Ben-DutkaThose of you in your early 30s can probably relate: in the early days of the industry, I can distinctly recall scanning the racks of available video game rentals down at the movie store, desperately searching for something that had any chance of being decent. We all remember the classics with a certain fondness, but the Final Fantasy , Mario and Zelda titles were extremely few and far between…and a whole lot of crap clogged up the holes between those releases.
Gaming was still in its infancy, so products that would never see the light of day today (they'd drop into QA testing and everyone would laugh ) somehow made their way into stores. What, you think "All your base are belong to us" was done on purpose? Budgets were the tiniest fraction of what they are now and of course, the technology is just a bit better these days (wait…bit, byte…I just got that). Obviously, I will still review the occasional mess and I often ask myself, "how did this get through testing?" But for the most part, many developers try very hard to produce the best experience possible and man, did they come through in 2009. For a while there, early on in this generation, I had difficulty finding games that really captured my attention.
But between October and November alone there have been three that I just haven't been able to put down: Uncharted 2 , Dragon Age: Origins and Assassin's Creed II . The greatest part is they're not the only titles that have proved addictive for me this year; both inFamous and Killzone 2 were major highlights as well and kept me playing for hours on end. I haven't even been able to play the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 , Resident Evil 5 , Left 4 Dead 2 , and Halo 3: ODST (all on the Christmas list), and this year has still been one of the best in recent memory. Might it be comparable to 2001 or 1998? I won't list off all the games that came out in those years, but let's just say that you'd see recognizable titles like "Baldurs Gate," "Final Fantasy," "Half-Life," "Devil May Cry," "Gran Turismo 3," etc.
But perhaps above all else is the fact that I'm not only hooked on the games in question, I'm also tremendously impressed with their unbelievable level of polish and quality. Origins might be left out of this part of the discussion – it's great for other reasons – but all the others can certainly qualify. I'm still blown away by Uncharted 2 and every time I sit down to play ACII, hours disappear in a blink and I'm continually impressed at so many aspects of the production, from the visuals to the animations to the wonderful attention paid to even the smallest detail. Guys, really…we can't take this for granted. I've been gaming for longer than I even want to admit these days, and it's just so rare that we have years like this. I haven't even mentioned titles I know many of you adore ( Batman: Arkham Asylum , Demon's Souls , Brutal Legend , and Forza 3 , spring quickly to mind), and that's just awesome .
The variety; the diversity; the downright insane level of professionalism and "pushing the envelope" going on in these games is just so respect-worthy. So right now, even though I know most devs won't see this, I'm tossing out a heartfelt thank you to all the hard-working guys who have provided us with such a huge number of fantastic games this year. And hey, I can barely wait for 2010, 'cuz it looks like it's gonna happen all over again. In all honesty, there may never have been a better time to be a gamer in this industry than right now .
I'm only 16 (pretty young compared to a good number of the PSX members here) but I have experienced a lot of those games and can tell right off the bat that I feel what you are saying.
I constantly tell my classmates (my friends have now converted ;), that it will always never matter what system you got, or which is better.
As long as the games are there, the production values are there, and most importantly, the sweat of hard work and the tears of joy from the developers that poured their hearts into making them, is there, it's the games that matter.
Then, Here and Now, and into the Future, it'll always come down to the software.
After reading countless articles, editorials, and reviews, I have learned that from this site, and I Thank You for teaching me that.
I still got a long ways to go in life, so the more knowledge gained until then, the better!
🙂
Last edited by Victor321 on 11/27/2009 10:12:05 PM
calling us old here? we still young at heart lol
I'm 15.
15, and Asian haha ohh yeh
Im 24…damn Im getting old fast. It is like at 21 someone hits fastforward.
On the games side. I've before never felt like Im struggling to catch up with the latest and greatest games. Before it was more relatively easy to catch the best with money in hand. Now just EVERYTHING seems to be triple A.
And don't let any of the old fogies look down on you because you're 15 or 16! If you're a gamer, you deserve some respect dammit!
@Victor321,
Damn, for 16, that's some very mature thinking on your part, BRAVO to you!
