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[SILKYSMOOTH30FPS]

Always thought it's just people getting old, begin losing interest in gaming, and blame it on the quality of games instead of themselves. Excluding COVID days, there's plenty of the good shit on yearly basis.

 

[DreamcastSkies]

I can't keep up with the amount of games that release and I think the higher end consoles should be focused on for 7-9 years before a new gen starts.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Well, I guess it highly depends on what kind of games you are playing. The current industry is anything but what it was a decade or two ago.

Are good games still released? Of course. Are those the same kind of games released 10-20 years ago? Not in the least. I don't understand how anyone who grew up in the video store days could claim something like this.

Renting games used to be the norm because they were short and varied. Today this would not be viable any more because most games are 40 hour slogs. I grew up with shorter games like RE, MGS, Soul Reaver... hell, even most RPGs were anything like they are today. Mass Effect 1-3 can easily be 100% in 20-30 hours. Imagine that... Some of todays games have tutorial sections that take what feels like 10 hours...

It's just not comparable to what it used to be. Does that make gaming bad? No, of course not. But the industry is very different than it used to be.

 

[Sintoid]

A Lot of free time to fill with nonesense activity like complaining and act like true experts
A lot of money to spend without being able to fight FOMO
A lot of assholes

 

[Team Andromeda]

It's the way of the modern social media world; everything was better in the old days.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

Depends

The best games are better than ever, however there's been an increasing amount of GAAS trash this generation.

Now publishers have realised that ship has sailed as there is no next Fortnite we'll see a big course correction.

 

[Cakeboxer]

To me AA and Indies are better than ever, but most AAAs are actually BBB (bland, boring, bloated).

 

[freemandos]

Or maybe it's about the state of triple A. You know, the supossedly singer of the industry with journalists selling their voices. Yeah, it's great how the industry repeats the same mistakes over and over and making them even worse. And the higher prices...yeah, not a big deal, sure.

The nostalgia non-argument is very cheap, I can say about the "blind hype for the new" if we using extremes for dismissing opposite opinions. And btw it's ironic with this sea of remakes, remasters and reboots because, yeah, nostalgia. Threads like this wouldn't exist with movies, because having standards wouldn't be that insulted there. We should be glad videogames has evolved so much and they're an equally respected and mature industry and art now, huh.

If we're talking about indies and low budget titles, it's (fortunately) a very different story of course. Thank goodness. But triple A are usually the excuse for buying a new console or computer, so one thing doesn't change the other. So I think complaints about this are pretty understandable, specially if x person have solid arguments, and treat them like grumpy freaks is not. Or even new btw.

 

[Bernardougf]

You can claim nostalgia as easily as I can claim low standards... both are brain dead non arguments.... theres no denying that we have a lot of games to play and there should be also no denying that western gaming quality fell of a cliff for multiple studios/publishers, several big Japan studios took this same dive in the past and was very much acknowledged the same way is being recognized their recovery since last gen.

Xbox is a graveyard of studios and only still exists because of recently acquired devs/pubs that have being pumping out netflix slop

Sony fucked up their pipeline because of gaas, became a remaster machine and their last three big sequels were subpar to their previous entries.

EA - is happy to only release the same sports games now for 10 years , bioware is gone to the purple abyss and theres nothing innovative from other studios.

Ubisoft - do I need to say anything ?

WB - welp ... its on the chopping block apparently.

And so on... there are so many examples of how things changed for the worse that I cant fandom how anyone old enough can come here and say "nothing changed is all fine" ... I can easily accept "well things really changed and Im ok with what we still got" .. but nothing changed and has never being better ? ... lol no thats coping and delusion.

 

[digimaster7]

AND COMPLETE??!!!

what used to be a 60$ complete game is now a 100$ ultimate gold edition with ingame microtransaction like in AC Shadows

also games back then are more polished because there's nothing you can do after release, while nowadays developer think they can release broken crap like Cyberpunk and they can fix it over the course of 5 years update

 

[BbMajor7th]

Ubisoft just released new free content for AC Shadows and they are still adding new things for Star Wars Outlaws but Neogaf will pretend this isn't happening.

