Is gaming becoming stagnant or am i just getting jaded?(some thoughts)

[Himu]

My favorite years are 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2004.

1998:

Final Fantasy Tactics (PS)
Tekken 3 (PS)
Parasite Eve (PS)
StarCraft (Win)
Panzer Dragoon Saga (Sat)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Win)
Spyro the Dragon (PS)
Fallout 2 (Win)
Pokémon Red and Blue (GB)
Xenogears (PS)
Metal Gear Solid (PS)
Grim Fandango (Win)
Half-Life (Win)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (Win)
Brave Fencer Musashi (PS)
Daytona USA 2 (arc)
Devil Dice (PS)
Heart of Darkness (PS)
MediEvil (PS)
No One Can Stop Mr. Domino! (PS)
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus (PS, PC)
R-Type Delta (PS)
Ridge Racer 4 (PS)
Radiant Silvergun (SAT)
RayCrysis (ARC)
Soul Calibur (ARC)
Tenchu (PS)

How does Alpha Centuari hold up?  It's the only thing on that list I never tried besides Pokemon which I have no interest in ever playing.

It owns, of course. Has some of the best writing in gaming while containing extremely deep gameplay.

Himuro's list of 1998 leaves off a bunch of good games (while including stuff like Spyro) I'm checking wiki and it's pretty amazing how many good games came out then.

Resident Evil 2
Baldur's Gate 1
Thief 1
Shogo
TRIBES ()

Spyro's not bad. I swear I put in RE2. Haven't played BG1 or Shogo.

[cool breeze]

lol Clive Barker's Undying came out in 2001.  I remember playing the demo when it first came out and wanting to buy it because you could shoot energy out of your hand like in Dragon Ball Z.  That's a weird memory to have.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Gitaroo Man, never forget
2001 also had FreQuency, which doesn't float my boat but some people consider Best Music Game of All Time

2009-2010 seems to be a real gaming nexus. ME2 alone is an era-defining gold star. I guess the MW2 effect made a lot of 2009 gaming goodness slip into the first four months of 2010.

[demi]

Yawn, nostalgia thread

Time to move on guys. Gaming still alive and well today.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

1998 also had Einhander

[Himu]

Gitaroo Man, never forget
2001 also had FreQuency, which doesn't float my boat but some people consider Best Music Game of All Time

2009-2010 seems to be a real gaming nexus. ME2 alone is an era-defining gold star. I guess the MW2 effect made a lot of 2009 gaming goodness slip into the first four months of 2010.

2009 was a pretty good year for me, looking back. In previous years (2008, 2007) I was really bummed and let down on many games I was hyped for (DMC4, GTA4;etc) but in 2009 almost every game I wanted to play met my expectations and then some.

And 2010 starts out with ME2. Not bad.

1998 also had Einhander

omfg

[cool breeze]

Yawn, nostalgia thread

Time to move on guys. Gaming still alive and well today.

The point is that gaming has been, still is, and will be awesome 

Spyro's not bad. I swear I put in RE2. Haven't played BG1 or Shogo.

I first played Spyro last year and I don't think it is very good put up against other games around the same time.  It's not bad, but if you're looking at great games released in a year, it would be like putting MAG as a notable 2010 release.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

1998 also had Einhander

omfg

 

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

 

[Himu]

  psx era Square

[bork]

'98 also brought Street Fighter Alpha 3, Marvel Vs. Capcom, Real Bout 2, and The King Of Fighters '98 on the 2D fighting front.  The original Bust-A-Move (AKA Bust-A-Groove), Ehrgeiz, and I think Rival Schools also came out.  Plus the Dreamcast launched in Japan.  Nothing too notable on that front, but Sonic Adventure did hit before the year ended.

