Blazkowicz
Legend
There's now "If Doom was done today", part 2, nicely long and hilarious 
Do the games suck, or is it just me?
- Thread starter RancidLunchmeat
- Start date
Well, you could put the achievements at the end of a play-through, instead of instantanious notification. Silent Hill 2 worked that way, and it was extreme rewarding getting 10 stars.
Blazkowicz
Legend
Can achievements notifications be disabled in consoles?
I don't know. Never owned a PS3 or X360.
I wonder if the Ouya console will allow you to suffer less crap and play games more focusing on the gaming part.. but it may end up with a lot of free-to-play microtransaction hell, and loads of flash/mobile types of games.
Damn, in the past we had lots of high production value 320x200 games, and AAA titles that showed you a 30 second intro about an alien overlord destroying a city then dropped you straight into action from start to finish
But I agree so much we've just aged, too.
I don't know. Never owned a PS3 or X360.
I wonder if the Ouya console will allow you to suffer less crap and play games more focusing on the gaming part.. but it may end up with a lot of free-to-play microtransaction hell, and loads of flash/mobile types of games.
Damn, in the past we had lots of high production value 320x200 games, and AAA titles that showed you a 30 second intro about an alien overlord destroying a city then dropped you straight into action from start to finish
But I agree so much we've just aged, too.
achievement is usefull if correctly worded. Some are just badly worded that does not reveal what secret it entails. And there are also many annoying SECRET Achievement that just shown as BLANK. Very popular on japan games.
btw achievements pop can be disabled
btw achievements pop can be disabled
I completely concur with the idiocy of gamification in a lot of games. eg. Uncharted's "escape the burning building", where you ignore completely the realism of the situation and go routing thorough the death-trap in pursuit of shinies. I also find most games somewhat boring or repetitive, although I'm not playing as much as I used to. Didn't like XCom. Uninterested in replaying U3. Played Borderlands a zillion times, but lack of available time means I only play small-scale games now so no Borderlands 2 for me.
In answer to the OP, I think it's both. Games are being simplified and dumbed down. In part I like that, because they can be streamlined and sped up. But they are also lacking intellectual engagement (the games I've played), and that's a real issue for me, same as with movies. I've also changed my interests, choosing not to get sucked into epic games any more. Latest thing I've played was Puzzle Quest 2 on Android, which wasn't a patch on the original on PS3 - simplified for the masses IMO. Before that I was playing some small download arcade game or other.
I'm just not gaming much. Which is probably how it should be. Most hobbies people partake in consume a few hours a week maybe, and not the whole nights and weekends that computer games are known for. Anyone who used to sink a trillion hours a week into gaming who now finds themselves only playing a bit here and there is probably developing a healthy resistance to gaming's draws, and will have more time for other types of fun. The end result is better balance in gamers and a challenging market for developers.
I barely read any posts in this games forum...
In answer to the OP, I think it's both. Games are being simplified and dumbed down. In part I like that, because they can be streamlined and sped up. But they are also lacking intellectual engagement (the games I've played), and that's a real issue for me, same as with movies. I've also changed my interests, choosing not to get sucked into epic games any more. Latest thing I've played was Puzzle Quest 2 on Android, which wasn't a patch on the original on PS3 - simplified for the masses IMO. Before that I was playing some small download arcade game or other.
I'm just not gaming much. Which is probably how it should be. Most hobbies people partake in consume a few hours a week maybe, and not the whole nights and weekends that computer games are known for. Anyone who used to sink a trillion hours a week into gaming who now finds themselves only playing a bit here and there is probably developing a healthy resistance to gaming's draws, and will have more time for other types of fun. The end result is better balance in gamers and a challenging market for developers.
I barely read any posts in this games forum...
