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[JimmyRustler]

There’s another thread about this, we’ve been playing the same games since 2007.

Pop in will disappear.

No more masked loading through elevators and going through vents.

Since we have the fastest SSD, game design will change completely.

I mean, maybe it changes in the backend, but the shit I’m playing right now it’s the same from years ago.

Not only that, but bullshit like the ratchet and clank “portals can only be done on PS5” fiasco only makes it more apparent that we are still chained to old tech.

Pretty much this.

Quality is still there (this year was great) but there haven’t really been any boundaries pushed since the 360/PS3. That was the last gen that had truly new stuff being released. Ever since the games from the just have been improved upon.

 

[diffusionx]

Yea it plateaued like 10 years ago if not longer. The only place where there is anything interesting going on is VR.

 

[Kaachan]

All I can say is

 

[SteelCurtain 59]

I think you're just getting old

 

[jayj]

I think you're just getting old

This is always the lamest excuse, and with age comes wisdom anyways. The younger and less experienced people are, the more easily they will fall for lame gimmicks, marketing, and hype. I don't see how there is anything wrong with having standards and knowing what you're talking about.

 

[Fbh]

I still enjoy gaming and am still looking forward to tons of releases.

But it also feels like it has hardly evolved much since the ps3/360 era, and not every way in which they have changed is good.

It's not that games haven't gotten better in some ways but it feels like late into that gen most devs switched from innovation to refinement. You can take a 15 years old game like Dead Space, improve the graphics and add some quality of life changes and you've got a game that still holds up and is better paced than most modern stuff.

 

[SteelCurtain 59]

This is always the lamest excuse, and with age comes wisdom anyways. The younger and less experienced people are, the more easily they will fall for lame gimmicks, marketing, and hype. I don't see how there is anything wrong with having standards and knowing what you're talking about.

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, also by your logic if when you're younger you easily fall for marketing and hype, wouldn't that mean you view games from that era as better than they were? Games are just as good as they were back in the 360/PS3/Wii era, if not better with the explosion of indie games. It has nothing to do with "having standards". If anything your argument is basically dismissing any opinion that disagrees with you as "not having standards or knowing what you're talking about".

 

[jayj]

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, also by your logic if when you're younger you easily fall for marketing and hype, wouldn't that mean you view games from that era as better than they were? Games are just as good as they were back in the 360/PS3/Wii era, if not better with the explosion of indie games. It has nothing to do with "having standards". If anything your argument is basically dismissing any opinion that disagrees with you as "not having standards or knowing what you're talking about".

You literally just tried to dismiss my entire argument by claiming I am too old lol. If all you have on your side is the young and gullible, you aren't exactly on solid ground.

 

[SteelCurtain 59]

You literally just tried to dismiss my entire argument by claiming I am too old lol. If all you have on your side is the young and gullible, you aren't exactly on solid ground.

I'm old too, your entire argument is "man, games were more exciting back in the day". The main reason you feel that is likely because you're older and no longer have the excitement of being a kid getting a new video game. I didn't "dismiss" anything. The answer to your OP is nostalgia/age unless you're strictly talking about technological improvements (but it didn't seem like that given you called those out later in the post). And also the fact you said 360/PS3 graphics are aging super well as to imply they're even somewhat close to current (or even last gen) graphics which is a super "rose-tinted goggles"/nostalgia based view

 

[BbMajor7th]

I agree, you see so much less innovation, a lot more imitation, reiteration and continuation. Development cycles are now taking up entire generations (and often have a further year of post-launch patching) and deliver games so over-long and bloated I haven't the time or patience to finish them. Worse still, the enormous cost of underwriting such a lavish model is being met by more and more cynical commercial and monetisation practises. Frankly, it sucks.

 

[XXL]

All I can say is

 

[Doom85]

You literally just tried to dismiss my entire argument by claiming I am too old lol. If all you have on your side is the young and gullible, you aren't exactly on solid ground.

You’re not exactly on solid ground either there. You honestly think every single person as they get older gains a more nuanced view of the world that lets them make smarter decisions as opposed to letting their emotions and biases gain even more control of their actions?

We’d be living in a fucking utopia if that were the case.

