The 6 Most Ominous Trends in Video Games

#6 Controllers are a fad, it seems like it's really important because Microsoft focused so much on it at the E3 but most of the really large future titles like MW3 and Halo are going to use the traditional control pad. It's nothing to worry about, it's like 3D, just a gimmick which has a few cool niche uses but ends there.

#5 There is now an active demand for DRM free games, places like gog.com actually cater to this demand, as long as the demand exists by the public (and I believe it always will) then DRM is something that can never really exceed a certain point. At some point it becomes a USP (unique selling point) that you don't have it in your games. I think if there's anything to worry about here it's really the final nail in the coffin for 2nd hand games, a lot of DRM is out there for stopping re-selling and I feel that in the next console generation this will be heavily addressed. Nothing that really bothers me.

#4 This is just some companies milking their big budget games as hard as they can, it's just part and parcel of the games industry catering to the mainstream audience who will keep buying the same crap over and over costing more and more. The mainstream gamers are a new breed and don't have a great deal of perspective, something that they'll gain over time. I don't expect this to be a long term problem.

#3 There isn't a lack of creativity. Again there is an increase in casual gamers who are becoming the biggest money maker in the business, unfortunately developers simply have only a few basic understanding of how to appeal to these people, we see something like MW on the scene making ridiculous amounts of money and everyone wants a piece of that pie. That bubble will eventually burst and developers will be forced to do something new. Large businesses want safe investments, that means finding something that works and then repeating it until the model breaks, then moving onto something new.
 
I had the feeling he has a woodie for MW3, and thought he was ranting more for reactions then anything else.

"Now ask yourself why those Modern Warfare games essentially have two utterly different games on the same disc -- one is a five-hour-long action movie (the single player campaign), the other is a competitive electronic sport (the multiplayer)."

The above quote was after he said MW3 and BF3 look the same.
 
I can't stand the stupid button mashing crap. "Press "X" button repeatedly. Why? WTF? How does that add to the game in any way?
 
Last edited:
Yeah this is what gaming is going to and it sucks, is it more or is this generation now all about just making $$$ the easy way...
 
AthlonXP said:
Yeah this is what gaming is going to and it sucks, is it more or is this generation now all about just making $$$ the easy way...
Click to expand...

I have no idea what this means. What is the "easy way?" Casual games? DLC? Subscription services? At the end of the day, they won't do it if it does not make money, so we have no one to blame but ourselves.
 
Dan_D said:
I can't stand the stupid button mashing crap. "Press "X" button repeatedly. Why? WTF? How does that add to the game in any way?
Click to expand...

I actually don't mind QTE, the button mashing ones can add a bit of tension and urgency to the game, it's done amazingly well in Heavy Rain for the PS3 which I absolutely loved.

It just needs to be done in the right time and place to actually enhance the game rather than just be irritating.
 
I remember a time when I had absolutely no worries about the future of gaming. It was a period of about four hours in 2007 when me and my friends spent a whole night playing Wii Sports Bowling
Click to expand...

It's one of the most stupidly perfect games I'd ever played.
Click to expand...

Really? Article cred seriously hurt there. Saying there are 6 major issues with gaming trends and then listing the Wii as a time when the concern was low (even for a short time) really doesn't service the article.

I agree about FPS games though , no innovation in ages. Doesn't seem like an easy genre to advance.
 
PrincessFrosty said:
I actually don't mind QTE, the button mashing ones can add a bit of tension and urgency to the game, it's done amazingly well in Heavy Rain for the PS3 which I absolutely loved.

It just needs to be done in the right time and place to actually enhance the game rather than just be irritating.
Click to expand...

I don't care what anybody says QTE in shenmue was great.
 
Dan_D said:
I can't stand the stupid button mashing crap. "Press "X" button repeatedly. Why? WTF? How does that add to the game in any way?
Click to expand...

I found this very annoying in DNF and people tried to defend it...even on a console with a controller, it isn't needed at all.

there is a difference betwene QTE and mashing. Like DNF, mash button X to open a door.... over and over... it is a pointless act. QTE usually involves a lot more and usually has some importance to game and not just mundane tasks.
 
The article may be a big rant, but it is extremely accurate in many points, and I find myself agreeing with it overall.
 
I think the biggest offender of QTE's is God of War. Is it really necessary to spam the O button 50 times to open every friggin door in the game? That and many of the boss battles and finishers revolved around them too. I'm fine with them coinciding with what the buttons actually do (ie fighting game combos) but when they're completely random what's the point?
 
AthlonXP said:
Yeah this is what gaming is going to and it sucks, is it more or is this generation now all about just making $$$ the easy way...
Click to expand...

If you are old enough to remember, 15 years ago it was all platform and 2d fighting games and people were fucking burned out.

25 years ago it was space themed everything, and people were fucking burned out.

Now it is OTR FPS action games and tired subscription based grind games and people are fucking burned out.

Nothing changes, just the tastes.
 
i read cracked often and this writer is a bit smug (for lack of a better word) for my taste, that said a lot of what he said has a point
 
He has so many good points...

The 5 hour long interactive movie..The last really good single player campaign that I played was Far Cry (1). So open and free roaming...granted, it was still linear, but no where near as linear as a lot of games today. The multi player sucked.

Would you spend $5/month to play a game you truly enjoy as opposed to buying it outright? Me, I'd rather pay for it in total, maybe pay for a couple of map packs or something like that.

And, different game types all have their place...Wii Bowling is great with a ton of alcohol and friends, but Mass Effect is better played alone, infront of your computer screen! Angry Birds is great for the bus/train/subway/waiting room. And there's no reason one gamer can't play and enjoy them all.

I'll admit, someone does have to start thinking outside the box on FPS games though.....I mean look at Freeze Tag on the COD4 servers. What a riot. Even now, almost 4 years after it's release, Freeze Tag is a blast on an otherwise dead game! It took an independant dev from NEWFOUNDLAND to come up with that..... Lots of maps (HUNDREDS), team work required, strategy required, and a love of games required.

I'm rambling!!! Sorry
 
While I agree with a lot of what he says, I don't think he plays many rpgs... and if he can't tell the difference between MW3 and BF3, well then... shit lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top