You know what great about games back then? Nobody was trying to milk remasters. We all got original Games immediately for the new consoles. None of this cross-gen crap, no remasters, when you got a new console you played new games. Miss those days.
If we're being fair launch lineups for most consoles were pretty terrible. Most had one, maybe two good games at the start. I think the amount of great games for consoles has definitely receded though in comparison to past generations. If you look at the bar for what a "great" game is versus what used to be considered great (Ratchet: Rift Apart vs. any of the original 3 Ratchets, for example), the bar has been lowered to a staggering degree.
Genesis collections on… Sega Genesis? Was there one for Saturn or Dreamcast? Also, like how many of those were on the consoles back then? Also, we’re they compilations or sold separately?
The problem with GAMES in 2021 is that the vast majority of companies have shifted what used to be the majority of their beta-dev phase from before launch to after launch to the tune of huge profits and reduced development time. The first year after a game's release is now the beta, early-adopters that are ignorant enough to pay full price for unfinished games are the beta testers, and these companies laugh all the way to the bank.
To top it off, game "journalists" triple dip with articles before release about how hyped they are, around release about how terrible the games are (or controversy-stoking articles about why everyone's wrong and the game is actually good), and then a year after release when everything's fixed they'll wax poetic about how the game is suddenly great and everyone that missed it should now play it. The whole system sucks out loud.
See, I think it has to do with publishers not willing to take a gamble on new games due to them not selling. I think we see Remasters because it’s cheap and consumers seem to buy them.
Oh it's definitely both, but look no further than Rockstar rushing out the GTA remasters and then saying "soooorry" on a bearskin rug to confirm what I alluded to.
You know what great about games back then? Nobody was trying to milk remasters. We all got original Games immediately for the new consoles. None of this cross-gen crap, no remasters, when you got a new console you played new games. Miss those days.
The problem with GAMES in 2021 is that the vast majority of companies have shifted what used to be the majority of their beta-dev phase from before launch to after launch to the tune of huge profits and reduced development time. The first year after a game's release is now the beta, early-adopters that are ignorant enough to pay full price for unfinished games are the beta testers, and these companies laugh all the way to the bank.
To top it off, game "journalists" triple dip with articles before release about how hyped they are, around release about how terrible the games are (or controversy-stoking articles about why everyone's wrong and the game is actually good), and then a year after release when everything's fixed they'll wax poetic about how the game is suddenly great and everyone that missed it should now play it. The whole system sucks out loud.