Your reasons why this generation of game consoles will be your last........

[Purkeynator]

"I'm getting too old for this shit" - every Lethal Weapon movie ever made

As time goes on in this generation of games I find that I am generally not happy with the way things are progressing in the video game world. Things just aren't the way they used to be and I am trying to figure out the reasons why. Here are mine.

Gaming is getting more expensive. -- This generation marked the increase in price across the board for most PS3 and Xbox 360 games. "So what" you say, "ten dollars isn't a bad increase to pay for the rising cost of high tech games". Well consider this, it goes further than that. First off the cost of the console itself has risen on average. We used to pay $200 for the latest Nintendo console or $300 for Sony's newest Playstation. Now we are looking at $400-600 to have the newest console on the block. Greatest hits games are now $30 instead of $20. Controllers are now $50-70 instead of $20-30. And let us not forget that many games intentionally leave out levels, features, characters, and missions to let you buy them later on the download for a price. Suddenly your $60 game will cost $70-$80 if you get the regular version and not the collector's version.

Games are shipped half baked. -- I can't tell you how many times I put in an Xbox 360 game and had to "update" my title. Basically alot of the time these are fixes for bugs that should have been fixed before the game shipped. To me this basically punishes the early adopters and they must suffer through problems and bugs for the first few months after release. That is not including the argument of shipping incomplete games in which you must pay for content that should have been on the disc to begin with (see above).

Game consoles are shipped half baked -- The red ring of death topic frequently makes the rounds on this web as well as other sites. It is a well known fact that the Xbox 360 is made of "dog feces and paper machet" (Wombat). So the Sony is a well built machine you say. Were you there when the system launch systems bascially had NO features? You couldn't even play a PS2 game without it looking like total ass. You had no DVD upscaling features on a $600 BLU RAY PLAYER!! Even a $100 DVD player at the time had upscaling. What's worse is that the software isn't a whole lot better today. I still cannot talk to my friends without EXITING THE GAME! Add to that the fact that I cannot get rumble because consumers do not want a "last gen" feature. And do not get me started on the Wii's awesome online friend codes where you have to enter a long ass code just to add ONE friend for ONE game. This is going backward like if we had to enter a 16 digit code to save our progress because the game had no battery for a save feature.

I hate Gamestop -- It is getting to be where Gamestop is pretty much the only game in town for used game sales anymore. EB was absorbed by Gamestop and we lost the early morning deals that we waited for everyday (and Cheapy lost money after the merger). We lost the $5 Edge card and now have to spend $15 to get the discount card with a crappy magazine most of us don't give two shits about. Then Rhino was bought out. No longer can I pick up some cheap classic games and some $3 used strategy guides since I won't pay $17 for a damn guide. Now I hear rumblings of Gamerush and Gamecrazy going out of business. Damn well no more good deals on trade-ins or cut out coupons or classic plastic sales either. All we get are shitty buy 2 get 1 free deals every so often where the prices are so damn high I wouldn't even buy them then. $2 off for getting the used copy that has no manual, a generic used case with stickers all over it and a million scratches on the disc that you will NOT let me return or swap out if I misplace my receipt but I clearly bought it from you and you remember selling it to me but can't break store policy? What a deal! Oh and if I buy a new game I still get a used game anyway? Fuck Gamestop.

Advertisements -- Sure it was a novel idea to put a Kawasaki ad in Waverace. It was cool to have a little product placement in your NBA game. But a new cash cow has arrived and we must now be bombarded by ads when we want to relax and play a little rainbow six. The EA games seem to be the worst offenders in this area. The Need for Speed games are a breeding ground for Carl's Jr and Taco Bell. I don't need games to remind me I am getting fat by sitting on my ass and playing games and eating six-dollar burgers. A good point by Cheapy on the podcast - why do I have to pay to download what is basically an ad (dashboard theme) and then they block my "ad" I want to see with another ad I don't want to see plastered right in front of my dashboard every damn time I turn on my system? The game ads were supposed to supplement the high price of game developing. The only supplement I see is in EA's and Microsoft's wallet.

We now have to pay for cheat codes? -- Back in the day the game developers would put in cheat codes to help players to finish a hard game. The Konami code was legendary. 30 lives for Contra, a powered up ship in Gradius, or a level select for Ninja Turtles 2 were the stuff of legends. Now we get to pay publishers like EA to get some extra money in the "Godfather" or unlock some extra clothes for Tiger Woods since you didn't have time to play throught the whole game to unlock them by yourself. I believe that the game companies strong armed the Gamesharks and Action replays of the industry right out of that market. When is the last time you bought a Gameshark for your PS3 or a true Action replay for your Xbox or Xbox 360? Hell we can't even get the "power saves" this generation. Also lets not leave out Nintendo who axed the region free feature for Gamecube games played on Wii when you used the Gamecube Freeloader or Action replay.

Game magazines are almost extinct -- I know a lot of people will probably disagree with this one. Sure we have the internet for free so why would you want a magazine that comes outdated every month by the time it gets to you? The answer for me is the magazine is permanent. There will be no server going down ever for a magazine. I have a pretty large collection of game magazines I pull out from time to time and flip through. I have Nintendo power going all the way back to the beginning when it didn't suck. I have strategies and maps for these games going back to Mario 2. If I get the itch to play these games I have to just walk downstairs and pull out my Nintendo power that covers that game. This would prove to be invaluable for playing games on the Virtual console. Sure I could use Gamefaqs. But I would rather have full color maps, illustrations, pictures and writing that is done by people that have at least high school education and can write. I like being able to grab and EGM off my shelf in the morning and thumb through it while I am having my breakfast. And the fact that I own that media permanently makes all the difference. I was pretty dissapointed when my favorite game website Dailyradar.com went under in 2000. All my favorite articles and features were suddenly gone, never to be seen again. I even saved a few of my favorite articles onto a cd. Years later went I went to look at the articles the cd had corrupted and would not play. There are only a handful of game mags still around. OPM died. Gamenow dissapeared. GMR didn't last long at all. Ziff Davis has revealed they are in huge financial trouble. The writing is on the wall for game magazines.

I like to actually own the disc or cart -- There is something to be said about the simplicity of having a game on your hard drive. All I have to do is fire up my Xbox and I can play any arcade game I have on there without going downstairs to the dungeon and thumbing through my piles of Xbox games (Shipwreck I am looking at you). That being said when you gain something you also lose something. Like many I am not on my first Xbox 360. Sure I was able to redownload my games no problem onto my new hard drive. However now because of DRM restrictions I must be connected to Xbox Live to play my arcade games. Usually this is not a problem however there are times when I am not connected to Live. Such times include when I am at my mother in law's house who still has wretched dial up, when Xbox Live is down for maintenance, or when my wireless connection is being a bitch again. It is in these times that I loathe the hard drive because I cannot play my downloaded games even though I paid good money for them (in some cases more than they are worth; see the $20 Sega Genesis collection on PS2 for examples) and to me that sucks. Does Apple make me have to have my ipod connected to the internet to listen to songs? In the days before the D/L if you had the disc or cart, you were golden, you could play forever provided your system didn't break down. Now you are at the mercy of the console maker. What if your hard drive dies 20 years from now. Will you be able to redownload the games? Will Microsoft still be making game consoles even or still have Xbox live? All I know is if I want to pull out Super Mario Bros and play it on my system as long as I keep it in great shape I can play it now or 20 years from now. The game companies are simply getting their feet wet on downloadable games this generation but by the time the next gen rolls around the downloadable games will be the standard. And lets not forget that so far downloadable games do not go "Greatest Hits".

Where have all the good deals gone? -- I don't know how you feel but for me it is getting harder and harder to find good deals on games. Bestbuy stopped doing their loss leader games a few years ago. Remember when Bestbuy would have like one really good game in their ad for like $10? Those days are gone. Remember waking up early to check the ebgames.com new good and sometimes rare games in stock for you to frantically order? Gone. Remember when you could get an EB discount card for $5? See ya. Remember the $5 off GGC from Bestbuy that served us so well? Outta here. And the penny guides? Those days are pretty much over, just check the penny guide forum. What about the Circuit City clearance every summer? In 2004 games were $5. In 2005 they were $10. In 2006 most were more than that. Now we get some random drops down to $16.96 and all the good games sell out at that price. How many of you were even able to find ONE copy of Metal Gear Portable ops when it dropped this month? It even goes deeper than retail. Pawn shops (the few you can find who weren't replaced by a payday cash loan place) and garage sale moms have gotten hip to ebay. Now any asshole with an ebay account can take a 5 second search to see that the copy of Dragon Warrior 4 that they were going to sell to you for $5 should really be going for $50. I have now noticed that pawn shops that used to price all game the same are now pricing each game individually. Yep truly the good old days of deals seem to be gone.

These are just a few of my frustrations with the gaming industry lately. I have already slowed way down on game purchases and this will probably be the last "next" gen for me. What are some of your reasons for considering getting out after this gen? I am not going to give up my older games. But for me I think this might be it.

[Jesus_S_Preston]

It won't be my last, unless something totally outragous like 1000 dollar consoles ring in the new gen.

