Are Games Getting Worse? Or Are We Asking Too Much?

With the recent string of AAA games releasing to mediocre, or trashed review scores. Are games just getting worse, or are gamers expecting too much?

[chrisx]

you obviously don't own a PlayStation.

[annoyedgamer]

Siny isn't the only AAA publisher in existence. Shocking, I know.

[Bane35]

Siny ?

[sampsonon]

yes, but they are the best... shocking, i know.

[Flewid638]

Just because PS games are usually great doesnt mean games in general arent getting worse. lol.

One has nothing to do with the other.

[Kumakai]

what about if we care about more than just sony... not all of us only crave single player stories.

[sampsonon]

what kind of games do you like?

[Tross]

Indeed, PS exclusives tend to be great. Of course, even if you don't own one, you still have the option to play games like RDR2 and REmake 2 rather than GaaS garbage. A better question is, are some companies getting worse? The answer is yes.

[ShockUltraslash]

Devil May Cry 5.

[Unspoken]

RE 2 remake.

[InKnight7s]

Monster Hunter: World

[Helios86]

Indeed MHW, Re2 Remake and DMC5. Capcom is on fire, and what an improvement from last gen.

MHW is a perfect example, just great from start to finish and lots of great free content.

[DerekTweed]

I got bored of Monster Hunter: World after 2 or 3 hours.

[Einhander1971]

Obviously online multiplayer games are getting worse. All the hype, Shite reviews. More Linear single player experiences equals more fun more replay ability, great reviews oh look it’s DMC 5 :)

[Fist4achin]

Well, games that are hurried in development, released with bugs, pumped out by a large corporation telling gamers what they should like, and then tacking on microtransactions?! I would say that makes for game that goes against gamers' interests. I tend to avoid those unless there is something that has really piqued my interest.

There are tons of great games still being released and i will throw Capcom here a bone with the recent releases of Resident Evil 2 as an example of a AAA game being released truly giving gamers what they want and in turn they will see a lot of profit instead of trying to remaster something for a cash grab. I also commend them on Monster Hunter as well for a game that has a large MP community and again giving the fans what they want.

[chiefJohn117]

A remake like RE2 don't count, all the tools they need are already there.

[Omnisonne]

Yeah, I don't consider not expecting to get ripped off by MTs or otherwise to be ''asking too much''.
In my eyes it's just big publishers testing the waters to see what they can get away with, sadly for them gamers can be quite passionate.

[agent4532]

Agreed, console gamers caved to pay to play online. PC gamers caved to pay $15.-$30.00 for alpha games (games still in production) to test, promote, etc. say game for freeee. 80-90 percent of the time the game ends up canceled or in early access in perpetuity. There is no phone support and pretty much the gamer is relying if the game developer communicates via forum or social media. There needs to be phone support asap. Gamers in general caved to microtransactions, dlc, and other nasty business practices due to it was their favorite game series. I wish gamers would of kept up with their boycott against digital only fiasco but no they decided to cave utterly lame

[sprinterboy]

Agreed, mp and gaaS are the only type of games doing shit, price the gaaS games accordingly like f2p or $20 with some cosmetic stuff to purchase simples.
The gamer has spoken with this gaaS $60 BS with most of the proper game coming 1yr later.

[agent4532]

What's Gaas

[gangsta_red]

"More Linear single player experiences equals more fun more replay ability, great reviews "

There's also been a ton of over hyped shitty, linear, single player experiences. Not sure how you think it's MP games that are only getting worse.

[AspiringProGenji]

Gass has been for the most part a trainwreck and the community pushback as of late on most of them proves it. Meanwhile most SP games have been well reveived.

[gangsta_red]

@Genji
I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. There has been a couple of high profile GaaS games that have been criticised, but there has also been just as many SP games that have bombed or have gotten bad reviews from critics also.

[DerekTweed]

@AspiringProGenji

There are way, way more people playing GaaS multiplayer games than single player games. F2P games like Fortnite and Apex Legends are GaaS games.

The tope 3 most played games on console are Apex Legends, Fortnite and Anthem.

[AK91]

Depends on which publisher said game came from.

[Benoski]

Publishers (mainly Westerns) are becoming greedy and imcompetent. Anthem is chasing a trend that's not suited for a dev like Bioware, Crackdown 3 is a seriously oudated title that should've released a few years ago, while Far Cry: New Dawn was a re-skin of Far Cry 5 while not bringing anything new to the series. The only Western title in February that has seemed to emerge mostly unscatched from the criticism is Metro: Exodus.

Japanese publishers (mostly!), on the other hand, seem more focused on delivering quality titles over finding ways to monetize. Resident Evil 2 Remake brought a timeless classic back to life, modernising it while still respecting the original, while Kingdom Hearts 3 delivered a mostly satisfying conclusion after 13 years following the release of KH2. Jump Force was purely a victim of incompetence, but still has it's following.