[Bebpo]

2009 was really good.  The lowest game on my personal top10 I'd still give above a 9.0.  Sure some of it was import exclusive like S&P2 (best rail shooter ever) & SMT SJ/Tales of Graces, but SFIV, Uncharted 2, DEMON SOULS, NSMB Wii, Assassin's Creed 2, ODST (yeah most of you hate it; w/e), Dragon's Age (I don't like it but most of you did; w/e), Borderlands (I didn't care for it, but most of you did; w/e), Batman, Trials HD, Williams HoF, ZOMG Cave ports, and a huge selection of great indie games like Machinarium, Time Gentlemen Please, Torchlight, and ton of others.  Maybe 2009 wasn't the year HUGE HYPED GAMES (THAT DISAPPOINT; that was 2007-2008) but it was the year of games actually paying off and being high quality HD games (or actually good Wii games), something we hadn't seen in the last 3-4 years of this generation.

2010 is going to be a continuation of that.  But so far there's not much announced for post first three months so it's hard to judge.  KH BBS, ME2, Bayonetta (which also could go in 2009) are very strong titles, but they're still only 3 games.  2010 is going to need A LOT of games of that caliber to beat out 2009.  Maybe it will...dunno.  Announcements need to happen soon!

[Himu]

2010 is going to be a continuation of that.  But so far there's not much announced for post first three months so it's hard to judge.  KH BBS, ME2, Bayonetta (which also could go in 2009) are very strong titles, but they're still only 3 games.  2010 is going to need A LOT of games of that caliber to beat out 2009.  Maybe it will...dunno.  Announcements need to happen soon!

Well for us non-importers, the first three months are ridiculous.

Mass Effect 2 is out, but there's also Battlefield Bad Company 2, Strange Journey, Sakura Wars 5, Final Fantasy 13, Sega Racing, Heavy Rain, Bayonetta and more. So I don't know what you're talking about.

[Bebpo]

2010 is going to be a continuation of that.  But so far there's not much announced for post first three months so it's hard to judge.  KH BBS, ME2, Bayonetta (which also could go in 2009) are very strong titles, but they're still only 3 games.  2010 is going to need A LOT of games of that caliber to beat out 2009.  Maybe it will...dunno.  Announcements need to happen soon!

Well for us non-importers, the first three months are ridiculous.

Mass Effect 2 is out, but there's also Battlefield Bad Company 2, Strange Journey, Sakura Wars 5, Final Fantasy 13, Sega Racing, Heavy Rain, Bayonetta and more. So I don't know what you're talking about.

Sakura Wars 5 is supposed to be the worst in the series besides the action game, I dunno how that will turn out.  FF13 does not belong on that list.  Isn't Sega Racing just Daytona upscaled or something and still at 15fps?  Oh wait, you're talking about the Kart Racer? 

It'll be cool if Heavy Rain is good.  I don't expect it to be, but the first 1/4th of Indigo was great so if HR is like that but for the entire game I could see it paying off.  Likewise I don't expect Bioshock 2 to be great, but maybe it will.

[Beezy]

I will not acknowledge 2010's greatness if I don't get a good Mirror's Edge sequel with a soundtrack by Solar Fields again.

[etiolate]

You're jaded and mixed with nostalgia for a past that never was.

Like most forum posters.

Not really. 16 bit era variety shits all over current gaming. Sure, there was a lot of SF2 clones, but you still got Uniracers, ZAMN, Ecco, Faceball, etc.

edit: Not to mention PC wise that Sim City is released around this era and MUDs, the precursor to MMOs, and the first great FPS titles emerge all at this same period from the later half of the 16bit era and the early 32 bit era.

[etiolate]

Historically, the early 80s was probably the most open to anything being a game because standards of gaming had yet to be formed, but things tended more towards simple action games due to hardware. The 16 bit era refined a lot of what pre-existed, along with adding all sorts of interesting new sorts of games, while PC gaming saw the birth of some of its biggest contributions to genres at the time. Afterwards though, I'd say those genres born became so popular they consumed the other genres and PC gaming started to slim down in variety. Consoles still kept their variety and I think that is partly due to them being viable in more parts of the world at the time. You had east and west throwing in ideas on consoles, but PC gaming stayed western bound. Then, and I blame Microsoft and the Xbox for this, the PC's uber genre mentality started to come into consoles and variety started shrinking.

And now indie games seem to be the place for variety, and that brings it back to PC gaming in a way, but it still exists apart from the normal stream of games, and keeps it from ever being big budget or having the relative* exposure of a creative game idea in the 16 bit era.


