Video games decline in quality each generation, but increase in quantity

It’s no surprise that a majority of the gaming population cease to remember the first ever title that hit their bookshelves. Whether it be the newest Call of Duty title for this generation, or the old school Baldur Gate, or even before that, the very old and classic title we have come and known to love – Pong. Why? Because developers each and every day create a title that is half as good as the titles that were released back in the good old days, and not saying that this generation is bad, however, in the future, gamers will cease to remember the quality in this generation as well, considering the future of gaming will turn worse and worse by each title that is released. What’s worse is that even though Each one of these title contributed to the type of gamer we are today. These are the same titles that are constantly being replaced, for stuff that are just flashy.

[boybato]

Video games decline in quality each generation, but increase in quantity > thanks to the smartphone market/crowd. lol

[DeadlyFire]

Well if some games didn't decline the new developers out there would have no chance.

[ATi_Elite]

While there are lots of new I.P.s and small studios with new games that are pretty good.........

You still got Big Companies pumping out mediocre Sequels left and right that are only worth renting.

For me Planetside 2 and Arma 2 are the ONLY sequels I'm playing right now as all other games are original I.P's which is GOOD!

[snipes101]

I don't know, the Atari was infamous for it's shovelware.

[3-4-5]

GBA had the best collection of games in terms of quality.

GBA has less shovelware than any other system I can remember.

[SilentNegotiator]

I really have to disagree. GBA has a plethora of licensed crapware and ports of bad games.

N64 is probably closer to that acclaim. 300 games in the NA region, very little of it shovelware. It had an incredibly lean, mean lineup. Even granted that it has one of the most infamous stinkers of all time, after ET.

[SilentNegotiator]

If I didn't make it clear, I'm disputing your SECOND statement.

As for best collection of games....whew, I'm worn out just THINKING about such a debate. Too subjective, too many factors.

[Mounce]

I think people are just simply being ignorant to the fact that there was no publicity or acknowledgment for bad games of older generation. It's only since we are given up-to-date info and hype on bad games that come out, do we perceive it as "WOW SO MANY BAD GAMES" When really, think about it during the NES and SNES days, ALLLLL the fucking bad games, all the unknown bad games you've Never heard of, that didn't get marketed on TV, in a time where you didn't have the internet to have people warn you NOT to buy the game, no internet walkthroughs, nothing. Just the game and the cover art and the back of the box.

AVGN shows tons of bad games existed, especially if LJN made them.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

The point summarized, I don't think there's an increase or decrease, it's the same....merely bad games are woven and mixed with more complications that it's hard to tell which ARE the good games and which are the bad. Good companies can make hit or misses and only a few companies back in the NES or SNES days made Constant good games like Squaresoft, Nintendo, etc. It's harder to reveal what is shit and what is not, and the bias some people get with games....like... Duke Nukem Forever is a Fucking Shitty Game....some people will actually tell you that they think it's good....To each their own? Well, it doesn't escape others from being able to pinpoint why it's a horrible game and just because someone says irrationally that they like it or enjoyed it, doesn't negate the negative 'features' of the game and games like it.

[landog]

disagree, while i do believe baldurs gate 2 shadows of amn is probably the best game ever made, the witcher 2 is very, VERY close

crysis warhead is one of the best shooters ever made, so is hard reset and stalker and far cry 3, compared to doom...lol....duke nukem, wolfiestien, those classics are pure GARBAGE compared to far cry 3

would you rather play street fighter 1 or 4.....

games keep getting better, the old tomb raider games seem AWFUL compared to the last few, and i cannot wait to see the new one

compare the first jak and daxter game to uncharted 3

play halo 1 again then play halo 4

games keep getting WAY better

nostalgias a hellova drug

i still own all my old consoles, most of the old gen games games have bad controls, awful graphics, piss poor story telling

sure there are exceptions, ps2 had some amazing games, but most still seem archaic compared to the stellar games we have today!

[Irishguy95]

Let me ask this. What do people prefer?

The Witcher 2 or Uncharted 2.

Ah screw it, I simply cannot fathom how someone can think Uncharted 2 is the game of the generation when something like the Witcher 2 is in the same gen, among many other games.

