Do u feel that gaming has passed you by?

[The n00b]

Everytime I see a Forza, God of War, or Ninja Gaiden; my hope for games that push their genre forward is renewed. So no gaming has not "passed me by."

[system11]

There was a discussion along these lines in the IRC channel. The fact of the matter is, people have been bitching about unoriginal shit forever and the only thing that's changed is the name of the unoriginal games they're complaining about. Every new generation of systems the same people bitch and moan about how there aren't any cool new games and it's all just sequels and blah blah fucking blah whine bitch whine.

Of course this is why we pretty much ignore him on IRC. That and he starts bitching and whining at the slightest problem.

[neorichieb1971]

For the record I think gaming is passing me by. Just too tired, family, responsibilities and such. I am excited by all the developments, but its all very expensive and time consuming.

Also, like a few of you have said the games are re-iterations of older titles. The graphics are only the tools, not the gameplay.

[azmun]

I can certainly see how one can get jaded nowadays. One observation I can make about the evolution of (console) gaming is that they have become more and more complex, not just graphically but gameplay wise. This doesn't mean that they are necessarily getting better. Maybe it's just me but I find myself searching, discovering and going back to the classics that were and continue to be simple, fun and timeless.

[iatneH]

One observation I can make about the evolution of (console) gaming is that they have become more and more complex, not just graphically but gameplay wise.

I agree! Any game that uses more than three action buttons confuses me into paralytic shock. Note that I haven't tried ESP Galuda in Arrange mode, but I know that using separate buttons for Shot and Missile in addition to powerup in the Gradius line of games (let alone ANOTHER for Bell Power in Parodius games) absolutely confuddles me.

It's one thing I don't like about Alien Hominid, I find the controls and the things you can do to be needlessly complex. I'm fine with shooting, jumping, and bombing in Metal Slug, but burrowing, head-biting, and a separate button just for mounting vehicles is just too much for me.
Don't even get me started on 3D gameplay...

[tehkao]

I don't see where all this evolution in "complexity" is coming from.

RPGs still play exactly the same as they did 10 years ago.

FPS's too. More weapons, more levels, or more monsters doesn't make a game more complex.

[FatCobra]

The real question here is: Are we crazy for supporting what is considered a "dead" genre in the eyes of the mainstream gaming public? Do they think we're nuts for spending lots of money importing our consoles and games so we can hang on to our old-school values?

[sethsez]

I don't see where all this evolution in "complexity" is coming from.

RPGs still play exactly the same as they did 10 years ago.

FPS's too. More weapons, more levels, or more monsters doesn't make a game more complex.

Eh, in all fairness, controls have gotten more complex in some genres, FPS among them. There's certainly far more buttons in Half-Life 2 than in Doom, and while the latter is playable entirely with a keyboard, the former isn't.

I do think it's a valid complaint. Not a problem per se, but definitely something that puts off some people. My dad loves Sonic but can't play newer games because he winds up tripping over the controls.

Doesn't bother me one bit, though. Gimme more control!

[Specineff]

Minzoku nailed it herself. I agree.

I was thinking that today, that maybe we are getting old. But no, the market also has changed. Now that programmers and developers are more worried about tessellation, bump mapping, licenses, sequels, phong shading (WTF is that?) and Jiggl-o-boob physics, there's little time spent into making the damned games fun.

With notable exceptions, of course. Thank God for Treasure, UbiSoft, Visual Concepts and Triangle Service.

[Acid King]

The games we knew were the norm back then and are the classics now.
The games kids play now are the norm, and who knows? If how people play games changes just as much in the next 15 years, what we see now in 3D games will become the "classic" gameplay down the road.

I am assuming your sister's boyfriend and yourself are of comparable ages, and not to be compared to "kids nowadays". Although I'm not sure if what I'm saying aids or counters your point of never having played a Contra game being shameful.
I've never played a Contra game either until a little over a year ago too. (Well, played Contra Spirits when I was a young'un but didn't enjoy it and used a cheat device to get infinite lives..)

Actually he's 4 years younger than me, so not so much a kid nowadays but kinda clueless regardless. He only plays 3d games and is unfamiliar with older series. It's not that it's shameful, I just think it sucks that people are unfamiliar with the history of their hobby.

