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[-PXG-]

If you're expecting a big of a leap that we had with the transition from 2D to 3D, you're gonna be disappointed. Until we get full, seamless virtual reality, progress will be pretty limited. The big improvement and selling point from last gen to this one was online gaming.

The next gen, so far is about content sharing and fuller intergration of social media. I guess cloud computing too? Uh.....hmmm....

 

[demidar]

The age of a new generation redefining what video games can do is pretty much over.

Though I'd love to be wrong. Maybe the Oculus Rift can bring back the magic.

 

[Kansoku]

If you're expecting a big of a leap that we had with the transition from 2D to 3D, you're gonna be disappointed. Until we get full, seamless virtual reality, progress will be pretty limited. The big improvement and selling point from last gen to this one was online gaming.

The next gen, so far is about content sharing and fuller intergration of social media. I guess cloud computing too? Uh.....hmmm....

Of course is not going to be that big. But NES > SNES and N64/PS1 > GC/PS2 still had the wow factor.
The thing is, they used the increased power to do something interesting. In SMW you can use the cape and fly trough the level, but you couldn't do it on the NES. There was practically no vertical screen movement there.
But now, they've got the better power and all they do is "INCREASE TAH POLYGONS", "INCREASE TEH TEXTURES", "UPREZ THIS THING". They don't seem to do interesting things with this power. For example Wonderful 101 uses the Wii U power to let you control 100 little guys and have a frantic and chaotic gameplay. Is the first action game were you control that much characters. Knack had potential with the guy being made of little pieces, but they don't seem to be using that in a super creative way.

 

[Shadow Hog]

And that next gen Boo

That's... not Super Mario World. SMW never had record players to my knowledge.

 

[TyphoonStruggle]

If you're expecting a big of a leap that we had with the transition from 2D to 3D, you're gonna be disappointed. Until we get full, seamless virtual reality, progress will be pretty limited. The big improvement and selling point from last gen to this one was online gaming.

The next gen, so far is about content sharing and fuller intergration of social media. I guess cloud computing too? Uh.....hmmm....

Are u kidding? The first console 3d games were hideous. As a kid I absolutely hated them.

 

[mishakoz]

The Other Next-Gens Were Better

http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/6o5a1e/the-final-bosman-the-other-next-gens-were-better

new episode is up!

Lighting is a bit... off.

Good episode tho.

 

[krypt0nian]

I am....THE STARFIGHTER!

 

[TheShampion]

I think the biggest "next-gen" moment for me this generation was playing Braid for the first time and falling into the discussion that fallowed. I still remember beating Braid, having my mind blown, and then listening to GFW Radio to hear what they had to say about it. I think it is the first time I can remember ever beating a game and then wanting to hear other people's interpretation of it.

I agree with Bosman's sentiment, but I am thinking the coming generation's true "next gen moments" will be less obvious than a Mario 64.

 

[thuway]

I like Kyle and all, but seriously, the Nintendo stuff is getting old now. I get it, you like Nintendo and Pokemon, and these are your opinions, but sometimes it feels like its out of place.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

I like Kyle and all, but seriously, the Nintendo stuff is getting old now. I get it, you like Nintendo and Pokemon, and these are your opinions, but sometimes it feels like its out of place.

what?

I agree with everything he said on today's episode. Look at the stuff coming out this year and compare it to mario 64. That was next gen. Where are the innovative games? Tthey are all the same old games from current gen.

 

[CREMSteve]

I dunno....the day Sony unlocks Gaikai on the PS4, and I can instantly play stuff without any downloads, will be the day I get that next gen feeling.

 

[Prelude.]

I like Kyle and all, but seriously, the Nintendo stuff is getting old now. I get it, you like Nintendo and Pokemon, and these are your opinions, but sometimes it feels like its out of place.

Heh, I kinda feel like that too. It doesn't bother me too much but it still is a bit annoying.
Even when he's not in his own show and the topic is something else he's always in "Yes, but Nintendo... mode"

 

[Izayoi]

Marathoning all of the old episodes.

Really smart and likable guy, I'm enjoying this a lot.

