N4G Contest - Day 5: That Missing Thing

For information on the "20 Days of..." contest, please see https://n4g.com/user/blogpo...

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Congratulations to SheenuTheLegend, our fourth day winner!

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On the fifth day, the question we have for you is "What is something in video games you thought would exist or be standard but isn't in this generation of the industry?"

Probably one of my biggest gripes in third-person games is how any object can immediately hide you or any wall can suddenly result in easily losing enemies as the camera gets too close to you and thereby shrinks your area of view. So, I'm surprised that developer techniques to have the camera ignore obstacles and "see through" things isn't more prevalent. It would just seem logical that even the people who make games would want to have less time fighting a camera rather than the enemies they design for the gamer.

I don't know if it's a limitation of engines, the continued advancement of graphics, physics, and the like, or if it's just not that important to anyone but me. I can't explain how to do it, it's out of my wheelhouse as far as programming goes, but I think any third-person game, let alone an open world one, would greatly benefit from an engine that doesn't lose characters behind objects or cause hallway fight scenarios to turn into situations where you're fighting the camera or just trying to guess what is happening overall.

[capjacksparrow]

Great storytelling in an open world.

God of War did a phenomenal job with storytelling in an explorable, albeit not open, hub world. Were this game an open world, it would have been the only game to counter pacing issues in an open world narrative.

That's not to say there aren't great open world games with great stories. Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, and RDR2 come to mind, but with the plethora of side quests and collectibles, these game's stories feel shelved for hours at a time. God of War did something awesome; they had great dialogue to fill the gaps in empty space. Even at the end of side quests, I felt as though father and son were growing closer, which was one of the main pillars of the game narrative.

[Fullmetalevolust]

You know what was actually great this time around with God of War, aside from the game being impeccable, the save state. You can save any time anywhere and not redo a big portion of the game.
That should be a standard for all games. You can save at anytime, anywhere. We are all busy and perhaps we cannot game more than half n hour to an hour.
I'd want JRPG's to follow suit and allow us to save anytime. More games are implementing this and it's making time management and picking up games where we left off easier.

[capjacksparrow]

Good point. Along with no loading screens (beside upon death and booting up the game). Such an incredible game, artistically and technically.

[Glphy77]

I thought more opened ended choices would be found in more games. Not necessarily every game being open world but less a to b, b to c and so forth. I immediately think of a breath of the wild and how you could do anything in any order and then go fight the final boss. So ultimately it is kind of nice to never have to follow the same path through every play through. Even just being able to play as different characters and having different interactions can make peoples play through’s different.

[FloydianAndroid]

Locked 60 FPS on all games

[neutralgamer1992]

Choice that actually matter. Way too many games give you the impression of choice but regardless of choice story moves forward

I really hope next Gen more games actually give us the option to make impactful changes in story. Playing RDR on ps3 I was playing through John's story when at multiple times game should have presented the player with the option to choose a path

Developers keep pushing graphics because that's eye candy yet stuff like story and enemy AI for example are secondary

With more power I still think developers will push graphics. Gameplay is king and gameplay needs to innovate. David Jaffe in my opinion is right when he says that in 4-5 years gamers will start to get burn out because almost all AAA games will play and feel the same. AAA developers rarely leave their comfort zones

[bluefox755]

60fps. I know this is up to developer discretion, but it seems most devs these days opt for 30fps and prettier visuals than the smoother 60fps. I used to be in the "30fps is just fine for slow games" camp, but there's no denying that it improves the experience more than a minor visual bump.

[UNCHARTED2FANATIC]

I thought there would be more games with both a focused story and mp after playing uc2 but there rarely are. Very rare, You look at the industry and see games focus either on mp or so or only have 1 and do away with story like titanfall and the latest call of duty blops4

[oasdada]

i have yet to play red dead 2 but the thing that a yearned for the longest time was dynamic story telling in open world games and a degree of realism.. i remember when GTA4 was coming out last gen and i thought we'd finally see a world that would feel real both in term of the world it self and gameplay as well.. things like having to store weapons and ammunition in vehicle trunks and able to visit an area where the next mission would take place and be able to rig it with traps for the encounter to come. alas none of that was the case, then GTA5 was announced and i began to dream again how ever 1 upping that dream because by this time maxpayne and La noire would be out and i had higher expectations of reality and diversification something like being able to have jobs something in the line of riding a taxi and ambulance in previous GTA's but this time more elaborate like being able to work as an exterminator, an detective (ala LA noire), a nurse etc... but none of that above made it to those games YET!