I honestly find Borderlands boring, the reason being all those weapons you loot and obtain aren't worth shit because the game will always untill the very end keep throwing mega bullet sponges at you. I practically gave up the game at the point where I had to go and kill 4 of these huge guys in a small area with little to no cover and having smaller enemies that took out chucks of your health while you fought these bigger ones wasn't much fun either. I said it wasn't fun because I had the most powerful weapon I could obtain, infact more powerful that what I could've had at that point in game (due to grinding) yet it was of no use because it only took like 1% of their life for one sniper shot.
I despise Dead Space 3 and Tomb Raider for constantly throwing the main character in unrealistic cool looking (but ultimately silly) cinematic "set piece" situations over and over and over again. It's so laughable in Tomb raider, EVERY and I literally mean every cinematic situation has something to do with the floor collapsing and lara slipping off. Do it once and it amazes the audience do it over and over again and it becomes monotonous. It's like the killing of POV character in MW2, it was shocking in MW1 but stale in MW2 just because of how many times they did it.
I despise Dead Space 3 and Tomb Raider for constantly throwing the main character in unrealistic cool looking (but ultimately silly) cinematic "set piece" situations over and over and over again. It's so laughable in Tomb raider, EVERY and I literally mean every cinematic situation has something to do with the floor collapsing and lara slipping off. Do it once and it amazes the audience do it over and over again and it becomes monotonous. It's like the killing of POV character in MW2, it was shocking in MW1 but stale in MW2 just because of how many times they did it.
There are still more big budget games for 'hardcore' gamers than for casuals, and I wouldn't mind if more games catered to both ends. Games that have exploration and narrative should allow you to skip the combat entirely if you wanted to and vice versa. And we should definitely not stop getting games that are just really good gameplay and nothing else. This is what I had against some of the harder games - not that it is hard and I keep dying, but that thee are too many animations and cutscenes, however small, that get thrown back in my face every time I die ...
But in general, there are just more games, period, for a larger audience. Investments and monetization will just have to adjust. I'm sure that eventually I'll be able to buy games on iOS devices again hat I can just own, instead of rent, and until that time I hope the Vita keeps getting a lot of games I can still just buy.
But in general, there are just more games, period, for a larger audience. Investments and monetization will just have to adjust. I'm sure that eventually I'll be able to buy games on iOS devices again hat I can just own, instead of rent, and until that time I hope the Vita keeps getting a lot of games I can still just buy.
That's Borderlands 2, right? Sounds like an issue with them tweaking to negative result. I hate games that use bullet sponges; it's just stupid and tedious. I want some degree of clever solutions instead of monotonous ones. You get bosses who you know you can kill as long as you spend 20 minutes doing the same thing over and over, but the game punishes you for a fault which is frustrating, not fun or a challenge. If I'm going to be held to some such repetition, I'd rather it were developing a skill with application elsewhere such as perfecting guitar chord changes. That's getting worse with pay-to-win gaming trying to bore you into spending more money. Great incentive, Mr. Game Designer.
The other real killer in story driven games is when they change the rules. Uncharted was very guilty of this. You have baddies that you shoot until they die, and then you suddenly have a boss who is bulletproof with no indication other than the first five times of trying to shoot him to death, you fail. Then you twig its a random change in the rules and you have to hide until the right moment to melee, and repeat three times. It's unnatural and contrived, and that sort of thing deters me from playing computer games. You know at some point it's going to turn stupid because the designers are just following game-design 101 as established in 1984.
Billy Idol
Legend
Borderlands 2 is one if the best games I have ever played.
I am very selective now when buying games. But the gaming bones in me are still active. The thing that caught my attention in Cerny's presentation is his remark about gamers doing more than just play games these days. They discuss games and they share media/experiences. It's all part of the "game" now. We see stats that many people don't complete their games. And we also see people spend hundreds per month on games regardless of whether they are on iOS or home console. Perhaps the medium has matured over the years to accommodate everyone.
For me, while I play fewer games, I am still engaging in the wider gaming activities. Mostly, I'm using game mechanics to teach kids in my circle.
