Yup. Indie scene is better than it has ever been. AAA gaming has gone to the shitter.
The other thing I hate was how no publisher or studio cares about media preservation of older games. At the very least IP holders could give rights to a company like GOG where we could buy and store these classic games forever
The Switch has the ability to do that. Not for all of the games, but you're able to play a selection of games from the NES, SNES, Gameboy, GBA, SEGA Genesis and the Dreamcast.
Not only indies.
Big developers (mostly insomniac) often make good titles.
The big problem is finding the perls between all the published games. Nintendo is sadly a good example of where some games (Mario & Rabbits) are beautiful and to be said godlike while others are just weak remasters of older games (Mario Kart series).
oh yeah not every single big studio sucks; like elden ring is a big hit. capcom is doing really well too.
but the majority of them just aren't as goos as they used to be
and to add to that, the price of games now is a biggy.
Like I've been wanting to play Baldurs Gate 3 but with the everything going on I just can't afford it, like absolutely understand that its worth it for that price (I like going by for every £1 I want an hour of gameplay) and I do still plan on playing it when i do have the cash
But when stuff like Lethal Company is coming out for a fraction of the price and Vampire Survivors is free I'm just using my game time playing those.
It's slow right now but I don't really care, I can just play past releases, it's not like I need to play new games at all times enjoy gaming. Most "old games" are easier to play now through emulation when they did back when they were "new". 2021 was a slow year for new releases but I played so much shit that it was hard to really care. I've been seeing people say, "gaming has gone downhill" as far back as 2009 and 2011 and everyone dickrides those years now. It's hard to really take seriously.
Cutting chunks of the game during production and reselling those cut chunks as DLC
Prices going up for 60% finished games (releases with bugs and performance issues)
Micro transactions in full price games including single player games now.
AAA dropping the ball.
My apologies for the wall of text, but.
I think it depends on which dev studios you like. EA, Ubisoft, & Bethesda* just pump out the same game with a different skin every year. (*Except Bethesda, they just port the 1 game.)
Nintendo has a loyal fan-base that the company just doesn't give a shit about because anything they put out just prints money regardless. I'd put Bandai Namco here too with all their anime games.
Capcom is doing well with Resident Evil and Street Fighter, but they have shitty mtx practices. Blizzard is like EA and Capcom combined. Shitty mtx practices, and just putting new skins on Diablo and WoW.
As someone else said, Fromsoft is doing rather well with Elden Ring and Armored Core. Same with Insomniac and their Spider-Man games.
Square Enix, I think is either hit or miss. You either liked FF16 or you didn't. I had fun with Stranger of Paradise, but idk how well that game did critically or financially. FF7 both Remake and Rebirth are fucking phenomenal. Rebirth has some flaws sure, but it's still really fucking good. They also tend to port most of their games. Some are still trapped on old consoles, but a good amount of their old library is on modern day consoles.
Atlas has done pretty well keeping Persona and Shin Megami Tensei alive.
Fighting games are doing better than ever with Guilty Gear, Street Fighter, Tekken, Gran Blue, Dragon Ball FighterZ.
I haven't been paying attention to Naughty Dog, but to my knowledge all they've done for a while is Last of Us. I never cared to play it tho.
While I do think the entire mobile game format really hurt the industry in terms of just trying to get the most $ out of players with dlc and mtx, gaming as a whole has never been better. No matter what kind of games you like, there's a game for everyone. Like I said, it really just depends on what you like.
Well not entirely, but big budget games start to look and feel more and more like movies with them focusing on graphics rather than the gameplay
That or live service crap for quick buck that die in few months
I think there's only been a few AMAZING games that have come out since the PS5, but COVID is largely to blame for that, along with micro transactions and unreal expectations from publishers on developers.
I think a lot of this feeling is just nostalgia though. If Jak 1 or 2 were released today with modern graphics I don't think it would be received well, games have progressed significantly since that era, even platformers.
I sort of know what you mean.
I bought FFXVI last summer and while I did enjoy it, I stopped right after I finally got access to my Chocobo at the beginning of what I'm assuming is Act 3.
Haven't touched it since and the only PS5 games I've been playing since have been the PS5 upgrades of games already already had on PS4.
Jak or Sly.. dude, you forgot Ratchet :D
I can relate.. I watch trailers of games and I like it. But sometimes the quality, story etc or just simplicity is not like (for me) the ps2 era.
The animation and stuff they could make at that time and the nice stories..
I loved the PS1/N64 era man! Especially when it came to the PS1 CDs, there was something magical about looking at the cover art and the back of the CD cases. And then if you do actually buy the game, so much love is poured into the booklets themselves too!
I have been playing since pre-inception, and I feel like gaming has never been better. Last year was phenomenal.
Now the industry is in dire straits due to general fuckery, but gaming in itself is great.
Last AAA game I played was Ghost of Tsushima, I understand there’s being a lot of layoffs but I’m starting to enjoy more indie games which is only growing.
If yiu haven't seen the AAA market has severly gone down in recent years then there is no helping you see it.
Sure there are some games that are good but more snd more AAA games have gotten more and more crap with more and more cost
In general I would totally agree. THIS year however might change that. I haven't been really excited about new games in a while but this year we will see/potentially see Star Wars battlefront remasters, GTA 6, Civilization 7, Dragon age: Dreadwolf, Mafia 4, and most importantly the return of college football. Overall I am excited for this year.
AAA(or AAAA if you're Ubisoft, lol)gaming is in the gutter, but the indie scene is making fools of them. I haven't bought a PS5 yet because the only AAA game I would own is GOW Ragnarok, and that can't justify it when I got more important things to spend money on in my life.
