Recent developments in PC gaming have been filled with legal issues and disappointing releases.
Recent developments in PC gaming have been filled with legal issues and disappointing releases.
Has everything always stayed the same? I’ll be honest, I haven’t really paid close attention to the PC gaming world for a long time, but it feels like there’s been a continuous wave of disappointing titles, particularly from AAA developers. What’s been happening? There have been big expectations (the ones I remember) that just... didn’t live up to them. Massive studios have been struggling a lot, even though they once had big wins.
I mean... wow, look at BioWare’s latest releases...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bi...ideo_games
Basically, their most recent "successful" title was ME3, and even that received harsh criticism for its terrible ending. The developer’s dismissive attitude—claiming the game would just be a button-pushing experience with no real consequences—added to the disappointment. Even before that, Star Wars: The Old Republic was well received, but the previous installment, Dragon Age II, got panned for being a rebranded version rather than a true Dragon Age game. DA:Inquisition was another hit, criticized for its lack of depth and terrible controls, optimized mainly for consoles. Then Mass Effect Andromeda followed, which was equally disappointing.
EA, another major publisher, has also struggled to deliver quality games within its established franchises. Need for Speed came in with a poor rating (5.9/10), Star Wars Battlefront II was infamous for its loot box issues, Sims 4 felt like a step down from Sims 3, and Mirror’s Edge was considered mediocre. The only game that really stood out was probably Titanfall 2, aside from their sports titles.
The newest SimCity release didn’t impress either... and the latest Assassin’s Creed games have been underwhelming.
What’s going on? Is it the reliance on outdated game engines? Who are the developers today, and are they just chasing profits by reusing old ideas with modern marketing? Is it all about quick cash in a rapidly growing market?
I’ve been really let down lately about gaming overall. I used to love AAA games, but now it feels like we’re just seeing more of the same—repetitive stories, outdated tech, and performance problems everywhere.
I believe people are focusing mainly on EA, where it's clear they only aim for profit, leading to criticism.
The recent assassins creeds have performed well, but I lost interest when black flag was released and saw negative reactions from the start—though it had decent reviews, I bought it and really enjoyed it.
Most major titles this year are on PS4 (Spider-Man, God of War), while there are still many solid PC games available—like Hellblade, Far Cry 5, Hitman 2, Vampyr, and Dead Cells...
There are always bad games, but now there are more releases than there were ten years ago.
I just don't remember this many shitty games from otherwise good developers. That's all.
And sure, there have been some OK games. But even in your list... Far Cry 5 is... well... just another far cry game, nothing special, same gameplay as always. Hitman 2, again, just another hitman game, albeit done pretty well. Dead Cells is good, I will give you that one, but even that, with it's rouge like nature gets boring if you are just a casual player (and aren't good enough to progress.)
Did you experience Far Cry 5? It stood out more than previous titles, offering an excellent setting, a compelling narrative, and unique mechanics not found in other games. What about Forza Horizon, Two Point Hospital, Subnautica, Vermintide 2, and others? There have been many impressive releases this year.
Haven't played Forza, more of an F1 fan, I played subnautica to death in it's alpha state, I don't really want to play through it again. Not to mention that game had a lot of performance issues as well. Vermintide 2 looks good, but I tend to leave mainly multiplayer games alone. Not a huge fan of playing online. Maybe I just haven't been looking hard enough.
I'll give it a shot, thanks. I need to replace my wheel in the closet.
I'm searching for games that really grab my focus and aren't boring. Recently I've been playing heavily modded Skyrim and Fallout 4—just want something immersive where I can forget about everything.
EDIT: I also skipped Far Cry 5. I played it through and was too exhausted to go back into that world.
Not a 2018 player, have you tried The Witcher 3?
I understand it can feel daunting at first, but it became a great experience once I started.
All these AAA publisher/dev efforts are mainly focused on generating profits to satisfy investors today. They likely take advantage of mobile game developers earning millions or billions while spending far less on production, aiming to capture a portion of that as well.