Topic: Does anyone else feel like this gaming generation isn't as good?

Yes, I totally agree with this topic. Ive played TS3 more than any other game this gen. All of the great games are last gen or before that, and while there have been a number of good games, the percentage of those out of the total games made this gen is way too low. And the cause for this? Games are being created on other grounds than to simply have fun. Too look good, to run better, to make money, to attract attention. These are all reasons why most games are made this gen, and the video games suffer from this. I am dissapointed over the lack of a variety of good games on the Wii--many of the good ones originate from Nintendo, and almost all of those are repeating franchises--but it isn't just the Wii that failed. Both the PS3 and the xbox360 are big let downs. Maybe I just like retro games too much, but there is something stale about the games this time around. The image has cleared up, but the color has become grey. There is no more fun in gaming anymore. Gaming is not entertainment--it is a lifestyle.

Almost all of those things you mentioned can be said about all eras. There are still those who make games to be fun, and there have always been games that are just there to make money. The thing about Retro gaming is that you don't have to put up with all the crap people did back in the day, and have better resources access to the cream of the crop. Of course, that doesn't mean the rest of the crap didn't happen.

Gaming isn't the same as the old days, I think it's because some developers don't put good effort in the gamepaly, they just want anything, when the games were 2d they were deep even those we didn't like in the past, making the Wii for all the family (gamers and non-gamers) changed everything, it made developers focus on non-gamers games more, and you can sense this, I mean there are countless games on the wii that aim for non-gamers while the true games are few, it's like when ten non-gamers games are released one game for gamers is released.

That was inevitable when Nintendo specifically adverised the Wii for Non-gamers.

I agree, but it seems like the issues are more commonplace this time around. Just look at Activism and EA. They weren't this bad before (that doesn't mean they still don't produce fun games). And even Square Enix is falling off the deep end. Ever since graphics have been the fad of video games, the final fantasy games haven't been the same. They might be okay, but the general opinion on XII and XIII is not as high as it was for games previously. (XII was technically made last gen, but it came out during the bridging time between the two.) Personally, my favorite era is the SNES era, because it introduced more originality than any other generation has.

I don't have any problem with the wii being for all the family, I even believe it was brilliant from Nintendo to do so, my problem is with focusing on those games more than anything else.

Ahhh the bitter taste of nostalgia.

I've never been more into gaming than I am right now so, for me, this current generation > the rest.

Don't let nostalgia blind you from how Great today games are!

You're all just sour grapes. If you're so concerned about the general state of games, you should see how many "good" titles are released today compared to back in the NES days (or even earlier). By "good" I mean playable, relatively high quality and glitch-free, and having some gameplay aspect which the target audience can enjoy. The proportions between then and now are very, very different.

It's very easy to just remember the good games from then and ignore the massive swathes of experimental or cheesy duds that were released. That's what we call wearing rose-tinted glasses. The same could be done of today's games, although that doesn't seem to happen very much. (And obviously not on these forums...)

People's expectations have naturally risen as more good titles have been released. Things we would have put up with in the 8- and 16-bit era are things that are unacceptable today. It's a challenge that developers obviously recognise and want to live up to, in whatever manner that they can. (Sometimes entirely missing the mark in their enthusiasm... Hello, Halo 3's marketing campaign, long time no see.)

There are now far, far less dud games being released thanks to game developers learning what works and what doesn't as time passes. Games are generally better balanced for play by people of many different gaming backgrounds. And everything these days is so pretty, even 2D game artwork has improved by leaps and bounds.

agreed. This generation started out horribly but the past 2 years have been amazing for gaming.

Liar.

I meant for me. I'm a big fan of Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts, but that's honestly the only 360 exclusive title that I care about. I don't like Halo. I don't like sports games.

The Wii is my favorite system of this gen, simply because of the sheer variety, and the emphasis on accessible, family-friendly play. It's like the NES all over again

This generation is much better than the last two for consoles, at least.

I guess I do overpraise past generations, but there's just not that many games that spark an interest in today's generation. However, it is easier to pinpoint the good games from the previous generations and play those instead of having to have to wade through all of the mud just to get to the good modern ones. And maybe part of it is that the best games from the past are worse looking, but they are still just as fun to play as games today--you just have to pay way more money to play them. To me, games are not a lifestyle, they are a form of entertainment. I play them for enjoyment. FPSs are all the rage today, but as of today, no FPS has made me laugh so hard and play so long as Timesplitters Future Perfect. My friends and I stay up late messing around on maps we made, or defending rooms in the preset maps. We joke around and break out into laughter as the lateness and the soda gets to us. We stayed home from prom just to have some fun playing it. And yet, as we play modern shooting games, the room is silent save for the gunshots and groans on the screen. There is no fun in the multiplayer in these games, because they were made to be cinematic stories, and that is okay. Every game should have its own thing whether it be its story, its multiplayer, or something else, but all FPSs now create awesome stories and then try to make money off of online play by throwing in an unfitting and unnecessary multiplayer. What happened to the fun in sitting four guys on a couch and playing the night away?
_{ugh, I'm rambling}

@Marvelousmoo I'll quote a post I made in the "Too old for video games?" thread.

I also think that "it is easier to pinpoint the good games from the previous generations" because you already know them, or it takes very little research to find a top 10 list of games from previous generations. Too many great games these days fly under everyone's radar, and it's a huge shame that they do because that's where the real fun gaming is.

That I can understand, then. Different strokes for different folks and all that good stuff.

There's plenty of variety on the Xbox 360, too.

Assassin's Creed is an open-world Stealth-action Game
Burnout Revenge is an awesome racing game
Star Ocean: The Last Hope is an epic Action RPG
Bayonetta is a frantic and stylish Action Game
Dead Space is an Atmospheric Action-Survival game
Raiden Fighters Aces is a Shmup compilation
Mirror's Edge is a First Person Action-Platformer
Crackdown is a massively fun
Then there's slower paced games like Supreme Commander, Dragon Age Origins, Record of Argest Wars, Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIII

That's just what I listed off the top of my head. Trust me, if you think there's no variety, you're not looking hard enough.

You can't just discover games anymore. They're hyped to no end, and by the time they come out, you're already sick of it.

@Mickeymac:
Quite true.

I don't recall Rune Factory Frontier, Klonoa, Opoona, de Blob, A Boy & His Blob, and Okami being hyped to no end...

I can say that about the PS3 and the even the Wii (though it would be a stretch) as well. There's a variety of good games, you just have to look for them.