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[M1chl]

So I was just thinking, even though I wrote in here many times. As much as the HW improved, quality of games dips pretty hard. In past era of consoles, there were many linear memorable games, which are simply lacking. Due to Control DLC finally on Xbox, I am enjoying my time with the game and I guess I am kind of sad, that this type of games are pretty niche more and more.

Every games has to be stupid open-world with very little substance and a lot of filler. I am missing so much from past gen, like The Darkness 1, Condemned (both), Mass Effect Trilogy, Max Payne III, MGR: Revengeance, Alpha Protocol, RE5, Killer is Dead, Splinter Cell and fucking much more, but this is not the list wars.

Let's just say that I spent this year most of my time in BC mode and maybe I am crunching 'member berries, but I have feel that this game is either indie showelware (let's be real most of the time, indie games are not even worth download) or some big AAA. Most often stupid open-world.

And my fear is simply that this trend is going to continue. I am not saying that this gen have not brought amazing games, it does, but it's still somewhat overshowed (for me) by tons of games I am not even interested in.

AA games are dead, indie games does not present quality like in Summer of Arcade ('member?), maybe besides INSIDE, Observation, everything was kind of meh. Outlast tried and failed hard, stupid chase game....

I guess only games which stand out for me was (and that's due to many personal reasons) Forza Horizon 2-4, those two mentioned games, Control, Doom (both of them), Evil Withing, Wiezdmin 3 and I don't know. And it's not like I am depressed, times are far better then it was before and since I have limited time, I rather really enjoy playing games. But you know, it's not that escapism which I had before.

Anyway, does anyone has this feel™?

 

[Mr Hyde]

PS360 era was great with a lot of good games that still holds up to this day. Just the fact that so many games have been ported over to current gen says a lot of the quality it came with. I'm already feeling nostalgic over it despite it not being that long ago. But in the end I think I still prefer this gen over last.

 

[M1chl]

PS360 era was great with a lot of good games that still holds up to this day. Just the fact that so many games have been ported over to current gen says a lot of the quality it came with. I'm already feeling nostalgic over it despite it not being that long ago. But in the end I think I still prefer this gen over last.

Fair enough, this is definitely far more convenient.

 

[SteveLorde]

PS3/X360 was an innovative experimentation era that developers wanted to try out new ideas especially with the new earth shattering graphics they had (at that time)

 

[wvnative]

No, I fucking hated that generation.

This gen is superior.

 

[M1chl]

No, I fucking hated that generation.

This gen is superior.

And why is that, may I ask?

 

[Xeaker]

PS360 was more enjoyable. And PS2 times were even better.

 

[kunonabi]

I enjoyed last gen more due to the Wii's library. If we're just talking X360/PS3 vs Xbone/PS4 than I'll take this gen easy. I only really liked a small handful of HD twin games to be quite honest.

Which isnt to say this gen has been swimming in great titles but I'd say the highs are higher.

 

[hariseldon]

Late 90s PC gaming is where it’s at. None of this new-fangled PS3 crap.

 

[M1chl]

Late 90s PC gaming is where it’s at. None of this new-fangled PS3 crap.

You mean like Quake 3 Arena, etc? I still play that game with bots. That space map with 2 platforms. It's relaxing pause while working.

 

[dolabla]

Yep, I enjoyed the games way more in the PS3/360 gen than this gen. The leap to HD was also incredible. Got my first HDTV in 2007.

PS3 had the rough start, but Sony eventually got things together. Microsoft did very well with the 360 (exception the RROD). I really hope this upcoming gen is more like that one (without the horrible start PS3 had of course and all the dying Xbox's) where you have a strong Xbox and strong Playstation.

 

[Grinchy]

I don't. I just think that nostalgia enhances everything.

Especially if someone was like 10-15 years old during the PS3 generation. If someone was 10-15 during the PS2 generation, that one probably seems like the best.

Same with any generation. And when enough time goes by, even a generation that didn't feel so great at the time starts looking rosey.

So while the PS3/360 gen had a bunch of fuzzy, barely 720p, brown and green filtered ugliness, we look back on it fondly.

 

[M1chl]

I don't. I just think that nostalgia enhances everything.