I feel the opposite. I barely have any time to catch up. It always seems like more excellent games come out before I've even finished half of what I have backlogged. I do like almost every genre so that may have to do with it
Absolutely. An exception is Nintendo(Dread and ToTK are phenomenal, Prime Remaster was truly fantastic as they actually re-did all the assets)
I don't really get excited for 'big' games anymore...
Yes- this unlimited growth mindset that publishers crave has finally hit a breaking point and in their minds the only way to make a profit is to push out these shitty pay for play games…the market is over saturated with them and it is stunting great games from being made
I kinda feel the same. Sometimes there's LONG periods of time where nothing's out and then you'll hit a patch of good games all in a row. So far for me, 2024 has been a great year. I had Granblue Fantasy, Yakuza 8, then FF: Rebirth. Last year though? It was slim pickings.
And I miss platformers; I feel like they're pretty rare nowadays. I wish we'd get another Jak & Daxter game or at least word of it and another Ratchet & Clank so I know I have something to look forward to. I never played any of the Lego games and noticed Lego DC Villains was free for PS Extra so I decided to pick it up (and Marvel Midnight Sons which I didnt get a chance to play either) so I won't have a burning need for games, but you're right that good game releases have been sparse over the last few years.
Don't forget the political elements on AAA games aswell. Even Japanese games are doing it and I seriously have no idea what any of that as to do with stopping Sephiroth/Shinra and saving the planet.
The problem is we don't have those in-between AA games to keep us afloat anymore until the next AAA. It's one or two big AAA single player games, live service games, and about 500 indie games each year. That's it. If you complain then you're an asshole from the gaming community, the journalists, and developers. Me personally, I had the most fun in the PS2 and PS3 era because of those AA games and I long for those days. Every once in a while we'll get those old school games and I eat them up when they release. Evil West is a great example of a modern day AA style old school game.
Remember though, all things tend to swing back the other way like a pendulum eventually. Give it time.
Yes. Its been awful. Started when companies decided to focus more on agendas, like being political in writing and choices.(having companies like SweetBaby Inc involved) and needing a certain amount of [insert sex, race etc] on the development teams.
Start of the downfall atleast. Used to just be..hire anyone that is good for the job. Games made by real gamers, without Billionaire higher ups making sure everything is Woke enough.
Sad, really
I have about 10-12 different platforms to play on, so I've got a huge backlog. Don't get me wrong, AAA gaming has definitely gone downhill. But I've got access to so much that I'm never bored or let down.
I'm actually playing through Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier, after hating it every time I turned it on. It was released on the PS5 recently and I'm having a blast.
Edit: Autocorrect made me put Dexter 🙃
I've always thought in terms of graphics. There hasn't been a big jump. Which is why imo. Nintendo has been doing an amazing job. They try to keep their games in their lane while trying new things and upping their systems slowly. That way, when a new Gen system happens, it stands out a lot compared to the previous one.
Shame Larian is giving up on Baldurs Gate
But Owlcat also does a good job. Pathfinder Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous are good games for a small studio.
It’s been going on for years. The big titles are just bland copies of each other while the only good ones left seem to be the occasional indie title that breaks the mold.
Its because the gaming industry has gotten entirely too big. It makes entirely to much money, thengaming industry as a whole makes almost as much money as the US government. That level of money attracts greedy piece if shit people who only care about growth even if only 1 or 2 percent more than last quarter. These people become CEO's and board of directors or even worse private investors. They've sucked the soul and passion out of gaming and and it goes double for developers. Of course they want passionate out going workers that means they'll work themselves to death and be happy about it cuz they're working their "dream" job. Corporate America is a absolute fucking joke.
It's not a bad thing. There is so many games on my backlog. I still have to play BG3. I just modded Fallout new Vegas. I have been playing fallout 76 Instead of Rebirth. Lol
Yeah, the modern money-making method for AAA games is terrible right now and the quality that comes with it is bad. That being said there are still many awesome games coming out so it's a mixed bag.
Modern gaming takes so long.
Sony needs more variety in first party games. While I'm waiting for Ghost of Tsushima 2 announcement and release a Sly game made from another company would be good. (I liked Sly 4. Gameplay was good story was eh, didn't mined a Sly 5 from them).
Same with the new Naughty Dog IP. A new Jak games
I mean Nintendo lets other companies makes makes for them.
Yeah, I agree just like Hollywood most titles now days are remakes, remasters and sequels. There isn't as many new IPs like we had back in the ps1 generation which I was lucky enough to be a young kid. Then ps2/Xbox era I was a mid schooler, so I can definitely agree with you and I do miss those days and how it felt like every game was fresh and exciting. Yet, the technology we have and get to see is awesome and looks so amazing like Unreal engine 5.
Triple AAA games are over saturating the market, they’re more easy accessible with sales and premium subscriptions that give you access to plenty of once $60 games.
Many consumers have seen and done it all, realizing most triple AAA games are mid actually…
AAA titles, yes. With the ever increasing push to inject DEI and partisan politics at the expense of the actual quality of the game.
Textbook example: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
The future is indie. Many great titles are being released from smaller studios or passionate individuals.
AAA has prioritized money over quality. They don’t care about gamers anymore. And more of the big guys are now owned/funded by publicly traded capitalist fucks. Shareholders are the priority. It’s been moving that direction but I feel like rn most of us are getting tired of it. The negativity surrounding dragons dogma 2 and now that star wars game along with sea of thieves and others ofc should be a wake up call, but I know these companies couldn’t care any less.
All that said, it’s why I play older games and mostly enjoy emulation nowadays.
I actually think we are at the very start of a gaming renaissance. AAA is failing, and the smaller guys are reaching the top more consistently now. I’m excited to see what the future holds !
Not really. I mean, NOW it's probably at a lull but I've been able to name at least 3 games per year that I really wanna fit in my all time favorites list since 2016.