(And this is coming from the 57 year old residential antique at this site) LOL
Last edited by BikerSaint on 11/28/2009 2:16:18 PM
@ Aliennange and BikerSaint:
Thank You for what you said guys, means a lot to me 🙂
I'm a hardcore gamer for sure, just to clarify =D
@ Alienange:
Sorry for Mispelling your name! Lol
@Victor321,
Damn, for 16, that's some very mature thinking on your part, BRAVO to you!
i hate stereotypes, everyone thinks youths are really immature and we just arent, 13 year olds maybe, but 16?
@ Random_Steve:
Yah I understand where you're coming from, because a lot of people I know that are my age, are not immature.
They are say Loud, Cocky and Obnoxious, but not immature. For the most part lol
How old are you =D?
Don't forget GoWIII in that 2010 thing. And man I know what you mean, I used to scan the backs of the snes and genesis games (there were never nes games in any rental store near me way back in the day) and just pray that I didn't pick a crap one, not that the selection was very big either, but I always hoped I'd find a diamond in the rough… to no avail. It was mario, zelda, metroid, castlevania, wash-rinse-repeat.
Been a great year for gamers, a terrible year for gamer's wallets, and next year does look like it'll happen again. Though probably even more on the PS3 side of things.
Well, as long as your wallet doesn't sue you, you're fine my friend. 😉
It's been a good year. I certainly can agree with what you're saying. When I look at my stack of games though, I realize that they won't play themselves. I've gotta get another TV and some more hands.
For me, it was a weak year. Nothing released that appealed to me until Batman: Arkham Asylum. After that, Uncharted 2 and GoW Collection were it for me. Now 2010, that's shaping up to be a whoooole other story.
This year actually reminds me of 1998, the software for the ps1 is strong, even stronger than last year, and last year was special.
I know I got myself the best game this year, including stuff like Killzone 2, Infamous, Uncharted 2, and Demon's Soul to name a few
im really in 2 minds about this.
one side points me in the direction of mafia 2, bioshock 2, max payne 3 and so on and so on.
everyone knows we have no lack of AAAA quality multiplatform games for next year, not to mention exclusives like mass effect 2 or splinter cell conviction or heavy rain or of coarse GOW3.
than the other side of me, the common seance side of me points to the last few years.
weve been on a massive spending spree with high quality games releasing like theres no tomorrow.
and that side of me asks when is it going to catch up?
you cant go releasing so many high quality games forever where does the well dry up?
than a third side of me says look at the crappy cheap remake games.
the re hashes like halo 3 ODST or the million and one GH games we have had, or the call of duty series.
point being the crappy cheap remakes are normally the ones that sell the best.
so when does it come to the industry waking up and saying hey i could probably make a crappy cheap remake of a well known IP and sell millions also.
i dunno which one to listen to and which one to believe because, well sooner or later the industry will wake up smell the coffee and say hey why am i busting my a$$ when i dont need too.
either that, or the well is going to dry up and games are just going to be exactly the same as others around them.
improving from bad to good is easy, does not take much time and the difference is clear as day.
but improving from good to brilliant is slower harder and the difference is not as clear.
than improving from brilliant to perfect is even slower and difference is barely noticeable.
point being i think where at a stage now where games cant really get that much better, what can improve?
look at the progress of the industry, look at PS1 games.
we went from blocks to full characters, from 2D to 3D, from black and white to color.
we advanced so far so quickly and now its starting to slow down.
where do we go from here?
You may want to be checked for schizophrenia
Good post.
I believe where we go from here ("the future of gaming") is a change of focus from the visuals to the mechanics.
I am hoping for an evolution from todays game engines where every enemy within the same class are only clones, behave identical and even look more or less identical, to a level of detail where each single object had their own properties that difference them from the rest, not just a nicely animated target. A game placed in an environment where "actual life" happened around you and the peds weren't just waking aimlessly around as random objects to crash into, but all had their story and their "plans for the day".
I'll stop there but my main point is that once you shift focus away from the eyecandy and to what's underneath the beautiful makeup you'll soon discover that there are *huge* rooms for improvement.
always so negative??? Makes me wander if your scottish? lol
No offense ffrulez, but i preferred your old avatar. Just saying…
@___________,
I think the proof is ALREADY in the pudding.
The quality of games are going up every day, at least with developers that care. And you really can't count the few shoddy companies, cause ii they're not already gone, they soon will be when we don't get them a 2nd chance.
