So with Destiny's very mixed reception being the latest in a line of big games turning out disappointing this year I realized most of said games have something in common. Destiny, Watch Dogs, and Titanfall were all developed to be both last gen and next gen games. Is it a coincidence that all three also happened to be some of the most disappointing games compared to their hype and what was promised? Maybe, but I think it reveals what could be the real problem here: Developers are too worried about abandoning the massive install bases of 360/PS3, because of a fear that these huge budget games may not sell well enough if only released on the much smaller install bases of PS4/X1.

The problem there though is that I think this is stopping these developers from truly focusing on a "next gen" experience for these games, and this is the main reason I believe they're all under-delivering. I mean look at how Rock Steady has said some of the new mechanics they're doing for Arkham Knight wouldn't have even been possible last gen (or even on the Wii U). Who knows what ideas studios like Bungie and Ubisoft may have decided against for games like Destiny and Watch Dogs because they wouldn't have worked in last gen constraints. Aside from the graphical differences, these games haven't been much different than their last gen counterparts, essentially meaning they all could have just been last gen titles.

Now I know it could be risky developing a huge budget game for a much smaller install base, but at the same time that's what's gonna have to happen for the base to grow. The funny thing is that the 360/PS3 versions of these games haven't even been selling all that well, which indicats that even the public is ready to move on from last gen. I think Destiny's mediocre reception is the final sign that developers need to officially pull the plug to last gen life support, and finally start focusing on the true "next gen" experience.

The disappointment around Destiny release has absolutely, positively, nothing to do with being a cross gen release, but it has everything to do shallow marketing tactics that sell games on everything but being a great game and inability of buyers to stop falling for them. You guys let expectations sore past what these developers are actually delivering. Its a good tactic for front loaded sells. but comes with consequences.

Oh believe me I understand that the marketing and people buying into it had a lot to do with the disappointment. But the thing is, games that were marketed like this used to deliver far more than they have been this year. So why is it that developers aren't living up to their promises these days? I think the real reason they're not delivering is cause they are still allowing themselves to be hindered by last gen constraints. If it's not that, then I guess it's cause they're just money hungry and they really don't care about delivering great quality anymore so long as they can hype it to high heaven. I sure hope that's not the case though. I remember when most big games delievered on their hype, and it wasn't even that long ago.

The flaws in Destiny that i've seen seem to mostly be an issue of balance and of a confused direction, which could happen at any hardware level.

Cross gen is not the issue here.

Misdirection of both the development and the marketing is why the end product is nothing like what it should have been.

If cross gen is not the issue, then why is it that these games are virtually identical aside from the aesthetic face lifts on the next gen versions? I mean they essentially could have just been 360/PS3 games (systems released almost a decade ago). Where is the "next gen" aspect coming in?

Not to mention you can't tell me some of these inflated budgets aren't partly due to developing across so many platforms.

Cross gen is not the problem the problem is the great marketing from Activision.. Plenty of cross gen's had better metacritic scores..

I highly doubt its cause of crossgen since there have been many shooters that were really fun in the 7th gen

So if last gen isn't presenting any constraints to what they can do with these games, why do these next gen systems even exist then? We should just be playing on 360/PS3 still if that's the case. You didn't see this kind of cross gen support in the big games that got last gen up and running. That's because developers were actually focusing on what they could do with the new gen of hardware back then. They need to focus on that now. I bet a million bucks Arkham Knight will deliver on the hype because Rock Steady IS focusing on what's possible now that wasn't last gen.

"next gen" is a buzz word. Its used to stir excitement even if the product isnt all that exciting or new. Developers know that which is why they keep pushing storylines, or graphics to keep attention awar from that.