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Old 05-09-2008   #1 (permalink)
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What's happening to the gaming industry?

I'm not a big gamer myself at all. In fact the last game I played was Def Jam on the PS2 (which I don't even own). The Last PC game I played was Wormux (just to test it out). And that's all I've played since the beginning of 2008.

It's as if something is missing which I long for... something the old titles used to have.. King's Quest, Flight of the Amazon Queen, Duke Nukem.. etc. etc.

There's really nothing unique about today's games to me. It was Doom back in the 1990's and development on Doom 4 started on the 7th of May 2008. Nothing has changed.. except the graphics, sounds, guns etc. Perhaps a nifty "feature" here and there but that's it. Games don't make me stick infront of my screen the whole day like they used to, they're not intriguing.. just not interesting.

I'm sure I'm not the only person feeling like this, am I? What are your thoughts on this.. please elaborate.

PS: Am not talking about Windows/.Xbox/Playstation/Nintendo/Linux etc. games but games and the gaming industry as a whole.
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Old 05-09-2008   #2 (permalink)
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id say its actually doing really well with all the new and different stuff its coming out with.
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Old 05-09-2008   #3 (permalink)
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I would have to agree with netstrider on this. I used to play video games all the time. Quite a mix too... everything from Mortal Kombat to Madden football to RPG's of all kinds. There were many a night when I would stay up *past* the wee hours of the morning trying to get to the next level, or win one more match.
Nowadays, I think the video game industry is really just trying to max out the hardware that they are given to use without really putting to much effort to making a 'new' gaming experience.
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Old 05-09-2008   #4 (permalink)
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Can't believe I'm reading this a week after GTA IV is released.

The most open game I've ever played with a completely fresh outlook on what gaming can be. I've played every game in the series and this one brings all sorts to the table. Other games such as Gears Of War and Assassin's Creed are also outstanding games. I think any of the games I mentioned brought new things and a sense of excitement to gaming. They weren't just rehashes of old games or game ideas, each one took what was there and built on it to bring something completely new.

I was online for 3 hours last night playing both single player and multiplayer Cops & Robbers style games with friends of mine...some of whom were on the other side of the world. I hav it all in that game....story, freedom, puzzle, action, immersion and the social aspect of shared online gaming (and I'm not talking run n' gun here).

And to top that off story writing and voice talent are the best they've ever been. Are you sure you haven't just grown out of gaming?
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Old 05-09-2008   #5 (permalink)
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You cant really say its not progressed unless your a gamer.
If you play a game just every now and then you couldnt really tell, it would be the same as judging a book by its cover, or an OS by its GUI as someones sig said.
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Old 05-09-2008   #6 (permalink)
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I think that it could be because I am getting older and growing out
of games, but modern games don't appeal to me in the same way
that the classics did.

Elite, Dungeon Master, Starglider (2 in particular) - by now you
can tell the era that I consider the golden age of gaming
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Old 05-09-2008   #7 (permalink)
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Well the particular reason I am not a big gamer is because in recent years the quality of games has stagnated to my personal opinion anyway - take not MY OPINION.

There are a lot of things that have definitely improved over the years and that would be realism, storylines, graphics, sound... etc.

Since the introduction of Doom back then, there hasn't really been that much headway in FPS for example. Sure, they've added binocs in games like say splinter cell or Far Cry, with a guy on the radio talking to you.

In Crysis you now have super mega suit (body armour bla bla). Doom, Quake and all those games also had the armour but they just weren't as advanced as to make your character fly and jump and run at speeds etc. The basic gameplay is all the same.. run.. shoot...run shoot. I don't even have to watch the video's or listen to them talking or even in most cases do any reading.

No, they've made it easy for me now by providing a radar with a red or green dot/arrow on it.. I just follow that. What's more, the world isn't all that big, maps are created in such a way that there's no secret passage for me to explore by myself.. no, rather they force me into one direction.

While it might remove the frustration of getting stuck, it however also removes the enjoyment of understanding, in short a game with to much of a forced level design becomes dull.

Sorry if this sounds all a bit negative but that's the general feel I get of the games. Neverwinter Nights... from #1 to #2 I don't see any difference really.. nothing remarkable.

On another note: Maybe we're just spoilt by all the good games (or at least me) that I'm constantly looking over my shoulder for the next release whilst missing the current crop of good games right in front of me?

Or... maybe I've just lost ALL interest in ALL games? The last fun game I played was Baldur's Gate. In fact here are a few games I can mention that will probably stick with me.

Police Quest, Space Quest, King's Quest, Keen, Arcanum, Doom (the original), Fifa, Flight Sim... and for a racing game... well I can't really think of one but I think of all the racing games GT must be the best.

There have been other games I've enjoyed but they were not particularly "Great". On another note, once again, I think Linux has offered a wider variety of well.. strange little games but I find them more interesting than any of the major titles released for Windows or other platforms.

Unfortunately some of the Linux games (Wormux etc.) are based on games from the Windows world..

Computer gaming has always been sustained by never-ending improvements in resolution and realism. But once we get to photorealism, what is going to sustain growth?

I'd really like more views on this!
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Old 05-09-2008   #8 (permalink)
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I am 17 (almost eighteen) and have been playing video games since I was about 4 years old (yes, you did read correctly). I used to play with a good friend of mine from 'nursery school', and am still very much into it all (starting a Games Programming Degree this September).
The earliest games I remember, that I played, were from the Golden China, a Nintendo Famicom clone available only to South Africa, and a part of the NES family.
After that I played games like Start Control (Ur Quan Masters), Duke Nukem and Dune 2 and than moved onto Quake, Sega Saturn, PS1 and newer PC games.
Recently I have experienced a sever lack of interest in games (currently playing ET:QW) and have tried pinning down the reason.
I would say I would have to agree with you, netstrider, as I used to be amazed with new games and would spend days, almost literally, playing them even for the mere joy of exploring new and exciting fantasy worlds :P
I think that older games usually had unusual and more unique settings/scenario's and style of gameplay. Where as with newer games it does tend to be pretty much the same stuff over and over and over again. Much to my dismay, even with iD's games. As I find it is with ET:QW.
Of course age does play a part, I'm not 6 anymore, and don't get excited over a journey in the car () but I think that games are getting severely less interesting.
Perhaps the whole online multiplayer things plays a big part in this? Coming from South Africa (only recently in UK) I didn't have net until about 2005, and can still remember the excitement of going to LAN's to play Quake 3, Soldat and StarCraft, even at the age's 12 and 13.
I didn't mean to give my life story or anything, just thought it was very relevant, and whatever the reason for this decline in interest in games is, I hope it does get better ... (I'm starting to crave interesting games!!)
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Old 05-09-2008   #9 (permalink)
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One more thing. I also enjoyed Police/Space Quest very much , particularly Space Quest. I haven't played the first Baldur's Gate, but I spent a weekend completing Baldur's Gate 2 (I think) on PS2 with a friend. Was a pretty good game, although already bordering on the same'ness that was going around (from what I remember) about the time the PS2 was released/became popular.
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Old 05-09-2008   #10 (permalink)
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I am happy with ID because they still always manage to create a Linux binary for all their games now. Unreal Tournament's company does the same too. I have 2004 running on my Ubuntu PC at home. I haven't yet looked into Unreal Tournament III yet to see if they have it available for linux.
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