Especially if someone was like 10-15 years old during the PS3 generation. If someone was 10-15 during the PS2 generation, that one probably seems like the best.

Same with any generation. And when enough time goes by, even a generation that didn't feel so great at the time starts looking rosey.

So while the PS3/360 gen had a bunch of fuzzy, barely 720p, brown and green filtered ugliness, we look back on it fondly.

In my case, as I've stated I spent a lot of time in BC, so it's not just nostalgia. And something like Mirror's Edge in 4k looks incredible.

 

[wvnative]

And why is that, may I ask?

I have said since 2008 that the PS3/360/Wii Era (7th generation) was the absolute bottom.

Even as a bright eyed 12-13 year old I noticed a massive quality dip in both existing franchises and new IPs. Games mostly performed worse than the 6th gen days, controls felt clunkier than most games I had played on PS2, and as a person who is unable to use motion controls, the introduction of Six axis and the Wii remote made me fear my days of gaming were numbered. We had the introduction of on disc DLC. Console manufacturers were removing core features (Not gonna go into anymore detail lest I write a 5 post rant) and a lot of games had insanely low amounts of content compared to most 6th gen titles. Even top tier games like GTA were missing shit that should have been standard.

Hell even games like Ratchet & Clank while excellent...were still less excellent than their PS2 counterparts. The first two uncharted games were the only games that to me resembled a true game (Good controls, work hard to unlock a lot of cheats and other goodies)

The increased cost of HD development and complex tools (*cough*Cell*cough) tanked a lot of smaller studios and forced these bad business practices. Remember online passes?

Also, I know all PS4s and Xbox Ones will also fail eventually but christ the 360 and PS3 are fucking time bombs. PS3 blu-ray drives even on brand new super slims are not going to have a long life. The goddamn PS3 makes data backup a pain in the ass. HDDs can't be dropped into a new PS3 without formatting the drive. The backup utility straight up fails if even it doesn't like one file. Most PS3 saves are tied to a specific console unless you use the cloud. You can't backup PS1/PS2 saves to the cloud. My PS3 fat had its GPU melt costing me all of my life long PS3/PS2/PS1 saves due to fucked backup options. These consoles I feel will be the quickest to die off due to limited parts and a faster rate of decay on existing units.

Once great franchises nosedived. Soul Calibur and Final Fantasy notably. (I actually like 13 and 13-2, but geez, they ain't the games of old)

I feel like we're in a renaissance in the 8th gen, all 3 consoles are much more reliable, overall game quality and bang for your buck has gone way up. So many great games from earlier in this generation to this year, backup options are easier, and yeah I know some don't like the DLC practices, but honestly, a good chunk of it from my perspective is either single player expansions or cosmetic only. Development tools are obviously much better. The switch to x86 will ensure future consoles remain backwards compatible at least to this point. Services like game pass and PS now have made gaming more accessible to folks who can't continually drop $60 on new games. Developers are providing more and more graphics and control options than ever before.

And the most important part, personally? I am overwhelmed with too many wonderful games to play, from indies to great AAA games. Heck we got a good Soul Calibur game since god knows how long.

This gen made gaming great again.

 

[Ceallach]

Brown textures and chest high walls.

I feel the generations before and after were both better.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Way to miss out the Wii from 7th gen there OP.

Personally I'd say this gen (slightly) has the edge.

There's been a noticeable shift away from the drab, desaturated, grey-brown, overly serious and heavily FPS focused games that really defined last gen, with a vastly wider variety in art design, colour palettes and genres compared to what we had before.

The only type of games that I think we are really missing, and 7th gen did better, are the mid range A and B tier titles, outside of the first party libraries at least.

However in their place Indie games have exploded in popularity, scope and scale, so I'd say overall we still have more such games in 8th gen.

Sony and Nintendo in particular have been on fire this gen (as long as we ignore the WiiU as Nintendo do), putting out some of their best games ever, innovating massively both with ther hardware (hybrid system, VR) and allowing their studios to either mix up existing IP's (Zelda BoTW, GoW) or create new ones (Arms, Splatoon, Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima).

It's easy to look back at the very best games of 7th gen, like Skyrim, Mass Effect 2, Halo 3, and forget that it was mostly COD and it's clones, franchise fatigue, shitty reboots and quick time events.