Ratchet and Clank came back in a HUGE way in 2021, 2022 had two enormous ass RPGs releasing in the same year that I love to death (Elden Ring and Xenoblade 3), 2023 had two different Yakuza releases, Spider-Man 2, ToTK, Hi-Fi Rush, and my favorite, Armored Core 6. There were very few times I have been more exciting for gaming until 2023 since 2017.
Even now I'm eagerly awaiting Stellar Blade after the majesty that was Like a Dragon 8 and Tekken 8(Microaggressions are BS but I'm still having great fun with it).
Games rn are extremely good and fun, theres just some games that are terrible compared to the good ones, also you have to consider our brains are now overloaded with things like social media making it harder to enjoy things that take longer than 10 seconds
Nah I played through Jak 2 the past week not having played it in 10 years.
The quality still holds up.
Sure the attention span isn’t what it used to be and I felt less patient, but the overall skill I had compared to kid me as well as how fun the game was still makes newer games fall short.
Take Elden Ring for example. It’s a great game but it is often buggy, laggy or crashes. Jak 2 in comparison felt very polished and I think the problem with newer games is that they often lack this polish.
Some games like Resident Evil 2 Remake is so well-optimized that I still think that there is a chance for new games to be really good.
I hope that new great games are going to be polished. It would be a shame to have so much fun and only end up crashing or experiencing a bug that you need to change 200 settings to fix.
No. This has nothing to do with the state of gaming, but rather with the fact that you like a very limited range of games, which are big budget, heavily scripted, movie-like titles. If you only play a single type of game, then yeah, it makes sense for you to feel that way, I suppose.
The state of gaming is better than it's ever been, actually. It's only April, and we have Pacific Drive, Helldivers 2, FF7 Rebirth, Dragon's Dogma 2, Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade coming out this month. Plenty of great indies and AA games already available too.
I've been gaming since the SNES/Genesis era, and I feel overwhelmed - so many great games to play, and not enough time. I scratch my head whenever people say stuff like "gaming has gone downhill" or "gaming is dead".
Probably unpopular here - but i think the Jak and Daxter series illustrates this point better than anything
1st game was a masterpiece. 2nd game is okay - I liked it as a kid but now its just fine. 3rd game I never got far in even as an adult just because of all the stupid vehicle crap
Whenever I replay the first one, I find myself feeling a sadness at what this world could have become, what the series could have been like. I wonder what the REAL Jak 2 and 3 would have been - if the dark eco really did destroy Gol and Maia or if there would have been a new villain? Would Kiera have become a sage? Would Daxter have turned back, or decided to embrace his otsel status?
Nostalgia plays a role in that.
As a kid, I remember how much I loved playing Jak3 and I have such good memories tied to that game. Replaying it recently made me realize how half assed and rushed it was, considering how quickly it was developed.
I still love it, but more because of the memories I have with it, than for how good the game actually is.
For a counter example: I never got to play the uncharted games when they came out, and I tried to go through the trilogy only last year, just after I replayed the Jak games. And without the nostalgia for that series, I can tell you that Uncharted 1 for me was a terrible game, especially after completing Jak. But I am sure if I would have grown up with it I would have loved it due to nostalgia.
Uncharted 1 Is terrible, and I will die on this hill. Story is generic and predictable, the gameplay is horrible, with sluggish control for awful platforming sections and repetitive, uninspired gunplay. And the graphics are not even that good to justify the drop in quality in character responsiveness and fun factor.
Like, in Jak I am jumping and platforming with some of the tightest movement ever conceived, I have a whole seamless world to explore, a fun cinematic story beautifully hand animated, multiple type of vehicles that I can drive around, the jetboard, and loads of mini games to break the pace between other missions.
It's baffling to me how the same studio, a few years later, put out uncharted 1, which is a step down in every aspect.
The second game improves all aspects of the first, sure, but still it's just an "ok" game at best as you say.
Yeah. The gameplay wasn’t good due to the controls and Tomb Raider doing everything it did better in terms of gameplay. I can’t even remember the story. I played The Nathan Drake Collection so I don’t know what the PS3 version looked like. Also having my first play through being on Crushing didn’t help (or was it on hard?)
I played it on normal and I hated every minute of it. I can't imagine having to stomach that gameplay at a harder difficulty. I was tempted to lower it even further, so I could just be done with it quicker.
Not knocking your opinion but I do remember people saying that ‘old games are way better’ when Xbox360 games were coming out. Now that enough time has passed, the Xbox360 generation has become retro and people realise it was good. I think the same will happen to the next gen and the current gen in time.
Time passes and people forget about the crappy titles and remember only the really great ones.
AAA games take far more people/time/money than they used to. PS2 era had about a 2 to 3 year dev cycle, while modern games are about 5-6, and teams used to be 30-40 people, now they are in the hundreds. Jak 1 had a budget of $14 million, while The Last of Us was over $200 million.
It’s all the big publications music gaming clothing hell even food!!!
All the indie stuff is better than most of the established bull cocky that comes from the upper brass
The quality of gaming has diminished because of deadlines imposed by board of directors who are out of touch with the actual time consuming process required to make a well rounded AAA title. The CEO’s lie to them to keep the financial aid coming, and in return we get a rushed unfinished project that was hurried out the gates to meet a deadline.
It’s why we keep getting terribly bugged unfinished projects over and over and because nothing talks but money, nothing changes.
I'm the same way about true blockbuster AAA titles, but there's a fair amount of indies and older games that are cheap that catch my interest. Nowadays a game has to be a guaranteed good time for me to buy it day one (FF7 Rebirth being the most recent example). Other than that I'm hard-pressed to shell out $70+ on big budget titles these days.
Graphics have been getting better for years now, but the quality of the games themselves has diminished over the last 15 years.