I have been awfully spoiler free from red dead but what im getting a hint of from what little ive heard is that maybe Some of the things i have noted above may pe present in Red dead 2 but im sure not all of it made it to the game.. i know too much realism just doesnt work in games but a game like GTA or some other open world game in the future can pull it off as these games are being played for years and years, just look at GTA.. Lets hope the next GTA may implement most of those things and i cud finally play as a detective :D

[Segata]

I remember thinking how real Shenmue felt when you had to get a job to pay for your spending habits in the game and tied into the story. You actually had to stack the boxes,you got a quota and it was a different warehouse each day. It felt rather unique.

[oasdada]

sounds interesting.. i remember seeing trailers of shenmue and day dream of having a dream cast! will definitely give the remaster a try.. im just too busy these days and have a massive back log of games

[Smokey55511799]

Wishing there was more of a presence in video games. Yes there is vr but for those of us that can't use vr for physical reasons. Immersion is big for me and love getting lost in a game for hours becoming the character im playing. Good 7.1 surround and a large clear screen help. But hoped technology was advanced enough to go beyond wearing a teathered vr headset, and more like how gamer depicts a person being immersed into a video game. Im not saying go as far as that movie takes it. But its a step in the right direction for the tech behind video games.

[SNACK_SHARK_TROLL]

Honestly what seems to be kind of nonexistent, is a fleshed out open world game, with drop in and out Co-op campaign. Like where the players can share progress, and game dynamically adapt accordingly to how many player control characters there are (Example: Borderlands). It's like when developers make a open world game that has Co-op they have to make it the game as a service, and/or it's strip down/bare bones, and/or repetitive/grindy, and/or always online(where you can't play alone, or have to have internet connection to even play) and/or you don't share progression.

Example, some people who asked for a Co-op fallout, they wanted a traditional fallout game with the ability to play with at least one other friend, that they can explore and share mission/quest progress. They wasn't asking for a game as a service fallout. Like Far cry 5 was close, but you couldn't share progress. I just wish more developers who are going to add campaign Co-op to a game would do it right.

[Garethvk]

I think for me it would be Cross Platform Play. The technology is there and has been there for years. The biggest obstacle is corporate politics and greed. I think of games like Fallout 76 and Red Dead Online and how great it would be if all gamers could play with one another regardless of platform.

[King_Noctis]

Easy. Deep and complex AI. Currently, in most games the NPCs are brain dead and even in the best one such as RDR2, they are still not believable and often do the most jarring and unrealistic things.

I wish next gen the AI will improve more over the current gen.

[septemberindecember]

This is something that isn't necessarily new at all, but something I feel is missing from most current games. Couch co-op.

When I grew up playing games there were always fun games to play with a friend while over. Now it seems like Nintendo is the only one holding that trend. Sure, I've grown up and I guess kids aren't reliant on going over to play a game, but there was something special about having a sleep over as a kid and kicking your friends butt at a game you all liked to play. I just wished that more kids had that luxury in this day and age.

[The 10th Rider]

I really miss couch co-op as well. Thankfully there's some great indie games that carry the trend. Overcooked, Death Squared, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, etc . . .

[Hardiman]

Better. AI and more fleshed out narratives in open aorld games. There are some who manage to tell a cohesive story in open world games. Wild Hunt and HZD spring to mind but for the most part after going off on side content and spending hours upon hours in a game I couldn't tell you the point of some of the stories. Also more interactive and destructible environments. I'm hopeful next gen we'll get consoles with more CPU's for that very thing.

[TheGoodestBoi]

No or very short loading times. Whilst same games have managed to achieve this there are still games where even opening a door into a building causes loading, here's looking at you Bethesda

[DarkOcelet]

Better AI. Artificial intelligence doesn't seem to be evolving at all in games nowadays and actually getting stupider every generation.

[Chris092]

Having a great SP and MP in one game.

