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[StueyDuck]

So this video popped up on my feed, not a big gameranx person, they strike me as your average "top 10" youtube key word and trend chasers. However i decided to give this video a go, and to my surprise i actually agree with much (not all) of what they have to say. Personally i do find some of the aspects mentioned here in gaming getting worse, I have said similar grievances on here myself to some of these trends in the past before.

what are your takes, anything you agree or disagree with?



Their List is as follows:

10: Unlockables ( im meh on)
9: MP modes ( I agree, i miss the older MP additions then your generic battlepass skins dancey games)
8: Lvl editors/ Mods ( eh don't care to much)
7: Physics/ World interaction ( Absolutely agree, world interaction and physics has taken a huge dive)
6: Companion commands ( meh don't care)
5: Enemy AI ( another Strong agree here, AI in gaming is boring and it's either soulsborne enemy patterns or dummies with a cone of sight no further than their feet)
4: Oddball modes ( while fun i don't really care)
3: PC settings/optimisation ( I agree with devs relying on DLSS as a fix for their shitty PC ports, but in terms of settings i don't agree)
2: RTS Cameras ( don't really care)
1: UI/UX design ( oh my hell, absolutely this, it's ridiculous how bad menus are today, trying to navigate Warzones menu is the most insane thing, it makes no sense)

 

[amigastar]

I remember seeing Half Life 2 physics the first time, i was blown away.

 

[Gaiff]

I remember seeing Half Life 2 physics the first time, i was blown away.

And almost 20 years later, it would still have some of the advanced physics today. Games might look realer than before but they certainly don't feel realer for the most part. Of course there are exceptions like the new Zeldas but these are just that; exceptions.

 

[Whitecrow]

I would say yes. Publishers, money and push for photorealism are ruinning creative freedom.

 

[StueyDuck]

I remember seeing Half Life 2 physics the first time, i was blown away.

Similar for me i remember seeing the presentations on Euphoria and Digital Molecular Matter possibilities in gaming and thinking we were heading for a much different interactivity in gaming.

seeing R2D2 getting thrown into different strengths of wood and it reacting differently and dynamically was something we have yet to still really see properly built upon.

i've posted this a few times before but gosh darn it i'm gonna post it again.



while the final game turned out... well poop, another example was the Alone in the Dark Tech demos for 360

 

[RoboFu]

If games were truly devolving they would be getting better..

 

[radewagon]

Nah. They're changing. I think that game developers are just more under the knife to pool their time and resources into the elements of the game that will be of most benefit to the overall experience. A lot of people decry the lack of better enemy AI or robust physics in modern games, but honestly, those things don't necessarily make a game better and they definitely don't serve a purpose if the gameplay loop doesn't make use of them. Even the poster-child for physics (Half Life 2) wouldn't have needed impressive simulated physics if it hadn't been for the fact that it was in service to some arguably gimmicky gameplay. Or if it had them anyway, no one would have noticed or cared if not for the gameplay that made specific use of them.

Games are very much evolving. While I don't like every new change, on the whole, gaming has evolved past any expectations I ever had. My first console was the Atari 2600 and I will continue to express that games today are better than they have ever been.

 

[violence]

The old gray beards are dying off. It’s going to be the new blood taking over. For better or worse.

Honestly, given that there’s just fewer games being made these days. That’s just fewer studios going up to bat for a home run.

 

[Skifi28]

I don't know about games, but GAF sure is.

 

[Lokaum D+]

1: UI/UX design ( oh my hell, absolutely this, it's ridiculous how bad menus are today, trying to navigate Warzones menu is the most insane thing, it makes no sense)

Dead Space still King imo

 

[StueyDuck]

The old gray beards are dying off. It’s going to be the new blood taking over. For better or worse.

Honestly, given that there’s just fewer games being made these days. That’s just fewer studios going up to bat for a home run.

i'd argue it's the suits and the "Artistic" people taking over and the old school devs that are dying off.

either way, it's definitely changing alright.

 

[DevilMayFlyForAWhiteGuy]

Monetization wise and value per dollar has definitely devolved, but I would say gameplay/design has stagnated.

