Post by Morgesm on Mar 20, 2013 11:30:19 GMT -5
A Real Gamer's Rambling
What happened to the industry?
[/b][/u]What happened to the industry?
If you have been a gamer for a long time like myself, and take the time to look back on some of the great titles you have played it might lead you to wonder “What happened to the classics?” Today the industry seems to be pumping out nothing but M-rated titles that are filled with blood and gore. Now I am an adult, but sometimes it takes more than just blood , gore, guns that go bang, and competitive online play to make a game. The stores are flooded with a ridiculous amount of First Person Shooters, Third Person Shooters and free roaming destruction games. What happened to the classics like Crash Bandicoot, Conker's Bad Fur Day, and Mega Man X. Now I am not saying these are the only games of the past worth talking about, but they all offered something new to the realm of gaming that wasn't there before. They weren't just rehashed shells with a few new characters and levels to kill each other.
So what caused this decline in variety of gaming? Was it the notion that only games with online multiplayer are going to sell? Is it really what the gamers want? Was it the gaming media simply giving these games higher reviews for successful franchises? Was it a decline in the interest of JRPGS and some once strong Japanese gaming companies? There are a lot of variables that could have lead to the decline of quality and variety in gaming.
I have heard it many times “That game doesn't have online multiplayer so I am not going to get it?” That is the closed mind of a fake gamer. You are isolating yourself from some of the best games in the current industry. Final Fantasy 13-2, Skyrim, Persona 4 Golden, Dishonored, Tales of Grace f and many more fantastic titles as well. I love multiplayer in a game, but there has to be story behind it too. Most players are looking for FPS games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, oh wait you mean it is the same game with a little more graphical value and a few little tweaks? That is not cutting edge, that is not leaving an impact on the industry. Activision has been pumping out sub-par sequels every year around November because people are foolish enough to buy in to it. (Myself Included of course)
As a person who calls themselves a Real Gamer, this is not what I want to see on the shelves. 75% of the titles are your local game store are certain to be FPS or 3PS titles. If that isn't enough you will purchase a game whose content is on the disc but needs a small DLC download later on down the line to use. When I throw out $60 dollars for a title I expect a complete game with a certain level of quality. Unfinished games might produce income for a company but jeopardize the longevity of the title, and greatly weaken the potential of a fan base growing.
The gaming media, seems to write about games that they themselves haven't completed, or explored all the features that the game have to offer. A good example in the past few years was a title called White Knight Chronicles, I understand that for a reviewer it is there opinion but out of the several major sites and magazines that did coverage for the title, not a single one mentioned the massive multiplayer element to the game. Yes the story was very weak, but the multiplayer was fantastic, giving the players well over 700 hours of gameplay to complete everything it had to offer. Between that and the lack of coverage for games that aren't high hyped, or a Triple A title the gaming media itself can be to blame for some of the unfortunate turns in what we find on the shelves.
A huge decline in the market in the states for JRPGS has lead to the increasing number of titles staying over in Japan. Some titles include the .Hack Series, and Xenosaga. I myself was really into these series and was sad to find out that they were not going to release half the titles for the franchises. Along with those there are several strong RPG franchises that will never make it stateside because of lack of interest. I understand that it is a business as well as an art but it is a shame that console gaming is region locked so even players who would get an import can't always play.
This article in no way shows the opinion of all the staff of TRG just myself. Let me know if you like editorials it is something that we have been considering for a while. I know that it seems kind of small for a website but we are growing and although there are only 2 staff members registered there is a lot going on in the back woods of things. I hope this sums up how I look at games, the industry and where it is headed. If there is anyone interested in just trying out writing about games feel free to register we are looking for down to earth gamers for our community not only as staff but just members of our community.
-TRGCarl