You have one game with an extremely simple plot with stereotypical yet fun characters, the other with twists all over the place and brilliant writing and diversive characters.

One with straight forward Tps combat and Cutscene gameplay, the other with a good Action RPG combat, real choices in the outcome of the story, good entertaining quests, multiple maps to explore, a leveling character progression system.

I just cannot fathom it anyhow. There goes personal taste again, I prefer my in depth Rpg to an Action movie mixed into a game.

I mean, even bringing re playability and length into it, Witcher 2 literally has 2 different stories in the game, it lasts at least 25 hours each playthrough etc///crazy to me

[HarryMasonHerpderp]

Neither game is better than the other because they are COMPLETELY different.
I enjoy both games for different reasons.

[TheTwelve]

Woah woah woah. Witcher 2 is AMAZING. I'll grant you that. But Uncharted 2 is, in my opinion, more amazing in its genre than Witcher2 is in the RPG genre. They are different games and different genres.

12

[cemelc]

Lol compare witcher against another rpg, Uncharted didnt go for level progresion they aimed for a movie quality game like indiana jones and they succeded on all fronts.

If you like witcher 2 more good for you, but the fact that uncharted 2 won like 150 awards is a testament of the quality of that game.

[MaxXAttaxX]

They're not comparable games at all.

[Ezz2013]

comments like this are mind blown
never thought that ppl might love both ?!!

i own witcher 2 on pc love it very much
and i'm also in love with all uncharted games

and both are not even in the same genre 0_o

BTW they way you talk about uncharted games show you never played one since you think it's "straight forward Tps combat"

[TheFirstClassic]

I would rather play mgs1 than mgs4.

I might not rather play halo 1 than 4, but I would rather play 2.

I would rather play mario 64 than galaxy.

I would rather play Banjo Kazooie than Nuts and Bolts.

Jak and Daxter might not have as good of graphics or storytelling but it has much different, and in my opinion better, gameplay so they can't really be compared.

Most games this gen have crap gameplay that looks good. Assasin's Creed, you press one button and your character jumps on an enemy down below and kills him. Splinter Cell Blacklist, you tag enemies, press one button, and then watch some flashy action senquence as he kills them all for you. Games are taking the controller out of your hands in favor of showing you some nice visuals. There are exceptions with the Souls games being the most notable examples.

I will agree though, that shooters have generally gotten better. But is there really any platformer or adventure game this gen that can compare to the likes of banjo kazooie or mario 64?

We've had some great gems this gen...but I can still go looking for some games on a n64 emulator and have more fun with it than the average game that comes out today. I will admit some genres have improved, but there are many things older gens did much better, and overall I think this gen isn't as good as the past couple.

[Blastoise]

I agree with you for the most part. Especially about Super Mario 64 (a truly epic game for it's time) & games in general being more style than substance (Final fantasy XIII & like you say, Assassins creed)

Im tired of games telling me the controls when there are like 4 buttons to choose from, Im tired of having forced walking sections, dumbed down RPG mechanics, linear paths, quick time events ect

I have played some seriously awesome games this generation, but I think I can see where you're coming from.

I still think there have been some great platformers though. Little Big Planet, Ratchet & Clank, Rayman Origins, Sonic Generations ect

[TheTwelve]

Yeah just because we are seeing more games due to the growth of the videogame industry, doesn't mean games aren't getting better. You just have to wade through more filth to find the gems.

I used to think FF7 was the best game ever made. Then I played Mass Effect 2, and let's just say I'm not sure anymore.

I used to think Final Fantasy Tactics was the best SRPG ever made. Then I played XCom: Enemy Unknown. Let's just say I'm not sure anymore.

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[Rupee]

Lol you can't really compare crysis/far cry 3 to doom or wolfenstein. But I see what you're saying.

[byeGollum]

. . .I agree.

[e-p-ayeaH]

True story.

[PhantomTommy]

What an odd little article! Somewhere along the line the title changed from "Golden Sun has good things in it" to "Video games decline in quality each generation, but increase in quantity"

[Kevlar009]

While overall quality may have decreased, if you remove outliers I would say games are just as good as thay always have been, and in some cases better. All depends where you look and what you deem to be "better"

[kevnb]

i don't think this is true, there is always good and bad games. If you look back in time, you only really remember the best games.

