Gaming Trends

I'm reading through the recent issue of Play magazine and the reviewers had a little section talking about the gaming trends that started in the last few years and what they hoped to see in the future and what they hoped would disappear. Some spoke about the rise of the Casual gamer and DLC while others talked about the fall of Japanese gaming market and a few even bitched about gaming not being HD surround sound compatible.

For this thread, list a few trends you wish to see in the coming year and few you wish would go away.

Something I'd like to see go away is the utilization of violence to attract fans. Blech to you, Madworld. :mad2:

...

I'll probably still play it, though. It looks like fun.

These days quite a few games get released unfinished only to be "fixed" later by updates. I don't dig that.

I guess I'd like to see less use of updates in general. Everytime I put in a disc only to get the message "you need the latest update" it just puts me off.

Paying for DLC can go. Release the game as a full game.

I want regenerating health to stay and lifebars to stay away. Some could claim that makes it too easy, but not if the difficulty is adjusted with the system in mind. Some could also say it doesn't make any sense, but I accepted long ago that games don't make any sense at all.

Is "games that don't suck" a trend?

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Originally Posted by Noctiluca

Paying for DLC can go. Release the game as a full game.

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I don't have a problem paying for DLC so long as what you get is worth the price (it isn't in a lot of cases with console game add-ons these days) or if it's not something that's been included in games as a standard feature for years. I guess when it comes to major offenders in both those cases my best example would be Capcom. Mega Man 9 was terrible for offering game modes separately that should have been included if you ask me. Sure the main game was well worth $10, but the add ons weren't if you ask me. And paying a few bucks for costumes in SFIV (or any other game) is idiotic. Why would I pay as much as 5% of the price of a full game to see my character in some new duds?

If you ask me, a lot of PC games get it right by making their DLC either free or full expansions. And of course no one beats Valves value. The extra content packs for games like TF2 are much better than your typical add-ons and free to boot, while full expansions are usually pretty cheap and still include a bunch of bonus content (The Orange Box is still the best gaming value I've ever seen). I wish more people would take a page or two out of their book. Part of what keeps me coming back to their games is the awesome value (on top of being awesome games).

Why yes, I believe it is.

I agree with the use of violence as selling points. Unless its like Oneechanbara, for some reason that game is awesome. I just can't figure it out I usually hate games like that. But there's just something about it I can't place my finger on :rolleyes2

On a more serious point, I've been noticing a lack of fun minigames and sidequests. Most games sidequests are mostly fetch quests. There's a bit too much fetching going on.

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Originally Posted by Vivi22

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Originally Posted by Noctiluca

Paying for DLC can go. Release the game as a full game.

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I don't have a problem paying for DLC so long as what you get is worth the price (it isn't in a lot of cases with console game add-ons these days) or if it's not something that's been included in games as a standard feature for years.

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If it truly enhances the game or increases what you can get out of it, then I can get behind it, but that isn't the case too often. So I can agree with you that sometimes it's too silly, but if it isn't, then it's all good. I owned a fighting game that added two new characters barely after the game was out and wanted money for them. I'd bet anything they were done and balanced already but held back for extra profit.

But I've heard GTAIV's DLC is actually really good and worth it. So that's cool and all.

I really dig procedurally generated content. PGC, more or less, makes a game endless and you get wayyyyyyy more replayability (is that a word?) out of it.

Also, user created content (ala littleBigPlanet) is great. DLC is all well and good, although I agree with Lunar - it should be free.

Really, what I'm looking forward to, are games where almost everything is procedurally generated - from levels, to characters, to storylines, to enemies, to weapons, to music and maybe, eventually, even gameplay mechanics (think ROM CHECK FAIL, but actually PCG and with more mechanics that actually make sense within a game world).

Putting too much emphasis on multiplayer rather than providing a solid single player game. Multiplayer is always a nice addition but nothing beats a quality single player game.

And DLC is also a right pain in the ass. Developers maliciously cutting content from their games to sell later on as DLC is really pathetic and hurts a developers reputation. Games are expensive enough already.

I want to see games retain couch co-op. Halo, Gears, and now RE5 all do this and it must stay. Nothing better than an epic gaming session with a good friend by your side as you fight through some form of Hell or another.

I also want them to make the Spore of GDC '05.

More 4X please, too!

Most games have contracted LMS, better known as Let's Make Sequels! where everything is premeditated to become some sort of giant series. Understandable to want to make a successful series... but that doesn't excuse the poor story-telling, pacing, or just poor stories in general (see Gears of War and Assassin's Creed where you never learn anything and "cliff-hangers" cling to the idea that saying :bou::bou::bou::bou:, not explaining anything, and stretching it out over the course of a generally brief $60 game = good suspenseful storytelling + some multi-player). This is usually forgiven because theres a focus of user-made content and/or theres multi-player...

There also seems to be more focus on evil vs good even though it may not be interesting or deep and is just there to say their game is longer than it actually is because you can play it again plus a generally insignificant decision.