----

Re: Nintendo: He was very critical of them in earlier episodes, especially after E3. I think he's pretty good at being objective, even about the stuff he loves. At least, that's the impression that he gives me.

 

[Zomba13]

Heh, I kinda feel like that too. It doesn't bother me too much but it still is a bit annoying.
Even when he's not in his own show and the topic is something else he's always in "Yes, but Nintendo... mode"

Well everyone else is always in "lol Nintendo" mode so it's nice to see someone at least looking Nintendo's way even if they are a big dopey elephant doing it's own thing.

 

[NZNova]

What a likeable guy. Loved the Halo story, I can really relate to it.

I remember playing Halo 2 on Blood Gulch (or whatever it was called in Halo 2...) shortly after it released with a bunch of friends I'd made through following the I Love Bees campaign, and we were doing some CTF. We snuck into the bottom level of the enemy base in a warthog and I heard someone on the other team shout out "I think someone's come into the basement guys!" to which I replied without thinking "yeah nah, it's all clear down here mate, they must be on the roof", to which he said "oh, OK" and went up to look on the roof.

We then hopped up into the now empty flag room, grabbed the flag, laughing like insane idiots the whole time, and were halfway across the map before our warthog got blown up by some guy with a rocket launcher. Man, great memories.

 

[Prelude.]

Well everyone else is always in "lol Nintendo" mode so it's nice to see someone at least looking Nintendo's way even if they are a big dopey elephant doing it's own thing.

Yeah, but they're probably lolNintendoing when they're talking about something Nintendo related and not randomly bringing it up out of the blue.

 

[BlastProcessing]

I like Kyle and all, but seriously, the Nintendo stuff is getting old now. I get it, you like Nintendo and Pokemon, and these are your opinions, but sometimes it feels like its out of place.

I would much rather watch a dude who is talking about things he is honestly enthusiastic about than someone who is trying to strike some balance that he imagines his audience would prefer.

 

[Jedi2016]

I definitely agree on Mario64, I remember playing that in wide-eyed amazement back in the day. I had never played anything even remotely like it. Whenever they talk about new Mario games, all I want is a version of Mario64.

Bosman's not wrong, though... nowadays it's all graphics and shaders and such. Nothing really new. But I've gotten old and jaded and I don't clamor for that "something new" like I used to. The best I hope for now is something different, but even those aren't always new.

 

[RurouniZel]

For me, the Wii launch was amazing. Wii Sports felt amazing to play. I remember going over to my friend's house and we played for hours. It felt so new and amazing. The possibilities were endless.

Granted, most of it never happened, but goddamn it I still love the Wii Remote.

 

[Mariolee]

It reminds me of just how much they could do with the Wiimote still. I thought it was a godsend that the Wii U was an HD system that could also use the Wiimote, but it seems like we'll never get that HD first person open world sword game with the Wiimote or whatever we always dreamed up. Skyward Sword was close, but not cigar.

I think that's why I'm not too hyped about next gen in general. I really can't see myself getting a PS4 or Xbox One even in the next four years or so. At most, I'll probably jump into the Wii U because at least it's trying to do something different.

However, I still remember being so incredibly hyped for the Wii. I blew through every preview in Nintendo Power about it, all the list of new games, and would even go as far as to take my TV remote control and IMAGINE playing the Wii myself.

I want that same kind of excitement again!

 

[Alx]

Yeah it's true that the Wii launch was really exciting, and it obviously wasn't because of the graphics. The other recent consoles have been interesting because of services and technical evolution, but it's nothing compared to the amazement of older consoles or the Wii (except when MS later brought "you know what" ).

 

[heiyu]

"we got some boring games ahead of us"

gotta agree.

 

[NewGame]

Kyle didn't mention how amazing Nintendoland multiplayer is. Probably for political reasons.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Kyle didn't mention how amazing Nintendoland multiplayer is. Probably for political reasons.

Lol you're funny.

Great episode, as always.

 

[mrklaw]

The constant recording and instant sharing is about the only thing I can think of that might create a 'wow' moment that wasn't doable in previous gens. Capturing spontaneous moments, sharing with friends that aren't there on the couch with you.

