Although we're in the next generation of console video games, it seems that the process of actually playing is getting more difficult, thanks to a lot of recent issues.
If anyone needs an example of how the next generation of gaming is currently failing gamers, take a look at Assassins Creed: Unity, a game that was, at least according to most players and critics, released well before its time. Not only did Unity ship with bugs that were so embarrassing that its developer had to actually apologize with free content, but it highlighted one of the key issues that seems to have become a major problem with console gaming. Games are now being released in half-finished form, forcing gamers to download patch after patch just so they can play the title they paid $60 for.
PC gaming still has its issues, of course, especially if you don't own a high-end PC capable of running the latest titles. However, console gaming is where we're seeing most of the major fails, and if the industry doesn't fix these problems, more players will grow frustrated enough to stop buying games altogether.
Here are the trends we see that are the biggest problems with this generation of console gaming.
Next-generation game titles have a long development time
In 2013, both Microsoft and Sony announced their new consoles: the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4. Along with those announcements came promises of gaming titles that got fans very excited. However, a lot of those titles, including those teased during those press conferences two years ago, are still in development.
Not only that, but most of the games we've seen on next-gen consoles (and to date, there haven't been a lot) have seen delays in their release dates.
We get it: the next-gen systems require more from developers. Games keep getting more and more complicated, with AI systems that respond to players in ways unlike anything we've ever before. But anticipating that, maybe these studios, particularly those with the big budgets, need to do something to get their development times down, such as hiring more people to work on titles. Or, maybe the studios can do a better job of announcing games closer to when development is actually finished to avoid 4-year waits.
Meanwhile, we're still waiting for those titles companies promised two years ago, including Uncharted 4 on the PlayStation 4, which won't see the light of day until 2016, and Quantum Break for the Xbox One, which still doesn't have a release date. Both games had trailers way back in 2013, but they're still another year away.
Not only are new games buggy, but require long downloads with patches upon release
Remember when you just popped a disc into your console and the game started? That never happens anymore because developers now release games before they're ready. This usually means that you end up with a situation where you pop the disc into your console and then wait an hour or two for updates to download. Considering that being able to instantly play games once gave consoles an edge over PC gaming, this is a major problem that needs resolution. Yes, we want developers to make games faster, but we also want them to make sure that the games work and that main characters aren't missing faces (which actually happened with the release of Assassins Creed: Unity).
So after you've inserted the disc in your system and walked away for an hour, you'd think the game would run perfectly, right? No, because those updates and patches still don't cover every bug and the next time you want to play the game, you may have another hours' worth of updates to download. Meanwhle, you could just plug in your old copy of Super Mario World and save the princess before these patches even download.
Developers now want to charge us for everything
Downloadable content (DLC) is usually just a way for companies to offer content they cut from the original video game for an additional price, although that content was part of the game in the first place. Not only does a season pass for DLC cost almost half that of the original game (somtimes even more if you're Batman: Arkham Knight), but most of the time, that content isn't even worth bothering with. With most games, it's only a few extra items you don't really need in-game, as well as new stories that have nothing to do with the game's plot.
Then there are microtransactions, and once more, Assassins Creed: Unity comes to mind: unless you want to pay a fortune for in-game items, you can use real money to buy credits that lets you pay a more normal price for such things. It's ridiculous to ask gamers to pay even more after they've shelled out $60 for a title.
Fortunately, smaller development companies buck that trend. For example, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt by CD Projekt Red offers all DLC for free. However, they're likely the odd freaks in a world of developers that only want to take advantage of gamers' wallets.
There isn't a lot of originality left in AAA titles
Remember when the first BioShock came out and it was so unique and different that we instantly fell in love with it? Remember that same feeling with titles like Mass Effect and Assassins Creed? But then as those titles took off, developers got stuck in a sequel rut and kept delivering those same games over and over and over.
Even now, with next-gen titles, there aren't a lot of original games making it to development. Fortunately, rare gems come along like The Last of Us, but those games are too few and too far between.
At least independent developers come up with original content, although more often than not, those games only get released for PC.
Most games now require network connectivity.
"Always on" isn't supposed to have become a thing with console gaming, but it has, especially if you're a member of Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus. Even if you download a game through those services as a subscriber, if you happen to have Internet issues, you can't play that game until the system connects to the gaming platform's network and verifies that you're a subscribing member.
This often happens with other titles, too, although it's not supposed to. And considering that high speed Internet is relatively reliable in most parts of the U.S., this shouldn't be a problem, but when you've got networks that go down often (for example, the PlayStation Network had an outage this past weekend), you often can't play when you want to.
[Photo Credit: Naughty Dog]
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