Worst console generation?

FevreDream

I'd say 2016 was just OK, nothing more, I've known worse years and much better years. I'm still waiting for this gen to really take off to be honest, maybe this year.

ultravio1et

a few years ago i would pretty much buy a AAA game every month and play it to death. how many new AAA games did i buy last year? one. [which was Doom] and i'm gaming more now than i used to, plus my tastes are changing, but the indy games i'm playing at the moment wouldn't look out of place on the 360/PS3; [i'm looking at you 'Dead Effect 2']

personally i think this console generation has over promised and under delivered

Apsilon

I’m not sure I could agree on this being the worst generation as they have all had their up’s and downs during their life spans.

If we go back to the SNES/MD/PCE era, that was was almost unparalleled as it ushered in console gaming to the masses, building on the foundations laid by the NES and Sega MS.

The greatest period in my opinion and the one which revolutionised console gaming was the PS1 era. That machine changed everything and for the first time, brought almost arcade perfect quality into the living room. It was a stunning piece of kit that gave us some of the greatest gaming franchises ever seen. The N64 was also responsible for changing the face of gaming. Not as much as the PS1 but, it certainly played a major part.

PS2/Xbox/DC was another good generation as everything went up a notch again, building on what the PS1, the N64 and Saturn had achieved before it. The Sega DC, in particular, was criminally underrated as it was a wonderful machine that really should have done better.

PS3 and 360 kept the momentum going with some great titles and lush looking games. Let’s not forget the Wii either. It might have been woefully underpowered but there is no questioning its innovation to that particular era.

Which brings us to the current generation. Is it the worst? I don’t know. It’s speculative to the individual at best. That being said this is the first generation where I have not bought all the consoles. Besides a gaming PC, I only own a PS4 as I couldn’t be arsed with the XB1 (and I’ll leave out the between gen Wii U).

I think the issue with me is, I’m getting older now and whilst I do still enjoy gaming, I generally don’t have the time nor the inclination to sit and play for hours anymore. I also don’t get excited about gaming these days either. When I buy games now, they can and often do, sit on my shelf or in my Steam library for months before I play them – and very often I don’t! A case in point is my Oculus Rift touch controllers which I received well before Christmas. They sat in their box until about a week ago because I just couldn’t be arsed setting them up…

And I think that’s my outlook towards gaming now. I’ve been a gamer since the very start and through every era, and owned almost every machine released from Pong, an Atari, Intellivision, speccy, C64 etc. etc., all the way to now. As such I’m slightly apathetic towards it and I suspect a lot of other older gamers probably feel the same.

So my take on this being the worst generation would only stem from my own waning interest through age, rather than a more objectified analysis as to whether it actually is the worst generation. My guess is that gamers these days are bored of the same games being rinsed and repeated on each subsequent generation of console. There are also too many alternative distractions and not enough diversity to keep gamers interested these days (internet, mobiles, tablets) – which was not the case a couple of generations back.

For me, gaming, in general, is in a malaise and it needs something to kick it up the ass and VR might be just the thing to do it. Let's hope so.

bubs866

I think the use of downloading "extra" content is killing a lot of the feel for new games. Releases before were mainly game release then occasional patches to fix broken bits. Now it seems like it's release half a game, then loads of extra add-ons to get to the game you should get in the first place.
As such you don't get the new "big" game release feel but a sort of drip feed.

13thBen

Not really the worst. For me there's much more this console gen has to offer and me personally enjoy this generation. I have grown on Famicom, Sega, N64 generation (yes maybe i'm old) and I have seen drastic changes on console games, and for some reasons, I do not find this generation the worst of them all... Maybe I just love playing!!

BlueOrange25

Not sure if this is the worst generation.  As time passes, the memory fades and there's always the risk of rose-tinted glasses, especially with the console generation(s) that we grew up with.

For this generation, I think it has been OK.  I'm interested to see what VR holds for gaming, though perhaps it may be a generation too early(?).  I'm counting the Nintendo Switch as part of this generation and it has been the first console in a long time to get me interested outside of PC gaming.

In terms of games, I think there are a number of great games out there - even if a number of them aren't to my own taste - and there are a few more to come.  I'd be very interested in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Destiny 2.

As others may have pointed out, I think once you reach a certain age, you may be at a stage where you feel as though you've seen it all before.  On Steam, I've recently bought a few 2D platformers - it's been about 15  years since I seriously played that style of game, but it feels like what was old is new again.

Back to this generation, I like to keep optimistic.  Interested to see what other games are coming.

tpr007

Coming from the Atari 2600, Commodore 64, then the NES, I’d have to say that every generation just keeps getting better and better.

I can’t even look at things cynically and say that this is even close to being the worst generation of gaming.

MarkyPancake

Microsoft are trialling a self-service digital returns policy at the moment. I can't remember the specifics of the top of my head or if they've announced a public release date yet.

Worldtraveller

Yeah, I heard about the returns policy they are going to add, its good move but still not a replacement for demos/trial as I have no doubt, like steam they will stop people from using it if they refund a couple of games over certain time. Sony need to add this is to PSN

aoaaron

This is the worst console generation, no doubt about it. Huge lack of innovation gaming wise and the obsession with bleeding us dry with remaster after remaster after remake after dlc.

Huge amounts of value in PC gaming in comparison which at least gives you access to a 4k-updated backlog of all of last gen's titles [which no doubt MS/Sony will release a few remakes off... *awaits mass effect triology in 4k!!1111!* etc.



The quality of games is in general obviously better, as expected gen to gen but the quantity of quality titles isn't really at the sweet-spot I would have imagined given how many years we are into this gen.
Both Sony & MS seem more obsessed with marketting graphics over real games. This is exemplified w/the PS4 pro and the XBOX one X... and can u blame them given thats what consumers want? Stop chasing a pseudo 4k and invest that money into quality exclusives and this gen would be a treat.





Only Nintendo have really innovated this gen is trying to push stuff forward after messing about with the wii u.  The issue there is the switch's library is probably destined to be tiny given how late they joined the party. However once they do drop that 3D pokemon game, its going to be phenomenal.



I don't really mind as I have a huge backlog anyway and little time to play games these days.



Also I can't help but feel the general population don't appreciate innovation. Look at FIFA, COD, and all that rubbish that is eaten up every year along. The Love Island generation of idiots is here and sadly its transformed over to the video game industry.. why innovate and risk a flop (like wonderful 101) when you can play it safe with COD 393893893 or FIFA 2040 or assasin's creed 3989849?



I think the quality of Western RPGs is also piss poor (witcher   dragon age aside) compared to JRPGS. Trails in the sky's story telling, character and charm p*sses all over fallout for example.