Gaming Excitement? - General Gaming

i personally think its come down to game designers trying to hit that ultimate realism factor. everyone is obsessed about making water ripple realistically when a leaf drops in a puddle thats fallen from a tree that we've just blown up a hand grenade!!

personally i dont think people realise that, yes, there is an "oooooo" factor to that stuff, but its a novelty and the effect wears off and what we really want is MORE HAND GRENADES!!

look at the fact that less and less games support local multiplayer and all require online capabilities, why? because consoles cant render 4 x the amount of graphics that we used to be able to. because of rubbish like PhysX.

think about it :-)
 
I have bouts of boredom from games but it always comes back, true gamer deep down.
There are times between major releases where you wait for ages for new games, but there are loads on the horizon!

I can see two games taking away the next few years of my life already, SC2 (very soon!) /Diablo 3
 
I don't play many games anymore


I work, go out, training. etc or just away from the PC
 
HangTime said:
My response to people (not just in this thread) going on about how older games used to be about gameplay, nowadays it's just graphics, is why aren't more people playing those old games if they are so amazing? The beauty of the PC platform is the huge back catalogue, and although sometimes there are compatiblity issues on modern pcs, there are solutions to get most games running.

I still play Quakeworld (a 14 year old game albeit heavily updated) most days, because it is so fantastic. But where singleplayer games are concerned, there are loads of great games released over the past decade to keep me occupied, I don't need to go back further than that.
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I play older games than I do newer ones, that's a fact. Morrowind being one that gets most of my attention, then C&C and FF. :)

New games that have caught my attention as of late was NFS: Shift and Dragon age, which I've bothed played. Graphics wise they're amazing, as far as shift goes, it's advancement in graphics that actually benefit this type of game.
 
I think its primarily down to a 'coming of age' if you will; being older,as other people have already said, you've got access (read: money) to dozens of other forms of entertainment.

I hardly game nowadays, PES10 is on my laptop but I probably play it a couple of times a month. PES6 is on the PS2 downstairs which I probably play as rarely with my mates if they come round for the night.

I remember when I was 12/13 onwards I came into my prime of gaming obcession. Spending every waking hour I wasn't at school, on counter-strike 'pwning the n00bs'.

I still follow new games releases etc very loosley because I'm a self-confessed nerd (not geek, nerd) and I find this stuff interesting. But I don't own a gaming PC (sold it) and only have a gameboy advance, ps1 and ps2. That makes it clear when I really discovered I couldn't be bothered with games anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid to pick up the controller for an xbox or PS3 and have a quick bash at a game with mates. But I'm not drawn in like I remember, not desperate to get the latest realease.

Gaming in general is pretty basic at the moment, I spot 1 or 2 releases a year that I think I'll really want to try out (I never get round to it because other things interest me more). Being a kid made everything way more exciting, blowing away my pocket money pointlessly. But that doesn't go without saying that games always seemed way way better. Anything after the turn of the mellinium has been downhill.

Someone mentioned how gaming needs a new innovation and I agree with that. The Wii (of which I'm not a big fan) is probably half of what the industry needs to really get back in gear. VR is the next big step (again, Natal or whatever its called, is moving forward slowly into the right territory); until somebody breaks the console/PC format and the endless drivel of FPS titles (with no original story in sight) etc. I doubt the spark and excitement I once saw in gaming will ever be back (for me atleast).

Sure, there is people out there who say gaming can never be boring and there is always something awesome and fun to do. Realistically these guys are hardcore and you've gotta admit (eventually) games are not like they used to be. Gaming doesn't suck right about now, but its only half of what we used to have.
 
HangTime said:
My response to people (not just in this thread) going on about how older games used to be about gameplay, nowadays it's just graphics, is why aren't more people playing those old games if they are so amazing? The beauty of the PC platform is the huge back catalogue, and although sometimes there are compatiblity issues on modern pcs, there are solutions to get most games running.

I still play Quakeworld (a 14 year old game albeit heavily updated) most days, because it is so fantastic. But where singleplayer games are concerned, there are loads of great games released over the past decade to keep me occupied, I don't need to go back further than that.
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Firstly, some of us are still playing older games. I quite often go back and play through games like HL1, Deus Ex, Quake, Doom, Thief, because I enjoy them a whole lot more than most games that have been out the last few years.

Secondly, that's your choice to not go back further with games that are single player.