*Relative, in that games are way more exposed to the public now, but indie games are an out of the way sort of thing. It's not on shelves, while a ZAMN was on shelves and highly featured in mags like EGM, which served as the highest exposure games normally got at the time.

[magus]

well it sure feels like gaming gets less wacky each year but i don't know the other side makes a compelling argument by saying "there has been a lot of crap in every year"

anyway time for me to pimp little king story

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

I thought there was nothing to play until I started playing games again.  I think the PS2 era is king and will always be but this generation has some good stuff out.

[Ichirou]

I think this generation is underwhelming compared to the previous one, but there's still plenty of good stuff out there and this is the generation where I've really started to be captivated by Western-made games.

[CHOW CHOW]

"damian79"...aren't you an nfag?  die in a fire

[AdmiralViscen]

I liked 2008 better than 2009, but it looks like 2010 will stomp both.

[Ichirou]

Looking back on it, PS2 is the console of the forever.

[archie4208]

You're jaded and/or nostalgic.  Games are better now than they have ever been.

[Great Rumbler]

Mass Effect 2 just came out. You should probably play that instead of weeping over your sealed copy of Actraiser.

[cool breeze]

Looking back on it, PS2 is the console of the forever.

that's a fact

[The Fake Shemp]

Nostalgia

[cool breeze]

The only negative thing I'd say about diversity this gen is a lot of other game types are blending with shooters now.  I don't think that's bad unless you hate completely hate shooters, which kinda ruins the argument for being close-minded.

and the jrpg selection is a bit weak, but w/e.

[Great Rumbler]

Nostalgia

I think nostalgia is fine, there's nothing fundamentally wrong about it. I'll talk all the time about how I really like anime from the 80's and what-not, BUT I don't let that get in the way of enjoying what's available right now. There are good games are there right now, some of them have massive budgets and some of them are made by two guys in a basement. If you want to know how to get them and what they're called, that's fine, but it's ridiculous to throw out a list of old games and then complain that "they just make the like they used to".

[Third]

"damian79"...aren't you an nfag?  die in a fire

Seriously, gaming nowadays is fine. Only if you're an ntard gaming will suck.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

The 16 bit generation is the most overrated one.  At least most people are able to admit that there are a few great games in a sea of shit for the 8 and 32/64 bit eras but you can't get anyone to concede for 16 bit.

Not surprising since the SNES or Genesis would be the system a lot of forum goers grew up with.

I agree with Willco.  Nostalgia is pretty lol.

[Purple Filth]

Nostalgia

I think nostalgia is fine, there's nothing fundamentally wrong about it. I'll talk all the time about how I really like anime from the 80's and what-not, BUT I don't let that get in the way of enjoying what's available right now. There are good games are there right now, some of them have massive budgets and some of them are made by two guys in a basement. If you want to know how to get them and what they're called, that's fine, but it's ridiculous to throw out a list of old games and then complain that "they just make the like they used to".

i agree with this.

You can have some nostalgia but don't let it cloud your judgement of current offerings.

[Stoney Mason]

There is nothing even wrong with liking certain time periods more than others. Certainly there are periods where I liked movies, TV shows, music more than other periods.

As long as you keep some perspective.

[Raban]

There is nothing even wrong with liking certain time periods more than others. Certainly there are periods where I liked movies, TV shows, music more than other periods.

As long as you keep some perspective.

That's the problem. Most people don't. Rose-colored glasses or bust.

[magus]

"damian79"...aren't you an nfag?  die in a fire

Seriously, gaming nowadays is fine. Only if you're an ntard gaming will suck.

bah i can't accept this,"gaming is fine and if you disagree you are a distinguished mentally-challenged fellow LOL" and if you say that you liked some older games better than the recent release you are "blinded by nostalgia"
what kind of argument is that?
many companies are ghost of what they were in the past,sega,konami,square,heck dare to say taito? wouldn't you say that you have quite a huge problem there?

[demi]

Nobody is saying you have to hate older games. I constantly mention older games I love.

The problem is people who are distinguished mentally-challenged to state that gaming was better back then than now.

Which is so far beyond truth it makes our genius brains hurt.

