Diversifying Tastes

[JammyD]

I don't know if many of you still read GameCentral, but there was an article on it last Wednesday about gamers being more selective about what they play due to both experience and the games themselves becoming less defined by genre. It also asked whether there is such a thing as a universally loved game anymore, no matter how good.

It's something that I can't help wondering about myself - I've become much, much more selective over the last few years. In the Playstation era, I would just as happily play Tekken as Resi or FIFA, but now all that's changed. I instinctively find myself drawn towards some genres and turning away from others.

The only genres I like as a whole now are first-person shooters and rythm action games. That is to say, I can play the most mediocre FPS and still enjoy it a lot. I do enjoy games from other genres, but usually the game in question seems to be the exception.
So is genre important, when it comes to taste? It is to me, yet it isn't
I love Burnout, but hate other racing games. I love Final Fantasy, but hate other RPGs. I try to keep an open mind, like when Ninja Gaiden came out I got it, because athough I don't go for action games that much, I liked DMC, but I think NG put me off action games for good.

Does the notion of a great game being one that everyone can like hold true at all? I would put up Halo as the best current-generation game. I convinced a friend who loves FPSs to buy an XBox just for Halo but he doesn't like it, he preferred Agent Under Fire(no really), although he loves Deus Ex as well. Alternately, Enter the Matrix was universally panned, yet I enjoyed it.

So have your gaming tastes changed much over time? Do you approach all games with an open mind or are you selective about certain types of games no matter how good or bad they're supposed to be?

[Sketcz]

Interesting question.

Sadly the genres I used to like dont exist in abundance anymore, or have mutated beyond my recognition.
As a result I will now look into anything that is 2D or contains sprites purely out of principle.


Sports genres, which have never interested me, still don't.

Everything else though is fair game for my cynical personality.
Loved Half-life and Deus-Ex but hated Halo for example.
Hate strategy games, but really enjoyed Advance Wars.

So really, what genre I generally like hasnt changed much, its just that its a harder genre to find. Im selective now not out of choice and experience, but necessity.


As for universally loved games? I dont think theres ever been such a thing.

[JammyD]

Well the GC article mentioned Super Mario World as being the SNES game that everyone loved. I mean everyone likes SMW, right?

The worst bit is when I'm deciding what to buy, it could be between an average FPS or a supposedly excellent RPG, and I have to wonder, will this be another Final Fantasy experience(great) or borefest Japanese RPG(looking at you Xenosaga).

I simply can't gauge from reviews anymore if I'll like something. I mean the whole "you'll like this if you liked that" thing never seems to hold true for me.

Even if the forum loves a game, and you get the whole range of opinions with a forum, I still don't know who to believe. Not that anyone is right or wrong as such, it's just that we all have such different tastes.

[Sketcz]

Reviews stopped holding meaning for me years ago. Now I read them purely to hear about the content, and with the screens I decide from there if its for me.

I liked "the Thing" on Xbox and bought it not because of wether reviewers liked it, but because what the reviewers described you doing in the game.
(does that make sense)

Regarding genre again, I tend to try and avoid getting too much of one genre in any single time period. Recently got 3 different shmups, and I find them all blurring into each other mentally.

[JammyD]

I play FPSs most because they interest me more then other genres and it also comes down to wanting to be good at one particular type of game. And that way, I can actually finish some games.
Of course I end up going back to Halo a lot, playing through the Covenant levels for the 5th time this week.