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.

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


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?