7 Big Mistakes of 7th Gen that Will Most Likely Reoccur

Welcome to my thread.

The Seventh Generation came to an end technically with the release of the WiiU, but such quiet launch that went almost unacknowledged can't honestly be regarded as the official end of the 7th Gen, which is why I'm saying it's the technical end of the 7th Gen. Now, moving past this factor, it's clear the 7th Generation was a crazy one. Here's one question for you: Was the 7th Gen more dramatic and complex than the 6th Gen, or does it just appear so because Gamers were able to contribute and speak out and get more feedback due to the improvement internet and communication and social networking accessibility received throughout the 7th gen? Well, that's one thing for us to discuss but on to the point of the OP. Here in System Wars (for people who've been here for a while at least) we know that last gen was seriously full of drama and media outbreaks in the platform wars. Events like E3 embarrassments, if anyone remembers the Nintendo Choreography event, the Microsoft Usher event, or the Sony Giant Enemy Crab of 06. Moving past this, we also know and remember events like System Wars Zelda flop outbreak, TLOU flop outbreak, Polygon/Microsoft scandals, 9GN insults and things and events like that made for a very long generation, that was also impressively inclusive and actually dependent on gamers. In other words, I think Gamers really had a voice during the 7th gen. Well, among these mistakes, I think there are quite a few mistakes the Platforms made in the 7th Gen that will repeat themselves eventually this gen, while some have already happened. Let's have a look.

Nintendo Hardware (Already Happened) and 3rd Party Support.

It's no secret and not even a new topic and I feel like crap for beating a dead horse (never really liked this disturbing expression either) but it's something that some may want to deny isn't significant, and yes it's true, at the end does hardware really matter? No. In terms of game fun factor and quality and playability. hardware hardly matters. But in terms of remaining relevant, does hardware matter? Yes. It does and this topic is something that has been talked about since the original Wii Launched about 8 years ago. The Wii has a freaking awesome and solid library of exclusives. Let's not kid ourselves. The Wii, if we were to only evaluate it in and of its own performance and self, did great last gen, but at what point did people begin to ask where are the new exclusives? At the point people began to see what the other guys were doing with games like Mass Effect, Uncharted, Crysis, Skyrim, Battlefield and more, and began to ask why can't my console do that is the point of Nintendo's downfall. Yes, maybe you don't need strong hardware for Nintendo Iconic powerhouses like Mario, Zelda and the others, but can we honestly say that with that factor in consideration that there's a point to owning a Nintendo console besides wanting to play those specific games? No we can't honestly say that. Except maybe for Bayonetta 2 ; ) And this isn't just my personal opinion.

Anyway, Nintendo's hardware choices was a unique alternate for last gen. The Wii escaped and got away with low hardware level given it's motion controls and target audience, and that was fine back then, but honestly, the choice Nintendo made with the Wii U seems like a slap to the face. "At the end of the day, it's rare that hardware manufacturers are able to include every feature under the sun at an affordable price. The Wii U does many things well, but so much of its promise is lost on the inferior tech in the GamePad and the console. It will be interesting to see how these are addressed down the road, but at the moment, it seems that the Wii U is anything but next-gen tech. Is it unrealistic to expect Nintendo to do more than simply innovate? Its intent came from a good place, but the result leaves a lot to be desired"--GAMESPOT LINKY

The Central downfall result for the Wii U's poor hardware is that lots of WiiU owners who have only have the console to game with won't have access to 8th gen Multiplats like CoD: Ghosts, Black Flag, Destiny, and lots of unannounced future releases. I know many of you think I'm taking jabs and you want to say who cares, but by saying this you'd be admitting that people only buy the WiiU to Play specific Nintendo titles and not to play multiplats, which isn't a bad thing at alll. Not at all. Live and let live, right?

"The challenges facing Nintendo's Wii U are many, to the extent that the publisher must start to prioritize its efforts to revive the stalled momentum of the system. One result of this prioritization is how Nintendo thinks about third party development. The publisher knows it needs the diversity and strength that aggressive third party support can bring, but also understands that it can't force business partners to a system that isn't selling. First it needs to do its own part"--Richard George of IGN.

