The problem with this generation

I logged onto Gamespot today and had a notification about a new game being backwards compatible on Xbox One. That game is Dead Space.

Now, I really like the first two games in the series, so hooray for fans who for some reason got rid of their 360 but still have their 360 copies of Dead Space. My question is why Gamespot dedicated an entire article to a game from 2008 suddenly being backwards compatible. This is not news. Hell, BC has been something many systems in the industry have had for a long time now, although I get that a lot of systems didn't have it due to hardware/ programming limitations (eg no N64 games on the Gamecube). I'm not calling out Gamespot, because they're just doing their job or reporting things.

I think the bigger problem is that this generation has been completely boring. Think about how many "remasters" have been wildly hyped. People creamed themselves when Last of Us was put on PS4 just a year after it was originally released. And I get that it brought in the DLC and whatnot, making it the complete edition, but still, that's what people have to get excited for? Most AAA game releases are just dull, so companies are relying way more on rereleasing old games. Seriously, Microsoft's last E3 included the "groundbreaking announcement" that they're including backwards compatibility! With certain games, of course. And it was met with applause.

What the hell is wrong with people? Has it really gotten to the point where people are so mindless that they're totally happy with remasters? I mean, I get it- many systems have used older games to make the transition to a new system smoother or improve upon an older game (what leaps to mind is the Final Fantasy trilogy of IV, V, and VI on the GBA). But the PS4 and Xbox One have both been out for several years now, and both have gotten a huge number of "remasters." We don't even call them ports anymore, even though that's what they are. And it's gotten to the point where gaming sites are reporting on games becoming backwards compatible. That's not even remastering- that's discussing a feature that was probably capable of being on the Xbox One in the first place.

I'd argue, too, that there's a difference between my GBA example and this remastering trend. Take Final Fantasy VI. Previously, it was only available on the SNES or, later, Playstation One, neither of which are exactly portable. But the GBA port added in brand new, never before seen content and made this terrific RPG portable. Now Take Dishonored Definitive Edition. It's a game from the previous generation that comes with all the bonus content. But it's not like the game is hard to find- there's always a few copies of it at most game stores I go to. So what the hell is the purpose of the rerelease aside from mildly improved graphics? Hell, the PS3/ 360 version also had a complete edition!! I purchased it myself!

Thoughts on this? Am I wrong or does anyone else agree that this trend is a little disturbing?

50/50 we should be moving on with our games and enjoying new ones, when we played ps2 games we didnt care for our ps1 classics to busy enjoying ps2 same with ps3 vs p2 mostly.

Then again younger people who missed out on old games its good for them, also if improved gfx then why not but as a pc gamer i played most games 1080p anyway unless console exclusive.

Backwards compatibilty i think is good though so one can choose to play older games if wish but then thats different to remasters. Games like splinter cell, hitman remasters etc mean nothing to me as i can play any time on pc even better gfx and did so originally. End of day cant slate them nothng wrong with them, if theres a market for them so be it.

Some i think are silly such as uncharted. I mean that was a nice looking game for its time on ps3 but not the kinda game u wanna play over and over imo, so who would wanna play it all over again on ps4 with a bit more shine seems crazy to me but i guess it sells?

@jamzzee: it also gives younger gamers a chance to see older classics with graphics they're used to.

You know what's beautiful, there is a massive catalogue of games through multiple generations. You know what I still enjoy, a cold beer and Empire Total War.

I can definitely understand where you're coming from though, while re-releases and remasters on top of the news of backwards compatiblilty give fans the perfect excuse to take a virtual trip to old stomping grounds there can be an overall stale fragrance left in the air. One would bask in it like that old book smell, but that doesn't make up for a lack of original content and new places to explore. I just think you'll find this a common theme throughout history with media, re-releases and remasters are common. Though I throw my lot in with you with the "released on this generation but will be re-released next generation a year later". I'm biased though because I game PC and that translates with occasions like with GTA V as a later release date.

There are lot of problems this generation, which many have started since the last one. I agree with you that this generation is really boring. I game mostly on pc now when before it would be half on consoles and half on pc.

