So, when's this generation going to kick off?

I've had my PS4 since October, with MGSV, Mad Max and the Uncharted collection, all games available on the PS3 and with the free MGSV multiplayer on PS3, possibly better on last gen too. So, when is this generation going to kick off? I know XB1 just got Halo 5 and I've played it. It's a lot of fun, especially with friends but it never hits the heights of Halo 2 or 3.

I've actually looked around in recent months for new games to buy but there's nothing out there. Where are the great next/current gen titles? I know there's some hype about 2016 but even then, there's not a deluge of titles like we saw on the PS2 and consoles of it's era or even in the mid to late years of the PS3/360.

Bit disappointing after 2 years.

I've had an Xbox One ever since launch and have been very happy with it so for me this gen has kicked off when it came out.

You're assuming it hasn't? We've had a slew of great games coming out, especially this year alone. Bloodborne, The Witcher 3, Undertale, and many others are all proof that this generation is just now hitting its stride one year in.

This year.

As far as ps4 is concerned at least. Ps4 has a lot of exclusives this year and a lot of strong cross plat games are out this year as well.

Asking this kind of question after a crazy year like 2015 which struck us all by magnificent titles makes me wonder if you still have the spark for gaming.

But has 2015 delivered a large number of games only available on current gen consoles? The answer is no. Not even one of the biggest, if not the biggest game of the year, MGS V was available across last gen consoles.

I've experienced far greater line ups, exclusives and gaming experiences in previous generations, so it's why I hold this to a higher standard than most of you. I don't expect to wait for 2 or 3 games a year worth my time, I want a slew of choice.

@soul_starter: so you only care about how many games are coming out? Wow.

Oh come on, you know exactly what I mean, quantity and quality. I don't want to be playing 3 games a year on a machine this expensive which then also charges for online (both ps4 and xb1) and in return we get rehashes of 15 year old games with "HD remasters" lol

I'm playing WAY more then three games a year and that's just on my Xbox One. I really don't care if they make a version for previous gen systems, I'm still thoroughly enjoying the current gen version which I think look fantastic for most games.

@soul_starter: there's been way more than 3 good games released. Bloodborne, The Witcher 3, SOMA, Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid 5, Rocket League, Undertale, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Splatoon, Batman: Arkham Knight, etc. And you're saying there aren't enough good games out? Granted, it all boils down to taste, but there's been a lot of great titles being released this year.

@nirogol:I think @soul_starter is losing his spark. I feel like I have in recent years. I will buy a game, play it, and they just aren't as exciting as they used to be. I'm not sure if it's from playing to much, maybe games just have the same feel from the past and get repetitive, or maybe it's just part of getting older (24, not that old, but still). And after buying a few games, i'll wait and try to play those games, but I just can't get myself to play them, then i will buy more and the same results come about. Could just be I need to look into finding a new hobby. Anyone else feel this way?

I'm more than happy with my consoles 2015 was a good year and 2016 looks even better.

Your age is just a number...

i'm 27 so what? I know 30+ people play consoles, the last generation aren't like the old ones, 30+ years old people still remember they excitement from playing the first PlayStation console, or Sega mega drive or even Atari, these hole industry runs and managed by grown ups, it's not about your age, I don't think grown ups who like video games are childish.

maybe you just don't like it anymore, it could happened.

I've been more than satisfied this gen, but that's because Wii U has been doing most of the heavy lifting so far with PS4 as a suplement. This year looks like it could turn it around for Sony's console though.

I'll say that 2015 was a very lackluster year for me.

um it started in November 2013

I'd also like to add that I've also been very happy with my Wii U as well. Have some awesome games like Xenoblade Chronicles X, Bayonetta 2, Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and others.

@soul_starter: Omg another post like this. Sell it back then, and stop complaining. If you need other people to tell you what's a good game, then google reviews and find something you're interested in instead of posting another THIS GEN SUX post. I'm not saying the library of new gen is BEST EVER OMG but if you can't find any of the slew of great games that are out right now interesting, I'm honestly sorry for you. If, among the many great games that came out in 2015, none of them interest you, then all snarky-ness aside, just sell back your console. Because if that's the case, I honestly don't know what kinds of games you were looking for. I spent a lot of time posting things like that in the Nintendo forum last year because I just didn't get the DS hype. As it turns out, DS games aren't for me. That doesn't mean the library is "bad" (or well it kind of is... just kidding calm down). But what I'm saying is, you can't force yourself to like a console if you just flat out don't like the games, that's okay too

I'm saying these games are not "next gen", I've had similar experiences or can have the same experience on the PS3 generation. Some of those experiences are better on previous consoles.