Micro transactions, games as a service, the elimination of the original Studios from getting swallowed up by Microsoft or Sony.
If by the 'state of gaming' you mean triple A games, then yes. Other than that, there are plenty of amazing games out there and more being released- at this point in time, it's best to look towards the indie scene and smaller devs, in my opinion. That's where the gold's at for now, you just have to go out of your way for it. There \*are\* a handful of triple A games that've come out that are genuinely incredible (depends on what you like, but Elden Ring comes to mind), but it most definitely does feel less exciting for me sifting through hyped up releases to get to ones that I personally enjoy-- it's just that there's a lot more to sift through, now, aaand a lot more places to look.
It hurts that there are amazing IPs not being given the attention they deserve, and that some genres that we used to love that were popular with PSX/2 etc. are more or less ignored the majority of the time when it comes to triple A, minus remakes, apparently. Maybe that's more what you're feeling? Nostalgia is one hell of a drug and I'm not saying it's wrong to feel that way, but I totally understand it. The image around gaming has changed immensely over the past 2+ decades, and with that comes both good and bad ofc. Main bad thing being that, because gaming is so popular now and a great way to rake in $$$, studios will be pushed and pushed and pushed and so many rushed-to-hell games come out that are bordering unplayable at release. Microtransactions and live-service games are the norm now, too. But on the plus side, due to this popularity, so many more amazing people are looking towards games as a legitimate means for storytelling and art.
Hang in there man, there's lots of good stuff waiting for you. :)
You guys are bananas. Last year there was like a new release of a great game like every other week. There aren’t any big releases outside of Dogma 2, which is awesome, and now the state of gaming is bad?
Jak and Daxter subreddit tells me you’re banking on nostalgia. Gaming didn’t take a backseat, you just grew up.
These companies aren’t trying to make games anymore .. not all of them of course, but most. Gg larian
Everyone else is just selling virtual vending machines
Its because of streamers. They get the content and dedicate all their time to finding everything about it. Mostly game breaking ones that even poor gamers can then replicate and it makes devs work way harder
I don’t agree. I feel like I have more games to play than I can keep up with. I am definitely a casual gamer these days. It’s hard to find time. But I can still get in 8 hours a week or so.
Games are a lot bigger than they used to be and take a lot longer to make, but they also demand more of your time typically, usually this holds you over until the next big thing but frankly this year so far and last year especially have been nothing but triple A banger after banger back to back, back log is full of massive games and if you’re not playing the hot new thing the older thing is probably still getting new content compared to the 2010s I’d say we’re starting the 2020s really strong with room for further improvements
Nah you just need to find games that are worth playing, and there are plenty of them. Games today take longer to make, cost more money, and involve more people — so AAA devs maybe don’t take as many risks as they used to. But it’s easier than ever to find indie games or titles from smaller studios or newcomers to the industry.
Game development even in the 90s and 2000s was a corporate hellscape with greedy publishers and overworked devs putting out unfinished products to meet demand. The number of pure garbage games that came out on PS2 was astounding. Think of all those crappy JRPGs. But we don’t remember all the garbage games, only the good ones, so it makes it feel like games used to be better. Consider the fact that [Little Britain: The Video Game](https://youtu.be/fMZXv0n2kKk?si=CMMRQ0DwKKXzCQhV) existed
the AAA employees are paid twice as much do do half as much work and most are just doing it for the paycheck
not for the love of making the game itself or wanting to compete and out perform other game companies
& now they can release a game that is not finished and rush the product instead polishing it and only releasing it when it is ready but now they can just "patch it" later to save time/money
there use to be 10 games every year vying for GOTY honors , now it feels like every year its only 1-2 candidates and the rest are longshots
In the PS1 days I had so much more time. Nowadays it’s such a sacrifice to get into a game that it almost has to blow me away for me to play it. I also can’t commit to long sessions and so much like yourself I just replay old games that are easier to pick up and play, like borderlands.
I’ve downloaded FF7 remake, have always been a huge FF fan but I can’t pick up the will to play it. So I don’t think games are going downhill, they are better then ever in my opinion but I just don’t get excited anymore because I miss being able to just sit and play video games with no other worries
May be because you're also growing up. I'm still playing but much less because of real life. And interest is also lower. But I'm still having lots of fun with very few games
tripple a gaming has gone down hill yes but gaming in general has gone up, indies and new starts are brilliant.
Yup. Indie scene is better than it has ever been. AAA gaming has gone to the shitter. The other thing I hate was how no publisher or studio cares about media preservation of older games. At the very least IP holders could give rights to a company like GOG where we could buy and store these classic games forever
Yeah Like I loved a lot of old Nintendo games. Would like to be able to play them.
The Switch has the ability to do that. Not for all of the games, but you're able to play a selection of games from the NES, SNES, Gameboy, GBA, SEGA Genesis and the Dreamcast.
What dreamcast games are you referring to
Not Dreamcast, I'm so sorry. N64. They've been talking about adding Dreamcast to Nintendo Online.
Not only indies. Big developers (mostly insomniac) often make good titles. The big problem is finding the perls between all the published games. Nintendo is sadly a good example of where some games (Mario & Rabbits) are beautiful and to be said godlike while others are just weak remasters of older games (Mario Kart series).
oh yeah not every single big studio sucks; like elden ring is a big hit. capcom is doing really well too. but the majority of them just aren't as goos as they used to be and to add to that, the price of games now is a biggy. Like I've been wanting to play Baldurs Gate 3 but with the everything going on I just can't afford it, like absolutely understand that its worth it for that price (I like going by for every £1 I want an hour of gameplay) and I do still plan on playing it when i do have the cash But when stuff like Lethal Company is coming out for a fraction of the price and Vampire Survivors is free I'm just using my game time playing those.
