While the current nextgen consoles have been out for over a year (or more in the case of the Wii U) they are still quite young in their life-cycle. As such, they suffer from some of the common ailments of young consoles…and to be honest it’s making me a little bit crazy.
Hype
Wow is there hype. I can’t tell you how many big title nextgen games had us all rushing out to stores just so we could stand in line in order to grab them on day one, but I can tell you that the vast majority of those were such major disappointments that even just a few months after release they could be purchased for 50% or more off from bargain sites.
So much of this hype is closely related to this phenomenon: amazing graphics but poor gameplay and quality assurance execution. In other words the game looks great but is either bug infested or gameplay systems that sounded impressive are no fun when actually played– or both.
Destiny is easily the most guilty of this. We’ve said it elsewhere, Destiny may be the best shooter ever, but the worst RPG of all time (arguably, but hey it’s up there). No game has ever hype as legendary as Destiny, only to show off new heights in its hype to delivery deficit. Maybe if we all knew what Destiny was beforehand it might not have been such a letdown… But this is the pattern for games on young consoles- lots of hype with little delivery.
Lack of Content
Still related to hype is the phenomenon of games touting incredible immersive experiences on to find the core game is over before you could experience said immersion. Once again Destiny is suspect here for more reasons than one, but another AAA hyped title is on the ropes for this one: The Order 1886. Fans are sorely disappointed over the short campaign, and with a lack of any kind of multiplayer and no new game plus mode, there is literally no replay value whatsoever. You’ve spent 30$ on what is essentially a rental (once you take that garbage back to gamestop for some horrific trade in value). Another young console let down.
Cash Grabs
These are never going to go away, but it doesn’t mean we can’t raise the bar on them. In other words, stop buying crappy games that try to pass as acceptable because they have a famous name on them. The greatest current example I can see here is the new Battlefront. Once again, the graphics look stunning, but compare the upcoming Battlefront to its predecessor of 10 years prior and the gameplay systems will immediately sound like hollow shells of what once was. I want to clarify, this is NOT because the game isn’t finished yet– I’m talking about the choices DICE (the game’s developer) has already made about Battlefront. Instead of controlling cruisers where 30 or more players could be battling inside your hull to either destroy or protect you, we now come to “No space battles, walkers are ‘on-rails’, and split screen is offline only.” Sounds really nextgen huh? Not at all.
For years, Lord of the Rings has suffered from the same shameless treatment- passing off subpar games as AAA titles and trading on the Lord of the Rings name. But again, just because cash grabs exist doesn’t mean we have to settle for bad quality. The best example of this is Shadow of Mordor.
The game is absolutely a cash grab: it’s a tie in to both LOTR movie trilogies, it’s part of the ongoing open-world obsession in gaming, it’s graphical quality are impressive, and it’s yet another in a long line of LOTR games published by the notoriously glitch-ignoring Warner Bros interactive. Yet, after an outcry from the fans over the horrific game-breaking bugs in their last 2 LOTR games, Monolith and Warner Bros finally scored us a high caliber Lord of the Rings game that, while it’s story is fantastic conjecture at best, is 100% fun and engaging on almost every front….and no unpatched game breaking bugs.
The Right Paradigm
Another prime example of the changes we want to see as these nextgen consoles mature is Dragon Age: Inquisition. It’s the game that keeps on giving. I mean I can’t even exhaust all the content that’s there with my busy schedule, and every bit of it is engaging. I’ve never explored an open world that was more interesting. Even Skyrim felt like a hike, especially in early stages, but DAI feels like there’s a discovery or some beautiful vista or world immersing monument around every corner. On top of that, the gameplay systems are well designed and executed. Pop in a stellar story with quality voice acting and top it off with some multiplayer and you’ve got what is easily one of the best games of the year.
When you compare DAI to it’s predecessors, it feels vastly improved, and not just in terms of graphics but in almost every way (though I’m sure some old school fans would disagree on some points out of personal preference). That is what a nextgen game should be.
Bottom Line:
Ps4 and XB1 and even the older Wii U are all still babies in their life-cycle. So far it’s games have been focused on maximizing profit with minimal effort from the developer (all the lastgen remakes are proof of that). But the patterns we as consumers display in our spending is going to determine how game developers and publishers build their games. Keep buying half finished, sub-par, DLC hungry, games like the ones mentioned above and companies will keep making them that way.
Demand more from your games, from your cash, and from your developers. Oh, and buy these down here if your interested. They are the games that keep on giving.
- Shadow of Mordor
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Awesomenauts
- Smash Bros. Wii U
- Mario Kart 8
blipfling 