Is it just me, or has the quality of video games gotten worse as the capability of consoles has gotten better?
I’ve owned a lot of systems over the years, and would qualify as an early adopter of my favourites. I waited in line on release day for Playstation 2, Playstation 3, XBOX 360, and Playstation 4. The anticipation of what’s capable with a more powerful system along with the release title hype that goes with it gets me amped. More often than not though I’m left sorely disappointed. PS4 was one of my greatest letdowns. For a year leading up to it’s release I absorbed as much information as I could like a sponge. I was especially interested in the launch title The Division by Ubisoft. I figured that game alone would make waiting in line to purchase it on opening day worthwhile. The PS4 release date was November 15, 2013. The Division got pushed back due to development issues, and was eventually released on March 7, 2016. The harsh part was that the delay wasn’t advertised, and then to make matters worse it kept getting pushed back for years. Was it even a good game when it finally did launch? In my opinion it was. It’s one of my favourite games on the PS4 to play cooperatively online. Actually the two games I planned on purchasing on PS4 release day we’re both pushed back. I settled for a couple others that are so forgettable they aren’t worthy of a mention. Month after month I’d buy new games. Just hoping that there would be something that begins to rival my favourite PS3, and XBOX 360 games. There wasn’t. At least not until September 30, 2014 when Warner Bros Interactive released Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. Till this day it remains as one of my favourite games.
I’ve seen it on the PS3, and the difference is significant. I’ve never actually completed the game. If you hadn’t noticed by now, I have a lot of hobbies. I’ve started and restarted Shadow of Mordor 3 times. Only to be interrupted by something else before I complete it. I will finish it though. Especially now that the sequel has been announced.
My point of all this is, whether I will wait in line for the next generation of consoles when they ultimately release. To be honest, I seriously doubt it. No matter how much hype, incentives, or new technology goes into them. The reality is that next generation consoles require on average a year of software development before you actually begin to realize their potential. Even then you need to be careful about which titles you choose to invest in because even the larger developers release a fair amount of crap. Game developers will sometimes tease 5 or 6 new titles to be released in the following year. Be very wary of that. No matter how amazing their teaser trailer might look. Chances are extremely slim that they will be able to release 5 Marquee titles. Realistically they would be lucky to release 2 great games.
I used to play absolutely everything that showed even the slightest promise. At one point I operated my own store that held PS3, and XBOX 360 tournaments. Those days are no longer. The prices have gone up, while the average length of games have gone down. Most Developers used to release only one or two games a year. Now it’s unusual for a major Game Developer to release less than one per season. Increased competition from Application based cellphone games has meant that maintaining a reasonably active online presence for some games is difficult.
Has this soured my love for video games? Maybe just a little. Not enough to keep me from being excited about finally beating Shadow of Mordor. I remember when laserdisc games first appeared in Video Game Arcades. Dragon’s Lair was so unlike anything before it. I was one of those guys that people would stop whatever they were doing to watch me play it. I was one of the first guys at my local Arcade that memorized the moves required to beat it. So many of today’s games borrow from that original fairytale style of game. Some day there will be another Game Developer that takes games another giant leap forward. I’ll definitely be ready to play it.
I just won’t be first in line.