'Open-World' RPGs also have the current preoccupation that a huge world automatically immerses the player... which makes it okay to make the whole world empty and same looking (also called the Bethseda Syndrome).

Theres also the popular idea of throwing in a bunch of genres into one package and then not doing any of them all that well. The jack of all trades game makes for a MEDIOCRE game. Diversity is cool, but you gotta do at least one of them well...

Also, remakes and "sequels to games that no one wants revived because they'll get raped *COUGH*OBLIVION WITH GUNS*COUGH*".

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Originally Posted by Ryth

Also, remakes and "sequels to games that no one wants revived because they'll get raped *COUGH*OBLIVION WITH GUNS*COUGH*".

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What's especially ironic about this statement is that Fallout 3 is immesurably better than Oblivion. :monster:

Fallout is definitely better than Oblivion, but Fallout 3 looks like a complete tub of :bou::bou::bou::bou: when compared to the first two games. Neither TESIV or FO3 are all that good.

I forgot DESTRUCTIBLE ENVIRONMENTS~

Good Trends:

The Return of 2D and 2D gameplay - I've been waiting for this to happen for awhile but it seems like 2D is making a bit of a comeback thanks to games like Odin Sphere, Guilty Gear, Disgaea, and SNK. The return of 2D gameplay is also welcomed in titles like SFIV and Bionic Commando. The World Ends With You is another fine example of excellent 2D mechanics along with a host of titles on the DS and PSP.

I never felt 3D was as grand of a revolution as people made them out to be back in the late 90's, probably cause the games I liked playing were not exactly titles that needed it (RPGs) only fighting games got a drastic change and I'm still waiting for them to get good in 3D. :rolleyes2

Capcom and Atlus - These two companies seem to continually bring forth excellent titles. Not only blockbuster titles but also unique niche titles as well. Mega Man 9, My World My Way, Okami, and Persona 3: FES are all titles that a few years ago, I would not believe for an instance that they would make it outside of Japan.

Return of the 2D Fighter - Am I the only one who is happy that SNK decided to finally make collections of all their 2D fighters and release them outside of Japan. Anyone else happy that SFIV retained its classic 2D roots instead of trying to shoe horn its play mechanics into another 3D fighter? Anyone else happy that Guilty Gear is still around? I am, I grew up on 2D fighters and for awhile was afraid they wall fall into a small niche genre but the last two years have shown the love. :love:

Return of Point and Click Adventure games - I love the DS for bringing back this genre. Phoenix Wright ftw!!! :cool:


Bad Trends:

The decline of good JRPGs - If it wasn't for Atlus I'd be really worried but doesn't it feel like the traditional JRPG is disappearing? I mean great titles that inspire you and make you do crazy things like write fanfics or cosplay as them. Games like Persona 3 and The World Ends With You are amazing titles but why does it seem like they appear every blue moon. Even high budget fare doesn't feel as promising anymore. The genre has been so crowded lately its difficult to find gems anymore and with Capcom not working on any new BoFs or Konami deciding to reinvigorate the Suikoden series, it seems like we're stuck hoping Squenix doesn't run out of ideas.

Still waiting for the Next Generation of gaming to start - I'm probably alone on this one but I just feel the new generation has not presented anything that feels like a "herald of the next generation". We've seen a few good sequels on better hardware but nothing has really gotten the ball rolling it feels.

Sony is still trying to salvage the PS3, Microsoft is stealing their exclusives in between their system dying, and Nintendo is squandering technology to make games for your grandmother. I guess for me, it seems like only the PS2, PSP, and DS are getting excellent titles nowadays. Hell, even the PC is getting "must have" titles, and it just seems like I can get the same content from this new generation from somewhere else. I find myself trying to decide which console to buy by what old games are available on the DLC network... That doesn't feel right.

Its been getting a bit better lately but it just seems like this generation lacks any titles that can really show off the new generation, its just been a prettier version of the last gen at twice the cost.

Causal Vs. Hardcore - This whole nonsense seems a bit silly to me. I know I get labeled as "hardcore" on these forums cause I welcome a challenge and I wish games weren't so easy but even I have titles that I play for causal fun. I do bitch about the Wii being marketed exclusively for casual gamers but its more because I feel the Wii technology presents several innovations for gaming and its getting squandered on making Mario Party knockoffs. It could easily be a system enjoyed by casual, traditional, and hardcore gamers but it caters to one group exclusively.

Basically, I wish casual gamers would stop making games so dirt easy, I also hate hardcore gamers making companies insist on making ridiculous challenges to gain rewards that weren't worth half the effort. I want games to be made for everyone to enjoy, granted both groups can have their niche genres but we don't need the entire industry to cater to one over the other. They could easily fix this by incorporating a well balanced system that allows you to choose the appropriate difficulty level, which brings me to...