[dpatel]

No more metal gear. Unless of course they manage to keep the series alive and keep it as good as previous iterations. If not, I definitely won't be the next generation of consoles at launch. May pick up a Wii or 360 then wait for the next-gen to drop significantly.

[zewone]

It's not my last.

Videogame prices - SNES and N64 regularly had $60-70 games.

I stopped reading your rant after that.

[VipFREAK]

I think I'll go along with the.. "I'm getting too old for this shit" and that people will probably say "You need to grow up now". Even though the latter is lame....

[cletus]

Xbox 360: I hate the idea of micropayments and having to buy stuff online after I've already purchased the game. Also, consoles are not computers, don't release half a game and patch it later. I knew this would eventually happen once consoles came bundled with hard drives. I will never get a Xbox 360.

PS3: I am really disappointed by the quality of my PS2 hardware. It stopped playing cds and blue bottom discs after only about a year. It has recently started having problems playing movie DVDs too. I still have a Sony Walkmen in perfect working order so why is this console so fragile? I will never get a PS3.

Wii: I was a big Nintendo fan when I was a kid up until the N64. Of course I would never get the PS1, Nintendo was the only company for me. Then I watched as good games one after the other got released for the PS1 while almost nothing was made for the N64. There were eventually a total of about 7 games worth getting as opposed to the PS1's dozens upon dozens of good games. I swore I would never buy a Nintendo console again and I haven't. The Gamecube had the exact same problem of very few good games and I predict the Wii will too. I will never get a Wii.

[johnnypark]

For some reason I'm largely uninterested in almost every 360/PS3 game that comes out. A lot of them look excellent, and my roommate HAS a 360 - but I've had access to Crackdown, Gears of War, and most recently, Bioshock, and I'm just not motivated to play them. The current generation just feels like Xbox/PS2 with better graphics, every game that comes out, I feel like I've already played it. Jaded? Maybe.

I don't have a Wii yet b/c I think I'd play it too much, but the fact I haven't got one yet kind of speaks to a mild lack of interest, too. Maybe Smash Bros Brawl will change that, since I'm still addicted to Melee.

All this next-gen goodness at my fingertips,and I'm still playing NES games and Picross DS.

[JEKKI]

I work 6 days a week, about 60 hours.

then come home and study coz I hate my job and want a better one :(

my brand new shiny sealed copy of Persona 3 is gonna stay that way... forever!!!

[dpatel]

For some reason I'm largely uninterested in almost every 360/PS3 game that comes out. A lot of them look excellent, and my roommate HAS a 360 - but I've had access to Crackdown, Gears of War, and most recently, Bioshock, and I'm just not motivated to play them. The current generation just feels like Xbox/PS2 with better graphics, every game that comes out, I feel like I've already played it. Jaded? Maybe.

Totally agree. I love E3, TGS, and all that stuff, but, for some reason, when the games finally hit, I'm usually uninterested. The only things I still play are games which feature good multiplayer (any game with 4 player co-op is usually an instant buy for me), or Metal Gear. More games are utilizing 4 player co-op which is good. I see Halo has it, so hopefully they will encourage developers to make use of it. I am getting Warhawk and Haze solely for the multiplayer.

[bardockkun]

Meh, I'm only 20. I still got plenty of game left in me... It's just a matter of knowing when I should stop and play all of them is the thing.

[Chacrana]

Doubt it'll be my last gen, but the reason I'd stop after this gen is because games are just starting to suck in general. Yeah, we get the odd hit like Bioshock, but waaaaay too many games now are bland, generic, and completely devoid of anything resembling game design. It's like developers lost any talent they might have had at one point.

[zewone]

Doubt it'll be my last gen, but the reason I'd stop after this gen is because games are just starting to suck in general. Yeah, we get the odd hit like Bioshock, but waaaaay too many games now are bland, generic, and completely devoid of anything resembling game design. It's like developers lost any talent they might have had at one point.
But, this is true for almost anything.

How hard is it to watch something good on TV?

See a movie at the theaters without regrets?

Or listen to a band that doesn't suck nards?

EVERYTHING SUCKS.

[Chacrana]

But, this is true for almost anything.

How hard is it to watch something good on TV?

See a movie at the theaters without regrets?

Or listen to a band that doesn't suck nards?

EVERYTHING SUCKS.

Basically. I was thinking about this earlier today and I came to the conclusion that everything sucks. Which was depressing.

Games were much better like... 2 or 3 years ago though. It's not like I've always been this anti-everything.

[SL4IN]

this definately won't be my last generation of gaming. I gaming will be a life long hobby of mine (hopefully).

[joshythegreat18]

It'll probably be my last for a while, if only because I have so many games that I've purchased or received and have had no time to play. Between school (I'm in my last year at college) and the crazy amounts of work/studying I do there, and vacations during which I work, I have very little time. I've already got a list of about 120 games that I have yet to play/finish, so I'll be set for a little while.

[Logg]

I have a son therefor I will be playing games with him someday. He is only 3 now he did play the demo of Cars and Surf's Up

[akilshohen]

Some of the updates are good though. I like that spring and fall updates on the 360, and when you pop in a game after those updates, that's because it needs to be compatible with the new firmware. if it wasn't Games like GOW wouldn't be able to display what you got the gamer points for and so on
EDIT: The thing I don't like about this generation is that a lot of titles seem to be bland. I'm also really tired of FPS games getting the buzz they do, why can't there be more wierd games?

[hiccupleftovers]

Bon Voyagee!!! See you!!!

[A Happy Panda]

I'm only 20. I feel like I'm just hitting my prime. (Waaaaaaaay past my prime....that was back in the PSX/Early PS2 days) Now I can barely find time to put in even a few hours a week....or I'm completely unmotivated.

I'm one of those people who HAVE to hammer into whatever game they're playing in order to beat it. Typically, if I don't beat a game in the first week I own it, I never do.

[Dr Mario Kart]

Where have you been all my life OP?

I dont really expect this generation to be my last, I just expect that I should fall at least a generation behind after this.

High cost by itself is not the issue. The question is what am I getting for that cost? More of the same is absolutely fine with me. I like more of the same a lot, as long as the price is also comparable. I'm not seeing anything new enough to justify the added cost. On top of that, I'm seeing wasted value by lots of functionality that I dont intend to use.

I'll be buying a PS3 the day I run out of PS1/2 games to play, and I dont replay games and I beat about 40 games a year average, across the last two years. Even then, it should be at least 2010 before I have to even consider buying a new platform.

I like that Nintendo has given both developers and consumers an option that is more in line with last gen on the costs level. I wish I could support them more but I just dont buy $50 games often. I still gasp inside when I see a 59.99 price tag at the store.

You know how many games I bought during the SNES/64 era? None. I got like one a year as a gift perhaps and it was all borrowing from friends or renting beyond that. When I rented Final Fantasy 2 or 3, I would have to save my game over all the save slots, in the hopes that if we rented it again in a week or two, they would still be there for me to continue my game. Of course in that case, they were rented so much that they ended up being bought.

As far as the new conventions in console gaming, I'll save the ranting on those. People who know me know I do enough of that on a regular basis elsewhere.

[Riyonuk]

After this generation, I'm buying every game before I buy a new console. I'm to pressured to keep up with my friends, "Oh, you dont have Smash Brawl yet? Pssh your lame", but once I leave High School, I can do whatever I please :D

Dr Mario Kart, just like you did with the SNES/64 Era, I did with the GC/PS2 Era, games are just too expensive. I'm hoping to make an Open Source Console, where cheap people can be happy :/

[dg7md]

It's just because the "natural selection" of gaming is happening and as we age, we want things back more to the way we remember them. I share some similar thoughts as you, but not so much against the changes. Why do you think Nintendo franchise characters are so popular in games now? Or that a sudden "re-emergence" of movies of TMNT, Transformers, Voltron, and more coming out? We just love the things we used to consider a huge part of our lives in much simplier, linear times.

Games will be more popular than ever, especially with youth growing up around such great graphics and innovations like the Wii. Us older games though remember the simplicity and the enjoyment we get out of bleeps, bloops, and pixels mixed in with our stories and multiplayer fun.

I will always have a soft spot in me for a great video game, whether it's an epic story or an epic game of Madden, my liking for games won't end because of the shift in marketing or pricing and newer "inventions" such as microtransctions take over. I am not a fan of them one bit, but there's nothing we can do but just settle with it or not buy anything from it.

I do think games were "better" to us in the past primarily because that is what we grew up playing, what we did instead of our homework in 4th grade, but now as we are aging, have careers, and marriages, it just doesn't have the same appeal as it used to. Working on that internal clock of routine. I swear that for most of my elementary life I did the same things when I got home, and playing games was a huge chunk of that.

However in actuality, the quality of games have been arguably much better than those of the past. Look at it this way, in the past 5 years alone, what titles have come out?

Half-Life 2
Resident Evil 4
Metal Gear Solid 2-3
Halo 1-2
God of War
Shadow of the Colossus
Metroid Prime
Grand Theft Auto

Those are just a very brief list of what the industry has done in the past five years. But what about the start of the "next" generation in '06? What have we seen that really sticks out so far?

