The lamest generation?

[Ady]

I find myself more interested in older games over a lot of the more recent generational offerings. Whilst good games are still coming out, they are getting fewer and further between.

The 'me too' mentality of many western codeshops is verging on self parody, and -as the first poster pointed out- many of the Japanese devcos are struggling to keep afloat - and it shows.

I think the main problem, though is that the notion of what a videogame is has changed. Today's gamers are too hung up on lengthy, story-driven epics and tired franchises and have little tolerance for anything else.

It's not all doom and gloom but it could be better - a lot better.

[Popo]

I can't think of a time when I wanted more games.

Never going to be able to get half of them, either!

[nips]

I can't think of a time when I wanted more games.

I know exactly what you mean. I can't wait, to get my hands on an X-Box so I can play on MAME!

As for new titles, there is a hellova lotta ****tte out there, if you know where to look, this is easily one of the best generations!

[badgerpie]

Ok, all those gamers who've been playing for years and are feeling jaded by the current games/release shedules ask yourselves this. Is it that games have decreased in quality or that your lifestyle has changed in ways so that you can't appreciate games as much as you did.
Firstly, you're not 6 anymore so that childlike joy has gone and you'll have become more cynical and harder to impress.
Secondly, your lifestyle will probably have changed because of other commitments.

I don't enjoy games as much, but I'm not sure how much of that is down to the games. I can normally only scrape about 5 hours of gaming together a week due to work commitments and a social life. I will purposefully avoid long rpgs like Final fantasy because there's no point. It'll never get finished.

I think there are games that have come out in the last year that are as good if not better than we've ever seen.

There are games which have been innovative and fun to pick up like monkey ball, rez, frequency.

I guess there isn't that much on the immeadiate horizon that i'm desperate to get, but it gives me time to master all my previous games that i've only dipped into for a couple of hours each. By the time i've finished a couple of these I'm sure there'll be a couple of new games i'll be interested in getting. And it's good for the old bank balance

P.S. I'm also not trying to get at the older gamers, I've been playing games now for about 22 years (**** I'm getting old).

[Ady]

Ok, all those gamers who've been playing for years and are feeling jaded by the current games/release shedules ask yourselves this. Is it that games have decreased in quality or that your lifestyle has changed in ways so that you can't appreciate games as much as you did.

It's not even a lifestyle issue; Personally, I just find it hard to be excited by the prospect of Franchise Update 87 (with slightly prettier graphics) and Generic FPS-With-Added-Stealth 50.

It also annoys me how the best ideas aren't left to stand on their own. Sequels are an inevitability. There's nothing wrong with sequels as such, but some games really don't need them - and devcos seem incapable of knowing when to stop wringing an idea.

I'm also confident I'd think the same way if I was a kid, too.

Firstly, you're not 6 anymore so that childlike joy has gone and you'll have become more cynical and harder to impress.

Not necessarily. As a kid, I was still able to spot samey dross. Neither was I infatuated with good graphics at the expense gameplay.

I also disagree that age has made me harder to impress; Mario 64 was one of the last games that truly impressed my adult self.

[Tokuda]

I personally feel games have never been better.

We have the ultimate fighting game- VF4 Evo.

We have some amazing shooters- Psyvarier, Ketsui, Panzer Dragoon Orta

We have the best arcade racer since Daytona (I personally prefer it to Daytona)- Initial D

other arcadey style bliss- PN 03, Devil May Cry

I can imagine for people who mainly play games with large worlds and open ended gameplay- there hasn`t been that much to shout about this generation for people who mainly play these kinds of games. Off the top of my head, theres only Metroid Prime and Zelda that have really impressed.

[badgerpie]

I reckon games are prob as good now as they've always been, there is still innovation if you know where to look.

However, one worrying thing is if you look at the titles which I think are novel and have suprised me the most over the past year (ICO, frequency, REZ, animal crossing), all these titles haven't done well at retail.

So if I put myself in a publishers or a developers point of view, I can make something truly great and innovative and then have the risk of it bombing and costing me vast amounts of money, or I can create 'Master chief Solid 2003'.

It might suck from an innovation point of view, but from a shirt-term business point of view you can see why they do it.

[Ady]

So if I put myself in a publishers or a developers point of view, I can make something truly great and innovative and then have the risk of it bombing and costing me vast amounts of money, or I can create 'Master chief Solid 2003'.

It might suck from an innovation point of view, but from a shirt-term business point of view you can see why they do it.

Of course, but it's holding gaming back. It never used to be about bending to pusblisher's whims, it used to be about imagination. This is precicely why gaming (desptie obvious good points) ain't what it used to be.

[Concept]

ICO
Rez
Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 3
Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution
Pikmin
Final Fantasy X
Devil May Cry
Resident Evil Remake
Resident Evil Zero
Metal Gear Solid 2
Super Mario Sunshine
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Project Zero
Frequency
Halo
Psyvariar
Ridge racer V
Mark Of Kri
Zettai Zetsumei Toshi
Soul Calibur 2
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Super Monkey Ball
Burnout 2
Gran Turismo 3: A Spec
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Jak & Daxter
Ikaruga
Onimusha 2
Metroid Prime
Project Gotham Racing
Amped
Jet Set Radio Future
Moto GP
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Eternal Darkness
Luigi's Mansion
Splinter Cell
Dead Or Alive 3
TimeSplitters 2
SSX
Pro Evolution Soccer
Tekki
Animal Crossing
P.N.03

To name but a few...

You (or I) might not like every game on that list. But I think it's unfair to call this generation a disappointment. There have been some truly great games, even in comparison to the so-called glory of yesteryear.

[Afterbirth]

Okay. I was somewhat wrong.
I've just read the latest PSW mag and theres some stunning games to look forward to, although nothing genre breaking.

Still nice to see a sonic title on the PS2 (Sonic heroes - GC, and XB too)
True Crime - SOLA (by the Vigilante 8 guys)
Gradius V (not acutally shown)
Bloody Road 4 - Hudson/Konami?
Castlevania - Lament of innocence - Konami
Headhunter - Redemption - Sega
Air Force Delta Strike - Konami
Syphon Filter - Omega Strain
DD arenas.
New SSX (EA)
R-Type Delta

They're the ones that i like the look of anyway.

[dgnr7982]

I seem to remember all sorts of pish from past generations - move tie-ins from companies like US GOLD and ocean and endless platformers