Next gen: the worst since the Atari 2600?

tl;dr version: generation 7 was not as good as generation 6, and generation 8 will be worse than generation 7

Generation 7 was home to some great games and great technology, but unfortunately it fell short of the expectations laid down by Generation 6. When one looks back on the best modern classics of the last 13 years, most of them released on the PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube. Most of the tops sellers in Gen 7 have been good games that fall very squarely into pre-defined genres, and while they have in many ways taken the medium to new hights, it's also brought about some brand new lows-- games that sacrifice single player for the sake of a mediocre online mode, rampant DLC abuse, horrendous abuse of QTEs in place of true interactivity, and more focus on commercial tie ins with bad pop music and junk food that stains your teeth orange. And what's more, I expect a lot of people will be disappointed when they see next generation's games, and they are only marginally better than what current console games look like due to escalating development and manufacturing costs.

Here is what next gen is shaping up to be:

Microsoft is going to charge even more for Xbox Live, and they are moving away from exclusives to focus on early access to DLC. They are also abandoning the core gamer because they see Kinect as being a more profitable venture, while pushing the Xbox 360 as a set-top-box as opposed to a game machine.

Sony is in a dire financial situation, and this will likely end up hurting the PS4. From the sounds of it there will be no backwards compatibility with PS3 games, and if there is, expect it to be limited. Like Microsoft, they are pushing their consoles more and more towards being set top boxes, and while that is fine and dandy, it should not come at the cost of making your system be for gamers. I expect Sony's system to play things very "safe" this time, and that means it will be less innovative as the PS2 or PS3. They do not have an ace in the hole for the PS4 like they did with the PS2's DVD player or the PS3's Blu-Ray player.

Nintendo tried to cash in on the popularity of Wii by making lighting strike twice, but the problem is that Wii is not popular anymore, despite having sold millions. Releasing the Wii U is akin to Tay Zonday releasing more songs after Chocolate Rain: people loved Chocolate Rain because of the novelty-- some people passed it around because it was "ironic," while other people actually found it strangely catchy. However, no-one gave a crap about Tay Zonday's second song, because everyone had already moved on by then. The Wii U is basically the same thing as the Wii except several years later: no graphical imporvement over the current generation of systems, and it is using a gimmicky new controller to get you to play the same games as last time.

The 8th generation of consoles is not going to sweep in and take us back to the good old days, because the good old days are not coming back. This generation has dragged on for so long that it may have actually caused damage to the industry that we are only starting to understand. The console market has basically been segmented into the two CoD boxes plagued by DLC and online passes, and then there's the shiny white toy for little Jimmy. A lot of people who don't like those options are finding games in other places, like smart phones, tablets, and computers. This trend is growing, not shrinking, and that could mean that next gen could be the worst one since the 1980s crash.

Timstuff

I really don't see the point of comparing different gens really. In the end all gens have their great games as well as countless amounts of digital manure.

Even the so-called "golden age of gaming" had a massive ton of sh*t games (it's why we have an AVGN afterall).

I really don't see the point of comparing different gens really. In the end all gens have their great games as well as countless amounts of digital manure.

Even the so-called "golden age of gaming" had a massive ton of sh*t games (it's why we have an AVGN afterall).

DJ-Lafleur

todays games are way different than back in the day.

Today they wouldnt have the same themes.

[QUOTE="DJ-Lafleur"]

I really don't see the point of comparing different gens really. In the end all gens have their great games as well as countless amounts of digital manure.

Even the so-called "golden age of gaming" had a massive ton of sh*t games (it's why we have an AVGN afterall).

cryemocry

The biggest hurdle this gen is balancing gameplay. Games have gotten too easy wich is why games like Dark Souls get praised. This gen is all about the cinamatic experience and multi player. I never thought God of War and Ninja Gaiden would have multi player but some how they do. o.O Another problem is too many series are pretty much dead like Ninja Gaiden, Resident Evil, FF, Marvel vs Capcom, etc and it's hard to find good JRPG's. This was not a problem last gen. Also, too many shooters.

It's not all bad though series like Mortal Kombat, Sonic, etc has gotten better and we have games like Vanquished, Beyonette, Bioshock, Heavy Rain, Lost Odeyssee, Persona 4, King of fighters 13, Dead or Alive 5, Little Big Planet 2, Metal Gear Solid Rising, Rayman Orgins, Batman Arkham City, Darksiders, Heavenly Sword, Dead Space, Farcry 3 etc. not to mention xbla/psn.