Gears of War
BioShock
Resistance
Zelda: Twilight Princess

With that just being the start, games like Assassins Creed, MGS 4, GTA IV, many others I am forgetting at 5am, and the inevitable franchise sequels of Gears, Zelda, Resistance, as well as the continuation of classic franchises.

I am not advertising, I am just saying that I wish that we were growing up in times like these instead of fighting over Urban Champion, although that can't be said that it wasn't fun.

Games are on a large climb up, not down. I just like seeing kids enthusiastic at stores over games now, even if it is a lot more bloody or violent than things in my past, it's just good to know that he'll start questioning the same things about the game industry 20 years from now, and be wondering why games weren't like they used to be.

[SlimJim0725]

Well considering I don't care for the weird games or rpg games really, I am very happy with my Xbox 360. I can play FPS games all day/everyday and rarely get bored. I love playing online with other people, I am very competitive when it comes to games and playing single player or with 2-3 people just doesn't satisfy that for me. While I agree that almost every game released lately has been half finished pretty much and that the download content is rediculous (it should almost all be free considering we pay anywhere from $40-70 on average), that new content also can bring a game back to life for me once I have played it and finished it. There are many pro's and con's to these systems right now, but I am hoping these companies will learn that they are going to lose the majority of the loyal gamers with the way things are turning out. Don't even get me started on the Wii, I think it is one of the worst systems I have played in ages. The system was a little fun for about a month and I got completely bored with it. The controls on it actually are what pushed me away from it mostly. It is a party system/child system like the Gamecube was to me. I can't picture buying a game on there that I can buy for the 360 at the same time, I feel the 360 game at least gives me something to work towards with the achievement points for it. While many people don't care for them, I think it gives me more of a reason to go back and completely finish the game so that I can get those points. I enjoy facing off with my Xbox Live friends to see who can get a higher gamerscore now. Point being, the Wii is attracting new people for now, but is going to die out completely because the adults and kids playing them are not dedicated gamers like the PS3 and 360 has playing. At the same time, the lack of support Sony shows for their customers (going back to my PS2 days) is pathetic and they have a huge lack of games for it. The system has been out almost a year with maybe 4-5 titles even worth really looking into for me. The 360 has their huge hardware problems and are driving people away as well. We may not see too many more "next-gen" consoles realeasing with all this happening, the gaming industry will be losing more and more money if this keeps going on.

[docvinh]

I dunno, I personally like this generation. I think that online gaming is reaching the point where it's pretty well done on consoles, and I personally love that. I'm also a huge fan of FPS's, so that's probably why I enjoy this generation so much due to the large amount of FPS's that are currently available. I personally don't pine so much for the "good ole days", when I go back to play the older games, I can't believe that I used to love them so much. Certainly, some of them were good, but I have to say the vast majority were not really that good and were bound by the technology of the day. One game in particular that I used to love was Strider for the Genesis. I remember paying an insane amount of money for that game, and really, it's just an okay game.

[007]

I think that this will ultimately be a watershed generation for gamers, with major console problems, high prices, and the advent of microtransactions.

With the high entry cost of this generation, it's going to be a race to see how far companies can push it before the consumer ultimately goes 'nope'. I think we saw a lot of that with the PS3 when it first came out, as sales were stagnant at best. The other thing is how we are being inundated with a glut of 'problem' systems and the advent of the 2-3 pricepoint system. People, as a whole, don't actually want choice. They want simple, with as little thinking as possible. If they wanted to choose what their system comes with and how much it will cost, they'd be PC gamers. The mass community has flocked to the Wii, so, at least in the short-term, simplicity (and cheapness) has won out.

Micro-transactions are only going to get worse. It's a snowball effect, and I'm slightly worried how far it's going to go. People worry about 'half-baked' games coming out, and then being sold extra content later, which is guaranteed to happen, especially with money-grubbing companies like EA.

Microsoft and Sony are testing to see how far they can push us with this generation, with staggering different results. This generation will set the tone for the next decade of gaming, with the eternal struggle between simple/cheap (Wii) and complicated/expensive (PS3/360).

All I can say is that I've honestly no idea how this will all turn out.

[Zing]

I'm not sure what you are talking about. The last generation was my last generation. I am content with my PS2 and PSOne.

[PyroGamer]

Gaming is getting more expensive.Blatantly untrue. Gaming is far less expensive than it was ten years ago. Inflation, friend.

Games are shipped half baked.Entirely stupid argument. Games will ship with bugs, always have shipped with bugs, will continue to ship with bugs. The fact that we can now easily update them is fucking fantastic.

Game consoles are shipped half bakedAnother entirely stupid argument. One terrible mistake by an inexperienced hardware manufacturer =/= a trend. The PS3 is not "half baked" in any way, neither is the Wii: both of which have fantastic failure rates and great features. Don't tell me game consoles "ship half baked" these days when the fucking Genesis had about a thousands seperate "upgrades" and the N64 required an "expansion pack" for some games.

I hate GamestopSo do I. Competition, friend. The market will always bring out new competitors.

AdvertisementsFair enough. Advertisements will only increase in effectiveness. Blame ad-blockers, VCR's and TiVo. Advertising companies now need to find new ways of implanting their message in your subconciousness. Microsoft is at the very forefront of this development, and they are currenlty winning the game console war.

We now have to pay for cheat codes?Wow. Your reason for quiting gaming is that you can't cheat at your games anymore? Lame.

What are some of your reasons for considering getting out after this gen?This holiday season promises some of the most amazing games in the history of videogaming. I'm hardly going to get out now, just as it's really getting good.

[botticus]

We really need to get beyond inflation arguments. If the costs of gaming had increased the way other forms of entertainment have, gaming wouldn't exist anymore. Gaming certainly isn't cheaper than it was, as the Collector's Editions of today more than make up for the odd $70 Final Fantasy III's of the past - Illusion of Gaia was released at the same time and was only $40.

If game prices had doubled the way movie tickets had, no one would be playing. $100 for every game? Ha! And having the consumer absorb the cost of increased development is a throwaway argument. If you can't afford to make expensive games, don't.

This won't be my last generation of consoles as I enjoy the hobby too much, unless something drastically changes in a negative way. I do find that I was much happier picking up a GameCube 3 years after launch than a Wii on day 1, so I'll probably go back to that in the future. Much cheaper, and more variety and information available from the start.

[PawnTakesKing]

I'd have to say I agree. Last generation I owned all three consoles and a GBA. This generation all I have so far are a Wii and a DS, and I haven't touched either of them in weeks. Like one poster said above, I'm generally unmotivated by anything that comes out. I also don't have the time to play games like I used to, so that may be a contributing factor.

I'll eventually get a 360 and PS3, but only after this generation is over and people are moving on to the next big thing. Then I can enjoy this generation on the cheap.

[happy]

Seriously, for most people complaining about the price, why buy a new console yet. By the time I finish playing all the PS2 games I want to play PS3 will be a sweet $200 (for a blu-ray player no less) and all the games I want to play will be in the $20 range.

Just counting games from 2007 (when my PS2 is old and busted) I want to play Rogue Galaxy, GOW 2, Grimgrimoire, .Hack GU 2 (may have been 2006?) and 3, Persona 3, odin sphere, Ar Tonelico. I guarantee there are more I'm forgetting.

Heck, I havent even played some of my most anticipated games of last year (FFXII, Disgaea 2, and Valkyrie Profile 2).

Some day I also hope to finish my PS1 major to do list and play xenogears (which means I'll then need to play all of the xenosaga games).

[MadFlava]

I'm definitely waiting to jump into this next generation of gaming. I'm still wowed by the PS2 graphics at times so its good enough for me. Plus the new games coming out are not that expensive and seem to go on clearance after a year. Whether I will buy a 360 or PS3 is still a big question mark for me. I eventually want to get a next gen DVD so why not purchase one that plays games too. I will just primarily use it to play movies and get the occasional next gen game. Not much in the PS3 pipeline that interest me. 360 has some good game i would want but I would have to spend extra to play HD-DVD's and it doesn't look to promising that the HD-DVD is going to win out against Blu-Ray.

[Dr Mario Kart]

Games will ship with bugs, yes, but the ability to patch and lax QA are positively correlated. When you only have one shot, you try to get it right just a little more.

Having the storage capacity necessary for patches opens the door for enough space to sell you the disease that is DLC.

This internet calculator tells me that the copy of Wild Arms 3 that I bought for $5 last week wouldve cost $3.91 ten years ago. How much were SNES and 64 cartridges?

[PyroGamer]

We really need to get beyond inflation arguments. If the costs of gaming had increased the way other forms of entertainment have, gaming wouldn't exist anymore. Gaming certainly isn't cheaper than it was, as the Collector's Editions of today more than make up for the odd $70 Final Fantasy III's of the past - Illusion of Gaia was released at the same time and was only $40.

If game prices had doubled the way movie tickets had, no one would be playing. $100 for every game? Ha! And having the consumer absorb the cost of increased development is a throwaway argument. If you can't afford to make expensive games, don't.
Gaming is less expensive than it was, and gaming is getting less and less expensive relative to other mediums of entertainment (well, besides maybe the CD industry, which is dying fast).

I agree we are still not at mass market levels yet. I hope that gaming leaders really want to expand this market. I also hope there are some real revolutions so that the price of games is on par with movies eventually.