 

[Javthusiast]

Ps2 gen was better, and ps4 gen is certainly better as well.

 

[M1chl]

I have said since 2008 that the PS3/360/Wii Era (7th generation) was the absolute bottom.

Even as a bright eyed 12-13 year old I noticed a massive quality dip in both existing franchises and new IPs. Games mostly performed worse than the 6th gen days, controls felt clunkier than most games I had played on PS2, and as a person who is unable to use motion controls, the introduction of Six axis and the Wii remote made me fear my days of gaming were numbered. We had the introduction of on disc DLC. Console manufacturers were removing core features (Not gonna go into anymore detail lest I write a 5 post rant) and a lot of games had insanely low amounts of content compared to most 6th gen titles. Even top tier games like GTA were missing shit that should have been standard.

Hell even games like Ratchet & Clank while excellent...were still less excellent than their PS2 counterparts. The first two uncharted games were the only games that to me resembled a true game (Good controls, work hard to unlock a lot of cheats and other goodies)

The increased cost of HD development and complex tools (*cough*Cell*cough) tanked a lot of smaller studios and forced these bad business practices. Remember online passes?

Also, I know all PS4s and Xbox Ones will also fail eventually but christ the 360 and PS3 are fucking time bombs. PS3 blu-ray drives even on brand new super slims are not going to have a long life. The goddamn PS3 makes data backup a pain in the ass. HDDs can't be dropped into a new PS3 without formatting the drive. The backup utility straight up fails if even it doesn't like one file. Most PS3 saves are tied to a specific console unless you use the cloud. You can't backup PS1/PS2 saves to the cloud. My PS3 fat had its GPU melt costing me all of my life long PS3/PS2/PS1 saves due to fucked backup options. These consoles I feel will be the quickest to die off due to limited parts and a faster rate of decay on existing units.

Once great franchises nosedived. Soul Calibur and Final Fantasy notably. (I actually like 13 and 13-2, but geez, they ain't the games of old)

I feel like we're in a renaissance in the 8th gen, all 3 consoles are much more reliable, overall game quality and bang for your buck has gone way up. So many great games from earlier in this generation to this year, backup options are easier, and yeah I know some don't like the DLC practices, but honestly, a good chunk of it from my perspective is either single player expansions or cosmetic only. Development tools are obviously much better. The switch to x86 will ensure future consoles remain backwards compatible at least to this point. Services like game pass and PS now have made gaming more accessible to folks who can't continually drop $60 on new games. Developers are providing more and more graphics and control options than ever before.

And the most important part, personally? I am overwhelmed with too many wonderful games to play, from indies to great AAA games. Heck we got a good Soul Calibur game since god knows how long.

This gen made gaming great again.

From this perspective, I definitely agree, but the games, not so sure. But fair point.

 

[M1chl]

Way to miss out the Wii from 7th gen there OP.

Personally I'd say this gen (slightly) has the edge.

There's been a noticeable shift away from the drab, desaturated, grey-brown, overly serious and heavily FPS focused games that really defined last gen, with a vastly wider variety in art design, colour palettes and genres compared to what we had before.

The only type of games that I think we are really missing, and 7th gen did better, are the mid range A and B tier titles, outside of the first party libraries at least.

However in their place Indie games have exploded in popularity, scope and scale, so I'd say overall we still have more such games in 8th gen.

Sony and Nintendo in particular have been on fire this gen (as long as we ignore the WiiU as Nintendo do), putting out some of their best games ever, innovating massively both with ther hardware (hybrid system, VR) and allowing their studios to either mix up existing IP's (Zelda BoTW, GoW) or create new ones (Arms, Splatoon, Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima).

It's easy to look back at the very best games of 7th gen, like Skyrim, Mass Effect 2, Halo 3, and forget that it was mostly COD and it's clones, franchise fatigue, shitty reboots and quick time events.

Well today it's mostly open-world, PUBG clones, many MP only shooters, etc. I am not so sure if this gen is any better, when it comes to clones.

 

[TheCrimsnFuckr]

I mean, it's all relative tbh. AAA Games from the beginning and middle of this generation compared to AAA games from most of last gen? Last gen wins easily. Smaller indie games between generations? As much as I loved games like Castle Miner Z and all those 360 Arcade games, current gen wins out easily.


