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I miss these days. Will they ever come back?
- Thread starter OrtizTwelve
- Start date
MacReady13
Member
Fall / Holiday 2001 after the PS2 had been out over a year or so in NA.
Do you think we will ever see a repeat like this for Fall / Holiday 2021? 2022?
I know this image has been around the internet for ages, but it's striking even after all these years.
Imagine, 10 fantastic must have, instant classic titles all released within the same few months for one console.
I haven't seen something like this in years and with the current state of "AAA" gaming, it seems we never will.
I miss those days so much. That was when playing games was fun, and we spoke about games and not the shit AROUND the games. Or game pass. Or streaming. Just pure fun.
Raven117
Member
Ha, then you will only be disappointed.I dont wanna
SlimySnake
Flashless at the Golden Globes
2020 was pretty fully packed imo
Dreams
re3make
Animal crossing
Ff7remake
Cod warzone
Tlou2
Ghost of tsushima
Paper mario
Microsoft flight simulator
demon souls remake
Astro bot
Spiderman miles
Sackboy
Assassins creed Valhalla
Watch dogs legion
Immortal fenyx rising
Cyberpunk
cod black ops cold war
half of those games launched in the last two months.
I bet ten years from now someone will make a screenshot of these games.
Dreams
re3make
Animal crossing
Ff7remake
Cod warzone
Tlou2
Ghost of tsushima
Paper mario
Microsoft flight simulator
demon souls remake
Astro bot
Spiderman miles
Sackboy
Assassins creed Valhalla
Watch dogs legion
Immortal fenyx rising
Cyberpunk
cod black ops cold war
half of those games launched in the last two months.
I bet ten years from now someone will make a screenshot of these games.
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J
JeremyEtcetera
Unconfirmed Member
It can still be now. It's just that a ton of people here are deciding not to let it be that way, instead focusing on games and news you hate and making threads about them rather than celebrating the gems that are currently out there.
(There's also the fact that your statement isn't true and that there were old forums back then full of people complaining about Counterstrike, Everquest, Quake, and WoW patches, and you were probably oblivious to this because you were a primarily a kid and/or console gamer)
Regardless, be the change you want to see in the world.
Optimus Lime
(L3) + (R3) | Spartan rage activated
Reading Gaf lately has been extremely depressing.
I sit down and play Demon's Souls, or even the PS5 No Man's Sky, and I think 'hmmm, that was really fun!'. So, I come here to talk about video games.
And I'm hit with an absolute non-stop, firehose-style barrage of 'OMG THIS IS FUCKING SHIT LOL PC MASTER RACE YOU LIKE THAT SONYPONY LOL XBOX NOGAEMS PHIL IS FUCKING FULL OF SHIT FUCK EGS FUCK TIM SWEENEY THE NEW GENERATION IS FUCKING GARBAGE LOOOOOL'.
People just seem like such miserable, depressing pieces of shit with an endless thirst for pointless rage.
20 years ago, it was enough just to have fun, play games, and enjoy talking about them. The internet warrior stuff has taken over so much of the way that we talk about games now, and frankly, I find a lot of it just completely unbearable.
SupremeHoodie
Member
I felt this way about 2007-2008. As a 360 gamer there were so many special games out at the time. Halo 3, cod4, gears, mass effect, bio shock, etc. All in a two year span. Nothing comes close to that era imo.
Imru’ al-Qays
Member
Increased dev costs mean it's a lot harder for studios to let auteurs have free reign over projects, which means there's less of an opportunity for brilliant games to sneak through the corporate dumbing-down process.
I think the best thing for the industry would be for the current generation of consoles to inaugurate a period of technological stagnation that allows development costs to start to decline. With 4k60 and instant load times it's possible that we're at the point of diminishing returns and that all the low-hanging fruit has been plucked in terms of improvements to console hardware. Nobody cares about 8k120 gaming because the human eye can't see the difference at couch distance, and hopefully VR will never take off, meaning there'll be no reason for console makers and devs to keep pushing the envelope in terms of graphics.