@SOedipus: That's where I'm at, although the only current gen system I own is the 3DS. Lots of games that cater to my tastes on it. But most of my gaming these days are spent on my laptop. I play a lot of indie horror titles and older stuff so my laptop can handle them (I don't purchase graphical powerhouse games). Aside from a few PS4 exclusives (namely Bloodborne which I've played quite a bit of and thoroughly enjoyed) there doesn't seem to be enough on the current consoles to justify a purchase from me when the 3DS and my laptop give me access to a pretty wide variety of games that I mostly enjoy (I get the occasional stinker, but I'm usually pleased with my purchases because I do a lot of research before buying).

@balaminienbgs:I'm not usually one to bitch about how there are "no good games" in a generation- I actually go out of my way to seek games out that I think I will enjoy and have been pretty satisfied so far. The thing is that most of the stuff I enjoy is not at all well known, and if it is, it niche because it's not a shooter or competitive game (although I do play Smash Bros a lot). My point is that all the big things in gaming right now are either rerelases or rehashes of ideas we've seen numerous times over. I'd like to see a return to days when big companies allowed themselves to be a bit more creative. I can only play a cover shooter so many times before it gets old.

Like I said, though, I personally am not hurting for games to play, especially since I started gaming on my laptop (the majority of the games I play are either old or 2D, so my laptop can usually handle them with ease). But I think about what the biggest things in gaming are these days and it's odd and sad to me that most of them are shooters of some form or another, or just rereleases.

This is exactly why I'm on the fence about buying a current generation system. I really want to buy an Xbox one, but upon looking at the games available I see a few things:

Way too many war games(not hugely interested)

Everything else is a rpg

Lack of creative content!!

There are a few games that interest me, but I'm very afraid I'll end up utilizing it like my 360 I had, I'll buy 2 or 3 games, not be impressed, and it'll sit dormant other than watching movies.

I'm glad I'm not the only one unimpressed.

Personally I'm very happy with the new games coming out. I currently have an Xbox One and Wii U and I'm finding a lot of great stuff to play. I'm also very happy with the remasters that are coming out and the backwards compatibility that the Xbox One has gotten. I have a pretty huge collection of 360 games and while I still have my 360 I put it away to save space for my current systems so it's nice to be able to fire up a 360 game without having to drag the system out.

nothing wrong with people, i think it's just that currently a trip down nostalgia lane can seem more appealing than a trip down mediocre lane which is what the majority of mainstream games can feel like these days.

last year, 2015, was the second full year of the next gen consoles. throughout the entire year we had a handful of potentially classic mainstream games like bloodborne, witcher 3 and mgsv. we also had a ton of remasters nathan drake collection, gears remastered, dishonored definitive edition etc as well as some decent but not amazing games like dying light, arkham knight, until dawn, halo 5, just cause 3. maybe more that's all i can think of off the top of my head.

2007 was the second full year of the previous gen consoles. from just aug - dec that year we had a stream of classic mainstream games - bioshock, mass effect, halo 3, uncharted, super mario galaxy, the orange box, modern warfare, crysis and assassin's creed. maybe more.

as much as we put a positive spin on what has been released and can enjoy remasters there remains, to me anyway, a rather large gulf in quality between this and last gen in terms of mainstream games released at this point in their respective life spans. and we're now in april (virtually) and there's been nothing of note to come out as of yet this year

I was hoping the topic would revolve around remasters and whatnot. Yeah, I guess they aren't necessarily bad. But it seems like this generation has been all about playing games from last generation on new generation consoles what with all these remasters and the Xbox One slowly having the 360 library become backwards compatible.

I don't understand how people have time to play all these games out on the ps4 allready, but that's just me i guess. I have like 5-6 games that i havn't finished yet + Uncharted 4 is just around the corner and then No man's Sky which will probably take a whole lot of time to finish :D I personally can't complain about the lack of games this generation and neither can i complain about Remasters because they are just a huge plus for those who didn't own the previous consoles and for those like me who just want to play the upgraded and best version of the game.

If The Last Of Us didn't get Remastered i would feel sorry for those who are new to Playstation and only have a PS4. Good move by Sony & Naughty Dog

From their standpoint, it is more economical safe to do a remaster of a game that's sold alot in the past and has fans of it. Rather then create a new IP and hope that sales are higher then the cost of creating it.