As for your question about why there aren't more people playing old games - how do you actually know? Just because they aren't no.1 in the pc game charts doesn't mean nobody is playing them. A lot of these games can be had for free now and a lot people are still probably holding onto old installs of the game rather than going through Steam.

I think it's also perfectly understandable for new gamers who have never played these older games to not feel inclined to ever play them because of obvious compatiability problems and because they look so 'old' compared to newer games plus why would they bother? They probably know nothing about how good they were back in the day anyway. I suppose it's a matter of what you have played and are used to.
 
I must admit, many games bore me too easily as well.

I am playing some DJ hero and Mario Galaxy at the moment though in small bursts.
 
For me over the past 12-18 months games haven't really drawn me in as much as they used to. Personally I put my problem down to MMO's.

I miss the social interaction that you get with MMO's and just find myself getting bored too easily when playing single player games. I still play CoD4 with a friend and we jump on vent etc but if find it tough to get stuck into a single player games.
 
Secret_Window said:
As for your question about why there aren't more people playing old games - how do you actually know?
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I don't know for certain, obviously - I'm just going by what people are posting here (and elsewhere). It just seems to me that surely people shouldn't be needing to look out for new games (and then make comparisons about how they are all gfx and no gameplay), they should be playing the old games if they have everything they are looking for. This thread is about gaming excitement, and some people are implying that the reason why excitement is dimming, is because the standard of gaming (gameplay in particular) is lower than it was in the past. I'm just making the point that just because a game is old, it doesn't mean that it is no longer valid, we should still be able to get excitement from older games, even if newer games are deemed to be inferior.

I think it's also perfectly understandable for new gamers who have never played these older games to not feel inclined to ever play them because of obvious compatiability problems and because they look so 'old' compared to newer games plus why would they bother? They probably know nothing about how good they were back in the day anyway. I suppose it's a matter of what you have played and are used to.
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Indeed, but those people aren't really relevant in the context of my post, as (almost by definition) they aren't going on about how older games used to be about gameplay. (Assuming this was part of the reply to my post - apologies if it was just added on the end :) )
 
Oh man, I love reading threads like this. I'm a huge retrogaming fan - have two dedicated SFF PC's just for retro gaming. One is for MAME and all 2D emulation with arcade sticks, USB joysticks etc, one with an x800 for older 3D games like Populous the Beginning.

Old school games were instantly playable. No instructions, little learning curve, few buttons, more accessible to everyone. Mum and dad could play pacman. And they were addictive. I think that's why these online 2D games are doing so well today.

The opening post mentions the Amiga 500 and you're only 25? You must have been VERY young when that was at its height. It was a legenday machine and as mentioned above, played all game types from 2D, 3D, sims, platformers and awesomely addictive music...plus the industry was finding its feet with innovative titles sprouting up all over the place from bedroom coders. A great time. Owning an Amiga felt exciting and the mags were great with funny humour.

Also split screen and serial link games with two TV's just seemed so much fun, even though there was no online gaming back then. It was more face-to-face sociable, with meetings and disk swapping/trading. Local computer shops would be packed with kids every weekend. There was a natural buzz and excitement about games back then that was in the air.

Games today are better in everyway, we would have killed for the graphics and online action as kids back in the day, but they are also different socially and require a much longer learning curve. It's accepted as normal entertainment now, like watching the TV, and online gaming has replaced meet ups and is therefore more solitary and doesn't give me the same buzz. It's no fun gaming against strangers and getting owned.

Still enjoy modern gaming however.
 
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I have to admit i am excited about Mafia 2 (because i loved the first game so much) but in general i am not as much into gaming any more. The production values of games are very high these days, which is good for graphics and stability etc.., but nobody takes risks on full length games any more. Gameplay, storytelling, creativity... have taken a back seat because games cost such a ridiculous amount of money that nobody will fund development unless they are guaranteed a return. The only way you can reliably do that is by making sequels or following the current trends.

There are some nice indie games being made which reminds me somewhat of the Amiga days, but 99% of major titles lack any real 'spark'. They usually tick all the appropriate boxes, but by the time you have finished them, you have already forgotten half of what just happened, and you certainly won't remember much about them years down the line.