Gaming companies can either be smart and use revenue from DLC and in-game advertising the lower prices (as well as sacrafice to be progressive-minded and expand the market), or they can be greedy and quickly kill off gaming with high prices.

Luckily I am certain gaming will survive, if only with the bastion of the PC for creative people to bless us with their art.

[Merovengian]

I don't know about you guys but I am 35. And every year brings better stuff. Some of you guys are just growing up, and realizing that there is more to life than games. That's expected. And yes, you will feel a separation from what teenagers like. If you haven't yet, you will. A huge game, like GTA will come out that kids love and you'll think it's stupid. Just accept that you are getting older. But me, I love gaming in my spare time. It's the most fun hobby, and my wife likes that it's a hobby that keeps me safe at home. And the best part is there's more to come. When I was in college, the best FPS was wolfenstein 3d and now look at Gears. There's no where to go but up.

[Purkeynator]

When is the last time you saw Nintendo issue a patch for a game? It is entirely possible to ship a complete game with very few bugs.

[MadFlava]

I'm 31 and I actually got out of gaming in college. I was really into SMS, NES, Genesis, and SNES until I got to college where I did some PC gaming (mainly Doom and Warcraft II). Playstation and Saturn were both way out of my price range for a poor college student. My college PC quickly became obsolete to play any of the newer games coming out so I just mainly focused my attentions on school, work, and collecting music. Then my brother who already graduated bought an N64 and I slowly got back into gaming when I graduated from school and could actually afford to buy games. Ended up finally getting a Playstation 4 years after it debuted. But my collection was always small until CAG popped up. CAG really got me into gaming like I never have been in it before and it has just been 4 years. Yeah, I'm getting older but I feel why not enjoy it before I settle down. I already own a condo and I'm looking to buy a townhome in a year or two. Also, I planning on getting into autocrossing now that I can afford to own two cars. Will I ever get rid of my collection, probably not, I would rather put it in storage than ever sell off my collection.

[BattleChicken]

The arguments that 'Everything was better in the past' always makes me think of a crotchety old man talking about how much better everything was in HIS day.

Damn kids, get off my lawn.

[Snake2715]

Well this could be an interesting arguement... I mean I have been playing FPS since Wolfenstein, Doom was something to have and play, heretic, hexen, even some of the lesser known ones, Blakestone, Catacomb etc.

So for me the FPS genre is somewhat old and outdated.. I have played those games for the last 17 or so years...

RPG used to be great but in reality I don't have the time for them anymore.. I love Zelda and actually turned it on last night... you know what I had last saved my game in March.... I mean its not like I have been playing a shit load of games... I have barely played any games in that time, I am just too busy anymore.

Sounds to me like you need to invest in a wii or a PC gaming platform... your only "valid" complaint on the Wii is the codes for online play... then don't use it for that. In reality theres not much to play online anyway (strikers what else?).

Or get back into PC gaming and leave the consoles alone.

These threads have been done to death on here near the end of the last cycle... You will maybe give up for 6 months to a year and then something will lure you back in.

Try something new in the form of systems and or games... or Leave for a bit and wait to come back... when the gems have been figured out and their prices have dropped. Leave that burden to the early adopters.

[jer7583]

I think that the OP is the smartest gamer alive. The new gen of gaming is all about suckers who will blindly pay whatever for the latest and greatest just because gamestop or their friends said it was "hot". It's not about us anymore. It's about the guy who buys 2-3 $60 games every week because they're new, gets bored, and sells them back to gamestop for $15 apeice in the next two weeks.

And game prices are absolutely fucking rediculous. The arguement that it cost more in the SNES/N64 era doesn't work. Back then games came on Expensive ROM chips and had much more expensive packaging. The number of people buying games was also considerably smaller. Hardware also was priced far below what systems cost today. A $210 SNES vs a $600 PS3/$400 360.

Now we have games that come in packaging that costs maybe a dollar to make, and discs that cost between pennies and a dollar or two for blu-ray, not to mention many more people buying games. At least, there would be if the games didn't still cost $60.

There are games I want to play from this generation, for sure, but from now on I'll be a generation behind, due to the high costs involved. There's TONS to play on the old generation systems, and I don't think anybody can say they've seen all they can from just the PS2 alone.

On the other hand I can't complain one bit about handheld gaming. I think it's the last hope for cheap, fun older style gaming. But who knows, maybe the PSP2 will cost $400 and add in all kinds of useless media features that I don't give a fuck about in a gaming machine. Because that's the popular thing, that's what all the kids want. They want to say they've got the best and shiniest and there's a rap star that has one in his trunk. Fuck popular culture.

[Strell]

Hmmm. What a funny question to ask, OP.

It's like you...know something we don't.

Like maybe...Oh I don't know...YOU ARE IN LINE WITH THE GIANT MUTANT SPACE ANTS, COME TO ENSLAVE US ALL?!

We all know new gaming technology is the bane of their existence, able to destory their segmented bodies with soft glowing LEDs. I HAVE BATTLED THEM MANY TIMES BEFORE. I know their secrets! Wireless controllers SHRIEK at them at a frequency humans cannot hear, rendered them mad with Ant Madness.

Do not give up your gaming, lest ye wish the fate of the world to fall to the dreaded Queen Antonia, and her army of infANTry!

OH GOD ITS ALREADY STARTING, BUT I WON'T GIVE UP. I'M NOT DOWN WITH THE INSECTIAN HORDES LIKE THE OP IS!

RESIST, BROTHERS! RESIST AND FIGHT!

[dallow]

It's not my last.

Videogame prices - SNES and N64 regularly had $60-70 games.

I stopped reading your rant after that.Is the OP a noob?

[botticus]

Is the OP a noob?Can we get a list of these supposed common $60-$70 games? The listings in IGN only put RPGs up in that range in the SNES era. Everything else was much lower.

[dallow]

Can we get a list of these supposed common $60-$70 games? The listings in IGN only put RPGs up in that range in the SNES era. Everything else was much lower.How much lower?

Wasn't SM64 about that price?

[botticus]

How much lower?

Wasn't SM64 about that price?I haven't paid attention to N64 games at all (IGN lists it at $40, though), but while some of IGN's listings are screwy (apparently F-Zero's MSRP is $5.32?):

Contra III: $15
Super Mario World: $25
NBA Jam: TE: $30
Donkey Kong 64: $50

Then the ones I think people are referring to:
Final Fantasy III: $80
Secret of Mana: $70
Breath of Fire: $70
EarthBound: $70
Illusion of Gaia: $40

[Chacrana]

How much lower?

Wasn't SM64 about that price?

SM64 might've been 50. Though I know for a fact that Midway's earlier N64 games were in the 70-80 range and I think some stuff like Killer Instinct Gold was around $60. Though prices dropped after the first year the N64 was around.

[dallow]

It was not $40.

I remember trying to get Darkthrone? Blackthrone?
That SNES game with the Jim Lee cover art, it was 59.99 as most brand new games were.

That's why I owned so few games back then, Blockbuster was the best.

And don't forget about inflation.

[PyroGamer]

When is the last time you saw Nintendo issue a patch for a game? It is entirely possible to ship a complete game with very few bugs.
Lack of patches =/= lack of bugs, genius.

Besides, when was the last time you played an online Nintendo game? Most bugs that need fixing are unexpected stuff brought up by multiplayer play.

Is the OP a noob?
Pretty much all of his points were dumbfuck bullshit, so yeah, I'd have to agree with that sentiment.

[tangytangerine]

I haven't paid attention to N64 games at all (IGN lists it at $40, though)
Player's Choice version maybe, but it was $60 when it first came out.

For some reason I'm largely uninterested in almost every 360/PS3 game that comes out. A lot of them look excellent, and my roommate HAS a 360 - but I've had access to Crackdown, Gears of War, and most recently, Bioshock, and I'm just not motivated to play them. The current generation just feels like Xbox/PS2 with better graphics, every game that comes out, I feel like I've already played it. Jaded? Maybe.
Exactly why I haven't upgraded to next gen systems and just fine playing last gen games. Whenever I go into Wal=Mart or Gamestop, I try the kiosks they have and get pretty bored. Nothing really has that "wow" factor since they're like last gen games with better graphics. I guess it's more of a "I getting too old for this" than anything.

[Chacrana]

Pretty much all of his points were dumbfuck bullshit, so yeah, I'd have to agree with that sentiment.

How? All of his points were accurate and they are legitimate problems with the industry.

[coltyhuxx]

I won't disagree with you that there are many faults with the next gen systems and the games that come out for them.

But I will disagree that gaming has become more expensive. Coming from the 2600 days I can tell you that games were $89.99 at launch. For XMAS I rec'd two games from my generous parents (Popeye and DigDug :) )Now scale that for inflation ... what $120 or so... a GAME? The NES was around $250/300 at launch. I bought that with a summers worth of savings. Well more than the cost of a Wii!!

I find, these days, that with the proliferation and penetration of games in the mainstream I find way more deals than I did back in "fringe-trader/schoolyard trades" day. When everything was on carts, you just didn't see as many sales and deals, plain and simple.

