Are Games Getting Better, or Just Prettier?

[Fallensky7]

Over time a technology has improved, many in the gaming community claim that the games that come out now are leagues and leagues over the game of previous generations. Now, stripping away all of the pretty graphics and physics engines that shitty games love to hid in. At their core have game truly gotten better?

Original plot, character development, game play innovation, controls, presentation, art direction.

Are these things that we love and remember alive and well, or are they getting lost in the copypasta sequel era of today? Has the advances in technology and development simply allowed us to create game that LOOK better or are they TRULY superior to the Half-Life 1 and Planescape of years past?

 

[quack35]

Both. And this topic has been done to death.

 

[scnj]

I don't think it's fair to generalise. Sure, some games are still fairly generic, but there's still quality stuff coming out. Valkyria Chronicles, Braid, LittleBigPlanet, Okami.

The truth is that some older games are better than some newer games and vice versa. It depends on the game, and trying to generalise them by year of release is frankly unfair on the great games that still get released.

 

[CudaSpawn]

it depends on your definition of better. I think games are getter better overall but are still lacking story wise need some improvement, but are getting better.

 

[Time Travelling Toaster]

I don't think it's fair to generalise. Sure, some games are still fairly generic, but there's still quality stuff coming out. Valkyria Chronicles, Braid, LittleBigPlanet, Okami.

The truth is that some older games are better than some newer games and vice versa. It depends on the game, and trying to generalise them by year of release is frankly unfair on the great games that still get released.

This. Also they just seem to get prettier not necessary better.

 

[Curtmiester]

I say both too. Or made prettier makes for better games and we don't know it.

 

[New Troll]

Games are getting more boring in my opinion. Not nearly as innovative as they use to be. And a lot shorter to boot. But they do indead look better.

 

[Psypherus]

Games are definately getting prettier but better? No, I dont think so. That's not to say they're getting worse though.

 

[Jepix]

Freedom died a long time ago. Even so called "sand-box games" feel konfined within their own worlds. I still sit down and play Angband (google it) just so I can nuzzle with a truly free world. Take this scenario:

"Tardo the barbarian lumbers through the tunnels of a cave. A hideous beast appears (name forgotten) Tardo is about to search the corpse when he remembers that the body turns everything it touches to stone. Tardo's smart and puts on a pair of chain gloves, and wields the stiff body as a weapon, that effectively turns any adversary to a statue. yay.
A couple of days later, Tardo tries to kill a warlock deeper down the dungeon. The warlock curses Tardos gloves, but nothing seem to happen. Tardo moves forward, but is sudden hit by his own weapon. Tardo dies turned into stone."

I hate and love that game so much I get a stroke just thinking about it.

 

[AboveUp]

Both at the same time, but it's lacking in all other aspects, I find.
Difficulty and challenge, replay value, music (Yes, the sound quality is better, but the songs are getting more and more forgettable with every generation) and originality seem to be getting skipped in trade of gimmicks, better graphics and depth.

 

[super_smash_jesus]

In my opinion, the games are just getting prettier, because there really hasn't been any innovation apart from graphics in most genres since the 64/playstation days, spare a few advanced in control schemes. So yeah, just prettier, and this is also based on me not enjoying games as much as I used to.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Both. I mean, Prototype is definitely both.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

I enjoy games now as much as ever but a lot of them are pretty boring. I try not to play those.

 

[RollForInitiative]

Game design philosophies have evolved in a number of ways over the past two decades. While many people will claim that games now are worse than they used to be, I find that only holds true as long as people view old titles through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia.

 

[Jharry5]

As everyone above has said, both. It's really hard to generalise about something as wide-ranging as games like that...

 

[Quadtrix]

Prettier.

 

[DragonChi]

prettier.

 

[ChocoFace]

Better in the sense that the players have more options, more freedom? sure.
Prettier? definitely.
Better in the sense that the actual game is better? not a chance.

This is mostly the case (and i don't want to generalise).

 

[SendMeNoodz84]

I think some of you need to play Mass Effect.