Bad Difficulty Settings - Why must Normal be "press A to win" and hard mode must be "mind numbing, soul shattering, hard"? These are just the two basic settings and they still have an easy and crazy mode. Why can't I have a happy medium?

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

Bad Trends:

The decline of good JRPGs - If it wasn't for Atlus I'd be really worried but doesn't it feel like the traditional JRPG is disappearing? I mean great titles that inspire you and make you do crazy things like write fanfics or cosplay as them. Games like Persona 3 and The World Ends With You are amazing titles but why does it seem like they appear every blue moon. Even high budget fare doesn't feel as promising anymore. The genre has been so crowded lately its difficult to find gems anymore and with Capcom not working on any new BoFs or Konami deciding to reinvigorate the Suikoden series, it seems like we're stuck hoping Squenix doesn't run out of ideas.

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I'm still hoping from something new from Camelot (another Golden Sun).

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Still waiting for the Next Generation of gaming to start - I'm probably alone on this one but I just feel the new generation has not presented anything that feels like a "herald of the next generation". We've seen a few good sequels on better hardware but nothing has really gotten the ball rolling it feels.

Sony is still trying to salvage the PS3, Microsoft is stealing their exclusives in between their system dying, and Nintendo is squandering technology to make games for your grandmother. I guess for me, it seems like only the PS2, PSP, and DS are getting excellent titles nowadays. Hell, even the PC is getting "must have" titles, and it just seems like I can get the same content from this new generation from somewhere else. I find myself trying to decide which console to buy by what old games are available on the DLC network... That doesn't feel right.

Its been getting a bit better lately but it just seems like this generation lacks any titles that can really show off the new generation, its just been a prettier version of the last gen at twice the cost.

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I could've told you that when the consoles first came out. There is nothing revolutionary about any of them. The Wii is the only one that changed anything (with the Wiimote), and a lot of people didn't like that change. A better CPU does not a revolution make. We aren't going to get a true next gen in gaming for a long time. Graphics and controls have gone as far as they are going to go for a while. Sure, screen resolutions and object counts will increase, but nothing fundamental will change, which means no next-gen.

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Casual Vs. Hardcore - This whole nonsense seems a bit silly to me. I know I get labeled as "hardcore" on these forums cause I welcome a challenge and I wish games weren't so easy but even I have titles that I play for causal fun. I do bitch about the Wii being marketed exclusively for casual gamers but its more because I feel the Wii technology presents several innovations for gaming and its getting squandered on making Mario Party knockoffs. It could easily be a system enjoyed by casual, traditional, and hardcore gamers but it caters to one group exclusively.

Basically, I wish casual gamers would stop making games so dirt easy, I also hate hardcore gamers making companies insist on making ridiculous challenges to gain rewards that weren't worth half the effort. I want games to be made for everyone to enjoy, granted both groups can have their niche genres but we don't need the entire industry to cater to one over the other. They could easily fix this by incorporating a well balanced system that allows you to choose the appropriate difficulty level, which brings me to...

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This I am hoping and believing will go away on its own, as developers get a better feel for what casual gaming actually is, and realize, that casual games can still have some difficulty to them without losing their wide range appeal.

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Bad Difficulty Settings - Why must Normal be "press A to win" and hard mode must be "mind numbing, soul shattering, hard"? These are just the two basic settings and they still have an easy and crazy mode. Why can't I have a happy medium?

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Add in to that "beat easy to get to normal, beat normal to get to hard". A really idiotic trend I want to go away.

The technical side has been a let down but I knew that before the generation started as well though I had higher hopes for Nintendo than I should have. I feel its the lack of true "must have IPs". Part of the problem is the industry's move towards multi-platform releases but I also sometimes feel the developers have just been releasing last gen games in a new gen coat. Even when the game does have promise, its either ignored (Valkyrie Chronicles), has other elements that make the game a bit unbearable (DMC4), new elements are borrowed from other games (FFXII and MGS4), or just seems to miss the mark (Eternal Sonata).

I guess what I'm getting at is that none of the systems have released a title that feels like "Yes, this is the new generation" it doesn't need to be terribly innovative with the system technology but no games really stand out in of themselves like MGS2, Halo, and Metroid Prime did in the last gen, despite none of these titles being terribly innovative of themselves.

The other issue I guess is that gamers want innovation and when developers give it to them they bitch about it cause its new and terrifying and it was "better in the old days" or as I like to think of it as "FFXII syndrome". Then developers give us something that is traditional and we bitch about it being old and archaic or as I like to call it, "Lost Odyssey syndrome". I wish gamers could make up their own damn minds.

Innovative games either work or don't so its always a tough call on those titles; but traditional can lead to stagnation (look at the current state of FPS genre or even the 2D fighting genre in the mid 90's) and then we miss out on wonderful titles like Shadow of the Colossus. Of course its sometimes good to stay traditional as Castlevania has proven.

