The Video Game Critic

[QUOTE=Sut]Also Jon makes a good point, did 3D technology plateau with the last generation ? Are we now only going to see incremental upgrades and slight evolution ? Has anyone played anything on PS4, XBone, Wii U or a high end PC that couldn't be done on PS3 or 360 ?[/QUOTE]

I think I mentioned this in another thread, but I haven't really noticed much of a difference jumping from the PS3 to the PS4. Where I noticed the difference was when I jumped back to the PS4 from the PS3. Now, PS3 games look like the N64 to me. You really do notice things like the lighting, the detail, things like that.

However, I do think that it's getting to the point where the human eye can no longer tell much of the difference. I was blown away when I first played MLB12: The Show, because it looked so real. I didn't get that with any of the PS2, or PS1 games. So of course it took me awhile to notice many of the details that the PS4's MLB 14: The Show had to offer. But they're there, as I found when I found myself on the PS3 after letting my brother in law borrow the PS4 (BTW, I start my new job tomorrow). 

Ain't 2014 great?

That's not to say there's not much to look forward to. I like certain FPS's, WW2 games in particular, and I feel there is still more to accomplish as hardware gets better and better. I've always wanted a football game where you can watch film, that would really add another element to online leagues, as you could study what plays your opponents like to use and stuff like that. But I don't really trust EA to do that effectively. Not to mention I'm not sure if I like the idea of some 12 year old know it all destroying me in Madden.

[QUOTE=Vexer]

I don't know if the Souls games are necessarily the answer, personally I found Dark Souls much more frustrating then fun and quickly lost interest in it, and i'm not so sure Dave would be into that sort of game.

 

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If you found Dark Souls frustrating, you might (as I do) prefer the more structured approach of Demon's Souls. It's that sense of mystery, free experimentation, and risk/reward in these games that calls to mind the great old-school adventure games like Zelda 1. If the openness and amorphous structure of Dark Souls got in the way of experiencing that, you might still enjoy Demon's because it's more like ALttP in that it's more streamlined and won't let you get lost.

Demon's Souls is much more straightforward in a game progression sense than Dark Souls, since it uses a hub zone, you select your "stages" almost like a Mega Man game. There are a couple optional systems that are fairly obscure, but completely unnecessary to play or finish the game. Dark Souls is "open world" like a Zelda game, with gated progression and short cuts between zones.

ptdebate-I don't own a PS3 at the moment so I can't play Demon Souls(not sure I'd want to anyways, as it dosen't sound that good).

I don't mind a challenge but Dark Souls is an example of how inconsistent the basis of challenges are between games today. I prefer a balance between 'doable' and 'hard'.

Me too, I like a balance that isn't overwhelmingly difficult but also does provide something of a challenge at the same time. 

[QUOTE=Vexer]Me too, I like a balance that isn't overwhelmingly difficult but also does provide something of a challenge at the same time. [/QUOTE]

You should like the Souls series, then. As I explained, the supposed "difficulty" of the series is more marketing than reality. The actual gameplay is more about combining the balanced character growth of a great DnD-style RPG with the razor-sharp action of a good Zelda game. Death has its consequences, but it's actually super lenient compared to 8-bit Nintendo games where you lose all progress when you get a "game over". In Souls, you don't lose your progress, just your currency/exp. On top of that, the game gives you a chance to go back and recover what you lost! All you have to do is not screw up the second time.

ptdebate-You can't tell someone what they "should" or "should not" like, i'm sorry if I don't find dying dozens of times to be very fun, and not "screwing up" the second time is WAY easier said then done.  For many people the marketing absolutely is the reality(Angry Joe for example got his ass kicked pretty brutally by Dark Souls 2, which is probably why he never reviewed it), the learning curve for that game is just too sharp for my tastes, sorry but you simply can't expect everyone to like the game as much as you do.