 

[jayj]

I'm old too, your entire argument is "man, games were more exciting back in the day". The main reason you feel that is likely because you're older and no longer have the excitement of being a kid getting a new video game. I didn't "dismiss" anything. The answer to your OP is nostalgia/age unless you're strictly talking about technological improvements (but it didn't seem like that given you called those out later in the post). And also the fact you said 360/PS3 graphics are aging super well as to imply they're even somewhat close to current (or even last gen) graphics which is a super "rose-tinted goggles"/nostalgia based view

How is it nostalgia if a lot of these older games I enjoy are games I have never played before? It seems like you're really grasping straw here in a vain attempt to dismiss any criticism of the current gaming industry as people being old.

 

[jayj]

You’re not exactly on solid ground either there. You honestly think every single person as they get older gains a more nuanced view of the world that lets them make smarter decisions as opposed to letting their emotions and biases gain even more control of their actions?

We’d be living in a fucking utopia if that were the case.

Eh I suppose that could be an argument for a lot of things but not exactly for what I have been saying. In any case, the younger people are, the worse they usually are at controlling their emotions and the less they understand in general.

 

[Deerock71]

I don't know. I'm too busy enjoying Red Dead Redemption on my Nintendo Switch OLED.

 

[MikeM]

I’m having one of my best years in gaming this year so i’m happy. In saying that, there have been issues:

- price of hardware on the console and PC side.

- loot boxes.

- PC ports can be very subpar.

 

[fart town usa]

There are still great games being made but the bulk of the AAA stuff feels incredibly stale to me. It's also usually over hyped and doesn't deliver.

VR is an exciting ecosystem to be a part of but it's expensive to get into.

 

[majorgamer10]

Is this LTTP? I think you are struggling for the usual end of year blues when, in fact, this thinking is so last year ago, and the best is yet to come.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

Honestly I have been very disappointed with the latest generation of video games lately, and I think the release of the new Forza Motorsport has made me really reflect upon this. The fact that I can go back to the prior entry, Forza Motorsport 7 on my Xbox One X, and not only say it sounds better but looks better than the latest entry on my Series X, is not something I should be able to say with a straight face. If it's not for instances like that, then it's all the remasters and remakes of games that I honstly still considered quite good looking and very playable in their original forms. Sure I could be cherry picking here a bit, as there's plenty of exceptions where games are still pushing boundaries, but generally speaking I can't help but to have this feeling like the gaming scene plateaued in a sense, where advancements are getting harder and harder to detect, and latest entries in franchises aren't exactly all-around improvements anymore.

That and I can't help but to notice how well a lot of games have aged from the PS3/360 generation onward. If you play them on a PC or in the Xbox's case upscaled in 4K with FPS boost, it's amazing how well some of them have aged. Going back to prior generations, the advancements were a lot more prominent with the differences standing out as being obvious. Yeah I will admit that despite all of this, you could still easily say games have never been better looking, generally speaking at least, but I can't help but feel like a lot of the latest tech has been overhyped and not exactly delivering on the expectations some would give you. To top it off, when it comes to PC gaming, the size of parts, heat production, and power usage has really gotten out of hand, with me asking how much further we can push things in that direction.

Don't get me wrong, I am sure things will continue to get better over time, but this reminds me of a philosophy someone told me about technological improvements. Basically, they said that improving things can be a lot like trying to shave off edges to create a round ball, and that the rounder it gets, the harder it will be to detect improvements, and one day you will have a perfectly round ball where you can't improve the shape of it anymore. So while we might not be at that perfectly round state yet, I think we have shaved it down enough to where it is getting hard to notice improvements, and the expense as well as the demands to be on the bleeding edge has become more extreme as we continue to chase after ways to round it off more.

100% agree. Combination of the hardware being overhyped but also because devs are phoning it in graphically compared to previous gens because both gamers and publishers standards have dropped. Why invest $ into pushing graphics when our greedy asses are making record breaking profit. Also, because of Sony and MS going multiplatform they're not putting in extra effort to allow consoles to punch above their weight! Console gamers have been gaslighted into not speaking out on this topic but it's true. Remember Sony's big plans to utilize the SSD/io? Yeah..you can't tell me they've followed through on that.

Forza Motorsport really pisses me off too. Just pathetic really and never would've been thought possible for some of these first party NEXT GEN EXCLUSIVES to look the way they do. Microsoft has just been awful this gen. I give Starfield and Forza Horizon 5 some props at least but I can't forgive them for Halo Infinite and now Forza. I don't think Sony has truly been delivering either on graphics (much better than MS tho). Last of Us 1 Remake should've been the best looking game ever ..instead they lied about it being next gen- it looks no better than Part 2. GT7 was supposed to be a PS5 game. Should look better but they went back on their word and made it cross gen. GoW Ragnarok? Barely improved graphically over 2018. I give Sony props for 4 games tho: Demon's Souls was the real deal esp for launch. Miles Morales was a nice cross gem effort- came out at launch and can look stunning; also, nice use of RT. Ratchet- along with Demon's Souls and Forbidden West, the most impressive games all gen.