It's just down to your preferences and what you like in a game really

 

[wvnative]

From this perspective, I definitely agree, but the games, not so sure. But fair point.

Make no mistake I did enjoy many games from the generation, but the magic I felt during the PS2 days just...disappeared.

That magic has largely been restored for me during this generation.

 

[DonF]

Ps360 gen had lots of great single player experiences, more sequels, and it was the beginning of a powerful mp focused fps era with games like cod, battlefield and halo (halo was big in the og Xbox era already, I know, but with cod and bf, the 360 was dominated with fps games) remember when every single player game was after that multiplayer experience? Games like Bioshock 2, a game profoundly single player, now had a multi player element.
Times where different, this gen games become more expensive and therefore riskier to develop. We got the advent of double A games like ninja theory's hellblade and Remedy's control.
I would love it if next gen we get more AA games and studios get their development pipeline straight, Capcom being a prime example this gen, they took years to develop the re engine, and once they got comfortable with it, we got great games, at steady pace.

 

[The Hamburglar]

The poll doesn’t really give good options for the title...

Ps360 era was the worse gen in gaming for consoles

 

[JOEVIAL]

2005-2009 was the best era in games.

It was truly innovative, fresh, and new. The bulk majority of never before seen gameplay and tech came out in this time.

Most everything has been iterative since then, copying on the gold that was created at this time.

This is a fact. I want ya'll to think long and hard on this. Yes there has been a few fresh/new titles since then, but most all AAA games copy the mechanics and gameplay from this era because it was so good.

 

[The Shepard]

The problem with the ps360 era was that whilst the Western made games were great and better than the previous gen the Japanese games definitely took a hit. This gen Japan has been much better, especially square Enix and capcom.

 

[Slings and Arrows]

This gen has been the worst. I'm surprised by how many people say this gen is the best or better than gen 7.

For me, gaming innovation on the whole died after 2010, with the golden years of gaming being mid-late 90's on PC then 98-2008 on console. The run of Dreamcast to Xbox to Xbox 360 was freaking insane. I was in my teens for the Dreamcast and 20's for the 360 launch.

Maybe i'm getting old but almost every game is a charmless, pointless walk across a bland, empty environment where I have to collect nothing of importance for a pointless side-quest.

To say that some of the best games I've played this gen are Operencia and Battlechasers, (thanks gamepass) tells me how creatively bankrupt the industry is. And let's not start on F2P, MTX, Lootboxes et al.

Gaming has truly, undeniably moved from an enthusiasts past-time, where the creators were hobbiest and artists who made games for love and passion, to a soulless cash-grab by 'by the numbers' creators who are suits trying to improve their bottom line.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Well today it's mostly open-world, PUBG clones, many MP only shooters, etc. I am not so sure if this gen is any better, when it comes to clones.

Nah, even todays clones show more variety.

Last gen every other game was either a FPS COD clone or made changes to appeal to the 'COD crowd'.

This gen sure, we have more Open Worlds, but those are more a simple evolution of what's possible due to the hardware.

And while Battle Royales have replaced FPS's as the top dogs, there's also Hero Shooters, arcade arena games (like Splatoon, Rocket League), asymmetrical MP games like Evolve, Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th, and of course the cinematic third person adventure titles Sony lead the way with.

But there's a hell of a lot more games that don't try to follow these formulas (and expect to get as many sales as whatever they're copying by doing so) as there was last gen. Just look at Resident Evil games this gen, going back to their single player survival horror roots, compared to the multiplayer and action focused titles of last gen that compromised their core appeal for a slice of that COD pie.

 

[rollinstoned348]

I know the game was a little bit of a let down, but for me MGSV was really the end of an era for me. Everything that came after just hasn't interested me. Kojima really crafted an experience - intended or not - from announcement to release of constant theories and such a strong community spirit building up to the day the game dropped. You had those theory videos on YouTube, and channels like YongYea doing daily updates.

It was a perfect storm and the game was just phenomenal for the first 40 hours. No game has come close for me, and this was an Xbox 360/PS3 game with 'next gen' ports on the Xbox One/PS4.

Xbox One/PS4 era has just been 'meh' for me. FFXV was very fun though.