[kneon]

Bingo!!! That's a big part of it right there. Just like the people who say that classical music is of far better quality than what we've had since. That is true, because the classical music that was crap was mostly forgotten and you never hear it. Likewise in 100 years most of the "artists" of today will be long forgotten except for a handful that showed real talent.

The fact is that majority of all art/entertainment is crap, and it's always been that way. Normally only the good stuff continues on, unless something is so spectacularly bad that people can't help but remember it no matter how hard they try not to :)

[Kyosuke_Sanada]

Gaming has gotten better in a technical aspect. However, so may shady practices by companies, the lack of variety and developers being vocal in the worst ways made this generation worse.

[CanadianTurtle]

I COMPLETELY disagree.

What I think is that, gaming is getting easier to pick up and play, but definitely not decreasing in quality. The following games are examples of great quality and production value:

Uncharted series
Resistance sereis
Gears or War series
Halo 3, Reach and 4
KillZone 2 and 3
Infamous series
The Last Story
XenoBlade Chronicles
etc.
There are so many games out there today that just boggle the mind. I personally think that you're hung up in nostalgia. Because believe me, there were also a lot of garbage quality games from the past as well.

I always seem to find the good in gaming. I'm not really a critic.

[kevnb]

some of those games are examples of the perceived decline in quality. Super Mario Galaxy is as good as any mario game, guild wars 2 is arguably the best mmo made, ni no kuni stands up to any jrpg ever made (so does xenoblade). The total war series is even better now imo, planetside 2 blows my mind, starcraft 2 still has me playing. Things are still great. By the way I hit agree, even though games like gears of war are like the fast food of gaming.

[TheFirstClassic]

I think it's just a preference thing. I prefer older games in general because I don't like the changes in gameplay this gen, but I understand why some people prefer the higher production values of this gen.

[Murad]

CanadianTurtle, those are the EXCLUSIVES, if they weren't good, then there is something honestly wrong with the game industry. Also, think of it like this Resistance one was terrible in terms of graphics, but graphics began to get better, this was the same for all of the franchises that have a greater digit than 1. However, the point this article is trying to make is that even though Golden Sun came in a small package, it provided content that beats most titles this generation without a single challenge in mind.

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

All I know is im kind of tired of shooters after this gen.

[solidboss07]

I do agree somewhat . I am happy that I chose Playstation this gen (can only support 1) as it is clearly offering me more than the 360 would have. But I am still dissatisfied with gaming, is it me getting older or are most games boring and a bit naff. CODMW was great for a while, then the novelty wore off, only 1 MGS so far this gen and it was not my favourite, no Team ICO release or a Legacy of Kain game to sink our fangs into. Survival Horror? Resident Woefull. How about a Field Commander sequel for the big consoles?
Playstation 2 offered more, and mine was never online. I hope the trend reverses, as it is I may not by another console. For a while my PS3 was only used for watching fighter jets on YouTube ect.

[nevin1]

Its not you getting older. I thought that too. But if you go back and play NES-PS2 games and still have some fun with them, then its not you aging.

I just think the developers/publishers are not getting the job done. Its all about the money this gen.

[nevin1]

This gen yes but NES-PS2 was improvement.

[Picnic]

The article is written by an RPG fan and we know that they all feel that the PS2 - or even SNES- era was the best for those.

Each generation's games is made by people. There are sometimes periods, usually early on in an art form's development, where they are trying all sorts of things out and , because the majority don't have anything to compare it to, it all seems exotic anyway. But later on some of that majority may decide that they want a piece of that pie, either for fame or riches. They've got a rudimentary grasp of the fundamentals of a genre but they're not necessarily of the same mindset that came up with the gneres in the first place. In fact they might be polar opposites. The same thing will have happned in any art form that you can name. Take for instance, the experimentation of 1960s music - which partly turned in to pub rock music in the 1970s.

So some of the people making games now will be pseudo- gamers compared to some of the people who made them in the 1990s. But others will be trying to build upon those earlier games.