It feels like when some studios make a MP focused game and then add SP it just feels like a tutorial to prepare one for MP. And other games focused on SP that adds MP feels often like a bare boned Cash grab MP

[xHeavYx]

More multiple choice storylines. Kind of like InFamous but more meaningful choices

[robtion]

Interactivity between characters and environments. Clothing and armour taking damage, characters getting scratched or showing damage more, enemies showing more realistic damage, and being able to interact with environments rather than just moving th rough them.

[phoenixwing]

I was expecting more games to have the rival system in shadow of mordor and shadow of war. The only game to have copied it sorta was assassins creed odyssey.

[cl1983]

Kind of doubling down on yesterday's answer I don't understand why you can't just change button imputes on controllers as you can on pcs.

[DefenderOfDoom2]

Lights that can break when hit by a exploding rocket.

[Lore]

Creating immersion and care for the character I’m playing. This isn’t just done through great storytelling. It involves the formula that CD Project Red has in their dna. I haven’t played many games like this and I’d like more. I don’t understand why more developers don’t do this especially 1st party studios. Gamers are evolving, and the straightforward way of playing games don’t grip me as much. Sure I will get plenty of disagrees since most people here love to point out that there is nothing wrong with the way games are. No one should be arguing that the formula in which CD showcased for their vision shouldn’t be implemented into all future games in some way.

[oasdada]

umm im guessing u havent played ps exclusives yet.. thats the only reason im still a gamer.. 90% of the games ive played and loved and even platinumed are ps exclusives theyre just that good! and if ur into character immersion then do give The order a try! its the most under rated game this gen IMHO

[Lore]

I only play on playstation with the exception of xbox one using the game pass trial that came with the console last year. I personally need to feel that in a game I’m challenged with aspects I would have to overcome if I were truly in that situation. The upcoming Resident Evil 2 looks like it will be able to achieve this in my opinion, as well as RDR2 also was able to do

[Arty84]

Network/connection/lag improvements something like RDR2 with their history, size and budget shouldnt have online errors

[ISHU]

I'm personally very sad that we haven't been able to achieve better AI in games. They don't really push you that much and become very predictible when you play a game for a while. That's what i liked about phantom pain, the AI was so good and fun that i actually used to see what they'll do next. I haven't really been surprised by AI in games after that. They all start to feel lifeless after a while.

[Tross]

Local couch multiplayer. Some games have started doing this again but it's treated like some kind of special feature rather than something that should be standard. Seriously, WTF?

[ninsigma]

1080p 60fps as a standard.

[UltraNova]

Its games that always had both SP and MP now suddenly been cut down in favor of MP (while still charging full price and MTs to boot). The issue here is that its mega corps (Activision) who started this. The very same companies who can actually afford to keep both parts in all of their games like they did, always.

I don't know where this will lead us but personally, I dont like my COD without its campaign...this is my personal opinion.

[Zeke68]

For this generation I thought we (entire western world at least) would have much faster internet connections with much less input lag, but I was wrong. Seems that might never happen with some countries putting caps on broadband and so on. And "funny" enough many gamecompanies seem to strive for more and more MP -games while the internet-infrastructure ain't ready for it yet overall.

[monkey602]

Physics altering seems to have taken a huge back step. Last gen we had Star Wars Force Unleashed open a world of possibilities when it came to rag doll physics as well as force lifting objects, the PS2 before that had Psi-ops and Second Sight as examples of the physics puzzling and interaction with objects you could move. Half Life's gravity gun, Portal. Games were going in different directions with the think outside the box games. Then all of a sudden everything became gritty and serious. Which leads to another thing missing in most new games... Colour.

[Segata]

BOTW is all about those physics. They are so well developed you have so many options.

[monkey602]

I'm playing Breath of the Wild now actually and I like some of the small touches like rolling rocks or cutting down trees to make a bridge. Funny enough one of my favourite little things is when you choose food to hold for cooking or such you see Link carry around the ingredients. I don't think as a whole though that's a great example of what I mean by physics based gameplay

[Segata]

Wait til you discover things you can do in the game. The physics are as limited as your imagination. Use the magnets to push a sword on a boat to make it a motorboat. use the fire updraft to soar over an enemy or to get the upper hand. Time freeze a rock then smack it, hop on and enjoy the ride. Use all your metal items to create conduct for an electric puzzle without using the items they give you. Hungry? Shoot an electric arrow into a pond. Create an ice pillar below a guardian standing in water to get the goods. There is so much you can do on your own imagination using the physics and options. Then so many of the shrines are physics puzzles.

