Was 2021 the Worst Year Ever for Games? (theguardian.com) 61
Covid-19's knock-on effects have delayed development so much that most games we thought we'd be playing now have drifted into next year. From a report: I'm Keza MacDonald, the Guardian's video games editor. I have been a video games journalist for 16 years, and my extended family only recently stopped asking me when I was going to get a real job over Christmas dinner. I guess they've given up on me now. This December, as usual, the release calendar has been as sparse as the hairs on Agent 47's head. Last year we at least had Cyberpunk 2077's fiasco of a launch to distract us from the end-of-2020 doldrums; you can only hope that it will fare better when the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions are, finally, released in the spring. On the plus side, right now there is actually time to catch up on things without the distraction of shiny new things coming out every week. Absorbing myself in a video game has always been a good way to stave off end-of-year ennui in the festive perineum between Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Those Christmas games loom large in the memory -- one year it was Mass Effect 2, which I played for days straight wrapped in a duvet in my freezing cold Edinburgh flat; one Christmas as a teenager I persuaded my parents to get me Animal Crossing on US import and spent the subsequent days completely ignoring my family in favour of my new weird animal neighbours. (I've got my own kids now, and last year I did the same in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Some things don't change.) It's been a strange year for games, partly because the knock-on effects of Covid-19 have delayed the process of game development so much that most of the things we thought we'd be playing now have drifted into next year. Game development is an extraordinarily collaborative endeavour, especially when there are 100 or more people on a team, and working from home has slowed things down massively at a lot of studios with whom I've spoken.
Those Christmas games loom large in the memory -- one year it was Mass Effect 2, which I played for days straight wrapped in a duvet in my freezing cold Edinburgh flat; one Christmas as a teenager I persuaded my parents to get me Animal Crossing on US import and spent the subsequent days completely ignoring my family in favour of my new weird animal neighbours. (I've got my own kids now, and last year I did the same in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Some things don't change.) It's been a strange year for games, partly because the knock-on effects of Covid-19 have delayed the process of game development so much that most of the things we thought we'd be playing now have drifted into next year. Game development is an extraordinarily collaborative endeavour, especially when there are 100 or more people on a team, and working from home has slowed things down massively at a lot of studios with whom I've spoken.
No (Score:4)
Dear Children, you know not how long we waited for Duke Nukem to return.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
Yeah, and how incredibly crappy games are today in comparison to the imaginative 1980s.
Get off my DOSbox, script kiddie.
Re: (Score:2)
We got eat the dots in a maze game, with a circle with a slice taken out. and we got the eat the dots in a maze game, with a circle with a with a slick taken out, but with a bow!
Or the ultra advanced, bad thing are after you, so you jump or move to avoid it.
Re: (Score:1)
You forgot CUBE!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Some are solid games still, but there was something to games with development teams small enough to have a consistent creative vision. The biggest games now are done by teams that are simply too large to realistically pull off.
There are independent games with that same spirit now, but even the studios pull off decent product ever so often.
Re: (Score:3)
The worst year for video games has to be 1984, when the crash happened. Games dumped in landfill.
I was talking to friends about this the other day. For me games peaked in the 16 bit era. The early 3D machines were a step back to my eyes, technically impressive at times but very rough looking. It wasn't until the second generation machines like the Dreamcast that I think 3D games really came of age.
These days the only games I'm interested in are Mario Maker and GT Sport.
Re: (Score:2)
Feels like FOREVER!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Yo Grark
Re: (Score:3)
I'm still waiting for an update to the mid 1990s Harpoon video game. My all time favourite.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Haha. Harpoon was a great real time strategy game that was well ahead of its time. None of the battle simulation games produced since, have ever matched it. But since it didn't have a lot of explosions etc. I guess it didn't rate in some folks books. You managed a fleet or fleet of ships on a strategic level, giving orders and watching battlefield asset symbols moving on a map, including ships, planes, missiles, land,etc. Whatever your radar could realistically pick up. And it modelled per known real milita
Depends how jaded you are, maybe? (Score:5, Interesting)
As somewhat of a grey beard, I find 90% of games a complete waste of time.
The blockbusters - that get ridiculously high ratings - I don't even bother now, always end up going "is that it"?
These days, I seek out older titles and tend to avoid games that require a rig that costs thousands of dollars. Sure, I missed out on Alyx, whatever, but I'm not going to spend a thousand dollars plus to play a game.
So, I don't really know exactly what is happening with modern games anymore ... because I'm jaded.
I spent thousands of dollars from around 1995 through to I guess 2008, playing "catch up" with hardware - and hell, some amazing games were released over that time.
I loved the GTA series, right up to the latest ... loved RDR2 ... and now?
Puzzle games, strategy games - so bored with FPS - I guess near three decades of them will do that to a person.
Was 2021 the worst year ever? - no idea, I don't bother to keep up.
