What will you remember this gaming generation for? (2005-present)

I'll probably remember this generation as the beginning of 'nickel-and-diming' in the gaming industry. It's easily the most noticeable shift from previous generations - with developers removing content from their games and selling it a month later for $15. Buying used games will soon end as well. I won't comment on the quality of games, as there are still great games coming out today (just in fewer quantities).

What will you remember this genration for?

Great indie scene, terrible AAA titles.

It's kinda like what metal's been going through for a decade or more.

I'll probably remember this generation as the beginning of 'nickel-and-diming' in the gaming industry. It's easily the most noticeable shift from previous generations - with developers removing content from their games and selling it a month later for $15. Buying used games will soon end as well. I won't comment on the quality of games, as there are still great games coming out today (just in fewer quantities).

What will you remember this genration for?

KHAndAnime

I agree completely, charging for DLC is BS. I'm not paying $10 for just a few more maps and palette swaps of already playable characters.

I'll also remember this generation for the creation of the cookie cutter shooter. Every FPS today tries to be like Call of Duty.

1. Lapse of journalistic ethics from a wide variety of review sources.
2. Games releasing in beta states, buggy, and unfinished but being acceptable from the public.
3. DLC allowing developers to release 80% finished games and milk the public on the rest of content.
4. More and more simplified gameplay on big budget games.
5. Huge increase in indie scene to capture everything missing from the big corporations.
6. On consoles, a major rethink in hardware with re-releases of platforms several times, cut in hardware, slashing of prices.
7. The changing of staying pure to one platform for developers and publishers. (Huge multiplatform explosion)
8. On Pc, huge explosion of simulations of different genre's (racing, planes, military etc)
9. On gamespot, a lack of quality reviews per platform, cut paste across multiplatforms for reviews or just a Lapse in reviews entirely (See Spreadsheet for details)
10. The move to go outside normal controller schemes and methods (wiimote, kinect move, touch screen smartphones of handhelds etc)
11. Developers and publishers attempting to inflate review scores by allowing special treatment for reviewers (Ex. COD Hotel Oasis for many reviewers)
12. Major developers and publishers buying up small studios, making a game then dissipating the studio
13. On Pc, a cut in modding opportunity for many games with 1 dollar DLC replacing what the mod community has done (maps, skins, etc)
14. A increase in game ads in media to get those to buy a product.
15. This new gamers mentality to not read review content but look simply at review scores or metacritic consensus to decide a game to play
16. Many reviewers heavy criticism of JRPG's but now love for WRPG.
17. Huge increase in quick time events in games, linear gameplay, lack of single player, and focus on achievements.
18. Lack of inspiration in many genre's with games being redone with very few changes from the year before.
19. On Pc, developers criticizing piracy and releasing gregorian DRM measures or stating they will not release a game on a platform but release other games weeks later (See Capcom dead rising 2 release vs Super street fighter 4, ubisoft DRM, and even blizzard/activation new DRM)
20. On Pc, a explosion of DD services to replace traditional store bought product (greenmangaming, inpulsedriven,steam,gamersgate,D2d, GFWL serive, EA's Orgin service)
21. The change in mindset that piracy is a major problem on all platforms (360 jtags, ps3 code broken, wii code broke weeks after release, psp code broken, ds carts, PC piracy,)

For consoles, online multiplayer I suppose, even though the original xbox had it, the PS2 didn't.

Tacked on multiplayer, annoys me so much, especially AC:B, its the story thats meant to be played, not some old-style COD multiplayer.

I'll remember it for all the wasted hours my peers spent on pure crap. It's like films in the '80s. Only the PC indie scene possesses any sort of sympathy for those gamers who remember how, not so long ago, games actually required some sort of intelligence and development of skill.

The quality of games being upped significantly. It's a trend you see where if you don't develop the next AAA title, you won't survive.

Achievements.

Achievements.

Achievements.

Trophies.

Achievements.

Seriously addictive and they make you play the game in a different way and for allot longer. The most simple, yet best addition to gaming this generation by far. They made me play most of my games allot longer than I otherwise should have and made me have more fun because they make me play the game in a certain way I wouldn't have thought of myself.

Horse Armor.

Great indie scene, terrible AAA titles.

It's kinda like what metal's been going through for a decade or more.

MaskJackal

[QUOTE="MaskJackal"]

Great indie scene, terrible AAA titles.

It's kinda like what metal's been going through for a decade or more.

Monarch117

The Good:

• Steam
• Better availability of indie titles
• Team Fortress 2
• Grand Theft Auto IV
• Adventure game renaissance
• Civilization IV / V

The Bad and the Ugly:

• Motion controls
• DLC
• Call of Duty
• Music / party games
• DRM

Best games ever?

1. Indie renaissance.
2. Decline of mainstream developers
3. Whac-a-mole type gameplay. Especially among many mainstream games such as Uncharted, Gears of War and even Deus Ex.

