Anyone else disappointed with this seasons game releases?

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samduhman

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Now that some personal life issues are behind me I finally have time to really enjoy my favorite hobby again and that is PC gaming. It's been about 8 years. I remember every year looking at the upcoming fall and holiday game release dates, making a list of the must buys on the day of release. The only game I would have gotten thrilled about was Baldurs Gate 3 but it slipped under my radar as I hadn't yet started my quest of must haves. I was just looking at the list of game on PC Gamers release list PC Gamer 2023 Game release dates. and reconfirmed that there was hardly anything I was really stoked about buying on day one. Very weird considering there are more games than every being released. Maybe it's because there are to many games saturating the market or I'm just getting old and have been there done that. :grumpy::oldman:
 
I have to agree here. Fortunately for me I just started Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time so it's essentially a "new release" for me. And it looks the part. So in your case, having not gamed for 8 years, there are plenty of titles for you to choose from. When it comes to improvements in graphical fidelity over that time period, we reached the point of diminishing returns.
 
2023 has seen some excellent releases overall across a wide variety of genres- Baldur's Gate 3, Alan Wake 2, Phantom Liberty expansion, Last of Us Part 1 PC, Lies of P

Fall/Winter has quite a few titles I'm interested in- the biggest being the Elden Ring expansion but also S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2, Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition PC, Dragon's Dogma 2
 
I think there are several factors at play. Video gaming is less novel since it's been around for many decades now. The market is more saturated. You have also probably experienced much of what there is to experience since you've immersed yourself in the video gaming world for so long. It's simply less exciting to me as well. I still enjoy playing something once in a while though, and it's a wonderful art form.

I like games with strong atmosphere and ambience or games that simply make me feel good (examples: Hogwartz Legacy, classic Tomb Raiders, retro/classic shooters, Nintendo games such as Super Mario Bros. Wonder, WoW). I will still sometimes try different things. I'm not as into grindy or competitive games that demand a heavy investment as much anymore though (examples: CS/COD, arpgs/souls, rts's). They just don't give me the satisfaction they used to. It's a case of "been there, done that, got the t-shirt" I think. They feel too much like working a job to me. I also don't really like heavy story/dialogue games; I want to play and be the story, not listen to or watch it (examples: Starfield, Cyberpunk, AW2).

But that's just how I'm feeling at the moment, and things might change.
 
There are more good games to play out there than any single person has time to finish. So I don't see what there is to complain about. It would be a mistake to only be looking at big budgetstudio releases because there are lots of indy games that are good.
 
samduhman said:
Now that some personal life issues are behind me I finally have time to really enjoy my favorite hobby again and that is PC gaming. It's been about 8 years. I remember every year looking at the upcoming fall and holiday game release dates, making a list of the must buys on the day of release. The only game I would have gotten thrilled about was Baldurs Gate 3 but it slipped under my radar as I hadn't yet started my quest of must haves. I was just looking at the list of game on PC Gamers release list PC Gamer 2023 Game release dates. and reconfirmed that there was hardly anything I was really stoked about buying on day one. Very weird considering there are more games than every being released. Maybe it's because there are to many games saturating the market or I'm just getting old and have been there done that. :grumpy::oldman:
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All the good stuff came out already this year and last year.
 
polonyc2 said:
2023 has seen some excellent releases overall across a wide variety of genres- Baldur's Gate 3, Alan Wake 2, Phantom Liberty expansion, Last of Us Part 1 PC, Lies of P

Fall/Winter has quite a few titles I'm interested in- the biggest being the Elden Ring expansion but also S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2, Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition PC, Dragon's Dogma 2
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Agreed there have been so many quality releases this year it's kinda nuts. I think OP is right he's just old and has lost interest.
 
Stop over thinking it and give something a try and maybe you'll find it entertaining again. After all it's really about entertainment and not really a life changing experience like it was when you were in your formative years. Welcome to maturity and becoming more discerning.
 
Bought but haven’t played Baldurs Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. Figured they are now well baked as to patches/bug fixes. Looking forward playing them over the holiday season…
 
It’s been noted a bunch of times already, but I’ll say it again: PC gaming has so many quality titles who gives a hooey about release dates?

You know how many 100s of titles have been released in the last 10 years I still haven’t played yet? There is no way any person who has a regular job and/or a family to play it all even if they spent every spare moment (in their busy schedule) on this hobby.

Complaining is a waste of time. Find something you want to play and play it.
 
It is the exact opposite, after two terrible years of disappointments and a general lack of interesting releases, 2023 finally reversed the trend. Bringing more games I want to play than what I have time for.
 
Hard disagree for me. I feel like there's a more than normal amount of games released this year that are rating real high. Like, 2-3x more GOOD games being released than 2020-2022 combined.
 
