This Generation is Over

Pixels or Death's Henry McMunn gives into pessimism and waxes on how this console generation simply doesn't seem to be going anywhere any more. It's time for change!

[Burning_Finger]

OK

[mcnablejr]

okay:

[PoSTedUP]

the title is so wrong i won't even waste time reading the article. good day, sir.

[Persistantthug]

BEYOND 2 SOULS, SOUTHPARK, WATCHDOGS, and many others.

This Gen isn't over for me.
Sorry.

[Mounce]

The gen is over for tools who cynically only look at the downsides and ignore the gems that have blessed us. Hell, Demon's Souls and Dark Souls were enough for me to jizz buckets in anxiety as I once had a child-like excitement for games like MGS2 and 3. The Last of Us and The Last Guardian are maybe my Last Games to wait for, though also I'm waiting for unheard-of titles for Vita to come and drench my Gamer-flavor.

The article OP is just, not a Gamer, just a whiner, reminds me of ME3 whiners. Woe is me, this sucked, that sucked, lets whine and complain about everything that sucks and not about the awesome shit that came to existence! Death woes against Life praise. The cycle continues.

[vickers500]

I don't think this generation is over, but I do think that it's winding down a bit, but in a big way. I think that after all the big titles have released (Beyond, WatchDogs, Bioshock Infinite, The Last Guardian, etc.), the next gen should start. I hope we at least get an announcement next year about a new console.

[MostJadedGamer]

A generation is only truely over when there is nothing but budget games, and sports games coming out for the consoles. This generation is not even close to being over.

[Hicken]

So if a generation has a somewhat down year, it's over? Interesting.

Besides, what about all the other games that have come out already? Do they not count? There's plenty of stuff on every platform that makes 2012 still decent as a gamer... unless you're the type of person who needs some AAA blockbuster to play every week because you've beaten the last one on normal and can't be bothered doing more than that.

Until Call of Duty comes out, of course. And then you'll play that like your life depends on it.

[sonicblastoise]

why does no one actually READ the whole thing

He's not saying that simply because it's a "down year" that the platforms are ending. It's a "down year" because games that are coming and games that have come have become increasingly banal, our opinions have been saturated, and the people making games for these platforms have run out of ideas. One of the great things about new tech is that they can reignite the creative instinct, which in turn means that old tech may play a large role in dampening it or letting it run down.

the new tech won't necessarily solve the problem of a "down year", but having old tech certainly doesn't help. Why keep saying "ok so right now its shit, but what can you do, let's just keep eating it" when it's better to say "jesus christ this is shit, let's get something new out here, huh?"

[Hicken]

That doesn't fly with me, because I've played and seen some very not "banal" games this year. From already-released stuff like Journey and Gravity Rush to upcoming titles like Watch_Dogs and The Last of Us.

I don't think developers have run out of ideas, but rather that they've decided to make the most money with the least effort. That's why casual games are huge, why Bioware mailed in ME3's ending, why everything reminds you of everything else.

Next-gen won't solve that, as it's all stuff that's been happening for years now. It's a new attitude in the industry, and it will be the very same next generation if we don't cause the change beforehand.

[morganfell]

I agree Hicken. You are reading my mind.

And I for one do not buy the writer's definition of banal.

[No FanS Land]

Agreed Hicken.

I'll never get why brand new tech would boost creativity again.

As far as I know, it's when you're technically limited that you have to be innovative in order to stand out.

Heck this gen could last forever IMO, judging by the graphical capabilities of both HD systems, storage and etc, it's possible to create revolutionary games on both a technical and creative point. Uncharted has no loading and no install, same for God of war and these games are 2-3 years old. Even GTA4, though it has quite an install on the PS3.

Next gen will only bring consoles into the uncanny valley.

[TheDivine]

Yea its not only that new tech brings creativity but developers take more chances at the start of a gen. Its when a new ip can shine and turn into a blockbuster franchise. We get more new ips, new ideas, and more variety in genre's before a ame like GTA3 or MW come along and make every other dev want to copy that game. Theres still good stuff, look Kingdoms, Dragons Dogma, Last of Us, Watch Dogs, Beyond 2 Souls, alot of interesting stuff but the games arent advancing. Its mostly another AC, Cod, Uncharted, Gears, Halo, on and on. Look at it like this, next gen not only will we get more Gears but Epic will release a new ip for that gen. Naughty Dog will make Uncharted and something new. We get new games plus the best established franchises with new ways to play like tablet controllers or ar glasses. I for one am excited.

Also the consoles all have to fight for your purchase because early is when its important to get a huge fanbase. They push alot of exclusives. Ms and Sony were fighting hard early in this gen with tons of new ip's

Folklore
Valkyria Chronicles
Heavenly Sword
Resistance
Mass Effect
Lost Odyssey
Blue Dragon
Kameo
Gears

Thats a small number of the games we got early on. This was because of the new gen. Would these have been as good on ps2? Graphics dont make the game but it goes along way and it does eneable you to have bigger worlds, new gameplay, more ai exc.

[FailboatSkipper]

I find saying 'I bet you like Call of Duty' is a bit like bringing up the Nazis in a debate. Predictable, blanket statement-y and overly simplistic.

[Fishy Fingers]

Seems you can blame just about anything you want on COD, or "the casuals".