We have more than enough to keep us buizy especially Ps3/PC owners.

If the next generation of gaming was to only have Xbox and Playstation then maybe I could see it being the worst, but when I see next generation I see my PC and I see tons of games created more out of a passion for gaming than a passion of money.

What the f*ck did I just read?

Nope, don't think so. Every gen I find my favorite classics. Last gen was Final Fantasy X, Zelda WW, Kotor, Metroid Prime, Shadow hearts, Kingdom hearts, Tales of the abyss and tons of more jrpgs.

This gen I loved the whole Mass Effect series, Dragon Age, Crysis was the first shooter I actually played to completion, Tales of Vesperia and Graces were very good. Ni Nu Kuni looks excellent. Xenoblade is a great blast from the past in this gen. Uncharted, Bioshock, Mario Galaxy, MGS4, Dishonored and some more to boot that were fantastic games this gen.

There will be tons of great games every gen and those that I listed are just the tip of the iceberg for me as my game collection this gen is over 200 games between Wii, PS3, 360 and PC, which is way more than what I had last gen.

I don't see why next gen will be any different. As long as the RPG and Action Games are alive, I will find games to play. Less generic shooters though, need more like Crysis and Doom. I guess I should rephrase that, less Military Shooters lol

I will agree some of you on that, we NEED more jrpgs, Square just needs to look at what made XII and below so great, even though XIII wasn't bad in my opinion, it's not on the same level as X and before, and stop trying to get the bro's interested in it. And Developers need to stop shoehorning in MULTIPLAYER!!! I'm sick of everyone trying to go after the bro gamers. Mass Effect Didn't need it, Bioshock didn't need it, dead space didn't need it, Dragon Age doesn't need it and I could go on and on about how all these single player games don't need crappy MP shoved into them.

I too just feel that instead of making MP, they could have invested that time in making those awesome games single player even better.

Give us more predictions Ms. Cleo!

Jumping the gun a bit aren't you. We don't even know what the PS4/Xbox 3 are going to be yet. I'm enjoying my Wii U. It's roughly 2x more powerful than the PS3/360 and it has some games I'm really enjoying right now. Honestly, you people are way too critical. Gaming is supposed to be fun. Relax.

I think we're due for a 2nd video game market crash.

[QUOTE="fernandmondego_"][QUOTE="CaseyWegner"]

is this half full or half empty?

CaseyWegner

i know. i'm just looking for a gut reaction.

From a technical standpoint, it's both. Since it's right in the middle, one cannot claim that "it's half full" is more correct than "it's half empty", because another person could just as well claim that "it's half empty" is more correct than "it's half full". Both of the statements are equally correct. I guess if you wanted to be completely neutral, you could just say "it's in the middle".

Jumping the gun a bit aren't you. We don't even know what the PS4/Xbox 3 are going to be yet. I'm enjoying my Wii U. It's roughly 2x more powerful than the PS3/360 and it has some games I'm really enjoying right now. Honestly, you people are way too critical. Gaming is supposed to be fun. Relax.

Puckhog04

2x more powerful? Wut? It's GPU is based on the AMD Radeon 5000 HD series, which while it may be more powerful than the PS3 and 360's, is not nearly 2x more powerful than the PS3 and 360's. In addition, it has a 3.0 GHz Tri-Core CPU, which is slower than both the 360's (3.2 GHz Tri-Core CPU) and the PS3's (3.2 GHz Cell Processor (1 PPE and 7 SPE's)).

Really the only big advantage is the fact that it has 2 GB of RAM, 1 GB of RAM for video games and things, and 1 GB for the UI and basic processes. This is about 4 times more than the 360, which has 512 MB of shared RAM (i.e. if a game needs more RAM than say, 200 MB, it could use some more and allocate less to the UI and system software), and the PS3, which has 256 MB of RAM for video games and things, and 256 MB for the UI and basic processes.

Really though, considering the PS3 and 360 came out about 7/8 years ago, this isn't really a surprise.

I'm not trying to be a fanboy, quite the contrary. I hate fan boys. I'm simply trying to give you the facts.

CTRL+F "Tablet"

Yeah, didn't read.

I will agree some of you on that, we NEED more jrpgs, Square just needs to look at what made XII and below so great, even though XIII wasn't bad in my opinion, it's not on the same level as X and before, and stop trying to get the bro's interested in it.

ryangcnx-2

Ni no kuni, xenoblade, last story

gogo

[QUOTE="ryangcnx-2"]

I will agree some of you on that, we NEED more jrpgs, Square just needs to look at what made XII and below so great, even though XIII wasn't bad in my opinion, it's not on the same level as X and before, and stop trying to get the bro's interested in it.