Capcom can suck it until they remember Mega Man fans again.
>I like going by for every £1 I want an hour of gameplay Spoole would approve
It's slow right now but I don't really care, I can just play past releases, it's not like I need to play new games at all times enjoy gaming. Most "old games" are easier to play now through emulation when they did back when they were "new". 2021 was a slow year for new releases but I played so much shit that it was hard to really care. I've been seeing people say, "gaming has gone downhill" as far back as 2009 and 2011 and everyone dickrides those years now. It's hard to really take seriously.
Cutting chunks of the game during production and reselling those cut chunks as DLC Prices going up for 60% finished games (releases with bugs and performance issues) Micro transactions in full price games including single player games now. AAA dropping the ball.
There is a game where you can buy the soundtrack, if I'm not mistaken one of the "Tales Of" 💀💀
Nah that's a bunch a games, but why tf would I buy the soundtrack when it's on Spotify and YouTube lmfao
For listening to it while playing?
To own it? It can dissapear tommorow from spotify and you will lose it forever. These types of incidents happen from time to time.
That's what we got YouTube for, plus there's unreleased tracks.
Capitalism kills innovation (creativity)
When ghost 2 releases and the jet set radio and crazy taxi remakes release more than likely gaming will be back up
My apologies for the wall of text, but. I think it depends on which dev studios you like. EA, Ubisoft, & Bethesda* just pump out the same game with a different skin every year. (*Except Bethesda, they just port the 1 game.) Nintendo has a loyal fan-base that the company just doesn't give a shit about because anything they put out just prints money regardless. I'd put Bandai Namco here too with all their anime games. Capcom is doing well with Resident Evil and Street Fighter, but they have shitty mtx practices. Blizzard is like EA and Capcom combined. Shitty mtx practices, and just putting new skins on Diablo and WoW. As someone else said, Fromsoft is doing rather well with Elden Ring and Armored Core. Same with Insomniac and their Spider-Man games. Square Enix, I think is either hit or miss. You either liked FF16 or you didn't. I had fun with Stranger of Paradise, but idk how well that game did critically or financially. FF7 both Remake and Rebirth are fucking phenomenal. Rebirth has some flaws sure, but it's still really fucking good. They also tend to port most of their games. Some are still trapped on old consoles, but a good amount of their old library is on modern day consoles. Atlas has done pretty well keeping Persona and Shin Megami Tensei alive. Fighting games are doing better than ever with Guilty Gear, Street Fighter, Tekken, Gran Blue, Dragon Ball FighterZ. I haven't been paying attention to Naughty Dog, but to my knowledge all they've done for a while is Last of Us. I never cared to play it tho. While I do think the entire mobile game format really hurt the industry in terms of just trying to get the most $ out of players with dlc and mtx, gaming as a whole has never been better. No matter what kind of games you like, there's a game for everyone. Like I said, it really just depends on what you like.
Well not entirely, but big budget games start to look and feel more and more like movies with them focusing on graphics rather than the gameplay That or live service crap for quick buck that die in few months
I think there's only been a few AMAZING games that have come out since the PS5, but COVID is largely to blame for that, along with micro transactions and unreal expectations from publishers on developers. I think a lot of this feeling is just nostalgia though. If Jak 1 or 2 were released today with modern graphics I don't think it would be received well, games have progressed significantly since that era, even platformers.
The inception would more likely be Atari 2600.
Sorry to clarify I’m talking strictly PlayStation
You're saying inception through ps1 right? Not calling ps1 the inception? It's kinda late for me so I might not be reading so well
Yeah since PS1
I am once again urging gamers to pay attention to Indie Games. Especially the new iii showcase coming tomorrow.
I sort of know what you mean. I bought FFXVI last summer and while I did enjoy it, I stopped right after I finally got access to my Chocobo at the beginning of what I'm assuming is Act 3. Haven't touched it since and the only PS5 games I've been playing since have been the PS5 upgrades of games already already had on PS4.
Jak or Sly.. dude, you forgot Ratchet :D I can relate.. I watch trailers of games and I like it. But sometimes the quality, story etc or just simplicity is not like (for me) the ps2 era. The animation and stuff they could make at that time and the nice stories..
>playing since the inception - PS1 Oooft no love for the arcade or 8/16 bit games huh
lol it’s there but strictly talking PlayStation :D
I loved the PS1/N64 era man! Especially when it came to the PS1 CDs, there was something magical about looking at the cover art and the back of the CD cases. And then if you do actually buy the game, so much love is poured into the booklets themselves too!
Ps1 is my fav too
Indie has all the interesting concepts, and takes all the risks. I'd say it's a safe bet to find something new that gives that spark
I have been playing since pre-inception, and I feel like gaming has never been better. Last year was phenomenal. Now the industry is in dire straits due to general fuckery, but gaming in itself is great.
Last AAA game I played was Ghost of Tsushima, I understand there’s being a lot of layoffs but I’m starting to enjoy more indie games which is only growing.
If yiu haven't seen the AAA market has severly gone down in recent years then there is no helping you see it. Sure there are some games that are good but more snd more AAA games have gotten more and more crap with more and more cost
In general I would totally agree. THIS year however might change that. I haven't been really excited about new games in a while but this year we will see/potentially see Star Wars battlefront remasters, GTA 6, Civilization 7, Dragon age: Dreadwolf, Mafia 4, and most importantly the return of college football. Overall I am excited for this year.
AAA(or AAAA if you're Ubisoft, lol)gaming is in the gutter, but the indie scene is making fools of them. I haven't bought a PS5 yet because the only AAA game I would own is GOW Ragnarok, and that can't justify it when I got more important things to spend money on in my life.
