I've been having a lovely time with The Outer Wilds (not Outer Worlds) the past few days. It doesn't have next-gen graphics, it doesn't have HDR, it doesn't have microtransactions or DLC or anything else. It's a beautiful, clever and really enjoyable game from an indie studio. This sort of game probably wouldn't have existed last gen (at least not on consoles).
GAMING THIS GENERATION ........POOR
- Thread starter bigjonnyauk
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zelda,far cry,ac and dying light are all pretty much open world type as is zelda and forza 4 is basically a open world car game
although i enjoyed far cry because there was enough to do within a short range and also the chopper helped , and dying light because you could play online coop .
am rather enjoying mutant zero return to eden at the minute , fun little game with some thought needed
The only one of those I listed was Zelda...zelda,far cry,ac and dying light are all pretty much open world type as is zelda and forza 4 is basically a open world car game
although i enjoyed far cry because there was enough to do within a short range and also the chopper helped , and dying light because you could play online coop .
am rather enjoying mutant zero return to eden at the minute , fun little game with some thought needed
I agree with OP.
The big companies seem to be losing the quality programmers they once had. They have this need to keep releasing updated versions of the same game every year, and so far each game becomes gradually worse, the WWE series, Fallout 96 (where is Elder Scrolls 6, Skyrim was released in 2011), the FIFA series etc
Since business people moved in to the gaming industry the quality of game as dropped.
The best games seem to be the lesser known titles, or software companies that still have their roots in the gaming scene.
The big companies seem to be losing the quality programmers they once had. They have this need to keep releasing updated versions of the same game every year, and so far each game becomes gradually worse, the WWE series, Fallout 96 (where is Elder Scrolls 6, Skyrim was released in 2011), the FIFA series etc
Since business people moved in to the gaming industry the quality of game as dropped.
The best games seem to be the lesser known titles, or software companies that still have their roots in the gaming scene.
But that's exactly the same as in, for example, the movie industry. The best movies are the indies.
It doesn't mean it's a bad generation for games, just that you need to know where to look. There are more interesting and inventive games now than ever before, they're just largely not those from the big publishers
Associate
The trouble with AAA games is that are big budget and try to appeal to the mass market thus being not very good overall. Don't get me wrong, there are some great games out there when they put the effort in but most are just mediocre at best. Indie games are becoming much more appealing.
Maybe its my age (45) but was chatting to my mate and we both agreed this generation of gaming has just been one of broken releases, non imaginative games and 100s of remakes or sequels .
its use to be buy a game which worked play it and have fun take it in and trade it for another game,
now its buy a game for 50 quid and then have to spend more on micro transactions to fully appreciate the game or get a weapon that should have been included in the first place , then wait for several patches to get the game in the state it should have been on release .
then after all that its a sequel which is not much different to the last one gameplay wise .
And what is it with this obsession with skins for this and that who cares ! i would rather have a game that works than worry about spending money on a skin and a silly looking hat .....
arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhh rant over
Have you a PC?
I think this is fair tbh. Into my 30s and been gaming on and off since I was a kid. I’ve had some of the most enjoyable experiences ever on the PS4 and Switch over the last few years. Sony have killed it with their first party releases this gen, and I don’t know how anyone could pick up Mario Odyssey and say that it’s not innovative and fun. Especially older gamers who enjoyed the original games. If not though, as Dunkey said in his review, “wipe yourself off man, cos you are dead!” . Seems strange for OP to have such an opinion on this gen whilst having not experienced some of the best games this gen.
I certainly feel that age plays a part in this though. Gaming for me has completely changed as I’ve gotten older. Less time means that I’m far more selective about what I play, usually going for story driven, SP games (outside of some good old couch MP on the Switch). I don’t really enjoy playing online MP at all now, but this was mostly how I gamed in my early 20s.
In terms of pricing, I would agree with earlier comments that it’s pretty good today considering inflation. Having less gaming time usually means that I’m always several months behind too, and can pick up games when reduced for £15/20 (Nintendo excluded). Micro transactions aren’t really an issue for me due to the games that I play, and I just ignore them otherwise like ads.
Use a smaller net and cast it wider OP - there is hope yet!
Associate
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Its only been poor if you pay full price. I'm like roads,months behind on the big releases. I pick up most when they're cheaper. Stopped pre ordering the latest games. Not even pre ordered TLoU 2.
I do love multiplayer, but not the AAA games. WoWs & DayZ atm.
This console gen has been superb. 4k? HDR? Masses of indie/small/f2p games? Account sharing? The EA access etc?
Gaming is just too big for its own good right now. Mahoosive market, staggering amounts spent.