However, in the end, it's the publishers that have the power to shape where this industry is heading and unfortunately it seems like they've made their choice, with the West preferring money while the Japanese prefer quality.

[GhostofHorizon]

So I don't think it has much to do with East and West, it really comes down to the developers. In your example you mentioned Kingdom Hearts 3 but Square Enix's record is actually quite abysmal right now. Left Alive and The Quiet Man were just terrible. Tomb Raider and Just Cause 4 didn't do all too well either.

Let's look at development teams though. Teams like Insomniac, Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Sony Santa Monica, CyberConnnect2, Arcsys, Yakuza team, Supergiant Games etc. It's actually funny when you look at a company like Platinum Games where you can tell which team has worked on something just due to the quality of the game.

It's impossible to pin-point the problem to one single things because once we look closer at each game, they really suffer from different issues and it comes down to the studio to studio problems rather than one over arching problem that seems to plague the industry.

[agent4532]

I agree except for Metro Exodus where the publisher not the developer thought it was in their best interest to make Metro Exodus exclusive to the Epic Store where those that pre-order the game on Steam are stuck with a game that cannot be updated nor receive DLC content....

[Helios86]

Thing is quality = money. Western publishers have a hard time understanding that for some reason, they are either stupid or incompetent.
It's all flash and no substance just look at the frostbite engine and imagine all the issues devs have had with it. I don't care one bit if the game looks good if it plays like shit.

[Sirk7x]

The problem is that most studies have shown that people value graphics more than anything else in video games. These huge games have been prioritizing graphics because it will sell more. There needs to be a balance of great art direction and gameplay.

[MasterCornholio]

Just looking at what’s getting the bad reviews I would argue that it’s GaaS games that have been reviewing badly recently. Sony is doing pretty good with their single player games and Capcom has been doing great with Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. Games like Anthem and a Crackdown 3 are the ones that have been doing poorly. Apex Legends is actually doing quite well.

[gangsta_red]

I disagree, there have been just as many non GaaS games as of late getting bad reviews or flying under the radar due to them just being mediocre.

There have been many GaaS games that are successful and doing well, along with some SP games.

I think a lot of comments here are trying to separate genres by cherry picking games and then saying one is doing worse than another.

Also I wouldn't call Crackdown GaaS.

[MasterCornholio]

I guess it’s better to look at who is publishing the games than to focus on whether it’s a single player game or a GaaS title.

[knickstr]

Publishers are getting more and more greedy and giving developers stricter and shorter deadlines to produce games. The problem in my opinion is that there are too many publishers who are executives or high up that have probably never even played a video game trying to figure out how to maximize profits. They have no passion for gaming and that's the problem. Take a look at all the developers that are successful and you'll find a publisher that just let them create their games and didnt interfere.

[chiefJohn117]

Games are becoming more ambitious and harder/longer to make which in return you get rushed development and devs taking short cuts. It's really devs taking bigger bites than they can chew and when it doesn't turn out like we thought.....

[rainslacker]

Games are actually easier to make now than they have been since 3D became a thing. This is mostly due to numerous quality game engines and plentiful 3rd party tools available to do almost anything a dev can imagine. It's rare nowadays where a dev has to make a specific tool to suit their needs, although some still do. Heck, a small team can have the tools at their disposal to make advanced games from their home if they really wanted to. That's not something we had much of last gen.

However, you are right that some devs are taking bigger bites than they can chew. But it's also some that some publishers are setting unrealistic expectations on what they want from the game, or not giving the devs the resources or time they need to realize their vision.

[gangsta_red]

Agreed, especially in regards to triple A games and third day costs. Which is why we always see games being pushed back, cancelled, releasing half finish or even worse mass layoffs or that developer shutting down.

Tools, engines and the likes definitely help where engineers don't have to necessarily code things from scratch but with that still comes the high cost of talent and time. The extreme costs associated with these games and the need for those games to have to not only match that cost but exceed it in order for it be considered a success is what imo is thid industry's number one problem.

[P_Bomb]

Depends where you’re looking, who you’re asking. Certain forums are doom and gloom all day. They hate everything. That’s the internet for ya. But scroll past the easy marks and you can find another article about what a smash success Super Smash Bros has been. Then two more about the Days Gone/Capcom comebacks. One puddle does not a game break. There are good games out there. You just have to keep swinging. 4 hits out of 10 in baseball, you’d be an Allstar.

[rainslacker]

Sony used to say that 9 out of 10 of their games didn't make money. It's the ones that do that sustain the industry, but you don't find those hit games if you don't take risks. Last gen, Gears or Uncharted could have failed miserably. Halo may not have taken off. Horizon:Zero Dawn could have flopped. Gran Turismo could have gone nowhere. So on and so forth.

But, the companies took the risk, and in doing so, created valuable franchises which sustained them, and raised the value of their companies and brand.

[agent4532]

That's the problem right there more and more game developers are taking less risks

[Sirk7x]

Sony has the luxury of making games that might not necessarily make a profit, but will in turn draw people to their hardware.