[monkey602]

Maybe so then. I haven't seen ANY of that yet. I'm not far into the game though

[Segata]

Also little tricks like carrying a torch will keep you warm if it's cold and a ice sword keeps you cool if it's hot. Shooting animals with a burning arrow cooks them. Sheild surfing is key to get down a big mountain in a hurry.

[THC CELL]

Easy to make user created full games

The thing that missing is user created games. Dreams is hoping to bring that and I think that they will achieve it or be very close

I mean you look at all the comments apart from the 60 fps warriors and you see that people want certain games that got canned or even have own ideas.

So we need the game dreams to try unlock them ideas but not just mm should do this
Bigger company's should now make it very easy to. Make games and let us sell em if they are a hit.

[Jorjk]

Couch co op! I expected it will be more common. Instead its being ignored more and more

[salmonade]

Draw Distance in games that really blows my mind. Still haven't seen it.

[stefd75]

I really thought that we would have photo realistic graphics by now, some games are quite close but still so far away. I want to look into realistic eyes when i shoot someone in the face....in games that is ....in real life I would shoot them in the back of the head :P

[Necron]

Split-Screen multiplayer

[aleccherkov]

I would have to say for me would be false advertising in the graphics when they show them at E3 for example then a couple of months later the product releases and its nothing like we was introduced too at the event take example The Division for me it was authentic and unique however we never got the game that was first shown in E3 2015, another issue i have with certain games is how the AI become bullet sponges and they are sometimes glitched threw walls etc.

Another thing i do love is how open world games have changed over the years but in some games the collectables take so long to collect and obtain i remember maybe still the case there is one collectable in The Division and its unobtainable because it's glitched you would think in the engine they use they could find a possible solution to these issues but the patches they issue are now so big in size it takes the fun out of it downloading such patches and content nowadays it can take up to a day or longer depending on the persons internet download speed's.

Hopefully the newer version of the engines that do become used are don't have limitations or issues when it comes down to making a really decent game but looking how engines that are used have come such a long way only time will tell for the next generation of consoles and PC's alike hopefully no more limitations on anything for in game content and the actual game graphics and not having it locked at a certain FPS.

[luckytrouble]

Games having all content at launch would be mighty fine. What was once standard has fallen by the wayside this generation. Concerns of cut content are real, and huge day one patches speak to a game going gold simply meaning its time to put the beta on a disc and then get back to developing. Cost of games is steadily becoming $60 for the game, plus an additional $20 - $60 for an advanced pass for DLC that you won’t even know if it’s worth buying or not. Then it always raises the question of “was this DLC originally planned for the game but cut for extra profit later?”

Distrust has been sewn throughout the industry, and the current model appears to have trended towards normalcy. Maybe one day we’ll return to DLC truly being a treat without content passes feeling mandatory to get a complete game.

I know this is a slightly different take on the question, but boy do I miss my games simply being playable at launch with no asterisks attached. I could give up every other missing modern standardized feature in exchange for the feature of finished games.

[Yi-Long]

The voices in the original language.

It's 2018, all media is digital nowadays, so it's easier than ever to give people multiple choices in order for them to enjoy their entertainment in the way they prefer.

Sadly, too often, that's still not the case, although it has gotten a lot better.

First of all, let me explain where I'm coming from. Literally, and figuratively. Literally, I'm from Holland, and while in recent years children's programming has been dubbed into Dutch (disgusting development btw), 20-40 years ago, that was very rarely the case, so most of my generation grew up watching cartoons and TV shows in their original language. So we are very much used to just getting the original language, and reading subs. That's what we've grown accustomed to, and in most cases for adults, it's what we strongly prefer. I remember as a child I simply wouldn't even watch any dubbed stuff whenever it was offered. Even back then, I wanted to enjoy my cartoons in English, because I believed that to be the original language (in some cases they were, in other cases they were actually Japanese, but we were simply unaware of that fact back then...)

I am also someone who has always been into Asian cinema, and especially action cinema from that region used to be only released dubbed in the West (as well as heavily butchered). And it's been something I have fought against all my life.