I was expecting more from Spiderman 2 but hopefully when I see it on my Oled it'll impress. There have been SO many games this gen tho that I expected better from. One example is Modern Warfare 2 which looks worse than Mw 2019 running on an Xbox One X. Why does that need to upscale from 1080p using FSR (ruining IQ) when MW2019 was close to native 4k with about the same exact quality visuals?!

 

[semiconscious]

There are still great games being made but the bulk of the AAA stuff feels incredibly stale to me. It's also usually over hyped and doesn't deliver...

i'm not really sure how god of war: ragnarok, horizon: forbidden west, & tears of the kingdom wouldn't feel a bit stale to anyone who'd played the previous games. i mean, i'm all for studios recycling assets, but these current big name 'sequels' can come very close to recycling basically everything! (&, tho i'll be happy to be proven wrong, i'm expecting very much the same from spider-man 2)...

 

[Arsic]

This argument would’ve been compelling maybe last year, but this year ? What a wild ride of games.

From indie games like Dredge, Sea of Stars, or Cocoon. To big opus magnums like Zelda TOTK or Baldurs Gate 3, or the AA scene delivering unexpected winners with Lies of P for example.

This year has made me time and time again think “man games are cool.” Still got spidey 2 and Alan wake 2 to look forward to.

Edit:

If this thread is just going to be the usual “but I’ve played this game before” posts —- cut the shit. You’ve not played a game like Zelda TOTK with this level of refinement and advancement in its gameplay possibilities.

The argument is plateau from OP of which the games myself and others have listed are not plateau same same but the next level to its genre or franchise.

When a new AC game comes out it has very little forward movement. When BG3 hit and you compare it to BG2 you’d be high to think it’s the same experience with just better visuals.

Furthermore if new gameplay ideas altogether is your thing then the indie scene delivers in spades every year. This year I can think of Dredge, another year it was Inscryption, a while back we had Hotline Miami.

You can find examples every year of advancement.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

it plateaued last gen. it's been mostly downhill this gen...

IMHO, the biggest issue is that we have been essentially stuck in “last gen”. We have been playing up-rezzed PS4 games for the past five years.

 

[semiconscious]

IMHO, the biggest issue is that we have been essentially stuck in “last gen”. We have been playing up-rezzed PS4 games for the past five years.

well, as far as graphics go, what's weird, imo, is that arguably one of the best-looking next-gen game so far, callisto protocol, is otherwise far inferior to dead space, the game's 15 year old inspiration. lookin' good ain't everything...

i'd be very happy to see some genuinely unique & clever, 'made specifically for next-gen' games down the road. but i'm thinking this's as much an imagination-restrained issue as it is a tech-restrained issue...

 

[supernova8]

IMHO, the biggest issue is that we have been essentially stuck in “last gen”. We have been playing up-rezzed PS4 games for the past five years.

If we don't get a single "woah that looks amazing" title even revealed next year (on any of the platforms) then I think we're doomed to being stuck in last gen for the whole of this gen. If even first party developers don't push the envelope even after they have dropped last gen machines, there's no hope because a lot of the visual bangers have always come from first parties.

 

[IAmRei]

I just feel western games going more further away from what I personally enjoy out of video games.

I sorta agree with this, the last western game i played and engaged much with me is Wildlands and GoTG. Tried to find more, but in the end i returned to japanese games.

 

[ThatOneGrunt]

Maybe. At least for me. I don’t like games that everyone else seems to enjoy. I got so bored with spider man remaster. But I haven’t stopped playing Starfield.

 

[Wonko_C]

Yes I agree it has plateaued, which is why I have moved on to VR since 2017. Thanks to that gaming has become fun again. Even old games become new again like Rez Infinite, Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner, Resident Evil 4, Serious Sam, etc.

 

[jayj]

Maybe. At least for me. I don’t like games that everyone else seems to enjoy. I got so bored with spider man remaster. But I haven’t stopped playing Starfield.

Yeah, that seems to be the case with me as well. I just don't seem to line up with the hype and popular consensus on the internet these days, but whatever, all that matters is having fun. I can still enjoy the occasional new game and I have been really enjoying retro gaming. Starfield has been a real highlight for me this gen as well, so it's not all bad.