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Originally Posted by That guy over there

Return of Point and Click Adventure games - I love the DS for bringing back this genre. Phoenix Wright ftw!!!

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But there's no pointing and clicking. It's more like a visual/text adventure game.

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Originally Posted by Ryth

Fallout is definitely better than Oblivion, but Fallout 3 looks like a complete tub of :bou::bou::bou::bou: when compared to the first two games. Neither TESIV or FO3 are all that good.

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Looks like? So either you mean the graphics are bad or you've not played it :p I'll assume the latter. It's better than you'd expect. I agree and concede that it's not much like the first two, and this is a shame, but I wasn't going in expecting it to be.

TESIV is shockingly mediocre, but luckily they let you mod it. With over 100 mods active, it's one of my better gaming experiences. xD

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

only fighting games got a drastic change and I'm still waiting for them to get good in 3D. :rolleyes2

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Tekken, Virtua Fighter, and most of all Soul Calibur.

Okay, I've got one:

Where the hell did Geo-Mod go?!

Red faction used it wonderfully, beyond the novelty it was an enjoyable and interesting game mechanic that, while obviously far from perfect, also obviously had a huge amount of potential. And here we are, eight fracking years later, and where the heck is it?

So I guess I actually want a new gaming trend :p

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

Bad Trends:

The decline of good JRPGs - If it wasn't for Atlus I'd be really worried but doesn't it feel like the traditional JRPG is disappearing? I mean great titles that inspire you and make you do crazy things like write fanfics or cosplay as them. Games like Persona 3 and The World Ends With You are amazing titles but why does it seem like they appear every blue moon. Even high budget fare doesn't feel as promising anymore. The genre has been so crowded lately its difficult to find gems anymore and with Capcom not working on any new BoFs or Konami deciding to reinvigorate the Suikoden series, it seems like we're stuck hoping Squenix doesn't run out of ideas.

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I'm still hoping from something new from Camelot (another Golden Sun).

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Still waiting for the Next Generation of gaming to start - I'm probably alone on this one but I just feel the new generation has not presented anything that feels like a "herald of the next generation". We've seen a few good sequels on better hardware but nothing has really gotten the ball rolling it feels.

Sony is still trying to salvage the PS3, Microsoft is stealing their exclusives in between their system dying, and Nintendo is squandering technology to make games for your grandmother. I guess for me, it seems like only the PS2, PSP, and DS are getting excellent titles nowadays. Hell, even the PC is getting "must have" titles, and it just seems like I can get the same content from this new generation from somewhere else. I find myself trying to decide which console to buy by what old games are available on the DLC network... That doesn't feel right.

Its been getting a bit better lately but it just seems like this generation lacks any titles that can really show off the new generation, its just been a prettier version of the last gen at twice the cost.

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I could've told you that when the consoles first came out. There is nothing revolutionary about any of them. The Wii is the only one that changed anything (with the Wiimote), and a lot of people didn't like that change. A better CPU does not a revolution make. We aren't going to get a true next gen in gaming for a long time. Graphics and controls have gone as far as they are going to go for a while. Sure, screen resolutions and object counts will increase, but nothing fundamental will change, which means no next-gen.

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There has been a decline in JRPGs because people have finally realized that they are all the same game.

And I don't understand how a better CPU doesn't mean next generation. That's all the XBox, PS2, and Nintendo Gamecube were - improvements upon the PSX and N64, and those were next-gen consoles. Have you not played Gears of War? LittleBigPlanet? Assassin's Creed? Silent Hill V? Resident Evil 5? MGS 4? Not only the games, but the new generation of consoles has been defined by things like XBox Live Arcade, DLC, user created content, procedural generation, etc. and so on. Not to mention the object counts, destructible environments, and ridiculously improved enemy AI.

Maybe you can define what "next-gen" really means, then?

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Originally Posted by Moon Rabbits

There has been a decline in JRPGs because people have finally realized that they are all the same game.

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That's not true at all. :p

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Originally Posted by Kanno

The Return of 2D and 2D gameplay - I've been waiting for this to happen for awhile but it seems like 2D is making a bit of a comeback thanks to games like Odin Sphere, Guilty Gear, Disgaea, and SNK. The return of 2D gameplay is also welcomed in titles like SFIV and Bionic Commando. The World Ends With You is another fine example of excellent 2D mechanics along with a host of titles on the DS and PSP.

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Originally Posted by Kanno

Return of the 2D Fighter - Am I the only one who is happy that SNK decided to finally make collections of all their 2D fighters and release them outside of Japan. Anyone else happy that SFIV retained its classic 2D roots instead of trying to shoe horn its play mechanics into another 3D fighter? Anyone else happy that Guilty Gear is still around? I am, I grew up on 2D fighters and for awhile was afraid they wall fall into a small niche genre but the last two years have shown the love.

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I disagree with these two. 2D video games have been going strong since 58 and new successful 2D fighter have been going strong since SFII and MKII. Smash Bros and Marvel vs Capcom were very popular even during the last gen era.

