Is this the worst generation ever for games?

[ezee ryder]

I disagree. Last gen saw a refinement of the 32/64 bit era, but there was more to it than that. I felt there was a lot more scope and experimentation which sat alongside the uniform stuff. It was last gen that birthed the likes of Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Rez, Resi4, Killer7, Viewtiful Joe and so on. There has been little this gen to touch any of that and games have become even more homogenised than ever before.

And there is WAY too much politics about stuff that has nothing whatsoever to do with games.

Here's a good analogy; the 16 bit era was a refinement of 8-bit, right? 16-bit games played a lot like 8-bit games but were faster and prettier. And at the time, that was more than enough. Then with the N64 and PS1, the shift was made to 3D. This was refined by the PS2/GC/XBOX which was an equivalent to the 16-bit era in that regard. This era now would be like if the 32/64-bit era had just prettied up 16-bit 2D gaming and left it at that. Clearly, that's more than enough for some people.

To me, this era's saving grace has been the introduction of download services which has finally given indies a foot in the door once again. This alone has the potential to make gaming great again.

All those games you mention though can be (if you really want to) compared to titles from previous era's. Like I said it is just a question if you want to, I think most people look back to previous era's with some super rose tinted glasses. Yes there were some great games back then but there are also great games now.

This era has done some refining of its own too though I think. Online gaming has moved on leaps and bounds, it is a much bigger part of games now. As you have mentioned the download services have had a huge impact with some quality titles being released across all formats. Lastly there have been some quality titles too with the likes of Gears, Uncharted, Bioshock, Left4Dead, Crackdown, Super Mario Galaxy and so on. Yes they might not have totally reinvented their respectives genres but they have most certainly refined and improved on games that came before them.

Another thing is (was briefly mentioned in here before) that gaming as a whole has become more mainstream and I don't think the "hardcore" like that. I can honestly say I was one of those moaning about the impact the Wii has had on gaming and that "they (Nintendo) don't look after us anymore" but I learnt the errors of my way. The more people that game the bigger the industry gets and the more recognised it becomes which can only be a good thing.

[Team Andromeda]

Im going to get shot down in flames for this im sure, as i know many of you think this is the best generation ever, not the worst. However frankly im bored to tears and can barely muster any enthusiasm for even previously much loved franchises (metal gear/resi etc) it all just seems soooo boring. Yes im an old man but does anyone agree?

Nope ,and people like you were saying that in the 16 bit hey day . Yawn not another Platform game yawn not another RPG , Yawn not another SF II ripp off, Yawn not another 2D shooter .The reality is, there was an awful lot of crap on the Mega Drive , Snes , and Saturn , PS

I do miss the old days for traditional shooters and Light Gun games , but otherwise this generation of games have been brilliant
pI think people overlook , how much storylines in games have progressed and now rival some of the best book and films imo

[Kubrick]

Is this the worst generation ever for games?

F*** no. For me, the mid-90s transition between cartridge consoles and CD-based systems was much worse.
Sounds to me like you're just unsatisfied with the PS3, and who can blame you.

[Geoff D]

pI think people overlook , how much storylines in games have progressed and now rival some of the best book and films imo

I've yet to play a game that comes anywhere close to having a story to rival the best books & films (although that's not why I play games it has to be said.)

This gen doesn't feel much different to any other gen to me - some good, some bad, some ugly

[Team Andromeda]

I've yet to play a game that comes anywhere close to having a story to rival the best books & films (although that's not why I play games it has to be said.)

Play Yakuza II , there's a story and script to rival any film . I'm not a massive fan of Mass effect , but I thought the scrip and setting was like that straight out of any big Budget film .

This gen is like any other . Some awesome stand out games , but plenty of generic ripp-off clones . It was like that in Zx Spectrum days , nothing changed

[spagmasterswift]

There is a tendency for me to think last generation had more original games, but then last Gen was when I got properly 'into' gaming. I've not had any moments (at least none that spring to mind) where I've thought 'what the hell is this game' which most would probably see as a negative I expect, but for me videogames were always something mind blowing, something that felt they had arrived from the future. New design, play mechanic or preferably both tend to make a big impact on me which is why Killer7 and Viewtiful Joe rank very highly.

My use of the internet is possibly to blame here, if a game looks like it may be amazing I will suck the life out of it by watching and reading every last bit of drip feed marketing I can find. I tend to know exactly what to expect from the game I've bought, how it looks, plays, key moments from it, etc. Last Gen I bought Edge now and then, but that was pretty much it so the impact games had on me was far more powerful. Some games this Gen have surpassed the hype machine; on paper (lol) L4D looked too fast and a little bland for my tastes but the incredible experience of playing that game was something that could only have been achieved this Gen, imo.

[charlesr]

As usual there has been far too much quality for me to possibly have time to play.

My only gripe is that a lot games that I thought would be top class were just far too easy to give top marks. Super Princess Peach: completed entire thing without buying any powerups. World of Goo: dazzled me with presentation from the gods, but lack of any challenging puzzles really just made it a game of going through the motions with no real sense of reward - anyone wanting to play this should really go for the OCD challenges first time around - I couldn't be bothered replaying to get them. They could have even made them mandatory or at least "achieve 3 OCDs to progress to next world area". NinjaTown: Much easier than I thought it would be since I never play this sort of game - last similar thing I played was C&C Red Alert on the PS1... The list goes on, but you get the idea.

Fortunately games with well thought out and challenging learning curves like Skate and Mirror's Edge have meant countless hours of my life disappeared this gen. Currently Stoked is giving me exactly the same thrill.

[Wools]

Every generation of Videogame development brings about good and bad games and no date on the timeline can escape that rule, however nostalgia can play a large part in that.

