forevercloud3000 said:
I was so excited for this generation to start back in 2006. The next gen consoles sounded so tantalizing. I looked over the specs of each and envisioned the million possibilites of cool and unique games they could make with them.
Was I in for a rude awakening once this generation went into full swing.
DLC
The bane of my existance. DLC at the begining sounded like a fantastic idea. Long had I dreamed of the day when games would be expanded upon without having to wait several years for the eventual sequel. What ended up happening was we are not getting more game......we are getting LESS! How is it that I can pick almost any game from last generation/one before it, and with ease find a game that will last me more than 50hrs without doing everything. God forbid it was a JRPG, a garanteed 80hrs+. What we got this gen? A 10hr game(if you are lucky) and meaningless DLC like outfits and customizations....you know, that stuff that would have been cool unlockables last gen. Map Packs? You mean the same maps that are in the story already I have to buy slightly modded versions of it? Worst offenders have to be Capcom. How dare they purposely release a game with only half the characters, over price them, then rerelease a budgeted(but not really) version of the game a few months later with all the extras. Or Resident Evil 5. How pissed was the gaming community when they found out that the $6 DLC for online play was actually a 5mb download "key" just to unlock it on the disc. Publishers have completely missed the mark on why we originally wanted DLC in our games. We wanted to be able to get more out of existing worlds, not have you gimp the original product to sell us the parts that should have been there in the first place. At least GTAIV got it right, with the game being packed to the brim with all the usual goodies, but then released epic DLC's that could ad another good 20hrs.
Which brings me to my next topic.....
Pricing
So last gen in the US games were capped at a steady $50 brand new, and some made cheaper from there. Those game could last you at a minimum I say 30hrs but usually much much more. Now? Will be lucky to get 10 out of a game.....and would have paid $60 for it. What? So basically we are getting even less for our money. Then once you add in the DLC(that stuff that would have normally been in the game anyway) and charge a dollar per costume,5 per 2 maps or something. Ludicrous !
Multiplatform
This is more bad for the developers than it is for the Consumers, yet it does have some ill ramifications for us as well. The "Cry Wolf" tactic at the begining of this gen set off a chain reaction of sorts. You see, last gen every game was predom exclusive to one system or another. You chose your system accordingly due to which exclusives each has. What was told to developers this gen was that they would not be able to make returns unless they were on as many consoles as possible to offset costs. What happened? Most games of previous gens sold less this generation than in previous ones, one of the systems would be getting shoddy "ports", and console developers had less to defrenciat themselves from each other and make them stand out. Basically the main premise of competition was almost completely eliminated. Thank God for 1st Party Developers, otherwise we would have no end to.....
Sequel-itis
Game Developers, now being forced to release content on as many venues as possible, had less and less time to be creative. The only thing Publishers care about is making a return and only want sure bets. Sequels are the answer to that. Now Sequels are not inherently bad...but the constant release of slightly tweaked versions of last year's games or just delving into the same story over and over is not fun. I have seen more direct sequels/Remakes/ReReleases this gen than I care to count. Where is the innovation? I miss the god ol days of walking in a gaming store and looking at the box of a game I had litterally never heard of and the feeling of discovering a new Gem takes over. Now everytime I pick up a box, it looks more and more like the last box.
1st Person Stir Crazy
I always hated this view point, I much prefer my games in 3rd person. So it should come as no shock at how disgusted I was with almost every game this gen being a 1st Person Shooter(least favorite Genre). I get it, it got popular over night due to great console shooters like Halo, but this generation became beyond oversaturated with them.
Patches
Now it seems to be ok to release a known buggy game to consumers because you can always release a day one patch! This is another great idea of this gen totally warped by corporate greed. This should have been a great thing. But what we ended up with is Skyrim on PS3, a buggy mess for most. Or any of the games from this gen with gamebreaking bugs, something that rarely existed on console last gen.
Focus on Online
I liked the idea of playing games online but never totally captivated by it. The way I saw it, I need to be able to fully enjoy a game by myself even if I don't have a freind to play with. That was the only way a game got my money. Now games this gen are almost entirely focused on twitch online gaming. Anything that impeded a gamer from getting straight to the online was seen as bad. I feel the same way about Online as I do about DLC. It shouldn't be the meat and potatos, but the dessert that enriches the experience as a whole. Maybe that is just me though.
Studios Dropping Like Flies
SO many great studios did not survive this gen. I can't remember it being like that in the last few previous. Knowing that I can never get a sequel to some of my favorite games now really bothers me.
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