 

[M1chl]

Nah, even todays clones show more variety.

Last gen every was either a FPS COD clone or made changes to appeal to the 'COD crowd'.

This gen sure, we have more Open Worlds, but those are more a simple evolution of what's possible due to the hardware.

And while Battle Royales have replaced FPS's as the top dogs, there's also Hero Shooters, arcade arena games (like Splatoon, Rocket League), asymmetrical MP games like Evolve, Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th, and of course the cinematic third person adventure titles Sony lead the way with.

But there's a hell of a lot more games that don't try to follow these formulas and expect to get as many sales as COD as there was last gen. Just look at Resident Evil games this gen, going back to their single player survival horror roots, compared to the multiplayer and action focused titles of last gen that compromised their core appeal for a slice of that COD pie.

Well those games which you mentioned by name were pretty shit as far as I am concerned. But I got your point : )

 

[Danjin44]

There are games from 360/PS3 era I enjoyed very much but I overall there A LOT more games I like in current gen.

 

[SSfox]

That's nostalgia. Every gen offered something unique and special.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

Last gen was great with PSP titles and some nice experimental stuff.

Although this gen has some of that too if you look deep in the Library.

 

[UltimaKilo]

Every gen has improved upon the last. I do miss the golden days of RPGs, but developers like Monolith have proven that it’s still possible to make great RPG experiences.

I’m a big VR enthusiast so I can’t wait to go forward, so I certainly don’t care to look back.

 

[SupremeHoodie]

The most fun I ever had gaming occurred between 2006-2009. It had these games, Gears, Mass Effect, Bioshock, COD 4, Halo 3, and MW2. Also nba 2k took a huge physics leap.

Honestly it was a golden era for me in gaming. I’ve never had as much fun as I did during those 3 years.

I’m still searching for an equivalent but nothing really comes close.

 

[Armorian]

Resolution was killing this gen, 720p while there pretty much weren't any native 1280x720 tvs (1366x768 was the closest) and most people had 1080p sets. Plus majority of games strugglet to hit 30fps, and no vsync in many. This gen is way better in performance aspect.

 

[Rock And Roll]

I think that the highs this Gen have been noticeably higher (Doom, Bloodborne, BotW) and indie gaming has produced some classics over the past 5 years, but I feel last gen had much more experimental games and stuff coming out consistently that I wanted to play. Even though there was a lot of grey, gritty FPS snore fests last gen there was a lot of interesting games being made on the side. This gen I go months without buying a new game because there's nothing that looks interesting. I've bought two games this year, Doom Eternal and Journey to the Savage Planet. Everything else I'm either waiting on for a significant price drop or it just doesn't interest me.

 

[kunonabi]

Way to miss out the Wii from 7th gen there OP.

Personally I'd say this gen (slightly) has the edge.

There's been a noticeable shift away from the drab, desaturated, grey-brown, overly serious and heavily FPS focused games that really defined last gen, with a vastly wider variety in art design, colour palettes and genres compared to what we had before.

The only type of games that I think we are really missing, and 7th gen did better, are the mid range A and B tier titles, outside of the first party libraries at least.

However in their place Indie games have exploded in popularity, scope and scale, so I'd say overall we still have more such games in 8th gen.

Sony and Nintendo in particular have been on fire this gen (as long as we ignore the WiiU as Nintendo do), putting out some of their best games ever, innovating massively both with ther hardware (hybrid system, VR) and allowing their studios to either mix up existing IP's (Zelda BoTW, GoW) or create new ones (Arms, Splatoon, Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima).

It's easy to look back at the very best games of 7th gen, like Skyrim, Mass Effect 2, Halo 3, and forget that it was mostly COD and it's clones, franchise fatigue, shitty reboots and quick time events.

You cant say Nintendo was on fire this gen and ignore the Wii U since that's where all their output for the gen, switch is next gen, came from.

Hell a large chunk of the Switch's best games are Wii U ports anyway not to mention thier Wii U output is superior to their Switch content anyway.

 

[CatLady]

I went with gen but only because of Game Pass. I've discovered so many excellent games I never would have played or in many cases never even heard of due to GP. Before Game Pass, I would most definitely have gone with X360 gen.