Microsoft Console/PC exclusives sharing

Here’s another topic for you. Would I be right to say any Lemming reading this right now already has their shields up and swords wielded ready to strike? I bet I am. Anyway, I know a controversial topic like this being talked about by a Cow isn’t something you guys will expect to be explored objectively, but if you have to understand if I ever state an opinion in this OP, I back it up with links and facts. So, moving on, it’s no secret that the numerous amount of 360 exclusives that landed on PC this gen didn’t really help the console much. No, not with the tremendous amounts of “Xbox 360 or Gaming PC” threads on this site and many others. (Google is your friend) . When discussing such a topic in such an environment as System Wars, it’s also important to remember that we’re not evaluating these systems in and of themselves, but we’re evaluating how they perform as opposed to other systems. So, the major mistake that hurt Microsoft with the amount of exclusives they lost to the PC is that if there’s one big advantage the PC will always have over consoles, it’s that it’s an open platform, allowing for mods, hacks, improvements, optimizations and things that can’t be done on consoles. Things that—unfortunately for the Xbox 360—make the PC version of any multiplatform game much more valuable.

-For one—and I can’t stress this enough—the PC has its own exclusives to stand on. Nintendo has their hardcore targeted loyal demographic and fanbase. Sony has quite a list of solid exclusives to stand on that provide enough unique experiences that can’t be found elsewhere and make owning a PS3 worth it (and I know you’re already rolling your eyes but these are facts), but we honestly can’t say the same for the 360 last gen. And now, there’s a big chance this mistake will repeat itself in the future. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/11/08/microsoft-still-loves-you-will-bring-first-party-games-to-pc/ Now this may appear misleading. Yes, MS may just mean they’ll be creating exclusives for PC, but (and be honest to the forum and to yourselves) do you really think if MS is actually serious about Windows Platform gaming (WHICH THEY OWN) they would make separate exclusives for the Xbox 1 platform (WHICH THEY OWN)? You may be asking how MS turning their attention to PC gaming will affect the Xbox 1. It will affect it because this factor alone can be a very disturbing sign that a lot of Xbox 1 titles will land on the PC.

“Games for Windows truly thrived in 2007. We went from two titles in 2006 to a continually growing portfolio of over 60 titles here at CES 2008,” said Kevin Unangst, senior global director of Games for Windows in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, as part of a press release. “We delivered on our promise one year ago to reinvigorate the PC gaming space and bring the best portfolio of games to Windows. And this is just the beginning. With our partners, we will continue to drive the resurgence of Windows-based gaming.”

Now keep in mind that the “Games for Windows” thing was how 360 exclusives like Gears, Alan Wake, Fable II, and other games that began as 360 exclusives. So, hopefully MS doesn’t make that same mistake again…which, according to that announcement they already are.

Hacking

Hacking was major bad news last gen, and Sony suffered the most in this part. The PSN event was absolutely damaging for them and was hard to recover from. Besides Sony, PC is also a regular customer for hacking with the many pirated and cracked games we see all over the web. Now, I definitely don’t need to go too far into this topic. We all know hackers don’t stop. They love to hack and they see every new platform as a challenge. It’s only a matter of time before they cause another global devastation. They’re consistent, motivated, and proactive and do it just for the hell of it; this factor alone makes seeing another hacker attack event this gen pretty much inevitable.

PS4 is already being attacked : http://www.gamepur.com/news/12996-numerous-psn-accounts-hacked-fifa-14-trading-cards-ps4-official-response-st.html

“Some Reddit users have complained about charges being associated with their accounts without their knowledge: "Yeah looks like someone got a hold of your password. This happened to me on my 360. And of course it was also because of FIFA. That game is behind a large quantity of these unauthorized charges. All because of the trading cards or whatever it is in the game that you can buy with real money. Change password to something really complex, don’t use it anywhere else and maybe even change the email associated if you can" said one user on Reddit.

To this same thread on Reddit another user stated: "Something similar happened to me on Xbox 360, was charged $135 and they bought FIFA and season pass and crap. Microsoft cleared it all but it took 3 weeks and they temporarily closed my account during their investigation." READ MORE

Hardware Failure:

I think the 7th gen probably had one of the biggest hardware failure rate gaming has ever seen. I’m not going to spend too much time on this one because it’s already known but here’s an insight from Kotaku’s Richard Eisenbeis.

With this past generation, the most terrifying thing console owners could see was a small red or yellow light that meant their several hundred dollar console was dead.

