zeldaring said:
G2ThaUNiT said:
You kinda nailed it on the head at what this generation has been so far. An upgrade.
Nothing about this gen has really screamed "OMG I'VE SEEN WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE!" or given me that sense of wonder from seeing what the next generation of gaming can be. I loved the hell out of Astro's Playroom, it's still the best PS5 game I've played, which I expect to be surpassed by Astro Bot here in less than 2 months and I honestly was pretty blown at how the controller was used in a way I haven't really experienced before, but that's the thing. You can count on your hand the number of games that have actually truly felt like a next-gen experience that wasn't just a better version of a last-gen title.
At the same time though, I can't really fault the industry on that. Seeing examples of how advanced Unreal Engine 5 is graphically, it kind of begs the question, where can gaming go? I feel like that's partly the reason why so many game companies are so focused on mobile games and live service games because there's not many more ways the medium can be pushed towards outside of focusing on something that's cheaper to make but makes a lot of money.
That's also why Nintendo is continuing to succeed. Rather than being the latest and greatest in computing tech, they've been focusing on what gaming should be first and foremost: fun. And providing hardware that compliments that philosophy.
I think we're pretty much done with true generational leaps in gaming technology for the most part. Nothing will ever top going from 2D to 3D, then from counting 3D polygons to such smooth textures we couldn't even see the polygons anymore (like Metal Gear Solid 1 to Metal Gear Solid 2. Just a 3 year difference between those releases too)
Nothing wrong with that though. Incremental improvements have definitely been welcomed, such as the introduction of SSDs this gen, minus the stupid increase in costs across the board, but that's where I think we'll primarily see improvements going forward. Under the hood that will make players go "oh that's nice to have!" rather than mindblowing improvements.
Hopefully this eventually means ballooning budgets can be brought in from the chase of photorealism, and game makers can go back to making fun and creative games. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess by Capcom is a great example of what I mean.
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I don't mind it as long we keep getting quality games. For example astrobot was great and yea it was nextgen experiance cause of the controller use was like nothing i have experianced before but i still had more fun as with elden ring and RE4 remake so its not that big deal. Creativity is great but being a fun game is just a important.
As for nintendo they really got creative for i guess zelda, other then that labo and motion control stuff that i dont care about, but most of their franchises are still the just upgraded versions just like everyone else is in the industry. To be frank VR was suppose to be the OMG I'VE SEEN WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE but no one cared.
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That's fair, but it also goes along with my point as to how the generation has gone nearly 4 years in, Elden Ring and RE4 remake were also released on last gen systems. So getting the games on PS5 is simply a better version of a last gen title. At this point, who knows when last gen systems will finally be dropped. But I get you on a game being fun is just as important, if honestly not even more important, than a game being creative.
We've certainly had plenty of amazing games for sure, but the excitement at the thought of a "next-gen" system has been soured compared to previous gens.
Yeah, playing Half-Life: Alyx has really been the biggest OMG moment I've had in recent years, aside from Astro, but seeing how much of the industry has turned into primarily safe bets because of how much game development costs are these days, all in the continuous chase of bigger, grander, and more photorealistic, means VR doesn't get the necessary investment it needs to truly take off. Even a major platform holder like Sony doesn't really have many resources invested to properly support their VR headset. Not to mention the additional costs needed to play VR in the first place that's also holding it back. Less and less people have the disposable income for such an investment. That's why standalone products such as Meta Quest are always the best selling VR headsets.
I get what you mean for some of Nintendo's franchises, but I wouldn't want to discredit the emphasis on creativity and fun Nintendo still pushes. Mario, despite the many jokes of how many games Nintendo with him, put out 2 incredibly creative and fun Mario games on the Switch. Odyssey, despite being a traditional 3D platformer, added an entirely new gameplay mechanic with Mario's hat that made the familiar Mario gameplay feel fresh again. Then just last year with Mario Wonder where he quite literally is on an acid trip and the environments come to life. Nintendo took an old 2D side scrolling formula, and made it feel new again. Splatoon, a third person shooter with a very creative and fun twist to the genre that has now become a major franchise. Arms, a fighting game that added a creative twist to the genre where the players have to account for distance and abilities each fighter has. Or even Kirby and the Forgotten Land, a franchise that had never seen a proper 3D release before is able to see a straight up fun game and adds new abilities to the character we hadn't seen before.
A lot of times when it comes to developers talking about games they worked on decades ago, you'll often hear them talking about the technical limitations of the respective system for a specific game, then they'll explain how they had to come up with creative ways to get a game to work. We're now at a point where developers have all the power in the world to make whatever they want. In many ways it feels like limitations breeds creativity and innovation rather than the other way around. That may be a big reason as to why the Switch or even the Wii, despite so severely unpowered compared to the competition, were able to release such creative games with an emphasis on fun. Because they have to be.
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