Motion controls, for better or worse, depending on your perspective. They're likely here to stay, at least on consoles. That being said, this will likely be remembered as the last generation for me as a console gamer at all. Increasingly, it seems I'm being asked to be online all the time in order to game, or get chunks of the game I paid for activated at all, to prove I'm not a thief, so I may as well game on something I'm likely to keep online all the time anyway. The triple A games on the whole are quality efforts, just not terribly memorable, on the whole.

I'll remember Uncharted, for sure. But more for the characters than anything else. Characters who would have been just as memorable on the big screen in a movie, than in a game. Their are a few stand out gems, of course. Mario Galaxy, Demon's Souls, MGS4, Final Fantasy XIII, (yeah, I said that) etc. Great games aren't in short supply, like I said, just not many that really leave a mark.

• PS3 $599 - Which ended up costing me around $800 thanks to high NY sales tax, Dual Shock 3 not being bundled in and of course late payment charges. :P
• YLOD - And now having a $800 electronic machine sit in my basement collecting dust. A big f*** you to Sony.
• Strong focus on Story: Before, it was just MGS games where you could find high production values in cutscenes. Now almost every game, even shooters can tell a decent story. Heavy Rain, Mass Effect, Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, Batman AA can all match Kojima's best cutscenes without being too long and soap-ey.
• Unreal Engine 3 - Worst greens ever. People say it's versatile, but if I can look at a game and within moments can tell if its a UE3 game or not, it has failed to do the one thing a game's set out to do, to immerse me in the game.
• PSN/XBLA - Flower, BF1943, Shadow Complex, Lara Croft, Journey.... All of them my favorite games of this gen.
• Online Multiplayer - I've logged in 150+ hours in 4 games this gen. I love how easy it is to find games thanks to matchmaking and how stable the whole online experience is.
• Lag in Online Multiplayer - And I'm talking about the host advantage. This could easily be eliminated by dedicated servers but Publishers just dont want to set aside a few thousands dollars for servers.
• Motion Controls not as bad as Gamers make them out to be: Sure Nintendo forcing Motion controls for every single game was a bad idea, but motion controls do work for some genres. Sports games, shooters, boxing games are a completely new experience with motion controls. (This does not include Kinect since it is still using last gen Eye Toy technology. F*** Kinect!)
• Graphics - I played so many games last gen that just couldn't match MGS2's graphical fidelity. Even MGS3 was bogged down with framerate issues and fog, fog everywhere! This gen I feel the developers were able to fully implement the vision of their Art teams. Venice in AC2, the whole of U2 and KZ2, Character models in Batman AC, and the epic scale of God Of War 3 are examples where it does not feel the devs was limited in anyway by the current hardware.
• MGS4

Pretty graphics for its time.

for bringing online gaming to the masses

1. Indie renaissance.
2. Decline of mainstream developers
3. Whac-a-mole type gameplay. Especially among many mainstream games such as Uncharted, Gears of War and even Deus Ex.

Maroxad

[QUOTE="Maroxad"]

1. Indie renaissance.
2. Decline of mainstream developers
3. Whac-a-mole type gameplay. Especially among many mainstream games such as Uncharted, Gears of War and even Deus Ex.

Zevvion

i'm guessing he means u (and the enemy) hide in cover, pop-out, and then get shot. either that or quick-time events (in which case, i agree)

The install/download progress bar slowly moving across my tv screen.:P This was definitely the generation of updates/patches/dlcs.

Personally, I will remember this gen as the best so far for high quality gaming experiences. The past gens laid the groundwork already, so this gen was able to focus on refining the gaming experience, leading to many, many excellent games that had the full package: graphics + story + gameplay.

Historically, the gadget gaming trend will probably stick out the most, especially the rise of the Wii/Kinnect/Move. Of all the gaming gadgets, Nintendo's sticks out the most of course since Nintendo went into gadget gaming all way. Nintendo bet big on gadget gaming and it definitely paid off big for them in the short term. Whether gadget gaming will continue to sustain Nintendo in the future or not, there is no arguing that the Wiimote left a huge mark on this gen.

[QUOTE="Zevvion"][QUOTE="Maroxad"]

1. Indie renaissance.
2. Decline of mainstream developers
3. Whac-a-mole type gameplay. Especially among many mainstream games such as Uncharted, Gears of War and even Deus Ex.

BlackDevil99

i'm guessing he means u (and the enemy) hide in cover, pop-out, and then get shot.

Correct.

In fact, there is even a term for games like this: Popamole.

[QUOTE="BlackDevil99"]

[QUOTE="Zevvion"] What do you mean by 'Whac-a-mole type gameplay?Maroxad

i'm guessing he means u (and the enemy) hide in cover, pop-out, and then get shot.

Correct.

In fact, there is even a term for games like this: Popamole.

[QUOTE="Maroxad"]

Correct.

In fact, there is even a term for games like this: Popamole.

Zevvion

Each to their own.

I dont like these kinds of games at all. Especially Gears of War. But I can see why people like them.

For the online gaming.

Good

Great new IPs (Gears, Uncharted , Resistance , L4D, etc.)

