this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2023
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Its survived much worse.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_crash_of_1983
PC games went into decline during the 2000s. And I'm sure COVID is paying it forward into the franchises thanks to all the delays and consolidations. They're all happening for similar reasons - excess consolidation in the AAA market, lots of really crappy knock-offs filling up the retail space, and the model for the industry being incompatible with the popular demand among players.
Just look at Blizzard, a studio that made its bones on RTS in the early 90s. They haven't released an RTS in over 13 years. Bioware, a studio that pioneered third-person TTRPG-style adventure games, has lost all sense of direction with its foray into MMOs and eroded by staff turnover. Now Larian is eating their lunch on the very title that put them on the map. And then you've got EA, which has been devouring and destroying studios since the early-90s (RIP Origins, you'll always have a special place in my heart).
There's still plenty of demand for video games, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. But we've been in a quality tailspin since at least the mid-'10s. Enshitifcation has taken its toll.
I just never got into those. I'm much more of a tactical fan than a "can you map the pattern between pixels at 120 fps" type. Far too anxiety inducing, particularly when I get stuck in a failure loop.
I do like a city builder, but there's very rarely an end-game payoff that's particularly satisfying. A well-designed 4X with a good story can be fun to play, although I usually get less time on it because my wife finds it boring to watch. By contrast, she's all on board with every BG3 cinematic and dialogue (and has given me absolutely awful advice on hooking up with Astarion, btw).
But yeah, I agree the AAAs have really gotten into a rut. Even FromSoft is sort of at the end of its rope, with Elden Ring being an apotheosis of the genre, but not giving them anywhere else to go.
I’m trying to think of the most recent non-Nintendo game I’ve placed that was genuinely good.
I liked resident evil 2 and 3 remake. Cyberpunk was pretty good, but not great.
I mostly play emulated games as most new stuff has not been enjoyable or interesting.
I mean, I had a great time with Elden Ring, even if I never finished it. I'm currently enjoying my playthrough of BG3 and tempted to go for another playthrough just to see all the story paths I missed. I enjoyed my stints in Fortnite (particularly the base-building PvE) and Genshin Impact. Diablo 4 was fun to beat once, although I have no desire to play it seasonally. FF7-Remake was the best FF game I've played since 12.
I'll say that waiting until the games drop inside the $30 price point makes buying a game, not enjoying it, and shelving it significantly less painful. Nier Automata was fun-ish, but turned into a slog. I've got my eye on Armored Core 6, but I'm not in a rush.
Those points are fair. This year and I guess last year have been particularly good years for gaming.
I was not a fan of armored core 6. The experience felt pretty empty. It’s just a bunch of short missions. The battles were kind of boring. It’s just you and an opponent revolving around each other firing. That what’s every mission boils down to. I was expecting a lot more from it.