Even more so now when 7-8 million copies of a game sold is considered a loss for the studio.

Yeah, I can see where you're coming from... BC titles aren't really news worthy.

But as for BC as whole, and remasters for that matter, I like them. I like being able to keep some of my favourites from past gens, on one system. I don't want to keep all my old systems plugged in.

I seriously don't understand the complaints about this generation. Sure, the AAA style of game has been faltering a bit these past couple years. However, there is no shortage of games to play. There's always something cool coming out every week on digital stores. Even if I'm not interested in what's out right now, there are still tens of thousands of games to play from past generations. Gaming is at the best it has ever been. You just need to dig a bit deeper instead of waiting for the next Halo or MGS.

I don't mind remasters of games. I don't buy them very often though unless its for a classic game. The remasters of Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle are essentials for fans because the fix up the game but don't change anything that will take away from your original experience.

I don't mind re-masters so much, but I agree on your larger point though.

There really does seem to be something amiss with games these days. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but the fact that so many are complaining definitely says something.

In the last few years I can't honestly say that there has been that much that has impressed me...

Sure there is always the hype, but then I play the game and I'm disappointed. Have our standards dropped?

Hell, I'm still waiting for all my original Xbox games to be backwards compatible on the 360, like was promised to me 10 yrs ago.........

I want a Half Life and Half Life 2 remaster, Super Mario Galaxy 2 remaster, and a Little Big Planet 2 remaster. The problem is they keep remastering the wrong games.

@turtlethetaffer: I agree. This gen has been one of the most underwhelming I've ever experienced. Sure there have been some good games but I've had more straight up disappointments this gen than I have at any other time.

Too many remakes, too many sequels, too little innovation. Even my favourite game this gen Witcher 3 wasn't really innovative. It just took old game mechanics and made a fantastic game with them.

Most games manage to make a mediocre game using old mechanics though which is the problem. A great game using old mechanics can be excused but a new game half arsing old mechanics is just boring.

Like Fallout 4 was a big disappointment for me. It was TOO much like Fallout 3 and it somehow managed to make exploring an irradiated wasteland boring. I can't recall one memorable location in the entire game. It all just felt like I was going through the motions and like I'd already been there and done it before.

@turtlethetaffer: Hey turtle, yeah I agree about remasters/ports being one issue this generation. I don't think it's the only problem, though.

Look at the list of "most anticipated" game releases on the front page of Gamespot. Notice anything about it?

That's right, it's had pretty much the same freaking games on it forever now. And most of them are sequels to hit game series'.

Video games are hyped up way too much as soon as they are announced, and they are usually announced years in advance of their actual release anymore.

I was literally just thinking about this before I logged in. I mean, 10 years ago there were still games coming out that were total and complete surprises for me. These were games I knew nothing about until I'd come across them in a store. Yes, there were anticipated sequels then. They still weren't hyped up for years before I could even get a copy of them.

There is not much creativity in this industry anymore. It's play-it-safesville for gaming nowadays. Lots of the smaller developers and publishers folded or were bought up by bigger companies, and those bigger companies will take a sure thing over a risk any day. A sure way of getting money is to re-release an older game that people already like since it's easy to spark interest in nostalgia. Giving people a sequel to a game nowadays is pretty much the same thing, since usually sequels don't have to change much from their predecessors.

Anyway, gaming this gen (and moving forward) probably won't be the way it used to. Everything is designed with the Internet and new methods of input and output in mind now, while the actual games themselves are just designed to showcase something - whether it be graphics, how much open space we can cram into a game world, or some political message that the creators have for us. Gaming is not about just having fun, and unlocking stuff, and fighting difficult bosses anymore.

Considering they dropped the ball with BC last gen (the PS3 actually had some good BC, except it was digital only) I'm glad they are focusing on BC a lot more this gen cause I'm one of those people who trades their past gen consoles for current gen consoles. Seeing Uncharted 1-3 and TLOU being put on the PS4 was amazing and seeing MS putting a lot of 360 games on the BC list even adds more awesome to that list, now Sony has to just add more PS2/PS3 games and we're golden for this gen with BC and new games.

