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Lack of games this year?

polycounter lvl 10
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melviso polycounter lvl 10
Is it me or are games becoming more and more scarce this year especially good games?I have also noticed the gamers on youtube are runing out of games to play. At the moment, there aren't any good or remarkable games around especially if u compare now to the ps2 era.

I am guessing that this is because games now cause so much money to make and purchase and they are not selling as good as they used to.

There are also a lot of hybrids or repetitive games being released since last year. Nothing new or refreshing. A friend of mine blames God of war for this.The game came up with this quick time events thingy since then that's all games are about. Once in a while, there comes a game that invents some kinda unique gameplay style, problem is all the other games just become copy cats, sometimes overusing what has been invented.Does anyone remember when games had so much quick time events scenarios that it became annoying/boring?

Nowadays,its like no effort is being made to distinguish a game from what it is drawing inspiration from. I don't think there has been any new game that has been able to create some landmark gameplaywise since God of War's quick time events.

The staleness of games release might also be due to game companies worried they might not make profit due to no fresh ideas so they are all waiting for something that's new that is a commercial success and then they join the train.

Btw, the final fantasy franchise has gone downhill since FFX.I still admire them and respect their willingness to try and come up with new stuff especially gameplaywise but what they do not know is they are heading in the wrong direction.

The way to keep a franchise fresh and succesful is always to cater to ur traditional fanbase. Its just like a customer who will always buy ur goods because u have a major ingredient or secret recipe that makes ur food taste good. Once u remove that ingredient, the food starts to taste differently. U may be of the opinion that changing it will attract new customers since there is this particular recipe that has a huge fanbase. Problem is those ppl will probably always prefer purchasing that recipe from where it originated from rather than buy from u. Also,u lose ur customers who support u because of ur old recipe.

The next ff game coming on the ps4.I do not have high hopes for it imho.It plays like every adventure game out there.Does anyone remember the battle syatem they had for ffxiii when the first trailer came out?That was a very good battle system.What happened to it??? Seriously,they should go back to turn based like in ffx and previous ones.This is the reason Bravely Default has done so well.This game is been referred to as the final fantasy with a different name.

Why don't they try releasing a turn based ff game on the ps4 just to see if its successful or not because so far the games have not been doing so well compared to FFX and the games before it.
Now remaster seems to be what every game company is about.Nothing fresh for a while now.

Replies

  • Baj Singh
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    Baj Singh polycounter lvl 9
    There are always good games being released. You just have to expand your net beyond what you would traditionally see as good games (big IP's from well renowned companies such as the older FF games) and start to look at the little guys.

    Explore the indie scene, there are some great projects coming from a lot of those smaller teams. And i'm sure there are plenty of games you have missed from generations past.
  • joarwho
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    joarwho polycounter lvl 5
    It sounds like you are complaining about companies that are sticking to the same ideas and concepts and not daring to try something new, and at the same time you're saying that the way to keep a franchise successful is to NOT try something new. Isn't the sole reason why there are so many hybrids, copycats or similar games out there because companies is trying to cater the fans (and make as much money as possible)?

    Just take a look at the indie-scene and you will realize that there are a lot of exciting stuff going on. One of the most discussed games after E3 was No man's Sky and Ori and the blind forest (both indie titles). There are a lot of original concepts, ideas and there are a lot of games coming out this year. You just have to look in the right place :)
  • joebount
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    joebount polycounter lvl 13
    And don't forget that we are between 2 generations as well.
    It's like Activision saying that pre-orders are decreasing : for sure, people don't have the systems yet and are hesitating. It's called a cycle...
  • Torch
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    Torch polycounter
    Loads of good games coming out this year, Destiny, Shadows of Mordor, CoD: Advanced Warfare, Evil Within, just to name a few :D
  • ErichWK
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    ErichWK polycounter lvl 12
    There are plenty of great games. Just because it isn't AAA doesn't mean it isn't amazing. AAA games tend to be stale, at least to me. I have been playing a lot of this lately. And I love it.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0OWjhHTz-M"]1001 Spikes Trailer - YouTube[/ame]
  • DireWolf
    I have my eyes on Folk Tale, you can find it on Steam :)
  • mats effect
    A few like Evolve getting pushed back to 2015 now but still tons coming out.
  • Torch
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    Torch polycounter
    DireWolf wrote: »
    I have my eyes on Folk Tale, you can find it on Steam :)

    Oh sweet, kinda reminds me of Settlers!

