if they will feature their games in a montage or the next showcase.

Additionally this is why it's also tricky: There are literal youtube channels and showcases that I noticed no one here talks about or even lists(including yourself) and instead rely on the larger word of mouth of the internet to get a list that's still a bit curated(just less curated than publications). I'll throw a bone to you and others here. Check out these youtube channels and showcases:

Media Indie Exchange (Youtube channel and show)
Wholesome Games (Youtube channel and show)
Guerilla Collective(Youtube channel and show)
ID@Xbox(Youtube channel)
OTK Games Expo (show)
BitSummit(show)

These guys have quarterly showcases(except for the last two who are yearly) presenting a ton of new games, most of them unknown, lesser known, and/or not advertised on big shows. They won't be all 2D farming sims or Metroidvanias either. I'll give you a tiny, tiny morsel of what I've seen that I liked:

(SSX-like game)

(3D Platformer)

(Sequel to Dreamcast game)

I have a list of 150+ games I wrote down that interested me during these expos I watched during Summer Games Fest season. I can't play them all, and quite a few of them are coming out this year. I hope this helps.

 

[StueyDuck]

Gaming is great now but I imagine most people (myself being one) find the days of wild west style gaming from preHD games was more exciting.

Were more games shit then? Of course, but we had wild ideas being developed and it felt like almost every couple of months we had something completely new to plays.

What I think is the issue now is that indies were filling those gaps in the ps4/one days... but now majority of indies become a splatty diarrhea stain filled with the same character/art and minimal gameplay (if even) just go look at any indie showcase in the past few years.

PC gaming has at least kept things alive with some real surprises like phasmophobia/valheim/battlebit and so on. It just felt in older eras there were many more games taking risks and trying to be inventive.

 

[Fools idol]

Gaming peaked in the PS2/XB/GC era.

Absolute nonsense lol

Ps2 had good games as with every generation but the current gen and indie boom, cRPG rennaissance, nintendo dropping 10's left and right... This year alone is up there with 98 for game relases. And baldurs gate 3 isnt even out yet

 

[Humdinger]

I think "gaming is dying" is a subjective assessment, not an objective statement. Objectively, gaming is clearly not dying; the industry is doing well. People will dress their subjective dissatisfaction up in objective clothing, talking about microtransactions, unfinished games, etc, but I think that's just a veneer. I think that person (and I'm one of them, sometimes) is really saying, "I find games boring."

And I think that's fine. Sometimes, you get bored of a hobby. Sometimes, you change. I have lost interest in gaming for months or even years at a time. I'm in that spot right now. Haven't played in months, and nothing seems worth my time. I'd rather read, write, go walk my dog, or do something else. I just don't feel like playing games, even ones that I would presumably like if I did (e.g., Hogwarts, Ghost of Tsushima, etc.). I've even been thinking of selling my PS5. I won't do that, because I know how that turns out: I'll regret it.

Anyhow, I think when people say this, they are taking a subjective feeling about gaming and making it sound as if it derives from objective problems with the game industry. I'm not saying there are no objective problems with the game industry, but there have *always* been problems with the game industry. Saying "gaming is dying" is really just saying "I'm bored with gaming."

 

[MagnesD3]

This part is a tricky one. There are quite a few indie devs who begin with a budget of $0 and it makes it extremely hard for them to make a breakthrough other than pure luck. The best they can hope for is contacting showcases and venues to see if they will feature their games in a montage or the next showcase.

Additionally this is why it's also tricky: There are literal youtube channels and showcases that I noticed no one here talks about or even lists(including yourself) and instead rely on the larger word of mouth of the internet to get a list that's still a bit curated(just less curated than publications). I'll throw a bone to you and others here. Check out these youtube channels and showcases:

Media Indie Exchange (Youtube channel and show)
Wholesome Games (Youtube channel and show)
Guerilla Collective(Youtube channel and show)
ID@Xbox(Youtube channel)
OTK Games Expo (show)
BitSummit(show)

These guys have quarterly showcases(except for the last two who are yearly) presenting a ton of new games, most of them unknown, lesser known, and/or not advertised on big shows. They won't be all 2D farming sims or Metroidvanias either. I'll give you a tiny, tiny morsel of what I've seen that I liked:

(SSX-like game)

(3D Platformer)

(Sequel to Dreamcast game)

I have a list of 150+ games I wrote down that interested me during these expos I watched during Summer Games Fest season. I can't play them all, and quite a few of them are coming out this year. I hope this helps.

