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[RetroGamingUK]

That Xbox direct was dreadful!

Just a load of indie shite!

 

[Jesb]

Why would talented people wanna get in the industry when there's no job security. The industry shot thenselves in the foot.

 

[nani17]

 

[Killer8]

Japan did utterly shit the bed in the transition to HD consoles. Phil Fish was completely right at the time. But their comeback story is one for the ages.

 

[near]

Good thing we still have competent indie devs.

 

[simpatico]

The industry has constructed a filter that prevents anyone who isn't a skinny-armed chuckle fuck from entering.

 

[Danjin44]

I was always more fan of how Japan makes games so this not much big loss to me.

For now there is only one western game I'm interested.

 

[Saber]

East is where the gold gems were at. Aways.

 

[Pop]

American devs are at an all-time low.

This right here

American media writing anything has been garbage

 

[Bernardougf]

It's everything: videogames, cinema, mainstream books.

The problem is the same.

And everybody knows whats the fucking problem...

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Quiet a negative thread.

Opens a can of worms.

What do you value more, vibes, or gameplay mechanics.

Is Mario doing those animations and making sound effects enough for you, or do you want mechanics from Super Meat Boy 3D?

 

[Topher]

"Are Western Devs the worst they have ever been these days or am I just having a bitter old man hot take?"

Two things can be true at the same time

 

[ValiantInstance]

Gaming became too big for its own good. It's full of people with no imagination trying to please everyone at once.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Quiet a negative thread.

Opens a can of worms.

What do you value more, vibes, or gameplay mechanics.

Is Mario doing those animations and making sound effects enough for you, or do you want mechanics from Super Meat Boy 3D?

 

[bender]

Japan did utterly shit the bed in the transition to HD consoles. Phil Fish was completely right at the time. But their comeback story is one for the ages.

 

[nbkicker]

prob why my ps5 hasn't been turned on since last yr , currently going back to ps2/ps3 and GameCube either by consoles I own or emulated on pc, classics games that play sooo good even today. Totally agree game and movie studios don't want to go out there comfort box trying something new they just want to churn out the same shit over and over

 

[RetroGamingUK]

It will never be 'the worst it's ever been' unless you have started gaming at the 360 generation and never looked backwards.

If anyone needs a reminder of some of the absolute (and sometimes unplayable) garbage that some western devs used to make, look at some early AVGN videos. Here's an example of a game:

Today's games are a dream compared to most games pre-360 era.

American games were good from around 1998 to 2017

Went to shit after that

 

[vaibhavpisal]

You need to play the game then.

In a trailer one is simply experiencing the vibes of a game. Where, admittedly, these games lack.

 

[The_Observer]

Yes, generally they are declining fast.

 

[March Climber]

American games were good from around 1998 to 2017

With a giant asterisk, because it was a 50/50 shot in quality for arguably 3 generations straight, especially when it came to gameplay.

I'm not going to participate in this attempt of a nostalgic rewrite of history, especially their efforts on console.

At worst, these western games today are boring or uninspired but they at least play well.

 

[Fake]

Western was trash since western started to put politics, social stuff inside their games.

I play games to run out of all this reality shit, but NOOOOOL, western keep bring this garbage to gaming.

So, yes. Japan is the way to go.

 

[bender]

At worst, these western games today are boring or uninspired but they at least play well.

I think that's most games in general, no matter their origin. I'd further argue, from a player's perceive, that's the worst place to be. Everything feeling the same makes the experience completely forgettable, which always isn't the case with bad games.

 

[devutos]

AMERICAN devs, yes. European devs are probably at a all time high. KCD2 and Clair Obscur just this year.

 

[Brakum]

No. American devs are the worst they have ever been.

 

[March Climber]

I think that's most games in general, no matter their origin. I'd further argue, from a player's perceive, that's the worst place to be. Everything feeling the same makes the experience completely forgettable, which always isn't the case with bad games.

Yes but this is a larger issue with most media, and across the globe.

There will always be uninspired and boring works out there, but the difference is that book/comic readers, TV/movie/anime watchers, and music listeners will at least move on to try something else.

Quite a few gamers are much less likely to do so and will simply stick to the biggest or most favorite/popular I.P. like glue while refusing to look around for anything else to bring them enjoyment from the hobby.

To me it is an odd phenomenon.

 

[knguyen]

A few good ones left, the rest turned into women hating retards or money hungry assholes.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

Once again I'm just gonna leave this here...



Compare to the shit we get now and it's a total joke.

 

[MagiusNecros]

You need to play the game then.