@Ovirew: It's become too big, I think. The focus is always on profit- even really respectable games like the Souls series are announcing multiple DLCs or expansions before a game is released.

There are no new IPs this gen. In this same amount of time last generation, we had: assassins creed, bioshock, mass effect, left 4 dead, portal, skate, dead space, condemned, little big planet, uncharted, resiatance, infamous, and more. So far there is not one new big IP i can think of on any of the big 3 except maybe splatoon

I agree with topic creator. Things are getting way out of hand. I've spent way too much money on remasters of games and they just didn't have the same feeling as they once had.

The problem with this generation is that they were not born when alot of the classic games were out.

That's not a problem with this generation, that likely just means that Gamespot is desperate for clicks. Not long ago, I saw a "news" article here about how Gamespot talked to Hideo kojima and didn't have any news about what his next game would be. Once you've gotten to the point of writing news articles about how you don't have any news, that's kind of sad.

But again, I think that's more of a "Gamespot" issue or at least a "modern news media has become that weird kid in class who ate bugs and poop just so that the other kids would pay attention to him" issue rather than a "today's generation of gamers sucks" issue.

Also, I think that your Last of Us complaint is sort of weak. Yeah, a remaster of a PS4 game is sort of lame, but generally speaking the first year of a console's life is sorely lacking in good games. News of new games being lame news isn't exactly unprecedented when you're talking about a console that hasn't even been out for a year yet. That doesn't really speak anything about today's generation. It's not exactly unexpected that someone who just put down $400-$500 on a newly released console might want to hear about ANY good games for that console (even if one of those games is just a previous generation remaster).

I'm loving gaming at the moment, is it perfect no but it also never has been. My backlog has never been bigger, so the complaint about no games this gen is also baffling to me?

Yea, it's the first gen I haven't even been tempted at all to get a console.

@vfighter: I'm not saying there are no games to play because that would be silly. I'm just saying that it seems as if a lot of major releases are simply remasters and that's a bit worrying to me.

Not enough backwards compatibility truthfully

I mean do they seriously expect us to hold onto all of these old boxes or what

@turtlethetaffer: DLC, we could really start a whole other conversation about how out-of-hand that's gotten.

Games in the older days used to ship and usually ended up being fine, and having lots of content. Now a game can ship and be utterly broken, and be shorter than a game from ten or fifteen years ago.

The 'Trojan Horse' for DLC was this idea that a game could be supported for longer, and that gamers could get more value out of each game they purchased. Now it's an excuse to release games with bugs and glitches and to make patches for them later, and to charge gamers more for content that really could have been in the finished product all along. The funny part is that games rarely get any sort of long-term support (unless they are something like an MMO) with DLC - the majority of it tends to come along for a few months after release.

@Archangel3371: That's what I have, and I have no problem finding stuff to play. I play all the multi-platform stuff on X1, and enjoy the hell out of all these WiiU exclusives. This gen has been pretty cool I think.

The problem with DLC are more from the gamers than other groups.

@turtlethetaffer Thank you for starting an interesting thread. (Haven't been on in a while and needed some conversation. :) )

I'm not as certain as if there is a direct problem with this generation itself as the gaming industry has evolved to this point. (Apologizing early on not trying to correct your comment itself.) I feel your pain for the current state of gaming in general. The gaming studios are much larger businesses nowadays and are built for making money and sustaining jobs, not creating new ideas and trying to make a splash into the market. I would simply mark it up to the ugly monster of simply making money.

Does that make it right? No. What can we do about it? Not buy their games and try to laugh at these company's attempts to make a quick buck.

However, keep in mind that if you don't buy these crappy games from a certain company, your favorite titled game may have had it's last version.

I agree with @Ovirew ... many other conversations as a result of this thread. Maybe we can tackle them all. :D

I'm happy so far. I actually enjoyed TLOU and the UC collection but I hadn't played them before. It does seem like this generation has gotten off to a slow start. I wonder if it's because producing new games is more complex or more expensive.

@_Devastator: I personally never buy games at launch, unless it's a handheld game I really want. I can't remember the last time I bought a big release AAA game.