If we get a nice long generation and then a PS6 that's a relatively minor upgrade over the PS5 that'd be ideal. Or we might see a lot of quality games pop up on the Switch and its successor instead. I'm not sure that'll happen, though, since Nintendo has been in this position before with a low-spec, low-development cost console that sells extremely well (Wii, DS, 3DS) and it hasn't really ever resulted in spectacular games libraries on the level of SNES/PS1/PS2 or even 360/PS3.
I think the best thing for the industry would be for the current generation of consoles to inaugurate a period of technological stagnation that allows development costs to start to decline. With 4k60 and instant load times it's possible that we're at the point of diminishing returns and that all the low-hanging fruit has been plucked in terms of improvements to console hardware. Nobody cares about 8k120 gaming because the human eye can't see the difference at couch distance, and hopefully VR will never take off, meaning there'll be no reason for console makers and devs to keep pushing the envelope in terms of graphics.
If we get a nice long generation and then a PS6 that's a relatively minor upgrade over the PS5 that'd be ideal. Or we might see a lot of quality games pop up on the Switch and its successor instead. I'm not sure that'll happen, though, since Nintendo has been in this position before with a low-spec, low-development cost console that sells extremely well (Wii, DS, 3DS) and it hasn't really ever resulted in spectacular games libraries on the level of SNES/PS1/PS2 or even 360/PS3.
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It's the devs and studios fault. They have to find the middle ground between AAA open world borefest and indie metroidvania/pixel art.
And lol no indies are not replacing all that lost talent from AA games at all. Indie devs have some talent but for the most part they have no TASTE. They wear their influences on their sleeves most of the time and that's really annoying. They also follow trends and awful lot and I specially hate the games where they include memes or gaming oriented jokes.
And lol no indies are not replacing all that lost talent from AA games at all. Indie devs have some talent but for the most part they have no TASTE. They wear their influences on their sleeves most of the time and that's really annoying. They also follow trends and awful lot and I specially hate the games where they include memes or gaming oriented jokes.
BabyYoda
Banned
X
Couldn't agree more, there's so many ways in which budgets and team sizes could already be reduced.
AI is going to change everything. AAA will go back to 20-30 man teams (and potentially 0 man teams!), I think we're in an awkward period right now, the inbetween...so much of what gives developers headaches and costs millions of bucks will be possible by a toddler before long!
And to the guy far above saying that the 90's were the best time to be a kid, the 80's say hello, they were even better
Couldn't agree more, there's so many ways in which budgets and team sizes could already be reduced.
AI is going to change everything. AAA will go back to 20-30 man teams (and potentially 0 man teams!), I think we're in an awkward period right now, the inbetween...so much of what gives developers headaches and costs millions of bucks will be possible by a toddler before long!
And to the guy far above saying that the 90's were the best time to be a kid, the 80's say hello, they were even better
Imru’ al-Qays
Member
Hollywood actors are a waste of money, but OST composters were an integral part of the golden age of video games. Even today's best games (Soulsborne, Witcher 3, BotW, etc) know not to skimp on the OST.
MeatSafeMurderer
Member
The irony is that after everything...
Yeah probably not.
...GTA3+VC are still my favourite games in the series.
MacReady13
Member
I'm 40. I'm old enough to remember all that shit. Gaming is not the same today as it was back then.
It can still be now. It's just that a ton of people here are deciding not to let it be that way, instead focusing on games and news you hate and making threads about them rather than celebrating the gems that are currently out there.
(There's also the fact that your statement isn't true and that there were old forums back then full of people complaining about Counterstrike, Everquest, Quake, and WoW patches, and you were probably oblivious to this because you were a primarily a kid and/or console gamer)
Regardless, be the change you want to see in the world.
MacReady13
Member
I'm hoping that wasn't directed at me, as I still do enjoy gaming today but I pine for the "old days". I don't want to be lectured as to why I shouldn't like GTA5 because of the politics of the time. Is the game fun to play? That's ALL I really give a fuck about (and how it controls obviously).
