Why do console games suck so bad???

[JoeGKushner]

There are some games I can't get into because they're too intricate.

The tie in to Pitch Black? No problem. Halo 2? No problem.

Some of the other shooters though... man, too much detail, too many options, too much 'realism' that just sacrifices game play for me.

One of the things I liked about older games is that you didn't have to think about what buttons you were pressing or in what combinations. Now fighters style games are a notable acception to that, but most of them were pretty easy with a handful of maneuvers to master. Today's fighters have levels of intricacy built into them that is difficult to master and well, sometimes boring when button mashing works almost as well.

I love my X-Box, and enjoy games like Fable, Elder Scrolls and others, but I can see where the OP is coming from.

 

[Express]

I'm over 30 and have extreme difficulty remembering multi-button combo moves, let alone successfully implementing them in stressful situations. I was raised on Atari 2600, Colecovision and arcade games like Donkey Kong, LOL. I could handle Sega Genesis and even 3DO, but once things starting getting more complicated (esp. controllers with triggers, sticks and buttons), I started having problems. This was around PS1, and has only gotten worse with the current generation of consoles. I don't expect it to get any easier, LOL.

What happened to fun and simple multiplayer video games? They hardly make 'em anymore. I guess they assume that video game players have no friends, LOL, or think "splitscreen" is a solution. Splitscreen sucks! I can't remember which half of the screen is mine, and end up totally confused and unhappy staring at only half a screen.

Why can't they make simple multiplayer or solo games like Combat, Qix or Tron for today's consoles but with better graphics? Why the insistence on putting in traps, puzzles and riddles no one can solve without a strategy guide? No one wants to play Resident Evil to solve puzzles, LOL, they just want to shoot zombies! No one wants to dodge traps in God of War, they just want to kill mythological monsters! No one wants to master fancy multi-button controls, they just want to play the damn game! AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

I think I've developed Old Fogey Syndrome, LOL.

I kind of feel your pain. Im in my 30s and have been a gamer since I was a tadpole. But alot (not all mind you)of the current console games just leave me cold. Games seem shorter, there are a lot of "me too" copycat titles, stupppppid AI, and (most egregiously to me) it seems like game developers are trying to make interactive movies more than games.

Im mostly a PC gamer now. But if you want old school type experiences, I recommend a nintendo handheld, a gba or DS. The DS is great because of its interesting input capabilities, and it actually plays gba games, too. Handheld games especially nintendo's are a haven for 2d type games. And visual old schoolness aside, the games are about gameplay too. Advance wars, Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga, Meteos, Minish Cap..lotsa fun.

I sort of disregard the PSP, since it seems to me that Sony is pushing 3d "coolness" on its handheld. And I hate that dang analog nib thingee.

Im hoping the next gen of consoles will bring next gen gameplay. But I fear all we will get is shinier, more reflective surfaces, online play, more expensive games, in game product advertising and fewer titles per year due to budget concerns and complex development times.

And who knows the Revolution might be a haven for gameply when it comes out.

Methinks Im an old fogey too

 

[CronoDekar]

I'm guess you could consider me Generation Y, I'm 25 years old. Like the original poster, I grew up playing Atari 2600 with Mrs. PacMan and Frogger. I prefer computer games such as RPG, adventure, and RTS. I don't really have the patience for console games with their "complicated" controls like the XBox and PSII (I got totally whippd in that 1st person Star Wars games, not sure of the name).

It's not that I couldn't learn, I just choose not to; I'm happily playing Warcraft III, Age of Empires, etc. on the PC.

I find this interesting, since I tend to find getting accustomed to the controls on RTS games rather difficult, particularly for playing with skill. Then again, I also don't really play action games, instead mainly playing console-style RPGs which aren't known for their complex control schemes. And I'm not too used to using a keyboard and mouse as game input.

Also, a second on the simplistic setup of the Katamari games -- even my sister, who only really plays puzzle games, can play them (though I hear the controls on the upcoming PSP Katamari are annoying).

 

[Alzrius]

It's really a shame that the rumors of the DS Katamari turned out to be just rumors. Using the stylus for that game just seems naturally perfect, IMHO.

 

[ssampier]

I find this interesting, since I tend to find getting accustomed to the controls on RTS games rather difficult, particularly for playing with skill. Then again, I also don't really play action games, instead mainly playing console-style RPGs which aren't known for their complex control schemes. And I'm not too used to using a keyboard and mouse as game input.