Some of those earlier games don't really need building on.
They're of their time and perhaps even timeless as a result.

I'm not saying that there are necessarily less talented people now than there were then. Ron Gilbert of Monkey Island fame has recently come back with an excellent puzzle platformer The Cave. This genre was generally put on the backburner by games companies on all but handhelds from the start of the 21st century onwards.

[solar]

happens like everything that goes mainstream. quality goes down for the name of $$$.

[YoungPlex]

Yea cuz games like Bayonetta, MGS4, God of War 3, Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Uncharted, LOZ, Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy 1&2 etc... all lost their quality. Yea RIGHT! Those games are ALL high quality titles that got even better with time! I completely disagree, some games do lose their quality but that has to do with the development team and their choice of design. NSMBU is a perfect example of a game that may not have changed too much but the overall quality is the best in the series. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I think that gamers that choose to play shitty games that are only popular because of trend are what's ruining games. If a developer makes a game that mindless fun and people buy it, they only have themselves to blame!

[Murad]

I have a question, how often do those games come out? Once in 4 years as an exclusive correct? The thing this article is trying to hint as is that even though gaming has gone far, we still can't beat titles that previously came out before. Does that make sense?

[YoungPlex]

Dude, I was born in 83 and have been gaming it out ever since I was able to pick up a controller and play. I think I know a thing or two about gaming and have an opinion just like you. I just happen to disagree with you. I have and have beat both Golden Sun's on the advance twice and even transferred my data way back when they first came out; I have also beat the DS version twice! I honestly have NEVER come across a game I wasn't able to beat either. I am a persistent gamer and feel that if gamers spent more time gaming it out and supporting great games, rather than buying mindless garbage, the gaming world would be a better place, and you wouldn't be wasting your time writing about this...

I respect your opinion but disagree because there are so many games that come out each generation that aren't recognized as great gems until the generation is more than over. Sort of like you talking about Golden Sun and how great it is. While your just playing it and enjoying it, I was playing and enjoying it about 10 year ago.

[SpinalRemains138]

Games today look much better, and run smoother, but therein lies the problem.

In an effort to show off all the glorious cutscenes, games have become less about 'beating', and more about 'finishing'. Like they're books or movies. Long gone are the days of beating a game for the difficulty and actually feeling rewarded. 30 years ago there were perhaps half of a games audience who didn't finish the game & that was normal. Today, every single player completes every single game. It's like we are in special ed. class and must be made to feel special.

I love the beautiful graphics, but I think every developer could take a page out of Team Ninja's, or From Software's playbook. Difficulty is indeed a forgotten art of game development. To make games too easy is to cater to casual gamers. Many gamers are not casual and would like a challenge from time to time.

[ShaunCameron]

But a lot of games 30 years ago were difficult more because of questionable design choices and the technological limits of the day than the genuine challenge. That's why cheat codes and Game Genie existed.

[Igniter]

Most hardcore gamers these days are preferring to get their challenge from MP instead of campaigns. And the action of gamers has been speaking louder than words for a long time! The plentiful use of cheat codes, mods, console commands, and exploiting glitches have given developers every reason to believe gamers want games they can complete!

[bluetoto]

@spinal

What gamers need to realize is that devs used terrible and cheap A.I tactics back in the day when arcades ruled gaming. This wasn't done because they were trying to "challenge" a gamers skill. Are you people kidding me?!

This is a business, always has been. Devs used this design to FALSELY extend game time. What does extending the game do for them? It gets YOU, the consumer to spend more quarters at the arcade.

Enter the console era and devs continued to use this design to cover up terrible, unbalanced A.I. coding and promote a "20" hour game when in reality it's 8 hours without all the restarts.

Enter the gaming crash of the 80's and it seems during it devs realized MANY people weren't willing to buy a game they couldn't complete anymore and decided to actually do some real code work thereby making games more accessible. Some devs have gone too far, some not far enough.

People play a game like dark solus and think it took some special skill or talent to complete an unbalanced game. In reality it would take skill if combat required you to counter many different A.I. tactics rather than just blocking and parrying the entire game.