Now, I'm guessing most of you have really low standards of what you want in gaming, which is why we're seeing proliferation of poor games, half assed technical issues and DLCs which shouldn't be DLCs, or maybe you're just too young to remember a time when new console generations actually meant a step forward for gaming not a stagnation of gaming ideas.

There's too few GTAV style additions to gaming and with our lack of will to drive the industry as consumers, maybe we don't deserve that.

@soul_starter: I understand, I kinda feel the same. This year I enjoyed like 4 or 5 games across 3 systems ... I saddly bought some game that I shouldn't have including The witchers 3 that I find very boring ... Fallout 4 is worst than Fallout 3 ( and another open world game meh ) and Metal Gears Solid 5 ... I'm staying away from this one as I never like the previous games ( again another open world )then you have Batman ... kind of meh too ( and I feel like a broken record but another open world ).

So that leaves me with Bloodborne that I enjoyed a lot, SOMA, Smash bros U/3DS,Splatoon and Persona Q

@soul_starter: don't assume such things. I've been gaming since the 90s, and I know about the big leaps in tech with each passing generation. I also know that graphics are about to plateau in terms of realism, so I'm looking for refinements in storytelling, gameplay mechanics, and AI, as well as seeing new ideas come along. That's what this generation is gonna be focusing on most, I believe. Games aren't dependent on graphics leaps anymore to make them better. And that's why this generation is actually very exciting for me.

I've been an avid gamer for 38 years now so I've been through all the console generations and I am quite pleased with the current one. Developing games has gotten incredibly more complex and costly so I can understand many of the bugs and such that need fixing after launch as well as how much of this dlc is needed. I'm not saying that there isn't some games that should not have been released in the state that they were in or that some publishers haven't exploited dlc but those have been in the minority and on the whole gaming now is better then it's ever been.

i think a lot of us put a brave face on it but deep down know that this gen's struggled to get going more than any previous one.

the two things that stand out the most to me are - firstly performance. i remember playing gears of war on the 360 when it first launched thinking wow that gives my gaming pc (at the time) a real run for its money. there's absolutely nothing like that, or will be, on this gen of consoles which is pretty disappointing. gears wasn't eclipsed until crysis in late 07. and it's even more disappointing that current console hardware seems to be already showing signs of reaching a performance ceiling just a couple of years into the gen.

secondly, as much as 2015 was a much better year than 2014, i think that a last gen game - gta v - is, pound for pound, still the best game on this gen of consoles, which too is disappointing. it feels like this gen launched without much thought to its own set of marquee titles and we've had to make do with remasters, sequels and last gen games to get by.

but anyway i definitely enjoyed last year much much more than the previous one so if the quality and frequency of good titles continues to rise in 2016 like it did in 2015 i'll be happy

@soul_starter: The fact of the matter is, this gen just shows how much the gaming industry has changed, and what developers think passes for great gaming nowadays.

Gaming has become a more mainstream hobby, and things like online play, social/casual gaming, app games, DLC and microtransactions have all found their place in the development checklist. Gone are the days of products releasing (mostly) finished, and with an emphasis on single-player, offline content. Gone, also, are many smaller developers - either bankrupted, bought out by bigger companies, or on the verge of collapse. Sure, the indie scene has grown a lot since the beginning of last gen, though we seem to be missing those decent-budget cult hits of yesteryear. Kickstarter may be the only remaining saving grace for projects outside of scope of the big-budget devs interest.

The thing is though, a lot of great games already exist - it's worth it to go back and take a look at a lot of the great games already available from the past couple of decades.

If you are not happy with what has been given to you thus far then I would sell your systems. Get some cash while you still can and find a hobby you will be happier with as there has been some great games over the last 2 years.

• Witcher 3
• Project Cars
• Fallout 4
• Halo 5
• Forza 6
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Destiny The Fallen King
• Bloodborne
• Dying Light
• Motorcycle Club (add on for Drive Club)
• Drive Club (after the updates)
• The Order 1886 ( just kidding)
• Batman Arkham Knight
• Halo: Master Chief Collection -More than a remaster
• Metro Redux - More than a remaster
• MLB the Show
• The Evil Within

But if those or upcoming games do not excite then Gamestop and Bestbuy will give you some good credit or cash for your systems.

@soul_starter: If last gen is anything to go by we are nearing the mid point of the gen. If we haven't crossed it already. I'd say if it was "going to kick off" it would have done so already. Personally I felt satisfied with my PS4 with Witcher 3. Though I must say in general this gen has been overall a massive let down.

