Expectations in Gaming, and the Desire for Truly New Games
- desolate9
- Feb 4, 2015
- 6 min read
When I think about games I have played over the years, there haven't been many that truly stood out as remarkable on consoles. Sure we have had considerably remarkable games, but nothing truly original anymore, mainly sequels and rehashes or HD re-releases. Now like I said, there have been remarkable games like Dragon Age, Destiny, Evil Within, Uncharted, Halo, Diablo III, Elder Scrolls, Dark Souls, the list goes on and on. But how many of those games I just mentioned are either involving sequels, or have plans for one... All but one is the correct answer. There have not been truly original IP's (Intellectual Property) coming in quite some time which is why I am more than stoked for 2015 on PS4 and XBox One.
We have games like Turtle Rock's Evolve, Sony's The Order 1886, From Software's Bloodbourne, and Zenimax Online's Elder Scrolls Online (a new console IP, but set in ES Universe) to look forward in the first half of the year. Along with notables like Final Fantasy Type 0 HD, Kojima's Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain, and Square Enix's Rise of the Tomb Raider (exclusive to Xbox One) which are not original IP's but original entries either to the U.S. as Final Fantasy, or a new entry in an established series already like Metal Gear Solid. Throw in completing fun diversionary games from the digital offerings, and indie developers, and 2015 is shaping up to be a great year!
But as I look forward to some of these games, I am finding myself replaying many other games in favor of completing challenges, or even wanting to completely restart games entirely. Both for my channel on YouTube, and for the sake of having the opportunity to best some of those accomplishments twice; like my personal favorite XBox 360 Achievement (which I earned) that involved playing through the entirety of Mirror's Edge without Killing a Guard or Shooting a Gun... Seriously bad-ass escape artistry there, and I cannot wait for the sequel Mirror's Edge 2. But that may have always been my one pride and joy of difficult challenges I ever faced in the generation. Not to say there weren't some other good ones, like beating Through the Fire & Flames on Expert in Guitar Hero III which involved using not a controller, but a cheaply-made toy electric guitar... Serious skills, if I YouTube'd then, I would've posted it, 89% on Expert, when my last attempts have been in the 60's... A true Achievement as it was just meant to happen in my gaming career. And I know I could never replicate that effort. But those things aside, I have earned many awards for "beating on this difficulty" or "collect this many blah" which I think had me leaning into the desire to continue to play these games in exchange for a higher score. I think my drive for that Achievement forced me to become complacent with the kinds of games I play. I started XBox 360 with games like Prey, King Kong, Madden 06, and THPS: American Wasteland; a couple original IP's and my NFL game, and my Tony Hawk... So as that wasn't a bad start, the desire to "Achieve" drove me into playing games I may not have ever played, or played for as long as I did..
It was this willingness to accept complacency that drove me into the near 60,000 range of GamerScore in 3 short years, while raising a family, working 70+ hours a week, and other necessary things to progress my life in the right direction. But all I did was play Call of Duty: X SEQUEL, or the next Gears of War, Battlefield, Final Fantasy XIII (Yes, Squeenix pulled a Peter King, and made three games out of one) Street Fighter, Grand Theft Auto, Forza Motorsport, Fable, and the list goes on and on. And that's just the best of XBox 360... Nevermind going into the stalefish that was PlayStation 3.
I mention all of this to prove my point that it is time to move on from stale, and embrace; hell, reward any developers that choose to challenge that line. The Last of Us (PS3/PS4), Destiny, Driveclub (PS4), Shadow of Mordor, The Evil Within, Murdered: Soul Suspect, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Knack (PS4), Sunset Overdrive (XBOne), Project Spark (XBox), Watch Dogs, Natural Doctrine (PS3/PS4/Vita); which are all great games from 2014 in their own right, and should not be missed. Sadly, I may have even named them all. But if I missed one or two, it wasn't in slight. So with all of that mentioned, you can see now what I mean by needing the landscape to change. And I think that after 2014 had so many great showings in fresh content, 2015 should only follow suit.
I know I am excited for what the year has to offer me because I own Steam, PC, XBox One, XBox 360, PS4, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii U, and multiple DS & 3DS consoles. I will see anything important that comes my way, and while I own these, and many many Retro consoles, I do not routinely spend money for every new release. I only target certain games, and my majority of my major titles are played on PS4 which leaves the XBox One for Call of Duty, Sunset Overdrive, Killer Instinct, and Halo. Sorry Microsoft. I do have Destiny on XBox 360 though so I can play with friends on there too when I'm not on PS4. I am the guy who gets his games on discounts, sales, or even pre-owned from the local GameStop. And only certain games get the Day-One from me. Hell, from all of the ones I mentioned above, the only one I bought on Day One was Destiny. All of those are 2014 titles. This year, I have the games I mentioned before on Pre-Order; The Order 1886, Evolve, FF Type 0 HD, Bloodbourne, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Edition. All of these games are on the radar because of what they bring. I have never played Final Fantasy Type 0 on PSP back in I believe it was 2011, and Rise of the Tomb Raider is a sequel to the first Action/Adventure title I have ever played where I got 100% and completed it within 72 hours, but still had 30+ hours in the game... Nice weekend, great game, and an amazing opportunity for Microsoft to capitalize on the release. I know the game is a reason I have the console.
I feel it is necessary to point this out, because while everyone, myself included, has a trigger finger. We know it will be itched by the next Call of Duty, Elder Scrolls, Borderlands, Assassin's Creed, Battlefield, Gears of War, Resistance, Grand Theft Auto, etc. These games have set a standard now in the industry for their excellence. Everyone knows when a big name like that comes up, the game is going to be a hit. But what we need to do is stop treating these new IP's like remnants, or variations of previous establish units. We can't keep comparing games to each other, just because someone says open-world, doesn't mean it is like Grand Theft Auto, Elder Scrolls, etc. But that is another blog post in itself...
So I know I will be having a good time playing these new games this year while after I get long-bored I might pick up one of the established games pre-owned. Either way, I know my console will be showing me some compelling stuff this year. I am truly excited. And what happens if I get bored waiting for this years November? I might have to keep reconditioning cartridges since I have over a dozen cartridge-based consoles. Maybe I will start looking for classics that were never labeled "Classics". Until then; "Keep on gaming, play fair, play hard, and play strong".
This is Desolate_9 just sharing some thoughts... Want to join the conversation, and you can be constructive? Leave it in the Comments, I check in. You can also follow me on Twitter @TheDesolate_9, and on my other Channels. Thanks for stopping by, and if you like the message, please share it on your local social-network... The only way thoughts are shared with others is through talking...
Next in the series on the subject:
Why do we say "open-world" and think Grand Theft Auto?
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