I also would like to see destructible environments again and for them to go up a level like in GTA. If I shoot a building with a rocket launcher I expect it to leave a big hole. I'm also against all the shovelware titles around nowadays. There is room for the causual auidence, but there's too many awful casual games around here.

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Theres also the popular idea of throwing in a bunch of genres into one package and then not doing any of them all that well. The jack of all trades game makes for a MEDIOCRE game. Diversity is cool, but you gotta do at least one of them well...

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I would say that GTAIV did a good job of combining a driving game, a third person shooter, and an adventure game all into one.

I'd like to see more customizable characters, better storylines, destructable enivronment (mgs1 ftw!!!), and less suck crap and retardedly unnessesary violence.

Violence is ok if you're using it to help save the world from dragons. It's NOT ok to pimp smack a ho and kill authorities.

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Originally Posted by NeoTifa

It's NOT ok to pimp smack a ho and kill authorities.

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So that's what I've been doing wrong all these years

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Originally Posted by NeoTifa

Violence is ok if you're using it to help save the world from dragons. It's NOT ok to pimp smack a ho and kill authorities.

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What if you're saving the world from an evil empire? :p

Edit: And their army of authorities happen to be hookers?

I think we need more violence. I don't understand why I can't decapitate a hooker and use her body to beat orphans to death. It's just not realistic if I can't do that.

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

Good Trends:

The Return of 2D and 2D gameplay - I've been waiting for this to happen for awhile but it seems like 2D is making a bit of a comeback thanks to games like Odin Sphere, Guilty Gear, Disgaea, and SNK. The return of 2D gameplay is also welcomed in titles like SFIV and Bionic Commando. The World Ends With You is another fine example of excellent 2D mechanics along with a host of titles on the DS and PSP.

I never felt 3D was as grand of a revolution as people made them out to be back in the late 90's, probably cause the games I liked playing were not exactly titles that needed it (RPGs) only fighting games got a drastic change and I'm still waiting for them to get good in 3D. :rolleyes2

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Yes, this.

Also, I'd like to see more new games that introduce creative elements to gaming. I mean, sure, I enjoy a game of Halo 3 or Call of Duty as much as the next person, but let's face it, they aren't much different than their predecessors over all aside from a few new weapons and revamped graphics. I noticed this when I played Call of Duty: World at War on Xbox Live. Sure, I enjoy it and all, but it's pretty much the exact same thing as CoD4 in terms of play. Sure, instead of air strikes, you get artillery attacks, and instead of helicopters, you get dogs, but after that, there really isn't anything different aside from the addition of tanks, which ruin the whole smurfing game, in my opinion. This of course doesn't apply to just FPS games, though. I think that if you're going to make a sequel to a game, at least add some new elements to keep it fresh.

Oh, and rank systems for online play. Make them less broken. :mad2:


Not really a 'trend' thing, but I'd also like to see some more games that never get released outside of Japan. I've gone so far as to buy a Japanese PS2 to play games that never got released here. It's great for games with minimal Japanese, but other games are difficult to play if you can't read kanji. :x

I'd also like to see some visual novels get released in this region too-- *is shot*

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Originally Posted by Momiji

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

Good Trends:

The Return of 2D and 2D gameplay - I've been waiting for this to happen for awhile but it seems like 2D is making a bit of a comeback thanks to games like Odin Sphere, Guilty Gear, Disgaea, and SNK. The return of 2D gameplay is also welcomed in titles like SFIV and Bionic Commando. The World Ends With You is another fine example of excellent 2D mechanics along with a host of titles on the DS and PSP.

I never felt 3D was as grand of a revolution as people made them out to be back in the late 90's, probably cause the games I liked playing were not exactly titles that needed it (RPGs) only fighting games got a drastic change and I'm still waiting for them to get good in 3D. :rolleyes2

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Yes, this.

Not really a 'trend' thing, but I'd also like to see some more games that never get released outside of Japan. I've gone so far as to buy a Japanese PS2 to play games that never got released here. It's great for games with minimal Japanese, but other games are difficult to play if you can't read kanji. :x

I'd also like to see some visual novels get released in this region too-- *is shot*

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If Ace Attorney counts as a visual novel, then I agree.

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Originally Posted by Moon Rabbits

And I don't understand how a better CPU doesn't mean next generation. That's all the XBox, PS2, and Nintendo Gamecube were - improvements upon the PSX and N64, and those were next-gen consoles. Have you not played Gears of War? LittleBigPlanet? Assassin's Creed? Silent Hill V? Resident Evil 5? MGS 4? Not only the games, but the new generation of consoles has been defined by things like XBox Live Arcade, DLC, user created content, procedural generation, etc. and so on. Not to mention the object counts, destructible environments, and ridiculously improved enemy AI.

Maybe you can define what "next-gen" really means, then?

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Go play the original MGS, then play one of the PS2 ones. Then play MGS4. Tell me where you notice an actual change.