It's just how business is right now in the TV, Movie, and Gaming industry as a collective. Companies are staying with safe bets, They don't want to take a risk with new ideas, and want to capitalize on ones that are proven to work (Remasters or sequels, but sequels that don't change gameplay wise)...it's sad but true. Guess reading books is a nice alternative : P

i know it's all subjective but calling all those "great" is a bit of a stretch. good? some of them are, absolutely. great? only a few of those deserve the accolade (only two in my book). but i guess it depends on your definition of great. i'd class games like tlou or gta v to be great. against that type of benchmark most of those have no business alongside them

@Macutchi: Agreed entirely!

@Dannystaples14: The WItcher 3 is awesome (have it on my PC) and that's my whole point, almost 2 years and barely any exclusives to talk about. However, the last gen was longer than 4 years.

@soul_starter: Yes last gen was about seven or eight years.

Except last gen was a very long generation. Many predict that this gen won't last as long meaning we could be nearer to the mid point than we think. Might even be some time this year and we don't even realise it.

That for me would mean in the entire first half of this generation there hasn't even been 5 games that truly stand out as special.

The closest I've come has been Witcher 3 which is one of my all time favourite games but after that hardly anything. Wolfenstein was great. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was enjoyable. Other than that though I can't really remember anything that was particularly stand out.

Played Borderlands 2 and Resident Evil HD which were both remasters and they were more enjoyable than most games I've played this gen. That just says it all for me.

The first half of last gen we had SERIOUSLY game changing franchises released. This gen we have remasters and sequels. There has been almost nothing new this gen. The closest to NEW we've gotten is 1080p and the Nemesis system from Shadow of Mordor, a mediocre game that only got the accolades it did because 2014 was an utter disaster of a year.

Is that not the way it is with most generations? And yes they are subjective, but they received good reviews from most credible sites. Also, the OP wanted good games that were this generation only, so could not put in GTA V, which I though was terrible. I guess I have outgrown the over profane type of games.

But lets break it down:

• Witcher 3 - Game of the year in most publications
• Project Cars - Rated one of the best pure sim racing games by many publications.
• Fallout 4 - Runner up for game of the year in most publications.
• Halo 5 - Well...this is Halo, and if you like Halo games then this is a must buy.
• Forza 6 - Best Forza game to date by most reviews, and that comes when comparing any generation. (this is not "True Sim" like Project Cars)
• Star Wars Battlefront - Mixed reviews...Love it or hate it, but it is Star Wars with great game play. (people who thought it was going to be Battlefield with Star Wars skin was disappointed.
• Destiny The Fallen King - One of the great turn around in games. The Fallen King took Destiny to a new level. Don't take my word for it, but read the reviews.
• Bloodborne - PS4 exclusive game of the year by most. I actually not a fan. I added this as it
• Dying Light - One of the more unique games of this generation. Great maybe not, but from what I understand very good.
• Motorcycle Club (add on for Drive Club) - Name a batter Motorcycle racer.
• Drive Club (after the updates) - Another great turn around story. Went from average game to one of the best arcade/sim racers out there. So much to do.
• The Order 1886 ( just kidding) - This was a joke.
• Batman Arkham Knight - Like some of the others I have not played, but received great reviews, and some game of the year nominations.
• Halo: Master Chief Collection -More than a remaster - Review after review loved this game...after they fixed the online issues. More than a remaster. Maybe a master (chief) piece.
• Metro Redux - More than a remaster - Debatable, but an under rated game that got praise, but got better as they added game play styles and features. You can play Metro 2033 in Metro Last Light style. Also $9 and get both game right now.
• MLB the Show - Rated the best baseball sim on the market for many years, and is exclusive to PS4.
• The Evil Within - You can remove if you want. Not my favorite game, but those who wanted more Resident Evil (another game I am not too fond of) this game is it.

As you mention game enjoyment is subjective. I included games I had not played. Most where not my opinion, but from reading reviews. Again this was entries for this generation only, per the OP so did not include games like GTA V that were on last gen (correct me if I am wrong here).

If it were my own personal I and cross platform or remakes were an option I would have added the following:

• Call of Duty Black Ops 3
• Last of Us
• GTA V (I don't like, but many do)
• Uncharted Remaster
• Tomb Raider - Newest one should have been on my original list as it is Xbox limited time exclusive
• Madden, FIFA, PES - Some might not like sports games, but they do well.
• Battlefield 4

I am sure there are more I didn't think of. But again I did not put in game I personally liked, but only this generation games that reviewed well or had a great following.