Without a doubt, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are amazingly complex pieces of hardware—each a powerful computer shoved into a tiny box. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the original versions of these consoles proved to be more than a little prone to overheating.

When one of these systems gets too hot—usually after years of use—the solders that attach the CPU and/or GPU to the motherboard melt and break the connection. This causes the system to no longer be able to boot up.

On the Xbox 360 this break in connection is indicated by the green ring on the power button turning red—hence the colorful name “Red Ring of Death” (or RRoD for short). On the PS3, you get the flash of a yellow light before the system automatically turns itself off—hence the name “Yellow Light of Death” (aka the YLoD).

Back in 2009, a Game Informer reader survey found over 50% of respondents' 360s had red ringed, and 10% of their PS3s had gotten the yellow light. But as new models of the PS3 and 360 were released in the years that followed, the overheating problem was largely corrected. Moreover, there are still many first-run systems that work perfectly to this day. But to anyone who has ever encountered the RRoD or YLoD first hand, it is definitely one of the—if not the—worst “zeroes” of gaming's seventh generation of consoles.

I hope this Gen's experience won't be as bad as last gen, but with the way November launch went, we're already hearing bad news about 'rushed hardware' and issues from both consoles.

Trend Vs. Standard Factor (Tacked on Game elements)

Ok, this topic is actually more from me than anything else. This one is strictly on me but only reflect my personal opinion.

Trends were big last gen. We know this for a fact. Trends not just in terms of gaming elements but even in terms of slangs. “I took an arrow to the knee” or “Fus-roh-dah!” was something I had no idea was until I kept hearing it and looked it up and found out it was from Skyrim, even though I’d already beaten the Skyrim main campaign once before. These phrases became popular on Facebook, Twitter, and tons of other online social sites and even in real life I’d hear people use them. Anyway, one of the rather unfortunate results of trends is that gaming soon turned into some sort of pathetic melting pot where devs were adding unnecessary and out of place elements to their games and trying to tap into demographics by putting things in their games that will appeal to gamers involved in such trends, and this was one of the biggest mistakes last gen. The negative result was that games that were quality, unique, and even innovative often went unnoticed because they weren’t a part of this trend. Another sad and somehow humorous effect was that some games that would’ve done excellently in terms of reviews, if they had just simply been themselves began to lose review points because the ‘tacked-on’ and completely unneeded elements of their games were being fully evaluated like they would be on the games they were trying to copy. And wow, I just did some googling, and turns out I’m not the first to write about the topic. Here’s Videogamer.com’s take on the case.

“Any game that meets some success before getting added multiplayer with the sequel gets painted with the 'tacked-on' brush. Does that always mean a sub-par experience, though?”

'Tacked-on' multiplayer has become, seemingly, one of the most disgusting attributes a game can affiliate itself with in today's gaming world. Regardless how popular its predecessor was or who's developing it, if an online component is added to the mix, a large portion of the community point their finger of doom and declare it a drain on resources that could, and probably will, ruin it for us all. The success of Call of Duty was something that no publisher could fail to ignore. In many ways such a thought process makes sense too. If a studio, who are restricted by how many employees or how much cash they have at their disposal, have to focus on aspects that aren't part of the main game, then of course this strain on resources will weigh heavily on the final product. That's science*. What, then, happens to this argument if a third-party is brought in to the equation? The same blame banner is cast, even though you're, essentially, getting more value for your buck, even if that value is a multiplayer mode that wears thin after one match. This goes further, too. No one, for example, yells at COD for including single-player even though by this stage it's most definitely the opener rather than the main event. With all the above taken into account, mind, how are these games shaping up or actually playing out when released into the wild?” READ MORE.

It’s just really nice to know I’m not the only one who sees the perils. Gaming is a business, and once games like Titan Fall, Uncharted 4, More CoD, and others begin to release, it’s almost a guarantee that the ‘tacked on game elements’ trend will continue.

DLC and Microtransaction:

You know what this will be, you just know. Why have you been upset with video game developers? Where were your feelings of monetary betrayal pointed towards? Three little letters: DLC. The days of working hours and hours on end to finally achieve those ridiculous costumes, or finding that hidden room, or unlocking that secret character are in danger. Why include it when you can just rip it from the game and charge for it? SOURCE

Microtransactions became a hot topic with a simple set of $2.50 DLC horse armour released for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in 2006. This was one of the earliest instances of what would become an endemic cosmetic DLC plague. Horse Armor was met with so much derision, that the phrase has become synonymous with overpriced and useless cosmetic DLC.