Obviously, in the old days, publishers released their movies on VHS, so they had to make choices, and often they would opt for English dubs cause they felt a large portion of their intended audience would prefer dubs over subs. Their intended audience often being American or English.

However, when digital came along, they now had the option to include both languages. And luckily, many did.

Gaming has sadly been very slow to make that same transition. Too often, games are still being released with the original language missing.

There has been some great progress though, with most notably Final Fantasy and Persona now offer dual-audio, after years of begging from a large portion of their fans. Even Zelda Breath of the Wild now has an option for Japanese voice-acting.

However, a big game like Metal Gear Solid 5 didn't (although you can import the Japanese version, which has Japanese language and English subs), and it seems very likely that the new Kingdom Hearts (3) won't.

Like I said, it's 2018, and this shouldn't even be an issue any more. Either release a game dual-audio, or at the very least, throw some English subs on the Japanese release so those who care about this sort of thing will have the option of importing it.

[GameBoyColor]

1080p 60fps

[Segata]

Earthbound had a great mechanic for Turn based RPGs. If you bump into a weak enemy, the battle doesn't commence. Instead, you automatically win and get the EXP and keep walking. That was 1995 and here we are on the verge of 2019 and pretty much no turn-based RPG does this. This should be the standard.

[PoopsMcGee]

A leap in AI over last gen. I haven't noticed much, if any, difference at all this gen...

[pabadamus1]

Greater exploration of adult, sexual themes in mature, mainstream games. It is funny that we have fetishized physical and gun violence but we are apprehensive and reluctant to fully portray real, human sexual interactions in mainstream games. Movies and mature rated television shows do it all the time and do not find their success negatively impacted (ie. Game of Thrones). It seems as if the industry is actually moving in the opposite direction with Sony imposing greater censorship and restrictions on lewd subject matter appearing on their platform.

[iamsorakh]

Decision based games being as true to life and impactful with every decision made.

Detroit: Become Human had some incredible choices to be made, however there could have been more story changing elements, like walking in front of a crowd of people protesting androids did not spark more rage, they were primarily placed as scenary. I would have expected them to start heckling me or at least some indivuality in more than just the androids.

[Palitera]

Bad performance. I’m infinitely happy with the 30 FPS games generally keep this gen.
Last gen was terrible at this.

[Elwenil]

Completely destructible environments in shooters. After Bad Company 2, I thought it would be a standard thing to have building collapsing in games and that maps would be more dynamic. I thought that a player's actions could change the map and therefore, the game to a certain extent. But it seems all that was left to the wayside in favor of scripted events that happen the same way each time you play the map. The Just Cause series has proved it can work even in an open world map, though with some obvious limitations on variety, but still there are consequences and reactions to the player's actions. I had thought this would be a standard thing, especially in shooters like Battlefield, and they have brought some of it back, but not the total and complete destruction that many of us wanted this gen.

[Geobros]

More cartridges slots or more SD card slots. Ok, I know I am lazy but there are sometimes that I am playing 2+ games in same period. So it is really hard to change always cartridges. I would prefer my Switch to have 2 or more Cartridges slots and choose which game to play.

[Razzer]

Free online. Playing on PC for so long I never thought I would pay to play with other players. Obviously still don't on PC. Just sucks that you have to on console.

[EraGamer]

- "Seamless NPC/AI companion pathing, blending and transitioning animation"

This has seen improvements this gen but is still not there yet. In most titles, the main character is fitted with all the right animations and subtle details that helps them traverse the terrain in a much believable way that adds a real weight to their movement in the world. However, AI companions see very erratic movements at times, sometimes seemingly going from 0 to 60 in under a second. It can be jarring to see as alot of games today adopt a Seamless Cutscene to gameplay style of play. After seeing a tightly choreographed scene which then merged in to gameplay and seeing the same npc with not so stellar movements as the main, it sort of breaks the immersion.

[Daeloki]

This is a pretty minor thing, but Mirrors! Why can't I see my character's reflection in various games??? Okay, okay, I know it's something that's really difficult to make work. I don't know the details but apparently making reflections of a playable character is near impossible, mostly because of how light in a video game works, but that would still be a cool detail if someone made it work!