You think that user created content is new?! Every RTS for the past 15 years has had map editors. FPS's have also had huge amounts of user generated content. You think that because gaming companies have gotten lazy and decided to release only the editing tools in lieu of actual games, it qualifies us for a new generation?

Yes, the object counts have gone up, as have the number of things you can destroy. Whoop-de-doo. I truly hope you get your wish of an FPS that lets you destroy the entire planet that your character is on. Some of us look for something other than explosions in a game.

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Originally Posted by Kentarou

If Ace Attorney counts as a visual novel, then I agree.

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Kind of like that, I guess. I'm not too much of an Ace Attorney fan, but I'd like to see more games along those lines. I'd really like to play School Days sometime. :p

Regarding next-gen: Dead Rising.

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Originally Posted by I'm my own MILF

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Originally Posted by Ryth

Fallout is definitely better than Oblivion, but Fallout 3 looks like a complete tub of :bou::bou::bou::bou: when compared to the first two games. Neither TESIV or FO3 are all that good.

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Looks like? So either you mean the graphics are bad or you've not played it :p I'll assume the latter. It's better than you'd expect. I agree and concede that it's not much like the first two, and this is a shame, but I wasn't going in expecting it to be.

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The graphics are just fine, and I have played the game. The post-apocalyptic environment hopes to push itself on graphical prowess alone, and I'm into such a shallow approach. I guess I wasn't expecting the point was "run around a gray wasteland and shoot things" but rather "exploring a post-apocalyptic wasteland and trying to make ends meet." The problem with OwG is that there is no feeling of vulnerability or weakness, I never felt frightened in this game because Super Mutants came around every corner and you could mow them down with relative ease (INSTA-HEADSHOT VATS LAWLZ).

In the first Fallout, I was in some little cave with nothing but the clothes on my back and a couple bullets with the fate of the entire Vault in my hands. In OwG, my only goal in leaving my little allegorical cave is to go dick around and shoot some mutants and ghouls in identical-looking locales. The first time I heard about a SuperMutant I knew these guys were going to kick my ASS, so I naturally decided to gtfo when I saw one... and know what I did when I saw one? I smurfing RAN like HELL because I was SCARED and I would often die. I would die a lot. I found I had good reason to be scared of these mutants, because everyone else was just as terrified as I was. In OwG, the Mutants are absolutely nothing to be feared and the game reflects that. The first Fallouts had only a couple settlements-- in a post-apocalyptic wasteland there isn't a lot of people and that ones that exist keep together and work despite their differences in order to survive. You could FEEL something... and that only further emphasizes that OwG never felt like a living, breathing world for me. It is, as someone once put it, "a collage of script." I couldn't agree more, theres an overabundance of different communities all within reasonably close proximity and Super Mutants just live down the block. Theres no desperate clawing towards making it to the next day. There was a terrifying curiosity in exploring the wastelands of the first Fallouts, I felt absolutely nothing for Fallout 3. Not a goddamn thing, and if you look at the main plot (and namely, it's horrible ending) the game obviously didn't expect you to. The whole thing is so poorly written and the ending is so disgustingly abrupt and anti-climatic unlike the endings of the old games where you actually saw how you affected your little world... you just get some generic narration and still shots in OwG. Maybe I'm stuck in the past, I wasn't really expecting a real Fallout experience... but I was hoping for a GOOD experience. I didn't get anything out of this title.

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Still waiting for the Next Generation of gaming to start - I'm probably alone on this one but I just feel the new generation has not presented anything that feels like a "herald of the next generation". We've seen a few good sequels on better hardware but nothing has really gotten the ball rolling it feels.

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Little Big Planet. I'll honestly say that it is one of the few games which couldn't have been done on the previous gen consoles. Even all of the physics based platforming wouldn't be the same without next gen hardware since I doubt last gen systems could handle the calculations that would have to go on. And User generated content may not be new per se, but few games have ever made it as easy to create while still offering a powerful content editor, or as easy to share content quickly, easily, and also filter through it to find stuff that doesn't totally suck.

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

I could've told you that when the consoles first came out. There is nothing revolutionary about any of them. The Wii is the only one that changed anything (with the Wiimote), and a lot of people didn't like that change. A better CPU does not a revolution make. We aren't going to get a true next gen in gaming for a long time. Graphics and controls have gone as far as they are going to go for a while. Sure, screen resolutions and object counts will increase, but nothing fundamental will change, which means no next-gen.

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A better CPU does not a revolution make, but it offers more opportunity for companies to be innovative. Nobody can tell me games like Half-Life 2 and Portal weren't innovative, and there are plenty of other games out there that wouldn't even be possible (from a gameplay standpoint) if we were still playing games on SNES level hardware. And people can say that it's the publishers fault for not bringing out awesome games that do innovative things with more powerful hardware, but I think most of the blame lies with consumers. Lot's of companies try innovative things all the time, but then no one buys them. A lot of devs would love to be creative and try new things, but even if they work out great, a lot of the times they still don't sell. Then you have a vocal minority who want innovation complaining about companies not taking chances, but they're rarely rewarded for that, and why would anyone want to run or work for a company that never makes any money?