In 2011, Cracked’s Luke McKinney wrote an article titled, “The 10 Insulting Things Video Games Charged Money For,” and he’s right about some of them. Do you want a new skin for your gun in Gears of War 3? Do you want to do this quest that is in the game already, but requires you to pay money to start it? Do you want to avoid grinding through levels and just add +10 points to your character’s stats? Pony up, then!

Because this trend is increasingly seen in a growing list of AAA titles from publishers like EA, Activision and even 2K Games, it’s become a sore point for gamers who are tired of having their wallets emptied by game sales and DLC. Developers can see the allure of making more money on games they’ve already earned their profits from, and since gamers appear to have mountains of disposable income they’re totally fine with it.

While it’s been a success for many developers who are embracing the idea, gamers have lamented the trend of charging small amounts of money for things that we’d previously enjoyed for free. The monetisation of customising your gaming experience and allowing you some individuality means that to get the most out of any title, you now have to include the extra purchases into the price of the game you were considering to buy.

This ultimately means that our hobbies now become much more expensive when we have to take these kinds of things into account. Suddenly, your free time and spare change becomes a bigger source of income to companies who create games for you, because what they’d really like is for you to keep paying them again and again and again.

Greed:

When you think about gluttony, of course the image of shoving piles of food down your gullet while sobbing about how little self esteem you have comes to mind. But gluttony doesn’t just have to do with food and tears, as it can also relate to a lack of self-control that leads to abusing something that should happen in moderation. Hmmm… abusing something that should happen in moderation. Reminds me of the annualization of video game franchises!Some have an excuse: for instance, sports franchises need to stay current with yearly roster changes. Call of Duty, on the other hand, has less of a reason.

There is no yearly new topical war that they just have to cover, or the hottest new munition that just needs to be released. In fact, the annualization of games like this hurts in many ways. Developers rush to get them out, and therefore they’re not the best game they could be. The online community is cleaved between people that can afford to buy the next game every few months and those that can’t, or just those that liked an older version. The games are devalued because they’re seen as cookie cutters. Etc, etc. All for dat dolla dolla bill--SOURCE

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DISCUSSION

Q: Was the 7th Generation length a big mistake?

It seems like a topic hugely discussed on the web. I’m sure System Wars has already addressed it too.

“The seventh generation of consoles has been the longest-running in the industry’s history, and according to Square Enix worldwide technology director Julien Merceron, speaking to GamesIndustry, Microsoft and Sony made a big mistake by allowing it to drag on for eight years.

“Now you don’t need to manage longevity by complexity of programming, because your longevity is ensured by your online model,” Merceron explained. “And I would suggest that maybe we don’t want long generations. We have Sony and Microsoft talking about this generation lasting 7,8,9 or even 10 years and it’s the biggest mistake they’ve ever made.

This generation has been way too long, and I say this because you have a lot of developers that work on a new platform, and perhaps will not succeed, so they will wait for the next generation, and will jump on that platform. You could not do that with this generation though.”

He added: “So these developers went elsewhere to see if the grass was greener. They found web browsers, they found iOS, they found other things and a lot of them won’t come back to the hardware platforms.” LINK. And this was back in 2012.

Lastly, here are two factors that aren’t mistakes but were very naughty habbits of the 7th gen. SOURCE

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Thanks for coming to my thread.

seriously, blog it

Don't tell me what to do, Dude.

You're really trying too hard with these threads.

This stuff is all pretty common knowledge

Oh Ok.

I think he has way too much time on his hands. Honestly, who writes this much shit for a silly internet forum

x2

Yeah, most of the time.

good thread

Thanks : )

Xbox and PC sharing games is great. I wish all games were shared across all machines.

A lot of it was regurgitated topics that everyone has gone over. I mean I like that there is some effort to the thread, and by default it's better than SW fad threads like "best of", "graphics", or the circle jerk threads, but thread doesn't really discuss anything worth discussing. You should pick one topic, and one that isn't done to death.

True, and besides, exclusives are becoming way too expensive.