Sell the consoles and buy a PC.

@mgools: tbh my comment was just because i took issue with you using the word great to describe all those games.

i do think something to note from your lists is the absence of new ips. we're just over two years into this gen. at this point in the previous gen we'd had new ips like gears of war, mass effect, bioshock, assassin's creed, forza, crackdown and uncharted (off the top of my head, there may be more), which all went on to become big franchises. plus we had stellar entries into existing franchises like halo 3, modern warfare, the orange box, oblivion, hitman blood money, rainbow six vegas (again there'll be more that i'm forgetting). despite that there undoubtedly have been some good / great games, this gen just feels lacking in comparison

Okay, so to you Game of the Year, Game of the Year runner up, Best Racing game, Best Racing Sim, Best Exclusive, Best RPG is not "Great" to you, but to reviewers it was. So "take exception" to the professional reviewers, and not me. I am just passing this along. There are new IPs by the way for this generation, and some are getting very good reviews (some are not). You or I might not like them, but they are new IPs non the less. (some coming soon, but most released). Also there were 7 new IPs on my list (so they were not absent as you had stated), and there are a lot more, and a few more about to come out.

List of some of those new IPs that don't exist.

• Bloodborne - On list
• Project Cars - On list
• Destiny - Released same time on this gen and last gen - On list
• Titanfall - Release on Xbox One first and ported to Xbox 360 just after.
• Dying Light - On list
• Splatoon - Missing, but should have been there.
• The Order - Might not been a good game, but neither was Crackdown and it is a new IP even if it isn't that great. - On the list
• Project Cars - On the list
• Until Dawn
• The Division
• No Mans Sky
• Evolve
• Everybody's gone to Rapture
• Ori and the Blind Forest
• Evil Within - On List

With that said, if you are not happy sell your system, and skip this generation. They will bring money now, and you are clearly not happy with the new IPs that are here, and the ones on the way. FYI..."When is this generation going to start" posts were also here with the Xbox 360 and PS3.

@mgools: I agree. I've played most of those games that you've mentioned and I'd definitely consider them to be great games as well.

@mgools: my observation about the lack of new ips was just based on games you first listed as good ones from this gen. i didn't say there's a lack of new ips in general. do you always get this defensive when someone comments on something you write?

I've got a PC and I use it for gaming too so I have that covered but it's not as if there's a tonne of great, AAA exclusives on there either.

My PS4 was a present and I've enjoyed playing Mad Max, MGSV to a certain extent and obviously FIFA. I'm not as ardent a gamer as I used to be, I can't with university and so on but it feels as if gaming has taken a huge hit, mostly creatively. Everything is about squeezing the last drop of money from the consumer with ridiculous online modes, MMO hybrid gameplay which is mostly unnecessary, releasing half arsed products which are terribly broken etc etc etc.

Some of that would be forgivable if we were getting a number of high quality, truly great AAA games but we're not.

LMFAO "I've played halo 5.. and it's good" Ya if you want to spend $6000 on cosmetic and ingame items to collect it all ya it's a good game. If you think Microtransactions of that size in a game sold full price and has it's online held behind a paywall is fucking pathetic and downright a dirty business practice to gouge all ready poor families through their children then no it's not a fucking good game (oh ya no split screen so go buy another system and game!). This generation of games is my least liked, and least played. Only a handfull of games can be called a master piece this gen and surprisingly I'm not even willing to put MGS5 on that list, which says a lot when a metal gear can't even get my balls all excited.

In the last year (2015 )I've literally played eve online, and Battlefield 4(Surprisingly in it's current state and with all the dlc it's not too bad). I have two $3000+ machines for gaming and I've purchased; The witcher 3, GTA5, Metal gear solid 5(So wish I didn't buy this pathetic excuse for a metal gear game) and an old favorite Sins of the solar empire rebellion. I used to spend $1000's on games a year. Now with how shady, and horribly put together most expereices I've stopped almost completely. Add the fact most shit is now a sequel to a previous franchise I've gotten bored with (Or never liked like Assassins creed) it feels stale.

Actually you did state I did not mention new IPs, and I had mentioned 7 of them on the games I first listed.

Here is your statement word for word "i do think something to note from your lists is the absence of new IPs".

So if you want to classify me pointing out your inaccuracies about my posts as defensive, then I guess I do. Also if you think my posts are defensive that is what we do, we defend our point of view, and you have done the same.

I think you might be taking things a little too personal. On a different note, I am sorry you are personally not liking this generation of gaming, I assume you have decided to trade in your new generation of system, and it looks like gamestop is currently giving $200 trade in value on the new systems, which isn't bad.