I think we're simply at the point where so many new games are just sequels or the latest version of the current popular thing, it's easy to know what you're going to enjoy, what you might find interesting, and what's simply not for you. When something that genuinely appeals to me comes along I am definitely interested, but so many hyped up games just seem to be the same old.

 

[jayj]

Yes I agree it has plateaued, which is why I have moved on to VR since 2017. Thanks to that gaming has become fun again. Even old games become new again like Rez Infinite, Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner, Resident Evil 4, Serious Sam, etc.

Yeah I agree on how trying to take it in different directions like that is keeping things interesting. I just don't like VR based off my experience with it in PSVR, but I am excited to see what the future of technology like AR could be like. I think AR and VR would eventually merge as some sort of glasses you put on and start gaming wherever you are.

 

[Raven77]

It could be much better than it is. Developers are refusing to push the envelope, graphics are stagnant, game design has remained the same for nearly 2 decades now, and the only thing motherfuckers complain about is framerate and performance. So, devs think they're doing great, and everything remains status quo.

We need a game that comes out and changes everything. Another Mario 64 type release. But seems impossible as of now.

100%

The biggest problem is every game spends a fortune trying to have the best graphics. This pushes team size, budget, and development time higher and higher.

Gameplay is, generally, stagnant. There very little in the way of creativity or innovation. Some games pull it off, like Tears of the Kingdom, but most games just recycle tired gameplay and sleep some gimmick on top.

Don't agree with me or the original poster? Just pull up the game catalog of the N64 and the original PlayStation. The variety compared to todays games is vast.

 

[bender]

If we throw out shovelware, I think the quality of the average game release these days is at an all time high in that they fall in an average-to-good range (shoutout to Gollum and Redfall for bucking that trend). And a lot of the games that are considered great these days, don't reach the same heights as games of the past. With games being so expensive to make, developers and publishers are playing it safer than ever and just refining established genres and tropes. It seems like most developers spend most of their resources on production values and less on trying new gameplay mechanics. That's not necessarily a bad thing but I don't find it terribly interesting either. There are exceptions of course (Kojipro and Lucas Pope come to mind) , but it feels like the amount of those exceptions are shrinking. One would hope, or at least I would, that with the democratization of game development tools and publishing options that independent developers would push more boundaries, but even in that space it feels like everyone is just chasing the latest trend (see the amount of Vampire Survivor clones that have popped up the last year or so).

 

[CashPrizes]

Maybe innovation has plateaued a bit, and if you always need new different experiences that is a detriment.

But I don't think game quality has plateaued at all. 2020 was an amazing year, 2021 and 2022 were both pretty weak years, and then 2023 is like up there with the top 5 years ever.

 

[bitbydeath]

PS+ Extra and GamePass has taken some of the magic away, but otherwise there’s still a lot of good games out there, and still to come.

 

[CuteFaceJay]

I still got hyped and was playing the heck out of the Switch when the new Zelda was out. Also kinda hyped for that new Dirt Rally game for next month.

Like I get what OP is saying it's nothing like what it use to be like in 2007 when we got all those bangers in one year and every one was playing Halo 3 for years past it's release.

 

[0neAnd0nly]

As a whole? Yes, absolutely.

Nintendo is the anomaly here, but I still think the overall greater picture points towards my answer.

It’s a question with a ton of needed context, nuance, and discussion - but to break it down simply, yes.

 

[PaintTinJr]

As a whole? Yes, absolutely.

Nintendo is the anomaly here, but I still think the overall greater picture points towards my answer.

It’s a question with a ton of needed context, nuance, and discussion - but to break it down simply, yes.

Agreed, but I don't even think Nintendo are an anomaly given that it has been the same poor MK in all but name since MK7, and that's because they've been able to get away with dialling it in.

PS4 and PS5 hardware success has allowed selling good, but largely enhanced versions of PS3 games is probably the reason we feel very little is changing in the mainstream, with games like the Last Guardian and Death Stranding as outliers.

But if you compare and contrast the innovation in software on the WiiU to Switch, and then compare and contrast the hardware situation, the WiiU hardware was a tough sell, but massively innovated, games like Wonderful 101 enhanced with the tablet controller, or any of the NintendoLand asynchronous play games stood out as fresh, as did Splatoon 1 in the mainstream, but because of such low install base, it has been the switch that has benefitted from the WiiU software innovation without adding anything of its own, other than the BotW tweaks to make TotK.