SuperFlakeman

Ni no kuni, xenoblade, last story

gogo

And your point? I already listed those as the good ones. 3 games are not nearly sufficient when last gen we had dozens of great jrpgs to play.

[QUOTE="SuperFlakeman"]

[QUOTE="ryangcnx-2"]

I will agree some of you on that, we NEED more jrpgs, Square just needs to look at what made XII and below so great, even though XIII wasn't bad in my opinion, it's not on the same level as X and before, and stop trying to get the bro's interested in it.

ryangcnx-2

Ni no kuni, xenoblade, last story

gogo

And your point? I already listed those as the good ones. 3 games are not nearly sufficient when last gen we had dozens of great jrpgs to play.

The problem is unless the name of your JRPG has "Final Fantasy" or "Kingdom Hearts" in the title, it's not going to sell well over here in the west. Companies want money.

tl;dr version: generation 7 was not as good as generation 6, and generation 8 will be worse than generation 7

Generation 7 was home to some great games and great technology, but unfortunately it fell short of the expectations laid down by Generation 6. When one looks back on the best modern classics of the last 13 years, most of them released on the PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube. Most of the tops sellers in Gen 7 have been good games that fall very squarely into pre-defined genres, and while they have in many ways taken the medium to new hights, it's also brought about some brand new lows-- games that sacrifice single player for the sake of a mediocre online mode, rampant DLC abuse, horrendous abuse of QTEs in place of true interactivity, and more focus on commercial tie ins with bad pop music and junk food that stains your teeth orange. And what's more, I expect a lot of people will be disappointed when they see next generation's games, and they are only marginally better than what current console games look like due to escalating development and manufacturing costs.

Here is what next gen is shaping up to be:

Microsoft is going to charge even more for Xbox Live, and they are moving away from exclusives to focus on early access to DLC. They are also abandoning the core gamer because they see Kinect as being a more profitable venture, while pushing the Xbox 360 as a set-top-box as opposed to a game machine.

Sony is in a dire financial situation, and this will likely end up hurting the PS4. From the sounds of it there will be no backwards compatibility with PS3 games, and if there is, expect it to be limited. Like Microsoft, they are pushing their consoles more and more towards being set top boxes, and while that is fine and dandy, it should not come at the cost of making your system be for gamers. I expect Sony's system to play things very "safe" this time, and that means it will be less innovative as the PS2 or PS3. They do not have an ace in the hole for the PS4 like they did with the PS2's DVD player or the PS3's Blu-Ray player.

Nintendo tried to cash in on the popularity of Wii by making lighting strike twice, but the problem is that Wii is not popular anymore, despite having sold millions. Releasing the Wii U is akin to Tay Zonday releasing more songs after Chocolate Rain: people loved Chocolate Rain because of the novelty-- some people passed it around because it was "ironic," while other people actually found it strangely catchy. However, no-one gave a crap about Tay Zonday's second song, because everyone had already moved on by then. The Wii U is basically the same thing as the Wii except several years later: no graphical imporvement over the current generation of systems, and it is using a gimmicky new controller to get you to play the same games as last time.

The 8th generation of consoles is not going to sweep in and take us back to the good old days, because the good old days are not coming back. This generation has dragged on for so long that it may have actually caused damage to the industry that we are only starting to understand. The console market has basically been segmented into the two CoD boxes plagued by DLC and online passes, and then there's the shiny white toy for little Jimmy. A lot of people who don't like those options are finding games in other places, like smart phones, tablets, and computers. This trend is growing, not shrinking, and that could mean that next gen could be the worst one since the 1980s crash.

Timstuff

[QUOTE="CaseyWegner"]

[QUOTE="fernandmondego_"]Depends.TonyKoeffler

i know. i'm just looking for a gut reaction.

From a technical standpoint, it's both. Since it's right in the middle, one cannot claim that "it's half full" is more correct than "it's half empty", because another person could just as well claim that "it's half empty" is more correct than "it's half full". Both of the statements are equally correct. I guess if you wanted to be completely neutral, you could just say "it's in the middle".

[QUOTE="ryangcnx-2"]

[QUOTE="SuperFlakeman"]

Ni no kuni, xenoblade, last story

gogo

TonyKoeffler

And your point? I already listed those as the good ones. 3 games are not nearly sufficient when last gen we had dozens of great jrpgs to play.