For anyone getting onto this dude for his efforts to promote some discussion, chill homies :). I like your threads John, but they can be long winded for some people. Especially considering the gaming community at large are probably impatient, self absorbed chumparoos. A generalization, I know, and I hate them, but I have to stand by this one, haha. Write too much and you're, "trying too hard". Give too little, and you're considered a troll. It's hard on these streets, man ;).

You're at least voicing your opinion in an epic way with great information to support it. I dig that! When it comes to people slamming you for having too much time on your hands, just remember that they are likely on this forum as much as you, lol. Fail. Either lurking, trolling, or posting short, nonessential opinionated messages. Which is worse? Leeching the world, or genuinely contributing to something you care about? Someone can learn something here.

I think for this particular thread, a single topic would be best for the common mindset. Luckily for me, I don't mind long winded stuff, as long as it's as concise as possible in the process. I like having multiple things to tackle. And you bring that here.

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My main concern for the current gen would be little to no advancement in AI for single player games. I mean, it's a critical aspect that entirely affects replayability and overall immersion of a game world. It looks like multiplayer shooters are where devs will want to spend their time.

Understandably so, since the Western world loves to jizz over anything involving a bullet entering a fleshy body. Plus, humans are social creatures by default (hence, why we are on a gaming forum to begin with). So shooting and socializing is quite big, lol.

There's horsepower like we've never had before. We're bound to get better animations, models, and textures. Sadly, that isn't using the RAM and CPU to it's fullest potential.

In the midst of all of the great shooters we're gonna get to play this gen, I only hope AI for the single player games, whether they be shooters, RPGs, or whatever, is highly advanced.

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My next concern is your Trend vs Standard Factor. This is a great point, man. I'm betting with the substantial growth on the indie scene, we'll get some fresh, small scale games. They'll then sell well, hopefully. Then the big publishers will go, "Maybe we can develop some trend breaking, standard smashing games." I'm willful on this.

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Greed. The longer you live within and understand the market, you'll likely become desensitized to the notion of greed. It's promoted, and embedded, into the system we live in. There will indubitably exist the top few who will milk, and take advantage of a popular idea or product. That shit is bound. Monetary gain is the end game for many corporations.

So with that in mind, the best we can do is voice our opinion on relevant platforms, and have hope that some of the decision makers behind these companies are as passionate as we are. They are out there trust me, but looking for EA and Activision to be that manifestation of the ideal video game empire, you're probably looking in the wrong place, hehe.

Try looking at developers such as CD Projekt RED or Bethesda. I believe they are shining examples of what we want as gamers. There are many others as well.

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I don't think I'll comment on the rest. They don't interest me as much. But thanks for sharing!

The very last point, specifically that Square-Enix tech director Merceron said the generation went on too long, is the topic I'm most interested in discussing. Yes it is a topic SW has gone over but I just think it seems like Merceron is making excuses for Square-Enix's lackluster performance.

If you ask me, it has nothing to do with a new gen being a restart, but the way the company is ran and their projects are produced. Their habits are awful, and that doesn't go away just because a new product releases.

Those are just my thoughts, though. So yes, I believe that this is one mistake that will re-occur: Square-Enix flounders.

I hope I'm wrong though.

Why is Microsoft supporting Console/PC multiplats a bad thing? Depsite what this community says, PC gamers with the ability to play console ports are in far less numbers than people who buy consoles. Supporting both platforms isn't going to kill the sales of their console or their console games. Either way, the money ends up back in Microsoft's pocket either through the Xbox or through Windows. They win both ways.

I have to echo this. I do think they're incrementally turning things around. I'm pleased with their buyout of Eidos. They're restructuring of A Realm Reborn is good. And surprisingly, Lightning Returns looks promising! I think the previous gen was just right in length. It's not the length, it's what the devs do with their time.

Of course, new hardware can develop new tools for advanced mechanics, and even inspire individual workers to be more creative or dedicated. I hope Squeenix pleases me. They may never replicate their glory days as the same people are not apart of the company, but they can still make some good games. (same goes for Capcom!)

Truth. They're already off to a great start; like you said Lightning Returns is getting positive marks, and Final Fantasy Versus XIII being rebranded as FFXV is hopefully good. Plus Kingdom Hearts 3 in the pipeline...

It appears these are steps in the right direction, and I'd love to see Square-Enix return to form.

it was a good read, but I don't see what the discussion about this be about.