I'm always disappointed with game releases. Everything that gets hyped up always turns out to be overrated. Meanwhile I find what I need from the occasional diamond in the rough. The fact people are citing a Cyberpunk DLC or Lies of P as a reason for why this is a good gaming season just shows how far peoples standards have fallen.
 
I will put it this way… moving and leaving my prized gaming rig to pick up later have been great for me… I put together a simple system as an HTPC which has a WX4100. It has allowed me to play a massive backlog of older titles I otherwise ignored. Saints row series, and many others. I actually want to try My summer car as I know it will run on it. The original RDR will force me to bring my rig home
 
CookieFactory said:
I can highly recommend Resident Evil 4 Remake.
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Same. It's one of a small collection of games that I'd argue is worth paying the full $60 for...

Back when it was new on PlayStation 3 I'd argue the same for TLoU Pt. 1, albeit the re-release is pretty shiny.
 
Mr. Bluntman said:
Is Rockstar finally getting around to porting that from XBox 360/PS3?
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Unfortunately no. But it takes a fairly massive system to run it with Xenia Canary emulator… I bought a hard copy of the game. But I really don’t want to buy an Xbox just for RDR
 
I've found myself installing "older" games like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Halo Infinite, & Immortal - Fenyx Rising....

Now, I do have Diablo IV "installed" but have barely touched it since launch.

- One noteworthy 2023 game that NO ONE seems to be talking about but is freakin' badass: Everspace 2. (if you liked Freelancer or imagine enjoying Descent-meets-Diablo, this game is for you!)
 
matt167 said:
Unfortunately no. But it takes a fairly massive system to run it with Xenia Canary emulator… I bought a hard copy of the game. But I really don’t want to buy an Xbox just for RDR
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Damn. And no, I wouldn't either. I myself wouldn't object to owning an original fat Jasper based system again (the last one I owned was smashed by a former roommate, but that is its own horror story that is off topic) because there's a good handful of games I'd get besides, but aside from that I think I'm good on one myself.
 
t1337duder said:
I'm always disappointed with game releases. Everything that gets hyped up always turns out to be overrated. Meanwhile I find what I need from the occasional diamond in the rough. The fact people are citing a Cyberpunk DLC or Lies of P as a reason for why this is a good gaming season just shows how far peoples standards have fallen.
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What do you have against Phantom Liberty? I haven't tried it yet, just curious why is it not supposed to be cited as a good example?
 
I only buy a handful of games per year anymore so it doesn't really matter to me.
t1337duder said:
I'm always disappointed with game releases. Everything that gets hyped up always turns out to be overrated. Meanwhile I find what I need from the occasional diamond in the rough. The fact people are citing a Cyberpunk DLC or Lies of P as a reason for why this is a good gaming season just shows how far peoples standards have fallen.
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I agree with you for the most part. All fps games seem completely generic to me and I don't even buy or play them anymore. LoP is a niche game made for people who enjoy those types of games, and it does it almost better than anything else out there, so can't agree with that. LotF otoh lmao...

Games always seem funner to me when I get them at discounted prices, usually heavily discounted. Because if your disappointed with a certain game at least you didn't spend to much on it and it's no big loss.
 
There are rarely more than one or two games a year that interest me. The fact that I've had Starfield (flaws and all), the Phantom Liberty expansion to Cyberpunk 2077 and Robocop Rogue City means its been a good year from where I'm sitting. I'm enjoying all three.
 
I've given up.

World of Warcraft, since 2004.
Path of Exile, since 2014.

I just swing between those two. And that's it.
 
2023 had a ton of above average releases, across most genres. IMO, if you can't find a few things to like from this year, you probably aren't REALLY into gaming anymore. Which is totally OK. I've been there several times.
 
Mr. Bluntman said:
Damn. And no, I wouldn't either. I myself wouldn't object to owning an original fat Jasper based system again (the last one I owned was smashed by a former roommate, but that is its own horror story that is off topic) because there's a good handful of games I'd get besides, but aside from that I think I'm good on one myself.
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I was going to get a X360 back in the day but with all the problems they had I waited to get one after they redid the internals. I ended up getting the black X360 elite version, and ended up barely using it. That also ended up being the last console generation I bought, PS3 and X360.
 
matt167 said:
Unfortunately no. But it takes a fairly massive system to run it with Xenia Canary emulator… I bought a hard copy of the game. But I really don’t want to buy an Xbox just for RDR
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RDR is on Switch, now. I dunno if there is a good 60fps patch for it. But, it otherwise should emulate well.

* this seems like decent info. Both emulators have since updated, so it probably fairs even a little better.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBER_fcLW_U


With a major mod pack.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwc2jXOzAbc
 
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Not really.

