New games are always coming out. It’s what makes the gaming ecosystem flourish. I love gaming, it’s honestly one of my favorite pastimes. I adore the storytellers in this medium, and all the blood, sweat, and tears they have to go through just to make a single game. Some indie developers have spent their literal lives making one single game.
That’s an incredible achievement if you ask me. My bone to pick is with some newer, big-budget triple-A games. While there are loads of high-quality games that are released nowadays, I believe many games have been homogenized. Many of them look the exact same as their predecessors to the point where if I gave you a screenshot, you would have trouble telling me if you’re looking at the first or second game. Let’s go over some elements that make new games feel like they don’t live up to their name.
New Games are Visually Indistinct
Listen, maybe I’m old or something, but I grew up in the PS2 era. Games back then didn’t have the same graphical power as games do now. Now, new games are super focused on being as hyper-photorealistic as possible. I understand this sentiment, it makes sense to push the bounds of technology. Back in the PS2 era, during the 2000s, games had to do a lot more to look visually pleasing.
Whether it was interesting aesthetics, cool color shading, or dynamic cameras, games in that era did all they could to stand apart from each other. Look at games like God of War Ragnarok. Yes, it’s a good game, but in my opinion, I can barely tell the difference between the sequel and the original. Visually everything is so similar, and the realistic graphics just muddy the visual distinctions even further.
New Games are Not Innovating Enough
Again, not just with visuals, but many new games don’t change up their template enough. Look at something like God of War Ragnarok again. While that game has fun combat, other than adding one new weapon, the game keeps the combat very similar to the first game. Yes, there are new items and abilities, but it’s not the same. Looking back on God of War 3, a game from two generations ago, it puts Ragnarok to shame.
God of War 3 introduced so many countless different weapons, magic types, and gameplay elements. You would get a new weapon for what felt like beating every boss. It added not only to the dynamism of the gameplay and combat but also to the replayability. With a game that has multiple weapons, it’s super easy and simple to replay it and learn new things about the combat system. God of War 3 proves that with how many new weapons it added to the series.
New Games Lack Passion and Heart
Going back to the PS2 era of video games, I feel like they just had a lot more passion. Games nowadays have passion don’t get me wrong, but so many games feel like they’re made for corporate reasons. We get new Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed games all the time, they feel like they’re going out of style. Back in the 2000s, when making a game cost less money, developers were so open to taking risks.
Studios like Capcom would make super niche and goofy games like Viewtiful Joe and Godhand. These games are super underrated and are cult classics. These games weren’t wildly successful though, so nowadays, they wouldn’t even be given the time of day, and that is just sad. I sincerely hope game developers take the time to differentiate and make their new games feel unique because lately, I feel like the creative well has been running dry. At least we have indies!
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