11/06/2013

5 Things I want to see in the next generation...

The next generation of gaming is almost here! And with it hopefully we will eventually see more than just shinier graphics, a new generation usually brings with it (eventually) lots of new seminal ways to game, sometimes to the point where it's hard to go back to older systems and games. Here's 5 things I really would like to see happen during the lifespan of the new run of consoles:



5. Breaks for long-running series: COD is easy to point out here, but we are already on our second Mario title on Wii U (with probably another on the way as a "true" successor to Galaxy) in just a couple weeks, on the 6th Assassin's Creed title, & the 6th Ratchet & Clank game this generation! And don't forget the middling prequels in the God of War and Gears of War series that basically had both those franchises limp off into the sunset of this generation rather than let them go on on the high note both of their 3rd entries had ended on. I'm not saying kill the franchises, but how about give them a little breathing room? I really think 3 entries in a franchise should probably be the max in one generation and that's stretching it. People are going nuts over Kingdom Hearts III because by the time it finally comes out it'll have been a fucking decade since we had a proper title on home console. You can keep doing the weird little experimental spin-offs to try out new ideas, but core series entries should only be once in a great while. I'm good with only getting one or two Uncharted games this coming gen, any more is probably overdoing it and watering down the overall product.



4. A good wrestling game: 2K13 actually wasn't half bad, but that's only by the standards of this generation. I don't even know how, but the A.I. of your opponents in the great N64 era games really knew how to work a wrestling match and wasn't completely broken. Also, Royal Rumbles that are actually Royal Rumbles, Survivor Series matches, etc. Basically better AI and the ability to have more than 6 guys on screen at once so we can have better match types.



3. New Ways to play Online: I'm actually pretty excited about games like Titanfall & Destiny, which seem to offer exciting ways to shoot people online, that's great. But how about games where we don't shoot anybody? Because we seem to be flooded with pretty much that in the first wave of online games. I'll point to an old weird favorite-Phantom Dust for the Xbox, a very unique fun card battling game and you just really don't see fun unusual risky stuff like that anymore. Or in the spirit of shooting people, how about in a different way like making a long overdue follow-up to the excellent Crimson Skies? A new generation should bring different experiences for people, not the same old stuff, leading to my final two things:



2. Revival of an old genre: Genres don't really die, but some do hide on the outer fringes for quite awhile. The tail-end of this gen saw two big genre revivals in the adventure & strategy genres with games like Walking Dead & X-Com (and Fire Emblem) proving those viable when many thought they were pretty much dead. What will make a comeback this gen? Personally I'm hoping for the Jrpg, not really dead but it has fallen on pretty hard times. Hopefully games like Kingdom Hearts III & Final Fantasy XV will be among many that bring it back to prominence.



1. A New Genre: A new generation of consoles hopefully brings with it the ability to create something wholly new that we have never seen before. With this generation arguably being the smallest leap in technology it may actually not happen unless we see some incredible innovation in the indie arena. I'm really hoping that's not the case and we'll see something unexpected that'll just blow our minds on a level beyond how good it looks.

That's it for today, I'll most likely have a Gamer Cinema up by Friday.

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