Poll: Does anybody else think console gaming is going downhill?

[Credge]

Well, most certainly my favorite games came from the 1991 to 2000 time period, but most notably from the 94 to 98 time span. I would say that, generally, the quality of games has gone down a lot since then. This is mainly due to the mass marketing of gaming. Instead of word of mouth being the dominant factor on what is and isn't a good game, people look at a commercial and RUSH OUT TO BUY IT OH MY GOD WOW! There's also the bit that reviewers get payed big cash to write dribble about games and... meh.

People also treat gaming much differently than they did in the past. Instead of playing for the fun of it, more and more people are playing to say that they "DID IT! YEAH!!!!" It's bad. This is also the biggest reason for the popularity of achievements/trophies. What a craptacular thing those are. I mean, it's great to have if you like a game, but I've seen plenty of people say that they would buy a game if, and only really if, it had achievements.

Example: http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/12/15/unsurprisingly-low-valkyria-chronicles-sales/#comments

What the hell? Why can't you buy the game because it's fun? It's this sort of accomplishment-based gaming that is, in my opinion, completely ruining gaming.

 

[Same River New Water]

I say now. Why?
Because good games are being released, and the good games of yesteryear can still be played.

I concur. Also, as technology improves, it becomes easier ad cheaper to make a game to the standard of a big-budget title from years past, so there are indie developers banging together awesome games with outdated technology on the cheap. See Battle for Westnoth for one free example, and just about every browser game starting with Desktop Tower Defence. There's a company making old-school isometric CRPGs cheaply, too, but I can't remember the name... Spider-something Software?

 

[Woe Is You]

There's a company making old-school isometric CRPGs cheaply, too, but I can't remember the name... Spider-something Software?

Spiderweb Software. Makers of Avernum and a couple other RPGs.

I've always wanted to try their games out, but I've never had the time to. I've always had things on my plate.

 

[DirkGently]

I agree with Elarabdema.. something. hehe. Anywho, I think there is still a long way to go before my ps3 and computer are the same thing.[/quote

Not really. I'm pretty sure I remember hear a Linux distro having been developed for it.

 

[Woe Is You]

You can basically run Linux in your toaster if you wanted to.

Why you'd want to is a completely different question.

 

[Abize]

Before, There was better selection of good single-player console games before the rise. Il admit that there are good games out now, but they were much more numerous. But then, Im from a time when consoles were for single-player games and PC was the only online multiplayer available.

 

[DirkGently]

You can basically run Linux in your toaster if you wanted to.

Why you'd want to is a completely different question.

Yes. That's sort of the point of Linux. Being able to make your own operating system for whatever you feel like doing. As for why you'd do it to a Playstation, I've no idea, outside of 'because can and it's fun".

 

[sirdanrhodes]

To be honest, gaming in general has become a bit tame.

 

[Gormers1]

To be honest, gaming in general has become a bit tame.

Thats because youve grown up.

I think it has stayed the same, so none of the alternatives.

 

[sirdanrhodes]

To be honest, gaming in general has become a bit tame.

Thats because youve grown up.

I think it has stayed the same, so none of the alternatives.

If I've grown up, then Saints Row 2 brought out the inner 16 year old in me. Everyone says I am to boring and grown up... Even my English teacher says I write like a 30 year old when attempting to write a paper where I should be writing as a teenager.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

To be honest, gaming in general has become a bit tame.

Thats because youve grown up.

I think it has stayed the same, so none of the alternatives.

Ninja'd.

Truly, I think a lot of this nostalgia for better days is more a reflection on people getting older and more experienced (or jaded, perhaps) with games. The games you first encounter make a huge impression, because you have nothing like them to compare the experience against. As the years go by, though, you have a bigger background of game experiences against which to measure new ones... so it gets progressively tougher and tougher to impress just by visceral impact.

I think gamer malaise is more a reflection on the gamers than on the games.