Furthermore, Nintendo used to be a strong-armed bitch back in the day -- initiating shady (questionably legal) practices such as not allowing you to returned even unopened games (for a time) at retailers. As some of the other posters pointed out, often popular games would retail for $69.99... That was like $100 f'ing bucks in early 90's!!!

There's always going to be a lot of good and a lot of bad in a developing industry. I don't think it's as bad, comparably, as you make it sound. Maybe you're younger, but you seem to overlook a lot of the past bullshit us older gamers had to deal with.

[botticus]

There's always going to be a lot of good and a lot of bad in a developing industry. I don't think it's as bad, comparably, as you make it sound. Maybe you're younger, but you seem to overlook a lot of the past bullshit us older gamers had to deal with.Older is an extremely relative term. I'm 26, but I didn't buy many games as a kid - either I rented, or I got gifts, as I'm sure most people did when they were 10. All most of us have for comparison from a consumer standpoint is last generation, and this generation. I hope no one's arguing that it has not gotten more expensive from 5 years ago to today.

[Xevious]

I have less and less time to play games so this could be the beginning of the end. I still have my old xbox. I wanted to buy a 360 but my level of enthusiam is wanning...

[Dark Slayer120]

It wont be my last.

[onetrackmind]

Now that i'm older and i have a house, i dont have the time nor the money for gaming. It always seems like i'm fixing something up on my house and i feel like playing a game is a waste of time. I have plenty of unplayed last gen games but I just cant get motivated anymore.

[coltyhuxx]

Older is an extremely relative term. I'm 26, but I didn't buy many games as a kid - either I rented, or I got gifts, as I'm sure most people did when they were 10. All most of us have for comparison from a consumer standpoint is last generation, and this generation. I hope no one's arguing that it has not gotten more expensive from 5 years ago to today.

I've been there since the very beginning (albeit a very *young* consumer ;) ) so I feel compelled to chime in whenver this topic comes up. I sometimes talk with my friends about how we were the very first batch of gamers, and also, really the first batch of aging gamers <cough> (less cool).

I think we served to help answer the first questions of "well, is this a kid's hobby or not? will they grow out of it?" the answer, for many, obviously being, "no."

Jesus, now I feel all old and shit. Thanks, Botticus!!

he he.

[Maynard]

Games will ship with bugs, yes, but the ability to patch and lax QA are positively correlated. When you only have one shot, you try to get it right just a little more.

Having the storage capacity necessary for patches opens the door for enough space to sell you the disease that is DLC.

This internet calculator tells me that the copy of Wild Arms 3 that I bought for $5 last week wouldve cost $3.91 ten years ago. How much were SNES and 64 cartridges?

^ if this tool agree's with the OP than I am sure I can save my eyesight for something more pertinent.

[Strell]

^ if this tool agree's with the OP than I am sure I can save my eyesight for something more pertinent.

Calm down there, Moby! Sing yourself some uplifting song about people being stars!

[javeryh]

I will probably always buy new consoles... especially now that I have kids who will (hopefully) get into video games. I can see the PS3 and 360 generation lasting twice as long as generations past though since they have been very slow out of the gate, they are very powerful systems and it takes a while to max out system specs. It wouldn't surprise me if in 4 years there is a "new" Nintendo console (to get on a level playing field, tech-wise) but nothing on the horizon for either Sony or Microsoft.

[niceguyshawne]

I felt this way at the PS3 launch as I won't spend more than $300 for a console and, at the time, PS3 was going to be the next big thing. I just kind of felt that I was being priced out of the market. Thankfully the Wii was a hit and I have gotten a ton of enjoyment out of that purchase so far.

What is going to keep me into gaming is now my kids (3 and 2 years old) are really starting to get into playing games like Mario Kart:DD, Monkey Ball, Pac-Man, and the Dora the Explorer GC game (which my 3 year old finished last weekend).

While I want a 360, between the DS, Wii/GC, and spending most of my gaming time with the kids. I am just not motivated to drop the $$.

[coltyhuxx]

I will probably always buy new consoles... especially now that I have kids who will (hopefully) get into video games. I can see the PS3 and 360 generation lasting twice as long as generations past though since they have been very slow out of the gate, they are very powerful systems and it takes a while to max out system specs. It wouldn't surprise me if in 4 years there is a "new" Nintendo console (to get on a level playing field, tech-wise) but nothing on the horizon for either Sony or Microsoft.

You can force your kids to like anything that you like. That's the whole point, to my limited understanding.

You can create your own little video game Beethoven or Joe Montana. Break out the reeds!

[The Mana Knight]

I won't be out until PlayStation is no longer there. ;)

J/K

Anyway, I like gaming, but my urge to play games has decreased a little. Don't tell me why, it could be that I would game too much and have very little (or next to none) socializing in my life. Along with my life being a wreck right now in college, I barely feel like playing. When stuff gets back together, I'll probably get back into it more.

I still play games, but not as crazy as before. I want to discuss more in this thread, but maybe later.

[Purkeynator]

Pyrogamer - These are just my opinions on the current state of the gaming industry. Some people may agree with them or others may say I am way off base. However I have been buying and playing games since the 2600 so I would like to think I am at least somewhat qualified to give my opinion. I am not about to fall into your flamewar by taking your flamebait posts seriously. You could not have chosen your username more appropriately.

[YoshiFan1]

I don't know if this was mentioned yet, but I think part of the problem is that developers and hardware companies gave up on this generation too early. XBox and Gamecube are all but dead (save for the occasional movie game or sports game) and those 2 systems along with the PS2 could have survived at least a few more years. I'm content with the graphics on those systems and feel they could have pushed those systems even further.

[js1]

My ONLY problem with gaming is I don't have enough time to play.

[Purkeynator]

A few more thoughts:


Game magazines are almost extinct -- I know a lot of people will probably disagree with this one. Sure we have the internet for free so why would you want a magazine that comes outdated every month by the time it gets to you? The answer for me is the magazine is permanent. There will be no server going ever for a magazine. I have a pretty large collection of game magazines I pull out from time to time and flip through. I have Nintendo power going all the way back to the beginning when it didn't suck. I have strategies and maps for these games going back to Mario 2. If I get the itch to play these games I have to just walk downstairs and pull out my Nintendo power that covers that game. This would prove to be invaluable for playing games on the Virtual console. Sure I could use Gamefaqs. But I would rather have full color maps, illustrations, pictures and writing that is done by people that have at least high school education and can write. I like being able to grab and EGM off my shelf in the morning and thumb through it while I am having my breakfast. And the fact that I own that media permanently makes all the difference. I was pretty dissapointed when my favorite game website Dailyradar.com went under in 2000. All my favorite articles and features were suddenly gone, never to be seen again. I even saved a few of my favorite articles onto a cd. Years later went I went to look at the articles the cd had corrupted and would not play. There are only a handful of game mags still around. OPM died. Gamenow dissapeared. GMR didn't last long at all. Ziff Davis has revealed they are in huge financial trouble. The writing is on the wall for game magazines.

I like to actually own the disc or cart -- There is something to be said about the simplicity of having a game on your hard drive. All I have to do is fire up my Xbox and I can play any arcade game I have on there without going downstairs to the dungeon and thumbing through my piles of Xbox games (Shipwreck I am looking at you). That being said when you gain something you also lose something. Like many I am not on my first Xbox 360. Sure I was able to redownload my games no problem onto my new hard drive. However now because of DRM restrictions I must be connected to Xbox Live to play my arcade games. Usually this is not a problem however there are times when I am not connected to Live. Such times include when I am at my mother in law's house who still has wretched dial up, when Xbox Live is down for maintenance, or when my wireless connection is being a bitch again. It is in these times that I loathe the hard drive because I cannot play my downloaded games even though I paid good money for them (in some cases more than they are worth; see the $20 Sega Genesis collection on PS2 for examples) and to me that sucks. Does Apple make me have to have my ipod connected to the internet to listen to songs? In the days before the D/L if you had the disc or cart, you were golden, you could play forever provided your system didn't break down. Now you are at the mercy of the console maker. What if your hard drive dies 20 years from now. Will you be able to redownload the games? Will Microsoft still be making game consoles even or still have Xbox live? All I know is if I want to pull out Super Mario Bros and play it on my system as long as I keep it in great shape I can play it now or 20 years from now. The game companies are simply getting their feet wet on downloadable games this generation but by the time the next gen rolls around the downloadable games will be the standard. And lets not forget that so far downloadable games do not go "Greatest Hits".

Where have all the good deals gone? -- I don't know how you feel but for me it is getting harder and harder to find good deals on games. Bestbuy stopped doing their loss leader games a few years ago. Remember when Bestbuy would have like one really good game in their ad for like $10? Those days are gone. Remember waking up early to check the ebgames.com new good and sometimes rare games in stock for you to frantically order? Gone. Remember when you could get an EB discount card for $5? See ya. Remember the $5 off GGC from Bestbuy that served us so well? Outta here. And the penny guides? Those days are pretty much over, just check the penny guide forum. What about the Circuit City clearance every summer? In 2004 games were $5. In 2005 they were $10. In 2006 most were more than that. Now we get some random drops down to $16.96 and all the good games sell out at that price. How many of you were even able to find ONE copy of Metal Gear Portable ops when it dropped this month? It even goes deeper than retail. Pawn shops (the few you can find who weren't replaced by a payday cash loan place) and garage sale moms have gotten hip to ebay. Now any asshole with an ebay account can take a 5 second search to see that the copy of Dragon Warrior 4 that you were going to sell for $5 should really be going for $50. I have now noticed that pawn shops that used to price all games the same are now pricing each game individually. Yep truly the good old days of deals seem to be gone.

