I agree OP, I've basically opted out of all comparison threads/YT channels now. There's little point to it and this new generation is finally all about what devs do with the power now, rather than this brand is better than the other brand.
I'm really curious what devs can come up with for this next generation, it would be nice to see more innovation and less dial up the graphics. Mechanics as seen in Ratchet'n'Clank (PS5) or Medium (XSX) are the sorts of things I'm more interested in. 120Hz for multiplayer is interesting from a latency perspective and competitiveness point of view but I care very little about 60 vs 120 in terms of what I see on screen. Surely there are Indie devs and studios out there pushing innovation and creativity with the power of these next gen consoles.
Games like Shadow of Mordor had interesting enemy systems like Nemesis they developed for example. I'd like to see and hear more about what can be done with the power besides just graphics. Areas where I feel the local console power could be expanded are AI, dynamic geometry, procedural systems, physics, interactive/dynamic audio in real time etc. There's also far more integration with the cloud processing these days why don't we see shared worlds in campaign games or PvE content put to more creative use? There's plenty more to next gen but it seems there's the usual push to "just deliver more pixels in my face" from the industry and gamers alike.
Why can't our favourite games be more choose your own adventure with semi-procedural elements as opposed to these sorts of linear corridor curated games that you play through once and don't revisit. Most solo games you literally memorise the spawns, environments and events. It would be nice to have those sorts of things intelligently designed as sandboxes or systems where variations are introduced so you want to replay and engage with your developing skills and experience. Return visits ramp up difficulty as you get better, things like that. There has been very well received games in these sorts of advancements too e.g. Waverace, Ass Creed: Black Flag or Sea of Thieves where the water physics and simulation systems are integral to traversal or combat. More of that shit please.
I'd love to see forums such as GAF actually work on creative ideas that perhaps a dev or designer would actually contribute in or take inspiration from. That's far more entertaining and engaging than teraflops and frame rates.