@soul_starter: Agree with squeezing the consumer. With microtransactions getting more common it seems like they might be going a little overboard. I refuse to rent a game I payed full price for, so I never get to play MMOs. Nor will I buy games that require microtransactions to win, but I am okay with them if it is for things like new skins, paint job on a gun, etc.

I wonder if game companies are having a hard time staying profitable, and that is why we are seeing this. I say this because I am an older gamer, and remember having to save up $40 to purchase Popeye. And it ended up being one of the worst games of all time (they took bad games back at the store back then though). Now with games at $60 it is actually less than what I paid decades ago when taking into account inflation, etc. Production costs have gone up as well. This does not excuse the companies for some of there pay to win, pay to play, or pay full price and we will let you pay another $15/mos to play. But wonder if they are trying to find a way to stay profitable, or if it is just gouging the consumer? Either way I will not bite.

Edit: One of my favorite game of all time did DLC blasphemy. Something I was concerned about when they first started the practice. That game was "The Las of Us". You could tell the DLC was a section plucked right out of the game and sold as DLC. I remember playing the game and wondering what happened as the game seemed to skip an entire piece, but it all became clear when I played the DLC. Also, it seems to now be common for there to only be like 5 multiplayer maps in FPS games and in the past I thought there seemed to be a lot more. And now we see purchasable map packs, etc. Am I wrong here about less maps these days? See CoD, Star Wars. BF

@ribstaylor1: Funny, I haven't spent a dime on the microtransactions in Halo 5 and yeah I think it's a very good game indeed. You can get all the things offered in the game just fine through normal gameplay. The microtransactions in this game are simply a shortcut for those who choose to buy them. The game is not overly grindy with them so there's really no problem there. Most games these days don't have split-screen and to play online multiplayer for any games on the PS4 and Xbox One requires you to subscribe to their online services, which also provide more benefits besides just playing online, so singling out Halo 5 for these things is ridiculous.

@mgools: actually to be fair, i probably should have said new good ips. from your list i ignored the order 1886 for obvious reasons, destiny (as it launched on last gen consoles too) and motorcycle club as it's so insignificant it hasn't even got a review on ign or gamespot and has a metacritic rating of 1.5 so clearly is not one of this gen's greats. that leaves on your list of great games from this gen so far just 5 new ips:

• project cars
• drive club
• bloodborne
• dying light
• the evil within

compare against the list of new ips at this point in last gen that i mentioned (none of which were available on ps2 / xbox)

• bioshock
• mass effect
• gears of war
• uncharted
• assassin's creed
• forza

those were just off the top of my head so i'm sure there's others i forgot. the point that i was making was, despite really enjoying bloodborne, i'd say last gen at this point in time had considerably better new ips in comparison. even from your next updated list where you went a bit nuts and posted every new ip you could think of i'd still take last gen's new ips over this one's, and i'm not including any last gen wii games either. obviously i can't make judgements on the games you listed that aren't out yet. if you prefer this gen's new ips then that's fine, but to suggest i sell up just because i don't, despite only saying that it feels this gen is lacking compared to last, feels a little overly dramatic

Well that backfired, The Evil Within and Bloodborne are the best games on that list you made.

Then you factor in stuff like until dawn and amazing sequels to old games.

Also 2016 might be the best year in gaming history honestly:

1) No Man's Sky

2) Deus Ex

3) Hitman

3) Horizon: Zero Dawn

4) Uncharted 4

5) Gravity Rush 2

6) Yakuza Kiwami and 6

7) XCOM 2

8) Final Fantasy 15

9) Mirror's Edge Catalyst

10) Street Fighter 5

11) Mass Effect Andromeda

12) Dark souls 3

13) Dishonored 2

14) The Last Guardian

15) Dead Island 2

16) Unravel

17) Doom

18) Kingdom Come Deliverance

19) Star Citizen

20) Mighty No 9 (finally)

21) Persona 5

22) The Legend of Zelda

23) Star Fox Zero

24) Nier Automata

25) Shadow Warrior 2

26) Ni-Oh

ETC ETC ETC

I am Happy with my ps4 i cant wait for this year line up

@soul_starter: I heard that this generation will be kicking off next week tuesday at 2pm I hope you are ready.

The genres of AAA games this gen is much lower than in the past. Basically we are getting a ton of FPS games and 3rd person action games. All the other genres have been reduced greatly in number. It's sad.

@beastmode: well, about time!! Although I'm a bit busy with uni on tuesday