 

[kvltus lvlzvs]

Well, developing is an interesting term.

Back in 2005, the fact that you could push down ladders to keep enemies from climbing up to you in RE4 was groundbreaking, and RE4 more or less set the standard for 3rd person shooters for a while and many games emulated it.

Look at the new remake. It is amazing technically and has a bunch of really nice quality of life additions and I *MAY* actually enjoy it more, but so far as advancement of vidya in general? Doesnt hold a candle to the original.

Nearly 20 years have passed and a lot of the room for innovation has dissipated. AAA vidya has trended more towards graphics advancement than anything else, though.

 

[mrmustard]

If becoming woke is developing then yes.

 

[cireza]

2 minutes in and the DoA6 example is already completely wrong. You get at least 3 costumes per guy and 5 per girl in the base game, each having 3 color variant, and they are all unlockable while playing the game. So that's actually more than most fighting games, and included in the base game.

 

[crackajack]

I would hope that we still have yet not seen true next gen games in point 5 and 7.
Those two areas were certainly held back last gen, were the CPUs were not really better than the Cell. But Zen should be. Is that already allocated to support RT, data moving, whatever?

Some things feel devolving, but mostly it feels just stagnating and safe. Any PS5 game could be time machine released as a demade PS3 game and would not have blown anyone's mind back then.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Gaming is better than ever. Well maybe if you're stuck playing AAA 100+ million games, you would disagree.

Honestly, given that there’s just fewer games being made these days.

This is very much incorrect.

 

[Guilty_AI]

No. Whats actually happening is games splitting into multiple categories and selecting different target audiences.

In the 'old days' gaming was still somewhat niche so there was a big overlap in public. Now there are hundreds of games being released that are completely different from each other.

Like that, many are stuck with the publishers and IPs of their childhood, or whatever happens to gain mainstream popularity, and are blind to everything else in the market, and most of these publishers just so happened to choose the lowest common denominators, focusing on visuals, monetization and trend chasing. So these people think gaming is "devolving".

 

[violence]

Gaming is better than ever. Well maybe if you're stuck playing AAA 100+ million games, you would disagree.



This is very much incorrect.

You’re right. While Sony’s output has gone down each generation there’s a whole lotta stuff being released on Steam that I’m never going to touch.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

You’re right. While Sony’s output has gone down each generation there’s a whole lotta stuff being released on Steam that I’m never going to touch.

You’re missing out on some really amazing games. Maybe try broaden your horizons? You don’t even need Steam. Here’s one great recommendation:

DREDGE

Verken met je vissersboot een verzameling afgelegen eilanden en de diepe wateren eromheen om te ontdekken wat ze verbergen. Verkoop je vangst aan de lokale bewoners en volbreng missies om meer te weten te komen over het duistere verleden van elk gebied. Rust je boot uit met betere apparatuur om...

store.playstation.com

 

[Isa]

You’re missing out on some really amazing games. Maybe try broaden your horizons? You don’t even need Steam. Here’s one great recommendation:

DREDGE

Verken met je vissersboot een verzameling afgelegen eilanden en de diepe wateren eromheen om te ontdekken wat ze verbergen. Verkoop je vangst aan de lokale bewoners en volbreng missies om meer te weten te komen over het duistere verleden van elk gebied. Rust je boot uit met betere apparatuur om...

store.playstation.com

Very true. Fortunately as well even my potato pc can run many games fine though I intend to get a new pc probably next year sometime. But between Steam, GOG, Itch.io and a few adult sites there is a ton out there to play. Even across consoles as well(I have everything) I'm never at a loss for something to play that is original or trying something new.

I agree that the market is in a weird place right now, with heavy MTX and nickel&dime tactics but there is also a lot out there that is still doing its own thing. Many niche games that wouldn't get translations are actually happening now and its wonderful.

All that being said I do wish that bigger budget studios and games would try to push the medium like the old guard used to. Immersion, interactivity, overall game design(physics, ai, world design, solutions) could definitely see some love.