Do any of those channels review these indie games? Ill watch some vids of light impressions but im the type of guy more conviced by thorough reviews.

 

[X-Wing]

Me neither, but I've also long realized that most gaming communities online focus on the negatives and exaggerate every small issue. Communities that actually celebrate gaming are really rare/non existent.
So, if you wanna enjoy gaming stop listening to what is being said online and just play the games.

 

[Fbh]

I mostly agree. There is so much you could change with gaming to spice it up without focusing on graphical fidelity, but it would require everyone to move to a new framework for making games and no one really wants to get on board. It is too risky and would probably be costly at first and require new sets of skills to be learned. I notice a lot of things are passed off as gimmicks and people would rather stick to what works now than wait for new ideas to get refined.

Idk, I feel like studios keep making the same kinds of games but trying to make them look more realistic as an only way to improve upon the medium.

With that said, great games are still being released, but as a whole the industry is playing it very safe.

I definitely agree that I'd rather see devs focus on other stuff besides graphics, and I do agree that right now there's a big focus on samey sequels that essentially boil down to "more of the same".
At the same time though I can understand devs and publishers, bacause that's what sells . If you are spending $200 million on a game do you make a samey sequel that's guaranteed to sell several million or do you take a risk with a new IP with very creative but untested gameplay?.

Modern gamers are spoiled. They want super creative gameplay but also the game need to look incredible and it needs to run at high resolution and high framerate and it still needs to feature all the samey stuff like combat, quests, story, skills trees, etc, and it can't be cross gen because that automatically mean it's bad, and also it needs to be at lest 40 hours long
"Everything is just movie games with no real gameplay"
"Hey did you see this game Viewfinder that just came out and is doing some cool stuff?"

"That doesn't count because it's an indie and also the the graphics aren't photo real and there's no combat and it's not based on an IP I like. I'm going to buy Diablo 4 instead and complain that it has microtransactions"


Imagine Shadow of the Colossus coming out today in it's original state running at 15fps during fights and looking very dated compared to AAA game on PC. It would get destroyed by criticism

 

[KXVXII9X]

I definitely agree that I'd rather see devs focus on other stuff besides graphics, and I do agree that right now there's a big focus on samey sequels that essentially boil down to "more of the same".
At the same time though I can understand devs and publishers, bacause that's what sells . If you are spending $200 million on a game do you make a samey sequel that's guaranteed to sell several million or do you take a risk with a new IP with very creative but untested gameplay?.

Modern gamers are spoiled. They want super creative gameplay but also the game need to look incredible and it needs to run at high resolution and high framerate and it still needs to feature all the samey stuff like combat, quests, story, skills trees, etc, and it can't be cross gen because that automatically mean it's bad, and also it needs to be at lest 40 hours long
"Everything is just movie games with no real gameplay"
"Hey did you see this game Viewfinder that just came out and is doing some cool stuff?"

"That doesn't count because it's an indie and also the the graphics aren't photo real and there's no combat and it's not based on an IP I like. I'm going to buy Diablo 4 instead and complain that it has microtransactions"


Imagine Shadow of the Colossus coming out today in it's original state running at 15fps during fights and looking very dated compared to AAA game on PC. It would get destroyed by criticism

I share your sentiments that gamers for the most part are spoiled. I have heard those same statements from gamers, and I just shake my head. Heck I just came back from a post where someone was saying how a 20 hour highly polished exclusive game doesn't warrant a $60 price tag. I do have some high expectations in certain areas such as presentation (not graphics) and I know they are a me thing. I am happy playing in 30 FPS on my Switch at 720p resolution as long as the game is solid. I notice a lot of experimental games that were celebrated back then would have been discarded today. I really want to try Viewfinder. It is at least different and interesting.

 

[March Climber]

Do any of those channels review these indie games? Ill watch some vids of light impressions but im the type of guy more conviced by thorough reviews.

They unfortunately do not. You will have to find youtubers, gameplay footage, and use steam reviews(that aren't politically charged) as a barometer to go by.

Youtubers will vary because indie game coverage normally doesn't bring in views without massive amounts of clickbait.

 

[MagnesD3]

They unfortunately do not. You will have to find youtubers, gameplay footage, and use steam reviews(that aren't politically charged) as a barometer to go by.

Youtubers will vary because indie game coverage normally doesn't bring in views without massive amounts of clickbait.

Yeah thats always the hard part in trying to find someone who isnt just trying to review based on thier own tastes but to the taste of what the type of people who are the target demographic as well.