    Evolve should be good as well, although there's no single player campaign right? I can't imagine them charging much for it if its strictly a multiplayer arena game.
  • Joao Sapiro
  • Meloncov
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    Meloncov greentooth
    The raw number of games released, between Steam, iOS, and Android, is at an all time high. Now, the vast majority fall somewhere between mediocre and awful (as has always been the case, though the lower barrier to entry means there are a few more clunkers), but the one percent or so that are really good still means a ton of games.
  • joarwho
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    joarwho polycounter lvl 5
    Torch wrote: »
    Evil Within

    YES!! Evil within in October and then Resident Evil HD Remaster in November. I'm stoked!
  • Snefer
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    Snefer polycounter lvl 16
    Also have to take into account that alot of indie games today have teamsizes larger than the AAA-games on ps2 : )
  • peanut™
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    peanut™ polycounter lvl 19
    "Is it me or are games becoming more and more scarce this year especially good games?"

    Take into account that every year you're getting older and not younger, you grow weary of gaming. ;)
  • eld
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    eld polycounter lvl 18
    Everything was much better when someone was younger!
  • Michael Knubben
    Videogams this days have all graphics over it everywhere. Not like the old days when it was about gamplay!
  • Jason Young
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    Jason Young polycounter lvl 14
    There's been a summer lull with major releases, but even with all the games that have been pushed back to 2015, there's still too many coming out that I want to play.
  • eld
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    eld polycounter lvl 18
    MightyPea wrote: »
    Videogams this days have all graphics over it everywhere. Not like the old days when it was about gamplay!

    Totally, the ps3 and 360 had the best games, nowdays it's all about graphics, kids don't know what they're missing!
  • NegevPro
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    NegevPro polycounter lvl 4
    I'd say there are too many great games coming out. TEW, Persona 5 (and the various spinoffs!), Smash 4, Halo 5, Dragon Age, AC:U, Alien, Witcher 3, and many more. My wallet won't be able to survive and it's already time to start picking the ones I'll have to skip/wait on :(
  • Torch
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    Torch polycounter
    Don't leave out the Wii U - Yoshi's Wooly world, new Zelda, Hyrule Warriors, the list goes on. Prepare your bank accounts for a beating :D

    EDIT: Forgot Resident Evil 1 Remastered...
  • Mask_Salesman
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    Mask_Salesman polycounter lvl 13
    So there's this thing called Steam.
  • NegevPro
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    NegevPro polycounter lvl 4
    I regret buying so many games during the Steam sale this year. I spent half my yearly gaming budget and added like 35 games to my collection, but I still only play Counter-Strike and Free to Play titles.
  • McGreed
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    McGreed polycounter lvl 15
    I love Steam, but I really, REALLY wish they would put in an option to not show Early access games and only show finished games on the front page.
  • Wendy de Boer
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    Wendy de Boer interpolator
    I agree with the other guys. Check out indie games, or play some old games you missed.

    And then ofcourse there is the other option of playing less games and making more art! :poly121:
    Or... you could pick a game to mod. Then you won't need another game for the next 5 years or so. :D!
  • melviso
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    melviso polycounter lvl 10
    I have never been on Steam to be honest.I rather prefer to own an original copy,and play on a console.Though I am seriously considering PC gaming.


    MightyPea wrote: »
    Videogams this days have all graphics over it everywhere. Not like the old days when it was about gamplay!
    This is true, it's like creativity has been sacrificed for graphics. In the ps2 and ps1 era,games were definitely games. Now they are trying to make interactive movies rather than games. I find games are getting boring nowadays maybe because I am getting older.I am still in my late twenties.Hmmm....
  • Michael Knubben
  • PolyHertz
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    PolyHertz polycount lvl 666
    Torch wrote: »
    EDIT: Forgot Resident Evil 1 Remastered...

    From what I've seen that one's not even worth mentioning. It's not a proper remaster, they aren't re-rendering the backgrounds just upscaling the old ones and throwing a filter over them. characters are getting a few very minor improvements, but that's about it.
  • Torch
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    Torch polycounter
    I already mentioned this in another post but I would love to see a remaster of Red Dead, was so good XO
  • Neox
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    Neox godlike master sticky
    melviso wrote: »
    I have never been on Steam to be honest.I rather prefer to own an original copy,and play on a console.Though I am seriously considering PC gaming.




