By Nelson Schneider - 08/17/14 at 01:59 PM CT
Back in 2010, Nick lamented on MeltedJoystick’s older sister site, FilmCrave, over the dearth of new and interesting movie concepts leaving Hollywood studios. It’s no secret that game developers and publishers are trying to make videogames more cinematic, and indeed largely succeeded in doing so over the course of the 7th Generation.
Now that generation is over, and the 8th Generation has begun. Unfortunately, it appears that the games industry will be adopting Hollywood’s obsession with remakes as the new generation’s dominant feature. The 8th Generation has been going for nearly 2 years now (though the PlayStation 4 and XBONE have only been around for half that time), and the frequency of ports and remakes is an overwhelming presence in almost every console’s library (OUYA is largely exempt, for what little it’s worth).
PS4 owners are working themselves into a lather praising the apparently Higher-Definition cinematic gameplay of “The Last of Us Remastered.” XBONE owners are feverishing awaiting the opportunity to replay ALL OF TEH HALOEZ with shinier graphics. Even WiiU owners are enjoying Game Boy Advance games like “The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap” and “Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga” just as much as if not more than the current crop of sequels in popular franchises. Hell, even these “AAA” sequels are beginning to feel phoned-in and way more derivative than they have in the past.
Of course, we also can’t forget that, aside from Nintendo’s machine, most of the ‘new’ games being released for 8th Generation hardware are ALSO being released for creaky old 7th Generation hardware. It’s no secret that I’m dubious about the necessity of new consoles and disappointed by the ones I’ve deigned to buy. But it really feels like the videogame industry is completely out of ideas. Instead of creating great new gaming experiences or drastically upgrading older ones with improved mechanics and engaging ways to play, all of these ports, cross-generational releases, remakes, and remasters are just slapping a fresh coat of paint on an old pile of computer code and selling it again for full price.
I understand the desire to have access to old favorites. I’m a big proponent of emulators and the privateering of Abandonware for exactly that reason. Yet, when the huge corporations that hold the videogame industry (indeed, the entire world) on their shoulders took notice of the fact that people enjoyed and continue to hold fond memories of older games, they acted in the greediest, most mechanically-cold way possible. Nobody is simply allowed to share old games, which have already made their profits. Old games MUST BE MONITIZED. Thus the monolithic and ponderous machinery of the games industry has kicked into motion: If the public wants old games, WE WILL DROWN THE PUBLIC IN OLD GAMES AND NOTHING ELSE!
Maybe I’m alone, but the fact that “The Last of Us,” a game that was originally created in HD a single year ago, has received a ‘HD’ ‘remaster’ is absolutely disgusting. What is there to remaster? How much higher can the definition get? What is the point?! Ultimately, I guess the point is for Sony to plop their lugubrious totally-not-zombies magnum opus in front of a new generation of easily-brainwashed consumers who were too young to own a PlayStation 3, but have recently donned their Big Boy Pants and purchased a PlayStation 4. For a game that is far too new to be considered a classic, it appears that Sony has taken a page from the playbook being used by certain other Japanese developers, whereby pushing a product hard enough and repeatedly enough into customers’ faces will convince them that it is amazing.
Unless the new 8th Generation hardware can pull away from its forebears and provide a legitimate reason for its collective existence, the next 5+ years are going to become a type of Dark Age. Instead of new discoveries and improvements to the medium, gaming will stew in a cauldron of stagnant mediocrity, where the mainstream gruel rations produced by the likes of EA, Ubisoft, and Activision are praised as the finest delicacies in a rote and ritualized parody of what was once a gloriously nerdy and niche hobby.
Comments
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/20/14 at 03:11 PM CT
It is kind of sad - a quick look into the upcoming releases has remasters of: Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light, Diablo III (Ultimate Edition - that, granted does add a new chapter, but is essentially the same thing with a little more), Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate, Darksiders and Red Faction Collections (which keep getting pushed back for whatever reason), Shadow Warriors (a flashy update of a cult 1997 shooter), Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition, Walking Dead Game of the Year Edition (for PS4 and Xbox One), Halo Masterchief Collection, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX and Grand Theft Auto V (For PS4 and Xbox One). If you eliminate all the franchise games and sequels (Madden, NHL, NBA, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, LEGO Batman, etc) the number of truly "original" titles coming out is almost non-existant. Destiny, The Evil Within, The Order: 1886, Alien: Isolation, Project Spark, Sunset Overdrive, DriveClub, Lords of the Fallen - and a handful of others. It is just like movies - much harder to come up with a (good) original idea and rather easier to rely on proven franchises or simply "upgrading" existing games for a new generation.
