Do you remember the first video game you every played? How about the first console you ever owned? Maybe you’re primarily a PC gamer and always have been? Whatever your preference I am sure you can remember plenty of times throughout your gaming career where you have fell head over heels for a specific game. I know I can remember those specific times — Super Mario Bros. 3, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy VI, Goldeneye 007, Starcraft — the list could go on. All of these games contributed to their genre and/or the video game design in general in a very profound way. I’m sure most of you have your own list with little gems here and there that other people wouldn’t necessarily agree with you on, but that’s what makes games so great… they can appeal to so many people in so many different ways.
Unfortunately, lately I have been noticing that I no longer am looking forward to new games. I constantly find myself searching through my old video game collection to play through the classics again. Even today, I had a discussion with a co-worker about a little shop down the street that still sells the old cartridges for NES/SNES/Genesis/etc.. We reminisced about games like Chrono Trigger, Super Castlevania, and more. Now, I am not going to sit here and bash all new games, there are still a good amount coming out that I look forward to. However, for the most part, they are made solely by 1-2 developers and I will talk about them here in a second (i.e. Blizzard and SquareEnix).
I admit, I am an avid collector of classic video game series. I own all of the Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil series. I have a lust for Squaresoft/SquareEnix and Blizzard games. I recently went through Final Fantasy 3 again and am about to go through Final Fantasy IV and V again in preparation for Final Fantasy XIII (hey, what do you know, another SquareEnix game). I’m doing the same with Starcraft and Diablo as their new games get closer and closer to release date (more Blizzard games!).
My questions is, what is it nowadays that makes the majority of new games coming out non-enjoyable? Is it the price? Maybe sub-par gameplay? Maybe it’s the lackluster stories? Are most games too easy today? Any of these questions could be the answer to any number of new games coming out on the market. Every single one of those reasons has been a reason why I have not picked up a game at some point or another over the past 5 years or so. The only two games I can honestly say that I have bought and enjoyed over the past 5 years have been FFXII and Demon’s Souls. Demon’s Souls is a game that is very challenging and allows me to reminisce about old, hard, games like Ninja Gaiden and others. It’s the best game on the PS3 in my opinion, simply because it’s the only game that actually brought me back for more.
So, by now maybe there are many who would venture to disagree with me on this topic. Maybe you think there are plenty of great games out there that have come out in the past 5 years. I am ready to hear about them. Write me comments about games you think contradict my view. Please, help me see the light in this abyss of sub-par video games over the past few years. But please do one thing before doing so. Think about those games that I talked about before. Those games that you fell head over heels for when you first unwrapped it and plugged/slid it in to play. If you don’t get that same feeling from any of these new games out, then why bother? Why bother playing them when you can get a better feeling by playing the oldies?
Loop-a-doop, gotta say I disagree with ya on that one. What follows is a list of games from the last 5-10 years that you didn't mention, some of which you may have played and loved, or disagree with me on, but I think they warrant mention.
Metal Gear Solid I-IV (I and IV in particular. Try MGS4 for the PS3 and tell me it's not an amazing cinematic and gameplay experience).
Deus Ex (older, still one of the better games ever)
Uncharted 1 & 2, the first had some issues with combat but the plots are great and the adventure puzzles can match anything from Indiana Jones (the good ones not that crap from last year)
Mass Effect 1&2, amazing plots, some UI issues on the first that got resolved with the 2nd, nearly cinematic graphics, more dialog than you can imagine, all of which is voiced by some pretty damn good voice talent, etc. etc.
Bioshock 1 & 2, obviously I can't speak for 2 yet but every review I've seen has said it's basically a better version of 1, and 1 was amazingly good plot/gameplay/etc. If you ever played System Shock 2 back in the day this is the spiritual successor.
Fallout 3. Probably my favorite game of the last 5 years. Metric craptons of content, 5 sets of DLC (varying quality but at least a couple are very goddamn fun), tons of plot, a nearly fully explorable ruin of Washington DC, a dozen different ways to play...if you like non-JRPGs I think this is the king of RPGs in the last decade easily.
Half-Life 2. Speaks for itself, if you haven't played it along with Half-Life 1 just go buy the Orange Box on Steam right now.
Give those games a try and then tell me there haven't been any good games in the past 5 years. I'd bet on any of them in a fight against FFXII or FFX any day.
Great article. I think so much has been overdone. Every good game launching now is simply a combination of great concepts from older games that were addictive. It's hard to find a new addictive concept to work that doesn't just feel like a pale imitation of something better you played in the past.
Metal Gear Solid I-IV (I and IV in particular. Try MGS4 for the PS3 and tell me it's not an amazing cinematic and gameplay experience).
Deus Ex (older, still one of the better games ever)
Uncharted 1 & 2, the first had some issues with combat but the plots are great and the adventure puzzles can match anything from Indiana Jones (the good ones not that crap from last year)
Mass Effect 1&2, amazing plots, some UI issues on the first that got resolved with the 2nd, nearly cinematic graphics, more dialog than you can imagine, all of which is voiced by some pretty damn good voice talent, etc. etc.
