The 11 Worst Trends in Video Games (page 2 of 2)

5. Sequels.

Activision, EA, and other big publishers may think they're being smart be releasing overhauls of their cash cow franchises every year. But in reality they're signing a deal with the devil. When you make a commitment to release annual sequels, you're saddling your mega-brand game with a perilously short development time and soaring expectations. Over time, battle-fatigued fans may begin to lose interest in the yearly exercises, particularly if each sequel is merely an incremental improvement. Confusion is a major factor, too. Quick: can anyone name the key ways in which Tony Hawk's Project 8 is different from Tony Hawk's American Wasteland? What about Burnout 4 and Burnout 3? Fundamentally, they're all the same.

Chief offenders: The Tony Hawk, Splinter Cell, and Call of Duty series, among many others



4. Rising game prices.

This is probably just the anti-inflationist in me, but I detest paying the new-gen games tax -- $10 more for what is, essentially, the same game experience as last gen. Granted, games aren't the only products plagued with rising prices, but after being raised on the $50 price point, it just seems wrong to pay more. It's like turning the $1 store into the $1.10 store. Publishers: let's see if we can't reverse this progression. And don't even get me started on the ridiculously priced "special edition" games. No, I don't need to spend $130 for a flimsy plastic mask and a behind-the-scenes documentary that shows some programmer coding his life away.

Chief offenders: Pretty much every Xbox 360 and PS3 game



3. Microtransactions.

We appreciate episodic content when it makes sense. And we like digital distribution, too, when it's reasonable. We just don't want to pay for them if publishers keep pricing games at the $50-60 dollar mark... especially for a couple of new songs (::ahem:: Guitar Hero II) or a mandatory online map pack (::ahem:: Halo 2). Just because cell phone companies charge $2 for 30-second ring tones doesn't mean publishers have the all-clear to charge $6.25 for some karaoke version of Higher Ground. More consistent pricing would go a long, long way here.

Chief offenders: Halo 2, Lumines Live, Guitar Hero II (Xbox 360)



2. Gangsta themes.

The ingredients: give players a sandbox world, crowds of innocent bystanders, mini-objectives for when they get tired of robbing the same store for the umpteenth time, and viola! You have yourself a gangsta game. The problem is, most gamers don't find these themes to be subversive anymore, robbing them of their precious edginess. Take away the thrill of the controversial hook and all we're left with is a mediocre third-person shooting/driving game that would've look dated in 2003. If you like these kinds of games, fine; more power to you. But if you're sick of the gangsta game glut, blame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and its record-breaking sales.

Chief offenders: 50 Cent: Bulletproof, Saints Row, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Scarface



1. World War II themes.

Since the dawn of video games, publishers have released roughly 350 World War II-based titles. I'll spell it out for you: that's 350 WWII-themed games all centered around a conflict that lasted six years, which averages out to about 18 games per year during the modern era of gaming. The Allies won. Can't we be done with it? Or at least bring the number of games down to no more than a half-dozen per year? Sheesh. At least Resistance: Fall of Man played with a fun sci-fi alternate WWII timeline. But so many other games have resorted to reenacting increasingly obscure skirmishes in the WWII European front*. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare gives us some hope...though it still transgresses on another pet peeve of ours.

Chief offenders: Company of Heroes, Call of Duty 3, Brothers in Arms: Highway to Hell, Medal of Honor: Airborne, countless others



This isn't to say gaming needs to be turned onto its head; far from it. It would just be nice if our culture embraced extra fresh ideas from time to time (nudge, nudge, developers). But to help with that, we as gamers need to "vote with your wallets" as they say. Get to it!



*Corrected. Thanks therobbie06 !

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hawkeye

Just so you know, the rise in prices is due to the development of Blu-ray and all that stuff. It allows for more disc space, thus more game space, which equals more content, which equals more bang for your buck, so a rise in prices shouldn't be hated all that much.

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