All I've got to say is thank goodness more & more good companies are showing gamers they really care about their art, and want to keep building upon their masterpieces.
lol Alienange that was good
We enjoy not being rush into the newest technology for a short while…
3d gaming is next
I totally agree with everything written in this article. It's been an amazing year, even several of the games that are forgotten by everyone are definately playworthy (Overlord II comes to mind).
But if could get *one* wish granted for the next and future years of the PS3, it would be to see a much wider variety within the top quality games. While the claim "a gamepad can't fully replace a keyboard and mouse" holds some truth, I don't buy it being the main reason.
Instead I suspect that the industry, how unlikely it may seem, is not fully aware of the wide range of players on the current generation consoles. Instead they continue the old "console kids wants shooter action"-logic they followed on the earlier generation consoles.
Where are the really good strategy games? When will a MMORPG be available? Or an adult, complex story driven RPG that are NOT based on gnomes, elves, vizards and dragons (Fallout, alright but then?)? Or the sim-whatevers (life/city/railroad/funpark/blabla – not a favorite genre of mine but that's irrelevant)? How come there are not even a single *bad* release within the merc/trade (ref Elite) type of games?
I see no reason to really rant about "the lack of games" this year, still I am puzzled by the fact that a vast majority of the praised titles are all firmly placed in the action/platform style genres – most of them even in the most traditional way.
Surely all this processing power must be possible to use on more than polished graphics and impressive looking cutscenes?
Last edited by Beamboom on 11/28/2009 12:07:33 AM
Fallout New Vegas? But seriously the Final Fantasy series has had some rather adult themed very story-driven iterations that lack elves and wizards, however it seems you are in the market for something that has little or nothing fantastical about it, i.e. grounded in the real world. In which case you should be on the lookout for Alpha Protocol.
I don't know the Final Fantasy series, this PS3 is my first console (FF was never released on the PC, was it? Other than the MMO of course…). But I have absolutely no doubts that there are exceptions to be found through all these years with consoles, anything else would be unthinkable.
My personal preferences is really a bit off-topic but what I personally is in the market for is not something less fantastic, I just can't stand the fantasy settings displayed in these games. If I see one more "cute redhaired gnome with axe and scottish accent" I'm gonna vomit. But that's my problem. 🙂
Sci-fi however is something I *love*. And as such, Mass Effect 2 will be an obvious buy. Your suggestion of Alpha Protocol is good, I've got that one on my radar already.
But now we are talking a few, single titles (unreleased, even!) that save the platform from total disaster on the "genre variety"-scale.
Going from PC to PS3, this came as a total surprise to me!
I see your point, but c'mon the variety of really good console games far outstrips the variety of really good pc games. Unfortunately for some, they just aren't a great platform for the kind of strategy games that work really well on PC.
Also if you are interested FFVII and FFVIII made it to PC (Though who knows if either works on anything older than win95) and 360 had FFXI for an MMORPG. Obviously FFXIV will be one too, for PS3 and PC for sure.
The old FF games did the medieval times thing but the later ones were a better allegory for real world problems even if they took place in sci fi steampunk environments. Not sure what the environment for FFXIV will be though.
@ Beamboom – I'll be right behind you in line when the PS3 version of Elite comes out. Those type of "merchant" games were my favorite back in the day. Where O where have they gone?
@Alienange: I know! Somehow they disappeared right around when game graphics started to get in shape… There has been attempts later (Dark Star One in 2006 might be the most recent one) but none as large, complex and slow paced as Elite 🙂
@WorldEndsWithMe: I don't agree with your general conclusion that the good ps3 games offer a wider variety than good pc games. But then again it all depends on how you define "good", of course.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely *love* my PS3, I am just hoping for a wider selection of genres. They don't even have to be of a groundbreaking, mindboggling stellar quality even – something thats just "good enough" would be better than nothing! 😀
Star Trek Online will be released next year (just an example), I dunno how good it will be of course, but being a trekkie it really stings to read such news, knowing it's not for me to enjoy, unless I return to the PC.
But then again, an MMO *is* planned for the PS3 too, so this tunnel is not pitch black, I do see a glimpse of light ahead 😉
And not to mention all those games that migrated south for the winter, and got pushed back to next year.