 

[kraspkibble]

lol nah last gen was awful. some good games but most was garbage.

 

[M1chl]

lol nah last gen was awful. some good games but most was garbage.

I don't know, it does not appear to me.

I went with gen but only because of Game Pass. I've discovered so many excellent games I never would have played or in many cases never even heard of due to GP. Before Game Pass, I would most definitely have gone with X360 gen.

This is good point, I guess, because GamePass is like best currated list of games in the industry.

 

[SpartanN92]

Nearly every franchise that was big last gen is either worse this gen or MIA

Halo (worse)
CoD (worse)
Gears (worse)
Fallout (worse)
Elder Scrolls (MIA) (Mainline entries)
Mass Effect (worse)
GTA (MIA)
Battlefield (worse)
Assassins Creed (worse)
Splinter Cell (MIA)
Bioshock (MIA)
Crysis (MIA)
Uncharted (worse)

This was the gen that almost made me quit gaming.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Almost everything is better about this generation than last, os stability, easier hardware to create for, not difficult, powerful control freak cell PS3, I'm not interested in RROD and struggling with motion controls.

 

[M1chl]

Almost everything is better about this generation than last, os stability, easier hardware to create for, not difficult, powerful control freak cell PS3, I'm not interested in RROD and struggling with motion controls.

Well I get it, but what about the games, I am not talking about HW...

Nearly every franchise that was big last gen is either worse this gen or MIA

Halo (worse)
CoD (worse)
Gears (worse)
Fallout (worse)
Elder Scrolls (MIA) (Mainline entries)
Mass Effect (worse)
GTA (MIA)
Battlefield (worse)
Assassins Creed (worse)
Splinter Cell (MIA)
Bioshock (MIA)
Crysis (MIA)
Uncharted (worse)

This was the gen that almost made me quit gaming.

This gen does make me quit gaming, but I fully agree with that list...

 

[FStubbs]

Nearly every franchise that was big last gen is either worse this gen or MIA

Halo (worse)
CoD (worse)
Gears (worse)
Fallout (worse)
Elder Scrolls (MIA) (Mainline entries)
Mass Effect (worse)
GTA (MIA)
Battlefield (worse)
Assassins Creed (worse)
Splinter Cell (MIA)
Bioshock (MIA)
Crysis (MIA)
Uncharted (worse)

This was the gen that almost made me quit gaming.

I will admit AAA gaming is worse. But I wasn't a fan of AAA gaming to begin with. On the AA level down, no contest this gen is better.

 

[HE1NZ]

I remember when the same thing was said about 2000-2005 games.

 

[ZywyPL]

Late 90s-2010 was the prime time of gaming IMO, this generation full of open worlds, cinematic experiences, lootboxes, MTX, everyone getting offended about everything, cancel culture, woke agendas etc. is a fucking mistake.

 

[DragoonWalker]

1st half of PS360 gen was full of copycat grey-brown Gears and Call of Duty clones. Remember clear day. Back half much better. Overall shitty gen for JRPGs.

However, we did get innovative new IP Arkham series, Assassin's Creed, and Bioshock. Nothing on that scale this gen. God of War 3, Uncharted games, TLOU blew minds.

 

[Jtibh]

Nah man. Ps2 all the way.

That year when we got mgs2, ffx, silent hill2 was all i could wvee dream off.
Never ever did that happen again in gamin history

 

[Romulus]

X360 was fine but it just felt like most of the exclusives were playing catch up to the original xbox. The visuals were better but that was expected.
I hated ps3, most overrated console I ever owned. Ps2 was far superior.

 

[CatLady]

Nearly every franchise that was big last gen is either worse this gen or MIA

Halo (worse)
CoD (worse)
Gears (worse)
Fallout (worse)
Elder Scrolls (MIA) (Mainline entries)
Mass Effect (worse)
GTA (MIA)
Battlefield (worse)
Assassins Creed (worse)
Splinter Cell (MIA)
Bioshock (MIA)
Crysis (MIA)
Uncharted (worse)

This was the gen that almost made me quit gaming.

Of the games you listed that I've played, I'd agree with everything except AssCreed, I prefer Origins & Odyssey to all the old ones except maybe 2 & Brotherhood I really liked those 2 about the same. But overall you're spot on.