Nobody's pretending it's not happening, they just don't care. And why should they? No one's sitting around thinking "hey, where'd all the stealth-action, RPG-lite open-world games get to?" Or wondering why Ubi and Disney didn't do more with Star Wars and Assassin's Creed (most of us are wondering when they're gonna stop).

Over-exposed IPs paired with an over-played genre is already a hard sell. Kick them out the door full of bugs or steeped in self-inflicted drama and what are we supposed to do? Buy them out the goodness of our hearts? They've nailed a few extra bits onto these already bloated messes? So? Who gives a fuck?

Gamers will still support great games, every one of us: go check out Expedition 33 or Baldur's Gate 3 or KCD2 or Balatro or Astro Bot or Helldivers 2 or Returnal or Metaphor Refantzio or Elden Ring or Animal Well or Hi-Fi Rush or Blue Prince or Thank Goodness You're Here or Stellar Blade or Lies of P... the list goes on and on. Take a minute to consider the things these games have in common and why Ubi's recent offerings don't fit in.

 

[The Mad Draklor]

*"Please consoom" intensifies*

 

[SportsFan581]

I would think too much safeness combined with too much sameness. Maybe component prices would be another reason to complain.

 

[L*][*N*K]

I guarantee you there were people crying about the state of the industry in 1998 too, it is just the way people are.

 

[Zacfoldor]

There are more good games today than ever plus we still have all the old ones. The rate that good games come out today is much faster than in the past because of she sheer number of development studios. Some studios try to appeal to everyone instead of their niche and these are the few "bad" games they talk about but really most games don't do that. Most advertised games are easily 70+ metacritic now. Notice how the complainers never want to get into the weeds on exactly what their issue is but rather give you a list of generalizations. The non-complainers here, the "correct" side just wants to give lists of games. The incorrect side does not want to do game lists as it directly contradicts their pretty empty and generalized argument.

I think people just like to complain. It's fun and fulfilling.

Most of these complains are generalizations like "things aren't like they used to be." Older gamers have enough. New things challenge and frighten them. To be able to skip new games and just enjoy what you know and love you have to say that all new games suck. It's a marginalization technique. A way of lying to ourselves so we can skip out on new games without trigger our fomo.

This isn't new for gamers. Basically when we reach our mid 30s we develop an existential fear. The fear of death. Complaining to others makes us appear knowledgeable and in control. Here's a thought experiment. Everyone complaining, they are older than 30. Correct? You KNOW I am, hehe. Here let me show you how this manifested in every previous generation of humans. If you just add the word "the" before "Cloud" you have the modern full grown gamer:

 

[ungalo]

There are more good games today than ever plus we still have all the old ones.

I think people just like to complain. It's fun and fulfilling.

Most of these complains are generalizations like "things aren't like they used to be."

This isn't new for gamers. Basically when we reach our mid 30s we develop an existential fear. The fear of death. Complaining to others makes up appear knowledgeable and in control. Here's a thought experiment. Everyone complaining, they are older than 30. Correct? You KNOW I am, hehe. Here let me show you how this manifested in every previous generation of humans. This is how:

or perhaps people gave valid reasons and you don't give a shit, or you're too lazy to actually engage in the conversation

 

[Walter Matthau]

Of course it is in shit place, these days you wouldn't get a Simpson's Hit and Run, you can't even get a decent football/soccer game, there is next to no competition in the genre, you can't get decent arcade racers like Blur/Split Second/Motorstorm/Project Gotham 4 anymore, even the tennis genre has hardly anything going for it....big franchises are all but dead: Alone in the Dark, Halo, Mass Effect, Guardians of the Galaxy, Republic Commando, Deus Ex...

I'm much more positive about the current state of games, but coincidentally I was thinking when I entered this thread that nothing out there has seemed to have scratched that Hit and Run itch.

