I don't want a next generation of gaming consoles

[Cronson]

Awesome rant. The way graphics have improved, it makes me wonder if they're sort of on a parabola where we'll only see them getting slightly better, or better in less obvious ways than the way they exponentially improved through the 80's and 90's.

[noiseredux]

if I were going to buy a current gen, I'd get a Wii because there's the VC and a handful of retro-ish games (NSMB, CvT, etc) but really it's just not enough to take interest away from my Gamecube and GBA.

[Anayo]

if I were going to buy a current gen, I'd get a Wii because there's the VC and a handful of retro-ish games (NSMB, CvT, etc) but really it's just not enough to take interest away from my Gamecube and GBA.

Get a PSP with custom firmware. With all the emulation available for it, it's a retro-lover's dream.

[noiseredux]

if I were going to buy a current gen, I'd get a Wii because there's the VC and a handful of retro-ish games (NSMB, CvT, etc) but really it's just not enough to take interest away from my Gamecube and GBA.

Get a PSP with custom firmware. With all the emulation available for it, it's a retro-lover's dream.

had one. Sold it. I don't like emulators. I like these:

[Anayo]

if I were going to buy a current gen, I'd get a Wii because there's the VC and a handful of retro-ish games (NSMB, CvT, etc) but really it's just not enough to take interest away from my Gamecube and GBA.

Get a PSP with custom firmware. With all the emulation available for it, it's a retro-lover's dream.

had one. Sold it. I don't like emulators. I like these:

Oh, don't get me wrong, I love original hardware too (you should see my Genny and Saturn collections). I just don't expect to ever own it all. Like Earth Bound. Or Snatcher. With the PSP it's at least on a slick little handheld instead of a ghetto computer keyboard.

[noiseredux]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I love original hardware too (you should see my Genny and Saturn collections). I just don't expect to ever own it all. Like Earth Bound. Or Snatcher. With the PSP it's at least on a slick little handheld instead of a ghetto computer keyboard.

I understand. But a lot of my collecting is revisiting my youth. And it seems like that means a lot more to me with something tangible than with a ROM. (Plus, the PSP's buttons suck -- at least on the Phat I owned).

[Anayo]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I love original hardware too (you should see my Genny and Saturn collections). I just don't expect to ever own it all. Like Earth Bound. Or Snatcher. With the PSP it's at least on a slick little handheld instead of a ghetto computer keyboard.

I understand. But a lot of my collecting is revisiting my youth. And it seems like that means a lot more to me with something tangible than with a ROM. (Plus, the PSP's buttons suck -- at least on the Phat I owned).

I agree. PSP buttons are mediocre.

I don't expect the PSP to replace my Real McCoy systems, but it's nice for playing stuff I'll never have for real (or that I'm just too lazy to buy).

[noiseredux]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I love original hardware too (you should see my Genny and Saturn collections). I just don't expect to ever own it all. Like Earth Bound. Or Snatcher. With the PSP it's at least on a slick little handheld instead of a ghetto computer keyboard.

I understand. But a lot of my collecting is revisiting my youth. And it seems like that means a lot more to me with something tangible than with a ROM. (Plus, the PSP's buttons suck -- at least on the Phat I owned).

I agree. PSP buttons are mediocre.

I don't expect the PSP to replace my Real McCoy systems, but it's nice for playing stuff I'll never have for real (or that I'm just too lazy to buy).

but that's my point. I'd rather have less games. The effort I put into finding a game makes it more important to me. And ultimately, I play it more.

[septimus]

You know what... I was sort of thinking the same thing as the OP recently when I gave No More Heroes 2 a try. I enjoyed the little "8-bit" mini games way more than the primary game.

[Gamerforlife]

Excellent, well thought post by the topic creator. That being said, I completely disagree with all of it. A lack of good stories and characters you care about are NOT what's wrong with today's games. There are TONS of games with great stories, memorable characters you care about and cinematic qualities, some of which were already mentioned by the TC like the Mass Effect series. In face, Bioware does this better than just about ANYONE with their games.

The REAL problem with today's games in my opinion is the abstract, unrealistic and just plain LAUGHABLE gameplay. One of the reasons you can't really compare games to movies is because movies have rules to play by and games don't. Man gets shot in movie, he gets seriously hurt or dies. Man gets shot in video game, he barely even acknowledges it, because in video games characters are immortal beings with refillable health bars and bullets just bounce of them. This means that no matter how fucking amazing the graphics are, the games still seem fake, unrealistic and are completely devoid of any immersive quality. Until we overcome this, gaming will never be "next gen" and will always seem like the still immature little kid amongst entertainment mediums

I noticed the TC mentioned a lot of shooters being devoid of stories or characters to care about. That's unfortunately the nature of the beast. Shooters are big money today and most of the dumbasses(and I'm not referring to anyone on this forum when I say that) who buy them just want big guns, big explosions and a multi-player mode to lose hundreds of hours in. This isn't true of every shooter fan, but it general this is a genre catering to the lowest common denominator who don't care about story and character. There are better genres for finding characters and stories to care about, rpgs being the most obvious

As for Zelda, I think the franchise represents some of the WORST story telling in the entire industry. Every game just boils down to Link fights Ganon, saves Zelda and ultimately everything else in the story just doesn't matter. Nothing has really changed since the original Zelda on the NES

And since we mentioned Half Life, I have to say I had a MAJOR problem with Gordon Freeman having no voice and personality. It RUINS the story, making it hard to really give a shit about anyone who interacts with him because it all seems so fake. When people talk to you YOU ANSWER THEM!! Gordon Freeman's constant silence always reminded me that Half Life 2 was just a silly game and made it IMPOSSIBLE for me to get more invested in the story and the characters. And I certainly don't give a crap about Gordon, as he's nothing more than just some robot with a gun and no personality whatsoever. Was Valve seriously trying to create a romance between Alex and Gordon and expecting anyone to care when one half of that relationship isn't even a real person but just a robot with no voice, no soul, no anything?