I think also the world has changed a hell of a lot in the last 20 years. In the early-mid 90's everyone was still somewhat naive and didn't over analyse everything to death. People were creating interesting and unique stuff because they were working more in isolation and following their own ideas. Nowadays everything is designed from scratch using countless existing games as the reference, so it's no wonder that everything has gotten repetitive.
 
i went off gaming from about 21 to 26`ish about 27 i started to get back into it.
i was on the console thing for the last few years and only this week have I purchased (yet to build) my first ever gaming pc :)

there is nothing wrong with that. in your mid twenties you need to be going out, having fun with mates and meeting women, driving around etc.. when you settle down a bit later on and things get very routine based you end up going to gaming as an easy escapism on some nights.. but you tend to just play shootem ups and quick games as you have other responsibilites.

there are different grades of gamers but im definatley a heavy internet user and a moderate gamer.

having said that Fallout3 did take a fair few months of my life off last year lol


ohh and if you go back to those games you used to play and get into the graphics (takes a few hours) its really suprising when you move back to a modern game just how far things have come on. I was playing hiredguns on the amiga emulator and it has aged well.. even so putting teamfortress2 on and looking at the amazing graphics really makes you appreciate what you have, especially seen as that titles is easily beaten by other games now.
 
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The problem I find is that the market is saturated with all sort of games, 3 major consoles, 2 handhelds, digital downloads, you can get all games you want almost instantly, the internet - you check youtube, gametrailers etc and you get hyped about a new game even though you still have 3 sealed games waiting to be played.

I much preferred when I was just a kid, I only had access to limited amount of games or consoles and had no idea that anything else even existed most of the time, games I had most of the times were exchanged for other games with friends etc, I used to spent a lot of time playing the same game over and over again and this gave me more satisfaction than from playing games once and then moving to another one.
 
apatia77 said:
The problem I find is that the market is saturated with all sort of games, 3 major consoles, 2 handhelds, digital downloads, you can get all games you want almost instantly, the internet - you check youtube, gametrailers etc and you get hyped about a new game even though you still have 3 sealed games waiting to be played.

I much preferred when I was just a kid, I only had access to limited amount of games or consoles and had no idea that anything else even existed most of the time, games I had most of the times were exchanged for other games with friends etc, I used to spent a lot of time playing the same game over and over again and this gave me more satisfaction than from playing games once and then moving to another one.
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hit the nail on the head there like. think i completed the lion king on the mega drive about 10 times and then swapped it for terminator. probably the only 2 games i had in over a year and megadrive is still my alltime favourite console
 
apatia77 said:
The problem I find is that the market is saturated with all sort of games, 3 major consoles, 2 handhelds, digital downloads, you can get all games you want almost instantly, the internet - you check youtube, gametrailers etc and you get hyped about a new game even though you still have 3 sealed games waiting to be played.

I much preferred when I was just a kid, I only had access to limited amount of games or consoles and had no idea that anything else even existed most of the time, games I had most of the times were exchanged for other games with friends etc, I used to spent a lot of time playing the same game over and over again and this gave me more satisfaction than from playing games once and then moving to another one.
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yep were older now and can afford the games so we have more to play through plus the price for games is more stable now, any one remember paying 60-70 quid for a game just because the cartridge had a vr chip or a sfx chip in it?

the result of the cheaper games eg daft prices on preowned ps3 games and even madder prices on 2 month old pc games means i end up gathering a load of games at a time for next to nothing and rushing through them just to finish them then on to the next one and the steam specials ain't helping me with this one :)

just an example i picked up heavenly sword, mgs 4 and streetfighter 4 for about 18 pounds in total in the same shop at the same time for my ps3 near the start of this year :)

when i had my saturn before i had a pc i was rareley getting games for it let alone full price games and i played games to death on it a lot eg sega rally and virtual-on etc becuase i knew it would be easter or christmas, or my birthday when i got new full price games and saturn games at full price were 50 pounds at the time.
 
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I haven't been genuinely excited for a while either. SC was amazing to me but my PC still can't play it with more than two opponents, and has to be on a 5km by 5km map :( big ol' upgrade soon should allow be to waste time on SC2.

In terms of smaller games that are simple and awesome, look to the xbox live arcade. Braid is THE best puzzle game I've ever played, simple to pick up, hard as hell to master and gorgeous to watch and listen too. Lots of Indie games are fun if short, theres lots of hidden variety still in the industry... It just gets overshadowed by 'AAA' game releases with multimillion marketing budgets
 
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