[Maynard]

Calm down there, Moby! Sing yourself some uplifting song about people being stars!

Nice try witmaster that is Maynard lead singer of Tool.

[NorthX08]

Nice try witmaster that is Maynard lead singer of Tool.
atleast he ahs a hott girlfriend ^^ ;)

[RelentlessRolento]

my answer: the OP is venting.

[dothog]

my answer: the OP is venting.
Not so much a vent as it is an exhaust port. I love it.

Why any CAG would stop with any generation of consoles is beyond me. I may lag further behind in adopting future consoles, but I'll get there eventually. (Such is the case, I think, with the PS3. I'm not crazy about it, but MGS4 beckons. I will eventually succumb.)

[Scobie]

This could very well be *everyone's* last generation of game consoles...

2012

[depascal22]

I'm loving this generation but I don't see how it can get much better. It won't be my last but I don't think I'll still be an Enthusiastic Ass Gamer for much longer.

[TimPV3]

If Nintendo wins this gen and Sony and Microsoft decide to take the same BS casual gamer route, fuck this shit.

[BustaUppa]

Can we get a list of these supposed common $60-$70 games? The listings in IGN only put RPGs up in that range in the SNES era. Everything else was much lower.Others have already thrown in their two cents, but I'd just like to add that I distinctly recall the Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and NBA Jam SNES games all being $70 at launch. And in that small group alone, you have several examples of game "upgrades" being issued at full price (MK3 to UMK3, SFII/SFII Turbo/SSFII, etc.). It was pretty harsh!

[MadFlava]

Ok OP, you are going off topic in your own thread. Those are lots of issues you have. But to address the magazine issue, it not just gaming magazine, I feel that getting news and information from newspapers and magazines is going to go away eventually.

[Zen Davis]

Why the hell would you stop playing games? In two more generations (14 more years) or so the graphics will be maxed out. Then the industry will reinvent itself again.

[omgu8myrice]

although i agree with many of your points OP, i think that the good things about the next gen consoles far out weight all the bad. your focusing on all the bad things, and not even mentioning the cool new things that are happening

[jkam]

OP,

You bring up some good points. I have said for a long time that I feel as if console design is going backwards. It's hard though because even though I like having the psychical media there is something to say about the convenience of having the games on a hard drive. I do however wonder if my downloaded Starfox 64 will outlast my N64 and cartridge.

I have a Wii and a 360 but I had a ton of Gamestop credit from the last K-Mart clearance + GS trade in 3 and get $10 extra deal. I probably got my Wii and 360 for about half the cost if not less. I however waited on most of the games I have bought for sales. I got Gears for like $38 at Target and I got Spider-Man 3 and M:UA at the B1G1 @ TRU on select Activision games. As of right now I have 4 Wii games and 3 360 games. I'm trying to be more selective. I bought some XBOX games I never played (didn't have an XBOX) for next to nothing.

I'm also no longer in a rush. I think Gears and Zelda TP were the last few games I had to have early on but for the most part I don't have the time to play them when I first get them anyway. I just started playing Ratchet and Clank on the PS2 (YES THE FIRST ONE!) and it's still a great game. So even if I'm a few years behind when I get a PS3 it doesn't bother me. I have so much to play as it is. Shit, the latest CAGcast revealed that Cheapy's never played Mario64 and when I played through it on the DS I thought I was one of the last to play it.

I don't think I could ever completely give up gaming but there are times where I feel like I have enough games to last me quite awhile especially with less play time. Just be selective and stick with what you like.

P.S. - Gamestop sucks!

[tehweezner]

personally i can't wait to get into this generation. coming from PC gaming i am a graphics whore and now that the 360 and PS3 can crank out comparable stuff i'm itching to get the HDTV + Nextgen system train rolling :D

as far as people bemoaning the general decline in quality, i think it's just nostalgia talking. i'm looking forward to the future of gaming. reading hte bioshock review alone made me want to get a 360 on the spot!

[Chacrana]

personally i can't wait to get into this generation. coming from PC gaming i am a graphics whore and now that the 360 and PS3 can crank out comparable stuff i'm itching to get the HDTV + Nextgen system train rolling :D

as far as people bemoaning the general decline in quality, i think it's just nostalgia talking. i'm looking forward to the future of gaming. reading hte bioshock review alone made me want to get a 360 on the spot!

I thought about nostalgia being the reason, and I don't think that's it. I looked at the number of games I've bought and kept in 2007 and 2006 compared to 2005 (the last year I really thought the games coming out were great), and I've been buying a hell of a lot less stuff. Between a lack of polish and a lack of game design, I'm really struggling to find stuff I like on the 360 and PS3 and I haven't had this problem since... maybe early 2001? Even then, the problem didn't last for this long. Sigh...

[P.I.Staker]

The industry is now making games shorter because people cry about not having enough time to play the games, they flat out said they've been trying to make games for the busy person. In the end they are just making the game shorter and charging more than the previous generation of games. Gears of War for example had way too short of a story mode, it lacked depth and just flat out sucked. I hardly learned anything from the story. If the story mode was better it could have been even better than it was.

[TimPV3]

The industry is now making games shorter because people cry about not having enough time to play the games, they flat out said they've been trying to make games for the busy person. In the end they are just making the game shorter and charging more than the previous generation of games. Gears of War for example had way too short of a story mode, it lacked depth and just flat out sucked. I hardly learned anything from the story. If the story mode was better it could have been even better than it was.No, they make games shorter because a majority of the time is now spent online. I know I sure as hell didn't play the campaign for Gears or Halo, and none of my buddies could tell you the plots of either of those.

And anybody who bitches about the old days being cheap needs to shut the fuck up if they need to use IGN as a price guide. My step dad still nags me to this day about the $65 I owe him for buying me Spiderman Seperation Anxiety for the SNES at Walmart years ago. When Nintendo charged $65 for Super Smash Bros and their N64 games, Sony spoiled us with their cheap CD-based games, and the last generation just continued it.

[Chacrana]

Yeah, games were expensive back in the cartridge days. We get it. But what about from around 1998-2005 when the most you'd pay for a game was $50 (barring Collector's Editions?) Hell, we were sorta shifting towards a $40 price point with PS2 games for a while there.

[erehwon]

This won't be my last gen, but I am going to slow down. I'm currently working on playing my ps2/xbox/gc stuff and picking up the stuff for that gen I don't have. After I finish Valkyrie Profile 2, I'm thinking I'll probably take a break from consoles for a bit and work on my computer games backlog.

As for the current gen of console games, I can understand some of your guys feelings about them. I really don't like the micropayments and developers being lazy with patches. As far this gen goes, I'm sticking with my plan of collecting and playing only the better stuff.

[P.I.Staker]

Thats just sad, halo had a great campaign. Thats you and your friends loss.

[SaraAB]

There seems to be more value in "vintage" games than there is in new games, as other people have said older games you got the full game and didn't have to pay for added content or extra cheat codes, but now all that content is pay for what you want, and you are essentially not getting the full game.

Once again Nintendo disappoints with the Wii, looking at release lists I STILL cannot find one game I want to play on the Wii, let alone one game that I will pay 50$ for. Pokemon battle revolution was a total dud, you can buy it for like 20$ on ebay now because it sucks so much, did I mention that Pokemon is just getting old with the same old formula over and over again, and the abundance of cheaters and hackers online don't help much either. I am really glad I didn't buy into the whole Wii hype. I will buy a Wii however when it gets to be 100$ or under and more colors come out, because by then the games will be cheap like the gamecube games are now (if you don't shop at gamestop) and there should be something worth playing, hopefully. It will be a while though, and I will not buy until the price hits that of what the gamecube costs now in retail. I have also noticed that the release list for the DS and Wii are nearly the same, with the Wii just getting more games for children, and when I find a DS game I want to play there is an overlapping game on the Wii too. I already have a DS so I see no point in buying a Wii when the same games are released on both systems.

I am not interested in Metroid, SSB or Mario Galaxy either.

I have a hard time paying over 100$ for a game console when I can go to a yard sale and get consoles for ... really cheap...like 10-25$. They still play games and they still work so they are good enough for me. Yes I am the true cheapass.

I also find that because I have so many systems and games here, that I am desensitized to the wanting for more new consoles, I own hundreds upon hundreds of games and many systems, so there really isn't a need to buy more consoles.

I really don't have hundreds of dollars to be blowing on the latest 60$ games and very expensive hardware that just is very prone to failure when I don't even see anything I want to play, that money would be better put in the bank for future use. If a 10-25$ console fails on me its no big deal and its so cheap to find a replacement or send to a friend for repair (and also easier to repair) that I do not feel bad if something breaks. Even if I had to replace a system twice I would still be spending a lot less for hardware then buying a newer system that is bound to fail within a year of buying.