[jaymacx]

Only some Games are getting worse.
EA, Activision, Square Enix, Bethesda, and Microsoft are the main culprits of the fallen AAA quality. Capcom was on this list but have redeemed themselves with 4 great games in a row. Gaas, Micro-transactions, always online multiplayer and less focus on single player experience.
Anthem could of been a great game if it was single player.

[Stanjara]

Online looter shooter gaas games are getting terrible. Unfinished money grabbing broken crap.

[Vanfernal]

They release unfinished games with the promise of content down the road and charge full price. That's on THEM not on us. Gamers are just not buying into blind hype anymore and are actually holding developers accountable.

[SovereignSnaKe]

It depends on who you're talking too. I have friends with somewhat limited video game knowledge who pick up whatever new "Live Service" game which are consistently thrown in their face i.e. Anthem, Fortnight, Apex Legends, all that fast food crap the Corps. desperately pedal to make their money back. They assume with the ridiculous marketing budgets it must be the next big thing and couple that with a crippling case of FOMO... I have zero interest in any of those baseless multiplayer "Live Service" games. It's just hours of mindless repetition and effectively a dick wagging contest.

[agent4532]

Again with the review scores who cares about review scores. In my personal opinion gaming has gotten worse. Gamers pay to test, promote, and play an alpha game. Once the game goes from alpha to gold, gamer that tested the game does not receive any profit from game sold. Gamers get a game for $60, another $10-$50 DLC Pass, 0.50 cents to $5.00 for microtransactions and 90 percent of the time the game ia half ass during launch (glitchy, broken, buggy, etc.) The question is how do we solve this dilemma.

[LandoCalrissiano]

I'd say yes mostly for online only games. Can't be a dev apologist and say how hard and expensive games are to make and then bash it when it has bugs. You try running your business with no income on a project for years then say give it more time.

[sampsonon]

if you don't own a ps4 they are.

[Flewid638]

Both.

[motorsport71]

MP/GaaS games are getting worse. Stop hyping up and buying these $60 F2P games

[SegaGamer]

Some games are bad, some games are good, it's been this way for as long as video games have been around.

[DillyDilly]

Is asking for good Single Player Games asking for 2 much ? I don't think so

[FunPhl40]

I think its pretty ridiculous to ask are gamers asking too much when these devs are making it very clear that 60 dollars is not enough apparently

[Kumakai]

i think the expectations of gamers are entirely too high. i think part of those expectations are due at least in part to complete ignorance of the process, cost and difficulties of making a game. i think people love to bitch about about insignificant things just as much as significant things which dilutes any real nuance to any potential debate. i think the most recent generations of gamers feel completely too entitled. i think games are breaking and getting delayed and launching unfinished because the expectations are so high that studios throw everything at getting a title out as fast possible. money can hire people but the faster and more complex you go, the more things break. These expectations gamers place cause studios to try and make every new title bigger and better and more of everything which makes them lose focus on whats actually important... all while trying to make revenue on a razor thin margin.

In my real world, my video game industry friends are constantly stressed about job security, working 70-80 hour weeks without seeing their families only to be cut loose because there just isn't money to support everyone in between productions. Reading reviews and comments on some of their work has brought them to tears, made them angry or sad. Gamers are dicks.

[FanboysKiller]

When games fails by their own standards and not compares to other games, it really left us speechless.

[Zjet]

Game quality as well as control responsiveness has only gotten better.

Consumers are expecting more and more.

Personally I hate seeing when a smaller title or a A/AA title gets treated with distain and disrespect these days.

Home front the Revolution comes to mind, an awesome game which received numerous patches post launch but will forever be marked a bad game due to initial release reviews.

[Npugz7]

ITs a lot of lazy rehashed development going to games these days with the odd one being good like Zelda or god of war etc. There a lot of games taking steps back instead of forward not utilizing the hardware and taking shortcuts.

[zugdar]

Both.

If AAA games continue to treat players like a product to hook and real in rather than entertain they will always be subpar to those who focus on gameplay and the experience.

But gamers can be pretty fussy too. If all the boxes aren't checked then people pull out the torches like in CoD BO4 with the campaign being pulled. Puddlegate anyone?

[QuePasa87]

Why is RE2 even in that image?

[Lennoxb63]

Has nothing to do with whether its SP or MP like a lot of you are saying. Money grubbing tactics doesn't make a game bad. It makes the devs greedy. Star Wars Battlefront 2 got flack for that. But the gameplay and graphics are solid. People need to know how to seperate the two. You have SP games that are crap as well. But sites like to push those deep down like they don't exist and focus on bashing MP more.

[SprigganN4G]

Top 2019 games so far for GOTY:

RE2 Remake (9.5/10)
DMC 5 (9/10)
Kingdom Hearts III (9/10)
Metro Exodus (8.5/10)
Ace Combat 7 (8/10)

Add Sekiro on the 22

We're fine.

[william_cade]

Games are great (in general) this gen, but they are also chopped to bits and resold to us.