    This is true, it's like creativity has been sacrificed for graphics. In the ps2 and ps1 era,games were definitely games. Now they are trying to make interactive movies rather than games. I find games are getting boring nowadays maybe because I am getting older.I am still in my late twenties.Hmmm....

    yeah totally metal gear solid, prime example for a lot of great gameplay and not trying to be an interactive movie at all!
  • eld
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    eld polycounter lvl 18
    Neox wrote: »
    yeah totally metal gear solid, prime example for a lot of great gameplay and not trying to be an interactive movie at all!

    Final fantasy 10 also rivaled dwarf fortress in its emergent non-linear gameplay, no cutscene in sight!
  • joarwho
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    joarwho polycounter lvl 5
    PolyHertz wrote: »
    From what I've seen that one's not even worth mentioning. It's not a proper remaster, they aren't re-rendering the backgrounds just upscaling the old ones and throwing a filter over them. characters are getting a few very minor improvements, but that's about it.

    It's worth mentioning because they will release it for Xbox360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and most important.. PC!! The Resident Evil remake have always been a Nintendo exclusive. I haven't played it since I had a Gamecube, back in 2005.
  • AtticusMars
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    AtticusMars greentooth
    Sounds like your problem is with Japanese game development falling off a cliff... You haven't mentioned a single game made by a western developer that you liked
  • BlvdNights
  • melviso
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    melviso polycounter lvl 10
    Sounds like your problem is with Japanese game development falling off a cliff... You haven't mentioned a single game made by a western developer that you liked

    I have always loved Japanese games.I don't know why.I think this is bc of the level of detail and passion they put into their work.Their works both cgi films and games look so much better especially with graphics. They are always willing to add more to satisy their customers and they also want to build a very strong reputation.

    A Japanese studio will be willing to develop scripts,software just to maybe make a character's hair move subtlely or make each strand stand out in the light and all that stuff. Have u seen their anime shows compared to the western ones?
    Futhermore,I am yet to play a Japanese game that is very short.All of them have been very satisfatory in terms of length and I always look forward to their pre rendered cutscenes in games especially the Final Fantasy series.

    Not to say Western games are bad in any way.Naughty Dog have really very excellent games and they are one of those studios who go the extra mile to distinguish themeselves in what they do.Their games are top notch.I am still suspicious about what they showed at E3. Watch dog anyone?
  • NegevPro
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    NegevPro polycounter lvl 4
    melviso wrote: »
    I have always loved Japanese games.I don't know why.I think this is bc of the level of detail and passion they put into their work.Their works both cgi films and games look so much better especially with graphics. They are always willing to add more to satisy their customers and they also want to build a very strong reputation.

    A Japanese studio will be willing to develop scripts,software just to maybe make a character's hair move subtlely or make each strand stand out in the light and all that stuff. Have u seen their anime shows compared to the western ones?
    Futhermore,I am yet to play a Japanese game that is very short.All of them have been very satisfatory in terms of length and I always look forward to their pre rendered cutscenes in games especially the Final Fantasy series.

    Not to say Western games are bad in any way.Naughty Dog have really very excellent games and they are one of those studios who go the extra mile to distinguish themeselves in what they do.Their games are top notch.I am still suspicious about what they showed at E3. Watch dog anyone?
    I think a lot of that could be said of a lot of Western studios as well, though. Personally I prefer Japanese games over Western games simply because Japanese developers seem to experiment more. While experimenting can frequently lead to some shitty games (FF13, 13-2. and 13-3, for example) it can also lead to games that feel very refreshing.

    When I get bored of games but want to spend some time playing a game, I usually find a list of all the games available for a platform I want to play on and randomly pick one without looking up any gameplay/reviews/etc. Sometimes you'll pick something that isn't enjoyable, but other times you'll find a gem that you probably wouldn't have touched otherwise. It's a great way to branch out and try different types of games.

    Also, you could just be burned out of gaming which happens to everybody, in times like that I find it's good to take a break and do other things. Making personal game art is just as fun as playing a game, so you could always do that too!

