Poll: Is Gaming Going Downhill

[ranger19]

Forgive me if I repeat comments already made, but I'm not reading all these posts, as I'm not even sure I should even be responding.

Anyway, no, I don't think it's going downhill. It bothers me when people say the industry is filled with sequels as if that's an inherently bad thing. But it's not: when a new game is created, it's very risky, devs don't know how it's going to be received, and players don't know how fun it will be. Once a good game is established, players know what to appreciate, and devs can focus on refining, improving the experience, and taking some risks once they have the main idea down. While I hate franchise-milking as much as the next person, sequels themselves are often good things.

Also, you most likely are looking at previous games with nostalgia. I won't deny there are plenty of good ones, there are some masterful ones in this gen as well. Bioshock is entirely original and fantastic; Fallout 3/Oblivion were not around in the first years of gaming, and indeed that level of immersion into a full world was impossible back then. Online gaming is fun and a product of recent technology.

 

[Jamienra]

Nothing to be sorry about. It's a valid point. I guess it's up to opinions again. Despite Schafer's best efforts, I'm not willing to pay out for the game because he tried to make something different. I'll only buy a game if I'll enjoy playing it. If not then it's onto youtube. Psychonauts was worth playing because the extra skills Raz learnt added extra dimension to the gameplay where other platformers hadn't done before, as well as using them to tell the story.

I'm not aruging all original games are 'bad'. Just not going 'uphill'.

true. but as long as developers are at least trying to make original games/ the only way u can go after that is up.i know im talking about just one genre here. but seeing as sandbox mixes a few elements of gameplay, its the best example. i think as soon as developers can get round the problems in sandbox games. original games will be on the rise. the reasons a lot of games arent up to scratch is the same reason that linear games used to be crap and samey and nothing special. games need time to adjust. sandbox is relatively new in gaming terms and this is why theyre all set in new york. gameplay needs to get better before level desgin gets better i guess. once people have distinctive gameplay, ie seperheroes with diefferent powers, games should and most likely will get better. as for other genres sometimes using the same game to build on makes the next fresh idea incredible. if IW ever moved away from war to do a sci fi or something theyre experience drom COD would be abolutely incredible. it just takes time

 

[Apathetic Flamingo]

I'm not answering this with a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer. My answer is that this gaming generation sees a lot of games that are sub-par. And a LOT of them ave been people just showing off how good their games look visually. (I.E. Madden.) But, games with good graphics get more and more expensive as we make more strides in the technology, and eventually it will be WAY too pricey, and nobody can afford to make better graphics. This means that games developers will be forced to work harder to have good gameplay that goes along with a good story to compliment it. My opinion is that there's no where to go, but up, baby! (This is all my opinion, though. And yes, I do know that not all bad games are bad because of this... just some.)

 

[The_Prophet]

No, you've just been watching a lot of ZP.

 

[Thaius]

Gaming isn't going downhill, it's just kind of in a rut. For the longest time, technology was pretty much the only way we had to upgrade: now, we've pretty much reached the peak of that. Besides making everything look prettier, there's not much more we can do to technologically improve gaming outside of drastic steps like the Wii and NATAL. So innovation is a bit short right now.

I think another thing that's holding us back is that we refuse to see games as more than just games. Once we can look at games as an art form, the horizons will expand and we will get a heck of a lot more than we're getting now. That's starting, but it's still going slowly.

 

[PhantomCritic]

Depends really on your likes and dislikes on video games in general, but for me, I think its in that place right now where its still developing, perhaps thats me being naive, but still I would prefer to think that way...

 

[EuanMack]

Gaming is not going downhill, the gaming market is just being flooded with quick releases to make money but good,well thought out games are still being produced but can still get lost and forgotten amongst the sh*t

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Gameing is not the same as it ever was, CEOs and suits are no longer gamers and fresh upstarts its mostly preppy old gray suit business world types who sell brands,franchises and symbols not games and certainly not products, its all disposable fodder they half way wank out.....(ok well ...mostly.. )

/rant
/seeping hate

 

[Mullahgrrl]

Gaming isn't going downhill, it's merely slowing.

wich might be an indication that it is going uphill, if it where going downhill the seed would increase.

 

[Don't taze me bro]

I've bought a few games so far this year that were not sequels, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Borderlands, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Bayonetta, Dead Space and Blaz Blue.

I've also bought a few games that were sequels, and thoroughly enjoyed them, such as Uncharted 2 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.

I don't think gaming is going downhill. There is still innovation out there with the thriving indie gaming scene, and even sequels are not always content to rest upon their laurels.

 

[Nimbus]

Not really. This whole DLC trend is a bit worrying, but I doubt it'll last, and it's not really a big deal.

 

[KiLl_RoY]

I don`t think so, not in a near future at least.

 

[The Hairminator]

Games are not less fun, I have just grown older. Still, It feels like originality has faded away, with only a few original titles per year.

 

[The_Echo]

Obviously someone hasn't been paying attention to all the original IPs of late.

 

[Kilo24]

Gaming is about where it's always been, post 1985 or so. Especially good, original games come out far less frequently than the latest imitation (the standard imitators being FPSes usually, like platformers were on the NES), and they're remembered more strongly than the other games out at that time. Keep in mind when you look at the games past that you're looking at the whole history of gaming; when you look at the past few years that's just a small portion of the games out.

 

[dududf]

Gaming isn't going downhill, it's merely slowing.

wich might be an indication that it is going uphill, if it where going downhill the seed would increase.

In the context of slowing down, I mean they are just not coming out with as much new ideas.

Don't read what I say as JUST that, consider the context.

 

[Mullahgrrl]

Gaming isn't going downhill, it's merely slowing.

wich might be an indication that it is going uphill, if it where going downhill the seed would increase.

In the context of slowing down, I mean they are just not coming out with as much new ideas.

Don't read what I say as JUST that, consider the context.

In what context would something slow down if it started going downhill?

 

[L3m0n_L1m3]

I don't think gaming is going downhill, it's more fun than it was 8 years ago IMO. More possibilites (although there are a lot of space marines and sequels, admittedly), better multiplayer, and generally more appealing. Don't get me wrong, old games were great, but I like new games better.

 

[ERadical]

Hmm there are still good games coming out even if they have a 2 at the end. A lot of sequels revitalize or re-invent the series. Like MW2 will have a lot of cool new shit, it will have the feel of the old game yes but there are all new weapons, graphics, controls what ever.

Also check out Borderlands, Dragon Age: Origins, Trine and Torchlight. While Torchlight is a dialbo clone it really delivers and is quite good.