Bioshock 1 & 2, obviously I can't speak for 2 yet but every review I've seen has said it's basically a better version of 1, and 1 was amazingly good plot/gameplay/etc. If you ever played System Shock 2 back in the day this is the spiritual successor.
Fallout 3. Probably my favorite game of the last 5 years. Metric craptons of content, 5 sets of DLC (varying quality but at least a couple are very goddamn fun), tons of plot, a nearly fully explorable ruin of Washington DC, a dozen different ways to play...if you like non-JRPGs I think this is the king of RPGs in the last decade easily.
Half-Life 2. Speaks for itself, if you haven't played it along with Half-Life 1 just go buy the Orange Box on Steam right now.
Give those games a try and then tell me there haven't been any good games in the past 5 years. I'd bet on any of them in a fight against FFXII or FFX any day.
You got me on Uncharted, those games were good. I'll give that to you. Short and sweet, but I can't argue that they were quality games.
I am not a huge FPS fan, so it takes a lot for me to enjoy one. I played Fallout 1 and 2 and LOVED them! However, Bethesda making Fallout 3 a FPS really upset me. I tried it out and it was OK, but it didn't give me the same feeling that Fallout 1 and 2 did. I have such a longing for that feeling! On the other hand, I do feel like I could have put forth more of an effort to enjoy that game. I might give it a try on my PC between Final Fantasy XIII and XIV :P
You got me on Uncharted, those games were good. I'll give that to you. Short and sweet, but I can't argue that they were quality games.
I am not a huge FPS fan, so it takes a lot for me to enjoy one. I played Fallout 1 and 2 and LOVED them! However, Bethesda making Fallout 3 a FPS really upset me. I tried it out and it was OK, but it didn't give me the same feeling that Fallout 1 and 2 did. I have such a longing for that feeling! On the other hand, I do feel like I could have put forth more of an effort to enjoy that game. I might give it a try on my PC between Final Fantasy XIII and XIV :P
That said though, here are a few good games that are quite good.
White Knight Chronicles - Ignore the review sites, they are being haters because they didn't get paid off. Almost everyone playing it is rating it very highly and it is quite good. It doesn't live up to the hype that surrounded it, but that does not make it a bad game by any stretch. I am a HUGE FF fan and I would honestly rate WK as a better game then FFXII. It is likewise far superior to Dragon Age in terms of Graphics quality and overall gameplay, musical score and story.
Final Fantasy XIII - This is a given for any SE/FF fan.
Assassin's Creed 2 - Extremely enjoyable, huge improvement over the first one. Though you will need to play through the first to understand what is going on.
Little Big Planet - Just insane fun, especially with friends.
Bayonetta - To be honest, I thought I was going to hate this one. I was utterly convinced it was being sold on sex appeal more then actual gameplay. I tried the demo, and that convinced me to rent it. I rented it and actually really enjoyed the game. It was surprisingly well done and could easily stand as a solid game without the sexual innuendo.
There are actually a bunch more, but that little list right there will keep you busy for most of the year. Uncharted2 was another but you already mentioned you are familiar with that one.
I have to agree with Loopah here. I've played several of the new games and just keep going back to the old games. Many of the games today, even those listed by those commenting will simply not be treasured as many of the past games have been in 10 years from now.
Fist off - the fact that it's a "good game" doesn't mean it's charming. Crystalis was a MUCH better game than Zelda - and was released about 3 years after the first Zelda was released. I'm going to assume most NES players don't know what Crystalis is.
Secondly, a charming game doesn't necessarily mean it will be memorable. Look at Tales of Phantasia for SNES. In it's time, this game destroyed any Final Fantasy game with regards to gameplay. The marketing wasn't there and it never hit the US shelves until a release for the GBA 11 years later.
To conclude my point - the marketing and the charm must exist for a game to have a very high ranking. The era where we have seen the most charm and supporting marketing was in the 4th, 5th, and 6th generation consoles. This is where substantive story lines, niche gameplay, thorough characterization, and a gaming hype had taken place. Today, games are at the lull they were at in the second generation games (before NES). You have marketing groups deciding what the story line will be, what the characters will look like, and how the gameplay will be developed. This means they will all look like every other game currently available for the sole purpose of making money. This has happened mainly because the companies are afraid of going under during the economic depression that we're currently in as well as the fact that the consoles are ridiculously expensive (meaning that nobody wants to market a risky game for a console that only a very small percentage people own).
Jozie and I have been looking for and playing games that allow us to put in 2-3 hours a week min, 5-8 hours max and still have time to play other games with the kids (well... mario kart wii...... I'm sounding like Kurkis).
As far as today's games specifically ---------------------
Uncharted 1 & 2 - Look at Uncharted vs Tomb Raider for example. Tomb Raider had it's significance in the puzzle solving while Uncharted pretty much had it's significance in it's auto-aim. The whole "Treasure Hunting" genre is way older than Tomb Raider and quite frankly lost it's charm before Tomb Raider even made the shelves. I have a few closet Tomb Raider fans, who really remember the first and second Tomb Raider. I simply don't strongly believe that in 10-15 years from now people will cherish the Uncharted series in the same way. As far as Jozie and I go, we may end up getting this game for the gfx - but nothing more.