The problem is unless the name of your JRPG has "Final Fantasy" or "Kingdom Hearts" in the title, it's not going to sell well over here in the west. Companies want money.

[QUOTE="Cranler"][QUOTE="faizan_faizan"]

Actually the truth is that Piracy on PC has decreased in the past 5 years, PC Players have increased a lot, If all of this wouldn't happen then why do we get optimized games instead of horrible ports we USED to get?

faizan_faizan

[QUOTE="SuperFlakeman"]

[QUOTE="ryangcnx-2"]

I will agree some of you on that, we NEED more jrpgs, Square just needs to look at what made XII and below so great, even though XIII wasn't bad in my opinion, it's not on the same level as X and before, and stop trying to get the bro's interested in it.

ryangcnx-2

Ni no kuni, xenoblade, last story

gogo

And your point? I already listed those as the good ones. 3 games are not nearly sufficient when last gen we had dozens of great jrpgs to play.

My point is those 3 games released only recently in the west.

Did you play them and already crave for more?!

I think we're due for a 2nd video game market crash.

Gxgear

In a way, it already happened if you look at the list of all the dead (and un-dead) developers this gen...

Only some companies will be able to produce "AAA" block-busters in the future and maybe even some big players (like a certain Japanese titan that likes to charge "599 US dollars!" for their systems) could drop out of the game if the trend continues...

I'm doubting you were even alive when the 2600 was out.Zeviander

Maybe he's a console collector and has all the relevant systems...

Whatchu talkinbout Willis :o

The 2600 days of gaming was awesome for it's time where gamers, for the first time were able to play arcade games ( down scaled of course ) like Space Invaders, Pac Man, Asteroids at home. :D Now, if you were to say teh 7800 days, yeah, bad days for gaming indeed. :P

That's your opinion and the fact that it's coming from a Hermit pretty much makes it a mute point. Consoles aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Also PC gaming did in fact SHRINK in 2012 and that included DD as well. blackace

Give us more predictions Ms. Cleo!

ninjapirate2000

[QUOTE="Zeviander"]I'm doubting you were even alive when the 2600 was out.nameless12345

Maybe he's a console collector and has all the relevant systems...

The first gen was great. Atari 2600, Intellivision, ColecoVision, and Odyssey. There were even hermits with the Amiga and Commidore 64!

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

[QUOTE="Zeviander"]I'm doubting you were even alive when the 2600 was out.Timstuff

Maybe he's a console collector and has all the relevant systems...

OK. I read your post all the way through, and I see your point.

Next Gen could cause another "Black Tuesday" for the gaming industry. However, It is possible that this gen suffered in single player campaigns because of the used game market; which forced developers to focus on the multiplayer, where they could recoup their losses off of used games with DLC. Sony and MS both stated their next consoles will not play used games; so that will kill that issue.

It is also possible that single player has fallen prey to console gamer's personal tastes. I do not know the Black Ops2 numbers; but I do remember reading that there were record lows of gamers who both played and finished the single player campaign of Modern Warfare 3 - a good portion only played multi-player. Look at the biggest console franchises for MS & Sony: Halo, Uncharted, Gears of War, God of War, Killzone, Call of Duty, Mass Effect, Gran Turismo, Forza, who many of those are single player focused? Developers are making games that sell.

7th Gen destroyed the 6th gen. mems_1224

is this half full or half empty?

CaseyWegner

actually according to Sheldon Cooper the glass is always full. Cant argue with him

is this half full or half empty?

CaseyWegner

If the glass was full before, its half empty. If it was empty before, its half full.

Generation 6 had the glass full. Its now half empty.

[QUOTE="CaseyWegner"]

is this half full or half empty?

Ilovegames1992

If the glass was full before, its half empty. If it was empty before, its half full.

Generation 6 had the glass full. Its now half empty.

Edit* It might be about the same but IMO the 7th Generation is better then the 6th.

The OP brings up a few good points and verbalizes my own growing fears concerning next gen consoles.

With MS going super casual and probably bundling Kinect 2.0 with the 720, things look bleak for core gamers. The talk of the Xbox brand management forcing out the actual gamers and replacing them with number crunchers is disturbing. Who knows if this true though.

Sony may be the only chance hardcore gamers have the future, but it's still too early to tell. The supposed lack of gimmicks on the PS4 (I'll believe the touch screen controller when I see it) is its best selling point IMO. If Sony decides to go the same route as the 720 I foresee Sony closing its console division (atleast in America).