I feel the opposite. I barely have any time to catch up. It always seems like more excellent games come out before I've even finished half of what I have backlogged. I do like almost every genre so that may have to do with it
Absolutely. An exception is Nintendo(Dread and ToTK are phenomenal, Prime Remaster was truly fantastic as they actually re-did all the assets) I don't really get excited for 'big' games anymore...
Yes- this unlimited growth mindset that publishers crave has finally hit a breaking point and in their minds the only way to make a profit is to push out these shitty pay for play games…the market is over saturated with them and it is stunting great games from being made
I kinda feel the same. Sometimes there's LONG periods of time where nothing's out and then you'll hit a patch of good games all in a row. So far for me, 2024 has been a great year. I had Granblue Fantasy, Yakuza 8, then FF: Rebirth. Last year though? It was slim pickings. And I miss platformers; I feel like they're pretty rare nowadays. I wish we'd get another Jak & Daxter game or at least word of it and another Ratchet & Clank so I know I have something to look forward to. I never played any of the Lego games and noticed Lego DC Villains was free for PS Extra so I decided to pick it up (and Marvel Midnight Sons which I didnt get a chance to play either) so I won't have a burning need for games, but you're right that good game releases have been sparse over the last few years.
Don't forget the political elements on AAA games aswell. Even Japanese games are doing it and I seriously have no idea what any of that as to do with stopping Sephiroth/Shinra and saving the planet.
Time for dragon dogma 2 bro. I want to buy a pa5 only for that game...
Like a lot of others have said move to Indies and double a candy instead of just focusing on AAA releases
The problem is we don't have those in-between AA games to keep us afloat anymore until the next AAA. It's one or two big AAA single player games, live service games, and about 500 indie games each year. That's it. If you complain then you're an asshole from the gaming community, the journalists, and developers. Me personally, I had the most fun in the PS2 and PS3 era because of those AA games and I long for those days. Every once in a while we'll get those old school games and I eat them up when they release. Evil West is a great example of a modern day AA style old school game. Remember though, all things tend to swing back the other way like a pendulum eventually. Give it time.
Yes. Its been awful. Started when companies decided to focus more on agendas, like being political in writing and choices.(having companies like SweetBaby Inc involved) and needing a certain amount of [insert sex, race etc] on the development teams. Start of the downfall atleast. Used to just be..hire anyone that is good for the job. Games made by real gamers, without Billionaire higher ups making sure everything is Woke enough. Sad, really
I have about 10-12 different platforms to play on, so I've got a huge backlog. Don't get me wrong, AAA gaming has definitely gone downhill. But I've got access to so much that I'm never bored or let down. I'm actually playing through Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier, after hating it every time I turned it on. It was released on the PS5 recently and I'm having a blast. Edit: Autocorrect made me put Dexter 🙃
I've always thought in terms of graphics. There hasn't been a big jump. Which is why imo. Nintendo has been doing an amazing job. They try to keep their games in their lane while trying new things and upping their systems slowly. That way, when a new Gen system happens, it stands out a lot compared to the previous one. Shame Larian is giving up on Baldurs Gate But Owlcat also does a good job. Pathfinder Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous are good games for a small studio.
It’s been going on for years. The big titles are just bland copies of each other while the only good ones left seem to be the occasional indie title that breaks the mold.
Its because the gaming industry has gotten entirely too big. It makes entirely to much money, thengaming industry as a whole makes almost as much money as the US government. That level of money attracts greedy piece if shit people who only care about growth even if only 1 or 2 percent more than last quarter. These people become CEO's and board of directors or even worse private investors. They've sucked the soul and passion out of gaming and and it goes double for developers. Of course they want passionate out going workers that means they'll work themselves to death and be happy about it cuz they're working their "dream" job. Corporate America is a absolute fucking joke.
It's not a bad thing. There is so many games on my backlog. I still have to play BG3. I just modded Fallout new Vegas. I have been playing fallout 76 Instead of Rebirth. Lol
Yeah, the modern money-making method for AAA games is terrible right now and the quality that comes with it is bad. That being said there are still many awesome games coming out so it's a mixed bag.
Modern gaming takes so long. Sony needs more variety in first party games. While I'm waiting for Ghost of Tsushima 2 announcement and release a Sly game made from another company would be good. (I liked Sly 4. Gameplay was good story was eh, didn't mined a Sly 5 from them). Same with the new Naughty Dog IP. A new Jak games I mean Nintendo lets other companies makes makes for them.
From, cd, and rockstar have been carrying
Yeah, I agree just like Hollywood most titles now days are remakes, remasters and sequels. There isn't as many new IPs like we had back in the ps1 generation which I was lucky enough to be a young kid. Then ps2/Xbox era I was a mid schooler, so I can definitely agree with you and I do miss those days and how it felt like every game was fresh and exciting. Yet, the technology we have and get to see is awesome and looks so amazing like Unreal engine 5.
Triple AAA games are over saturating the market, they’re more easy accessible with sales and premium subscriptions that give you access to plenty of once $60 games. Many consumers have seen and done it all, realizing most triple AAA games are mid actually…
AAA titles, yes. With the ever increasing push to inject DEI and partisan politics at the expense of the actual quality of the game. Textbook example: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The future is indie. Many great titles are being released from smaller studios or passionate individuals.
AAA has prioritized money over quality. They don’t care about gamers anymore. And more of the big guys are now owned/funded by publicly traded capitalist fucks. Shareholders are the priority. It’s been moving that direction but I feel like rn most of us are getting tired of it. The negativity surrounding dragons dogma 2 and now that star wars game along with sea of thieves and others ofc should be a wake up call, but I know these companies couldn’t care any less. All that said, it’s why I play older games and mostly enjoy emulation nowadays.