[bork]

"damian79"...aren't you an nfag?  die in a fire

Seriously, gaming nowadays is fine. Only if you're an ntard gaming will suck.

bah i can't accept this,"gaming is fine and if you disagree you are a distinguished mentally-challenged fellow LOL" and if you say that you liked some older games better than the recent release you are "blinded by nostalgia"
what kind of argument is that?
many companies are ghost of what they were in the past,sega,konami,square,heck dare to say taito? wouldn't you say that you have quite a huge problem there?

Those companies have gone downhill, but others have stepped up in their place.

[magus]

eh i don't know... who has taken the place of these company? and besides what if i don't like what has taken it's place instead? does that make me dumb?

[Bebpo]

Nostalgia

I think nostalgia is fine, there's nothing fundamentally wrong about it. I'll talk all the time about how I really like anime from the 80's and what-not, BUT I don't let that get in the way of enjoying what's available right now. There are good games are there right now, some of them have massive budgets and some of them are made by two guys in a basement. If you want to know how to get them and what they're called, that's fine, but it's ridiculous to throw out a list of old games and then complain that "they just make the like they used to".

As much as this is true with games, with anime notsomuch.  Even being objective, anime 2005-present is really fucking bad compared to 70s-2004.

[Stoney Mason]

eh i don't know... who has taken the place of these company? and besides what if i don't like what has taken it's place instead? does that make me dumb?

No but you have to realize a lot of people may not care or may like the current market better. It's fine to have a subjective opinion and voice that opinion. Just don't so easily extrapolate those views as if everyone does or must feel that way.

You had just as much crap as people complain about today as in any other era. People seem to forgot the litter of side scrolling platformers and 2-D fighting games that defined the 16 bit era.

[bork]

eh i don't know... who has taken the place of these company? and besides what if i don't like what has taken it's place instead? does that make me dumb?

More western developers have been stepping up and delivering the bigger titles that Japanese companies used to.

Nostalgia

I think nostalgia is fine, there's nothing fundamentally wrong about it. I'll talk all the time about how I really like anime from the 80's and what-not, BUT I don't let that get in the way of enjoying what's available right now. There are good games are there right now, some of them have massive budgets and some of them are made by two guys in a basement. If you want to know how to get them and what they're called, that's fine, but it's ridiculous to throw out a list of old games and then complain that "they just make the like they used to".

As much as this is true with games, with anime notsomuch.  Even being objective, anime 2005-present is really fucking bad compared to 70s-2004.

It could be argued that certain genres of games were better during different times, but gaming as a whole has certainly gotten better.  Still tons and tons of crap out there, but it's always going to be like that. 

[demi]

Nostalgia

I think nostalgia is fine, there's nothing fundamentally wrong about it. I'll talk all the time about how I really like anime from the 80's and what-not, BUT I don't let that get in the way of enjoying what's available right now. There are good games are there right now, some of them have massive budgets and some of them are made by two guys in a basement. If you want to know how to get them and what they're called, that's fine, but it's ridiculous to throw out a list of old games and then complain that "they just make the like they used to".

As much as this is true with games, with anime notsomuch.  Even being objective, anime 2005-present is really fucking bad compared to 70s-2004.

All anime sucks, dunno why it is in this thread.

[magus]

More western developers have been stepping up and delivering the bigger titles that Japanese companies used to.

but i'm a proud japafag 

No but you have to realize a lot of people may not care or may like the current market better. It's fine to have a subjective opinion and voice that opinion. Just don't so easily extrapolate those views as if everyone does or must feel that way.

You had just as much crap as people complain about today as in any other era. People seem to forgot the litter of side scrolling platformers and 2-D fighting games that defined the 16 bit era.

i don't care much either but i can certainly see why someone might think things were better in the past so isn't it stupid to just brush them off as nfags/nostalgic guy/distinguished mentally-challenged guy?

[Bebpo]

Nostalgia

I think nostalgia is fine, there's nothing fundamentally wrong about it. I'll talk all the time about how I really like anime from the 80's and what-not, BUT I don't let that get in the way of enjoying what's available right now. There are good games are there right now, some of them have massive budgets and some of them are made by two guys in a basement. If you want to know how to get them and what they're called, that's fine, but it's ridiculous to throw out a list of old games and then complain that "they just make the like they used to".