 

[TnK]

I don't mind the guy talking about Nintendo. He is the only person I have encountered on a major website that talks about the big N like this. If anything, it is nice to see someone on Nintendo's side.

At the post a bit above, I don't know what is so great about Nintendoland. I find it on the boring side tbh.

 

[border]

I think the kind of "next generation" experiences that Bosman wants are really only going to come from the indie scene on PC (and hopefully well-nurtured indie communities on PS4/XBone). The irony of course is that it takes no new hardware to really create new experiences. It just takes someone with a vision working on a shoestring budget, because anyone working on a AAA game is going to have to produce something incredibly bloated, incredibly familiar, and full of hand-holding.

 

[EarsOfASnake]

I think these 'next gen' experiences just aren't possible once you get to a certain age. So much of my nostalgia for previous console launches is related to the friends I shared them with and the environment of the time. Our lives were so much quieter, even for the most recent generation of consoles. You didn't have the constant communication and digital life that comes as standard now. It was there, sure, but it was SMS messaging and phone calls that cost money not the plethora of free and readily available options we have today. The excitement came because you had to share these together, in the same place, not over a headset or camera. Obviously you can still gather a group of friends and feel the same excitement. Although there are different barriers for how easy that is depending on your age. I imagine the majority of people though will take part like this; headset on, alone in front of a screen because it's easy to do so. That set up just isn't conducive to having the same, arguably less exciting, 'next gen experience'.

 

[Axass]

Kyle is the most level headed and bias-less game journalist I've ever seen. He likes Nintendo sure and he likes to talk about it, so do I, but that doesn't make us blind: he's clearly capable of objective thinking and fair judgement. He's criticized and praised all three companies in his past videos, he just calls stuff for what it is, stating what's good and bad, wether it is Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft.

 

[Ajacx]

Another great episode from Kyle!

 

[petethepanda]

Holy shit, how did I never see Starfighter as a kid? That would have blown my mind. Looking on YouTube, the 3DO version's ground-to-space stuff was even more impressive, dat draw distance.

 

[Alx]

The constant recording and instant sharing is about the only thing I can think of that might create a 'wow' moment that wasn't doable in previous gens. Capturing spontaneous moments, sharing with friends that aren't there on the couch with you.

Letting a friend remotely control your game is quite impressive too. It's only emulating having your friend sitting on the couch next to you, but it's still nice to have it back, now that most games are focused on online multiplayer.
But like I said it's more an improvement on the services around the games than the games themselves.

 

[efeman]

Man, yesterday's episode was great. Really hit home with me, and I'm only 21. Indies are thinking outside the box, but it'd be awesome to see big-budget do that too.

 

[ElectricKaibutsu]

I think these 'next gen' experiences just aren't possible once you get to a certain age. So much of my nostalgia for previous console launches is related to the friends I shared them with and the environment of the time. Our lives were so much quieter, even for the most recent generation of consoles. You didn't have the constant communication and digital life that comes as standard now. It was there, sure, but it was SMS messaging and phone calls that cost money not the plethora of free and readily available options we have today. The excitement came because you had to share these them together, in the same place, not over a headset or camera. Obviously you can still gather a group of friends and feel the same excitement. Although there are different barriers for how easy that is depending on your age. I imagine the majority of people though will take part like this; headset on, alone in front of a screen because it's easy to do so. That set up just isn't conducive to having the same, arguably less exciting, 'next gen experience'.

Word.

I'm sorry that time is over. So many good (possibly nostalgia clouded) memories of playing with friends. In 15 years, I wonder what the current young gaming generation will reminisce about.

 

[Feep]

He's so right it hurts. Those "wow" moments, when you realize gaming is fundamentally changing at its core, going where you couldn't even believe it was possible to go, those are what's lacking in the baroque game industry of today, which lacks a soul and cares only about looks.

PS4 and Xbone are so far underwhelming in everything but power and graphics (yes, I've seen Titanfall -_-), they offer no new universes of possibilities, no innovation. Wii U at least tried, but so far it fell very short of its goal, just like motion gaming before. My hopes are in the Rift.

You're looking in the wrong places.

 

[Axass]

You're looking in the wrong places.