I just miss when games were the sole focus. Now it's whether the game will come to game pass (who really gives a fuck???) and if the frame rate on Series X is 1 fps better than PS5 but PS5 has slightly better resolution! Why can't we just enjoy games like we used to?
J
JeremyEtcetera
Unconfirmed Member
If you're old enough to remember then you know things have always been cyclical this way. The only thing that's changed is the forum names and users. What you're stating is subjective. In the eyes of a kid today, video games are a wonderful thing and they're having a lot of fun with them, same as you once were.
Don't let social media and others make you jaded.
Optimus Lime
(L3) + (R3) | Spartan rage activated
It wasn't really directed at anyone in particular. It was just general observations about the state of gaming culture, because you said something:
That resonates a lot, and I agree.
Hugare
Member
Yeah, this right here
Yeah probably not.
Games are a different beast now
We had more variety because games cost waay less to make and were way less complex
But it's our fault. We are voting with our wallets.
That's why I applaud Sony for making stuff like The Last Guardian, Gravity Rush and etc. in the AAA landscape
rapid32.5
Member
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Bonfires Down
Member
Those were good times.
These are better times.
These are better times.
Phase
Member
J
JeremyEtcetera
Unconfirmed Member
You have a point and it's crazy and hilarious to me how many people in this thread are doing the mental gymnastics to avoid speaking of AA and indie games and yet at the same time are criticizing the entire industry for lack of creativity, variety, and bad business practices.
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Komatsu
Member
1998-2003 really were the boom years of gaming as a medium. The industry was still feeling its way towards the mainstream and there were massive expectations around what electronic entertainment and what the internet could achieve.
In 1998 we had MGS, Ocarina of Time, Panzer Dragoon Saga, in 1999 we had Chrono Cross, Silent Hill... The Dreamcast was showing us what nextgen could feel like and E3 in 2001 was absolutely wild.
In 1998 we had MGS, Ocarina of Time, Panzer Dragoon Saga, in 1999 we had Chrono Cross, Silent Hill... The Dreamcast was showing us what nextgen could feel like and E3 in 2001 was absolutely wild.
Kuranghi
Member
I do think those years were amazing but then again a lot of my favourite games of all time are from the last 10 years:
The Witness
MGS V
Breath of the Wild
RE2 Remake
RE3 Remake
Just Cause 3
Batman Arkham City
Batman Arkham Knight
Super Mario Odyssey
God of War 3
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Red Dead Redemption
AC: Brotherhood
AC III
AC IV: Black Flag
AC: Unity
Portal 2
Skyrim
Ico & Shadow of the Colossus on PS3 (Finally play the latter locked 30 fps lol, transformative)
Dead Space 2
Borderlands 2
Far Cry 3
The list goes on for a while ha, I'm sure I could plot a graph where I calculate the time when there was a the highest density of releases I loved but who's to say that won't happen change in the future. I know people will see games on that list and think how can you even mention them in the same sentence as the greatest games on the list but I had just as much fun with Just Cause 3 as I did with Red Dead Redemption, just a different kind of fun.
There is really cool innovation in games every year you just have to maybe try something outside your wheelhouse and accept things for what they are and try to drill down to the best parts of the game.
The Witness
MGS V
Breath of the Wild
RE2 Remake
RE3 Remake
Just Cause 3
Batman Arkham City
Batman Arkham Knight
Super Mario Odyssey
God of War 3
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Red Dead Redemption
AC: Brotherhood
AC III
AC IV: Black Flag
AC: Unity
Portal 2
Skyrim
Ico & Shadow of the Colossus on PS3 (Finally play the latter locked 30 fps lol, transformative)
Dead Space 2
Borderlands 2
Far Cry 3
The list goes on for a while ha, I'm sure I could plot a graph where I calculate the time when there was a the highest density of releases I loved but who's to say that won't happen change in the future. I know people will see games on that list and think how can you even mention them in the same sentence as the greatest games on the list but I had just as much fun with Just Cause 3 as I did with Red Dead Redemption, just a different kind of fun.
