Recent games have lost their appeal.
Recent games have lost their appeal.
I’m not sure which genres you prefer the most, but here are some that stood out to me. I enjoyed Okami, Hollow Knight, Batman: Arkham Asylum, BioShock, Brutal Legends, Darksiders II, Cthulhu Saves the World (with its quirky retro art), Dead Space, and SOMA for its storytelling. The Talos Principle is a similar experience. Right now I’m more excited about indie projects and studios—Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight was a nice highlight. I still want to try Celeste.
AAA titles often rely on familiar patterns and hope for change through mods. Sandbox experiences like Space Engineers offer variety initially but fade over time. Community support drives updates and new features, making each version feel fresh. Prey stands out as a unique solo experience with unpredictable outcomes. ARK thrives on player creativity and evolving content. Prey’s replayability keeps it engaging despite its flaws. Ghost Recon Breakpoint shows promise but faces challenges from limited modding and poor service. Overall, most AAA games struggle to maintain interest without strong community involvement.
It seems I'm not alone in my views, but I don't usually tweak games unless they're community fixes for issues. Most of the time, I just miss the excitement of adding mods. Indie developers enjoy more freedom to try new things without pressure from investors or market demands. Of course, not all indie games are great—some fall short—but there are still many excellent ones, such as ATOM RPG, Witcher 3, Frostpunk, Hellblade, Senua's Sacrifice, Oxygen Not Included, RealMyst, Rimworld, Wasteland, Valiant Hearts, and The Great War.
I haven't played any of those yet. The indie games I enjoy tend to be smaller, retro-inspired titles. I also like 2D experiences such as Enter the Gungeon, Hollow Knight, Cave Story+, etc. Occasionally I try some classic top-down Zelda games—Ages and Seasons are still my favorites from that era. I did play the first Witcher; I liked the story but not the gameplay (I read the books).
It's common for video games to lose their appeal over time. I don't care what title you're playing—gamers crave variety. We thrive on excitement and instant gratification. The key is to see games as movies. If you can play them with just one other person, they feel new again. There are thousands of options out there. Suggestions usually come from your past experiences. Even if a game didn’t click at first, it might resonate later if you dive in. Take Skyrim as an example. I initially disliked it, but after about seven years, I finally got hooked. I stayed up late for weeks before giving it a try. Once you start engaging with a game, letting go becomes harder. If you share your collection, we can highlight some standout titles. Soon you’ll find yourself enjoying one of them right away.
Tbh this is probably the biggest issue with the always online, DRM-locked down AAA titles nowdays. Modding is why stuff like the OG Battlefront II, Fallout 4, Skyrim, ARMA 3, etc are all still alive. Lack of modding leads to lack of replay value once you've played through all the stuff the devs put in the game.