 

[64bitmodels]

"

Yo, what in the actual fuck........ i need to play this

 

[Konnor]

Gaming is dead to me. It is full of microtransactions, DLC garbage, GaaS crap. All the franchises i used to love are being killed one by one by incompetent developers (Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Gears, Halo, even Yakuza is going that way). Everything is expensive and takes too much time to be made, so we have the sames franchises over and over again. 2023 is full of turds and it is being praised as "one of the best gaming years of all time". We have the "PRO" consoles bullshit, now you buy your videogame and three years later it is obsolete because it was released a better version of it.

Gaming is fucked and DEAD. The only thing that is saving me right now is my backlog of great games of the past, otherwise i would have NOTHING to play. FUCK modern gaming!

PS: this is my perception and opinion, don't quote me to say things like "no man, Resident evil is great, we have new franchises just look at Returnal and Starfield"

AAA development is mostly fucking awful now, between the boring shit, the woke trash and the copy pasted safe crap with no imagination whatsoever big studios are pretty much irrelevant to me.

Do me a favor, watch some youtube videos about good indie games, go to Steam and buy some high rated ones from genres you like. Trust. me.

 

[64bitmodels]

Imagine Shadow of the Colossus coming out today in it's original state running at 15fps during fights and looking very dated compared to AAA game on PC. It would get destroyed by criticism

I could actually say this for so many old games that are revered today.

if OOT came out in 2023, people would complain about the long traverse time throughout hyrule field, the awful framerates and the lack of anything interesting outside of the dungeons and bossfights.
if Metal Gear Solid came out today, people would complain about the stealth gameplay being too simplistic.
If Silent Hill 2 came out today people would simply complain that the game isn't fun enough.
If Final Fantasy 7 came out today people would complain about the battle system, framerates and funny looking overworld models.
If Mario 64 came out today, people would complain about the controls and the visuals.
If Street Fighter 3 came out today people would complain about the motion inputs and execution being too strict and the lack of Street Fighter mainstays in the game.

All these 90s/2000s masterpieces people keep raving on about saying they're far superior to everything today, they've aged a bit. They have design decisions in them that haven't stood the test of time. Whether or not they're still good games is up to you, I like 5 of the 6 games i listed. But fuck man these people saying "compare 1998 to 2023 and say that gaming is in a good state" need to actually replay the games they keep using as examples. Or rather, give me a good explanation as to why they're masterpieces beyond their legacy and impact on the gaming space. We got Z triggering from OOT yeah sure but are you really so ready to replay the Water Temple? or trudge through hyrule field to reach one of the dungeons again? You want to look at the blurry muddy textures again?

 

[MagnesD3]

I could actually say this for so many old games that are revered today.

if OOT came out in 2023, people would complain about the long traverse time throughout hyrule field, the awful framerates and the lack of anything interesting outside of the dungeons and bossfights.
if Metal Gear Solid came out today, people would complain about the stealth gameplay being too simplistic.
If Silent Hill 2 came out today people would simply complain that the game isn't fun enough.
If Final Fantasy 7 came out today people would complain about the battle system, framerates and funny looking overworld models.
If Mario 64 came out today, people would complain about the controls and the visuals.
If Street Fighter 3 came out today people would complain about the motion inputs and execution being too strict and the lack of Street Fighter mainstays in the game.

All these 90s/2000s masterpieces people keep raving on about saying they're far superior to everything today, they've aged a bit. They have design decisions in them that haven't stood the test of time. Whether or not they're still good games is up to you, I like 5 of the 6 games i listed. But fuck man these people saying "compare 1998 to 2023 and say that gaming is in a good state" need to actually replay the games they keep using as examples. Or rather, give me a good explanation as to why they're masterpieces beyond their legacy and impact on the gaming space. We got Z triggering from OOT yeah sure but are you really so ready to replay the Water Temple? or trudge through hyrule field to reach one of the dungeons again? You want to look at the blurry muddy textures again?

I beat Ocarina of Time in 2015 on the N64 Wii VC with a GCN controller the first time and understood it was a masterpiece. When a game is really good its good forever. Tied for the best Zelda with TP in fact.

 

[Edgelord79]

Back in my day we wrote essays by hand. And it was better.

Seriously though, as you get older you get more set in your ways. There are more games nowadays and there A LOT of fun and good ones.

 

[tamago84]

39, gamed since nes days. Gaming is dead (to me).

 

[64bitmodels]

Back in my day we wrote essays by hand. And it was better.