I am also trying to figure out why I have such a draw to portable games vs console games. I almost never play my consoles (yet another reason not to buy a new console, I dont use it!) however my portables see a lot of action. I have well over 200 games for the gb-gba, and they see a lot of use, my DS sees a ton of use, its really the only system that I play a lot. I have always been very fond of the gameboys ever since I first got the gameboy color, and all the games that I buy for them seem to see a lot of play around here, so its worth it for me to invest in portable systems if I am going to invest in something, since its something that I get a lot of use out of, and if I get a lot of use out of it, then its worth it for me because my entertainment dollars are being well spent. Its strange though because the place I play the most is in my room, where all the consoles are, you would think I would go for the consoles but no, its the portables that get all my attention.

I guess I am just of the opinion that 2d games own 3d games. I do like the type of pseudo-3d they have in DS games and on some PSX games, but as far as pure 3d it really doesn't appeal to me that much. My interest is also mostly on RPG games, which explains why the GBA was so awesome to me. RPG games just work better in 2d IMO, and the better quality 2d the better. I really don't like 3d platformers and I absolutely hate sports games and FPS, I will never buy a FPS game. I think its stupid how most 3d games you can't even play, you can never make that jump to the next platform or level and it just turns into a try try try, die die die thing, then you keep trying and dying so much that it just wants to make you quit, and all because you just cannot get to that next platform or figure out how to beat the level to move on. Camera angles in these games are so bad that you just cannot see where you are or where you are going, I cannot explain this very well because its hard to explain. I just can't see 3d games like the younger kids can, and now I am probably showing my age, lol. But with RPG games its not like that, there is always a way to beat the game, and there is usually no dying because you can save in most cases, yes you can die but usually you can get it on the second try if you just go back and level up a bit more or change your strategy on how to beat the enemy.

[NismoZZzz]

Money is no issue, if the games are there, so will I.

And tons of good games have come and will come in the upcoming year unless Microsoft or Sony somehow get into the casual market then expect HANNAH MONTANA REDUX: GOING TO L.A. cause it's the new hip thing to do.

I'm not as hardcore as I was 3 years ago, since I still buy my games on release and let them sit on the shelf for about 4 months before I start them. I'm in no rush for games to be released and will continue forward.

My main probably is motivation, I tend to just want to watch Judge Dredd on the TV instead.

[whoknows]

I'm not sure if this will be my last gen or not. So far I'm relatively unimpressed unlike back when I got my PS2 I was insanely happy and excited. Plus I don't seem to be playing as much anymore. Guess it depends on how into games I am when the next gen happens.

[PyroGamer]

Once again Nintendo disappoints with the Wii ..... Pokemon battle revolution was a total dud, you can buy it for like 20$ on ebay now because it sucks so much, did I mention that Pokemon is just getting old with the same old formula over and over again ..... I will buy a Wii however when ..... more colors come out .....

I am not interested in Metroid, SSB or Mario Galaxy either.
What the fuck are you babbling about?

1. If you aren't interested in Metroid, SSB, or Mario Galaxy, GTFO. Seriously, just fuck off. I have respect for all sorts of tastes and opinions, but not yours. GTFO.

2. You sound like a 10 year old, and yet you later complain about "showing your age".

3. Pokemon Battle Revolution? What the fuck? Who the fuck brought up Pokemon Battle Revolution?


The rest of your post is so incoherant I didn't even bother reading through it all.

[Jesus_S_Preston]

Waaaah waaaaaaah vagina

Oh come off it. He obviously brought up Pokemon BR because it is arguably one of the bigger games on the Wii right now. So his opinion doesn't matter because he doesn't want Mario Galaxy, MP or SSBB? Well the only one of those I'm interested in is SSBB (and maaaaaaybe Mario). Other then that and No More Heroes, no Wii games currently out or coming out interest me.

Better go kill myself.

[sendme]

I have cut back this time. I do not like the fact that for a greatest hit for the Sony systems and the hits for the other systems are not more then 20. The prices are high. Sure they were high in the day of the SNES and N64 but the games on them were all carts. A game on a CD is much cheaper or atleast always has been. So the prices I think should come down 10 or even 15 bucks.

As for used games. I have bought I think one used game from game stop and it doesn't play well at all. We have another game store in my area called Slackers CDs and Games. I have bought used from them. They are not as bad. They were the place for used games till they changed. In the past you had to have all of the game in order trade it. If you had no book they would not take it. Now they will take the game only. They even had the rule on the old NES, SNES, Master System and Genesis games. I stopped geting from them now. Now I tend to pay the extra for the book and case on amazon or ebay.

As for your post OP that was a long rant. I got maybe half way through it. I will read the rest later.

[The Crotch]

Is this the thread where we bitch about consoles we don't own because we haven't researched them enough to find out that there are actually good games on them? Or complain about X or Y trend in gaming being bad for the industry, as though we had a fucking clue what we were talking about?

Yeah, I thought so.

As to the actual topic of this thread...

Why this generation of game consoles will be my last|

First off, I'm in my final year of highschool. I'm trying to push my grades up a couple of percentage points to get over the 95% mark for scholarship purposes. I'm a lazy bastard who has been able to coast through so far, and will have to break myself of a lot of bad habits. After that is university, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna slack off that for videogames - or waste money on them.

Besides this, I'm in the process of getting a PS2 from GTZ. Despite owning a PS1, I missed out on a ridiculous number of games for that system - not to mention the myriad RPGs calling out for me on the PS2. That'll probably keep me away from any new consoles besides my Wii for a while.


Why this generation of game consoles will NOT be my last|

I'm putting myself through university on scholarships and tree planting. That means I will only be workings summers, so my evenings will be slightly less cluttered than most people's, and I will have more time for games.

Dial-up-begone! Since I move away next year, I will no longer be forced to use dial-up. This means that Nintendo will have one year to get its shit in line as far as online goes before I'm finally able to take advantage of it.

In fact, I might just take a year off before going to university. No better way to get through a backlog miles wide and deep than ten responsibility-free months.

[heavyd853]

I would suggest you try to personally fund the production, creation, and distribution of a current gen game. Even comparing it to sales practices and methods of 10 years ago is pretty nutty, and thats not even mentioning inflation because the value of the American dollar has declined over the years.

It also seems to me that many gamers over a certain age seem to place alot more value in the nostalgia factor of the snes era etc. Certainly there were some excellent games like your metroids and marios, but how many loads of crap were there as well back then? It hasn't really changed that much, things are just more technically advanced I suppose.

[jer7583]

The best way to do things is to stay a generation behind. Everything is incredibly cheap, you have the bonus of hindsight on if a game is truly worth playing (ask anybody who paid $50 for State Of Emergency day 1 about that) and no rush to buy every new release every week.

[lordxixor101]

Jer,

That isn't a horrible idea. One bad thing though is that, with online games, you will miss something. Sure, you can still find a game of Crimson Skies online (good luck finding anyone playing MechAssault, and if you are a beginner and you do find someone, you'll be disposed of quickly).

With more games really living on online play, this hurts. You can still go back today and play Super Mario Bros 3 on your NES and get an experience of it. But, once Halo 3 comes out, will you be able to play Halo 2 quite the same way?

OP,

You make all the good points that many others have made (though, not sure if they have ever done it all in one rant). Those things are all wrong with the industry. There was something great of picking up a Next Gen, and seeing what they were giving Mario 64 and Tomb Raider for scores. But, you would be wrong to think that everything is bad.

As many problems as XBLA has had, a few good gems have come from it. Does Space Giraffe get made without it? You might love it or hate it, but it's here this generation, and wouldn't have been made in others. How about Jetpak Refueled?

For all that we've lost, online gaming is moving us closer to having the real arcade in our living room. Sure, we've had the graphics at home that killed the arcade for years. But, you always lost the ability to walk up to a stranger and challenge him for the machine. We are getting there (and some games are pretty close now).

The new levels of interactability. Kids being born now will never know the ability of being able to throw your controller in distress, since controller movements will always be a part of their games. No matter how successful the Wii is, one lasting legacy of it will be that all future consoles will have some sort of built in controller movement to it.

Also, you lost magazines, but now, we get news everyday on the internet. Sure, there are lots of bad rumors, but how many of you feel a kinship to this great site (and others)? You lose a little, but you gained a little too.

Also, complain all you want about cheap games, just remember, it wasn't that long ago that games didn't seem to get much cheaper than $20. I remember Super Mario World II and Donkey Kong Country on the SNES were full price for years after launch. Now, you rarely get a game that's full price 3 months after launch. I'm currently having a blast playing a few games of MVP 2005, which I picked up for $4 the other day. When I was a kid, you couldn't get crappy games for $4, let alone something enjoyable.

I don't think video games are going away. They are changing. This isn't the same hobby that it was 20 years ago. Some of that is good, some of it is bad. There are those that will feel a loss as the mainstream steps in. Let's be honest, there is a special place we all share when our biuddies and us got together to play, and everyone wasn't doing it. We played Madden before everyone knew about it. Now, it's a major news story with people waiting outside for it. Yet, no on knew it 10 years ago, but we were playing.