[noxeven]

The ablirty to revamp buttons exactly the way I want. It may sound crazy but when I'm playing almost any shooter even now the first thing my goes back to is halo 2 on the xbox. Maybe its the number of hours i put on that game playing the multiplayer or maybe it because button layout just felt right but every single time a new shooter comes out my mind goes for the love god is reload in the same place. Usually never is. Now I understand that with each new game they add more stuff for you to do like sprinting became a standard and that needed a button but I always face-palm when its mapped to something like the button or square. Like what. I guess that why I love pc gaming so much over all is because remapping of controls and I thought by now everything would be standardized with that. I shouldn't have to buy something extra to remap buttons I should be able to go into a menu like most fighting games and go I want X for reload, b for melee, a for jump, etc. I know that some series have adapted this but everything should have. I know there was a platformer I played at some point were the button layout was just like why. Also in fighting games double motions on a controller never seem to input correctly but that is a whole another rant.

[mkis007]

Destruction! DMM Digital Molecular Matter was supposed to be this big deal when it was revealed for Star Wars: The force Unleashed. The game only had a few trees that showed any major sign of this damage...and then they dissipated seconds later. Why hasn't this tech been used since? I know the Order 1886 was supposed to have its own version of the tech, but it was shelved. I want to play a just cause where everything can be destroyed in an infinite number of ways!

[Relientk77]

Being able to move/control the camera with buttons on the controller. I'm currently playing Shadows: Awakening (it's like Diablo) and you cannot control the camera at all, it moves for you so if there's something behind a wall or in a corner it can be hard to see.

[The 10th Rider]

Skippable cutscenes.

[Atom666]

I really thought we'd see those big annualized franchises transition to true Games as a Platform. Madden, COD, MLB, FIFA, etc. Buy in once, and get annual updates for a small fee each year.

Getting $60 each year from your core fans seems to be too lucrative to give up, I guess.

[Blackwalt]

Proper saving all the time.

[Emilio_Estevez]

Photo-realism. Naive younger self definitely thought we would be there. Older now and understand we're getting there but still have a ways to go.

[xenz]

I thought so too. I think we'll have to wait for PS5 or PS6 for total photo-realism. But I think PS5 will be extremely close anyway.

[Platformgamer]

platform games as the primary videogaming genre is what the industry lack and should have

[coolbeans]

Either minimal loading screens or subtly-incorporated ones (a la Mass Effect's elevators). I don't know...perhaps it's really just a pipe-dream but when CD Projekt Red hyped up "loading screens as a thing of the past," and I shared that quote with friends during the start of this gen. Although The Witcher 3 and ND do a good job of limiting them to acceptable ranges, that's certainly not been the case for many games this gen.

[coolbeans]

Congrats to SheenuTheLegend btw!

[annoyedgamer]

Physical Media on PC. I am stuck with console versions because PC is digital only. Very often the console versions are discounted and the PC download is full price.

[FullmetalRoyale]

What I feel is missing is some meaningful narrative in mp games. I want a deep game with stickiness. While there are games like Divinity Original Sin, you have TLoU’s mp where you gather supplies, and people that can get sick, and die. But it is all so shallow, it’s just colored dots in a circle. I just want some more substance, and these grindy games are the exact opposite of the direction I wanted games to go in.

[Fist4achin]

I would have thought that cross console multiplayer gaming would be a standard by now.

[bigmalky]

Not a usual one, but I thought that maybe we would have a streaming while downloading/installing system by now.

Sony have PS Now, and can stream the games... I thought it might be cool to allow you to play a game through Now for free if you own the title on your library, while you wait for it to install.

Say you buy Uncharted 4, start the download, and a button appears in the menu with Play While You Wait. Your save game would be compatible with your full copy when it's on your hard drive.

Genius.

[XtraTrstrL]

I thought that AI would keep advancing and be at a better place by now. It seems it's not really moved along that much in general though.

[-Foxtrot]

AAA open world RPG games allowing us to build a house anywhere we like, no restrictions

Want to build a mansion? Sure

Want to build an underground lair? Go for it

Want to build a very tall, spiral wizards tower? No sweat

[kneon]

More procedurally generated content. We have these games set in massive environments, sometimes with hundreds of buildings, yet only a tiny fraction of them can be entered. The rest are just closed empty boxes.

