Not that I don't like games today, I really do, but there has become a serious issue of graphics over gaming and story. Ever since western devs took the crown for best games this gen this seems to be the main objective of any and all companies. Japanese devs have really dropped the ball this gen and thats why we aren't seeing as many successful Japanese games as the past. Last gen and the gen before it were more about the trill of falling into worlds and eastern devs know just how to do it right without making a game the most graphically superior title. My favorite game of all time is Mass Effect and for others it might be different, but when we think of how many epic games we had last gen I can see why so many HD remakes are coming out of nowhere. They are bringing us back to the days when gaming was all that mattered. I find myself disgusted looking at screenshots and lens of truth videos between the PS3 and 360 trying to figure out which game I want to buy, rather than just buying the game. I knew which system to put my exclusives on and which system to put my multiplats on last gen without issues of war.  The XBOX had the graphics so the multiplats went on it and I could enjoy my handfull Bioware exclusives and the PS3 had all of the hot Japanese and western exclusives, which I must say during school I tore through nearly a hundred games on the PS2. Despite there being a lot of great western games, graphics are an extremely large objective for them to the point where story and gameplay hours drop below 12 hours unless you're playing an RPG. There were still arguements between the XBOX and Sony camps, but it was more about more concrete things like games rather than which game looks better. Everyone knew who had the games and everyone knew which console could make games look better. Just a thought.

your right. i missed out on allot of great games in the 7th gen, but the ones i did play were more about the environment v the graphics.

gameplay and story over graphics everytime. S.T.A.G.E.? i miss having more game! will we ever get it back?

also this is one of the best threads this month.

I have purchased a large amount of games this gen, tho in comparison its nothing like last gen.

While there is not the absolutely quantity of JRPGs this gen as last, I would not say the quality is any lower. On average, I think my enjoyment is the same for home consoles so far. Im finding a smaller range of quality this gen (the highs are lower and the lows are higher)

Of the three major components to games (my 3 major components) gameplay, graphics and story, story is taking a backseat this gen.  This is not a trend I am all to happy with (of course there are exceptions).

I really don't believe we'll see a golden age of gaming coming unless the Japanese come into the picture equal to the western devs. Both need to be at the top of their game so we can see ourselves and our collections grow and see value in those games tomorrow as we did in yesteryear. Western games are fun but have a trade off of massive technicality where its nearly robotoic and emotionless. The Japanese are lagging in making the large amount of great games they made last gen, but if they can equate themselves next gen to the glory they had then we will have graphics, story, gameplay and most of all variety and fun. Thanks to western devs like media molecule and other small devs we're seeing something different, but those games are highly underrated. Cultural takes from all around the world are welcome and the games are the filter through which such things happen. You can see it in the way the games are made. Thanks for the compliment. It's just something thats been weighing on my mind heavily.

I agree. glad to see I am not alone in this. Everyone has their perspectives but one thing is for sure that there is a problem. I am glad Im still gaming and find games to enjoy but theres just an eerie void. 

The industry is focusing in big budget releases with a fat marketing campaign. In this environment, they try to cut the risks as far as possible and thus we aren't getting much originality. I see most of the big releases of this year and I only really want Batman and Zelda, which I am sure will excel in gameplay.

Nintendo is somewhat an exception as they are trying some different things with the Wii series, Mario Galaxy, and the upcoming Zelda. However, it is clear that 2D Mario trumps Galaxy and people inside Nintendo should be arguing why try something new when the old is clearly more profitable.

Starting to miss? I've missed last gen ever since this one began!

I don't miss it in terms of games, but I miss it in terms of community. The rotten apples are all over the place, just spewing crap on video games forums without even bothering to learn anything about the opposition and such, or like in those threads where the developers are apparently dicks just because they comment on how hard it is to develop for a console.

The fanboys are just killing this for me immensely.

And yet, when I look at my library of close to 100 Gamecube and PS2 games (each), I have a hard time finding games that had gameplay on the level of NSMB Wii or LBP2, or any number of XBLA titles. Nothing as intense as Gears of War, or Punch Out. No amazingly fun co-op games as Resident Evil 5 or The Simpsons Game. And definitely nothing that sucked up hours and hours of my time without ever getting old like the Call of Duty (online) series or Peggle.

There's an obvious push for the cinematic this gen but it's what last gen games were trying to be (my favorite game from last gen was MGS3). It just depends on where you look. I think games have gotten better, not worse. All it took was a few sessions of Resident Evil (Gamecube), Resident Evil 4, or Metroid Prime to convince me of this.

Long Live Play.

Yea I do miss last gen in terms of games and community.The PS2 was the main console of choice for everyone at my school.I owned all three consoles I got GameCube and PS2 at the same time.Then I brought an Xbox which I then sold because Halo had no appeal to me.There were still some good games on it like Jade Empire.
PS2 and Gamecube kept me busy forever with Smash Bros and Naruto Ultimate ninja, Dragonball Z Budokai 3(best DBZ game created).I certainly do miss last gen.