atrium

This was arguably the gen where video games completely blew into the mainstream, and this came with a few negatives unfortunately (outlined below)

-oversaturation of FPS's
-annual releases
-a trend of sticking to the 'tried and true', and adding small little features rather than taking bigger risks
-a lack of unique and new IP's
-the rise of online multiplayer (now so many developers feel obligated to put the mode in games that it has no place in *cough* Bioshock 2, GTA IV)
-the nickel and diming that is DLC, and pre-order "specials"
-the death of JRPG's
-emphasis on realism in games

There's probably more I can't think of. It's not all negative, no doubt gameplay mechanics are the best they've ever been and graphics get better every day.

mhg83

I don't agree with that one. Maybe on the 360 is lacking them, but ps3, DS, 3DS, PSP, and the Vita have a great amount of JRPG's.

For example, Mugen Souls just came out last month for ps3

http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/646672-mugen-souls

atrium

I haven't played it. Doesn't look like the reviews were so hot for it though.

Michael Corvin

Variety is the spice of life. Gears, Halo, Borderlands, Bioshock, Left 4 Dead (and to some, CoD). Each one of these deserves a spot in everyone's collection. They all offer something different and all deserve to be experienced.

Mario, Metroid & Zelda say hi. That's just the nature of gaming and certainly not new this gen.

ORLY?


Those are all new IPs this gen. Either you aren't looking hard enough, or you now have a giant list of games to try out.

None of which you are required to play. It offers value to some people. The rise of multiplayer also brought us co-op gaming experiences instead of just deathmatch.

You say "nickel and diming" and I see Rock Band, Borderlands, Bioshock and even FPS map packs as extending the life of a game. Is there some n&d going on? Yeah, but there is a lot of DLC out there and unless you've played them all it's an unfair label. I used to finish a game and dump it prior to this gen. Now I hang on to it and get some more life out of it with DLC.

Not my area of expertise, but:


How is this a negative? Racing games are better for it. Sports games? Better. Immersion into a story driven narrative like Mass Effect or even some FPS games is better. Hard to find a negative here.

So yeah pretty much the opposite of every one of your complaints is why this generation is probably my favorite.

atrium

Might I suggest some Preparation H for that butthurt I just induced in you?

Seriously, it's an opinion I hold that I'm in no way attempting to put forth as fact. I have no idea why you felt the need to take each point and try and dissect it with refutes that I don't even agree with.

Michael Corvin

I thought you were starting a discussion. I replied to each to get some back and forth going. My bad.

atrium

Right, you seemed more intent on factually proving my position wrong.

I mean, if that's the direction we want to take this, there are a few glaring things that stick out about what you said (for one, Gears isn't even an FPS, I don't know how you could make that mistake)

kgrogers1979

This is my least favorite gen. For me, I think its just simply my tastes are changing as I get older, and the gaming industry just doesn't appeal to me like it used to when I was younger.

In my teens and early 20s I would play games almost non-stop. Playing for 20 hours straight without so much as getting up to get something to eat or go to the bathroom was a very common occurrence for me. I ended up getting kicked out of college because I played too much and studied too little.

I am 33 now, and the modern gaming scene just doesn't appeal to me. I have probably only played maybe a dozen games total this gen. I don't know why other than I guess my tastes have changed as I have gotten older.

MoviePage

I was going to say that this is actually my favorite generation of video gaming, despite its many problems, but apparently disagreement with the OP is not allowed.

starman9000

I think most sports games have become a chore.

maxfisher

What Michael Corvin said, though with one addition. You're also wrong about annual releases, as those have been going on for 20 years and aren't unique to this generation.

Chris_D

JRPGs have been good this gen. Maybe last gen was a little better but the games are there if you make the effort. Especially if you include DS/PSP in this gen (I do).

Rob V

Agreed. The intended "realism" makes it not nearly as worthwhile as watching the real thing or actually playing. As I get older I care less and less about playing video games --- but the perception that I'm going to have a blast is the 15 year old in me trying to get out.

foxdvd

Every generation has games I love and hate...I don't find this generation that much different. If anything I think the PS2/xbox/Gamecube generation was a low point for me, but that had a lot to do with how little I played...PC games got most of my time.

Michael Corvin

^ Same here. PS2/GCN/Xbox is probably my least favorite.

I mentioned as much in another thread. I was referring more into graphically. Tecmo Bowl may be more fun than current Maddens, but I even have to admit, it's pretty fucking cool seeing a realistic Rodgers or Manning(s) versus a square blob of a Bo Jackson or Joe Montana.

foxdvd

Bo Jackson. Put him in the next Madden game and I am sure review scores will go up.

Chris_D

To answer the original topic, maybe my least favourite gen would be the N64/PS1 gen. The SNES/Megadrive gen also wasn't that great either because of the number of great SNES games that never made it to PAL/Australia. But the N64, while purportedly being more powerful than the PS1, had many fog-ridden games along with the most simplistic looking single colour textures. Also it's library was completely bare of decent JRPGs. Meanwhile, 3D on PS1 wasn't any better and many 3D games just looked like shit, even at the time. The PS1 also suffered from lots of great games never coming out in PAL (I ended up importing many of them though). The Saturn never really got going in Australia unfortunately.

starman9000

That's true, I remember being wowed when helmets got shiny in Madden.

I think I agree with a lot that think it's sort of hard to even compare the current gen to previous ones, just because of where you are in life. Some of it is nostalgia, but some is just time. XBL has really made this gen stand out for me though, you just can't beat hooking up with old buddies online and shooting stuff.

I agree too that it's a bit unfair to paint DLC with such a large brush. I'm very negative about a lot of the nickle and diming BS, but it still pretty sweet for a number of games. We just started playing L4D2 again due to the new content and it was a blast.

Kedrix

For me, it was the PS1/Saturn/N64 era. I have both a PS1 and Saturn but if it wasn't for imports and RPGs, I could probably forget the whole thing and not feel too bad about it.

Chris_D

For me it felt like the PS2 era was when we started getting really high quality localisations. And that's continued into this gen.

starseed1981

For what its worth the PS1 / Saturn / N64 generation is my favorite. But in reference to the original topic this is definitley my least favorite generation so far. If for nothing else because its the beginning of the end. DLC, on-disc DLC, DLC being ready prior to a games launch but not included in the gamer, in-game advertising, excessive sequels, online passes, the rise of developers allocating time and resources to smartphone and tablet games rather than consoles and patches have really ruined this console generation for me. I think I nearly flipped my lid when I was playing Fight Night Champion and had to watch a Progressive Auto Insurance commercial during loading. I do understand the business mechanics behind all these decisions but personally I think alot of them are taking the fun out of gaming. Also I think what I'm seeing is that physical copies and whatnot probably won't be around past the next generation. Collecting is half the fun for me so this is alarming. Plus, I'm pretty sure the free-to-play model really is the future. I might as well jump on the Steam bandwagon now and get used to it.

redcat

I feel more intimidated by new sports games than excited. Last gen, I really liked the NFL Fever and NBA Inside Drive games from Microsoft. I thought they were the perfect blend of pick up and play fun and the coolness of playing with pro teams. That just doesn't seem to be an option anymore.

Deftones

Best generation by far. Mass Effect Games, Borderlands games, Batman games.

Michael Corvin

See I had an n64 and I'll just never understand the flack it gets. First start with all the first party stuff like:

then toss in second party stuff like:
moving on to third party:


N64 was probably one of my favorite consoles, and probably why the Gamecube was such a huge disappointment.

StephenX

I think he seemed intent because he disagrees with everything you said. It's a discussion forum, get over it.