Question of the Day, July 6, 2010

The Great JT

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Oct 6, 2008
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Worse. They're getting to be like Hollywood blockbusters: bad storytelling, all flash/no substance, bad art design, bad level design and needless, arbitrary additions.
 

Arkhangelsk

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Mar 1, 2009
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The same. While we see many bad games today, we must remember, that beneath the shining gems of nostalgia, there was a mountain of shit. Also, with there being a bigger quantity of game developers, the quantity of games increases, and with the percent of bad games in relation to the good ones, the contrast seems bigger and bigger.
 

Chancie

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Sep 23, 2009
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I think about the same. In all my years of gaming, I've played games that are good and then I experience that special gem once in a while that I come across. Same thing has applied to PS1 games as well as PS3.
 

Chase Yojimbo

The Samurai Sage
Sep 1, 2009
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I say the same, mostly because its the truth. Look people, we have to admit that they are getting worse, though once in a while you will come across the golden shit that is better than the other games, but it is still surrounded by rancid fecies. It is sad, i know, every time i play a video game i take a risk on wasting my money to play something i may not even like. Now however i am taken to the point where im downloading old games on my useless laptop that can hardly do anything.

So i say this, can't find any more good games? make ones! I plan on getting my book over to bioware when its finished and published to see if they like it, and its a golden book i assure the world.
 

Nimzar

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Nov 30, 2009
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I'd have to say worse...

I still replay older games (including older games that I first played well after they were old) far more often than I replay newer games.

For example, I'm currently on my 10th or 11th play-through of Baldur's Gate 2. I've played through Neverwinter Nights (The first one) twice and Neverwinter Nights 2 Twice... Even given the relative ages of these games I play BG2 on average once a year... where I've played NWN and NWN2 no more than once every other year.

Furthermore I found that I get more enjoyment out of replaying BG2 than I got out of even my first playthrough of Dragon Age.

So in my opinion the general quality of games is trending downward... not that there isn't the occasional game that is really good.
 

Grey_Focks

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Jan 12, 2010
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Trivun said:
Personally, I'd say better. In the past we may have had such classics as Tetris and the original Sonic and Mario games, but even so, they were nothing compared to what they have become or could still become now. And with new technology, multiplayer, graphics and better storylines too, games are definitely getting better. Nowadays we have the likes of Halo, Lost Planet, Assassin's Creed, Alone in the Dark (reboot - hey, I liked it, okay?), inFamous, Heavy Rain, Total War, WoW, and so on. How can you look at those and say games are getting worse, eh?
This guys gets it. I mean, it only makes sense that as time progresses, game makers learn more about making games and taking advantage of newer technology. It's not a graphics thing, it means they can make bigger and better game worlds, give more characters voice acting, improve gameplay, take the time to write better stories, etc. So yea, new all the way.

Then again, the best strategy game ever, X-Com: UFO defense, came out in 1994. Make of that what you will.
 

The Last Nomad

Lost in Ethiopia
Oct 28, 2009
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I'd say they are getting better...
But as the standards rise, so do expectations... and when a game is bad, its a lot more noticable...
Also... money has become more involved, And as with all things... money is valued over quality...
 

Azahiel

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Apr 7, 2009
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Actually it all depends on how you see it.
In terms of technology games are getting better and better, but that's the "natural" way of thigs, as technology overall improves the quality of whatever is played on this technology must also improve. So in this way, games are better.
But...I believe that mostly they are worse. Perhaps it's me growing up. I grew up as a PC gamer and from what I noticed most fond memories of american gamers are from consoles. There are some games on the PC that are absolute masterpieces of gaming, genres that are already forgotten. I don't know what it was, but there were games that sucked you in for days with their briliant story while some were sill jumping on goombas and calling that the greatest game ever. It all felt that the creators put all their hearts in, something lost now. Games are no longer a loved creation of someone with a briliant idea. They're just a product.
Some years ago I had a wide variety of games to choose from in every flavor. Now I feel that almost each game is either an FPS or a third person action game. And it's not a problem if it's a sequel similar to the previous game, but new games also are the same with a different theme. Even RPGs that have great stories are being simplified to action games with rpg elements. The mainstream creators lost all their originality and just make games that sell, but not improve them at all. Even the graphics don't change much anymore.
So in this regard it's, in my opinion, worse.
Our expectations aren't higher at all, they're lower. That's why there's no improvement.
 