I do love multiplayer, but not the AAA games. WoWs & DayZ atm.
This console gen has been superb. 4k? HDR? Masses of indie/small/f2p games? Account sharing? The EA access etc?
Gaming is just too big for its own good right now. Mahoosive market, staggering amounts spent.
Associate
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I don't think the games I've played have been poor but what stopped me playing much this gen was updates, turning on a console when I fancied a game online to see a 20/30/40 gig update put me right off. The update sizes are laughable.
Strangely, I think it took too long for this generation to come around and in my impatience, I turned to PC Gaming and ever since then, I cannot go back to console gaming. The console games have not been bad, but the technical quality of them (no 60 frames, not as good visuals, etc) has meant that I've not been too fussed to play them, it feels like you're playing a potato.
That and being 34 years old with a career and a 1-year-old, I'm finding the time I have is limited. I have countless games backed up and reluctant to get rid of as I will want to play them.
Final gripe, all games are lengthy... which shouldn't be a bad thing, but when you have a limited number of hours a week, you don't want to dive into a game that's minimum 500 hours. Everything is about longevity and keeping the player base, even FIFA has got this way with the objectives! There are limited pick-up and plays that aren't just rehashes of battle royales or mindless shooters.
I know I don't have to complete objectives, but they make some of the best rewards unattainable unless you do get to those levels!
I think I may just retire from gaming, was toying with the idea of a new GPU for Cyberpunk.... I'm not sure I want to plough that sort of money into it.
That and being 34 years old with a career and a 1-year-old, I'm finding the time I have is limited. I have countless games backed up and reluctant to get rid of as I will want to play them.
Final gripe, all games are lengthy... which shouldn't be a bad thing, but when you have a limited number of hours a week, you don't want to dive into a game that's minimum 500 hours. Everything is about longevity and keeping the player base, even FIFA has got this way with the objectives! There are limited pick-up and plays that aren't just rehashes of battle royales or mindless shooters.
I know I don't have to complete objectives, but they make some of the best rewards unattainable unless you do get to those levels!
I think I may just retire from gaming, was toying with the idea of a new GPU for Cyberpunk.... I'm not sure I want to plough that sort of money into it.
I don't get much time to play in lengthy sessions. I play Apex Legends most nights for an hour or so just to relax and unwind after work. The Switch suits my needs because I can play whenever, wherever in short bursts. I can complete long games in these small sessions it just takes a bit longer to get to the end!
Soldato
I think calling it “poor” is a bit much tbh – no offense, but you seem to have hit grumpy old man time.
This generation, off the top of my head, we had the awesome Assassins Creed Black Flag at launch – a stunning looking game, and those ship battles really blew most of us AC fans away. We’ve had the absolutely amazing additions to the Uncharted series – A Thief’s End had so many awe inspiring parts to it, and there’s also the incredible Witcher 3 and (imo) the epic Kingdom Come Deliverance. Fair enough, that’s only four that come to mind for, what, 5+ years of this generation – but I’m sure there are plenty more.
With the availability of high speed internet in most places, the days of buying a fault-free game are gone – no more plugging in a cartridge and powering the console on, knowing what you’re playing is how the game will always be; now, we get day one tens-of-Gigabytes updates, and patches for the life of the game. This aspect, doesn’t really bother me – games on a Master System 2 are in no way as complex as games today.
As for sequels being an issue – really!? I bet anyone who loved Witcher 3, would give their left leg for Witcher 4 to come out a few years later – regardless of whether the gameplay was any different form the last. I don’t think anyone complained when F1 97 came out on the Playstation, and the gameplay wasn’t much different to Formula 1 the year (or so) before.
I think the thing that is poor, is the way in which developers/publishers have used this generation to push their new monetisation models upon us; and we’re all guilty of letting them get away with it – rather than voting with our wallets and not buying the games, we have chosen to grumble online about it instead.
I’m all for ponying up a few quid for an expansion – have purchased all of them for Witcher 3 and KCD, providing that they are worth the money – but when such and such game wants me to pay £1.50 for a gun, or £4.99 for a character model; they can **** right off! Oh and the whole "Year 1, Year 2, Year...." nonsense can **** off too - Ubisoft and EA really know how to milk their games!!
Soldato
It's just been a mixed bag for games that's all. We have had absolute crackers and then average at best games, sadly the great games don't come along so often, to name a few, RDR 2, Horizon Zero Dawn, Witcher 3 and anything by Naughty Dog.
