SNES, Megadrive, PS1, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, 360, PS3, Wii, all impressed me.

This is the first generation where none of the consoles do.

It's called getting old. Trust me, I speak from experience!

I'm still in my mid 20s. And it'd be awfully convenient if my "getting old" just happened to coincide precisely with the launch of a generation of consoles with no big changes in terms of hardware or game design philosophy. :P

Sounds about right. I had a patch in my mid-20s where games felt very samey and I just couldn't get excited by them in the same way used to. Now I just accept them for what they are and am able to get excited by them because I just don't have much time to play anymore. Every minute of gameplay is a gift now!

Also, game design philosphy has shifted in a very notable way to larger environments and more open games. Two of the biggest games from last year (MGS V and Witcher 3) were both titles that took relatively linear franchises and successfully moved them into open-world settings whilst most new franchises are advertising the scale of their environments and the freedom afforded to the player.

The upcoming games of this year look to push this even further with the likes of No Man's Sky and even the strictly linear gameplay of Uncharted getting much greater freedom.

This generation has had a slower start than previous ones, but according to Jim Sterling's sources it's because publishers thought consoles were done, so they weren't greenlighting new, traditional gaming experiences.

I've had plenty of fun this generation. I don't buy much DLC (unless I'm really interested in it) and the handful of episodic games I've played have been fun and worth the price of admission.

I will admit, I have been gaming mostly on Wii U, 3DS and Vita, so maybe I haven't played a lot of the problem games, But looking at the releases we are getting this year, things are finally going to pick up in the $60 packaged game market.

The business practices are indeed getting worse.

But the content, especially when it comes to writing, gets better and better. When it comes to gameplay, things are just getting more and more refined, but not much is trying to reinvent the wheel. I recently finished Life is Strange and although the gameplay uses pretty standard "point and click" tropes, it's actually pretty darn well written and I got quite a few strong emotional impacts from it (that chapter 4... ;_; ) . Something that I tend to look for more as I get older.

So I don't agree that this gen is horrible, when it comes to content. But when it comes to business practices, there are indeed a lot of fishy stuff setting in, and that's unfortunate, to say the least. EA being one of the worst offenders. And I haven't bought a game from them for quite a long time now.

Geeez well i feel sorry for the people not having a good time or that are jaded this gen. Im have a good time and enjoying it quite a bit. In a man almost 30 i will say gaming isnt as good as it was when i was a kid but im getting older and getting more jaded myself. However like some said in a past post... if you focus on the negative you wont have a good time, try focusing on the positive and the good this gen has done. So if you dont like something then simply dont buy it. I dont mind discussions but gamers can be very whinny, petty and self entitled these days.

The only practise i dislike this gen and usually dont buy into are seasons pass because i dont like buying something that i dont know what the content will be. The second is amiibos because i think they are a rip off and really dislike nintendos practise creating false demand for them.

As for broken games....its a real shame but has been apart of this infustry for as long as i can remember.

Umm Last of Us.....only most the remasters out.....totally deserved the REMASTER. It came out 3 months before the new consoles.......and with most switching to PS this gen, a lot didn't play it.
Plus you're not going to release the GOTY edition on a console in the past now. It made total sense

Stop purchasing things new and wait until they hit $20.

Also DLC isn't inherently evil. Every Soulsborne DLC has been worth the money and then some. In addition, Hearts of Stone for Witcher 3 was amazing. DLC can be done properly.