In a trailer one is simply experiencing the vibes of a game. Where, admittedly, these games lack.

Nah most games lack the wow factor. Wow factor that an Ico game, Yoko Taro game or the recent E33 has in spades.

Course the games you mention Mario and Meatboy are primarily platformers and lack the Dark Fantasy atmosphere I crave.

When it comes to most Western games they lack artistic vision and often come off as too artificial or soulless.

It's kinda like going to a Bookstore and wanting to read a good Western Fantasy or Sci-Fi Novel but every Western Author keeps writing non-fiction.

 

[daxgame]

I would say yes - but there are still exception, i.e. Clair Obscur.

 

[Roberts]

I am looking forward to Keeper, Clockwork Revolution and Grounded 2 way more than any Asian game they showed at the xbox showcase.

 

[StueyDuck]

That Xbox direct was dreadful!

Just a load of indie shite!

My youtube feed during this Summer Games Fest has just looked like the Nintendo Eshop front page the last 4 days.

As in it's just constant, half baked, low effort indie slop. The AAA big boys are being drowned out by just pages and pages of slop, and all i sub to is the main pubs and like gametrailers.

Whoever decided SGF needed 35 showcases, 30 of them based on the most mundane, low barrier to entry criterea, deserves a kick in the teeth.

I get it that we all wanna be the "nice guys", and everyone should be seen, but good god, does everyone not need to be seen

I saw some low tier, miniscule budget caveman pissing 3D brawler that you would have seen in a bargain bin on the ps2 next to all the movie tie-in games for $5, that game should not be getting a showcase or fanfare, im sorry.

It's shovelware.

 

[SNG32]

I wouldn't even say the West. When they showed code vein 2 at the summer games fest to me it looked worse than the first one. Like it looks flatter.

 

[KXVXII9X]

A lot of what was shown looked flat, a lack of lightning, atmosphere.

Some solid stuff there I have no doubt but from a "wow I need to play this" perspective, nothing for me really.

The lack of atmosphere has been very noticeable this Gen. Not all games, but it may be due to more games using the realistic lighting. I feel like earlier gens had more artistic lighting and the shadows were more exaggerated giving a moody feeling. Also, a lot of these extremely detailed assets are static. There were some standouts though from these showings. Stranger Than Heaven, 007, Sword of the Sea, Ill, and Mixtape are just some I think had some good atmosphere. I think a lot of games that try to be dark and hyperrealistic, just look muddy and the visuals kind of blends into each other.

 

[Madflavor]

Western studios still put out good games but it's nothing like during the 360 era. Nowadays it's like they're copying each other's notes. A lot of stuff looks identical to the next.

Indies and Japanese games are where it's at.

 

[ToneyJ]

Europe is doing ok, but North American game dev is definitely trash right now.

 

[StereoVsn]

Some of the Euro devs are doing great work. Larian, Owlcat, Warhorse all are releasing great games.

US devs are kind of doing mediocre work.

 

[Banjo64]

Only really Japan shining.

Western studios, forget about it.

Even stuff that should be an open goal like Battlefield 2042 the retards at DICE couldn't get it right.

FPS games - piece of piss right? Get the gunplay tight, nice feedback, easy. No. Can't even do that. Here's Overwatch 2, Concord, Fairgame$, CoD with Seth Rogen, 343i can't make a good game to save their lives. Cringe dialogue, crap gameplay, characters that I wouldn't have found endearing even when I was a gormless little 13 year old.

You want to play a good online game? Hope you like playing 10 year old releases or if you're lucky something like Apex which is 'only' 6 years old…

Indies. Cool (prior to their BlackRock cash injections). I'm really loving the 6 year+ waits for indie games like A Hat in Time 2 and Yooka Laylee 2.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Western games mostly feel like they are made by a comity of people who know nothing about games and just follow trends. It's horrible.

 

[Treasure Hunter]

I think too many studios hired a lot of incompetent people for other reasons than their skills and it shows.

 

[Kataploom]

I thought the same in 7th gen, I didn't feel attracted to western games at all, but then I played and really great ones like Mass Effect and Bioshock, they really were amazing... Now current days western games feel like AI generated soulless stuff, the only western games that interested me from Xbox presentation was that A Plague Tale game and the one from Double Fine, everything else felt like trying to make jokes, look cool haha and look like Fortnite because that's what the youngs want these days "haha yeah funny haha" or something like that, I'm not even old and I think it's cringe af lol

 

[KXVXII9X]

I think the reason why I am feeling more meh lately is due to not being a fan of horror or overly dark subject matter (not that I find it offensive or scary, but I had my fill a decade ago). About 90% of stuff shown in these showcases are just so gloomy. I think I can only take so many post-apocalyptic, horror, and dystopian settings or ones with extreme violence. This is more a me issue though. I just burnt out on those things. There also is an obsession with nostalgia. Meh. I seem to prefer Japanese games, but the east has their own issues. Most of it boils down to releasing the same kinds of things. I feel like a lot of newer western games are taking a spin on older franchises which would be fine, but I don't think there are enough original ideas to go alongside these inspired games.