[The_DFO]

I wish for more games in which the ethics of choices is more subtle, something other than the obvious "trolley-problem" dilemmas of Witcher 3 or the simplistic "renegade/paragon" duality of the Mass Effect trilogy. I'd like to see more choices that matter but that don't announce themselves as mattering. Currently, DONTNOD has come closest to this, with most of the choices in Life is Strange (except the last one) being suitably subtle - and sometimes coming back to bite you in surprising ways. Speaking of bite, Vampyr also has a little of this subtlety, where the consequences of some choices might not be obvious until the very end.

[Goldby]

the sense of urgency for open world games in the later half of their campaign.

nothing grinds my gears more than having a city on fire, taken over by goons of like 4 different factions and having to save someone in immediate danger.... but before I do that, I need to catch these pigeons.

the closest I have seen to a remedy (although not the best implementation of it) was FFXV, where the 2nd half of the game was more linear, creating a bit of urgency even though the story was broken beyond belief

[darklaw]

full world traversal, no invisible walls

[slang201V]

I would say hair rendering is the one thing that most games still get wrong.Even in RDR2 ,which I think, is the most detailed game I have ever played , hair of the characters are a bit off..

[voidviper]

Smarter AI/better animation instead of just better graphics.

[ThiagoMysterio]

For me, it is real games on VR. I'm already growing tired of tech demos dressed up as full games. I understand why we do not have a lot of them and why most games follow this fun concept blown out approach, but that's really what I'm waiting on.

[death83x]

The thing I expected this generation is better AI and a smarter one. I think the industry as awhole need to work on advancing its AI. I totally understand movements patterns are a key in designing a game and for gamers to learn these patterns to overcome obstacles. But I wish if games blow our minds with a unique AI capabilities.

[Blobfish69]

60fps as standard consoles

[mattkelly1991]

For me it has to be couch co-op. Being able to sit on the couch with my friends and family was one of the best parts of previous generations, but other than a few exceptions it seems to be entirely missing from games today. I would love to see more games with local cooperative play.

[SaveFerris]

Better AI in regards to NPC behaviours and also where actions created by the player remain. I can't remember the term for it but and example would be where you destroy a building and it remains that way until it is repaired.

[TheGamez100]

Traditional jrpgs to be the standard. Still many that just cant capture those moments that used to be had back in the snes-ps2 days.

[Cussing]

AI. My goodness, I feel like the AI in games hasn't really improved for the last 15 years.

[ThePsychoGamer]

Meaningful side content in open world games,there a couple os series like Yakuza do that but largely they just tend to be time wasters.

[Valiar]

DIABLO 3 WITH THE ABSENCE OF TRUE RPG ELEMENTS

[Sonicjp]

I have 2 answers. 1) I thought we'd be done with buying new consoles. Why haven't sony or microsoft released graphic card kits that allow you to pop open your ps4/xbox one and install a new motherboard/graphics card. Boom now your ps4 is a ps5, they just have to patch the old games to run on the new hardware, and if using the same chipset I don't see why were getting psyched to pay again.

2)Programming. For something that seems to be in constant use, it doesn't seem to change often but why is it still so hard?

[xenz]

You know, a console is not a PC. If you want modifiable hardware then just buy a PC.

[Fragger2k8]

I was really expecting (or at least hoping) that we would have by now full cross-platform multiplayer between all systems. This is something that really should have been a thing last generation, even.

It's good to see that it's becoming something now (although Sony is being stupid about it). I do hope that by the time the next generation systems come out it will just be a standard thing from all sides. There really is no reason at all for it not to be fully implemented as it is.

[anonymousfan]

Definitely 60 fps on consoles! I can't believe there aren't more games supporting that especially given the mid generation upgrades (PS4 pro and Xbox One X). I don't mind 30 fps that much but I thought 1080p 60 fps should have been easy by now...

[Tzuno]

Maybe a complete game from the start that doesn't need repair with 10 patches after launch.

[MasterofMagnetism]

I thought 60 fps would be standard by now.

[thepatientgamer]

Multiplayer games having split screen capabilities, or couch co op. Not just a co-op through internet function.

[Dirtnapstor]

The separation of campaign vs online trophies.