It may be the best year ever for the sheer volume of games you can buy and play - with some of the best deals ever.
Via Steam or GOG, you can load up on thousands of older games for super cheap - and some of them are absolute gems.
So, a bad year here or there, when you only buy games some years after release, on sale, is undetectable.
Re: (Score:2)
Curious, how do you feel about 1v1 competitive skill games (fighting and/or RTS are some examples)?
Re: (Score:3)
1v1 competitive skill games have been the only ones - in the physical world - I actually enjoy.
I was always rubbish at team games, because I'm introverted - more the "lone wolf" type.
That probably found its way into my consumption of video games, hard to tell, because when I first started playing them, in 1976, it was almost entirely a solo activity.
I was fine with QuakeWorld, in terms of "one person against whatever", but really struggled with "capture the flag" style games - interacting as a team.
To this
Re: (Score:2)
It gets boring in Survival mode after a while but there is a lot of area to explore these days. Story mode is fun but the most recent updates are pretty low quality. The devs have tried to introduce some "puzzle" like elements but they haven't done them well, and the only other trick up their sleeve for increasing difficulty is to increase the frequency feroci
Re: (Score:2)
Freemium, pay-to-win, and a focus on online play sucked all the fun out of modern gaming.
Re: (Score:3)
Freemium, pay-to-win, and a focus on online play sucked all the fun out of modern gaming.
Oh yeah, I agree with that.
I don't mind the grind, so long as everyone else is doing the grind.
The moment it starts getting the point where wealth dictates a game, rather than dedication and skill - screw that.
That someone can grind for 1000 hours to get to a point that someone can get to instantly by spending money ? - fuck that. That isn't a game.
I will never play a game like that - ever.
Online play only? - I will never buy a game that has no Single Player aspect.
I will also seek out games that don't requ
Re:Depends how jaded you are, maybe? (Score:4, Insightful)
When you are young, games are optimistic, you learn new skills play the games better, get your victories for winning. Awaiting the next new game and gaming system that offers better graphics and sounds, with new ways to do new things.
When you are older, games are escapist, you are in general comfortable with your current set of skills, and have your own sets of victories, you have proven yourself a survivor. The new games don't bring you emotionally back to when you were a kid, where you didn't have the day to day worries, and you could just sit back and play a game and feel that rush of victory. The old games do.
Re: (Score:2)
Modern games are just too damn long
When I was a kid, I could finish a new game over a couple all-night game sessions.
These days, big games take 60+ HOURS to bloody finish. Of ANY big name game that I've tried in like the last 15 years - I've finished maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of the game before I got bored of the grind and moved on to something newer and more fun.
Re: (Score:3)
60+ hours is long? I got 100 hours in my first Fallout 4 playthough alone. But that's the point of open world games, there's always something to do without it being a grind. I get disappointed when a game is 4 hours, because then I feel that my money is completely wasted (even if it's a $5 game).
I imagine kids these days complain that Lord of the Rings is the worst set of books ever as it takes DAYS to read!
Re: (Score:2)
I spent more than 100 hours on Ultima 3, but it only took me like 12 hours to finish the first time.
A game doesn't have to *require* more hours than my full-time job to finish and still be worth replaying
It only has to do that if wants me to lose interest after the first couple of days and bin it.
Re: (Score:3)
They are too short. Deus Ex was quite a bit longer than both Human Revolution and Mankind Divided.
Re: (Score:2)
Irenicus wants to have words with you.
Re: (Score:2)
Sure, I missed out on Alyx, whatever, but I'm not going to spend a thousand dollars plus to play a game.
While gaming rigs are expråendåsive as hell atm, I dont realy subscribe to the thinking you posted above, you dont get a rig at rhat price to pla a game ( singular) you get it to play any number of gsmes during the lifetime if the rig . Shore rhe one time investment us rather large, I won't dispute that, but if get the rifht rig youll have a realy goid soech fir 1-2 years and a decent soec for about 2 yers after thst so at a minimum 3 years. So about $333/year for the rig and after that, as long
Re: (Score:2)
but I'm not going to spend a thousand dollars plus to play a game.
Huh? Do you always amortise 100% of the cost of equipment into a single example of your hobby? Shit man I bought a new BBQ last week, does that mean I spent $2000 on a single steak dinner for one person? Of course not.
No one on the planet has spent a thousand dollars plus to play "a game". They have spent a thousand dollars plus to buy a gaming rig, the costs of which are amortised over the many games which will be played on it overwhelmingly over many years. To say nothing of the fact that a typical gaming
yes no (Score:2)
yes. no, wait. no. hold on ... i actually don't give a shit about you fake disjunctive. i can't be bothered with this inane borderline "journalism" anymore, not even to invoke betteridge's law of headlines. now go fuck yourself, thank you. :-)
2021 was the worst year for EVERYTHING (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
A near infinite number of people more than the number of people who care about you or what you have to say.
