Bare with me. This is my first time attempting to do a list...
The very first video game that I remember playing is Super Mario Brothers 3 on the NES. That was way back in the early 90s. Since then gaming has evolved and the same games that were popular back then are being put on the back burner for more modern games. So, without wasting any time, here are my top 5 least favorite trends in modern gaming.
#5. Voice Over Acting
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| That's right Professor Oak. Your nephew's name is Buttface. |
I figure that this selection may come as a surprise to most of you and that is why it is at the bottom of my list. Some games do voice overs great (L.A. Noire) and others leave a lot to be desired (Enchanted Arms). Now, I do not hate the fact that a lot of games have voice overs now, but I do not like that it has taken away the ability to name my character. Character's can't be named now because the developers want to include their character's names so that the player feels more intact with the game. THQ did fix this somewhat with their WWE franchise of video games. After you create your wrestler, you can choose how you want the announcer to say their name as they come down to the ring during their entrance. You can only choose from a selection of sounds and words that are already in the programming. So, for example, my creation of Jeff Hardy now enters the ring as Chef Hard ee.
#4. Online Gaming
I know that this is another topic that will have people causing an uproar. I'll be the first to admit it, I am not a fan of online gaming. There is nothing better than getting a few of your closest friends and racing each other in Mario Kart or beating each other up in Super Smash Brothers. Online gaming has proven that society has gotten lazy. It is too much work to go over to my friends house and play a game with them, so we will both log in at home and not even see each other face-to-face. I also don't like the idea of playing with random strangers. I would rather play with my own group of friends and not worry about anyone leaving the game early. If they do, I know exactly where to find them. I would have a completely different opinion of a decent MMO would come out on the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3.
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| Give these kids a few more years and they will be arguing with 30-year-olds on Xbox Live |
#3. Casual Gaming
Casual Gaming is an interesting topic. It lead to both the Wii's success and its demise. When the Wii first hit the market, it was a big innovation. A video game company has never before completely based a console around motion control. The Wii had some great first-party titles to start off its history, but soon it was overrun with third-party titles that appealed strictly to casual gamers. This lead Nintendo fans to start leaning towards buying Microsoft and Sony consoles. They even started advertising their big series towards casual gamers. This is evident with releases like New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Donkey Kong Country Returns. Another reason for the casual gaming boom is the incorporation of mobile gaming. With the iPhone and other smartphones, the idea of video games are reaching a new group of people. People who just want to waste time while they are waiting in a doctor's office or trying not to fall asleep in class. If the only games you play regularly happen to be on your phone, I do not consider you a gamer.
#2. Motion Control
As I stated above, the Wii was a big innovation. I am not a huge fan of how much its games revolve around
motion control. I do not like that how good I am at a game is based around my athletic ability. When I play games it is because I want to do something that I never could dream of doing in real life. I play Madden Football because that is the only time I can be the star of the football team, not because I am an amazing quarterback. When I decide to play a game I want to sit back and relax. I am not planning on moving around a lot. Motion control has lead to a craze of dance games and a way for third party developers to go crazy with all the different games they can make. Whether it is the Nintendo Wii, the Playstation Move, or the Xbox 360 Kinect, I do not like them.
#1 First Person Shooters
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| The only first person shooter that matters. |
Hold on as a duck as all of the Call of Duty fanboys throw something at me... Is it safe yet? I hate first person shooters. It may be because I am not good at them, but I loathe them. They seem to be flooding the
market all the time. You have Call of Duty, Halo, Borderlands, Fallout, Left 4 Dead, and the list goes on and on. I think the thing that bothers me the most about these games are their fans. All of a sudden I am the inferior gamer because I would rather play Mario or Pokemon than one of their games. I am not one of these people that say that playing violent video games leads to violence, but when violence is all that dictates a good game than there is a problem. I just cannot get into these games. I play games solely based on the singleplayer campaign and when there is a good multiplayer replayability that is a plus. I just do not see the need to release a new Call of Duty game every year. Sports games make sense, they need to update the rosters, but a game based around war does not. I understand what games like Doom, Wolfenstein 3D and Duke Nukem 3D did for the genre and video game history, but back then we weren't constantly having it thrown in our faces. That is why first person shooter is and will always be my least favorite trend of modern gaming.
What do you think of my list? Do you agree with some placements, disagree, or do you think that something else should have made it on the list? Leave your comments below. I will be happy to hear from you. Just please don't spam it with fights about what is better, Call of Duty or Halo.