One of my most fondly remembered generations is the PSone 32bit era as it brought about the move into 3D with Quake, exploration in a 3D world with Tomb Raider and Mario 64 and spawned some of my favourite trilogy?s of games with Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil.

This generation though has been a wonderful time to be into Videogames and it arrived for me when I first stepped out of the sewers in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It?s qualities have been told a thousand times over but over the 3 years since it?s been released it?s qualities and merits have not diminished and it?s turned into one of my favourite videogames I?ve ever played.

From The Orange Box, Oblivion, Call of Duty 4, Tomb Raider Anniversary, Noby Noby Boy, Braid, Mass Effect, Dead Space, Mirrors Edge, Grand Theft Auto 4, Animal Crossing, Flower, No More Heroes, Fable 2 and so many more they offer something innovative, beautiful, original and above all, they?re brilliant to play.

If you have not played something this generation you?ve enjoyed then I can only offer the advice to sell off three quarters of your collection and try a different pastime before picking up a new game a year or two down the road. You must be very jaded if you can class this generation as bad or without merit.

[Ouenben]

I'd say no on account of the fact that off the top of my head I can think of the following pretty good - excellent games:

Super Mario Galaxy
Call of duty 4
Halo 3 (okay this is down to debate)
Ouendan
Zelda Twilight princess
Smash bros Brawl
Orange box (Portal)
Left 4 Dead
Little big planet
Metal gear solid 4
Bioshock
Burnout paradise
Crackdown
Grand theft auto IV (Not a personal fave mind)
Gears of war 1 + 2
Crysis
skate
rock band
+ several several other high quality titles

sorry for the list but this definately isn't the worst gen.... theres been alot of quality titles released in the last 3 years on Xbox 360 PS3 and DS and a bit on Wii, and quite a nice number of good titles on XBLA, PSN and Wiiware

[spagmasterswift]

I hope this thread doesn't turn into a game-list-fest!

That would suck

[Brats]

If you're not interested by Gears of War, GTA, Medal of Honour or Guitar Hero, you're in trouble and most high profile games seem to be built around those formats.

Imagine if cinema consisted of nothing but big action summer blockbusters, there are lots of film fanatics who would absolutely hate that lack of variety. You may have a high level of quality and budget in every film but you get sick of them.

Last gen saw a refinement of the 32/64 bit era, but there was more to it than that. I felt there was a lot more scope and experimentation which sat alongside the uniform stuff. It was last gen that birthed the likes of Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Rez, Resi4, Killer7, Viewtiful Joe and so on. There has been little this gen to touch any of that and games have become even more homogenised than ever before.

In response to these two posts in particular, I believe there is a great deal of variety and experimentation around, you just need to widen your vision a little.

What I have seen happen in this generation is that most of the attention on sites like this has changed from niche titles to the big blockbusters. I think this has happened for two reasons:

1) The average quality of big blockbuster games has become much higher. In the previous generation, we were a little skeptical about the 'big' games because we had been burnt too often. Killzone, Brute Force, Auto-Modelista - these were games that promised the Earth and fell flat.

In this generation, the developers and publishers have invested more in their big games. They've been more willing to hold the games back for extra development if needed (GTA was delayed for the first time ever) and the care and polish that goes into these big titles is greater than before. Occassionally a big title doesn't quite meet expectations (Assassin's Creed, Heavenly Sword) but the only big name stinker I can think of is Lair.

Last generation EA was a bad word. This generation, even the 50 cent game is a pretty decent game. Things have changed.

2) Publishers have become much better at marketing. They know how to hype the big games. Look at this forum - one of the most active threads is the Kojima teaser thread. The games companies know how to push our buttons and reel us in, wether it be ARGs, teasers, special editions or big events, we lap it up.

All this means that the smaller games get less attention. Last generation, games like Valkyria Cronicles, Banjo Kazooie and World of Goo would have dominate the discussion. Now it's Killzone 2 and Resi 5.

Not that those are bad games, but my point is that games have become a bit more like music and films - the different experimental stuff is out there, but you have to search a bit than you used to. In the 1960's the most exprimental music was often the most popular (Beatles, Pink Floyd). Nowadays, anyone who is into their music knows they have to dig around a bit more. It's the same with games.

I'll see your Rez's and Viewtiful Joe's and I'll raise you Boom Blox, Braid, Little King's Story, N+, Pixeljunk Eden, Mirror's Edge and Flower. All great games, all trying something new.

I believe the real success story of this generation has been the maturing of online. Not just multiplayer, but game add ons, XBLA etc, user created content, Steam.

And I've not even mentioned specifically the Wii and the DS. Gaming's in great shap - go out there and find it.

[prinnysquad]

That would suck

lol, bound to happen

Still, it was a good list.

Edit: Nice post, Brats. There are tons of the more experimental games out there that I freely admit I haven't touched due to either not having the format (Little King Story, World of Goo, Zack and Wiki, etc) or being too lazy to try (N+, Peggle). The stuff I have tried, like Nuts and Bolts and Braid, have been excellent.

[spagmasterswift]

lol, bound to happen

Still, it was a good list.

Agreed!

[EvilBoris]

I've played more amazing games this generation than I have any other generation, I cna see why some people might be under the impression that it isn't as good as the Japanese developers have been no way near as prolific or willing to take risks as they had been last generation, but you can put that down to the poor sales of next gen machines in japan and the developers inability to keep up with the tech.

[Skull Commander]

I love how this gen Retro has became accessable for the masses as well. Retro isn't the dirty word that it once was in some parts, and surely services like PSN, XBLA and the Virtual Console have to take some credit for that.

We are getting the best of the 8 bit and 16 bit era as part of the current gen package as well. Games that were 'rare' and expensive can now be snapped up for under a tenner and that must be a good thing.