Sylocat said:
No I do not think so.
The current trend among game developers consists of sacrificing fun for the sake of realism, something which no game designer should ever do, under any circumstances. I'm loathe to beat the dead horse that is GTA4 anymore, but it's a shining (literally, the only lighting in the game comes from bloom effects) example of everything wrong with the games industry.
The reason for this, is because a fair chunk of gaming's target audience are the macho fratboy demographic who are ashamed of liking video games, and so demand games that don't look like games, so they can convince themselves they're not playing with toys.
Why is it so trendy to hate on AAA titles. I think GTA 4, DESPITE its flaws (no Roman I don't want to hang out), is everything that is RIGHT in video games. We get A list voice talent, millions of dollars in developing budget, and around 40 hours of fun for $60. That is QUALITY entertainment at an affordable price. The game had its problems, but it was still a ton of fun and chock full of original content. Sylocat and all you other jaded, pretentious "gamers" get off your high horse. There is a reason games like GTA, Fallout, and Halo do well and here is a hint; its not because they are not fun to play. I also loved the graphics; not every game should look like Wii Bowling or World of Warcraft. Also, its not very realistic to be shot a bunch of times and then be good as new by eating a hotdog. Its not very realistic to find assault weapons lying around in the street. I think that about sums that up.
I think its great that the gaming industry is splitting into more niche industries. I don't think you can really compare the Wii crowd and the 360/PS3 crowd anymore. I think the Pc crowd is/has started really branching out too. There are a LOT more genres in games now then there were 20 years ago when I started gaming. It is like the music, movie, or book industry before it where its taken some time to grow. There is definitely something for everyone; the 50 year old housewife, the 10 year old schoolkid, the fratboy meatheads, and the pretentious geeks like us who spend lunch breaks trolling forums like the Escapist.
Anyone who says there is not enough originality in games anymore needs to buy Left 4 Dead. What a great, original twist on an established genre. We also lucky to have great original plots and stories like Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed. We have new advances in even casual gaming with the Wii (even though snood will ALWAYS be my fav casual game and no motion sensor controls will EVER take that away from me) and Rock Band/Guitar hero.
It has never been a better time to be a gamer.