There is really cool innovation in games every year you just have to maybe try something outside your wheelhouse and accept things for what they are and try to drill down to the best parts of the game.
NullZ3r0
Banned
Nostalgia is a bitch, isn't she?Not only videogames, nothing will ever be as good as it was in the late 90s/early 2000s.
You're just imagining the days with no bills and adult responsibilities where you had plenty of time to play games and mom just kept the Bagel Bites coming.
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DonJuanSchlong
Banned
Give me that power stone remake. It was the smash bros for DC, which was hella fun back in the day. Those 2 games were nostalgic af!
AJUMP23
Member
The old days will never come back. As much as I play games from the 80s it still doesn’t feel like playing them at my friends house or my house in the 80s. But let me tell you, that you can have newer and better experiences as well. There is playing Mario with your son. Winning rocket league matches together. Watching him score his first goal in Rocket league, then have him brag when he is the mvp and you’re not.
palying a masterpiece like LttP and then debating with yourself what is better as you play BOTW.
palying a masterpiece like LttP and then debating with yourself what is better as you play BOTW.
fart town usa
Gold Member
and still no love for the WiiU, it's a damn shame.
Guilty_AI
Member
Good thing we have smaller studios taking up that job.
That's not happening anymore under Jim Ryan. Western AAA only (except for gt).
edit: was doing research on possible smaller teams for squareenix to make ps1 games but with of course of all the modern toolsets and graphical power and was surprised at how much of these ps1 games were made in the U.S. Like I had no idea most of FF9 was pretty much made in Hawaii and folks in the west were responsible for city backgrounds of FF7.
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Optimus Lime
(L3) + (R3) | Spartan rage activated
Please, someone, rescue Mario Remix from the Wii U. That's all I ask.
alabtrosMyster
Banned
As we grow older and wiser we prefer to argue about console performance and company policies over playing and letting the games simply sink in
.
BlitzerRadic
Member
If open world games are 60hrs long its because the publishers have data showing that's what the market wants.
Killer Sakoman
Member
mkay
Sentenza
Member
Some of these games weren’t even that good. Nostalgia make you remember them better than they were.
They could be releasing today (even assuming updated visuals) and some of you would be taking a piss on them, looking past them in search of the next big AAA.
EDIT: Take Dark Alliance for instance. The game was the "retarded cousin" on console of one of the greatest CRPGs of all time. A shallow and mediocre hack'n slash. Add it was broadly welcomed with scorn, mockery, mediocre reviews.
There are probably a good couple of games in the same genre and of better quality (which is not to say they are any good, anyway) releasing every quarter on Steam. And chances are you people won't spend few seconds looking at any of them.
Also, Ace Combat 7 released sometime ago and it's the best the franchise has ever been if you are into arcade pseudo-sims. It doesn't seem you are losing your shit over it, anyway.
They could be releasing today (even assuming updated visuals) and some of you would be taking a piss on them, looking past them in search of the next big AAA.
EDIT: Take Dark Alliance for instance. The game was the "retarded cousin" on console of one of the greatest CRPGs of all time. A shallow and mediocre hack'n slash. Add it was broadly welcomed with scorn, mockery, mediocre reviews.
There are probably a good couple of games in the same genre and of better quality (which is not to say they are any good, anyway) releasing every quarter on Steam. And chances are you people won't spend few seconds looking at any of them.
Also, Ace Combat 7 released sometime ago and it's the best the franchise has ever been if you are into arcade pseudo-sims. It doesn't seem you are losing your shit over it, anyway.
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I don't think that it's can be possible in the today's market sadly. Because the production value for creating each aaa game now grows too much high. A month with even just a new GTA game it's going to overshadow anything else, even a new devil may cry or a new final fantasy game. In the 2000 nobody cares when a game is released, if it has controversial choices or if it is exclusive to one platform or not. They release the game, and they just hope for the best sales. Now this market is change to much.Fall / Holiday 2001 after the PS2 had been out over a year or so in NA.
Do you think we will ever see a repeat like this for Fall / Holiday 2021? 2022?