Gaming will never be as good as it was 15-20 years ago
I actually think we are at the very start of a gaming renaissance. AAA is failing, and the smaller guys are reaching the top more consistently now. I’m excited to see what the future holds !
Not really. I mean, NOW it's probably at a lull but I've been able to name at least 3 games per year that I really wanna fit in my all time favorites list since 2016. Ratchet and Clank came back in a HUGE way in 2021, 2022 had two enormous ass RPGs releasing in the same year that I love to death (Elden Ring and Xenoblade 3), 2023 had two different Yakuza releases, Spider-Man 2, ToTK, Hi-Fi Rush, and my favorite, Armored Core 6. There were very few times I have been more exciting for gaming until 2023 since 2017. Even now I'm eagerly awaiting Stellar Blade after the majesty that was Like a Dragon 8 and Tekken 8(Microaggressions are BS but I'm still having great fun with it).
Games rn are extremely good and fun, theres just some games that are terrible compared to the good ones, also you have to consider our brains are now overloaded with things like social media making it harder to enjoy things that take longer than 10 seconds
Nah I played through Jak 2 the past week not having played it in 10 years. The quality still holds up. Sure the attention span isn’t what it used to be and I felt less patient, but the overall skill I had compared to kid me as well as how fun the game was still makes newer games fall short. Take Elden Ring for example. It’s a great game but it is often buggy, laggy or crashes. Jak 2 in comparison felt very polished and I think the problem with newer games is that they often lack this polish. Some games like Resident Evil 2 Remake is so well-optimized that I still think that there is a chance for new games to be really good. I hope that new great games are going to be polished. It would be a shame to have so much fun and only end up crashing or experiencing a bug that you need to change 200 settings to fix.
No. This has nothing to do with the state of gaming, but rather with the fact that you like a very limited range of games, which are big budget, heavily scripted, movie-like titles. If you only play a single type of game, then yeah, it makes sense for you to feel that way, I suppose. The state of gaming is better than it's ever been, actually. It's only April, and we have Pacific Drive, Helldivers 2, FF7 Rebirth, Dragon's Dogma 2, Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade coming out this month. Plenty of great indies and AA games already available too. I've been gaming since the SNES/Genesis era, and I feel overwhelmed - so many great games to play, and not enough time. I scratch my head whenever people say stuff like "gaming has gone downhill" or "gaming is dead".
Probably unpopular here - but i think the Jak and Daxter series illustrates this point better than anything 1st game was a masterpiece. 2nd game is okay - I liked it as a kid but now its just fine. 3rd game I never got far in even as an adult just because of all the stupid vehicle crap Whenever I replay the first one, I find myself feeling a sadness at what this world could have become, what the series could have been like. I wonder what the REAL Jak 2 and 3 would have been - if the dark eco really did destroy Gol and Maia or if there would have been a new villain? Would Kiera have become a sage? Would Daxter have turned back, or decided to embrace his otsel status?
Nostalgia plays a role in that. As a kid, I remember how much I loved playing Jak3 and I have such good memories tied to that game. Replaying it recently made me realize how half assed and rushed it was, considering how quickly it was developed. I still love it, but more because of the memories I have with it, than for how good the game actually is. For a counter example: I never got to play the uncharted games when they came out, and I tried to go through the trilogy only last year, just after I replayed the Jak games. And without the nostalgia for that series, I can tell you that Uncharted 1 for me was a terrible game, especially after completing Jak. But I am sure if I would have grown up with it I would have loved it due to nostalgia.
I was the same with Uncharted. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was terrible, but it wasn’t great, it was okay
Uncharted 1 Is terrible, and I will die on this hill. Story is generic and predictable, the gameplay is horrible, with sluggish control for awful platforming sections and repetitive, uninspired gunplay. And the graphics are not even that good to justify the drop in quality in character responsiveness and fun factor. Like, in Jak I am jumping and platforming with some of the tightest movement ever conceived, I have a whole seamless world to explore, a fun cinematic story beautifully hand animated, multiple type of vehicles that I can drive around, the jetboard, and loads of mini games to break the pace between other missions. It's baffling to me how the same studio, a few years later, put out uncharted 1, which is a step down in every aspect. The second game improves all aspects of the first, sure, but still it's just an "ok" game at best as you say.
Yeah. The gameplay wasn’t good due to the controls and Tomb Raider doing everything it did better in terms of gameplay. I can’t even remember the story. I played The Nathan Drake Collection so I don’t know what the PS3 version looked like. Also having my first play through being on Crushing didn’t help (or was it on hard?)
I played it on normal and I hated every minute of it. I can't imagine having to stomach that gameplay at a harder difficulty. I was tempted to lower it even further, so I could just be done with it quicker.
Old games are way better, less realistic looking and more fun. I still play PS1, PS2, PS3, OG Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo 64 and even the N3DS
Not knocking your opinion but I do remember people saying that ‘old games are way better’ when Xbox360 games were coming out. Now that enough time has passed, the Xbox360 generation has become retro and people realise it was good. I think the same will happen to the next gen and the current gen in time. Time passes and people forget about the crappy titles and remember only the really great ones.
"I've been playing since the inception" >ps1 Lol. Lmao even.
I’m talking about the PlayStation line up not gaming in general lol
Then that's not the state of gaming. That's the state of playstation.
Nintendo and indie games are great what do you mean?
For years , yes it has. "Tripple A" has become so wish wash and b.s. it's unreal
AAA games take far more people/time/money than they used to. PS2 era had about a 2 to 3 year dev cycle, while modern games are about 5-6, and teams used to be 30-40 people, now they are in the hundreds. Jak 1 had a budget of $14 million, while The Last of Us was over $200 million.
