This generation the two main focuses have very clearly been motion control and improving graphics.
We have reached a point where it is very clear that all three of the next generation consoles will have visually amazing games. I could care less if the next gen game have no visual improvement over uncharted 2 for example. I just want more innovative features to be added so new games don't just seem like more polished versions of old games. Motion Controls are nice and all but having a different control method to do the same exact thing isn't exactly innovation in my opinion.
I also desperately want AI to be the focus next gen. Because while the graphics jump from last gen to this gen has been incredible.Enemy and teammate AI are still as dumb as ever. Long examples of things that I feel should be improved for next generation, at least among "triple A" games, are coming up so incase you don't want to read them, what do you think should be the focus for next gen in terms of improving games.
I think games where you interact with other humans or other type of intellegent creature are the ones that need the most improvement. Because I have not played one game where I have felt the humans in the campaign have any form of intellegence at all.
Games need to stop being linear. Games need to actually change every time you play them. No, an rpg having 6 different paths you can take that lead to a few predetermined endings does not count. If the game is an rpg, I should be able to kill anyone and still have the story progress to some type of ending. I should be able to do nothing at all and wander around pointlessly for days and have the story progress. If I decline to do a mission to save a city from orcs, the mission shouldn't be there waiting for me to finish it hours later. The orcs should have taken over the city and begun planning new attacks on different cities or buiding up a stronghold in the city.
If I'm playing an fps, increasing the difficulty shouldn't just make the enemy ai have auto aim and have their bullets do more damage. They should fight me in a more intelligent matter. Fighting enemy rebels shouldn't be the same exact experience as fighting enemy special force units. If I am sneaking up on special forces and they alert me they should not blindly charge me until I kll them all. They should try to ambush me. They should plant boobytraps. They should act as if they have some form of military training. If I am sneaking up on enemy terrorists and I alert them, then by all means have them blindly rush me. But once they see that their fellow men are getting slaughtered because I'm hiding behind cover around the corner, they should stop rushing me and think about what to do. I understand the game can't be completly realistic or there is no way it would be fun, but I just want to be able to play the campaign of a game without facepalming at enemy and teammate decisions every 10 seconds.
