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[Cosmonaut_Roger]

If it helps any, I've been feeling this way since late 2003. I've stopped playing new games almost completely, I only play old games from the 90s. It's not our imagination either, at least I don't think so. I've talked about this with other people and at other forums, and most hardcore PC gamers agree that the quality of games has gone downhill sharply with the rising popularity of gaming to the general public.

It's rough, but its reality and there's no escaping it. Since about 2004, I've been going back to the early 90s and playing older games I had missed the first time around. I've played very few new games, and I'm mostly focusing on older games that were great but for some reason or another I never got around to playing. The only new games I've played are Oblivion, FEAR, and Company of Heroes a bit. I'm not very impressed by those, and they don't hold my attention like Crusader No Remorse or Ascendancy does. So, despite having a new computer, I mainly use Dosbox or use an older computer I have and play old games. I scour the internet, Ebay, and used book stores for old games. I've discovered some amazing gems doing this, and its become my new favorite hobby, so I totally recommend it. Don't get discouraged by the current trends in PC gaming. In my opinion, PC gaming is dead or in hibernation, but there's PLENTY of quality old games out there just waiting to played by us today!

[The Fifth Horseman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(U-Boat Commander David @ Jan 12 2007, 11:00 PM) [snapback]274637[/snapback]</div>

I actually purchased Ardennes Offensive and i finished it just because i was so angry at myself for even getting that crap in the store... :wallbash:[/b]

Be happy you never had been acquainted with the crud known as "Wilczy Szaniec". (it's not the same as Wolfenstein, though both of the names refer to the same location). Urgh. :wallbash:

[Eagle of Fire]

I actually purchased Ardennes Offensive and i finished it just because i was so angry at myself for even getting that crap in the store... wallbash.gif[/b]

Master of Orion 3... <_< I tryied it way too many times, tryied with and without the patches... This is and will always stay one of the crappiest game I ever played! Arrgh!!! How dare they destroy one of the best 4X franchise like that? :tai:

In final, I'd like to ask a question: why do we need newandimprovedgamegraphicssogreatweneedtheverylast graphiccardbecauseomgit'ssoincreadiblygreatandwhat notversion47612.23, when you can have this:



I rest my case.

[Morrin]

Im a huge fan of HOMAM3 and HOMAM5 was actually a pleasant suprise, thought I have to agree that adjusting the camera angle can be somewhat annoying at the times.

I have been discussing this whole "games are getting numb and boring" topic with many friends of mine. It seems or feels that every single game nowadays is a sequel or sequels sequel (but also in hollywood and in series too). The old scene of gaming, where technology was limited (and therefore people had to try to hook the player in other way than graphics only) is over. Im not saying that great games don't pop out anymore, they are just fewer and fewer. Usually the most innovative game ideas come from indie scene (and in most cases when I wan't to pay for the game, I can't because of the paying system).

Sigh. I put my trust to indie, thought even indies don't make really good ideas nowadays. What looks or feels original doesn't necessarily mean that it's fun. It's a very complicated matter.

[Scatty]

Hmm, what is "indie"?

[Morrin]

Indie as independet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_games

[Scatty]

Ah, like Tank Blaster II. I know few of such games.
Tank Blaster 1 is freeware by now, btw., reachable from the link. Don't worry of German, the game itself supports English as well.

[CorruptMylar]

The same thing that happened to movies, happened to games. Stocks must always go up. So when you spend 20 mil on making a game, it better hit. But that means the developers don't take chances and stick a formula of things that work. They get less innovative and take fewer chances.

[Scatty]

So practically, the game producers caused themselves to lose gradually the imagination in creating games in favor of ever larger, more complex and graphically more detailled games that began to offer larger, but at the same time more and more dull worlds that lack the unique spark that the earlier, small games that encouraged our own imagination possessed, even without such shining graphics and greatness.
Somehow I can't say this "revolution" of the games today was for the better direction... But then again, time never stays still, and maybe it's just a passing period prior to something new.

[humorguy]

Sometimes you have to dig more..... I search for game forums and just browse ones that I have never been to before.....Then I see a thread about a game bought and a recommendation, then as I read down the thread I see others joining in saying what a good game it is 'and thanks for telling me about it' type messages. This, for example, is how I found out about Space Rangers 2. A Game barely anyone has heard of, is a small publisher product, not an indie game, and once known and looked for it will not be hard to see how loved it is. But the media doesn't know how to handle games that are full of gameplay but not uber graphically. Hence not listed on any 'Reader Game of the Year 2006' so you could vote for it and not mentioned in any game of the year awards, and yet, just one site, Gamespy, put it at No.4 in their Top 10 games of 2006. Just the one site. And yet, if you check the reviews, it got plenty of high 80's and low 90's scores, so was worthy of lots of attention, but just didn't get it because the media doesn't know how to handle these 'smaller' publishers, with their 'smaller' games. Hence nothing anywhere, and then this one beacon, and the total reverse for the Oblivions and Company of Heroes, etc, of this world.

So when we talk about modern gaming, I think we are talking about the major publishers and the product they put out. But underneath, if you look, there are gems in the dust. Space Rangers 2, comes with Space rangers 1 for free and is like a Sid Meier's Pirates in Space, with a touch of Elite, Star Control 2 and MOO, with a dash of Asteroids, Infocom and Mech Warrior thrown in for good luck! I have about 60 hours into it and have restarted 4 times. I doubt it will leave my hard drive this year, or maybe even next year. It is modern 'retro', and with the success of the Wii and retro becoming huge on all the consoles and through DOSBox on PC too, I think we will see more of these 'modern retro's' and they will get more attention. If they don't, and things stay the same, I think we could be looking at the last 1 or 2 years of PC gaming.