Use of Online Multiplayer

Good use of DLC (10% of the time)

Call of Duty

Bad

HD remakes (imo they're a cash in on older games nothing more)

Bad use of DLC (90% of the time)

Not as many good 'ol fashioned fun titles as previous gens

Call of duty

I'll remember uncharted 2, Crysis 2, psn and xbla, the moment that CoD got greedy.

Cons:

- Online multiplayer being tacked on to every game EVAR even if they didn't need it.

- Everyone copying Call of Duty.

- Content already on the disc that requires extra money to actuallyuse.

- Developers going bust left, right and centre.

- 'Hardcore' games becoming noob friendly because there are so many wimps out there who find Ninja Gaiden/Demon's Souls/DMC/Mega Man too hard.

Pros:

- Online multiplayer on consoles becoming brilliant. (mostly)

- Actually competing in Tekken tournaments and making friends with some of the best players in Europe.

- 'Niche' games getting recognised andselling well. Demon's Souls/Persona 4/Valkyria Chronicles/Heavy Rain... hell even Agarest sold way more than expected.

- Some of the greatest games of all time being released.

- Graphics that look like cutscenes. (I was never wowed by graphics so much in any previous generation)

Motion controls, FPSs dominating the market, DLC squeezing every last penny out of consumers, online passes and companies cracking down on used game sales, consoles becoming home entertainment units, RROD.
More negatives than positives for the industry as a whole in my opinion, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the games.

"Dark, brown, gritty, shooters attempting to be depressing realistic.

1. FEAR (PC) - This was the first current gen game I ever played, and the ferocious AI and robust physics were two of the more exciting ways that current gen hardware benefitted game design.

2. Littlebigplanet - I've been playing the series almost daily since the beta of LBP1, and LBP1 and 2 are my first and second most played games ever. Every time I log on there are new levels worth playing due to the level of talent in the communityand people's willingness to collaborate and share game design tips.

3. Uncharted 2 - Simply put the best single player campaign I've ever experienced. It felt like every moment was meticulously planned.

4. Geometry Wars - The best X360 launch game, the game which showed me that online would not merely allow for online play, but would give smaller games a way to reach console gaming.

5. Warhawk - Not my first online game, but its the one which set my expectations for competitive online play due to the moderatators (and on a related note, the great community), the dedicated servers, the (relatively) large scale of the battlefield and battles and the near perfect balancing out the gate (the designers hammered out the game's issues in the beta rather than shipping it and then making radical changes).

6. Valkyria Chronicles - A gorgeous tactical rpg which plays kinda-sorta like the classic X-Com.

7. Heavy Rain - I really love the setting, the multiple pathways and flexible interface of this game.

8. Persona 4 - Technically 'last gen' but it was released in this 'current gen' timeframe and is both more ambitious and better executed than any (semi) traditional jrpg on the PS3 or X360.

*Shrugs* Bad stuff that has happened this gen (stupid pricing, unreliable hardware, stolen identities) but honestly, I focus more on the games I'm playing (and enjoying) than anything else.

Morality and choice in games got really big now. Allows for great replay value.

Morality and choice in games got really big now. Allows for great replay value.

TheBlackKnight3

What do you mean? If anything, morality and choice got shat on this generation. There are less and less choices in RPGs, whether it's choosing how you play in an RPG or the story changing choices. And the choices games do have are very cut and dry. It's either an **** choice or a saint choice, there aren't any grey situations in RPGs today. The only exception I can think of is The Witcher. and even that series contained mostly fighting, no way to slick talk your way through the game, but it did the morality right.

I'll probably remember this generation as the birth of DLCs, streamlining every game, and for making everyother game a shooter or shooter hybrid.

Avatar clothes on Live, COD, the Wii, Valve displaying complete contempt for the Half-Life fanbase, shorter single player campaigns, the rise to prominence of online gaming on consoles.

Bethesda and Rockstar sharing the gold standard in DLC, a giant leap in gorgeously rendered virtual worlds, encouraging steps in choice/multiple outcomes in story-based games, the decline of PC games, DRM, World of Warcraft, LulzSec.

Like any other generation, I'll remember it for the great games I played. I've developed a new-found admiration for Bethesda - though the a-holes quite often put out beta tests as a finished product, they are one of the very few publishers who consistently put out new IP's with fantastic single player campaigns any more.

And I've learned that no matter how much the industry panders to the lowest common denominator with disappointingly mediocre AAA sequel after disappointingly mediocre AAA sequel, there will always be enough marvelously enjoyable B and C games to keep me happy and occupied. And I've learned that I have my own tastes in games: listening to reviewers used to save me from wasting money on crappy games, but now it just causes me to waste money on rubbish - but popular rubbish. :roll:

[QUOTE="Monarch117"][QUOTE="MaskJackal"]

Great indie scene, terrible AAA titles.

It's kinda like what metal's been going through for a decade or more.

Zevvion

I hardly see AAA titles as better quality. They have a much better presentation, but as far as actual gameplay goes they play it safe, add nothing to the genre and have enough cutscenes to bore me to tears, not to mention the fact that a lesser known game doesnt make it worse just because it doesnt have 40 million to devote to marketing.

3 words:

First Person Shooters

when the devs lost their imagination and started making standarized clones for every genre