    You could also try a new platform. I remember getting bored of everything that was available on every console I owned at one point so I decided to give iOS gaming a shot. I ended up getting insanely addicted to Bejeweled and some other great games on my ipod touch lol.
  • melviso
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    melviso polycounter lvl 10
    Yeah,but what Square Enix dont realise is that the FF franchise fares better with more experimentation while still keeping the gameplay mechanics intact. But I am guessing if they kept the gameplay true to the way it used to be fans will be complaining about how boring ff has become.

    I am beginning to suspect this is a sales strategy. Its risky but it is working, Its like when u decide to take something beloved off the market for a long time that when it is reintroduced back into the market, the sales are 4 times what it used to make.
    I am pretty sure FF devs are fully aware of how much money they would make if they made a high graphics game with the gameplay of FFX.I am still curious of the gameplay mechanics they initially planned for FF13:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRhd66aheNM
    They should bring back the cinematic combat they planned. That was what made FFX and the previous games great. When they started trying to make their games like COD,thinking they would make more money that is where things started to fall apart. There is kingdom hearts for that. Sadly FFXV is going to take that same route.Just sad. I think I will have to stop getting my hopes up for the FF franchise.
  • Cibo
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    Cibo polycounter lvl 10
    joarwho wrote: »
    It's worth mentioning because they will release it for Xbox360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and most important.. PC!! The Resident Evil remake have always been a Nintendo exclusive. I haven't played it since I had a Gamecube, back in 2005.

    Sorry to burst your bubble but Resident Evil 1 was on PC because i played it. :poly124:
    Many Resident Evil games are "playable" at PC *think about the digusting Nr.5 console port*

    For younger ones it is good but the 30+ sorry i know the Story/Game so the Remake is useless for me.
  • PyrZern
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    PyrZern polycounter lvl 12
    Risen 3: Titan Lord
    Civ: Beyond Earth :)
    Whenever Dragon Age is coming out.
    openX-COM is cool !
  • Jonas Ronnegard
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    Jonas Ronnegard polycount sponsor
    melviso wrote: »
    I have always loved Japanese games.I don't know why.I think this is bc of the level of detail and passion they put into their work.Their works both cgi films and games look so much better especially with graphics. They are always willing to add more to satisy their customers and they also want to build a very strong reputation.

    A Japanese studio will be willing to develop scripts,software just to maybe make a character's hair move subtlely or make each strand stand out in the light and all that stuff. Have u seen their anime shows compared to the western ones?
    Futhermore,I am yet to play a Japanese game that is very short.All of them have been very satisfatory in terms of length and I always look forward to their pre rendered cutscenes in games especially the Final Fantasy series.

    Not to say Western games are bad in any way.Naughty Dog have really very excellent games and they are one of those studios who go the extra mile to distinguish themeselves in what they do.Their games are top notch.I am still suspicious about what they showed at E3. Watch dog anyone?

    It's nice to hear someone still think this is true, but sadly most of this is dead since the ps2, I think most foreigners that have worked in Japan know what I'm talking about, but since the ps3 many studios have just been chasing western games while they should have just stayed true to their own style.

    most of the games that look good by western standard and are not anime'ish or are looking good in some other way, are games made by companies that have filled their 3D departments with foreigners, t.ex. SquareEnix, kojima productions, From software.

    the people coming out from school here are not even slightly close to being on a level able to work but they still get a job, because here art is art, if you are good at something you will be good at anything kinda way of thinking and most japanese 3D people are usually better at drawing then they are at 3D.
    some students probably wouldn't have a problem getting a concept art job at a western studio but I wouldn't be surprised if most of those soon to graduate 3D students don't know what a normal map is.

    A big reason for this is communication, they sadly don't share information as much as foreign staff do, polycount etc, and the lack of english makes them live inside a bubble, every company kinda have to reinvent the wheel while western tech staff do a google search.

    in terms of gameplay I think they have been focusing too much on problems with tech that gameplay has been lost and forgotten in many games. still I have some hope left since a lot of studios are giving up on their in house engines and going over to unreal 4 which translates documentation, then maybe companies can start focus on making good games again.