 

[Walliwallipaloo]

Quiet a negative thread.

Opens a can of worms.

What do you value more, vibes, or gameplay mechanics.

Is Mario doing those animations and making sound effects enough for you, or do you want mechanics from Super Meat Boy 3D?

I can tell you I have absolutely zero fucking interest in playing a game called "Super Meat Boy 3D." How's that.

 

[RoboFu]

Quiet a negative thread.

Opens a can of worms.

What do you value more, vibes, or gameplay mechanics.

Is Mario doing those animations and making sound effects enough for you, or do you want mechanics from Super Meat Boy 3D?

Are you saying mario doesn't have great gameplay?

 

[nocsi]

I think too many studios hired a lot of incompetent people for other reasons than their skills and it shows.

It's from when we had 2-3% interest rates, so basically free money for companies. What they'd do is turn everything into a people problem and hire as many people a possible. As it turns out the most important metric for middle manager's successfulness is how many people they're bringing on. So of course the core of corporate America went on hiring sprees. Better to hire and ask questions later, than to not have hired at all.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I think too many studios hired a lot of incompetent people for other reasons than their skills and it shows.

DEI and wokeness have rotted the Western media and entertainment industries from within. This isn't just a gaming problem, it's also movies and TV shows

At least we still have Japan and more recently China. They are still making games for gamers not political activists

 

[calico]

America fell off, but it will come back better than anyone believed possible and it will happen very quickly

 

[Walliwallipaloo]

DEI and wokeness have rotted the Western media and entertainment industries from within. This isn't just a gaming problem, it's also movies and TV shows

At least we still have Japan and more recently China. They are still making games for gamers not political activists

I agree with your sentiment, but frikkin' China? Please, man, understand that everything in China is political, tied directly to its totalitarian ruling party.

But believe me, Japan's cultural independence has been noted, and steps are being taken to correct this issue. They are as we speak under assault from the same subversives that have ruined American culture and media expression.

 

[ZiriusOne]

Not just you.

pic related was me during the entire show with a couple exceptions.

 

[Generic]

It's this.

This wasn't any more clear and apparent to me then when I played Expedition 33.

Expedition 33 is deep, mature, layered, and unabashedly itself. It wasn't focus tested, Corpo fucked, or cynical. It was passion and art.

It single handily renewed my belief in the medium. But also why I haven't picked up a game since. Im tired of wasting my time with slop.

(And it is the same problem across all of media.)

But Expedition 33 is a western game.

 

[Hypereides]

I'm on the team that echoes that American AAA developers are the ones who are limping atm. Euro developers are still bringing in their A-game, for the most part, while diversifying their output in all sorts of individualist ways. American indies have proven they still got some creative spark in them too.

AAA overall is in a dire creative slump though and someone has to start shaking up the c-suite upstairs to make them realise that this isn't going to go well. They got some fierce competition sneaking up on them. It doesn't help that they for some reason believed that employing people with activist-like tendencies, while pushing out talent with long time experience and instituional knowledge, was a good call. Its made them weaker creatively.

Honestly, its about time they step up their game and show they're supposed to be "frontrunning leaders" of this industry as well as why they managed to establish themselves in the first place. Smearing yourself with a "high fidelity make up" isn't going to cut it anymore. They're in dire need of people with strong imaginative minds and worldbuilding skills.

Man, everything does suck now. Or, rather, it's just uncool. Everything feels so designed to funnel you towards some indulgence. Or some Instagram photo.

Trying to keep in mind that just getting older is a thing, but fuck, it feels everything is just uncool.

(And it wasn't all that long ago where… like… less than 10 years ago… it didn't all feel this way)

I also think people are either subliminally or flat out aware of this, and are thirsty for something real and authentic. Something that wasn't concerned with the "next big thing." It just is….

I have to agree with the bolded. Much of what comes out of Western-American AAA in particular right now feels so... "manufactured". It simply exists for the sake of it. Not because it was meant to. There's a certain lack of "personal touch" in many of those games.