I guess there's stuff like Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip, but it's not quite the same as playing a Simpsons episode in a style reminiscent of GTA.

 

[RAIDEN1]

I'm much more positive about the current state of games, but coincidentally I was thinking when I entered this thread that nothing out there has seemed to have scratched that Hit and Run itch.

I guess there's stuff like Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip, but it's not quite the same as playing a Simpsons episode in a style reminiscent of GTA.

Exactly, it's not the same...I was playing a bit of Project Gotham Racing 4 and James Bond Bloodstone a short while ago, where are the games like that now? Or even a Bourne Identity game? (take out the quick time events though) Project Gotham especially with the uniqueness that it provides in that bikes and cars are in one and the same race...even Forza never tried that

 

[tr1p1ex]

What was the gaming scene is dying.

AT one point we had DS and Wii. And we had PSP. And PS. And Xbox. And pc.

And ...exclusives on all. It was a more interesting/exciting time.

Of that, we're down to 2 platforms now and pcgaming. And a more blurred line between PS and PC.

 

[Labadal]

I have enough games to keep me happy and enjoy the hobby, but most Western AAA studios no longer produce games that are of interest to me. Can't even complain, I don't even enter threads for them anymore.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I'm much more positive about the current state of games, but coincidentally I was thinking when I entered this thread that nothing out there has seemed to have scratched that Hit and Run itch.

I guess there's stuff like Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip, but it's not quite the same as playing a Simpsons episode in a style reminiscent of GTA.

i saw this game recently which reminded me a bit of Simpsons hit and run

 

[SeanyQuest]

The multiplayer space feels like a total snooze fest. The same 10 franchises ruling the same top 10 spots for almost 10 years.

….

"ID tagged soldiers carry ID tagged weapons, use ID tagged gear..."

 

[sachos]

Ragebait is more profitable than enjoying anything.

Said ragebait then enrages people to the point they no longer enjoy anything.
So then they blame the entire industry for being fucking shot.......and their ragebait is contagious so it breeds another who spreads it further.
Algorithms learn you like to watch ragebait so keeps sending you more.......soon your whole view of videogames is skewed and now you hate videogames in general yet keep talking about them so you can find other people who hate videogames as much as you do.

I came here to post basically the same. Im also nostalgic for other eras like PS2 style platformers or arcade racers that seemingly dont get made anymore by AAA devs but i think the majority of the negativity is as you said algorithm based.

 

[Ev1L AuRoN]

Speaking for myself:

• Two price hikes in one generation.
• Developers bowing to forced ideological trends.
• Subscription fatigue.
• Xbox fading as a platform.
• PC gaming plagued by overpriced GPUs and technical issues.
• The decline of physical media and ownership.
• Sony driven purely by greed.
• Nintendo equally greedy.
• Microsoft consolidating with ABK and Bethesda acquisitions.
• Call of Duty has been bad for a while, and Battlefield even worse—though hoping the next one improves.

 

[dreamcastluvr]

I believe that it's mental health issues involved where people feel that everything should be about them & them alone .

100 great games can be revealed that seems perfectly fine & they will mostly go ignored by the loud Internet crowd but if there is 1 or 2 games that they deem unacceptable they will completely forget about all the other games & spend months crying about a game they don't even plan to buy or play .


Besides the higher prices gaming is better than it has ever been . But even with the higher prices you can still game for cheap & sometimes free on devices you already own why are we so angry & unhappy?

No, it's not mental health. It's just typical human behavior stemming from the psychology of nostalgia. And you can find this sentiment wherever you look; music, TV, movies, car enthusiasts, sports fans, etc.

I remember being a kid in the 90's and the old folk back then used to tell us our music was trash and they had it so much better in their days with the Stones and The Beetles, etc.

Try it yourself. Find a few boomers in their 60's or 70's and ask them if movies and music were better in the 60's and 70's, or if modern stuff is better. Guaranteed the majority will tell you how glorious the classic stuff is. And if you dare ask them their opinion on today's actors and music artists, you're gonna get an earful.