Metal Gear Solid 4 - The charm of Metal Gear Solid was the stealth-based combat which MGS4 turned into a FPS. People will remember MGS1 and maybe MGS2 - but in ten years from MGS3 and MGS4, I doubt people will value them in the same way. I'm still looking for my old MGS copy to show Jozie why the original game was so good.
Assassin's Creed 2 - GameFaqs 6.8 reader's review average (the users on the site, not the people running it). I can't really give a great opinion on this game because I've never played it - but it sure looked a lot like Hitman 2 + Theif. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps3/home/930022.html
Final Fantasy XII (PS2) - sadly I just lose steam while playing this grossly repetitive game. I'm playing Final Fantasy X for the third time currently (on and off depending on time available - I've never beaten it and I need to) and I feel that the pace is much faster while keeping the quality gameplay from FF9, FF8, FF7, FF6, and FF5. Sadly FF11 and FF12 lost this with the excitement over getting into the MMORPG style genre. Don't get me wrong - I think FF12 is one of my favorites in the last few years (Along with the Disgaea Series) but the slow pace completely kills the game. I even found the India accent to be humorous on each of the characters. Anyways - like the others mentioned, it's an enjoyable game, but I doubt FF12 will be memorable in 10 years. I believe FF7 was still memorable 10 years later in 2007.
Valkyria Chronicles (PS3) - definitely smooth gameplay, I'm not sure if I'd really rate this one as a memorable game, but if you're looking for something interesting and or something that "feels fresh", grab it. The storyline gets annoying at times, but the gameplay is pretty neat. If are a true otaku - you can also choose japanese with english subtitles (sadly not all games give you this option... english dubs can be pretty terrible). I like strategy games, Jozie loses interest if it's not multiplayer.
World of Goo (Wii) - Hell's yes! Best puzzle game ever! Ok, probably not but it's pretty decent. People will probably not remember this in 2 years.
Critter Crunch (PSN) - Definitely another good solid puzzle game.
-----------------------
The games I'm looking forward too:
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (Wii/PSN)
It's sad that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has a larger hype than most of the new games. I'll be interesting to see whether or not it lives up to the hype. Currently, it's just Sonic - no additional characters. They are definitely going for the old-school crowd.
Star Ocean 4 International (PS3)
This just came out - I need to pick it up but I'm really hoping this is a good game.
Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
I'm getting it regardless, but I hope the similarities to FFXII are far and few with respect to pace.
Tales of Graces (Wii)
I hear this one is to be up to par with Tales of Symphonia and actually uses the Wii Remote for the combat. Jozie really liked ToS - so I'm hoping she's going to like this one too.
Starcraft II (PC)
This thing is going to rock (if it ever comes out).
Diablo III (PC)
Big maybe here. Diablo II was great because it was a game you could get started easily in and end easily. It was like a quick point and click game to knock off some hours - but if you wanted to get serious you could. I'm worried from what I've seen that they'll make it too involved and more mmorpgish - but not enough mmo to make it fun. In short, I hope they make it sweet and simple or a full blown mmo - no half half crap (see FFXII). The real kicker for me is that I can't really play this with the kids in the room and I don't think Jozie is going to really like this game (she prefers JRPGs unless the game is that good - I can't read her mind on this one).
Games I'm looking for - games that professional gamers will play to compete and make money
- 2D fighting game (Like Guilty Gear XX - I'm very hesitant of Street Fighter IV, I hope it's more dynamic than it's predecessor)
- racing game (I was underwhelmed by the GT5 demo)
- fps (TF2 is awesome, UT if you go further back, and if you go way way back I hear a new Descent game will be coming out in the next few years since they just got some funding - now THAT may be interesting)
You bring up a number of valid points that I agree with. However there is one point that I feel is inaccurate.
MGS4 had just as many Stealth and non stealth missions as all of its predecessors. The difference being that you weren't forced to do stealth, it became optional of your choosing. However there were plenty of rewards for doing so. So the hardcore MGS fans who wanted a stealth game, could indeed do so. However it opened the game up a little to those wanting a little more action. I personally played it through both ways, 1 100% stealth trophy and another shoot everything that moves. Both methods of play were very enjoyable in their own right and likely why I enjoyed it more, because it gave me that choice.
The only real complaint I had about MGS4 was having to listen to otacon piss and moan instead of being able to skim his text. Ok that and the deal with the eggs the girl was trying to cook..I mean wtf, was Kojima seriously hard up getting his eggs cooked right or what?
Great writeup Xaleph^^
Plenty of great points in there.
Hit and run post before I go to bed - Xaleph if you want a multiplayer FPS get CoD:MW2 for PC.
Disgaea rocks, games never freaking end but 2 and 3 never really caputred the magic of the original. Still a great series.
Star Ocean 4 was really good, played it on the 360 and will probably buy the PS3 version also for the new stuff. Might also look into White Knight Chronicles, reviews weren't that stellar but the game is far better than they give it credit for. If you like grindy JRPG's with multiplayer capabilities, I'd check it out.
Plenty of great points in there.