-- Steve

 

[cambell360]

i suppose consoles where less like the pc back then, but now its the big console war that sparked the craving for THE most up to date technological features which wouldnt of happened if all the god damn fanboys of all consoles started bitching about how good there recently purchased console is. but then again gaming today has reached a new level, the grafics are pretty much next to top and the new rave on online gaming like xbox live and playstation network are extremeley good. but most people forget about the real plot of gaming and just want to wank about with their friends.

 

[KrossZer0]

So you think console gaming has gone down hill because now, not only can it do the stuff console gaming has always done, but it can do most of the stuff PC gaming does to?

I fail to see your logic sir.

 

[Tabloid Believer]

Consoles gone downhill? Not at all. First and foremost, consoles (now more than ever) offer a different experience from PC gaming. For example, the Wii and the Wiimote are something you are not going to be able to experience on a PC. Period. Same with the Wii Fit.

But it applies to the X-Box and PS3 as well. One of our top games that we play a lot of right now is Rock Band and Rock Band 2. Again, you're not going to get that experience with the PC.

Truly, I think a lot of this nostalgia for better days is more a reflection on people getting older and more experienced (or jaded, perhaps) with games. The games you first encounter make a huge impression, because you have nothing like them to compare the experience against. As the years go by, though, you have a bigger background of game experiences against which to measure new ones... so it gets progressively tougher and tougher to impress just by visceral impact.

I think gamer malaise is more a reflection on the gamers than on the games.

-- Steve

Yep, I can't agree more. Most of the whole of idea of "they don't make them like they used to" is very much a nostalgia response. Nothing wrong with that, but we should recognize it for what it is.

 

[cuddly_tomato]

So you think console gaming has gone down hill because now, not only can it do the stuff console gaming has always done, but it can do most of the stuff PC gaming does to?

I fail to see your logic sir.

No. It has gone downhill because focus has shifted. Consoles are less about games now and more about all the other crap they are trying to foist on us, which is basically trying to turn consoles into a PC-lite.

The PS3 can print stuff out, show photos, play MP3s, and browse the net. EVERY SINGLE one of those things a PC does far better. Especially the net - every website out there is built with PC screen format in mind, and so look terrible on regular TVs. Furthermore, every single website is designed to be used by one person. Videos are condensed into small 5 minute things. Websites are things you flick over. You can get away with playing a game on the family TV, you can easily have a game of Forza with the kids on the family TV, but you can't very well google "Stoya porno queen" while on the family TV. Nor can you go around watching youtube vids or reading news websites.

Except for playing games, the PS1 could play CDs. That's all. And it had literally hundreds of good games as well as thousands of bad ones. The PS3 can do all of these other things, but has a handful of games in total. Most of them bad and very few of them noteworthy. Is there are a relationship between the two trends?

I think there is. With every single new useless non-gaming functionality added to a console, some gaming functionality is lost.

 

[Mizaki]

Older people are harder to impress. It's that simple. I think alot of these games should be played like if we're little.. really, people get so serious about games. Most of the games people whine about would be great if they were played just for fun factor. But the seriousness is why games aren't the same to people. And it works both ways. Developers have two modes, it seems. SRSBIZ and casual. And the gamers are the same way. So, who's to blame? The gamers of course! That's why we get bland main characters but that's for another thread another day.

 

[jamesworkshop]

Games have got better as time went on most of the originals could be played on 3 keys one to go left one to go right and another to jump/shoot (mario/Space invaders).
Now we have Voice acting, motion captured player animations, an extra dimension, complex rule sets (D&D in BG), better graphics, longer games.
Nostalgia is about remembering the few gems like Sonic and glossing over the rubbish like E.T/EA sports titles that existed with them.

EDIT*
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eqmjWCk36C8

Nostalgia at its best

 

[Gallop444]

I honestly hate playing on PC games. I recently stumbled into an old copy of Half-Life 2: Episode 1 for PC, eventually installed it and found it to be appaling. The graphics were terrible (and my computer is fairly good), it took far too long to install, huge loading times and was very prone to crashing. On the other hand, ages ago I borrowed the Orange Box and played Half-Life 2 on that and was astounded. The graphics were beautiful, shorter loading times and smoother gameplay. I don't think PC gaming will ever topple the console.