I know this image has been around the internet for ages, but it's striking even after all these years.
Imagine, 10 fantastic must have, instant classic titles all released within the same few months for one console.
I haven't seen something like this in years and with the current state of "AAA" gaming, it seems we never will.
JimmyRustler
Gold Member
That was because both in private and on the net you were only talking about games with GAMERS. Every since the mob entered the playing field with smart phones it went downhill and there is just no way back.
ZywyPL
Banned
I think the PS4/XB1 era was the worst so far, there was nothing special/magical about it, just extremely long development times of either open-world walking sims or F2P BR shooters, that's basically all what the past 7 years were about (and still going on). And as oppose to all previous generation, due to weak Jaguar CPU the games have hit many steps back instead of advance further for the very first time.
The PS360 era on he other hand was a fucking blast with it's focus on online gameplay, which has also vanished as nowadays everyone online is an insecure pussy who takes everything from random people on the internet way too personally, no one talks with anyone anymore, mics are not being used, not even bundled with the consoles, because people are afraid of getting their account banned because of some sensitive faggot, so all that magic is gone as well.
So that being said, PS2 times were IMO the pinnacle of single player games, there was no internet, no online matches, no post launch support, the games had to be great, finished, and polished right out of the box, and oh boy, they were. The library was so various, the amount of genres, the quality and quantity of the titles, the PS2 is the best console ever made in my books, there might be consoles that sell just as much if not more nowadays, but they don't stand a chance when it comes to offered content, PS2 library is just legendary.
The PS360 era on he other hand was a fucking blast with it's focus on online gameplay, which has also vanished as nowadays everyone online is an insecure pussy who takes everything from random people on the internet way too personally, no one talks with anyone anymore, mics are not being used, not even bundled with the consoles, because people are afraid of getting their account banned because of some sensitive faggot, so all that magic is gone as well.
So that being said, PS2 times were IMO the pinnacle of single player games, there was no internet, no online matches, no post launch support, the games had to be great, finished, and polished right out of the box, and oh boy, they were. The library was so various, the amount of genres, the quality and quantity of the titles, the PS2 is the best console ever made in my books, there might be consoles that sell just as much if not more nowadays, but they don't stand a chance when it comes to offered content, PS2 library is just legendary.
Soodanim
Member
When I got my Wii U it felt a little bit like it used to when I just played games without outside influence. Less of the social this and that, just an honest experience of games that wasn’t focussed on online. I think that’s partly because of how Nintendo does (did?) make games, too. When you played a Mario game or other Nintendo game you just turned it on and played a refined experience without trying to be wowed by graphics with a fun game coming second.
It was a break from my PS3, where everything followed trends of the time like bloom and brown visuals. That’s why I think it’s a shame that Nintendo have thrown greed into the mix in recent years and diluted what was in its own way a ‘purer’ experience with season passes and cheap, lazy ports like the Mario 3D Trilogy.
The Cartographer
Member
We? They, software and hardware houses, created this situation.
Banjo64
cumsessed
Nah. Sadly.
Even PS3/360 era titles were pumped out quickly compared to now.
Rockstar have made RDR2 since 2013.
ND made 2 formulaic, derivative sequels since 2013.
Nintendo have had a real drought of original, new games and are using Wii U titles as their primary releases.
I fucking hate the new 5-6 year dev cycle. The reward is nowhere near the sacrifice.
Even PS3/360 era titles were pumped out quickly compared to now.
Rockstar have made RDR2 since 2013.
ND made 2 formulaic, derivative sequels since 2013.
Nintendo have had a real drought of original, new games and are using Wii U titles as their primary releases.
I fucking hate the new 5-6 year dev cycle. The reward is nowhere near the sacrifice.
GreatnessRD
Member
You'll never see such a god tier lineup like that ever again. Gaming is dead and has been for a very long time.
DelireMan7
Member
There was some awesome games 20 years ago...
There is some awesome games now...
I enjoy both of them. It's all that matter to me.
There is some awesome games now...
I enjoy both of them. It's all that matter to me.
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