Tell me more.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Tell me more.

He might be saying to look outside the AAA publishing space where mitigating risk and releasing safe, stable titles has superseded a desire to bring a unique magic to new titles for players to connect with, especially during a platform launch window.

 

[Kansoku]

He might be saying to look outside the AAA publishing space where mitigating risk and releasing safe, stable titles has superseded a desire to bring a unique magic to new titles for players to connect with, especially during a platform launch window.

The thing we don't have B-tier games anymore. It's ether indies or AAA.

 

[FairXchange]

As a console-only gamer, the moment I jump into a 64 player online match for the first time ever in Battlefield 4, I imagine it will be my next-gen moment of this new generation.

 

[Axass]

He might be saying to look outside the AAA publishing space where mitigating risk and releasing safe, stable titles has superseded a desire to bring a unique magic to new titles for players to connect with, especially during a platform launch window.

Yeah, that's what I thought, even though IMO it's not really a matter of launch games. It's an ongoing trend in all levels of console gaming. I must say I've played a good amount of indies, and some did blow me away: Braid and its use of time, Fez's archeological spirit and its take on optional secrets, Cave Story's new approach to action platforming, etc.

Though none of those achievements needed powerful hardware to exist, we don't need new generations of hardware to play those games, just better developers and companies willing to take risks. Also indies, due to their very nature, don't have the will or funds to invest in new hardware. I would like to see what new gameplay elements a more powerful or innovative hardware can bring to the table.

The thing we don't have B-tier games anymore. It's ether indies or AAA.

You're partly right, B-tier games have become what we now call handheld games. There's plenty of great, not AAA and not indie games on handhelds, both on NDS/3DS and on PSP/PSV. That's the problem though, they're mostly relegated to the portable market, as if publishers are only willing to spend a lot on consoles, and create just AAA cinematic stuff, because they want bigger and bigger profit margins each year and they think that's the only kind of game the masses want.

 

[Kansoku]

You're partly right, B-tier games have become what we now call handheld games. There's plenty of great, not AAA and not indie games on handhelds, both on NDS/3DS and on PSP/PSV. That's the problem though, they're mostly relegated to the portable market, as if publishers are only willing to spend a lot on consoles, and create just AAA cinematic stuff, because they want bigger and bigger profit margins each year and they think that's the only kind of game the masses want.

Yeah, I agree. That's why I mostly play handheld games these days. However, we're talking about the home console space, and B-tier is long gone.
The problem, as I see it, is that with the continuous search for more raw power, the budget increases and more money, and time and people are needed to make a game that will look good on the hardware. But since it requires more, it has to sell more, making the game go for lowest common denominator. Mid-tier studios can't compete, and death was brought over many of them this last generation. And many next-gen moments came from these studious. Hence the lack of the feel on this gen that's starting. To fix these issues, they would have to tone down with the high end hardware focus, but since people want a faster horse, that's what we get.

 

[Killing_Joke]

How does MGS1/2 not make the list? Those games are the definition of next gen.

 

[Rapstah]

How does MGS1/2 not make the list? Those games are the definition of next gen.

MGS1 wasn't at the start of its gen. Absolutely agree for MGS2 though.

 

[UrbanRats]

How does MGS1/2 not make the list? Those games are the definition of next gen.

It's a personal list, the one he made, not the "top 10 best next gen experiences in history".

 

[Lunar15]

Catching up on these.

Kyle loves Skyward Sword? He is a good man. Agreed that it was heartbreaking having it in SD. Looks great on dolphin.

Also, the notecards are hilarious.

 

[LycanXIII]

https://twitter.com/KyleBosman/status/394587057508470784

 

[mishakoz]

Halloween Special

 

[razgriz417]

Halloween Special

Kyle?! Kyle?! Kyle?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Shadow Hog]

Kyle looks so naked in that sleeveless M&Ms costume.

Like, I know it's just showing off his shoulders, and his chest is actually covered, but it's still oddly discomforting to look at.

 

[Mariolee]

Good episode, really nails why people value video games and other media as escapist entertainment and how that doesn't always reflect our true nature. Also, amazing ending lol