As much as this is true with games, with anime notsomuch.  Even being objective, anime 2005-present is really fucking bad compared to 70s-2004.

All anime sucks, dunno why it is in this thread.

you <3 jrpgs but you hate anime = does not compute

[Raban]

Anybody who has played Crackdown knows this gen > all.

[Beezy]

Anybody who has played Mirror's Edge knows this gen > all.

Fixed. Don't make that mistake again.

[Raban]

Anybody who has played Mirror's Edge knows this gen > all.

Fixed. Don't make that mistake again.

Bullshit. ME isn't better than Crackdown. That's like saying pounding nails into your dick is better than getting a suitcase filled with money.

EDIT: Not saying ME sucks, just in comparison to Crackdown

[demi]

Do u guys think its funny that Beezy praises a white dominant game

[Raban]

Wait someone is saying that Crackdown is better than Mirror's Edge?  I mean all for a plurality of opinions, but this this just GS style bottom feeding right here.

Sorry bro. I love Mirror's Edge, but Crackdown is my GOTG so far. Mirror's Edge is a linear, 6 hour FPS. Before I got rid of my 360 I think I played Crackdown for 30-some hours and I wasn't even close to finished with it. I hadn't even gotten the fucking DLC and I was having the time of my life.

And I don't think I'd compare this to Glen's love of Avatar. Both Crackdown and Mirror's Edge are on the same level objectively. They both have terrible writing, with really enjoyable platform-based gameplay. Between the two, however, Crackdown wins for having replay value streaming from every orifice. ME was a largely one-time affair for me.

[Great Rumbler]

Nostalgia

I think nostalgia is fine, there's nothing fundamentally wrong about it. I'll talk all the time about how I really like anime from the 80's and what-not, BUT I don't let that get in the way of enjoying what's available right now. There are good games are there right now, some of them have massive budgets and some of them are made by two guys in a basement. If you want to know how to get them and what they're called, that's fine, but it's ridiculous to throw out a list of old games and then complain that "they just make the like they used to".

As much as this is true with games, with anime notsomuch.  Even being objective, anime 2005-present is really fucking bad compared to 70s-2004.

I would even agree with that. The past few years have been pretty poor compared to the time before. But, and this is what's important, there's still anime out there worth watching.

[Beezy]

Do u guys think its funny that Beezy praises a white dominant game

What game isn't white dominant?

[Raban]

Do u guys think its funny that Beezy praises a white dominant game

What game isn't white dominant?

Blackdown.

[Kestastrophe]

Black College Football Experience

[Bebpo]

Do u guys think its funny that Beezy praises a white dominant game

I thought ME was about the asians

speaking of which, do we even have any asian posters here?  In the pics thread everyone is either white, hispanic, or black.

[demi]

lolz. bringing race into it. racist.

[BobFromPikeCreek]

I have heard of dead rising, but i never heard of it as creative, what makes it creative?

There's nothing creative about Dead Rising, it's right up there with Left 4 Dead for being one of the most overhyped games of this generation.

Fuck you, you stupid fuck.

[Rob]

I have heard of dead rising, but i never heard of it as creative, what makes it creative?

There's nothing creative about Dead Rising, it's right up there with Left 4 Dead for being one of the most overhyped games of this generation.

Fuck you, you stupid fuck.

Wow, games are serious business.

[Third]

I loved Crackdown, Mirror's Edge AND Dead Rising.

Yes, this gen is awesome.

I began playing games during the NES-era. The Ps1 and Ps2 era have been the best for me, so far .
But this gen is far from over. So..

[BobFromPikeCreek]

I have heard of dead rising, but i never heard of it as creative, what makes it creative?

There's nothing creative about Dead Rising, it's right up there with Left 4 Dead for being one of the most overhyped games of this generation.

Fuck you, you stupid fuck.

Wow, games are serious business.

Dead Rising bitch

[TEEEPO]

games have never been better. besides pc games, past generations i'd just collect videogames rather than play them.

sorry dude.

[Himu]

Why do people like Crackdown so much? It's a fun game but FUCK.