Children are attracted to games naturally. They like to track their scores and see improvement. They like to be entertained. I look for assorted tools and projects for my son to create his own games and projects. These days, in elementary school, they learn how to make video using iMovie. I teach him Scratch programming, and simple h/w projects to make custom Halloween costumes. Technologies are becoming more and more accessible. I think if the vendors keep an open mind, there are a lot of opportunities for a business to grow up with these digitally savvy kids.
I'm more interested in cooperative games today too, great solo games are still fine by me, but they are so rare now...
Also, I don't have the reflexes I used to have and anything that's just based on that is of little interest to me.
I end up waiting for a few select game designers' creations.
Also, I don't have the reflexes I used to have and anything that's just based on that is of little interest to me.
I end up waiting for a few select game designers' creations.
That's Borderlands 2, right? Sounds like an issue with them tweaking to negative result. I hate games that use bullet sponges; it's just stupid and tedious. I want some degree of clever solutions instead of monotonous ones. You get bosses who you know you can kill as long as you spend 20 minutes doing the same thing over and over, but the game punishes you for a fault which is frustrating, not fun or a challenge. If I'm going to be held to some such repetition, I'd rather it were developing a skill with application elsewhere such as perfecting guitar chord changes. That's getting worse with pay-to-win gaming trying to bore you into spending more money. Great incentive, Mr. Game Designer.
The other real killer in story driven games is when they change the rules. Uncharted was very guilty of this. You have baddies that you shoot until they die, and then you suddenly have a boss who is bulletproof with no indication other than the first five times of trying to shoot him to death, you fail. Then you twig its a random change in the rules and you have to hide until the right moment to melee, and repeat three times. It's unnatural and contrived, and that sort of thing deters me from playing computer games. You know at some point it's going to turn stupid because the designers are just following game-design 101 as established in 1984.
Yes Borderlands 2.
I honestly love a lot of things about Borderlands 2, the world, the humour, the coolness but the shooting is downright tedious and unfun. No two ways about it, simply because of the bullet sponge enemies. Every boss fight is just a tedious 10-20 minute grind where you do the same thing over and over again, no tactics nothing...then you die, come back and do it all over again, until the boss is dead. I cannot see how this is even close to being one of the best so far as the gameplay goes for an FPS game.
I guess one of the reasons I'm not bored with games yet is because I get them all typically for $2 to $15 on Steam. The reason that's helped is that since I get the games so cheap I don't feel obliged to play them to death. I play every game I get until I'm bored, then I get rid of it. Sometimes that happens in 10 minutes, sometimes 30 minutes, sometimes 30 hours, whatever it takes, the instant I'm no longer having fun I delete it and move on. That has kept gaming fresh for me, plus games being so cheap means I never feel burned if the game isn't amazing. I also don't play large amounts anymore.
if only i have the patience to wait game discounts
That is very annoying and it gets criticized by lots of gamer on the internet too (dont know on the non-internet world).
Mega Man also does that, but the game explained that this is a BOSS battle and this is a different from normal grunts.
Portal series cleverly retain its main gameplay mechanic on boss battle and clearly explain what the player need to do to win the battle.
That is very annoying and it gets criticized by lots of gamer on the internet too (dont know on the non-internet world).
Mega Man also does that, but the game explained that this is a BOSS battle and this is a different from normal grunts.
Portal series cleverly retain its main gameplay mechanic on boss battle and clearly explain what the player need to do to win the battle.
It's both.
I'm 31. It's not that I have less time to play games now, it's that there are things I actually enjoy doing more. When I was 18, I didn't like reading the news. I didn't have a wife to talk to, and I enjoyed being awake all night.
For example, I've tried to play some old DOS classics recently. I did manage to complete X-COM: UFO Defense, but I can't make it through Panzer General. The latter is a fantastic game, but it takes so damn long to play. I can't stare at it for six straight hours like I could when I was younger. It feels like a waste of time because at my stage of life, it is a waste of time. Dark Souls, Dragon Age: Awakening, and Dead Island are all very good games from what I've played of them. Who knows if I'll ever complete them?
