Meh. Pixel graphics are fine but I prefer games that look beautiful, and most pixel-art games do not. I especially don’t like it when they’re “pixel art” but don’t actually align everything to a pixel grid, so e.g. characters can move smoothly off the grid, or things can rotate without aliasing. That ruins what I still get from the aesthetic.
But give me something like Ori and the Blind Forest’s aesthetics any day. Or Skyrim or Witcher or Deus Ex for recentish AAA titles.
I replayed Neverwinter Nights base campaigns again not too long ago. Replayability used to be the standard, and for $20. I’m not paying $60+ for a 30hr game that lacks the compulsion to turn around and start up another play through. Granted, D&D 3.5 character builds are compelling on their own, but I digress.
Replayability was largely replaced with “content”. A good modern contrast is God of War and Resident Evil. Resident Evil embraces their tradition of replayability, God of War has an insane amount of “content” on a checklist to make a playtrough be a dollar an hour.
Except with God of War you get collectibles only visible from a certain angle or “puzzles” where the puzzle is an unreasonably short time limit to execute something obvious or an inordinately tight set of jumps to bad time.
Meanwhile in Resident evil every corner actual still has a purpose, like it did before.
Content makes a game replayable. RE was always replayable. On PlayStation 1, and now, on Steam. Neverwinter Nights was unusual in that it was intended to keep going in perpetuity via player crafted modules/campaigns, like D&D tabletop, and is not comparable to anything else.
my midrange vr gaming pc from 2017 is still playing games today so i don’t know if i’ll ever feel the need to drop $1.2K on a console. like when my pc finally dies i might just spend that same money on new parts lol
Somehow, I never had that first feeling. The first console that there ever was at my house was a PS2 (my dad’s), and the only game he purchased was a SNES Station. So I kinda grew up playing only pixelated games. Turns out I got too used to it and play almost no realistic games.
My expectations were far lower, without me realising it, as a child.
I remember getting Mortal Kombat 4, on the N64, and thinking “holy shit, the graphics are so good!!! SO 3D!”
In most games I find no matter how good the static assets look, the animations immediately break the illusion of ‘realism’.
One recent exception to this were some of the cutscenes in Expedition 33, the facial mocap was very on-point and, even though the game isn’t anywhere close to photorealistic, it felt close to watching real actors perform a scene.
As a teenager, I warned people that at a certain point, we will reach the diminishing returns of investment on graphics. I was called a “Mario playing child” by my peers.
I started to feel validated since 2016. And the “DEI-jaw” chud gamers like to whine about is also likely created by the too much faith in how much current graphics can recreate realism accurately.
It’s like a rewiring through new experience. Back in the day games were improving in looks and gameplay rapidly. Then the latter started deteriorating for many big studio titles.
You tell me some new AAAA Ubisoft game is coming out and my gag reflex starts to tingle.
A new pixel graphic indie title with great reviews? Sign me up.
I’m there with you, but a little worried that AI pixel slop is coming to ruin it.
Retro gaming has become my jam, but I’m also rapidly approaching 50 and have an 8y/o that likes to learn my old games with me for now. So I’m gonna enjoy that while we can.
My nieces’ favorite video game of all time is dead or alive 3 on the original Xbox. There’s a switch with new games and fancier graphics connected to an OLED tv but at the end of the day they just want to kick people as simply as possible. Old ass console connected to an old tv in a guest room.
Nobody is better at sniffing out what’s actually fun than kids. They might get tricked by marketing here and there but once they get their hands on things it’s a simple process for them. Does this spark joy?
bin.pol.social
Aktywne