It is, because people seem to not understand exactly how bad DLC has gotten. It's jsut an expected thing now, with DLC announced before the main game is even released. Some series (Fallout, Borderlands, Souls/ Bloodborne) at least make their DLC feel like true expansions (brand new areas that feel like extra content, rather than simply an extension of the main game, new abilities, level cap raised, etc.). Hell, with Borderlands and Fallout 3, my favorite parts of the games was the DLC. But so many games get pre- release DLC announced, when, you're right, a lot of the time it feels like stuff that should have been a part of the game (Arkham Knight challenge maps, which was a feature from the previous games they removed for some reason).

If you are going to make DLC then you should have them planned and even work on them before the game is release. If you do not then you should not sell DLC.

The problem is that gamers expect more from their games but refuse to pay more for their games. This leads the developers and publisher do find other ways to make money off a game. I find it a better choose between paying $120 for everything or paying $60 for the complete game and then pick was extras I want ($120 for all).

This games available on PC also, so it seems pointless to even have it play on the xbox one. The game would look superior on the PC in modern hardware, but the xbox one version would look the same as the old 360 version with no improvements in resolution or framerates.

I wish they'd focus on games that are only available on the 360, games that were multiplatform games really aren't that important since you can get them elsewhere and have an improvement in quality playing them on PC.

@wiouds: I agree, expansion packs that add meaningful content to the game should already be planned. And I know that games cost way more to make these days, but I think that's the fault of companies and consumers. Anyone with half a brain knows that not every game needs to be stunningly real looking. Some of the best games of all time have rudimentary or even bad graphics. The game simply needs to be well refined in what it's setting out to do. I just wish more companies and gamers would get their heads out of their asses when it comes to graphics and production values.

There's a reason that the original Mario Bros has held up all these years. Despite its very primitive graphics, it has extremely well designed mechanics and levels. I'm not saying every game has to be as bare bones as Super Mario Bros, but I am saying that a game does not need to look great to be great. In fact, I've found that many games that focus on their looks and production values are pretty underwhelming when you actually sit down to play them.

I would like yakuza 3-5 remastered for ps4, 1 is remade and just has to be subbed and ported to america while 2 I'm sure is on the way since that's the only ps2 yakuza.

I would like for folklore to be remastered because that game is GODLY.

Nier.

Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2.

There are games worth remastering, but I seeno reason to have a lot of the remasters we have now.

It is really sad......

That would be true if we were talking about just graphic. There a number of things that we gamers pick up on subconsciously like mechanics and level designs. There a good amount of refinement that does not stand out in the AAA games. Graphic may not be important to you but they could matter to someone else and there nothing wrong with it.

MY point is that lower the graphic is not a fix to the raising cost to make games.

Backwards compatibility is a big deal because we made it a big deal, and rightfully so; there is literally no reason an older game on the same medium (optical disc, aka DVDs or Blu Ray) should not be playable on an older console of the same family.

Obviously a Super NES game shouldn't be able to be played on a Wii, but why can't a 360 game be played on XB1? I think they pocketed that feature away for later, so they could squeeze more money out of people's nostalgia.

@turtlethetaffer: I think if remasters/rereleases are used as a way of pushing old games onto the new architecture and they use this architecture on future consoles then I am fine with it.

Because in that way these remasters will be available to play on future consoles. Simple patch and there you go. One of the advantages of PC is that you buy a game now and it will pretty much always work in the future.

That is something the consoles need to catch up with and rereleases is one of the ways of doing that.

People have become drones in general. I see it in real life as well. There is a lack of individualism in general. People are scared of it now or something. When the internet first started everyone was fighting. Instead of people keeping their moral fiber you have to find common ground and even that is difficult. I think the game industry is no different. It's pretty bland. There is a lack of real heart and personality in quite a bit nowadays though. Most people have sold out. Like I was saying in another thread if you look at the ps2 there were a ton of major developers. Now you have a handful and everyone else. The middle man does not exist anymore. I saw it for years though these major publishers gobbling each other up though. The market basically has 5 or so major publishers that make huge sales and the rest of it is flooded with indie games not on the same playing field and fluff like remasters. Society is no different. People used to be farmers and fisherman. Now health care and preying on the general public is big business. It's backwards. If this were star wars it would be Darth Vader and a bunch of storm troopers. Han Solo and Luke Skywalker and the rebels are not as apparent.