So, there is good and bad. But, I can almost guarantee that this won't be my last generation. I hope the OP can also look at it and find that he still loves his old hobby, even if it is different than it use to be.

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

I recall MANY $60 games in the Genesis/SNES days, some not even the RPGs others have mentioned already.

However, the whole 'being a generation behind' thing is what I plan on doing from now on. I'm currently playing the many games I have for the PS2 and Xbox and I doubt I'll grab a PS3 or 360 until they're down to $200 or so each.

As far as games go, I never find myself really going after the harder to find ones, the RPGs and such, so ANY games I want should still be available on the open market by the time I'M ready to grab them.

[dracula]

I recall MANY $60 games in the Genesis/SNES days, some not even the RPGs others have mentioned already.



chrono trigger was $79(i think)

and phantasy star 4 was $99

Most of the turbo grafx games were expensive as hell ($60 to $70) and i think ys 1 and 2 was $99, but dont quote me on that.

I think the 3d0 had really expensive games too.

Atari games were $50, and in todays money after inflation that would be about $75 in today's money after inflation(unless me math is way off, it could be more like $80 to $85)

I am actually pretty shocked that it took this many generations for the msrp on video games to be $60, given the inflation over the years.

But maybe i am just older than dirt.

[FriskyTanuki]

A few more thoughts:

Where have all the good deals gone? -- I don't know how you feel but for me it is getting harder and harder to find good deals on games. Bestbuy stopped doing their loss leader games a few years ago. Remember when Bestbuy would have like one really good game in their ad for like $10? Those days are gone. Remember waking up early to check the ebgames.com new good and sometimes rare games in stock for you to frantically order? Gone. Remember when you could get an EB discount card for $5? See ya. Remember the $5 off GGC from Bestbuy that served us so well? Outta here. And the penny guides? Those days are pretty much over, just check the penny guide forum. What about the Circuit City clearance every summer? In 2004 games were $5. In 2005 they were $10. In 2006 most were more than that. Now we get some random drops down to $16.96 and all the good games sell out at that price. How many of you were even able to find ONE copy of Metal Gear Portable ops when it dropped this month? It even goes deeper than retail. Pawn shops (the few you can find who weren't replaced by a payday cash loan place) and garage sale moms have gotten hip to ebay. Now any asshole with an ebay account can take a 5 second search to see that the copy of Dragon Warrior 4 that you were going to sell for $5 should really be going for $50. I have now noticed that pawn shops that used to price all games the same are now pricing each game individually. Yep truly the good old days of deals seem to be gone.
No offense, but you sound like the high schooler that realizes that after he graduates, all of his friends are leaving for other schools and thinks the good times are over. The deals are still going on and always will. If you're expecting $5 clearance sales every year, of course you're going to be disappointed, but to say that the good days of deals are over is just over-exaggerating it for the sake of drama.

[tehweezner]

However, the whole 'being a generation behind' thing is what I plan on doing from now on. I'm currently playing the many games I have for the PS2 and Xbox and I doubt I'll grab a PS3 or 360 until they're down to $200 or so each.


yeah i've always been a late-comer to the party, i bought a PS2 and gamecube last year. i'm still playing PS1 games too!

at this rate i'll end up getting a 360/PS3/Wii in 2011 or something :hot::cry:

[willardhaven]

I've decided to sit back and enjoy my PS2/Gamecube for a while, with the occasional DS title.

Maybe a Wii when they are cheaper and in a color other than white.

[zewone]

Staying behind a generation isn't such a good idea when most of your gaming enjoyment, comes from online games.

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

Staying behind a generation isn't such a good idea when most of your gaming enjoyment, comes from online games.

And what about those, like me, who could give a shit less about online play or anything online in games? The enjoyment is still there, unless many games go the way of Warhawk, being MMO bullshit.

And, if that ever happens or me not being able to own a PHYSICAL copy of a game to put in my system, then those two items combined would be enough to get me to give up gaming FOR GOOD.

As far as the prices go, I've only been buying games on clearance for under retail in recent years(with a few exceptions), so price increases don't matter to me, unless clearance sales suddenly go the way of the dodo.

[zewone]

Then if I were you, I would guess I wasn't talking about you than.

I stated who I was talking about, those who get most of their gaming enjoyment from online gaming, like me.

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

Then if I were you, I would guess I wasn't talking about you than.

I stated who I was talking about, those who get most of their gaming enjoyment from online gaming, like me.

But see, your comment was a general type comment, not a statement saying 'I would miss playing Halo #59334906780675806754607 if I were a gen behind, since I get most of my enjoyment from playing online'.

See the different between that above statement and your general comment?

Either way, I still don't give a rats ass about online play, so all the focus on it this gen bores me to tears already.

[zewone]

But, I never said:

"But what if IAmTheCheapestGamer gets the most enjoyment out of online gaming?"

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

But, I never said:

"But what if IAmTheCheapestGamer gets the most enjoyment out of online gaming?"

No, but you DIDN'T say 'I get the most enjoyment out of online gaming, so being a gen behind won't work for ME.'

I mean, I can see that people get enjoyment out of playing online, but if I wanna play multiplayer, I'll do so with my friends on one system offline.

That's another thing that irks me, is making multiplayer ONLY online, as if everyone you know is supposed to have a (system) and high speed net to JUST be able to play what MOST devs put in place in prior incarnations of many of these games.

[zewone]

But, I am not the only one, so I left it as general for people like me.

Also, most, if not always, games that have online multiplayer have local and system link play.

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

But, I am not the only one, so I left it as general for people like me.

Also, most, if not always, games that have online multiplayer have local and system link play.

But again, for gamers like ME, who prefer my friends to NOT have to hook up extra junk(other tvs, systems) JUST to play against one another, that's bunk to only make multi player 'system link' or anything other than multiple players on ONE system with ONE game.

And that's another definite reason why I'm staying a gen behind, since I'll be able to subjectively buy the games that only provide me with the experience I WANT and none of this MMO nonsense or whatever other lazy way of adding in multi player the devs decide to plop in anymore.

I guess I must be the only gamer on earth who enjoys having his opponents still be in the SAME ROOM as him.

Either way, you enjoy what you like, while I'll enjoy what I like and if the days of OFFLINE multi and PHYSICAL copies of games being bought go bye bye, so do I from the gaming world.

[dallow]

Do you actually own Thrill Kill?
Just curious.

I bought a bootleg of it in Costa Rica ages ago. Came in a nice case with disc art and everything.

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

Do you actually own Thrill Kill?
Just curious.

I bought a bootleg of it in Costa Rica ages ago. Came in a nice case with disc art and everything.

Actually, I don't dallow.....and every time someone I knew(either a game shop owner or someone who worked at a game store I frequented)had a copy, they JUST sold it right before I found out they had it.

Can I ask you if you have the uncensored version or one of the other versions that the people from Paradox put out on the net?

If it's the uncensored one, is it up for trade by any chance?<panting>

I just wanna be able to say 'I've played it' and to be able to say either 'it sucks' or 'it fuckin rocks' from having actually PLAYED it.

And actually, someone on GF's posted a link to a photo in Paradox HQ from a Mortal Kombat press event, which showed a case with what looked like complete copies of TK, it's guide and other items from Paradox in the background.

I'd paste it, but I'm a lil confused as to how to do that. But it's on MKOnline, on an archive page from Oct 4, 2005.

Here's a link(2nd row of pics, from left to right, 5th pic down in that row, going to need to enlarge it to see the case and what looks like a guide in the back):

http://www.mortalkombatonline.com/content/News/read.cds?article=678

I actually still have a copy of Tips + Tricks mag from 1998 with a full move list/strategy in it for TK. So, it'd definitely be nice to finally be able to USE it.

[Dr Mario Kart]

You should really subscribe to my newsletter, CheapestGamer. That is to say, I should also make one for you to subscribe to.

[crystalklear64]

It will be my last if nothing new is added. This generation would also have passed me by if it wasn't for the Wii. I have a PC for all my graphics whoring, I don't see the point in buying a new console if the only thing that changes are the gfx.

[kube00]

I'm always late to the party I bought an xbox in 2006 a very long time after it came out. And my ps2 purchase came in later 2006.

But hey i got the ps3 a week ago. I mean sorry to get OT, but as my college winds down I find less and less time to play games.

I mean I didn't get started into a lot of gaming until HS (mainly pc and cheap pc gaming), I wasn't allowed to have game consoles when I was younger, it was my parents.

Well depends where the next few yrs go, I might go back to pc gaming and just keep my console on the side. Or I might abandon it....it all depends.

[Noodle Pirate!]

I agree with a lot of you opinions OP, but I feel this won't be the last generation for me. I think I will always get the latest console, but instead of getting it the day it comes out, it will be down the road after a few games I really want come out and a price drop.
Instead of buying every game that I'm slightly interested in, I buy games that I have read up on and KNOW I will like. I rent the rest.

Luckily, nothing for PS3 or Wii has come out that makes me want to buy it and I only have 10 games for the 360 and am happy knowing I have every game for that system that I'm interested in playing. Pc game purchases for this year have been even less.
I need to work on my handheld addiction though. While my console purchases have gone down, they have gone up.