And don't even get me started on how non-revolutionary the Wii controller was. It was mishandled in about every way possible, right down to the media creating false expectations of what it could do. The motion controls are fairly innacurate for fine or fast movements, and the pointing function (the only part that works as well as anyone expected it to when it was announced), makes it essentially a glorified mouse.

I will admit that I feel LittleBigPlanet is probably the closest to a true "Next Gen blockbuster" but I'm surprised, more haven't appeared.

As for Depression Moon's comment.

MvC series is popular among the hardcore crowd as was CvS; it was hardly the same phenomena as SFII/MK/SNK was back in the day. They were popular games to us old time 2D fans but most people were more interested in Tekken of DoA. I felt the audiance was small even though I enjoyed those days. There has been a real lack of strong and accessible 2D fighters for a few years and I don't count SSB cause it also took a bit of steam to finally catch on. Melee created the core base while the recent Brawl has made it a true phenomena and even then, these are somewhat recent trends.

Yet its the fact I can now go to a gaming store or one of the online arcades and be able to choose from a whole wealth of 2D fighters is what I'm really getting at. SF Revival with SSFIIT: HD Remix, SFIV, Fatal Fury Anthology, KoF Extreme 2, KoF XII, SSBB, Arcana Heart, and Guilty Gear Accent Core are just a few of the titles I can freely go and choose to play instead of waiting 2 years for the next Guilty Gear title or having to import Samurai Showdown Anthology. Its good to be a 2D fighting fan again and hopefully, SNK, Arc System, and Capcom will keep the love.

As for Tekken, SolCal, and any other 3D fighter. They all are pretty terrible in my opinion and cannot create an experience as thrilling as their 2D counterparts. I haven't liked Soul Calibur since SCII, Virtua Fighter is too slow, and I never liked Tekken, as hard as I have tried to enjoy it, I find the game terrible. *hides from a certain female Tekken fan*

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MvC series is popular among the hardcore crowd as was CvS; it was hardly the same phenomena as SFII/MK/SNK was back in the day. They were popular games to us old time 2D fans but most people were more interested in Tekken of DoA. I felt the audiance was small even though I enjoyed those days. There has been a real lack of strong and accessible 2D fighters for a few years and I don't count SSB cause it also took a bit of steam to finally catch on. Melee created the core base while the recent Brawl has made it a true phenomena and even then, these are somewhat recent trends.

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Lol i am pretty sure Marvel was popular all throughout America, but CvS however is more or less dead at this time with only Japan and NorCal having any real player base anymore and SFIV killed it. You would think people get more excited about games like CvS but instead of that you find people sticking with the games they grew up with. My friend would rather play SFIIHD over SFIV because it feels too different...which is fine i know classic is nice but its not giving SFIV too much of a chance. If they rehash too much its the same thing with new gfxs or a remake/port, if its too different people will go SFIII on them and say its too hard to pick up...how difficult to get the perfect medium..=/

Melee created the base yes, but Brawl apparently is 'too watered down' for people who play it competitively and dont like it from what i heard....blargh, again with the 'do you want it to be the same game or different?" -_-

Thats the trend we need to see gone..seriously. ADAPT PEOPLE. If its not horribly broken we can all adapt! At least try before going back to an old game.

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

As for Tekken, SolCal, and any other 3D fighter. They all are pretty terrible in my opinion and cannot create an experience as thrilling as their 2D counterparts. I haven't liked Soul Calibur since SCII, Virtua Fighter is too slow, and I never liked Tekken, as hard as I have tried to enjoy it, I find the game terrible. *hides from a certain female Tekken fan*

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Don't write off the 3D fighting genre just yet. Dissidia is looking fantastic.

I don't know about any specific gaming trends I want to see, but I definitely want developers to be able to continue doing what they want to do every now and then. I picked up two excellent Wii titles this last week. One got a lot of press, the other not so much. MadWorld I can say is really fun. The very same day I went to pick up MadWorld, I asked for Marble Saga Kororinpa and most of the store employees looked at me like I was speaking Japanese.

Actually, that did make me think of a trend.

I don't mind if companies whore out other titles, as long as we get something of quality back once in a while. All the rehashing of Mega Man and Street Fighter over the years has been a big part of the quality stuff Capcom has brought back out (even if Clover's underperforming games got them the boot). All of these garbage Sonic games gave Sega enough of a financial cushion to support the commercial flops of both Yakuzas, Virtua Fighter 5 and Valkyria Chronicles. Namco Bandai's draconian DLC could have been key to green-lighting Noby Noby Boy. All those years of EA's sucktacularness brought us Dead Space, Mirror's Edge and tomorrow's Henry Hatsworth.