 

[Damigos]

It feels like we have all the tech in the world but we are becoming more and more stupid and dont know what to do with it.
Like in the movie, Idiocracy. Only thing we re good at is how to f***ing monetize everything

 

[Scotty W]

Nearly every advance in gaming has been illegitimate, and filled with smoke and mirrors. And that is fine!

Pre-Nes is 100% unplayable trash. NES is 98% unplayable trash. There are probably 20-30 decent western developed games before 1994. 16 bit still had a few years of life left. The 3d hype was completely unjustified, but it effectively killed 2d. Graphics have barely improved since about 2004. HD was a scam. No one notices fps.

 

[T4keD0wN]

My take is that the only 3 ways in which games are actually evolving is (on average, there are exceptions)
1. Visuals -very debatable since TAA is present in every game (remember how good MSAA used to look? no ghosting, no vaseline smears) and so are post processing deffects that destroy the image, but at least models/textures are bettter (not like you get to notice it when its hidden by those effects.
2. Monetization
3. Voice acting

It feels like the AAA part of the industry is only trying to improve upon stuff that can easily be showcased in the trailers and the consumers are to blame for rewarding it.

 

[Games of Today]

So this video popped up on my feed, not a big gameranx person, they strike me as your average "top 10" youtube key word and trend chasers. However i decided to give this video a go, and to my surprise i actually agree with much (not all) of what they have to say. Personally i do find some of the aspects mentioned here in gaming getting worse, I have said similar grievances on here myself to some of these trends in the past before.

what are your takes, anything you agree or disagree with?



Their List is as follows:

10: Unlockables ( im meh on)
9: MP modes ( I agree, i miss the older MP additions then your generic battlepass skins dancey games)
8: Lvl editors/ Mods ( eh don't care to much)
7: Physics/ World interaction ( Absolutely agree, world interaction and physics has taken a huge dive)
6: Companion commands ( meh don't care)
5: Enemy AI ( another Strong agree here, AI in gaming is boring and it's either soulsborne enemy patterns or dummies with a cone of sight no further than their feet)
4: Oddball modes ( while fun i don't really care)
3: PC settings/optimisation ( I agree with devs relying on DLSS as a fix for their shitty PC ports, but in terms of settings i don't agree)
2: RTS Cameras ( don't really care)
1: UI/UX design ( oh my hell, absolutely this, it's ridiculous how bad menus are today, trying to navigate Warzones menu is the most insane thing, it makes no sense)

Gameranx is actually one of the better gaming channels. Not every video is great but the main host Jake Baldino actually gives a shit about games and isn't a fake shill like most people.

 

[Bartski]

7.

 

[StueyDuck]

Gameranx is actually one of the better gaming channels. Not every video is great but the main host Jake Baldino actually gives a shit about games and isn't a fake shill like most people.

i'll watch more of there stuff if it's like this, it's just whenever i see a top 10 x or y i usually just feel it's view farming.

 

[YCoCg]

This is why AA is important, look at RoboCop Rogue City, that game has some of the better destruction physics around, yes it's not perfect put it adds to to the charm seeing a criminal fuck up physics wise and turn into a pretzel after being blasted up

 

[WitchHunter]

Focus is shifted towards other things deemed more important, maybe because they see big data.

You’re right. While Sony’s output has gone down each generation there’s a whole lotta stuff being released on Steam that I’m never going to touch.

The gamedev subreddit has 1,2 million subscribers .

 

[Fbh]

While I think gaming is still great and is, in some ways, better than ever right now. I do strongly agree with number 7.

Things like physics and interactivity feel like they have taken a nosedive. The only recent big AAA release I can remember that actually impressed me in this regard was Tears of the Kingdom which ironically is on the weakest current console.
I distinctly remember being impressed by the destruction in Red Faction Guerilla and wondering how much they would push the concept forward on the Ps4 or even Ps5. Turns out, not at all was the answer.

Instead every DF video now feels like I'm looking at 10X zoomed image to be impressed about how a bowl reflects on a table more realistically or how the water reflections look nicer or how some leaves on the on the floor have more accurate shadows.