I feel like if GAF forced you to handwrite messages thicc_girls_are_teh_best would think twice every time they make a post

 

[Fbh]

Yo, what in the actual fuck........ i need to play this

It's called Viewfinder, just came out on most platforms.
It's fairly short (around 3-3.5 hours) but really creative and fun

I could actually say this for so many old games that are revered today.

if OOT came out in 2023, people would complain about the long traverse time throughout hyrule field, the awful framerates and the lack of anything interesting outside of the dungeons and bossfights.
if Metal Gear Solid came out today, people would complain about the stealth gameplay being too simplistic.
If Silent Hill 2 came out today people would simply complain that the game isn't fun enough.
If Final Fantasy 7 came out today people would complain about the battle system, framerates and funny looking overworld models.
If Mario 64 came out today, people would complain about the controls and the visuals.
If Street Fighter 3 came out today people would complain about the motion inputs and execution being too strict and the lack of Street Fighter mainstays in the game.

All these 90s/2000s masterpieces people keep raving on about saying they're far superior to everything today, they've aged a bit. They have design decisions in them that haven't stood the test of time. Whether or not they're still good games is up to you, I like 5 of the 6 games i listed. But fuck man these people saying "compare 1998 to 2023 and say that gaming is in a good state" need to actually replay the games they keep using as examples. Or rather, give me a good explanation as to why they're masterpieces beyond their legacy and impact on the gaming space. We got Z triggering from OOT yeah sure but are you really so ready to replay the Water Temple? or trudge through hyrule field to reach one of the dungeons again? You want to look at the blurry muddy textures again?

Exactly.
Everyone looks back with rose tinted glasses and pretends these games were perfect or that they wouldn't find any issues with them if they released today.
Some people way say the context in which these games launched matter, which is true, but to go back to my Shadow of the Colossus example it's not like games running at 15 fps was the norm back in 2005.

 

[Red5]

It's called Viewfinder, just came out on most platforms.
It's fairly short (around 3-3.5 hours) but really creative and fun



Exactly.
Everyone looks back with rose tinted glasses and pretends these games were perfect or that they wouldn't find any issues with them if they released today.
Some people way say the context in which these games launched matter, which is true, but to go back to my Shadow of the Colossus example it's not like games running at 15 fps was the norm back in 2005.

I still replay StarCraft 1, I replayed Baldur's Gate 2 recently, Planescape Torment, Fallout 1 and 2, I replay System Shock 2, Deus Ex and Thief from time to time, Half Life 1 and 2, even Morrowind, aside from outdated graphics which I don't mind and in the case of cRPG's still holds up, the gameplay is still fantastic and in the case of Thief, Deus Ex, System Shock pretty unique these days, I honestly struggle to find a modern day game that can offer the same depth of gameplay as Deus Ex for example or System Shock.

Not to say that modern gaming sucks, we're getting Baldur's Gate 3, Homeworld 3, Total War is going strong and we had 2 modern day XCOMs and Jagged Alliance 3. It's just the AAA scene is becoming too bland and generic chasing the same risk free cliches.

 

[The Cockatrice]

"Hey did you see this game Viewfinder that just came out and is doing some cool stuff?"

Cool concept, never goes anywhere besides casual short puzzle solving. Shame.

 

[64bitmodels]

Cool concept, never goes anywhere besides casual short puzzle solving. Shame.

well yeah does it need to? It's a short, sweet game that doesn't try to do anything overly ambitious, just a trippy concept with some puzzles for you to solve, it doesn't really need more than that. You're proving his point.

 

[Hypereides]

Gaming, in particular AAA, has changed radically compared to where it was 20 years ago. We're not seeing the same constant stream of innovation and creativity as we once did. Then, there's the egregious monetization that's managed to permeate many major facets. Its almost a repulsive industy-wide race to the bottom to how much shit some publishers can get away with without fully repelling gamers. Not to mention the consolidations. Its pretty much a boiling frog situation where most gamers don't notice the encroaching heat until its too late.

Its definitely not "dead" seen from the business side as the c-suites are raking in more cash than ever. However, the state of major games has been significantly diluted and compromised as far as gamers are concerned.

If you embrace and follow AA and indies games then its mostly fine. Hopefully, AA/mid-budgets will eventually get fully revitalized. Its still a shame that AAA publishers are squatting on some cherished series and not paying them proper service.

 

[The Cockatrice]

well yeah does it need to? It's a short, sweet game that doesn't try to do anything overly ambitious, just a trippy concept with some puzzles for you to solve, it doesn't really need more than that. You're proving his point.

I wasnt trying to disprove it. Was just saying the potential was wasted.