Sorry for the late responses guys...Was at work all day.

Yeah, I agree and don't think it's a bad factor in and of itself. If we're speaking in terms of game accessibility and availability, multiplatforming is never a bad thing, but when we're speaking in terms of competition and System Wars relevancy it kinda' is. But you're right, for one both Platforms are M$ owned, and also they're both M$ wins.

The only people who really care about hardware/graphics are nerds/fanboys. There are millions of people who play on their phone and tablet and get a satisfying experience.

It's not about whether people care or not, it's about whether Nintendo can continue to get away with not making competent hardware. They were able to get away with it last gen but this gen they're suffering due to lack of 3rd party support, and Mario and Zelda games that they thought would give them a sales boost did give sales boost, just not enough

This

It's not like people were playing Modern Warfare on the Wii ..

You're not trying hard enough.

Apparently you're trying TOO hard.

Yeah, but you said only nerds/fanboy care about hardware, and the problem is that yeah you're right, people aren't playing Modern Warfare on the Wii, but it seems like the games people usually play or the games that usually sell the nintendo console just aren't selling them anymore. Now if they made higher end hardware maybe they'd be able to at least get more new IPs and multiplats on their console, but unfortunately this isn't the case.

You'd probably be better off posting this in General Games Discussion where you'd actually get a positive reaction and get a good discussion going, sw doesn't like to read.

reading is for nerds!

Nah, I'm ok. People don't realize one normal/positive reaction > a billion trolls.

I think the other way, it would hurt Nintendo more if they tried to compete with PS4 and X1 at this point. Their $300 price point with very compelling first party exclusives are their best bet for now. Like the 3ds, I think sales will be boosted by the kid and adult casual crowd who are more laid back and just like to play simple fun games for fun and with their friends (locally). Although I'm not either of that demographic, I like my Wii U cause I grew up with this kind of experience, before things got sophisticated with online features and sharing and cinematic experiences that explore adult themes and have blood and gore and nudity lol. So anyway, I still think there is a crowd for that. And also, Nintendo does have new IPs in the pipeline and there existing franchises continue to evolve and be relevant so I'm happy.

Than call me a nerd!

It's "then," Nerd!

Yeah, and that's actually a good point, but unfortunately the reality is that Nintendo's "geek sneaks away with the girl while the jocks fight over her" method is no longer working. (have no idea where that analogy just came from :/ )They need a new strategy. They need a shit ton of new IP to drive the WIiU or they need to quickly figure out why people aren't pouncing on their Mario and Zelda games like they used to. I agree with you a hundred percent. The thing that has nintendo pinned against the wall is that their MarioZelda remedy isn't working anymore, but it's too late for them to either tap into the multiplat market, or make Next Gen level games because apparently the Nintendo niche factor isn't selling their consoles anymore. They need a new strategy. Don't get me wrong, who knows? Maybe this whole thing will blow over and the WiiU will start suddenly selling like crazy again, but for now that doesn't seem like it will be happening anytime soon.

They definitely have to push the console and keep that price advantage. Market the console as a simple investment, as opposed to having to pay for online and being bombarded with DLC. Keep pushing first party games, but also give 3rd parties an opportunity to create franchises unique to Wii U (keep them differentiated from PS4 and X1). Find a happy place between tablet and console. Then maybe announce Wii U 2 in late 2015 lol.

No that's the thing. I think the Wii U can still be saved. The one thing about Nintendo is that they have a very targeted and almost guaranteed hardcore fanbase. They just need to find the perfect stimulant to reactive their customer response.

My only thing is what are they going to do in a year or two from now when PS4 and X1 get their price cuts and have killer games that are clearly a step up on what Wii U can do?

That's the "pinned against a wall" factor I was talking about earlier : )

@John_Matherson: I still believe they can sell 50 million units which to me is a success either way. Another factor to think about is length of this gen. If it ends up being shorter than Nintendo may have played their cards right.

Blog it, moron.

Yeah, good point. One thing though, the question is should they get away with it? Will they make the same mistake next gen?

There's at least 8 topics to be discussed within the OP

Overpriced DLC and yearly sequels. For me those are the biggest problems of modern day gaming.

@John_Matherson: I don't mean to be rude, just wondering, because all the points in the OP are well known to most gamers.