Do you like the direction video games are going In?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Your consoles are becoming more and more like half-assed PCs.

Anyways, I'm not particularly bothered with the direction games are going. I don't like download only, but I certainly don't mind it. I'm also not a big fan of how big Steam has become in the PC industry, so big that a good 80% of the games I buy require it as DRM regardless if I bought it from GamersGate or Walmart instead. There are a lot of older style games I love, and they actually seem to be re-surging through the indie market. There's even a spiritual successor to Herzog Zwei coming out (Air-Mech. It's F2P!). Speaking of F2P, I love F2P when it's done correctly, and I could actually see gaming at least on PC move more towards F2P, especially FPS games which almost have to be free in order to survive in a PC world dominated by TF2.

In my eyes, because of how long this generation has lasted on consoles, PC gaming is actually picking up again. Mind you, I never thought it was dying, it just wasn't very good compared to they way it was in the 90s. Now I think a lot of people are turning towards PC due to the lack of new and interesting things on consoles, and the general leap in technology. Not to mention it's actually quite cheap to get into PC gaming at this point. Even if the initial investment is higher, games tend to be much cheaper, or at least provide more benefits on PC.

Luckily, preservation of old titles, and introducing them to younger audiences, seems to actually be doing pretty well. With sites like GoG it's pretty easy to get into retro gaming on PC, and unlike running your old 486 based machine, there's no hardware worries with GoG. Then there are the countless emulators.

/wakingupramble

[marlowe221]

It's difficult to answer the question in the OP.

In what direction ARE they going?

As gamer old enough to remember the NES era, things seem very uncertain right now. Will PC gaming take over completely? Will any of the console manufacturers be able to sufficiently differentiate their products from PC? Are hard copies really on their way out? Will Nintendo's new console be successful? Will it be powerful enough (whatever that means)? Will Sony be financially able to stay in the hardware business?

For me, it would be necessary to know the answers to all of these questions (and more) in order to address the question in the OP. And I don't think anyone really knows the answers.

In a way I feel like the whole industry is kind of holding its breath, like it's waiting for someting. I just don't know what.

It may be bad form to quote Dickens on a video game forum but....

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... ...it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity... ...it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair... we had everything before us, we had nothing before us..."

I think that pretty well sums it up.

[AppleQueso]

^One has to wonder if that uncertainty you speak of is simply a side-effect of having such an extended console generation.

[Gunstar Green]

^One has to wonder if that uncertainty you speak of is simply a side-effect of having such an extended console generation.

I think it most certainly does. Everybody is watching everybody else waiting for them to make a move so that they'll know what the next big thing is instead of having to take the risk themselves.

[pankakes123]

Nintendo wise, I LOVE the direction consoles are going in. Nintendo has innovated with motion controls on the Wii and are innovating now with the tablet controller (and some motion controls) on Wii U. These control schemes greatly separate Nintendo consoles from a PC, and Nintendo consoles also generally have many quirky Japanese games that give them libraries with a strong "console feel".

Microsoft and Sony however are not innovating at all, only improving graphics for each generation, and are constantly spewing AAA PC ports out of their asses.

People keep saying that consoles will die after this generation but I strongly believe Nintendo will still be making consoles, and then also smaller, cheaper systems like Ouya will become Nintendo's new competition in the console market. The Wii U, as well as cheap gaming devices like the Ouya, are affordable and innovative and they really define what consoles are all about when compared to PCs.

So I'd say I'm mixed on the subject. I think it is great that we are seeing more indie games than ever released on both consoles and PC, and I also really like the innovation coming from Nintendo in the console market. Japanese games seem to keep getting better and better, and a lot of comic book style western games have been really fun as of late such as Arkham City, Darksiders 2, etc.

However, I do believe there are far too many AAA games these days, and the Xbox and PS brands are feeling REALLY stale right now.

[marlowe221]

^One has to wonder if that uncertainty you speak of is simply a side-effect of having such an extended console generation.

I think it most certainly does. Everybody is watching everybody else waiting for them to make a move so that they'll know what the next big thing is instead of having to take the risk themselves.

I agree that this is a big factor.

[ninjainspandex]

Only Ron Paul and the Dreamcast 2 can save us now

[Jrecee]

Or Gary Johnson and the Racketboy Drive.

[J T]

The videogame industry seems to be going in all directions, rather than one unified direction. There are highly polished games that push the boundaries of graphical and auditory realism, there are quirky indie games, experimental games with novel gameplay, there are retro throwbacks in the form of re-releases, HD upgrades, and games with a retro style, there are casual games, games that use motion sensors, games that use peripheral devices, games that are meant to improve your physique or your cognitive abilities, there are games that try to provide an interactive cinematic experience, games that try to give you total freedom, games that tell a story, games that are just games and eschew story, games that are free, games that are online, competive games, cooperative games....

I could go on, but my point is really that there is no single direction that video games are going right now and I love that about them.

[garrett123]

So what you're saying is...the world isn't big enough for PC gaming and console gaming to co-exist

They co-existed back in the Genesis/SNES and Saturn/PS1/N64/Dreamcast days so I don't see why they couldn't co-exist now. PCs had RPGs, FPS, strategy and adventure games while consoles had JRPGs, platformers, fighters/beat em ups and SHMUPs. Sure there were fighters and platformers on PCs and there were FPS games on consoles but there was a more clear distinction between the two. PCs had more immersive and intellectually challenging games that had a slower pace (except in some FPS games) while consoles had more reflex and skill based games with arcade roots that we're quick to get into/pick up and play. Both had their own merits and offered unique and pure gaming experiences.

I miss those days. Those various console genres seem to be slowing dying now. Ironic, since for years now people have talked about how it would be PC gaming that would die. If anything, it's slowly taking over console gaming

what your saying sounds similar to another forum topic I made, which didnt catch on
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 44&t=39534