Jun 11, 2008
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There are just more games. Lots more of the games are brilliant but lots more are also very meh and awful which could of been good. I'm look at you Legendary, Blacksite Area 51 and Bullet Witch.
 

Jorias

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Dec 10, 2008
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I voted for better because my assumption is that the Author's idea is if games are becoming more stimulating and pleasing to buy. This assumption is based on the fact that the sole reason video games exists in the eye's of production companies is to take our money. And as for Developers, i belive that dev's do what they do for the benifiet of a large group. I don't think it would make too much sense if a dev made a game only he/she enjoyed. Lastly, i think that in the persuit of any endevor we try to make things better than the they were before. Imagine if everyone still played pong? It would not be very entertaining to me personally.

As far as people that argue that their isn't an original idea left in video game culture? I say to them, just stop playing video games then. Obviously it isn't fun for these group of people anymore and arguing this point just leads to more pointless debating. It is overwhelmingly obvious that Video Games are not a passion but a tool to you and can be considerd "Jaded" by video games.

I am also apparent that some games exist that seem like total waste of time. In that respect we show these people that we do not like this concept of gaming based either on money we spend or if it is free, we show it by not playing the game. Just like in the basis for the scientific method, video games are nothing more than trial and error. People WIll voice their collective opinion what is right and what is wrong with a video game.
 

thatstheguy

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Dec 27, 2008
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Not necessarily better nor worse, just different. Games are on much grander scales then they were many years ago.
 

Continuity

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May 20, 2010
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I would say better or worse but certainly less original, there are good games still to be sure but they all fit a mould set by an earlier game, very little new stuff these days breaks new ground.
 

Tactyk

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Mar 18, 2010
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Same

Nothing has really changed
We're still waist deep in visionless dribble, it just seems worse because mediocrity is greatly rewarded and defended. As the truly good games get the same or less praise as an average title it becomes more difficult to find those great games. This, of course, comes back to the marketing and reviewers not using the numbers below seven anymore.

While it may seem worse it's really same just harder to sift through.

I like to think of it as thicker, like the industry has been eating a lot of meat.
You've gotta really work to break up the pile to find that peanut.
 

Canadamus Prime

Robot in Disguise
Jun 17, 2009
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I don't know, it seems to me that the soul has gone out of the industry.
Denamic said:
They're getting WAY better; we're just getting spoiled and harder to please.
There's also that.
 
Apr 29, 2010
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To me, it seems like they're getting better as the years go by. But, that does not mean every game released now will be regarded as a Picasso or Rembrandt. Regardless of the fact that video games are becoming better(to me at least), that does not mean we will no longer see those games we view as being bad. It's just how it is. The only way the industry would be able to deliver bestselling classics that help shape and influence video games as a whole year round is if it was perfect. Well, it's not perfect. It might never be perfect. You know what? I don't care. I'll still enjoy playing them.
 

DSK-

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May 13, 2010
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It's all relative really. Graphics are improving as well as the platforms games are played on (PC is ever-evolving whilst consoles upgrade every few years...sort of ;) ).

The control schemes and general premises are the same, though the Wii brought out motion control not too long ago but it hasn't revolutionised anything to a large extent - and now Sony and Microsoft are following suit.

I think for the most part there are many games that have been solid releases. However, one of the main problems in the industry is the tight development and release dates given to developers by publishers which ruins the quality of overall products.
 

PrototypeC

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Apr 19, 2009
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Our considerations of what makes a good game have changed a lot over the last few years, because Super Mario Bros. was an amazing game with barely a story, barely a character and dull graphics because our expectations then were different. I would say, in terms of the new things that are considered important in gaming like story, characters and graphics, that yes they really are.

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING WE'RE ALL MISSING HERE. Review scores as a whole are going up, sure, but only because big companies have more money to spend on "advertising"... that is, helping the gaming magazines online and off to pay the bills, and in return having their score bumped up a bit. Outside of our own personal Valhalla, The Escapist, every review everywhere relating to games either isn't read or has a price tag behind it.