See, for me none of those are great games except for some of Naughty Dog's
Caporegime
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Maybe its my age (45) but was chatting to my mate and we both agreed this generation of gaming has just been one of broken releases, non imaginative games and 100s of remakes or sequels .
its use to be buy a game which worked play it and have fun take it in and trade it for another game,
now its buy a game for 50 quid and then have to spend more on micro transactions to fully appreciate the game or get a weapon that should have been included in the first place , then wait for several patches to get the game in the state it should have been on release .
then after all that its a sequel which is not much different to the last one gameplay wise .
And what is it with this obsession with skins for this and that who cares ! i would rather have a game that works than worry about spending money on a skin and a silly looking hat .....
arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhh rant over
Peoples expectations are much much higher.
I remember when I could start up a game of say Driver (the original) and spend 3-4 hours (not doing any missions) just driving around like a maniac trying to evade the police and do epic stunts like hitting the bridge (ramp) at top speed and then watching all the police cars crash.
Same with GTA I could spend hours just driving to the top of the car park then sniping people then waiting for the police killing as many as I could then driving off the top of the roof and trying to get away.
Online play is now the killer feature. It's amazing how Rockstar can't do online at all. Broken mess with nothing to do online, etc.
Also it's hard for developers to make a lot of fresh content constantly they seem to stagnate after a while and then end up going in the wrong direction.
Destiny, Apex Legends all started out great and then got ruined by too many changes in the wrong direction.
I don't mind skins as it's purely cosmetic. It makes zero difference to the game. Pay to win like FIFA is terrible. I actually ended up just selling my console and moving to PC. PC Gaming IMO is a lot better for me. It's easier to find like minded people to play with. Games are cheaper usually and the potential is so much more.
The banter whilst doing 5vs5 in CSGO MM when you have a 5 stack is a huge part of it.
You have to bare in mind that the cost of gaming has not really moved on with the times, a game is the same price is it today, as it was with Playstation 1 and Nintendo 64... likely even earlier than that! When you consider the millions of £/$ it costs to make these games it's more understanding that they look to other means to gain profit and add longevity to a game... hence the Year 1, 2 and 3 model.
The engine and mechanics already exist, charge an amount to throw in more assets/missions etc and it's cost-effective for the developer, and you as a consumer still retain the game you bought, with all the content you've earnt/bought whilst paying an amount to add to it! It's one of the things I think Destiny has achieved so well.
Caporegime
Exactly. I remember when an N64 game was £50 and you would perhaps gets 9/10 hours gaming from it if you were lucky. Now people expect a game that has brilliant multiplayer, stunning graphics and a 20 hour plus campaign with brilliant voice acting. There is also so much more choice than there has ever been. Good new games are coming out all the time on various platforms so everything gets a little saturated and its easy to get distracted. I have quite a few games on the Switch that I haven't completed because a new game came out and took my attention. If I could only afford a new game every few months that would be different but i'm lucky enough to buy what I want and it kind of dilutes the focus.
Soldato
Iirc, I paid £60 for Goldeneye, but I digress. Surely, these expectations, are simply a byproduct of progression? Tech has moved on massively, and that in-turn has allowed developers to be much more creative in their visions; and in-turn the scope of games grows massively.
I don't feel that gamer's expectations are generally unrealistic - take for example graphics: would a PS4 game with PS2 graphics be 'acceptable'? If it's an indy title, then yes (maybe) as that'll probably be one of its quirky little selling points - but a "AAA" title - no way. Regardless of how amazing the story will be, I'd wager that most PS4 players wouldn't even pick a copy up.
The expectations also differ from game to game - take The Last of Us 2 as an example; off the back of the first game, I am expecting an unforgettable single player experience - top tier voice acting, great graphics pushing the limit of the console, and immersive sound. But I wouldn't expect it to have multiplayer, or even if it did - I would expect it to be a cheap bolt-on; as the core game is focused on the single player experience. This would set me back in excess of £100, if the price of games has risen with inflation from the aforementioned N64 games - would I pay that? No way! Even as a huge fan.
Touching on what Rusko187 says above - I think that the expectation a gamer has, and indeed what most people have with purchases - you get better quality, at the same, or a reduced cost. Of course there are exceptions to that, you wouldn't expect a 2020 M-Series BMW to cost less than one release some years before mind. Why do gamers expect this though? Well, for that, I have no answer or idea - maybe it's something to do with the choice and competition you mention?
With inflation games have never been so cheap as they are now. But with cutting out content and adding it as battle pass etc they're getting back more or similar than they used to.
A stand alone game though for £40-£50 is actually quite reasonable, I think.
A stand alone game though for £40-£50 is actually quite reasonable, I think.