Around August a friend of mine got into a debate about which holiday season had the best line-up of games, 2008 or 2009? Oh course I said this year, but he insisted that I was mistaken and last year was better. I told him he was on drugs and needs to go buy Uncharted 2. I'm confident he'll agree after he plays that. Borderlands can't hold him that long.
It has been a great year! I've played some of my favorite titles this year. Uncharted 2 was nothing short of amazing. Assassin's Creed 2 is awesome as well! I know it's hard work creating a game in general, so creating a great game must take dedication, and love for the craft. I've got to say Naughty Dog and Ubisoft, awesome jobs.
Last edited by just2skillf00l on 11/28/2009 1:54:47 AM
not going to wait for the expanded version of RE5?
I agree that this year quality games have had me extremly amazed.
The keepers on my shelf this year are Killzone 2, Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2 and Assassins Creed 2. All sequels and that tells you about the industry as a whole.
I think the money in the games industry is going to come from quality IP's that gather a large following and then incremental releases that take their ideas to the next level.
The investment comes to begin with and getting the first game out there and creating the environment, engine and marketing.
Surely they should be able to make more money relatively in the 2nd and 3rd releases. A lot of the hard work has been done and they just need to tweak the graphics and gameplay.
What we expect now from Modern Warfare 3, Uncharted 3 or Killzone 3 might not be realised until the next generation of consoles but I think they will squeeze one more out in the next couple of years to pay for their initial investments. The hard work has been done. Modern Warfare 2 has definately repayed bigtime.
This trend can only continue.
Gamers are becoming more discerning and can recognise shovelware. The games shoved out quickly to tie in with a movie are hopefully becoming rarer. Fingers crossed!
The danger is complacency and saturation. This can be seen with Guitar Hero which seems to have released a dozen different versions in 2009. It's fan base seems to be getting turned off. It's not good trying to "invest" in an IP and seeing it's worth devalued every couple of months.
EA Sports have the same issues as major advances only seem to happen every couple of years even though they release annually.
The game industry is becoming an adult I think. We've gone through its infancy and teenage years (Elite on the Spectrum and Goldeneye on the N64 for example). It's now an adult with an adult audience that have grown up with it.
Only the highest praise for the developers. Long may it continue.
It's becoming an art form. I love it!
Ben you sly muffin 😉
Goodyear tires! Great year.
Last edited by Banky A on 11/28/2009 2:57:44 AM
Nice article and as someone in their early 30's I completely agree. How we got from Pong to the likes of Uncharted 2 is mindboggling. It's like watching a 'Back to the Future' movie, seeing all that futuristic stuff but always imagining it was in a very distant future. Except it's not, it's happening right now. We're hearing stuff like 3D is gonna be the future for gaming and in 10 yrs time we won't even need consoles, it'll all be downloads. Whether or not we agree or disagree, it's all happening and nothing stays the same.
so true, these are the games that i have or i will eventually have that came out in 2009; killzone 2, infamous, ratchet and clank, batman AA, uncharted 2, assassins creed 2, fifa 10 and probably many more
If im honest this years releases havent really gripped me at all. I got Street Fighter IV, which was great. Resident Evil 5,next which i sent the next day. I bought Tekken 6 last month which was refreshing, but beginning to wear off. I admit i have yet to play Uncharted 2, which i'm hoping will be resolved by christmas. I'm really just waiting for the two Titans for next pring, being Heavy Rain & Final Fantasy XIII.
Very well said – plus there's the likes of a bunch of great niche games in Flower, Shatter, IL-2:BoP – I think the 18 months from the release of KZ2 will go down as some of the best gaming releases in history! Or, if we're lucky, it'll be the start of a new trend in more better games, but that's probably wishful tyhinking ;).
DLC is new to me and it will only get better from here on ,it's just a great addition to great games you know , keep on playing!!
This year definitely stands out. Around the middle of 2008, COD4 fans everywhere couldn't wait for the next installment from IW and now its here, Modern Warfare 2, is lying on my table right now. And its my #1 FPS thus far this gen.
My favorite sports franchise FIFA has never looked and played this good, I'm so glad FIFA 10 is definitely the best sports game this year, I sometimes find myself playing online more than MW2. With a 91 overall critic score at Metacritic, that's not bad for a sports game.
I always said time and time again that though MGS4 was bad ass, I loved Uncharted DF a bit more, and now the next iteration U2 AT is beside me and its now my favorite game this whole generation so far.