 

[Games of Today]

i'll watch more of there stuff if it's like this, it's just whenever i see a top 10 x or y i usually just feel it's view farming.

I mean even for them, yea it basically is. It definitely helps any channel put out a consistent stream of content. Sometimes they show off some pretty cool unknown games in the top ten videos though.

I think the reviews are usually the best videos they make, or like current event stuff in the gaming world. Because Jake Baldino actually hives honest takes so if something doesn't feel right he usually is able to describe it pretty well.

 

[SHA]

Yeah, anything that makes older games look better is basically because of this reason, since the PS360 era, games fundamentally have always been the same, with few exceptions, nothing is groundbreaking since then.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Development is more expensive, development time is generally longer, there's usually less content, typically replaces creativity with a safer and more successful route. So yeah, I think for the most part, especially in the realm of AAA, they have.

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

For sure, sadly, it started at the end/during the Xbox 360/PS3 era

Everything is now a pretext for money, eradicating physical will even make things worst and maximize publishers profits because they are not doing this for your digital "convenience", see the NFT fail, they tried and will still try and experiment(™) everything.

 

[Trunx81]

My favorite example for evolution in games is to compare Uncharted 1 with The Last of Us. Both are 3rd person adventures, but while the first Uncharted throws wave after wave of enemies against you, TLOU has you planning your approach on more intelligent foes.

On the other hand, you can also have devolutions. I just finished Jedi Fallen Order and am on a replay of Uncharted 2:R right now. And the differences are so big, it’s not even funny. Fallen Order felt so liveless, while Uncharted 2 is blooming like a flower. The climbing action may feel a bit over the top nowadays, but set pieces and pacing are still great.

 

[ResilientBanana]

Yes. Game engines these days look like shit, super grainy and all these work arounds to work in 4K whereas 1440p would have been sufficient.

 

[Fredrik]

It feels like we have all the tech in the world but we are becoming more and more stupid and dont know what to do with it.

Braid/Witness dev Jonathan Blow touch on this here.


It’ll never stop to impress me that games in the 80s had no way to be patched and almost never crashed.

 

[tmlDan]

I don't see why people think past games are sunshine and rainbows

10. Collectables are useless
9. MP modes in SP games were generally always half assed and mostly BAD. The rare few were good.
8. In Game level editors still exist on PC and were rarely or never on console. I also never gave a shit about them on any game i played cause it always felt half assed or i played it once, despite being impressive someone made it.
7. Reactive worlds were a good idea till in MP the whole map was leveled and it was flat. I agree i miss this one, but it had its downside.
6. Does anyone wanna control their partner/AI companion....no thanks. it was a boring distraction.
5. Enemy AI is WAY better, this is a bad point.
4. Easter Eggs were fun for 2 seconds and a waste of resources. I don't miss big head mode or other dumb stuff he outlined, they were also shallow and half assed.
3. Graphics settings is a shit one, lots of games have more options than ever.
2. The camera one is dependent on game, but old games also never had them. it was game to game like it is now. I disagree.
1. I never have problem with UI's but some games have too many tabs. Generally they're all simple to navigate, so i disagree. Most older games were way worse. I feel like you're pretty dumb if it frustrates you lol

 

[Danjin44]

I’m personally enjoying the games as much as I did back then but these most devs (mostly western) or obsessed more with tech and graphics over gameplay and interesting mechanics.

Graphical Fidelity I Expect This Gen

https://www.resetera.com/threads/graphic-fidelity-i-expect-next-gen.184101/page-116 That is my thread on ResetEra created april of 2020 before next gen consoles released. It has input from actual devs etc in the industry. Insomniac, Microsoft, Digital Foundry, DICE, Moon Studios etc. I...

www.neogaf.com

And based on this ^^ thats most of you in GAF want.

 

[Porticus]

Braid/Witness dev Jonathan Blow touch on this here.


It’ll never stop to impress me that games in the 80s had no way to be patched and almost never crashed.

Oh my god what a bunch of BS from a game designer full of himself.

