This post is a great summary of the reason I don't play shooters. Because for all the people on GAF who complain about games being watered down and "casualized" I don't think games are nearly casual enough. I'm playing Max Payne 3 on the easiest difficulty and yet, after spending a half an hour trying to get past a certain section and continually failing and wishing health regenerated behind cover, I gave up. Earlier this year I played Super Mario 3D Land and after dying twice on the very first level I was reminded why I don't play 3D platformers. It seems like too many games assume that the player has a decade long history of playing games in a certain genre and honing their skills, so when games "dumb down" and hand hold and are more accessible, I'm so glad, because I look at it as developers caring about their audience and giving them the benefit of the doubt. I don't need every game to cater to me, but I don't see what's so inherently wrong with games becoming more casual. It means that more people can try a game and still have a good time with it. If you want something that's punishing, crank the difficulty to hard, go for skill-based trophies, find a good multiplayer community of like-minded people, wait for the new Counter Strike, play Far Cry 2 and Metro 2033, or be the guy that makes fun of the fact that I don't understand how to be a medic in TF2. There are still options for players who want a more challenging experience, that's just not where most games are heading.
Because 99 times out of 100 when they dumb it down or "casualise" it usually means all the neat shit and nuances that once kept hardcore people like me hooked for years is removed completely. Casual gamers were gunna play it for 2 weeks max REGARDLESS, pandering to those people makes no sense except selling out the experience for money.
Its why most games are bargain binned within a week this gen. There really isn't anything IN GAMES anymore, gameplay wise, that takes more than 3-4 days to discover or master.
I consider myself a hardcore gamer (maybe not so much these past 2 years). But last generation I had well over 10 games I played for 2+ years straight (some even more than 5+, one game i still play to this day almost a decade later online). This generation? I've played maybe 3-4 games longer than a year. AND this generation alone I have purchased well over 120 games.
There are easy modes for a reason, and always have been, I hate how hard mode is now "normal or below", why did they have to change that? Honestly games these days I play on "hard" are not hard at all. Its night and day difference and im sure most hardcore gamers who play everything would agree that hard mode isnt what it used to be. So I can't get the same experience I always wanted.
But DIFFICULTY isnt exactly my problem, its depth. Gameplay mechanics are going bye bye. Examples: how many games these days have AMPED up the auto-aim (shooters in general)? Added regenerating health (many games)? Lots of sequels to older franchises this gen it seems have streamlined their combat systems by removing what was deep and strategic in past (new TM im looking at you).
Basically my brain doesnt get off on doing well when there is zero challenge. My brain only gets all tweaked out when I know I pulled off some insane stunt that required some level of skill.
Don't take that as me ranting at you in specific. Just explaining what I like and feel is missing. Im OK with casual or easy modes so long as they don't retard the entire gameplay experience for EVERYONE, like removing gameplay features that had depth.
And just to clarify: my fav franchises of all times were not shooters: Resident evil and Twisted metal. Both, but especially TM have been dumbed down gameplay depth wise to the enth degree. So its not like im talking exclusively about shooters in any of my posts.
EDIT @ Rokal: On that list I have played Metro, and played L4D1+2. L4D1 and 2 I played for 3 years each. LOOOOOVED them. Gameplay depth level +1000. Good shit. One of the few games made this gen I played for more than a year. (played both competitively on a team)
