Thread "Is it me, or does modern AAA games are just bigger FMV games?" in forum "Comic Talk and General Discussion *"

Posted at 6:07PM, Jul. 10, 2020

I know this is a silly comparison but when watching a review of the Last of us 2 something clicked, it feels like we're in the era of Sega CD, taking advantage of new technology to show off how they can compete with movies but sacrificing what makes the medium different. It's not just this game but other games, it feels like the designers were not interested in mechanics, interaction or gameplay but rather releasing their inner Michael Cimino and craft their own Heaven's gate, only instead of three hours it's sixty eight hours long and five of them is dedicated to the roller rink scene alone.

Honestly I tried playing some games critics raved about, and I hated them as they felt like virtual hydlide with, I really don't want to say "prettier" graphics because they are very unappealing to me… let's say more "hyper-detailed" graphics.

Funny thing is, a lot of video games actually look and feel like games from the rest of the world. Vampyr looks fun, Bloodborne is my jam (a werewolf infused cosmic horror set during the victorian era, sign me up), and Nioh & Sekiro (if the Sengoku period is well-worn ground than medieval England must be a bleedin' trench. Yes, I'm salty critics keep saying that.) are on my list to try when I get enough money to splurge on a system. It just feels like the loudest of gamers flock to the ones that have movies stars in them and the most bare bones of basic gameplay that can be offered, whatever to love them or hate them, or publicly hate them secretly love them.

Sorry to ramble, it's just sometimes it gets very frustrating when I want to get back into console gaming only to feel kind of shoved out because I loath First person shooters and WRPGs, preferring platformers and JRPGs, and just getting sick of being told by the fanboys, "you don't want to flood the market" only to see the market flooded with movies but with cameras you can move the camera and stare at the table while everyone's talking.

[EDIT: I brought this up on another forum. That was a mistake, a MASSIVE one. People are really, really defensive of EA and Naughty Dog.]

Posted at 6:07PM, Jul. 11, 2020

I don't play a lot of video games (and by that I mean, I don't play any of them), but I do enjoy reading and watching reviews and walkthroughs and synopses of them. I have noticed much the same with a lot of newer games, that they often devolve into a pattern of a few minutes' worth of loud, frenetic action followed by scripted sequences and long cinematics. It does feel a bit overdone, but hey so long as people keep buying it, they'll keep doing it!

I'm sure you can still find lots to your liking on the indie gaming scene.

Posted at 3:07AM, Jul. 12, 2020

It's varying degrees, certainly the opening on most is like that but once they open up most have plenty in the ways of gameplay and mechanics. There is a definite amount of streamlining systems on rpg based franchises and that bugs me a bit as I miss the depth. As El cid said there's loads on the indie scene of most things, from what you said of your tastes you'll find loads on all systems.

Posted at 9:07AM, Jul. 12, 2020

Genejoke wrote:
It's varying degrees, certainly the opening on most is like that but once they open up most have plenty in the ways of gameplay and mechanics. There is a definite amount of streamlining systems on rpg based franchises and that bugs me a bit as I miss the depth. As El cid said there's loads on the indie scene of most things, from what you said of your tastes you'll find loads on all systems.

That and it feels like it depends how you approach a lot of games too. I hated Skyrim while trying to play it like an RPG, but the moment I stopped caring about the storylines and treating it like The Sims Fantasy edition it actually got better, plus playing in third person made the world of difference too.

I love indie games, there is so much out there, good and bad, but at least I feel like I have an actual selection of everything from claymation shoot em up to hand animated platformer to badly posed DAZ porn, with consoles it feels like everything is locked into ONE type of, "game", and that's FMV the next generation (looking at you Order 1886).

El Cid wrote:
I don't play a lot of video games (and by that I mean, I don't play any of them), but I do enjoy reading and watching reviews and walkthroughs and synopses of them. I have noticed much the same with a lot of newer games, that they often devolve into a pattern of a few minutes' worth of loud, frenetic action followed by scripted sequences and long cinematics. It does feel a bit overdone, but hey so long as people keep buying it, they'll keep doing it!

I'm sure you can still find lots to your liking on the indie gaming scene.

A lot of modern games are better watched, because they are actually movies with a lot of extra button pushing to move to the next scene.

When I gotten my xbox 360 cheap I tried all the critically acclaim stuff only to find much of them to be the following, walk next to glacier as they info dump on you before you go to wack a mole gallery to move onto the next glacier with the occasional glass wall separating the player from the action so they cannot screw up the director's vision.

As for people buying them, it seems like they are close to a cult because when I brought this up in another forum using the TLOU2 as an example and saying I miss JRPGS and platformers I was torn to shreds, told I was wrong and that JRPGs were bad because they were miles of text and had no freedom until their beautiful, flawless gift from the gods themselves.

I tried to explain that JRPGs allow you, the player, to go about your own pace and while it did take control away directly at times so do a lot of modern games too, they are just way more "sneaky" about it like the aforementioned glass wall and walking glacier, you the player still can't do anything to change the outcome or just run off to pee in somebody's breakfast when you want because the director wants you right there.

Honestly that is much worse because it makes me feel like I have no agency in this world, that no matter what my avatar does it won't matter. Like I'm an NPC in some DM's grand epic.

Sorry for that tangent, but that's the gist of what I tried to explain this and the response back was I was wrong, I should die because JRPGs are bad because they come from Japan (seriously this was said) and I just felt defeated.

Hey, at least there's indie games to play, plus roms too.