Like fine wine, or a budding rose

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This is always one of those topics that kind of comes up a lot in game discussions but it's never addressed directly, instead being put into the context of the discussion at hand. So let's drop all pretenses, keep it a hundred, and discuss how we feel about games honestly. So what genres of games do you feel have gotten better with each new generation of gaming and which ones do you feel have gotten worse?

Basically this is an Old School vs. New School type of thread. Do you feel that modern FPS are the epitome of the genre or do you secretly wish they still played like they did back in the day? Do you feel that fighting games were great back when it was Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat battling for your quarters, or are you more than happy to be chaining together flashy super moves and the sheer diversity of character play-styles of modern Soul Calibur and BlazBlue?

While it's a bit narrow minded to say that gamin as a whole is getting better or worse, we can at least make a fun conversation about whether you feel certain genres or gaming conventions have improved or gotten worse over time.

Had this thread open in my tablet when the battery died, and hadn't bothered to charge it for a couple weeks. Now that I actually look at the question I'm surprised it didn't take off a little

I think open world games have only benefitted from the generations. Other genres are a little more spotty. JRPGs hit a trench a long while ago but I think they are starting to recover lately and it may be best to see on that one since they are finally addressing issues I've had, but in weird Japanese ways and it'll be interesting to see if it pans out. I want diversity, but I also want good games

I haven't played Witcher 3 yet, but I think most western RPGs are losing focus, and worrying too much about graphics and being user friendly. I love Fallout NV and Mass Effect, but they are kinda nothing compared to Baldurls Gate 2 and Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2. We'll see if the nee Torment game compares to the old Torment game. Pillars was good but could have been a lot better. But they did lay a good foundation for a potentially amazing sequel. And Divinity: Original Sin was pretty stellar

As much trout as I'd give the game industry I think they and us are in a great position. Graphics are starting to top out and not matter as much. And low budget low fidelity games are becoming very popular. The future has so many possibilities, and I can't help but be anxious to see what happens. Which I haven't felt since like PS2 days. But to judge it right now, I'd honestly much rather KotOR 3 and Balder's Gate 3 lol

Games now are great. Bethesda games are still all worse than Morrowind though.

I can't really comment on games now. I didn't play a single new game last year and when I get the chance of playing a new game, it's usually just one for that whole year, so I can't really compare new to the old when I don't have much to compare.

As some of you are starting to know, I'm retro so yeah my current opinion is that the old ones are the best. However, in about 20 years time perhaps I will appreciate the stuff that's around now, not that anything can truly replace my child and teen years though.

I've mostly been digging into old stuff recently, but it's not like I don't like new games. I've actually been thinking about this lately and I've noticed that since the dawn of the Internet and people becoming armchair experts at everything, including games, despite having really no experience with the gaming industry, I see more and more attitudes towards certain elements that make genres unique and disting from each as them being outdated or needing fixing. Generally, it kind of looks like many people's idea of gaming evolution is making all games, in one way or another, being the same. So what if the newest Dragon Quest still uses the unchanged turn-based combat system from DQ I? Like, let's let the Witcher do its own thing, let all the Call of Duties release twice a year - various people love these games for what they are. And yes, they should evolve, but there is no one universal gaming evolution path. Many people will call Dragon Quest (sorry I'm using this as an example, but it's fresh in my mind and it really just goes opposite every notion the public at large now has about what gaming should look like) outdated, but it's beloved by its fans precisely because it has a base that is familiar to them, and the mechanics have slowly changed of the years as well, so while the differences between installments were never as drastic as in FF, there is a progression here.

I love progress.

I have no problems with outdated sound and graphics, but i can't stand clunky controls or extremely dated gameplay mechanics.

When it comes to games from the 80s, I can only really get into games that have somewhat decent gameplay even by today's standards, such as for example the NES Mario platformers. I really can't get into the gameplay found in the first FFs, and definitely not dragon quest.

I'll tell you one thing, I don't like the abandonment of manuals as thick as novels that contained details on every single aspect of the game's minutiae and, half the time, an actual goddamn novel explaining the story and setting and all.

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Originally Posted by Mister Adequate

I'll tell you one thing, I don't like the abandonment of manuals as thick as novels that contained details on every single aspect of the game's minutiae and, half the time, an actual goddamn novel explaining the story and setting and all.

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As much as I love the environment, I do also miss game manuals! I always read them without fail before starting a game. Mr. Carny doesn't tend to bother, which is why he struggles in the first half hour of a game figuring out what to do.

In terms of the broader gaming environment, I do think there is a progression towards faster paced gaming, primarily in the guise of FPS. I don't really have a care for them, but seeing Call of Battlefield 7 hit the shelves once more does make me lose heart somewhat. I know these games are popular, and people are getting enjoyment out of them, but I'm not getting the hype, basically. Gosh, I sound old now.

Not even in FPS - more games are adopting a faster paced gameplay system. Mass Effect accelerated from the rather methodical 1 to the more action packed 2 and 3, and Final Fantasy has done the same in recent years. The new Tomb Raider games play like a hybrid of Uncharted and Far Cry. This isn't necessarily a bad thing: I happened to love Mass Effect and the later FFs, but it does show that AAA gaming by big studios are beginning to lean towards action and pace. That's my take, anyway.

I've never been terribly massive on AAA games in the first place. Big budget productions can certainly do very well, but I sometimes fear that due to their popularity, they lose their niche, or their individuality in a crowded video game market. I prefer the work of smaller corporations. Genres then tend to move away from 'action adventure/action RPG/first-person shooter' and more into JRPGs, puzzles and visual novels. Which is where I thrive, really. JRPGs got hit rather badly in the PS3 era, but I feel that they are recovering and are getting more spotlight. Persona 5 is getting a real buzz from several gaming websites and Bravely Default equally did well. I think the future's bright though, whatever genre you enjoy. 2016 is releasing several highly anticipated games, so I think both schools will do well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mister Adequate

I'll tell you one thing, I don't like the abandonment of manuals as thick as novels that contained details on every single aspect of the game's minutiae and, half the time, an actual goddamn novel explaining the story and setting and all.

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God the little manual that came with Warcraft 2 was the best.

Also SMAC's. It was amazing.

Heck even Yars' Revenge came with like a comic book explaining the story and that was an Atari game from 1982 or whatever.

Yeah, old paper manuals were awesome. I miss the days when games came with lots of feelies. I remember loving that Golden Sun II map so much. It was really great to look at and decide where to go next once the world opened up. Now I got Persona 4 Dancing All Night for Christmas and the box contained the cartridge and nothing else. And that's sad.