After enjoying Resident Evil 4 a great deal I couldn't wait for the next one and to me, Resident Evil 5 comes 2nd after Uncharted 2 for best action adventure game this year, get over the horror aspect being missing, who cares, well I don't care!
My personal highly anticipated fighting game Tekken 6 was also released this year, though it has a lotta criticisms I still think I love the game.
Killzone 2 is one of the baddest FPS I've ever experienced, its different from other FPS though I'd go with MW2 anyday, I liked it.
Infamous is a beautiful game, my first Platinum game but I don't really see myself going back. Street Fighter IV was sweet at first but you know it started getting repetitive, from Ryu to Ken to Sakura to Dan to Guoken….sigh…they basically had the SAME moves.
All in all I agree 2009 is a year to remember in the games industry.
Last edited by www on 11/28/2009 6:54:57 AM
I have been playing games since Pong. The Sears home version. I've had just about every system ever made, no X-box or Wii though. Right now I'm glad the flood of games is stopping. I can catch up on everything I bought this year. 2009 is and was amazing. Thanks Sony and Microsoft. Till the flood starts again next year, later….
I'm already appreciating 2009, heck, I'm abusing my new PS3 slim everyday, can't get enough of Uncharted 2.
Indeed. 2009 is a good year for gaming. To me, the quality began in the latter part of 2008.
Big emphatic "Yes". Gamers are spoiled this generation. Had a talk with a guy at gamestop yesterday trying to dissuade me from picking up GOW collection. He admitted to not being able to play anything without "guns".
Got alot of goodies yesterday!! infamous + Killzone + uncharted 2 for 65 bucks.. harharhar.. I love gamestop 🙂
Shut yourself in and play until January. You'll thank me. 🙂
100% agree with you Ben!
As a senior member here(57 age wise)seeing gaming evolve from the old school days of black & white squares & dots, to the current quality & detail of some of these games are showing this year, are just simply amazing.
And I'm in awe just thinking how much better these games will wind up from each of it's previous models.
@eLLeJuss,
Man, I caught that sale too, but now I've got to stay the hell out of Gamestop for awhile, cause I spent about $400 yesterday, and the equivalent of almost 3 months rent just over the last couple of weeks buying 2 consoles, 4 handhelds, a ton of different system accessories, & a bunch of games……
On their "buy 2 used get 1 free" deal, I wound up at 3 different GS, and went hog-wild.
But it was well worth the light wallet because I was finally able to pick up a bunch 2009 PS3 & 360 games I've been wanting for all my PS3, PS2, PSP, & 360 collections…
Killzone 2
Killzone Liberation
Eat Lead
InFamous
Red Faction: Guerrilla
COD:4 WAW
Resident Evil 5
Darkest Of Days
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Wanted: Weapons of Fate
COD:Modern Warfare 1
COD Modern Warfare 2 with 250GB Xbox360 Bundle.
Also was able to pick up a bunch of good older games on that Buy 2, get 1 deal too….
Grid
R&C: TOD
R&C: Size Matters
The Bouncer
Buzz:Mega Quizz
Medal of Honor: Heroes
Shadow Of Destiny
Fear 2
Ace Combat 6
Shadow of the Colossus
Eye of Judgment W/ camera & cards Bundle
Bioshock
Siren
Gears Of War 2
Da Vinci Code
MGS Acid 2
MGS Portable Ops Plus
Silent Hill 2
Resistance 2
Zone Of The Enders
Last edited by BikerSaint on 11/28/2009 4:00:08 PM
Woooow.. U know they raised the used prices a little. like oblivion was i think 20 bucks used when u can buy it on any other day for 15 bucks. and heavenly sword was 25 when u can but it 20 used. =/. Still a sweet deal though :).
I've already started playing. My original plan was give 1 hour to each game then decide which one im gonna play first. i started with killzone 2 and damn.. i couldnt let go of my controller. lol.i was playing halfway to ac2 too.. damnnn.. I've been missing out on a lot! after killzone ima finish ac then infamous and resistance 2. i gotta start on uncharted too!! i was playing it in a sony store and damn.i got hooked. lololol…ahhhh goodbye sunlight!! hopefully ill make it before FFXIII 😛