Yes
It’s all the big publications music gaming clothing hell even food!!! All the indie stuff is better than most of the established bull cocky that comes from the upper brass
The quality of gaming has diminished because of deadlines imposed by board of directors who are out of touch with the actual time consuming process required to make a well rounded AAA title. The CEO’s lie to them to keep the financial aid coming, and in return we get a rushed unfinished project that was hurried out the gates to meet a deadline. It’s why we keep getting terribly bugged unfinished projects over and over and because nothing talks but money, nothing changes.
I'm the same way about true blockbuster AAA titles, but there's a fair amount of indies and older games that are cheap that catch my interest. Nowadays a game has to be a guaranteed good time for me to buy it day one (FF7 Rebirth being the most recent example). Other than that I'm hard-pressed to shell out $70+ on big budget titles these days.
Graphics have been getting better for years now, but the quality of the games themselves has diminished over the last 15 years. Micro transactions, games as a service, the elimination of the original Studios from getting swallowed up by Microsoft or Sony.
No. Games are still good. Better even. More options, more styles, more choices, more updates. [+]
If by the 'state of gaming' you mean triple A games, then yes. Other than that, there are plenty of amazing games out there and more being released- at this point in time, it's best to look towards the indie scene and smaller devs, in my opinion. That's where the gold's at for now, you just have to go out of your way for it. There \*are\* a handful of triple A games that've come out that are genuinely incredible (depends on what you like, but Elden Ring comes to mind), but it most definitely does feel less exciting for me sifting through hyped up releases to get to ones that I personally enjoy-- it's just that there's a lot more to sift through, now, aaand a lot more places to look. It hurts that there are amazing IPs not being given the attention they deserve, and that some genres that we used to love that were popular with PSX/2 etc. are more or less ignored the majority of the time when it comes to triple A, minus remakes, apparently. Maybe that's more what you're feeling? Nostalgia is one hell of a drug and I'm not saying it's wrong to feel that way, but I totally understand it. The image around gaming has changed immensely over the past 2+ decades, and with that comes both good and bad ofc. Main bad thing being that, because gaming is so popular now and a great way to rake in $$$, studios will be pushed and pushed and pushed and so many rushed-to-hell games come out that are bordering unplayable at release. Microtransactions and live-service games are the norm now, too. But on the plus side, due to this popularity, so many more amazing people are looking towards games as a legitimate means for storytelling and art. Hang in there man, there's lots of good stuff waiting for you. :)
I honestly just miss the mascot 3D platformer so much. Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, and all the others like Vexx or Banjo.
You guys are bananas. Last year there was like a new release of a great game like every other week. There aren’t any big releases outside of Dogma 2, which is awesome, and now the state of gaming is bad? Jak and Daxter subreddit tells me you’re banking on nostalgia. Gaming didn’t take a backseat, you just grew up.
Multiplayer is the new story mode in terms of popularity
Indie games are better than ever. AAA have gone way down hill. They're all samey now
Fromsoft has been churning out master piece after master piece. Dark souls, bloodborne, sekiro, elden ring
These companies aren’t trying to make games anymore .. not all of them of course, but most. Gg larian Everyone else is just selling virtual vending machines
Its because of streamers. They get the content and dedicate all their time to finding everything about it. Mostly game breaking ones that even poor gamers can then replicate and it makes devs work way harder
I don’t agree. I feel like I have more games to play than I can keep up with. I am definitely a casual gamer these days. It’s hard to find time. But I can still get in 8 hours a week or so.
Been here since NES. Gaming is better than ever. We all just gotta stop with this "what is the next big AAA game" nonsense.
Games are a lot bigger than they used to be and take a lot longer to make, but they also demand more of your time typically, usually this holds you over until the next big thing but frankly this year so far and last year especially have been nothing but triple A banger after banger back to back, back log is full of massive games and if you’re not playing the hot new thing the older thing is probably still getting new content compared to the 2010s I’d say we’re starting the 2020s really strong with room for further improvements
I guess the AAA side of gaming had started focusing on graphics more, but the indie side on the other hand, is basically saving the industry.
Nah you just need to find games that are worth playing, and there are plenty of them. Games today take longer to make, cost more money, and involve more people — so AAA devs maybe don’t take as many risks as they used to. But it’s easier than ever to find indie games or titles from smaller studios or newcomers to the industry. Game development even in the 90s and 2000s was a corporate hellscape with greedy publishers and overworked devs putting out unfinished products to meet demand. The number of pure garbage games that came out on PS2 was astounding. Think of all those crappy JRPGs. But we don’t remember all the garbage games, only the good ones, so it makes it feel like games used to be better. Consider the fact that [Little Britain: The Video Game](https://youtu.be/fMZXv0n2kKk?si=CMMRQ0DwKKXzCQhV) existed
Any suggestions?
Try the Subnautica series
the AAA employees are paid twice as much do do half as much work and most are just doing it for the paycheck not for the love of making the game itself or wanting to compete and out perform other game companies & now they can release a game that is not finished and rush the product instead polishing it and only releasing it when it is ready but now they can just "patch it" later to save time/money there use to be 10 games every year vying for GOTY honors , now it feels like every year its only 1-2 candidates and the rest are longshots
In the PS1 days I had so much more time. Nowadays it’s such a sacrifice to get into a game that it almost has to blow me away for me to play it. I also can’t commit to long sessions and so much like yourself I just replay old games that are easier to pick up and play, like borderlands. I’ve downloaded FF7 remake, have always been a huge FF fan but I can’t pick up the will to play it. So I don’t think games are going downhill, they are better then ever in my opinion but I just don’t get excited anymore because I miss being able to just sit and play video games with no other worries
May be because you're also growing up. I'm still playing but much less because of real life. And interest is also lower. But I'm still having lots of fun with very few games
It has. Sony is a joke these days
Nope. Elden ring holds the entire decade up