Or even ask a lifelong NBA fan; who's the GOAT? Magic? Jordan? Bryant? LeBron? It doesn't matter what their objective stats are. You're gonna get different responses generally divided among the generations.

The same phenomenon can apply to brand loyalty, which also has been going on forever. People create emotional connections from which spring their biases, and especially the outliers can form some pretty extreme opinions spanning from console platforms to politics.

But there is fun to be had in this, with some great entertainment value flourishing from those ranting and raving (one of the great benefits of GAF).

Here's a classic from 16 years ago, brought to you by professional troll and shitposter ElPresador. Enjoy!

 

[Kataploom]

 

[Black_Stride]

I agree with this, the majority of these games' issues stem from the quality of the games themselves (content/writing). But I still can't help but feel like the people making these games nowadays are just lame compared to the OG 90s creatives.

Like for Mortal Kombat in the 90s/00s, I just imagine back then, it was just a bunch of nerds and tatted up dudes making characters they thought looked badass or sexy, no fucks given. Now it's like "hmmm is this appropriate. Is this too revealing. Is this cultural appropriation. Is this too much of a stereotype. Can we make this character not white. Does this test well with focus groups."

Like why even do this to Raiden. ^^^

MK1 character designs are great except Nitara, deaging them isnt an issue and alot of the female chgaracters are legit hot they arent fighting in bikinis which is just weird, but they are still attractive designs.....except Nitara.
I dont see the problem with de-aging the characters.

 

[Wildebeest]

Always thought it's just people getting old, begin losing interest in gaming, and blame it on the quality of games instead of themselves. Excluding COVID days, there's plenty of the good shit on yearly basis.

Only old farts are interested in most of these games from the start. It is young people who have lost interest in gaming outside of staples like Fortnite.

 

[bobone]

In 2007 everyone was complaining about the price of the PS3, grey/brown dudebro games on the X360 and the Wii graphics.

No way. All of those "dudebro" games were new and exciting back then. It wasn't trendy to hate on them yet.
Everyone I knew was blown away by the stuff that was coming out.

 

[Xbox 360 slim]

What was the gaming scene is dying.

AT one point we had DS and Wii. And we had PSP. And PS. And Xbox. And pc.

And ...exclusives on all. It was a more interesting/exciting time.

Of that, we're down to 2 platforms now and pcgaming. And a more blurred line between PS and PC.

Man, PS3 and 360's online multiplayer scenes, with the PSP, rumors of Xbox 720 and PS4....PS2's still being used because the massive game library. Good times.

 

[Dust-by-Monday]

1. Takes way too long to make a game these days
2. Devs play it too safe
3. Games these days are mostly remakes
4. Publishers only follow the latest online fad
5. In my personal opinion, the games just aren't the type I'm interested in.
6. Huge open world games that take hundreds of hours to complete and have way too many things to do on the map are just too overwhelming for me.

 

[Xbox 360 slim]

We don't have shit like destroy all humans anymore. That's why gaming sucks.

 

[Griffon]

It never changed.

Shit games are fun to talk about (for a time).
Good games are fun to play and talk about.

Every era has its set of infamous awful games that everybody knew about. Tho, with time, the real good ones are the ones who get remembered the most.

 

[awwr999999]

Because they're old and antagonistic nostalgia afflicts every generation.

It's because we only get so much time for gaming.
On average Americans spend a total of 3 years of their lives playing video games.
There are already more video games in existence (est. 5 million) than anyone could play through in an entire lifetime.
Intelligent people interested in video games will do some research and only focus on playing the very best games as opposed to focusing on what's brand new.
According to IGN the very best game consoles of all time are NES, Atari 2600 and PlayStation 2.
Skipping Atari (severely limited availability) leaves the NES, PS2 (which includes the PS1's game library) and the SNES.
Anyone focusing on just those platforms (SNES, NES, PS2, PS1) has a massive number of great games to play.
Old offline game consoles with tons of great games are going to be the thorn in modern gaming's side for the next hundred years, minimum.