Also, a second on the simplistic setup of the Katamari games -- even my sister, who only really plays puzzle games, can play them (though I hear the controls on the upcoming PSP Katamari are annoying).

I'm no expert, but I find using the mouse in a RTS much easier than trying to use the blasted thumb controls. Again, I'm sure with practice I could be learn, but I don't really care that much.

3D environments can give me motion-sickness anyway.

 

[3catcircus]

Try playing Super Mario Sunshine on a PC.

If the catridge can be read using a kit-bashed device (such as a prom reader/burner) or a CD can be read on a PC's CD or DVD drive, it can be played on a PC - there are tons of different (legal and illegal) options for playing console games (as well as the real arcade games) on a PC. The same can't be said of trying to play a PC game on a console.

 

[3catcircus]

And Morrowind was acutally pretty fun on the Xbox.

I don't necessarily consider an xbox to be a console - specifically because it is a PC with a hard drive running a stripped-down version of Windows 2000 disguised as a console... The xbox uses Microsoft's directX 3D graphics API for games, which was originally developed Windows.

The newest consoles start to blur the line between consoles and PCs because they typically come with the option of a hard drive, however, a console will *never* have the flexibility of a PC so long as they continue to run a proprietary OS on a stripped-down mainboard with crippled I/O ports.

Do a search on google and see how many people there are who are attempting (with varying degrees of success) to convert xbox and PS2 into generic computers.

The problem nowadays is that the "golden age" (if there ever was one) for PC games has come and gone - no longer are there literally hundreds of titles released each month.

 

[mojo1701]

If the catridge can be read using a kit-bashed device (such as a prom reader/burner) or a CD can be read on a PC's CD or DVD drive, it can be played on a PC - there are tons of different (legal and illegal) options for playing console games (as well as the real arcade games) on a PC. The same can't be said of trying to play a PC game on a console.

That wasn't my point, though. My point was able to get the same quality of gameplay.

 

[3catcircus]

That wasn't my point, though. My point was able to get the same quality of gameplay.

But isn't "quality of gameplay" completely subjective? I like hard-core simulations (MS Flight Simulator with myriad free and payware add-ons, Falcon, Lock-On, etc.), cerebral shooters (e.g. Rainbow Six and it's various derivations) and "traditional" RPGs (BG2, NWN, Morrowind, etc.)

I dislike sports games (Madden 199x - 200x are all the same to me - the only difference is the names and numbers on the jerseys), and "fighting" games (to me, randomly tapping buttons appears to have no discernable difference in outcome from memorizing specific moves).

If I were to play a sports game (regardless of platform), I'd say the "quality of gameplay" sucks because I don't like those types of games. Likewise, a highly-touted game about 10 years ago was Stonekeep - I thought the "quality of gameplay" sucked because it was a canned rpg. Give me what I consider a good rpg (BG2, for example) and I'd probably like it regardless of platform. Now, give that same game - BG2 and give me the choice of playing it on a console or on a PC and I'll take the PC every day for the following reasons:

1. Nearly infinitely expandable memory and storage on a PC means the game can run better and better the more memory and storage I give it. On a console, I'm stuck with the proprietary options that the manufacturer makes available.

2. Multiple video card options means I can set the resolution to multiple modes and if I get a faster video card with more memory, the better the game will run. With a console I'm stuck with whatever video chip/card shipped with the console.

3. The ability to edit save games (in case of an error in the game or if I just want to cheat and give myself more gold, better stats, or specific equipment).

4. Likewise, the ability to create my own scenarios, missions, or levels. The best example of this is Microsoft Flight Simulator - the ability to create my own scenery, airplanes, airplane panels, sounds, etc is limitless.

5. Mouse and keyboard (or joystick for flight sims) is less cramping on my hands and allows more customization of what commands are assigned to each keystroke or mouse button.

Essentially - I prefer PC games over console games because of the greater ability to customize the gameplay to my particular situation.

 

[Viking Bastard]

I'm 20 and I can relate to Iron Chef.

I just don't like the games that are popular nowadays. I used to be a big gamer, but
the business has gone into non-VB-compatible directions. I miss Sonic. He died to me
when he went 3D.

There's been enjoyable games, KotOR, Freedom Fighters and more, but I remember
being in awe of all the available games I wanted to play but couldn't.

Now there's few and because I get too pumped over them because I miss gaming, I
tend to get disappointed.