From my own experience I was looking forward to the 720 until it started turning in the casual direction (nothing is written in stone yet). The PS3 and this gen in general were a fairly large disappointment. If next gen is worse I may just put the controller down for good.

Bad predictions are bad...

I bet you everything I own that MS will put out a handful of core exclusives in the first few years of the 720's life.

I'd also bet a hefty sum that Sony will not play it safe. PS4 will cost either the same or more than the 720.

And finally, WiiU will be fine. It won't be as successful as Wii, but it will sell plenty and Nintendo will keep raking in the dough.

[QUOTE="CaseyWegner"]

[QUOTE="fernandmondego_"]Depends.TonyKoeffler

i know. i'm just looking for a gut reaction.

From a technical standpoint, it's both. Since it's right in the middle, one cannot claim that "it's half full" is more correct than "it's half empty", because another person could just as well claim that "it's half empty" is more correct than "it's half full". Both of the statements are equally correct. I guess if you wanted to be completely neutral, you could just say "it's in the middle".

i always thought it depends on whether it's in the process of being filled or emptied.

Some people may be gloom and doom. Not me. I've been having fun this gen and it's going to carry over into next-gen.....I've been having fun without the benefit of either CoD or Halo.

There's so many games out there that do not follow the formula of the above two games.

The OP brings up a few good points and verbalizes my own growing fears concerning next gen consoles.

With MS going super casual and probably bundling Kinect 2.0 with the 720, things look bleak for core gamers. The talk of the Xbox brand management forcing out the actual gamers and replacing them with number crunchers is disturbing. Who knows if this true though.

Sony may be the only chance hardcore gamers have the future, but it's still too early to tell. The supposed lack of gimmicks on the PS4 (I'll believe the touch screen controller when I see it) is its best selling point IMO. If Sony decides to go the same route as the 720 I foresee Sony closing its console division (atleast in America).

From my own experience I was looking forward to the 720 until it started turning in the casual direction (nothing is written in stone yet). The PS3 and this gen in general were a fairly large disappointment. If next gen is worse I may just put the controller down for good.

Boddicker

is this half full or half empty?

CaseyWegner

Well, the container is at 50% of its liquid holding capacity, which is technically 50% empty, and technically 50% full, and even 100% larger than neecessarry. :P

Anyway on topic, the current trends in the industry are leading to higher costs, higher prices, higher risks, less unique content, less exclusive content, less consumer rights, etc.

So, if the trend continues, then Next gen will be worse, if it does not continue, next gen may or may not improve from this gen.

It is a matter of if the industry can buck the trend and get back to basics: delivering a valuable product (fun, enjoyable games), at a reasonable cost (to both developers and consumers), without constraining consumers' right (lending, borrowing, trading, sharing, etc.). (e.g. how things were in console generations 3, 4, 5, and 6)

[QUOTE="Timstuff"][QUOTE="nameless12345"]

Maybe he's a console collector and has all the relevant systems...

StormyJoe

OK. I read your post all the way through, and I see your point.

Next Gen could cause another "Black Tuesday" for the gaming industry. However, It is possible that this gen suffered in single player campaigns because of the used game market; which forced developers to focus on the multiplayer, where they could recoup their losses off of used games with DLC. Sony and MS both stated their next consoles will not play used games; so that will kill that issue.

It is also possible that single player has fallen prey to console gamer's personal tastes. I do not know the Black Ops2 numbers; but I do remember reading that there were record lows of gamers who both played and finished the single player campaign of Modern Warfare 3 - a good portion only played multi-player. Look at the biggest console franchises for MS & Sony: Halo, Uncharted, Gears of War, God of War, Killzone, Call of Duty, Mass Effect, Gran Turismo, Forza, who many of those are single player focused? Developers are making games that sell.

[QUOTE="ryangcnx-2"]

[QUOTE="SuperFlakeman"]

Ni no kuni, xenoblade, last story

gogo

SuperFlakeman

And your point? I already listed those as the good ones. 3 games are not nearly sufficient when last gen we had dozens of great jrpgs to play.

My point is those 3 games released only recently in the west.

Did you play them and already crave for more?!

While 2012 was decent for jrpg's and 2013 is gonna see a couple, the last 6 haven't been. I want this following gen to be a good flow of jrpgs throughout the start to finish. This gen I can count on one hand on how many quality jrpg titles we had from 2005-2011. So hopefully this trend continues and we get many jrpgs throughout the next gen's lifecycle.