Ultimately, the consumers do decide the fate of what happens. Chances are, a lot of you might not care at all about at least one of the games I just mentioned. So while a lot of these games may not have been adequately successful, and even if some development teams get axed because of it, I have hope that these companies won't resort to churning out cash-ins.

So, a trend I would like to see continue: Big Developers taking a step back from the licenses and rehashes and remakes every once in a while to squeeze out something special.
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Originally Posted by Skyblade

Don't write off the 3D fighting genre just yet. Dissidia is looking fantastic.

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Saviour of the 3D fighting genre this isn't.

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Originally Posted by Lionx

Lol i am pretty sure Marvel was popular all throughout America, but CvS however is more or less dead at this time with only Japan and NorCal having any real player base anymore and SFIV killed it. You would think people get more excited about games like CvS but instead of that you find people sticking with the games they grew up with. My friend would rather play SFIIHD over SFIV because it feels too different...which is fine i know classic is nice but its not giving SFIV too much of a chance. If they rehash too much its the same thing with new gfxs or a remake/port, if its too different people will go SFIII on them and say its too hard to pick up...how difficult to get the perfect medium..=/

Melee created the base yes, but Brawl apparently is 'too watered down' for people who play it competitively and dont like it from what i heard....blargh, again with the 'do you want it to be the same game or different?" -_-

Thats the trend we need to see gone..seriously. ADAPT PEOPLE. If its not horribly broken we can all adapt! At least try before going back to an old game.

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I think it depends on who you ask, Brawl still has mixed impressions among its fans but the wait and anticipation Brawl created was nothing like Melee or the original.

Beyond that, I agree with your post.

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

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Don't write off the 3D fighting genre just yet. Dissidia is looking fantastic.

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Just watching the videos, I can already tell you the combat system is a bit broken and needs balancing. The whole Brave system is nice in theory but the videos show its got serious faults as all you need to do is raise your bravery with a few moves and summons and then you can one hit kill your opponent. The videos on the main Japanese website show this phenomena. The Cloud Vs. Cecil video especially highlights this problem. It may work out a bit better against a human opponent since the games A.I. is not very aggressive even on the highest levels but the system has a lot of broken elements. I'm still looking forward to it a lot but I doubt it will change my view on 3D fighters.

Course I won't know for certain until I play it. ;)

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

Don't write off the 3D fighting genre just yet. Dissidia is looking fantastic.

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Just watching the videos, I can already tell you the combat system is a bit broken and needs balancing. The whole Brave system is nice in theory but the videos show its got serious faults as all you need to do is raise your bravery with a few moves and summons and then you can one hit kill your opponent. The videos on the main Japanese website show this phenomena. The Cloud Vs. Cecil video especially highlights this problem. It may work out a bit better against a human opponent since the games A.I. is not very aggressive even on the highest levels but the system has a lot of broken elements. I'm still looking forward to it a lot but I doubt it will change my view on 3D fighters.

Course I won't know for certain until I play it. ;)

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The summons do seem a bit broken (specifically, Magic Pot and Behemoth [Magic Pot makes your Brave equal to your opponent's, and Behemoth doubles your current Brave]), but there seem to be a lot of counters for most of the various moves, and the movement system leaves a lot of room to dodge attacks until you can lower your opponents Brave. The AI does seem a little weak, but then that's not unusual for most of the fighting games I've played. The vids I've seen between two players seem to be very well matched, and I'm impressed with the variety in characters and abilities, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

Regarding FPSes: Every generation has had a quick-buck genre that's been exploited with small increments in graphics gimmicks, with a rare few that actually matter - it's just something you have to get used to. See: 8- and 16-bit 2D platformers, 3D third-person run-and-gunners. Now we're on to FPS games, which are incredibly profitable with how much people love online deathmatch. It's possible we'll see some changes with different types of technology and new means of input - not to mention general disinterest with the genre.

The trend I'm most excited to see is the growing popularity of indie games. Small teams are the foundation of gaming, really - late '80s and early '90s saw a lot of gems come from small teams, but the explosive costs and team sizes on recent projects has made an impossibly high barrier of entry for anyone trying to start their own team that isn't already in the industry. But with the increasing availability of mainstream digital distribution methods it's easier for anyone to get involved.

Accessibility is important in any artform, in my opinion (and, yes, game development is one). When anyone has the opportunity to get their ideas out to the public then everyone wins.

edit: Another thing to realize about certain genres dying out is what ones were products of the technological limitations at the time. JRPGs were easy to make because pre-rendered backgrounds, limited FMVs, and text-rich stories were cheap and easy. As expectations rose to games that had full voice acting and complete 3D worlds, the costs and time require to develop them just got ridiculous. It's no coincidence that most JRPGs that have come out recently have been on the DS. Yahtzee had a good rant on that with regard to the point-and-click adventure genre. I recommend checking it out.

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