Re: (Score:2)
Hahaha, I bet you have lots of friends Rick.
Re: (Score:2)
There really weren't a lot of new titles to play on Game Pass, though. The only ones that stood out for me were Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite, and both of those probably should have be XBox Series S/X launch titles back in late 2020.
Not really (Score:2)
There were a good amount of good games in 2021. Sure not from any AAA studios, but there is life and a lot of fun out of their cash grabbing markets. The most recent Final Fantasy 14 expansion caused SquareEnix to suspend any new game sales, as the game got way more popular than they could handle (and the supply chain could not deliver them new hardware to scale the demand). Then a lot of indie games are flourishing. Dyson Sphere Program was a great space simulator. Evil Genius 2 was a blast of fun. Nier:
so play an older game (Score:2)
i just started playing frostpunk after having it in my library for months without touching it. i'll probably buy some older games on sale for the PS5 this week too
Nope. Go whine about something real (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It was the best year for VR. (Score:2)
VR gaming is the best it's ever been.
Re: (Score:2)
Suggestions? I just finished devouring Lone Echo 2 and am looking for something new.
Was 2021 the worst year ever for slashdot titles? (Score:2)
Asking for a friend...
Re: (Score:2)
It's rough that people are having to work at home (Score:2)
and get to sleep more than four hours a night, isn't it? Of course, that's no way to rush out a buggy new game in time for the holidays. Won't somebody please think of the executives' profits?
Worst ever? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Nah, I feel that 1976 was even more lacking, no Big titles worth mentioning back then....
Uh, hello? Adventure?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It sounds like it... (Score:4, Insightful)
...was possibly a bad year for games *journalism* - but please, a bad year for *games*? LOL - Hardly! :P
People played more games than ever.
Re: (Score:2)
...was possibly a bad year for games *journalism* - but please, a bad year for *games*? LOL - Hardly! :P
People played more games than ever.
Played, sure. But new releases, which is what the article is actually talking about, it's been a pretty bleak year. A lot of smaller games (some very good), some interesting expansions for existing games, and a ton of "XBX/PS5" ports of existing games. But hardly any buzz-worthy titles this year. Halo Infinite is about the biggest one I can think of and it's, OK I guess. It feels like there is a combination of franchise fatigue and just a lack of big new projects. Too many of the studios just seem to be mil
Doubt it. (Score:3)
Although I got a system capable of playing AAA games at full graphics quality, I mostly play Indie / small studio stuff.
And there have been loads of Indie games being released. Was just testing out Everspace 2 (got it in GOG a few days ago, still under early access). And before that, was trying out Stellar Tactics (also from GOG) - a single developer's creation. Also under early access. And under EPIC games, got Galactic Civ 4 (also early access). And from Steam have been playing around with Universe Sandbox and SpaceEngine (still getting updates although been around prior to this year).
Am still waiting for Dwarf Fortress in Steam, but DF original still plays fine for me.
I don't mind spending a few bucks on Indie / small teams, even if early access. I would rather wait for the big AAA games to be under 10 bucks before I even consider buying them.
Was 2021 the worst year ever for videogames? (Score:3)
Who the hell is supposed to answer that question? Nobody's able to find a GPU anywhere!
F'N Miners! (Score:2)
Probably not. It's the best launch year for a cons (Score:2)
The PS5 had Returnal, Ratchet & Clank, Deathloop, Sackboy, Tales of Arise, Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade, Guilty Gear -STRIVE-, Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, and Death Stranding Director's Cut all launch in 2021, continuing a streak of hits started in 2020 with Demon's Souls, Spiderman: Miles Morales, and Astro's Playroom in 2020.
I can't think of a better launch year for a console in terms of content.
Similarly, the Xbox Series had Flight Simulator, Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, The Ascent,
it was the worst year for /. dupes... (Score:1)
it was the worst year for /. dupes...
No, actually the best of the last 3 (Score:2)
This is probably the best year for video games since the Switch launched, and oddly enough a lot of that is because this was another solid year for new Switch releases. Metroid Dread is the perfect example, and the only reason it wasn't GOTY this year was likely due to horrible marketing and Switch actually wearing out on the hardcore gaming community. It is now a mainstream device, and most people who buy it don't crave for metroidvanias.
Something many forget is that this was the year of VR. The Quest is n
No (Score:2)
No, and this is an objective fact.
2021 has 260 80+ metacritic games, some ports of course: https://www.metacritic.com/bro... [metacritic.com]
2020 had 249: https://www.metacritic.com/bro... [metacritic.com]
May not mean much, but 2021 was definitely better than 2020... Hence not the worst one...
COVID (Score:1)
COVID has been a huge problem for game development. It has closed game developer offices, hindered the production of PS 5 and Xbox.