Maybe I've Lost Interest In Modern Games

On 03/04/2014 at 02:38 PM by Halochief90

There are actually a lot of games I’m looking forward to this year, but I noticed an odd similarity in almost all of them:

Tales of Symphonia HD Collection - A classic, decade-old Gamecube title I’ve always wanted to play (and its sequel).

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD – Over twelve years old and one of the best PS2 games (and its sequel), now in HD.

Bravely Default - A throwback to PS1 Final Fantasy titles, made by Square-Enix themselves.

Drakengard 3 - The third title in an almost forgotten PS2 franchise.

Yaiba Ninja Gaiden - Or as I like to call it, Ninja Gaiden: Gaiden. A side story in the Ninja Gaiden franchise which was awesome on the original Xbox.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes – While sporting modern gameplay, I got to be honest: if this were not the latest sequel to a series I’ve loved since the PS1, I would not be interested. Why else would I spend $30 on a game that's two hours long?

It’s amazing that there are so many games I’m looking forward to when it seems my requirement for wanting a game is that it’s part of a series at least ten years old. What happens when these franchises die out (Drakengard and Ninja Gaiden probably already have)? How much more story can Kojima possibly squeeze out of Metal Gear Solid? Even FFXV, while visually amazing, resembles Devil May Cry (a series I never liked) more than a Final Fantasy. I hope that doesn’t mean I’m falling out of gaming all together.

I guess it’s up to this year’s Destiny to prove whether a new and modern franchise can still keep me interested in gaming! Though to be honest, I have few worries in that regard. Somehow, I doubt I’m the only one with this problem either. The game industry relies about as much on long-running franchises as Hollywood relies on reboots and superhero movies. Where would Nintendo be without Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Pokemon and Animal Crossing? Uh, holy crap that’s a lot of old franchises. I think we will be alright!

jgusw

03/04/2014 at 05:24 PM

I'm not a fan of FFX, but I was thinking of getting the hd versions. Maybe a fresh coat of paint and playing it again after many years will change my mind.

Halochief90

03/05/2014 at 12:43 AM

Perhaps. On the flipside, I'm most worried about how different it will be from my memories. The soundtrack sounds different, the new visuals look a little weird, even the font just looks... off.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

03/04/2014 at 05:37 PM

I think we will be alright too.

03/05/2014 at 12:44 AM

Yes, I sure hope so.

goaztecs

03/04/2014 at 05:57 PM

If/when some of these series call it a career, there will be something new that will take it's place, and probably have similar controls to fill that void. I don't see Nintendo dropping their key franchises especially with folks like myself who bought their most recent handheld...and then bought a copy of the NES Super Mario to play on it.

03/05/2014 at 12:46 AM

For better or for worse, I think you are right that the game industry will continue to recycle the same tried-and-true ideas. And I suppose there is always virtual console.

mothman

03/04/2014 at 06:48 PM

I'm with you for the most part. Not really interested in new games other than what's coming out for 3DS and maybe eventually Wii U.

I loved Final Fantasy X. played the heck out of it for 120 hours but I will probably wind up with the HD remake. I already have Tales of Symphonia HD and am in the middle of Bravely Default right now.

03/05/2014 at 12:47 AM

Yes, I played a lot of FFX as well. It's been quite a few years though and I never did do all the optional stuff I wanted to. I am halfway through Bravely Default as well.

BrokenH

03/04/2014 at 08:51 PM

I'm not big on new release hype either. Most games I like are kind of outdated,remakes of classic titles, or have been around since the PS1/snes eras. I do not think it is because games today "suck" though I do tend to think we had more variety and more choices in the past. (Actually it simply boils down to me having a 360 instead of a PS3. I noticed there is still more diversity on not only the PS3 but also handhelds.)

03/05/2014 at 12:56 AM

Yeah, I don't think games today "suck" either. It's just that they don't have my interest. Maybe if more demos were available, more games would catch me by surprise.

I agree that games don't have as much variety today. The multi-million dollar games of today don't try as many risks, unproven or "old-fashioned" concepts. It's possible this variety is present in the indie game space, but there's so little coverage of that area that success in looking is pretty random.

KnightDriver

03/05/2014 at 04:29 PM

With rising costs in development (or maybe the rising greed as gaming goes more mainstream), game companies are playing it safe by sticking to successful brands and making money on releases that cost less to make. It gets harder and harder to find interesting new games with this flood of retreads.

03/05/2014 at 09:30 PM

Too many retreads and really just too much emphasis on production values. It wasn't too many years ago when games were marketed based on the new ideas they brought to the table. Now it just seems focused on whoever can make the flashiest trailer.

03/06/2014 at 03:24 AM

Yea, that Batman Arkham Knight trailer told me absolutely nothing about the game. It was flashy and exciting, but without gameplay, it's pretty meaningless.

Keegs79

04/20/2014 at 08:59 AM

Did you ever play Yaiba? I was interested at first but the overwelming negative reviews of it turned me off. I usually feel I know when a game is going to be good but its hard for me to get interested when I barely saw a good review for the game. That sucked.

You must me playing Bravely Default now. Are you? I wish I could get that game :( That is what I really need righ now. You know my thoughts on FFX: Remaster. As for Ground Zeroes, I think the quality of it made it worth it and the fact you can go back and do new things after you beat it. I am very excited for Phantom Pain.

04/21/2014 at 04:50 AM

Nope, haven't played Yaiba and probably never will at this point. Like you, the negative reviews washed away my interest for that game completely.

I finished Bravely Default about a month ago. It was exactly what I was hoping for for the first two-thirds of the game. After that, the game decided to recycle the same content over and over. That left a really sour taste in my mouth.

Yes, Ground Zeroes made up for its short length in overall quality. Phantom Pain is my most anticipated game at this point.

PixlBit