I think multiplayer FPSes are a lot more fun. I have put in ~115 hrs on BlOps1 and ~101 hrs on BlOps2. In neither game am I even halfway to max prestige. I probably put around that much into WaW, and I know I put in over 200 hours on MAG. I don't think I played any online FPS that much in the good old days. Maybe TFC, but nothing else.
But some stuff is worse. Single-player FPS campaigns are freaking crap. They were fun when you were basically thrown in a maze and had to survive and find your way out. Resource management & scavenging mattered, and some enemies were a huge threat just by themselves. Doom and Quake II had more in common with survival horror games than modern FPSes. Now you just run through a gauntlet and trigger cutscenes. BORING!
I'm 31. It's not that I have less time to play games now, it's that there are things I actually enjoy doing more. When I was 18, I didn't like reading the news. I didn't have a wife to talk to, and I enjoyed being awake all night.
For example, I've tried to play some old DOS classics recently. I did manage to complete X-COM: UFO Defense, but I can't make it through Panzer General. The latter is a fantastic game, but it takes so damn long to play. I can't stare at it for six straight hours like I could when I was younger. It feels like a waste of time because at my stage of life, it is a waste of time. Dark Souls, Dragon Age: Awakening, and Dead Island are all very good games from what I've played of them. Who knows if I'll ever complete them?
I think multiplayer FPSes are a lot more fun. I have put in ~115 hrs on BlOps1 and ~101 hrs on BlOps2. In neither game am I even halfway to max prestige. I probably put around that much into WaW, and I know I put in over 200 hours on MAG. I don't think I played any online FPS that much in the good old days. Maybe TFC, but nothing else.
But some stuff is worse. Single-player FPS campaigns are freaking crap. They were fun when you were basically thrown in a maze and had to survive and find your way out. Resource management & scavenging mattered, and some enemies were a huge threat just by themselves. Doom and Quake II had more in common with survival horror games than modern FPSes. Now you just run through a gauntlet and trigger cutscenes. BORING!
Kameradschaft
Regular
I wouldn't be that harsh but yeah you're right in that we're getting a lot of different games today especially with the XBLA/PSN and indie scene on the PC...people who are getting tired of the AAA titles should definitely look in the indie scene, there are a lot of great games in there.
Now to answer the OP's question, it's weird but I feel the same for both of the examples you brought up...I loved the first Bioshock and had a good time with the first Borderlands yet I got bored of Borderlands 2 quickly and Infinite is an inferior version of the first excellent game IMO with worse atmosphere, bad pacing, lots and lots of shooting and less exploration.
Both games give me the feeling that I've been there and done that already which is mostly the case these days with the vast majority of the AAA games, I played recently the new Tomb Raider for about 2 hours on a friend and it was so predictable and shallow mechanics wise that I have no intention of playing it in the future...I don't see the point of dedicating my time on a soulless game like this. I'd rather play an unpolished game that tries to do something new instead of a polished to hell game with dumbed down "press forward and A to win" mechanics and full of scripted set-pieces.
That being said I'm also 31 and my gaming time is quite limited to what was in the past but I still love playing a good game so yeah I'm pretty sure that it's the videogames that have changed and not me.
Isn't the top kids game today Minecraft?
Perhaps, although I don't feel that's happened to me. Too much of the same is more what has cheapened brands to me, not the price that I paid for the game. I do think it explains why I'm not so bitter towards games though compared to others. If a game suddenly seems silly, I would just delete it rather than slog through it for another 5 hours. If "that section was no fun" well I wouldn't know because I would have stopped playing it the instant I wasn't enjoying it anymore. Frustrating boss? Don't know, I would have quit and deleted the game. Because of that games are still pure fun to me although I likely do play substantially less than most here. Ultimately with 8 games still in my Steam library, and 17 more sitting in my wishlist that will likely be bought in thr $2 to $15 range means I will never run out of awesome cheap gaming.
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