Anywho, surely some of the newer games will be looked on as "classic" in 10 years however, until virtual reality or some other cosmic leap comes up in display/graphics comparable to the jump from 2d graphics to 3d graphics, something that causes a fundamental shift in gameplay such as the jump to 3d did, then "classic" gameplay will be pretty similar to what will become modern gameplay.

[Minzoku]

phong shading (WTF is that?)

It's a type of shading specific to rendering. I never could tell the difference between phong, blinn, gourad, and etc., though, which is how I knew I wasted those five years in college

[uwfan]

the mainstream gamer has forgotten that GAMEPLAY >>> graphics.

everyone is obssessed with eye candy in the console market today, which is why they can sell endless sequels and updates of basically the same game.

[Rob]

the mainstream gamer has forgotten that GAMEPLAY >>> graphics.

And our forum collective is no different. Giga Wing Generations got slammed entirely for graphics issues. No one could say anything about the gameplay.

[jp]

the mainstream gamer has forgotten that GAMEPLAY >>> graphics.

And our forum collective is no different. Giga Wing Generations got slammed entirely for graphics issues. No one could say anything about the gameplay.

We all seemed to love Trizeal enough... and that game is fuuuuugly.

[sethsez]

the mainstream gamer has forgotten that GAMEPLAY >>> graphics.

everyone is obssessed with eye candy in the console market today, which is why they can sell endless sequels and updates of basically the same game.

Because GTA is a good looking series, right?

Oh, wait, it's ugly as hell and always has been.

Besides, Capcom was selling endless sequels and updates of basically the same game long before Madden's success was even a twinkle in EA's eye (and let's not even get into SNK). It's nothing new... but easy to forget, I guess.

[Rob]

I think it's (Trizeal) pretty ugly and mediocre, but I doubt most of its fans see it that way! 60 frames of TATE per second ugly.

[Marc]

Because GTA is a good looking series, right?

Oh, wait, it's ugly as hell and always has been.

Besides, Capcom was selling endless sequels and updates of basically the same game long before Madden's success was even a twinkle in EA's eye (and let's not even get into SNK). It's nothing new... but easy to forget, I guess.

Yeah, some common sense at last. SNK are worse than fuckin' EA, but we don't like to talk about that because SNK are 'hardcore' right?

[azmun]

Yeah, some common sense at last. SNK are worse than fuckin' EA, but we don't like to talk about that because SNK are 'hardcore' right?

Or maybe because they aren't as big as EA. Being 'hardcore' is just half the story. SNK doesn't eat up and swallow the competition.

[TVG]

There was a discussion along these lines in the IRC channel. The fact of the matter is, people have been bitching about unoriginal shit forever and the only thing that's changed is the name of the unoriginal games they're complaining about. Every new generation of systems the same people bitch and moan about how there aren't any cool new games and it's all just sequels and blah blah fucking blah whine bitch whine.

Look, it's pretty fucking simple. 90% of EVERYTHING is crap. Every generation will have its share of shit. If you want to argue, I'll be happy to point you towards the fifty billion half-assed Pac-Man and Galaga clones that littered arcades in the early 80's.

No, there is no room for us. Shooters are an antiquated and practically dead genre held onto by steadfast psychos. I like my shmups as much as anyone here, but I honestly don't give a fuck if any of them make the cover of Game Informer as the next big thing. You can either be a whiny old fucker bitching about these kids today with their newfangled gadgets or you can wake the fuck up, realize that you are not important to console developers, and get on with your life.

Which makes a person more of a real gamer? Simply following along with every bullshit item that comes down the assembly line? Or only playing what you find fun?

can i bear your children?

[sethsez]

Or maybe because they aren't as big as EA.

When the games still look and play almost exactly the same as they did in 1994, that's not an excuse.

SNK doesn't eat up and swallow the competition.

This has no bearing on what I was talking about. Someone complained that all modern games are rehashes and sequels, and I said this has been going on for longer than EA has existed. Their business practices are a completely different issue.

[FRO]

My real concern is that the next generation of consoles are appearing a bit too soon.
Looking at the shelves with my version of must-haves there are hardly 5 notable games for each console (PS2, XBOX, GCN).
Not so with my collection of 16 and 32-bit games.

I am in complete agreement with you. The only current generation console I own is a GC - I haven't been able to afford a PS2 or XBox yet (though I plan on purchasing them). I'm feeling like the industry is pushing too hard to release new consoles before their shelf life is truly up.