Hopefully when PS5 sales start to slow and Switch 2 has a minor wobble out the gate we'll see fresher gaming, that exploits the PS5 hardware and uses whatever new innovations the Switch 2 brings.

Call of the mountain and GT7 in VR2 are amazingly fresh, but it is such a niche audience install base, for the wider market it might as well not exist.

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

Honestly, I believe part reason for this creative "slow down" in the AAA space is due to control over the creative pitch approval being pried out of the hands of the actual creators. Now its mostly determined by various business requirements and market conditions set by management and people that extend them. The same people hired developers with a like minded business driven mentality. These guys push for the safest bets possible. Its why AAA is so dull and tame.

Agree with this, I’m a massive sega fan boy if people here didn’t already know. When you look at the drivel that was hyenas Made by suits chasing the gaas Trend just to get cancelled. And then imagine if they had put those resources into bringing back some of there beloved back catalogue, imagine new game’s based on panzer dragoon, virtua fighter/ fighting vipers, virtual on, skies of Arcadia, burning rangers, shining force ,Daytona/ outrun, nights, jsr ( I know one is apparently in the works) etc then ok the op’s point would still be relevant inwjats he’s saying but atleast we would have a more varied lineup in games to chose from in far more diverse genres which I’m sure a lot of us would prefer.

 

[Black_Stride]

Some people just need to find a new hobby.
Maybe gaming just isnt for you anymore.

There some people ive had to block on twitter and GAF because seemingly everything about gaming is bad.
Im constantly thinking why are you even bothering with this hobby if it irks you so much.....its not too late to learn how to longboard.

 

[The_Observer]

Agreed with OP. The last couple of years the industry is going downhill fast in many senses.

 

[The Infectious Paradox]

Nope. Definitely some games and developers have disappointed, but I still have plenty of fun.

My advise? Expand your horizons. Try games that don't get a lot of coverage that are reviewed well. There's way more out there than AAA

 

[Terenty]

I think this comment really hit the nail on the head. It's like my ability to enjoy video games hasn't changed at all, I can go back to older games that interest me and enjoy them as much as ever, even if I never played them before. What changed is the industry and the way games are being made, hence me making this thread. With your comment I think that touches on a very real problem, how gaming used to be developer driven, where it was a tight-knit group of passionate creatives producing their own ideas. Now a days developers more or less seem to be treated like wage slaves, just people working in an office, doing a job as directed. All the ideas come from the top, driven by executives pointing to graphs and investors wanting to cash-in on trends. It has become so big and expensive that anything ambitious falls prey to that. Heck I see that effecting indie devs all the time now, where they will come out with a good creative concept, then they will grow, expand, become acquired by a big publisher or get some investors, and their follow-up product will fail to be nearly as appealing as what came before it. It's like everyone gets sucked into this financial black hole these days devoid of any real passion or creativity.

This. Art is dead

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Far from it. I'm actually enjoying gaming more than ever before now that I stopped playing live service games.

 

[Bond007]

Yes ands no.
Alot of unique experiences feel like they have been exhausted. Not to say we dont get AMAZING games still- but generally they are improved versions of something that has been done before elsewhere and then eventual sequels.
For example Spiderman- Amazing game, but ultimately a high end iteration of what i feel the Arkham series brought in as something unique and new. This isnt bad= but those fresh new wow experiences are rare.

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

Seems done, but I look forward to revisits, remixes, and sequels knowing it has peaked.

 

[negator2vc]

AA / AAA games - yes
indie games - hell no!
I am really grateful that I always preferred 2d games and indie genres (like adventure games) since this made my transition to only indie games really easy.

 

[AJUMP23]

Gaming is great. There is a lot of variety, and most people can find things they like. It is more commercial, but it generates more revenue than ever. So the fear of a collapse like 80s is gone. Gaming has a lot going for it.

 

[Hudo]

The only thing I lament is the death of RTS games.

 

[negator2vc]

The only thing I lament is the death of RTS games.

Have you checked the indie scene?
I wouldn't be surprised if there is a number of good modern rts there.
I prefer turn based games myself so I can't give you examples but I am sure you can find some RTS indie gems.

 

[_Ex_]

We've been in an era of diminishing returns since the start of the 8th gen.

 

[SHA]

I think it's fair to be critical. Gaming has barely evolved since the PS360 days. And everyone is ok with it given how many people are constantly clamoring for remakes, remaster and sequels. Feels creatively bankrupt. It would be nice to see some new ideas.

It's really bad for who beated most of the existed games cause literally there is nothing to look forward to after that.