What happened to games?

[RCBH928]

I know the title is very general, but it is an invite to a discussion.
Last night I was with my friends looking at this ps3 which we only have
1 game, PES 2009 or 2008. Somehow Resistance 2 was forgotten by someone else.

So we popped it in. I didn't get a chance to play, but the person who was playing after a while said "This game is extremely boring" and shut it down. I would argue that people are of different tastes in gaming, and that this guy maybe is an RPG/sports genre guy, but he happens to really like COD4.
So , whatever happened to games?
Here is an action filled game, with mind-blowing graphics, it is really neat and all, yet people find it boring, they don't even pay attention to it. This is not the first time such thing happens. I remember back in the day, when a good game is out everyone is hunting for it. People would play for hours and hours, and it is what to talk about for a good couple of weeks at least. Now we have this "This game is extremely boring" .
To him it was so bad he did not want to play any more.

Do you think that we got too much of a good thing? That most games out there reached a level where they are in top quality? Are great graphics an expected luxury now? There was a time when people will talk about the game's graphics, and would buy it for its graphics. I see that less and less today.

The other thing is , that I noticed people are starting to look back at older games and enjoying them more than current generation. Sales from VC and XBL is enough proof I guess. Are we seeing some kind of revolution in gaming? Will games go back to 2d? Are people looking for something other than 3D graphics?
Care to join the discussion?

[kingdomheights777]

I enjoy a good 2D side scroller over a "beautiful" next gen shovel ware any day. I truly hope that studios will come to the realization that more and more people want our 2D games redone with redrawn sprites, but keep the game play the same.

[otaku]

well it may just be nostalgia on our part because I don't hear these complaints from younger gamers (like my brother or cousins etc) but yes I have been significantly less happy gaming wise since the DC died however we can still play (and even discover new) old games. And there are enough new games to keep you busy (if your like me and don't have much free time) each system has some good titles worth having.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

No games wont go strictly back to 2D, thats silly to think. I find old games just as fun as new games, and for the record, I have friends that play a game once, and leave it on the shelf for the rest of eternity. I dont think games have degraded much, I just think there are to many games worth playing now, and that causes all the slightly mediocre not 100% awesome games to feel completely worthless. Also, people do still buy games for the graphics (Crysis and Killzone 2 anyone? I feel like im the only one that actually enjoys the gameplay in Crysis more than the graphics! 128MB nVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M and minimum quality FTW!!)

[IcKy99]

i just think there are too many good games out there, its overwhelming. i still have not completed bioshock, devil may cry 4, sonic unleashed, GTA4, skate2, skate, and a crapload more! and the thing is your friend probably didnt care for resistence's "feel", COD and Resistance are very different in pace, where COD is more fast paced, so he probably finds resistance "boring"

[Flak Beard]

I enjoy new games just as much as retro titles, but that in itself is a problem. New games come with new price tags, which is hard to warrant when the experience feels the same as before. Honestly, this generation I've rented way more than I used to, so I'm able to play new releases. All the 360 games I own I've either gotten as presents on holidays or found in clearance bins.

I agree with the statement about market saturation. Were getting to a point where there are so many games past and present, it's tough to decide what to spend your time on. I used to be on top of playing all the big games and following previews/reviews for advice, but I've gotten to a point where it all just feels like too much. It's made the hobby not nearly as enjoyable. I remember a time when I only had allowance to buy games with, and a couple of screenshots from a magazine to go on. I'd buy one game every two months and play (and love) the shit out of it.

I miss those days. The internet has stolen the mystery and wonderment of gaming in some regards.

[kingdomheights777]

The internet has stolen the mystery and wonderment of gaming in some regards.[/quote]

I agree totally, but also think , with the internet and early reviews of the games help us from being stuck with a turd.

[Flak Beard]

I agree totally, but also think , with the internet and early reviews of the games help us from being stuck with a turd.

This is true. I've wouldn't have found some of the more obscure titles otherwise.

Things I try to avoid are some of the major gaming sites and meta reviews. I'm at the point where if something looks fun to play, I go for it.

[DCsegaDH]

I like the older games better,but Gears of War & COD is fun every once in a while.I don't really care too much about graphics,but GoW is beautiful on my HDTV.I also miss the old days when the games were cheaper and more simple to play.

[noiseredux]

2D is where it's at. I'll take MegaMan over nearly anything anytime.