What skill are you using when you are using the SAME tactic to beat EVERY enemy in the game, from the hollows you first meet in the undead asylm all the way past the four kings,Nito and so on it's the same tactic, block/parry, move behind target, whack at same target until stamina is done, rinse and repeat. Where's the challenge?

And this is the gameplay we want more of?

[Alos88]

Doom articles decline in quality every generation, but increase in quantity.

[Hicken]

Naw, I don't think so.

I'm a huge fan of games as old as Joust and Galaga, and the PS1 is home to some of my favorite games of all time.

But as others have said, it isn't that there's been a decline in quality; there's only been our minds filtering out the bad and leaving the good. In time, the bad will be filtered out of this generation's memory, too, and only the good will be left.

THEN we can compare: when all that's left is our memories of the good stuff, we ca say whether or not this generation's good stuff is better than that of previous generations.

[SirRidge]

I would say the great games nowadays are just as good as the greats of days past. Even if there is some more junk to sift through to get it..

[PS3Freak]

Poorly written article.

[profgerbik]

I will just say they don't make games like they used to, there was something much more engaging about games before which seems very hard to find now a days.

I mean the fact that I remember more games from my past than now kind of speaks for that. If there were truly that many memorable games now, I feel like I would have a bigger list to offer than games I enjoyed ages ago.

Of course there are always great games but I have to agree that there isn't nearly as many as there used to be, one has to keep in mind it was a lot different for developers then also.. It was a much better market which is practically collapsing now due to stupid smartphones and tablets or basically so many things trying to do the same exact thing.

Like I said when we have refrigerators and ovens with Wi-Fi, HDTV's and touchscreens in them it's just gotten little out of hand with technology. It's going to be harder for developers to keep making good games because it should only get worse as more newer tech becomes available.

Obviously it has already gotten worse I mean look at how many studios that have had to close over the past couple years.

Everyone right now even the king of profits Nintendo is losing money which also says it isn't getting any better.

The thing is consoles aren't upgradeable. They might be fancy when they are first released surpassing most things even PC's for a short period of time but everything else can easily be upgraded and will surpass consoles quickly because of that. Especially in this day and age when we are seeing new processors and graphics cards every couple months.

It's just way too competitive. If you asked me I can't stand how companies always have to out do one another or people in general always have to be the best instead of just working together.

I would love to see Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft just all work together but I know that will never happen.

[nosferatuzodd]

Too much Generic type of games Rather than the Esoteric games thats what.

[Picnic]

Limbo, The Unfinished Swan, Heavy Rain, Papo and Yo, The Cave.

Esoteric's there on Playstation 3.

When it was on the PS2 it was often as a survival horror and that'll be covered by The Last of Us.

The Xbox360? Limbo, Super Meat Boy, Alan Wake, The Cave are all a bit different. Nothing quite like Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts either - it will only be understood for what it is by so many.

[DivineAssault]

The picture of golden sun justifies the title alone.. Fantastic game

[Psychonaut]

After reading the artical all I'd like to say is while yes there are more companies, and new i.p's out there making games there is also a new phrase going around,"reaching the casual market/player."

Now I do agree that yes there is games geared for the new casual gamer what im not agreeing with is when already i.p's change up so much of what made them who they are to reach out to the casual gamer, and alienating their original fan base. Because by changing they are not being what brought in the fans so the product they are showing off to the casual gamer isnt really them. So they loose their original fan base, and if/ when they change back to what they were they run the risk of loosing the new casual gamers, and wont get their loyal fanbase back.

But that is my two cents.

[KnightRobby]

I see a lot of excellent games coming here in Spring. The Last of Us is a brand new IP. And we do see a lot of sequels, but a lot of them have been MIA for over 2 years and I personally can't wait to dive back in.

Next-gen only seems to be revitalizing new IP's. We have Watch Dogs coming from Ubisoft, Star Wars 1313, Destiny from Bungie, and many many more.

I personally think it's going to be great.

[Picnic]

Some AAA games have become less fun and more predictable.
It's the new franchises who've tried to be cinematic that have impressed best rather than older ones.

But you're really not playing enough Playstation Store games if you think that videogames are necessarily decreasing in quality. There's been a resurgence in 2D platform games on the non-Nintendo consoles this generation.