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Yep, That's why we have Last Of Us and Beyond getting released right, two original Sony Ip's. MS's innovative twist on Halo 4 and a Gears prequel. This generation has just stopped no more and died...ok.

[MysticStrummer]

@sonicblastoise -
"One of the great things about new tech is that they can reignite the creative instinct"

I strongly disagree with this. We've seen very little gameplay this generation that couldn't have been done last generation. Graphics have gotten better, but the games have stayed the same. There are exceptions of course, but the majority of games this gen could have been done last gen, or even the gen before, with downgraded visuals.

[JONESY6]

Lets see the PS2 run games like Dead Rising which has 300 enemies on screen.

Or games that rely on atmosphere and immersion such as Bioshock. The game would be alot more dull on the ps2 with its simple graphics and lighting engines.

How about more destructible environments like Red Faction Guerrilla? The 360 and my PC cant even run that game well without ruble disappearing because the CPU cant handle that many calculations.

And how about Open world games like Oblivion and Skyrim? the PS2 cant render detailed land for more than 100 feet. that's why PS2 games were either Corridor game-play or had invisible walls or borders.

To say gameplay doesn't improve with new Tech is just completely wrong.

[DragonKnight]

GAMEPLAY!! Not frickin' graphics and physics. G..A..M..E..P..L..A..Y! How a game plays, not what's on the screen. Innovations in combat mechanics, puzzles, that kind of thing. Geez, what the hell is up with everyone thinking graphics engines are the be all end all of gaming?

"Oh look, this lampost is giving off a lightsource. It is so uber advanced and enhances the gamplay."

"OMG, look at that building that just crumbled into dust when that bomb hit it. It has made the combat so much more fluid and precise."

"Oh look, a game where it's dark and you can hear ominous sounds from all around you, I've never experienced that before the HD console era, how incredible is it that the graphics engine does this for us."

In the words of Stewie Griffin "that's you, that's what you sound like." Just in a more general sense that includes all graphics whores and people who think next gen is strictly about visuals first, everything else second. Or that the previous gens weren't capable of the kind of gameplay that exists today. Hell, SNES games have better gameplay than A LOT of today's games.

[MysticStrummer]

Can't edit my own comment >.<

I also disagree with the premise of the article.

[iamlegend9999]

hmmm interest....

[CyanideMatt]

I would like to see some consoles with new tech and new limits that could be pushed... I want to see things we wouldn't have seen now... like a flight sim for a console... or a multiplayer sandbox game with miles of terrain and massive enemies. I would like to see new boundaries and the developers try to push them.

[DragonKnight]

"And I don't want to pay more than $200 to do it."

[Kyosuke_Sanada]

[N4G, isn't a normal forum. If I cared about bubbles, the smart think was to say something good about Sony then leave the thread. But then I thought, what if I didn't give a damn....]

F#)%& fanboys. F#)%&, game companies trying to rape our wallets every day. F#)%& the lack of originality. F#)%& the giant divide amongst gamers. F#)%& online passes. F#)%& DLC. F#)%& Phil Fish, Ninja Tam and any other developer who think its cool to insult gamers and F#)%& gamers who think who think it's okay to be insulted. F#)%& the large amount of faulty consoles at launch. F#)%& unnecessary remakes and genre jumping that kill so many great franchises as of late. F#)%& terms of services that take our rights as consumers to have a class action lawsuit against companies who go back on their word. F#)%& DRM. F#)%& disk lock content. F#)%& the terrible gaming journalism that looking out less and less for the people that read their crud. F#)%& paid trolls for companies. F#)%& the words entitled, alarmists, outdated and other labels companies to label consumers who have legit complaints. F#)%& developers for making games over accommodating casual players instead of trying to attain a balance between them and the hardcore. F#)%& buggy as hell titles from companies being overly dependent on patches instead of investing in a good quality testing team. Finally F#)%&, gamers once again for allowing this generation to fall the way it has.....

I grew up a gamer, my Playstation 3 is black but my controller is blue. Get this gen out my F#)%&ing sight and if I see any of these problems next generation, I'll slap the s*(^t out of you......

[FailboatSkipper]

Sir, I have no idea what you're trying to tell me, but I love your zeal.

[ApolloAdams]

Greatest comment of all time!!!

[Hicken]

The Boondocks strikes again. +Bubbles for adapting my favorite scene to gaming so well.

[MiamiACR21]

The PS3 still has 4 generations left! I mean, look what they're doing with Uncharted! 30fps and jaggies. Get real article writer, you don't know anything man! ANYTHING!

[C0MPUT3R]

GTAV, The Last of Us, Versus XIII, God of War: Ascension, Beyond: Two Souls, Bioshock Infinite, Ni No Kuni, The Last Guardian.
.
Too many good games coming in 2013 to say this gen is over.

[miamicanesruleall]

This is what I know... if gaming companies want my dollars next gen, the new consoles better have INCREDIBLE graphics, and gameplay needs to be more in depth. I have an xbox 360 and ps3, and though the ps3 has 50 gb capacity on blu ray, single player games are still typically 8-10 hours. How about giving me more content with greater capacity, not just marginally better graphics? I want the next gen to give me things I didn't even know I wanted, not just incremental improvements to things the ps3 and 360 are already capable of. Until that is technically possible, the next gen can wait.