What's happened to video games? Seriously?
I remember playing so many games on the MegaDrive, SNES, N64 and PlayStation that had me totally engrossed. Things like Super Mario World, Banjo-Kazooie, Ocarina of Time, Sonic the Hedgehog, Final Fantasy VII, the list goes on and on. I can think of five video games I have played in the last 6 months that I have ripped apart, and two of those are older games:
Final Fantasy VII (couldn't resist playing that perfect game again), Pokémon Emerald (was super excited for Diamond), Zelda: Twilight Princess, Final Fantasy XII and Pokémon Diamond.
Now don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of games I have played, and enjoyed. But where are all the huge adventure games I used to love? I know huge games can't come around all the time, but I would rather spend £40 on a new game and have it last longer than a few hours, and I'm already sick of party games (and I haven't even played them).
Is it because game developers are experimenting in new territory? Probably. This "games for everybody" thing has be sitting on a fence. On one hand, I can play even more video games with my family (Wii Sports is still a blast to play with the folks/uncles/aunties/etc), but I miss games I can rip apart by myself. Games I can get super engrossed in.
Granted I am super engrossed in Pokémon Diamond (125+ hours), but the only reason I'm playing that is because I have nothing else I feel I must play. Sonic and the Secret Rings is cool, as is Chocobo Tales, but I don't find myself fighting the urge to play them. I still rip out Guitar Hero when I'm bored, and that guitar has been played to shreds.
It's like, developers are starting to see the appeal (and money) of getting non-gamers into video games, but what about the hardcore gamer? Do we want to play Brain Age? Do we want to play Wii Sports all the time? Do we want to do Yoga? NO! We want to mash up Goblins and stomp on Goombas and shoot people in the head.
Do we also want to play video games we have already played to death? NO!
Resident Evil 4. Yeah, I love the game. It's one of my favourite games. It's one of the best games (just ask anyone), but it seems TOO soon to be rereleasing it. I know it was an instant classic, but they could've waited a while. They could've done more than just port it. Improved graphics? More unlockable content? More game? It's a game that doesn't really need anything doing to it, but they'll only go and rerelease it again in a few years. It is Capcom after all.
The Virtual Console is another thing I am a little miffed with. The idea of playing all these classic games that I loved to bits is so sweet and juicy, but when I play them, I get a sour taste in my mouth. Why am I playing an old game (I already have) when Ishould be playing something brand-spanking new. It's a really weird feeling.
The recent announcement of Manhunt 2 being banned makes me even angrier. Yeah, it's a violent, sick, twisted game full of brutal killings, gore and the like, but why ban it? Is anybody banning horror movies? Is anybody banning music that talks about shooting people just because they want to (coughrapcough). NO! Why video games? Why do gamers have to miss out on the full experience of a game because parents can't be bothered to pay attention to their kids? Why must the adults, who WANT to play this game miss out? It sucks.
I'm not sure what the point of this rant was.