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I am Ned, and I play vidya games.
I’ve been a video game player since I could basically walk. My first game console I ever touched was my parents’ Atari 2600 and a game named ‘Circus Atari,’ which is still one of my favs of all time. In the history of gaming, I grew up with it…moving from NES to SNES to Genesis to N64, Playstation, Gamecube, Xbox 360, Playstation 4, and now the current generation. But, if you were excited about the Playstation 5 or Xbox Series X…I’ve noticed something that is pretty obvious.
It’s just….more of the same.
Playstation 4 is basically Playstation 5, and the same goes for Xbox. I mean what’s really pushing the barrier? Seeing the NES go to the SNES was a DRAMATIC shift graphically and game play wise…there was a sense of wonder and NEW feeling to it. Xbox One to Xbox Series X? Same ol same ol…and that’s not to say that’s a BAD thing, but it makes gaming kinda….boring.
Now I played the heck out of my Playstation 4, and plenty of games to go with it too. I bought the Xbox Series X cause I like Xbox games, just personal preference…plus I’m not super into exclusives anyway. But if you start to look, the controller IS the same, the graphics are BASICALLY the same, everything is just more expensive for subscription services and such…
Then there are the games, its remaster after remaster after remaster of the same game I have played before. Here’s the SPECIAL EDITION or HERE’S THE HD VERSION….great…there are some exceptions of course. Resident Evil 2 remake is like a FULL NEW GAME basically, same goes for Final Fantasy 7 remake too…but at the end of the day, the games look exactly the same as the previous generation. So…why do you NEED to have the latest when it’s basically the old one?
I’ve always said in previous generations, ‘Oh man, I don’t think it can get better than this!’ Well, I think we have nearly reached to where it can’t really get ANY better than what we have. Sure there is ray tracing, frame rates….like….does it really matter? If the gameplay is boring, who gives a shit about raytracing? The novelty wears off pretty soon when it’s just pretty shiny colors.
Maybe it’s cause I had kids and just other priorities these days, but it’s also because I’m a passionate gamer a notice things. I don’t care about having a kill to death ratio or the best of the best….I just want to play games and have fun, but when I am being dished the same stuff year after year, it loses its luster. Last cause I know I’ll get the PC Master Race folks, I’m just NOT a PC player…I do play PC, but having to look at specs, can this game run, mods, etc just doesn’t work for me in the long run…I do however enjoy a funny modded game of Left4Dead 2 with Shrek as the tank though.
It’s partially why I flock to Nintendo…it’s not going for the top of the line graphics or competing to be the ULTIMATE GAME MACHINE, it’s just fun games that I can pick up and play. Mind you Nintendo is guilty of remasters and HD rereleases and charging up the ass for them, but there’s a sense of ‘innovation’ in what they do…new controllers, new concepts, new ways to play that keeps me interested.
Rant over, go play games, have fun.