If there is one thing that annoys me, it is the fact that I will never be able to Platinum certain games because of the online component. Why can’t there be two Platinums representing both offline and online.

[-Ghost]

I would say better A.I. It's been idle for some time. Hopefully the next console generation there will be improved A.I/Gamplay.

[Bourne414]

Tactical destruction. Rainbow Six Siege has come close, and I understand that a fully destructive multiplayer map would have both technical difficulties, and problems like blocking off an exit, or making certain areas inaccessible. I feel like destruction is going to be a big change in the coming generation. Not just destruction, but persistent destruction. Even in a single player experience, in a game like the witcher, using ard to blow down a wall into a house, or using igni to leave scorch marks on the ground or surrounding areas trees, walls, rocks, etc would really make your game feel even more lived in. Walking past a previous fight from the beginning of the game and seeing dried blood on the wall where you killed an enemy, would trigger that memory of that fight. I want persistent destruction. Looking forward to Crackdown 3.

[Cikatriz_ESP]

After Half-Life 2 I figured physics would be insanely realistic by now, but it seems the industry as a whole is still struggling to maintain the standards set by that 14-year-old game.

[Cartman55125]

DLC maps being free. With the rise in microtransactions, it seemed the goal was to have players play a game for as long as possible in hopes of continued microtransactions. But many games still charge for DLC maps in addition to microtransactions.

[xenz]

There are actually many games who gives free DLC maps. Killzone, Uncharted 4, BF2 and BF1 just to name a few

[Cartman55125]

If BF1 means Battlefield or Battlefront, then no:

https://www.battlefield.com...

[SilverDemon]

The ability to pre-load updates

Niw this might sound stupid (especially for digital only people) but i hate how when i get a new game physically I have to wait for it to finish updating (which can tske hours) I really thought sony and Microsoft would give us the option to download updates for games we don't own yet so when you buy it you simply install it and the update would be immediately ready to install right away

[No Way]

Couch co-op.. is that a thing? I don't see it very often, anymore, at least..

[Fullmetalevolust]

I am not sure if my reply counted as a comment but I will stick with save states anytime anywhere.
I do want this to be implemented in all games moving forward. I am not sure why it wouldn't work for all types of gameplay granted that it is a single player adventure.
I am also with you on the camera comment, it can make or break a game. I need camera to work in and out of combat or gameplay when it is in tight corners.

[Newmanator]

I'd say a full game without some form of monetization. I think the industry has taken a step forward with tieing money to cosmetics, but Battlefield V is a worrying start of what could be shipping unfinished games. Or it could just be EA 😊

[johndoe11211]

I would say the ability to switch between first person and third person view. I know some games do allow it and I know that there are other games that are just built to be played from one particular view, however, I think there are alot of games out there that would benefit from that mechanic. Fallout is a good example of how that can be implemented and actually work well especially in RPG games.

[lathspell]

I think the A.I. in plenty of games.

[thorstein]

Persistent worlds. Persistent RPG worlds. Persistent Online shooters: The idea that every battle actually matters. And battles help your "faction" take land. Procedurrally generated maps.

[redniku]

more epic game series.
Like mass effect did with their first 3, I thought more games would come out that tied one character across years... hasn't really happened.

[SpaceRanger]

The push to integrate with mobile devices. Definitely not saying I expected more mobile games, but rather the cross functionality between them. Games like watchdogs did it early on and other games like The Division showed examples of this. But in the end it became nothing but a gimmick for some games. It would be great to see more integration like that next gen!

[JRPGsAreTheBest]

Better AI. I still think the AI in games have been pretty much the same for the last two gens. There's no enemies that learn your attack patterns or work together in a substantial way really. It's still like predefined movesets and player location tracking. I'm really hoping next gen they make it so the enemy learns from experience in the battle or act more fluently with a specific environment or in coordination with other enemies.

[Sgt_Slaughter]

60fps being the standard with resolution being dynamic instead of most games locking to 30fps.

Resolution is nice and all, but if you can't get 60fps locked down on the current hardware that's pretty poor optimization. I want smooth transitions, faster reactions, all the things a 60fps game can give you. Yes, some games work well/better with a cinematic look but certain genres benefit so much from smoother gameplay.

[SephFF]

Realistic health depletion and regeneration.