    Also of course there are exceptions, a lot of them, I'm just talking from my own and others experiences.
  • baalnazzar
    We've got Risen 3: Tital Lords and some goodies coming this fall. I have to agree that there's lot of stagnation in AAA games about gameplay, but I think some level of graphics is going to be reached soon and developers will start to focus on gameplay more. Cuz there won't be much to do with visual side. For now we can find some fresh breath in indie scene though :)
  • Higuy
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    Higuy polycounter lvl 9
    Personally I don't think there is a lack of games, but I can agree that there is a lack of new, refreshing games... I've almost stopped playing triple-A games entirely because most of them have become so linear and boring, and not adding much of anything new to the table. I've also found that almost all "big games" rely on violence to captivate their audience, something Ive also found to become pretty tasteless, as its not always needed. Why can't games find something else to draw the player in gameplay wise? I've been playing alot more indie games on the PC and Playstation, which revolve exploration, puzzles and story, such as FEZ, Gone Home, Myst, To the Moon, Journey etc. There is even some upcoming games I'm looking forward to that revolve around similar themes that those games do, such as The Witness and Rime (although for PS4). Of course the occasional shooter can be fun, but they do not become memorable or enjoyable over time compared to games like Journey for example, which give you a definitive and concrete experience you will always remember, even if it was just a few hours long.

    Overall I think that developers really do need to be more experimental with their games nowadays and try new and exciting things rather than the true and tested method of game design. The biggest problem with this is that budgets for games have become ridiculously high, so if the game fails so does your company, so it becomes much harder to take those risks. However, with that said, perhaps it is somewhat of a blessing that smaller studios don't have the budgets of AAA games though, as that is where their innovation sometimes comes from.
  • tadpole3159
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    tadpole3159 polycounter lvl 12
    baalnazzar wrote: »
    We've got Risen 3: Tital Lords and some goodies coming this fall. I have to agree that there's lot of stagnation in AAA games about gameplay, but I think some level of graphics is going to be reached soon and developers will start to focus on gameplay more. Cuz there won't be much to do with visual side. For now we can find some fresh breath in indie scene though :)

    So let's get this straight. Once we reach a certain technical point some time in the future all games are going too look automatically awesome? :poly142: and once we reach that wonderful time the bored artists who finished their jobs months in advance help out with game designing? Or maybe you mean once we reach this magical point in the future game developers won't need so many artists and instead hire hundreds of wacky game designers?

    Seriously man your going to need to explain how this is going to work :poly121:
  • JacqueChoi
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    JacqueChoi polycounter
    I can't speak for environments, but I can definitely forsee a lot of proceduralization of Characters.

    Scan Heads -> Send to outsourcing to make Low poly
    Marvelous Designer Clothes -> Send to outsourcing to make Low poly

    Artists will use a program like Hair Farm to create splines for TressFX, then model a few props before integrating shared Eyeballs, + Teeth.


    I think the 'skill' part of it will be levelled pretty soon for a games in the 'realistic' genre.
  • melviso
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    melviso polycounter lvl 10
    U would always need artists/skills for custom works and a lot of custom assets are required for a game to look good,solid and authentic. When u use something over and over again,gamers can somewhat tell if something is derivative.

    I have read threads where gamers notice or suspect assets have been heavily reused or modified. Or when much original work has not been put into something,

    I do agree with the fact that softwares like Poser, the sims, MakeHuman are presenting grounds for creativity without 3d basic skills. With this app, u can design ur own characters to ur heart content with the end result totally rigged and animation ready. This completely eliminates the need to know how to model, texture and rig characters. I gather this is annoying 3d character artists especially when someone uses this program to create a 3d character and call it their own.

    In the production field, the fact is Client do not care how u go about ur work as far as the finished product meets their requirements.They are happy. Using this kinda apps do require some skills to create good models that look very original and different. So if one is using these apps to create models for clients,and they are happy with it. I guess none should complain.

    I have been wondeing if The sims devs intend to make a human model generator for creating models.With those kinda apps, marvelous designer and mocap household tools (kinect 2.0), fairly good animation video can be made.

    Again, this apps do require skills, and proper practice to get good results but the fact that a lot involved in the production process has been drastically reduced says a lot.

    Just wished something fresh could come out where ppl won't say this game is like Prince of persia meets call of duty. Or the walking dead rip off or that!!! I have a feeling the first innovative game to come out this year will be from Japan. I applaud the fact that their publishers are not afraid to try new things.
  • Cibo
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    Cibo polycounter lvl 10
    Mmmh Risen 3

    Piranha Bytes is the only Developer who makes the "same" game 6 times. :poly121:
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