Starfield
Alan Wake 2
Assassin's Creed Mirage
Armored Core 6
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name <--- Moderately interested
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora <--- Moderately interested


And there are other games I have been interested in but haven't had the time to play yet. Star Wars Jedi Survivor, etc.


I think next year will have a lot of interesting games for me as well.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Horizon Forbidden West
Metal Gear Solid Delta / 3 Remake
STALKER 2
Death Stranding 2
Star Wars Outlaws
Atomic Heart DLC
Starfield DLC
Dead Island 2 DLC
Final Fantasy XVI <--- Probably not coming 2025?


Plenty out there for me at least.
 
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2023 has been pretty phenomenal in terms of game releases IMO. 11 out of the 22 games I played this year were new releases, and the only one that truly disappointed me was Diablo 4. And I have yet to play BG3 or some of the other heavy hitters this year.
 
There hasn't been much this year that has captivated me and a few disappointments that I didn't buy. I think a lot of the game production issues, quality issues are mainly a result of all the craziness going on in the past 3 years.
 
samduhman said:
Now that some personal life issues are behind me I finally have time to really enjoy my favorite hobby again and that is PC gaming. It's been about 8 years. I remember every year looking at the upcoming fall and holiday game release dates, making a list of the must buys on the day of release. The only game I would have gotten thrilled about was Baldurs Gate 3 but it slipped under my radar as I hadn't yet started my quest of must haves. I was just looking at the list of game on PC Gamers release list PC Gamer 2023 Game release dates. and reconfirmed that there was hardly anything I was really stoked about buying on day one. Very weird considering there are more games than every being released. Maybe it's because there are to many games saturating the market or I'm just getting old and have been there done that. :grumpy::oldman:
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Looking at your other posts it seems like you just have choice paralysis, which becomes a serious problem as we get older. Compounding the issue is the anxiousness in trying new things. I think the best thing to do instead of worrying about new releases is to play something from your backlog. There are websites that look at your Steam profile or GOG Galaxy database and chooses a random game from your library. Take that random game and stick with it until you're done, then move onto the next one. Just playing games will help you get over that anxiety.
 
Armenius said:
Looking at your other posts it seems like you just have choice paralysis, which becomes a serious problem as we get older. Compounding the issue is the anxiousness in trying new things. I think the best thing to do instead of worrying about new releases is to play something from your backlog. There are websites that look at your Steam profile or GOG Galaxy database and chooses a random game from your library. Take that random game and stick with it until you're done, then move onto the next one. Just playing games will help you get over that anxiety.
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I started doing this a year or two ago. Knocked out most of my backlog and this year I've just done one month subs for some new releases so if I didn't like them much it was still cheap. Typically now if I start something I finish it before moving on.
 
I'm more disappointed in the cost to play said game releases from a hardware standpoint (to benefit from or experiment with the new game tech).

My rule of never playing more than $200 for a video card is nearing end. Currently on a 2070 ripped from a prebuilt.
 
That_Sound_Guy said:
I'm more disappointed in the cost to play said game releases from a hardware standpoint (to benefit from or experiment with the new game tech).

My rule of never playing more than $200 for a video card is nearing end. Currently on a 2070 ripped from a prebuilt.
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Yup. GPU's still wont come down to reality pricing despite the rest of the pc market doing so. All while games are now truly pushing the envelope after years of stagnation. A 5+ year cpu will cost $250-300 but a gpu that you'll want to replace in 2-3 years will be $400-600. All for games that are rushed out the door and need 6-12 months minimum for fixes. That or the market is so saturated that you should wait 6-18 months to play a game for patches and price drops.
 
Armenius said:
Looking at your other posts it seems like you just have choice paralysis, which becomes a serious problem as we get older.
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The more games I play, the more they become the same. Ubisoft's generic open world formula is tired and very predictable. But if you are just getting into video games, Tom Clowncy's Watch Assasined Dog Cry will probably be amazing. I can see him having issues finding a game that is truly unique and attention grabbing if he has been gaming for many years. A lot of the games I play now are fun enough, but seldom really immerse me in the experience. I can see how for many people that will make finishing the game difficult, and then seeing another game that looks similar may make you less likely to try it.
 
Flogger23m said:
The more games I play, the more they become the same...
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it's important to find a genre or developer you really like...for me it's From Software...I absolutely love everything they put out...yes it's basically the same Souls game but the combat, level design, environments, challenge, enemy design etc are all so addicting...games that are a challenge are what most interest me because it keeps me engaged

I'm also a fan of Arkane Studios (Redfall might be the exception), Rocksteady and Respawn (recent Star Wars games)...games from Bethesda and Ubisoft are OK but are too same-ey and I need to be in the right mood to play them
 
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