 

[Hudo]

Oh my god what a bunch of BS from a game designer full of himself.

I mean it's the same guy who continuously bemoans how unproductive software developmers are and that people need to start to get "shit done" but at the same time, he's spending years developing his own "programming language", JAI, which doesn't do anything better than what already established languages can do and is instead yet another version of C with "modern shit" added to it. Instead of using and/or contributing to Zig, C++17 and higher, Rust, Odin, V or something else that's already been there with the same idea.

 

[bender]

The push for cutting edge visuals has made games really expensive. Not only does that make developers and publishers risk adverse to trying new things, but it also leads them to cast as wide a net as possible by making the mechanics and game play systems as accessible as possible. There are exceptions of course, but it's why the majority of the AAA space is so dull.

 

[Fredrik]

Oh my god what a bunch of BS from a game designer full of himself.

Watch it.
Today you have so many layers of complexity with OSes and drivers and engines and you know so little of what’s actually going on behind each layer and it’s few that know what to do if something needs to be changed or optimized on a lower level.
Back in the days you could code directly to the hardware and those who knew the systems well could accomplish insane and precise things because they knew exactly when and how every operation would be done.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Hopefully they will devolve down to the point that Vertical and Horizontal scrolling shooters become a thing again. I don't remember the last one I played but it was on the Vita.

Edit- I mean Shumps the shoot em ups and cute em ups from old. Great music mindless shooting, no platforming.

 

[hinch7]

I'm playing Alan Wake 2 and its a step back in most ways apart from visuals. So for some publishers/devs, yeah. Not to mention the eregious development times these days.

The industry has gotten to safe, predictable and dare-say a little boring. Same formula's and trusted IP's are relied on too much. A lot don't even evolve too much and feels like playing the same game, but nerfed/rused somewhat because they had to push a deadline release.

 

[NiiloPielinen]

Braid/Witness dev Jonathan Blow touch on this here.


It’ll never stop to impress me that games in the 80s had no way to be patched and almost never crashed.

Games in the 80s were usually able to fit on a single floppy disk. The amount of code was extremely small compared to what they have now. And yet, they still had bugs. Just find some retro gaming mags and you can see how bugs were mentioned even back then.

 

[xrnzaaas]

A lot of the AAA games are staying roughly in the same place, because doing something unique or original is too risky for most publishers (especially with rising development costs). In some ways the games are definitely devolving. There are less big titles with clever or interesting stories or gameplay mechanics, it sometimes feels like less talented devs are behind the key mechanics (Diablo 4 could be a good case here), AI is often missing from the list of priorities for the devs (and therefore can be very dumb) and physics are often limited (apart from the games based primarily on having fun with them).

I know that many games from the past play very bad by today's standards, but my golden area for the greatest video games would be the 2000s. Many of them have only the graphics as their drawback and the rest is often superior to what modern games have to offer.

 

[IAmRei]

Graphic wise is more expensive today, and because they spent a lot investing in graphic, they cannot think anything else much than before. And copying something that worked is done far more than before. They cannot risk such investment to fail. Not like before...

 

[Drizzlehell]

Man, so many of these are true. What's causing all of this can be boiled down to greed, laziness, cutting corners, and lack of talent, and that's why modern video games suck ass for the most part. I don't know how can anyone say that "gaming is better than it ever was" when I can fire up a SWAT game from 1998 and experience a better showcase of squad AI than literally anything that comes out these days.

One must be utterly delusional to think that this state of things makes gaming better than ever. I don't give a rat's ass how great the graphics are or how many accessibility or purchase options you have these days. If the games themselves feel boring, generic, soulless, exploitative, and lack any kind of innovation, then this is a a fucking tragedy. Games like Baldur's Gate 3 used to be the norm and nowadays it's a once-in-a-generation event.

 

[Sakura]

For sure they are. At least the mainstream ones. Just look at the Elder Scrolls series. They've basically just been making the same game over and over but dumbed down more each time.
It makes sense though. If you are trying to target a large mainstream audience, then you want flashy visuals and dumb enough mechanics for them to be able to play.